The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday hit-out at former finance minister P. Chidambaram for his remark on 'peace' situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

BJP leader Sambit Patra blamed "misgiving of former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru's misadventures" for the current situation in Kashmir.

Patra's remark came after Chidambaram earlier in the day hit out at the Centre for failing to restore peace in the valley.

"The problem of Jammu and Kashmir is misgiving of the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's misadventures," Patra told ANI.

Earlier, taking to his Twitter handle, in a series of nine tweets, Chidambaram pointed towards the efforts taken by the government on Kashmir and how it failed to show any result.

Commenting on the appointment of Dineshwar Sharma as the interlocutor for Kashmir, the former finance minister said the initiative was rebuffed by various stakeholders in the valley as a pre-election gimmick.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Indonesian Police on Sunday detained a woman suspected to be the mother of a newborn who was found dead in an Etihad plane toilet in Jakarta.

The suspected woman, who has been identified as Hani, was detained following the discovery at the Jakarta Airport, Sky News reported, citing the Indonesian Police as saying.

The 37-year-old woman was on an Etihad Airways flight from Abu Dhabi to Jakarta, but the flight was diverted to Bangkok.

The woman, who had worked as a domestic helper in Abu Dhabi for four years, secretly gave birth during a flight from Abu Dhabi to the Indonesian capital on Saturday, officers suspected.

Roughly four hours after take-off she began bleeding, forcing the captain to divert to Bangkok.

She was deplaned at Thailand and flew to Jakarta on a later flight.

The dead newborn was discovered after the flight arrived at its eventual destination, Jakarta.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)After the Pakistan Interior Ministry blacklisted the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and the Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF), Defence Expert PK Sehgal said that Islamabad is under the pressure of United States.

"Though Pakistan may deny that they are not doing this under US pressure but the fact is US pressure is beginning to work," defence expert PK Sehgal told ANI.

US president Donald Trump, in a strongly-worded tweet, had said earlier that America had been 'foolishly' providing military aid to Pakistan for 15 years, but in return, it has only received 'lies and deceit.'

Trump's scathing remarks come after a media report emerged that the United States was considering withholding a USD 255-million aid to Islamabad due to Pakistan's inability to destroy terror safe havens.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Palestine Embassy in New Delhi on Sunday discarded the reports of its Ambassador to Pakistan Walid Abu Ali being reinstated.

"We don't know from where you got this information about Palestine Ambassador to Pakistan being reinstated. As per our knowledge, he is very much in Palestine as of now", the Palestine Embassy in New Delhi told ANI.

In addition, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry also denied this information, saying, "Our ambassador in Pakistan is in Palestine and our position was declared by our official statement which we have published last week".

Earlier in the day, Pakistani media reported that Palestine has reinstated its ambassador to Pakistan Walid Abu Ali, who was recently recalled for attending a rally organised by the Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC), where he shared a stage with 26/11 attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed.

Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) chairman Maulana Tahir Ashrafi was quoted as saying that Walid Abu Ali would return to Pakistan on Wednesday to resume his duty.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the country's Chief Justice were reportedly requested by Ashrafi to reinstate Walid Abu Ali, in the backdrop of the ambassador's services rendered to Pakistan.

Earlier in December, Palestine had decided to call back Walid Abu Ali after he shared the stage with the United Nations-designated terrorist and the 26/11 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed during an event in Rawalpindi and branded the incident as "deeply regrettable".

The move unfolded as India stated that the Palestinian envoy's association with Saeed was "unacceptable".

After India's objection, Palestinian Ambassador to India Adnan Abu Al Haija told ANI: "We are supporting India in its fight against terrorism and because of that my government decided to directly call our Ambassador to go back home and not to be a Palestine ambassador to Pakistan anymore".

He also assured India and Palestine would deal with the matter appropriately.

Pakistan had defended Walid Abu Ali after he was recalled from his post by saying that the Ambassador has participated in many of the meetings held in the country and that the public meeting in question was "yet another demonstration of the Pakistani strong sentiments in support of the Palestinian cause".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Palestine has reinstated its ambassador to Pakistan Walid Abu Ali, who was recently recalled for attending a rally organised by the Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC), where he shared a stage with 26/11 attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed, according to a report.

Walid Abu Ali will return to Pakistan on Wednesday to resume his duty, Geo News quoted Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) chairman Maulana Tahir Ashrafi as saying.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the country's Chief Justice were reportedly requested by Ashrafi to reinstate Walid Abu Ali, in the backdrop of the ambassador's services rendered to Pakistan.

Earlier in December, Palestine decided to call back Walid Abu Ali after he shared the stage with the United Nations-designated terrorist and the 26/11 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed during an event in Rawalpindi and branded the incident as "deeply regrettable".

The move unfolded as India stated that the Palestinian envoy's association with Saeed was "unacceptable".

After India's objection, Palestinian Ambassador to India Adnan Abu Al Haija told ANI: "We are supporting India in its fight against terrorism and because of that my government decided to directly call our Ambassador to go back home and not to be a Palestine ambassador to Pakistan anymore".

He also assured India and Palestine would deal with the matter appropriately.

Pakistan had defended Walid Abu Ali after he was recalled from his post by saying that the Ambassador has participated in many of the meetings held in the country and that the public meeting in question was "yet another demonstration of the Pakistani strong sentiments in support of the Palestinian cause".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday arrived at the BSF academy at Tekanpur in Madhya Pradesh, for the conference of the Director Generals of Police and Inspector Generals of Police.

Earlier in the day, presentations and discussions were held on various subjects relating to the security. A presentation was also made on the implementation status of decisions taken during the last three years.

Prime Minister Modi also held discussions with select groups of officers, on specific security and policing issues.

Earlier, on arrival, the Prime Minister unveiled plaques to mark the inauguration of five new buildings at the BSF Academy.

The discussions will continue tomorrow with Prime Minister addressing the valedictory ceremony of the conference, before departing for Delhi.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be addressing the top police officials tomorrow at a three-day annual conference at the Border Security Force (BSF) Academy at Madhya Pradesh's Tekanpur.

An official statement on Saturday said that the conference will be attended by Director General of Police (DGP) and Inspector General of Police (IGP).

The "DGPs conference is an annual event in which top police officers from all over the country will share and discuss security-related issues," it said.

Prime Minister Modi has addressed the conference earlier in Guwahati, Assam in 2014, Dhordo, Rann of Kutch, Gujarat in 2015 and Police Academy, Hyderabad in 2016.

During the last meeting, issues such as cross-border terrorism and radicalisation were discussed in detail.

The Prime Minister emphasised the importance of leadership, soft skills and collective training, besides the importance of technology and human interface for the police force.

Holding the conference outside the capital is in line with the Prime Minister's vision that such conferences should be held across the country, and not just be confined to Delhi.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Powerlifting world champion Saksham Yadav on Sunday succumbed to the injuries he sustained in a road accident earlier in the day.

Yadav (23) was initially taken to Raja Harish Chandra Hospital in Narela, from where he was shifted to Max Hospital, and later to AIIMS Trauma Centre, where he breathed his last.

Earlier in the day, four other powerlifting players, identified as Tikamchand, Saurabh, Yogesh and Harish Roy, were brought dead at Raja Harish Chandra Hospital in Narela after the accident, while Yadav and one other Rohit were critically injured.

All six had met with an accident due to fog conditions at Sindhu border in Delhi at around 3:00 a.m.

Rohit, the lone survivor of the accident, is admitted to Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital.

According to a preliminary investigation into the accident, the speed of the car was very high. Some bottles were also found in the car indicating the possibility of drunk driving.

The investigation is underway.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Four robbers looted a businessman in Mohammadpur area of Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad on Sunday.

The miscreants allegedly looted Rs 10,000 from the businessman at gunpoint.

On the basis of tipoff, the police reached the spot to nab the robbers and also engaged in an encounter with them for more than an hour.

However, after several hours of a search operation, the police could not nab the robbers and they managed to escape from the site.

Meanwhile, Regional officer Rajkumar said that a case has been registered against unknown miscreants and investigation was launched to trace them.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Russia on Sunday expressed its gratitude to the United States (US) for the swift assistance in resolving the situation with the Russian Airlines.

The Russian Airlines Aeroflot flights were delayed in Washington DC due to unfavorable weather conditions.

"We thank our colleagues from @USApoRusski (the US Department of State's Russian-language account on Twitter) for their response and prompt assistance," the Russian Embassy tweeted.

The Russian Embassy in the United States had turned to the US Department of States for assistance. "In order to speed up the departure of Aeroflot flights, which were delayed due to bad weather conditions," wrote the embassy.

According to TASS, Aeroflot on Saturday, had announced that its flights were rerouted from their initial destination in New York to the Dulles airport in Washington due to adverse weather conditions.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Gurkewal Singh, the suspended assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of Ludhiana, who was locked up on the charges of robbery, allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in the Central Jail on Sunday.

In May, Singh, along with a head constable and four others, was arrested for robbing a private firm employee of Rs 20 lakh.

Singh, who was last deputed at Punjab's Model Town police station, had a record of criminal cases against him such as stealing, assault, corruption and criminal intimidation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Heaping praises on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj on Sunday underscored that India's increasing dominance is due to the prime minister.

"The increasing dominance and reputation of India in the is because of the personality of Prime Minister Modi. In whichever country he goes, he makes strong individual friendship in addition to establishing good relations between the two countries", Swaraj said addressing Indian diasporas at the ASEAN-India Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Singapore.

Swaraj, who apparently was quite generous with the words, used the occasion to make a positive note about the Non Resident Indians (NRIs), saying that, "Wherever I have gone, I have been told a few things about Non Resident Indians - An Indians is a good neighbor, Indians are hard working people, Indians are law abiding citizens and this fills me with immense pride".

Swaraj also stressed that India is a land of festivals, and Holi, Diwali, Eid and Christmas are the festivals of the entire nation.

"Kerala celebrates Onam, Tamil Nadu celebrates Pongal, Bengal celebrates Durga Puja, Assam celebrates Bihu, Punjab celebrates Baisakhi and Telugu community celebrates Ugadi, Gujarat participates in Garba while Maharashtra celebrates Ganes utsav", she said.

High Commissioner of India to Singapore Jawed Ashraf was also hailed by the minister.

"Your ambassador Jawed Ashraf, sitting here, is an epitome of sensitiveness. He reaches whenever and wherever an organisation of any community or religion calls him. Wherever Ashraf is called, be it a temple, a mosque or a church, he not only comes there but also celebrates it enthusiastically", Swaraj said.

Earlier in the day, Swaraj met with the Singapore Foreign Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan and discussed tthe bilateral and multilateral issues related to the economic and strategic partnership.

Swaraj also met with the delegations of Indian diasporas from Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries in Singapore.

The minister, earlier today, said as the trilateral highway project from India to Thailand is making considerable progress, New Delhi is planning to extend its connection further with other ASEAN countries.

Swaraj is on the last leg of her first visit of the year 2018 to three South East Asian countries - Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore.

The visit is aimed at giving a further boost to bilateral relations to the South East Asian countries within the framework of India's Act East Policy.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)United Nations-designated terrorist and the 26/11 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed has said that the United States has forgotten Pakistan's contributions in the war against terrorism.

The Daily Nawa-i-Waqt quoted the Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) Chief Saeed as saying at the 'Al-Quds Conference' that Pakistan has supported the U.S., but all our sacrifices in the war against terrorism were forgotten by America and it threatens us today.

Saeed further lambasted the U.S. saying that it cannot make 20 million Pakistanis their slaves by closing the financial aid and by imposing other restrictions.

"We are afraid of our God only, the Pakistani nation is brave and respected," he said.

The JuD chief also said that Pakistan doesn't need the U.S. charity and its support.

"In the court, there were several representatives of government authorities were standing in front of me, but everyone said Hafiz Saeed and his party's role is beneficial for Pakistan, despite the pressure of external forces, including the United States and India," Saeed said.

Pakistan's former Chairman of the Human Rights Committee Riaz Fatyana also addressed the conference.

Hafiz Saeed has also slapped a Rs 100 million defamation notice on Pakistan's Defence Minister Khurram Dastgir.

This comes days after Pakistan prohibited Saeed's Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) and Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation (FIF) from collecting donations.

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) on Monday ordered to prohibit all companies from donating cash to JuD and FIF, as well as several other such organisations named in a list of banned outfits by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

Earlier this week, Saeed invited all Islamic states to launch 'Jihad' against the United States and Israel.

The event was conducted in the wake of the US President Donald Trump-led administration unilaterally identifying and declaring Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Sunday gave the green signal to the construction of a temple complex in the Hanumandhoka buffer zone, which falls in the Durbar Square, located in the Kathmandu Valley.

The UNESCO office in Kathmandu, in a statement, said that it had no objection to the construction of the temple, reported the Himalayan Times.

The statement comes days after the UNESCO had issued a statement on December 4 last year. It said: "We have learnt that with much concern about the construction of commercial building and basement within the buffer area of Hanumandhoka Durbar Square Heritage Monument Zone and inside the Protected Monument Zone."

The temple complex at the Hanumandhoka site in Durbar Square is being constructed by the builder- Maharjan Business Associates Pvt Ltd.

The UNESCO has also urged the builder to respect the rule of reaching the maximum height limits of 35 feet, as prescribed by the Protected Monument Zone Bylaws and the Ancient Monument Preservation Act, to avoid any structural damage to the temple complex. It has also asked the local authorities to closely monitor the construction activities.

However, in contradiction with its own letter, the UNESCO has clearly stated: "Firstly, the complex is outside the Heritage property. Secondly, according to the plans, the construction will fully respect the allowable height limit and have a neoclassical style facade, matching with the surroundings, in particular with the Gaddi Baithak".'

The UNESCO has also sent the letter to the country's archaeology department, Hanumandhoka Durbar Museum Development Committee, Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Maharjan Business Associates Pvt Ltd, Nepal National Commission for UNESCO and UNESCO Heritage Centre, Paris, informing them that the construction of the complex did not violate the law.

A joint report prepared by Kathmandu Metropolitan City and Kathmandu Valley Development Authority stated that the commercial complex had violated the approved blueprint. It had a basement covering its entire land area of 627.98 square metres and each floor of the temple complex was around three feet taller than the required height.

The UNESCO, however, has maintained that there was an underground basement already in the complex, and an additional basement was being constructed to strengthen the building's foundation.

Construction of the temple complex, which was on after the 2015 earthquake was halted, following an order by Kathmandu Metropolitan City on November 24 last year, after the locals had staged a protest demanding that the basement should be guarded as it posed a threat to the Malla-era treasury in the complex.

However, the treasury is being guarded by army personnel at all times.

Nepal was rocked by a massive earthquake in April 2015. The quake also damaged various monuments and temples within the Durbar Square, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the Kathmandu Valley. Parts of the Hanumandhoka temple were also damaged.

The earthquake in Nepal was the worst-ever disaster to struck in the country, killing over 9,000 people and rendering thousands of them homeless.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)United States President Donald Trump needs to take a step back, exercise caution and patience, and focus more on having quiet diplomatic negotiations with Pakistan on the issue of neutralising support to terror elements operating from its soil, says an editorial in the New York Times.

The editorial is of the view that President Trump can ill afford walking away from Pakistan at this juncture of his presidency, and will need to acknowledge that Islamabad has and will continue to be a source of vital intelligence. He would also have to keep in mind that Pakistan has the world's fastest-growing nuclear arsenal, which has always been a matter of regional and global concern.

"Whether Pakistan will cooperate after the aid freeze remains to be seen. Initially, some Pakistani officials reacted harshly to the announcement, which came as a surprise, but on Friday, a Foreign Ministry statement talked about the need for mutual respect and patience as the two countries address common threats," says the editorial, suggesting that tone and engagement is now even tempered.

"Mr. Trump could marshal other diplomatic tools to see if more constructive cooperation with Pakistan is possible. One idea would be to harness his new friendships with the leaders of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to shut down Haqqani and other Taliban fund-raising efforts in the Persian Gulf. This would, of course, require quiet negotiations, not shouting," the editorial adds.

It further goes on to say that Pakistan has posed a dilemma for the United States for long, and the Trump administration's announcement this week that it would freeze nearly all military aid to Pakistan, roughly USD 1.3 billion annually, should for now just be seen as an act of initial frustration and bombast.

It warns that Pakistan has the potential to retaliate by denying access, shutting down supply lines to Afghanistan, ally more closely with China and be more hard-line in its rivalry with India. China could once again be the beneficiary of a Trump decision whose signature tune is estrangement with and from long-time partners.

The NYT editorial says that while Trump may have highlighted a real point, "he has given no assurance that he would not make matters worse."

Americans last cut off assistance to Pakistan in the 1990s after it tested a nuclear weapon and underwent a military coup, creating distrust between the two countries that has never dissipated. But after September 11, 2001, the relationship transformed overnight. Washington has demanded that Islamabad perform on counter-terrorism in return for new aid.

Since then, Pakistan has played a double game, accepting American funding while backing militants who protect Pakistani interests in Afghanistan and Kashmir.

President Trump is not the first to call a spade a spade. In 2011, Admiral Mike Mullen, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a Senate committee that the Haqqani Network was a "veritable arm" of the Pakistani security service. "Extremist organisations serving as proxies of the Government of Pakistan are attacking Afghan troops and civilians as well as U.S. soldiers," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Three men died due to asphyxia on Sunday in a 10-feet-deep manhole in which they had descended to unclog it in the city's south-east suburb, a civic official said.

"The incident came to light around noon when the victims did not come out of the manhole they had entered to clear an underground blockage in an apartment's sewage treatment plant," the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike (BBMP) told IANS here.

Two of them suffocated after inhaling toxic gases while the third was found inside the manhole in an unconscious state.

The victims, in mid-thirties, were identified as Mahadevappa, Ramesh and Srinivas.

"Fire brigade personnel retrieved the bodies of Mahadevappa and Ramesh from the manhole while Srinivas was rushed to a private hospital after pulling him out of it as he was breathing then," the official said.

Doctors at the St John's Hospital, however, declared Srinivas dead when he was brought there.

Bengaluru Development Minister K.G. George, who visited the area later, expressed concern over unqualified persons being employed for scavenging work manually.

"I have directed BBMP to inquire and book those responsible for hiring the victims without assessing their eligibility. They were not qualified to enter a manhole, so deep and emitting toxic gases," George told reporters at the spot.

The civic body announced Rs 5 lakh as compensation to the families of each of the victims.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Bibliophiles of the national capital utilised the sunny Sunday afternoon to head for the ongoing World Book Fair in large numbers.

With the weather remaining pleasant, the bookworms started coming to the fair late afternoon on the second day. Many of the publishers this time had decorated there stalls keeping a match with the theme of this year's book fair - "environment and climate change".

Like last year, this year too, it was again the children who kept the book fair lively with their enthusiasm and keen interest in books. Although Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Enid Blyton and Ruskin Bond remained prefered pick for children, there appeared an increase in demand of comic series and fable tables.

Six-year-old Nael Khan who was already holding a copy of colouring book was hopping from one stall to another searching for Vikram Betal series. This was his first visit to book fair and his excitement seemed no boundaries.

"I am very happy to be here. There are so many colourful stalls and so many books. I want to buy as many books possible. I love reading fable tales, they are very interesting. I also want to buy books on Akbar-Birbal stories," Nael told IANS.

The charm of children's books even made youngsters get a copy of their all time favourite characters. Utkarsha Dixit who came all the way from Gurgaon was seen buying Chacha Chaudhary books.

"It is like reliving those childhood days. I remember attending book fairs when I was in school and college and buying comic books and parents wouldn't even stop me. I couldn't visit last year so had already planned to visit this time. I will also buy Phantom series," she said.

Shobit Aggarwal, who came with his son and daughter from south Delhi, said he believed that book fair gives children a platform to physically interact with books.

"In an era of digitalisation it is importan that children get a chance to feel the books. And events like this encourages reading habit. Children see others buying or reading books and that further motivates them to buy more," Aggarwal said.

Even for the publishers, seeing children showing their interest on reading encourages them to come up with more editions of any books.

"It is actually good to see that the kids still have got interest in books. Even we get motivated to participate at book fair. We also get a chance to understand what kind of books children prefer and we try to make more editions of such books," Vijay Singh of Diamond Publication said.

Being held at Pragati Maidan and co-organised by the National Book Trust (NBT) and ITPO, the annual New Delhi World Book will continue till January 14.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)BJP President Amit Shah on Sunday said that it is certain that the Left Front would be ousted from power in the Tripura assembly elections in February and his party would come to power.

"Today's (Sunday) crowds have confirmed that the BJP government would certainly come to power in Tripura and the Left Front would be voted out in the next month's polling," said Shah, who addressed two pre-election rallies in the state.

He said that Tripura would be transformed into a fully developed state by constructing high quality infrastructure and all modern facilities for education and health services.

Lashing out at what he called the Communist Party of India-Marxist's (CPI-M) " of poverty and backwardness", Shah said that BJP would pave the rapid transformation of the state into a developed one through creation of employment opportunities.

"Our Prime Minister's 'Mantra' is reform, perform and transform and the upcoming BJP government in Tripura would act upon these 'Mantra' to radically alter the profile of the state. Our cardinal principle is 'Sarv ka Saath, Sarv ka Vikas'and this would ensure equitable development for all communities of the state.

"The genuine grievances of all sections of people would be resolved... the BJP government (at the centre) has already shown the sincerity to develop the infrastructure of the state by extending Broad Gauge railway line in Tripura," he said.

Shah, accompanied by Bharatiya Janata Party's national General Secretary Ram Madhav, Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and state party President Biplab Kumar Deb had arrived in Tripura from Meghalaya capital Shillong.

The BJP chief and other party leaders said they were overjoyed after seeing the presence of "record number of people's participations" in the two "Bijoy Sankalpa Rally" in northern Tripura's Ambassa and southern Tripura's Udaipur.

"Many many years have given to CPI-M-led Left Front... Chief Minister Manik Sarkar could not deliver the goods, be it in the field of employment or be it basic infrastructure like road, electricity and healthcare.

"The state is having over seven lakh unemployment youths while 37 lakh people live in the tiny state. Is electricity available in each village for 24 hours? Do farmers get minimum support price of their crops ? Nothing," he said.

The BJP President also said those who are involved in the Rs 35,000 crore chit fund scams would be sent to jail once the BJP formed the government.

Sarma, who is BJP's in-charge of Tripura elections, said that within the next one and a half month the BJP government would be installed in Tripura and then a new Tripura would be shaped and that would be a model state in the entire country.

State BJP President Biplab Kumar Deb said getting most financial assistance from the central government, the Left Front government takes credit by giving some allowances to the people.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The recent Chinese intrusion into Arunachal Pradesh was an "inadvertent border crosswalk" by some labourers and did not involve Chinese troops, according to a report by the National Security Council, an apex body that advises the Prime Minister on security-related issues.

According to highly placed sources, the report said the group was tasked with construction work and was unaware they were on Indian territory before they were confronted by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). It added the group had no involvement with the Chinese People's Liberation Army.

The area where the intrusion occurred is in Bishing of Upper Siang district, along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and the two countries do not have a agreed border in this area. Given the mountain terrain and winding topography, the road construction group entered the Indian side where they built a track more than 600 meters long.

The report that analysed the incident that took place around December 26 said the intrusion was not planned. When the road building party was confronted by the ITBP, they left the equipment and ran away.

China has approached the Indian side and requested that the equipment be returned, which includes a JCB and a water tanker.

Sources said the Indian side was likely to return the equipment whenever the next meeting at the border was held.

India and China share a 4,000-km boundary and except for a small portion of boundary in the middle, the borders have not been settled.

In the east, China claims India's Arunachal Pradesh as its own while New Delhi lays claims to Aksai Chin in the west now with Beijing.

Both Defence and Home ministries have on several occasions called the lack of a fixed boundary the reason behind incidents of transgression by Chinese troops.

The incident had raised concerns similar to what happened along the India-China-Bhutan tri-junction in Doklam where China tried to build a road in territory claimed by Bhutan, and was stopped by India, resulting in a 73-day stand-off.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi admitted the stand-off put a "severe" strain on bilateral ties.

In December, Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chinese State Councillor and Communist Party of China leader Yang Jiechi held the 20th Meeting of Special Representatives of India and China on border issues.

The two sides called the talks "positive and focused" and agreed to seek "mutually acceptable resolutions of their differences.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSTM) building would not lose its Unesco World Heritage site tag even if it shifts the Central Railway offices from there to convert the office space into a museum, Railway Ministry officials claim.

The Central Railway had , in December 2017, sought permission of the Railway Board to shift its headquarters from the iconic 129-year-old CSTM to another place in Mumbai and convert the present office into a museum.

"The proposal to convert the CSTM into a museum was received by the Railway Board 15-20 days ago," a senior Railway Ministry official told IANS.

He also said that the Central Railway has proposed to construct its new headquarters in Mumbai's P. D'Mello Road, which is just a few kilometres away from its current headquarters.

"They have given an estimated cost of Rs 65 crore to Rs 100 crore to construct the new building," the official said.

While the offices of the Central Railway would be shifted from the iconic building -- the most photographed structure in India after the Taj Mahal -- the train operations below it will not be affected by the decision.

"The trains will continue to arrive and depart out of the 18 platforms at the CSTM, that is also a Unesco World Heritage site," the official said.

Asked whether converting the offices into a world-class museum would not affect the tag of the Unesco World Heritage site, which it got in 2004, he replied, "We have considered Unesco World Heritage site norms. And by converting the building we would be conserving the originality of the building; thus there is no danger to the Unesco World Heritage site tag."

"It will also help the Railways to maintain the building properly as the number of visitors will be controlled," he said.

Asked how the idea of converting the building into the museum came about, the official replied, "Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, during his visit to the CSTM on November 27, wrote in the visitor's book that he wanted to see the building converted into a museum."

"The minister wanted the building to be conserved properly as a Unesco World Heritage site," he added.

The official said that the proposal was prepared within a week's time and was sent to the Railway Board and is awaiting clearance from the Chairman.

The official also revealed that the Central Railway's General Manager D.K. Sharma, in his letter along with the proposal to the Railway Board, has suggested that as the work of the museum is highly specialised in nature, the project of converting the building into a museum should be done through the board's office of Executive Director of heritage.

He has also asked the Railway Board to seek the opinion of experts for the museum work.

The official said that the work might commence from May this year which also marks the 130th anniversary of the Central Railway.

Currently, the CSTM building houses three offices, where around 400 employees of the Central Railway work.

The CSTM building was designed by British architect Frederick William Stevens. The iconic building resembles London's St Pancras railway station and was commissioned in 1888 after the construction took 10 years.

The famous architectural landmark in the Gothic-revival style served as the headquarters of the Great Indian Peninsular Railway. The zonal railway operates from the same building since 1951.

The station was known as Victoria Terminus -- VT for short -- till 1996. The name of the station was then changed to Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in honour of the Maratha emperor Chhatrapati Shivaji.

The station was again renamed in May 2017 as the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus after a resolution to change the name was passed in the Maharashtra Assembly in December 2016.

The Home Ministry officially sent a letter to the Maharashtra government denoting the name change in May 2017.

According to the Central Railway officials, every day above three million suburban commuters use the railway station.

(Anand Singh can be contacted at anand.s@ians.in <mailto:anand.s@ians.in>)

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar jointly released a book on Buddhism on Sunday at Bodh Gaya, the religion's holiest shrine.

"Science and Philosophy in the Indian Buddhist Classics" is the first of four volume work that explores the scientific observations about the material world and the mind found in classical Buddhist treatise.

Nitish Kumar, who called on the Dalai Lama,who has been camping at Bodh Gaya since January 2 and will be there till February 1, thanked him for visiting Bodh Gaya and lauded his important contribution for introducing Indian youth to the Buddha's scientific thoughts.

"I personally feel happy whenever the Dalai Lama visits Bodh Gaya. His discourses have inspired and transformed countless number of people. I am hopeful that this new book, which has been compiled under his supervision, will serve as an inspiration for promoting peace in the world," he said.

Nitish Kumar later visited the 1,500-year-old Mahabodhi temple, where Lord Gautam Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment. Bodh Gaya in Gaya district is 110 km from Patna.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Around 150 people here in a Delhi locality cast their vote to decide whether a liquor shop in their locality should continue to function.

"The polling in Tilak Nagar (area of west Delhi) was organised by the Excise Department to deal with residents' complaints about a liquor shop in the area," AAP MLA from Tilak Nagar, Jarnail Singh told IANS.

He said the results of the polling will come out in a few days.

It was followed by a public hearing on the issue of "nuisance" created by the presence of the shop.

"The beneficiaries of a policy should be involved in its decision making. That's direct democracy. This is why this polling has been organised," said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal after listening to the opinions of the residents.

He said both the owners of the shop and the victims of the nuisance created by it were at the event so no biased decision is taken.

"We will go by what all of you decide for yourselves," said Kejriwal, adding that complaints received from every locality on the issue will be considered and steps will be taken with the agreement of the residents.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia questioned why should people take up a business if that bothers their own people. He also said that the hearing was important in context with women safety.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Sunday arrested two persons here and seized demonetised currency worth Rs 50 lakh from their possession.

The two, identified as Nazir Ahmad, resident of Baramulla district, and Akeel Ahmad, resident of Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh, were arrested during a routine check in Srinagar.

"Demonetised currency notes worth Rs 50 lakh were recovered from their possession. They have been booked under the relevant sections of law and would be presented in the court," a police statement said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A woman was killed and two others were critically injured when a car being driven by a youth under the influence of alcohol hit their scooty here on early Sunday, police said.

The accident occurred on Road Number 10 in the posh Banjara Hills area. The youth lost control of the speeding car which hit the scooty, police said.

A woman, identified as Mastani and who was riding the scooty, died on the spot. Two other women, Anusha and Priya, who were riding pillion, were critically injured. They were admitted to a hospital.

After hitting the two-wheeler, the car sped away. However, after covering some distance, the driver again lost control and hit the road divider.

Police arrested Vishnu Vardhan, who was driving the car in an inebriated condition.

This the latest in a series of accidents in the city involving drunk drivers. The accidents are being reported even as police continued its drive against drunken driving.

During the checks conducted at upmarket Jubilee Hills late Saturday night, police booked over a dozen people including four women.

Police had booked as many as 2,500 people for drunken driving during New Year celebrations in the city.

Last year, 7,500 people were sent to jail on charges of driving vehicles under influence of alcohol.

In 2016, a 10-year-old girl and two of her family members were killed when a car in which they were travelling was hit by another car being driven by a youth under the influence of alcohol.

The youth was accompanied by three of his college friends and they were all returning from a bar.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)As the government continues to caution people against tobacco and e-cigarettes, a study by the North East Hills University (NEHU) has stated that Electronics Nicotine Delivery System (ENDS) or vaping has minimum and safety concerns compared to the high risk associated with conventional cigarettes.

According to study, researchers, who undertook an evidence-based audit of published scientific literature on the issue, came to the same conclusion in their paper titled "Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) as a substitute for conventional cigarettes.

"Our systematic meta-analysis of published literature compares the and safety aspects of vaping using ENDS with smoking conventional cigarettes. We find that ENDS have minimum and safety concerns compared to the high risks associated with conventional cigarettes," said the study.

According to the recently published study, people who have been wanting to quit cigarettes can also switch to ENDS which is gradually much lesser harmful.

In a similar study by University of Catania in Italy has revealed that no evidence of a lung injury amongst even the heaviest e-cigarette users, in the form of physiological, clinical or inflammatory measures.

The study stated that no changes were observed in the blood pressure or heart rate of the young e-cigarette users.

"There was no evidence of health concerns associated with long-term use of in the relatively young users who did not smoke tobacco," said Riccardo Polosa, Director at the University of Catania.

For the research, published in the journal Scientific Reports, the team conducted a three-and-a-half-year-long comparative study on a group of daily e-cigarette users aged between 23 and 35 years, and another group of young adults who have never smoked.

The researchers examined health factors like blood pressure, heart rate, body weight, lung function, respiratory symptoms, exhaled breath nitric oxide (eNO), exhaled carbon monoxide (eCO) and high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) of the lungs in both the groups.

"No pathological findings could be identified on HRCT of the lungs and no respiratory symptoms were consistently reported in the e-cigarette users," Polosa added.The Indian government has issued showcause notices to, and may soon blacklist, eight Chinese pharmaceutical found to be supplying poor quality raw material to drug manufacturers in this country.

The notices were issued after a special inspection team of the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) inspected the eight in China.

According to documents available with IANS, the eight are M/S Qilu Tianhe Pharmaceuticals, M/S Hinan Xinxiang Pharmaceuticals, M/S Zhuhai United Laboratories, M/S Guangzhao Baiyunshan Pharmaceuticals, M/S Shouguang Fukang Pharmaceuticals, M/S Qilu Antibiotics (Linyi) Pharmaceuticals, M/S Qindao Brightmoon Seawoods and M/S Shanghaoi Xiandia Hasen (Shangqiu) Pharmaceuticals.

According to sources in the DCGI, the companies on the verge of getting blacklisted are currently supplying a huge chunk of raw material to the Indian drug manufacturers.

"The allegations against the companies are of providing poor quality products and the action against them will soon be decided by the government. This will be harsh as we don't want the quality of drugs in India compromised," said a senior DCGI officer.

Sources said that with government's action against the China firms, India may witness a shortage of medicines, including for vital diseases such as cancer, for a couple of months.

Data from the Ministry for Chemicals and Fertilisers states that India gets 70 per cent of its raw material for drugs from China.

According to figures furnished to Parliament, Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) worth Rs 122.5497 billion (Rs 12,254.97 crore) were imported in 2016-17. The figure for 2015-16 was Rs 138.532 billion (Rs 13,853.20 crore). (API refers to the biologically active component of a drug product.)

In 2014-15, the API import stood at Rs 127.5796 billion (Rs 12,757.96 crore) and at Rs 120.6153 billion (Rs 12,061.53 crore) in 2013-14.

Sources in the DCGI said that following poor quality of pharmaceutical raw products from China, the Indian government has also decided to inspect API from other countries such as the United States, Italy and some European nations.

India imported APIs worth Rs 183.7254 billion (Rs 18,372.54 crore) in 2016-17. This included APIs estimated to be worth Rs 8.2018 billion (Rs 820.18 crore) from the United States, worth Rs 7.0185 billion (Rs 701.85 crore) from Italy, worth Rs 4.8411 billion (Rs 485.11 crore) from Germany and Rs 4.2201 billion (Rs 422.01 crore) from Singapore.

Earlier, in 2014 and 2015, the National Security Advisor's office had warned the government of over-dependence on China for the supply of essential drugs and APIs.

In March 2017, Nirmala Sitharaman, then the Commerce and Industries Minister and now the Defence Minister, had also said that Chinese APIs were about four times cheaper than those produced in India.

Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma too expressed concern over the issue and suggested that an inter-ministerial committee look into it.A group of European politicians (MEPs) released a letter on Saturday calling on Britain to remain a member of the single market.

Their intervention comes as the man who launched Britain's campaign to leave the European Union prepares to hold a face-to-face meeting on Monday with the chief Brexit negotiator in Brussels, Michel Barnier.

Nigel Farage, who sits as an MEP, co-founded the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) over 20 years ago with the aim of campaigning for Britain to quit the bloc, reports Xinhua.

The two men will meet on Monday at the European Commission headquarters after Farage requested a meeting. His call came after Barnier met a group of British pro-remain politicians from Westminster.

"Sending Nigel Farage to Brussels to sort out Brexit is like sending an arsonist to put out a house fire. He has no answers to the costs and complexity of Brexit, other than to blithely say we should walk away with no deal, which would be an unmitigated disaster for our economy and our country," James McGrory, Executive Director of the pro-EU group, Open Britain, was quoted as saying.

"As it becomes clear that the Brexit that he and other leading Leave campaigners sold to the public is not deliverable, what is required is honesty and realism, neither of which are Nigel Farage's forte."

Farage has responded by saying Barnier had been listening to people who want to stop or delay Brexit, while he would represent the 17.4 million people in Britain who voted in the June, 2016 referendum to leave by a 52-48 margin.

The intensity of the war of words between leavers and remainers is expected to become heated in the coming months as crucial negotiations on a future trade deal between Britain and the EU gather pace.

Prime Minister Theresa May has insisted Britain will leave the EU in March, 2019, and at the same time will leave the EU single market and the customs union.

The Guardian newspaper reported in London on Saturday that Theresa May is being urged by 20 British cross-party MEPs to change course and seek full membership of the European single market and customs.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Personality cannot be entirely predictable but its basic pathways can be somewhat mapped. It, however, comes into its own when it meets a contrasting outlook(s), and these have to combine or clash -- more so in literature. Anything with more than one principal character works on the interplay of differing personality types -- ranging from two to five. The optimum is three -- reflecting the famous Viennese psychologists conjecture of personality.

While most of Sigmund Freud's theories have been discredited or replaced, they continue to make their presence felt in popular media. Among the most prevalent is his classification of the three constructs making up the psyche.

Outstripping the association of a passionate, impetuous, enthusiastic character matched with a more serene, controlled and observant counterpart (say Dr Watson/Sherlock Holmes or conversely, Tintin/Capt Haddock), the four-philosophy (cynical, realist, optimistic or apathetic/conflicted) or four-temperament (phlegmatic, sanguine, choleric and melancholic) ensemble or the five-man band (leader, lancer, smart guy, big guy and chick) is the Freudian Trio.

This trio of the Id, Ego and Superego is present in a wide range of literature from possibly the most famous trio of Russian brothers to the Boy (Wizard) who lived, a swordfight and intrigue story set in early 17th century France to the fantastic tale of a scientist and his aides taken (unwillingly) on a marvellous undersea tour, and the defining tale of Christmas to arguably the most famous space story -- as seen on TV.

But what exactly are these three? Freud, in his "Beyond the Pleasure Principle" (1920) and "The Ego and the Id" (1923), postulated the individual psyche comprised these three parts, all developing at different stages in life and non-corporeal. Saul McLeod of the University of Manchester says that, at the simplest, they can be understood as the primitive and instinctual part of the mind that contains sexual and aggressive drives and hidden memories (Id), the moral conscience (Superego), and the part that mediates between desires of these two (Ego). Each has its unique features and they mix to form a whole, each part making its contribution to an individual's behaviour.

More simply, Id is completely unconscious and has no judgments or sense of morality and governs our basic instincts. For Superego, Freud, who was in a sexist time, envisaged it as a symbol of the strong father figure -- emerging after a boy jettisoned the Oedipus complex and since women don't display this, their Superego is less developed. Ego, the referee, being realistic and rational, is the organised -- and organising -- part of the consciousness. While this is now commonly thought as a central mediator between the competing demands, Freud thought of it as more of a middleman, driven by the Id and confined by the Superego.

Freud originally used "das Es" (id), "das Uber-Ich" (superego) and "das Ich" (ego), or "the It", "the Over-I" and "the I", which while intelligible to German-speakers, had no evocative English equivalents, so his translator James Strachey coined them from Latin.

But where can we find them? One of the best examples is "Star Trek: The Original Series" where the highly emotional Dr James 'Bones' McCoy is Id, the supremely logical Spock is the Superego and Captain James T. Kirk, who strikes the middle path, is the Ego.

Then Alexandre Dumas' "The Three Musketeers" has the boastful and hedonistic Porthos (Id), the man of the world Aramis (Superego) and the quiet, noble Athos (Ego). Jules Verne's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" is itself Freudian involving being dragged down to subterranean depths in a mysterious vessel, seeing frightening creatures, and so on. Its not difficult to figure what impulsive Canadian harpooner Ned Land, calm aide Conseil, and mostly calm but sometimes upset Professor Aronnax represent.

In Fyodor Dostoyevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov", the eldest Dmitri, with his boozing and wenching, the cold, clever and contemptuous Ivan and the youngest Alyosha, who is the only to have good relations with the others, are also obvious. Try to identify the Three Ghosts of Christmases that Scrooge sees in Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" too?

There is Harry Potter world -- Harry, with his desire to save people at any cost, can be Id but with his constant mediation between Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger and his constant reliance on both, can be Ego. Ron, a balance between Harry's impulsiveness and Hermione's cautiousness can be the Ego or as fond of eating, oblivious to others' needs or states, can be Id. However, knowledgeable, respectful and rule-abiding Hermione is always the Superego.

Also, in the Marauders (save Peter Pettigrew) -- the born rebel, highly emotional Sirius Black is Id, the less reckless but over-confident James Potter is Ego and studious and sensible Remus Lupin is Superego.

Another popular fantasy series -- Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series -- also display this, with again the wise woman protagonist (Annabeth Chase) the Superego, Percy, whose primary goal is to help his friends, the Id, and Grover Underwood the Ego.

There are many more. Try to figure them out in the last multi-character book you read.

(Vikas Datta is an Associate Editor at IANS. The views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at vikas.d@ians.in <mailto:vikas.d@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.)Google is secretly reaping millions of money from vulnerable people, seeking treatment for addictive diseases, by charging advertisers secretly working for private clinics' in Britain, a report said on Sunday.

The internet giant charges the middlemen -- known as referral agents -- as much as 200 pounds each time someone visits their website via search page advertisements at the top of a Google page, an investigation by The Sunday Times has revealed.

The referral agents advertise themselves as free advice helplines but receive as much as 20,000 pounds commission monthly each time a new patient is referred to private rehabilitation clinics, the report said.

"The level of payments for these referral agents via promoted links cannot be justified in my view especially as those desperate to tackle their addictions are unknowingly picking up the bill," Sarah Wollaston, the Conservative MP, who chairs the health select committee, was quoted as telling The Sunday Times.

She also reportedly called on Google, which made 59 billion pounds from advertising in 2016, to stop selling advertisements to referral agents.

Google refuses to take advertisement from referral agents in the US, where the practice is illegal, but in Britain, it spurs by creating a bidding war between referral agencies who want their advertisements appear at the top of the Google search page, said the report.

However, the tech giant, in a statement on Sunday printed in the Sun, said that they have decided to "extend" the practice of banning referral agents to Britain.

The Sunday Times report meanwhile said that huge commissions taken by these agents have been blamed for significantly increasing the cost of private care for people suffering from addictions.

The referral agents are "parasites targeting sick people at the most desperate time of their lives", said Dominic McCann, development director at the Castle Craig addiction hospital in Scotland.

The illegal practice was discovered by undercover reporters, who filmed two meetings held in 2017 between Britain's leading referral agency executives with Google and the rehabilitation clinics.

The reporters were posing as executives from a new treatment centre that was to be opened in Gloucestershire.

One business owner was reported to have said he was spending 350,000 pounds on Google advertising, to ensure addicts visited his helpline first, the daily revealed.

The Sun quoted a Google spokesperson as saying that they "work to help healthcare providers -- from doctors to hospitals and treatment centres -- get online and connect with people who need their help".

"Substance abuse is a growing crisis and has led to deceptive practices by intermediaries that we need to better understand.

"In the US, we restricted ads entirely in this category and we have decided to extend this to the UK as we consult with local experts to update our policy and find a better way to connect those that need help with the treatment they need," the spokesperson said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)It's a taboo no one really talks about in remote villages of Himachal Pradesh -- but could soon end.

Women in many remote parts of the mountain state are virtually ex-communicated when they are menstruating. They are forced to sleep outside the house, in cattle-like sheds known as menstruation sheds. The reason: A woman is considered "unclean" when she's bleeding or in a post-natal state.

The so-called "unclean" women, during their periods and after childbirth, are barred from touching cattle or men and they are even denied access to toilets, walking miles from their villages daily to take a bath.

Taking up cudgels to fight this social stigma, the administration in Kullu district has set up a task force comprising reproductive health workers to conduct sensitisation programmes at the grassroots.

"We have identified 92 out of the 204 panchayats where the problem is still prevalent," Kullu Deputy Commissioner Yunus Khan, the brain behind the launch of a 'Naari Samman' or 'Respect Women' campaign, told IANS.

He said the taboo is of greater prevalence in one particular caste.

The one-year campaign was launched on January 1 and aims reach out to all the 92 "problem" villages within six months. Fanning out for the campaign is a backbreaking task in the mountains.

Many of the villages in the district are located in the interiors where "anganwadi" workers and Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) have to trudge miles across rugged, cold and inhospitable terrain of the trans-Himalayas.

Officials involved in the campaign say the staff has to traverse distances ranging from 10 to 25 km on foot, or sometimes on horseback, from the road-head to reach some of the villages.

Women's rights activist Subhash Mendhapurkar blamed the government for the persisting taboo that is still prevailing all over the hilly and inaccessible areas of the country.

He favours changing young minds.

"If the school-level curriculum includes menstruation, why is the educational level of the students so low," asked Mendhapurkar, Director of Shimla-based NGO Social Uplift Through Rural Action (SUTRA), while speaking to IANS.

The problem, he said, is that the teachers are not appropriately educating the students. Moreover, sanitary napkins are not provided in the toilets of rural schools.

Mendhapurkar, who wrote a book "Bitya Badi ho Gayi Hai' ("The Daughter has Grown Up"), said the tradition of keeping the women in isolation during their periods also prevails in the interiors of Kangra, Sirmaur and Kinnaur districts.

According to him, there are some rural communities that do so because of religious reasons. Others do so because they live in tiny helmets where it's normally practiced and those areas are almost out of bounds owing to tough topography.

"After educating the womenfolk that, like defecation, menstruation is also a natural process and that menstrual blood is not poison, the discrimination has been somehow ended in many areas of Solan, Sirmaur, Bilaspur and Una districts," Mendhapurkar said.

"No legislation can change the mindset, it's only that can bring an end to this social practice and help change attitudes," he added.

The practice of isolating women during their monthly bleed is now illegal in Nepal -- where it was once widely prevalent.

Under the law, there is provision of a three-month jail sentence or a Rs 3,000 fine, or both, for anyone forcing a woman to follow the custom.

(Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in <mailto:vishal.g@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.)Iran on Sunday urged Muslim nations to forge closer cooperation to counter the US policy of seeking to create division among them.

"The US' dishonest, duplicitous and divisive policy towards Muslim countries, including Iran and Pakistan, requires that they bolster cooperation against the US in addition to maintaining vigilance and taking preventive measures," Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, was quoted by the Press TV as saying.

Shamkhani made the remarks during a meeting with Pakistan's National Security Adviser Nasser Khan Janjua, whose country has recently come under criticism by US President Donald Trump.

"We will not allow some countries to affect relations between the two countries through sending weapons and hiring terrorists to create insecurity on their borders," Shamkhani said.

He also highlighted the need of lifting the Saudi Arabia blockade on Yemen, saying Muslim countries and the international community support political talks among Yemeni groups as a way to end the bombardment and siege of the country by the Saudi-led military coalition.

For his part, Janjua urged Muslim countries to "exercise vigilance" against foreign conspiracies hatched to increase the rift among them.

He emphasized that Islamabad would seek to develop its security and economic cooperation with Tehran.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Kit Harington, best known who playing Jon Snow in "Game of Thrones", was caught on video getting thrown out of a bar here after a dispute around a pool table.

The actor, who was "drunk and uncontrollable", was at Barfly bar on Friday. He bellied up to the pool table for a game. He was not in his right mind and started banging on the table, grabbing at pool cues and getting in peoples' faces, reports tmz.com.

A witness said he was told to leave and did but came back and finally was dragged out of the bar.

--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 Narendra Modi on Sunday held "focussed discussions" regarding internal security with heads of state police and paramilitary forces here.

After landing in Gwalior, Modi reached the venue of the Annual Conference of Director Generals of Police (DGPs) and Inspector Generals of Police (IGPs) at the BSF Academy here.

The Prime Minister tweeted that that "there were insightful presentations and fruitful discussions on aspects relating to our security apparatus. There was also a presentation on the implementation status of decisions taken during the last three years.

"Had focussed discussions with groups of officers on specific areas of policing and security. I also inaugurated five new buildings at the BSF Academy."

As per reports, there were presentations and discussions on various subjects relating to internal security at the meeting.

According to one account, the Prime Minister's interactions lasted a total of over nine hours.

The Prime Minister will address the valedictory ceremony on Monday afternoon before leaving for Delhi.

Earlier, shortly after Modi's arrival in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that Modi was the first Prime Minister to give so much importance to internal security.

Chouhan, after receiving Modi at the military air base, told reporters: "Earlier, the annual conference of DGPs and IGPs would be conducted in New Delhi and the Prime Minister would inaugurate the event and leave.

"But Modi shifted these functions outside the national capital. This time, the function is being held at the Border Security Force Academy in Tekanpur where the Prime Minister will be present for two days. The country's internal security is very important for him."

Since Saturday, the three-day function of chiefs of state police forces and paramilitary forces has been going on in Tekanpur, around 400 km from the state capital Bhopal.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba are already in Tekanpur. A total of 205 senior police officers are attending the event.

--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 Narendra Modi arrived here on Sunday on a two-day-visit during which he will interact with the heads of police and paramilitary forces.

He was received at a military air base by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Gwalior Mayor Vivek Narayan Shejwalkar and others.

From here, Modi will depart for Tekanpur where he will participate in an ongoing meeting of police forces of states and paramilitary forces. Home Minister Rajnath Singh reached Tekanpur on Saturday.

--IANS

hindi-ksk/mr

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Actor Mohit Madaan has taken a break from shooting for his upcoming film "Ishq Tera" and flew to Dubai to celebrate his birthday with family.

"Today (Sunday) is my birthday. I turned 30. I am going to be celebrate it with my family. I am in Dubai to make my day a special one. I took a break from shooting to surprise my parents and other family members," Mohit said in a statement to IANS.

"I also have friends here. My family thought that I won't be able to come home for my birthday, so they are really happy now," he added.

Mohit will soon return to India and resume shooting in Mumbai with actress Hrishita Bhatt.

"Ishq Tera", which is being directed by JoJo D'Souza, will release later this year.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Palestinian officials on Sunday said they had been making an effort to gain European Union's (EU) recognition of the state of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital, after the US recognised Jerusalem as Israeli capital.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will meet with EU's foreign ministers on January 22 in Brussels, during which he is expected to ask them to recognize the Palestinian state on the territories occupied by Israel in 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

It is believed that EU's recognition would revive the internationally-backed two-state solution and help the Palestinian bid to get a full UN membership, Xinhua reported.

A committee from the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) has been preparing documents for discussion during the meeting of the organization's Central Council next week, deciding the future Palestinian political steps.

"The moves to be discussed include defining the relations with Israel in addition to the political and legal steps the Palestinians may take," said Ahmed Majdalani, member of the PLO Executive Committee.

The Palestinian official stressed that next steps are based on the reality that the interim period with Israel had come to an end, and there must be a new political formula with multilateral sponsorship for the peace process.

"The general trend is to focus on how to deal with the emerging situation, considering Palestine as a state under occupation and requesting full UN membership for Palestine, which requires extensive international support," he said.

Joining the UN as a member state requires support by nine out of the 15 Security Council members, while the five permanent members have the veto power.

Meanwhile, Secretary of the Revolutionary Council of Abbas' Fatah Party, Majid al-Fitiyani said that political and technical preparations are underway in full swing to make the Council's meetings successful.

"The Council has a number of major challenges facing the Palestinian cause and the political process following the US President Donald Trump's decision on Jerusalem," he said.

He pointed out that the Council will comprehensively review the entire political process, including the form and content of Palestinian relations with Israel and the development of a strategy for the future Palestinian action.

The Fatah official added that future Palestinian approach is based on the declaration of the State of Palestine under occupation, after discussing all aspects of legal and possible consequences.

Last December, Trump recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and decided to move the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to the disputed city.

The Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of their future independent state, while Israel wants an integral Jerusalem to be its eternal capital.

While Israel took over East Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 war and declared the whole city as its eternal indivisible capital in 1980, it has not been recognized by the international community.

Under the previous Israeli-Palestinian peace accord, the status of Jerusalem should be determined through the final-status talk between Israel and the Palestinians. All countries have so far located their embassies in Tel Aviv, in order to advance the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

The Palestinians have repeatedly warned that changing the legal and political status of Jerusalem would undermine the peace process.

On Sunday, a meeting of foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, United Arab Emirates and Morocco, in addition to Arab League Chief, supported the rights of the Palestinians in preserving their legal and historic rights in Jerusalem and in creating their independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

They also stressed the necessity to confront Trump's decision.

Meanwhile, Palestinians are expecting the response of Hamas and Islamic Jihad movements to the invitation of the Palestinian Central Council to take part in its upcoming convention next week.

Hamas has announced that the movement's leaders are studying on their response to the invitation.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad movements are not represented in the PLO and had never participated in any of the meetings of its institutions.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Various press bodies including the Press Club of India, the Editors Guild, Indian Women's Press Corps, Press Association and the Mumbai Press Club on Sunday condemned the lodging of FIR against The Tribune reporter who exposed vulnerability of the Aadhaar data.

The press clubs and journalists' associations dubbed the FIR as "a direct attack on the freedom of the press" and demanded an immediate withdrawal of the case.

"The Press Club of India, Indian Women's Press Corps (IWPC) and Press Association express their strong objection and condemnation at the registration of a FIR against a reporter of The Tribune by an officer of the Unique Identification Authority of India for writing a story exposing alleged loopholes in the system," a joint statement by the three bodies said.

After a January 3 news report by The Tribune newspaper over breach in Aadhaar data with a headline "Rs 500, 10 minutes, and you have access to billion Aadhaar details", the UIDAI has registered an FIR against the newspaper and reporter Rachna Khaira.

The FIR, lodged with the Cyber Cell of the Crime Branch, invokes serious charges under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), IT Act and Aadhaar Act.

The UIDAI on January 4 said its search facility for grievance redressal may have been "misused" but denied any breach or leak of Aadhaar data.

"If there is no breach, what is the offence they have supposed to have committed? Rather than addressing the loopholes which would actually ensure safety and security of the data and allay the general concerns about this, the UIDAI has chosen to persecute those whose actions appear to have been only in public interest, that is, drawing attention to the possibility of data insecurity before someone with ulterior motives is able to exploit them," the statement said.

"We find the UIDAI's move extremely intimidatory, obstructionist and inimical to the pursuit of free, fair and independent journalism. We demand that the complaint and the proceedings related to it should be withdrawn forthwith," it said.

The Editors Guild of India, in a separate statement, said that is "deeply concerned" over reports that UIDAI had registered an FIR against the reporter of The Tribune who has been booked under IPC sections 419 (cheating under impersonation), 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery), 471 (using a forged document) and also under sections of the IT Act and the Aadhar Act.

"The Guild condemns UIDAI's action to have the Tribune reporter booked by police as it is clearly meant to browbeat a journalist whose investigation on the matter was of great public interest. It is unfair, unjustified and a direct attack on the freedom of the press," it said, demanding withdrawal of the police case and an "impartial investigation" into the matter.

The Mumbai Press Club too condemned the "unilateral action of the UIDAI for lodging an FIR" and underlined that the action "will be treated as nothing short of an attack on the privileges and rights of a free press".

It also advised the "administration" to avoid a "clash with the Fourth Estate".

"Mumbai Press Club demands an impartial inquiry on the Aadhaar data sale and take action against those involved in the data breach instead of taking action against the journalist who exposed it," it said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Hundreds of farmers and AAP activists protested on Sunday at the grain market in Mansa town as the Punjab government began a farm debt waiver scheme for a section of marginal, debt-ridden farmers in the state.

The farmers, who held the protest under the banner of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), termed the scheme as a non-starter.

They said the Congress, which had promised complete debt waiver for farmers, had gone back on its promise to waive off the debt of cooperative and commercial banks, money-lenders and financial institutions.

Chief Minister Amarinder Singh launched the scheme, claiming that it will benefit a total of 5.63 lakh farmers in the initial phase. Farmers were issued debt waiver certificates on the occasion.

Farmers in the agrarian state, which ushered in the 'Green Revolution' in 1960s to make the country self-sufficient in food grains, are believed to be under a debt of over Rs 90,000 crore.

"The loan waiver announced by the state government is all fake. It is peanuts compared the the mammoth debt of farmers. We will not accept this waiver," BKU farmer Kirpal Singh said.

The Punjab Police and district authorities did not allow the protesting farmers to reach the venue of the loan waiver event.

Leader of Opposition Sukhpal Singh Khaira and Aam Aadmi Party co-president for Punjab Aman Arora started a sit-in protest in Mansa town, 185 km from here.

"This exercise of loan waiver is a complete sham. The farmers of Punjab have been cheated in the name of waiving off their debt. We have cheques of Rs 7, 10, 12 and a few hundred rupees being issued to farmers. Is this the loan waiver that the Congress promised?" Khaira asked.

The symbolic launch event at Mansa witnessed disbursement of debt relief certificates to the tune of Rs 167.39 crore to nearly 47,000 eligible marginal and small farmers, who had taken loans from 701 primary agriculture cooperative societies of Mansa, Bathinda, Faridkot, Muktsar and Moga districts.

Additional Chief Secretary (cooperation) D.P. Reddy and Additional Chief Secretary (Development) Viswajeet Khanna said on Sunday that the Punjab government had identified 5.63 lakh farmers, who had taken loan of nearly Rs 2,700 crore from cooperative institutions, as beneficiaries for disbursement of the debt waiver certificates in the first of the four planned phases for completion of the entire process.

"Of these, the process of verification had been completed for 3.20 lakh farmers. Over 1 lakh cases with loans to worth Rs 748 crore had been approved pan Punjab," Khanna said, adding that loans of farmers taken from commercial and private banks would be settled later under the Debt Relief Scheme-2017.

Under the scheme notified, marginal farmers having land holdings of less than 2.5 acres and small farmers having land less than 5 acres, who have taken loan up to Rs 2 lakh, would be provided debt relief by the financially starved Punjab government.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Thousands of people, including children, were left stranded in their vehicles on Sunday owing to heavy snowfall in multiple sections of a motorway in Spain, as many tried to return from Christmas vacations.

Having been trapped since Saturday evening on the AP-6 motorway in northwestern Spain, large numbers of drivers condemned the lack of information and the chaos caused by the absence of snowplows, while a military emergency unit asserted it was working to resolve the problem, Efe reported.

Over 250 members of that unit, which belongs to the army, were working to clear the road and reach stranded drivers.

The situation in Segovia was "very complicated" according to official sources, which recommended that people avoid traveling by car, as the weather forecast had predicted further snowfall.

The Directorate General of Traffic warned that snowfall had been predicted in 17 of Spain's provinces.

The main opposition Socialist Party accused the government of a lack of foresight and bad management.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Dear Reader,

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Digital EditorAssam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Sunday said his state is committed to closer ties with the southeast Asian region with New Delhi putting the Northeast at the heart of its Act East Policy.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has put the Northeast at the heart of India's Act East Policy," Sonowal said while addressing a session on "Northeast India as Asean's Gateway to India" at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean)-India Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, a gathering of the Indian diaspora of the region, here.

"We have been inspired by his visionary leadership and have stepped up our efforts in increasing interaction with the Asean countries with the support of our External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj," he said.

Stating that Assam and the Northeast are close to the southeast Asian nations, he said: "We have land border with Myanmar. Many of the Asean capitals are within 2,000 km from (Assam's main city) Guwahati which is comparable to flying distance from Guwahati to many other Indian cities. We are keen to start flights between Guwahati and Asean capitals."

In this regard, Sonowal said that construction of a new terminal building at Guwahati airport would begin soon.

He also referred to the under-progress trilateral highway connecting India, Myanmnar and Thailand, saying that India is working to improve this land route.

India has been focussing on the 10-nation Asean regional bloc under New Delhi's Act East Policy keeping geostrategic and economic priorities in mind.

The Asean comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam

Sonowal said that Assam is the largest among the eight northeastern states of India with a population of 33 million and the state is blessed with a large variety of natural resources and very rich bio-diversity.

Speaking about the verdant water resources in Assam, Sonowal said that both the Brahmaputra and Barak rivers along with their many tributaries have a huge potential for river transport, tourism and industry.

In order to make the rivers navigable, dredging has been taken up both in Barak and Brahmaputra to facilitate state's access to the Bay of Bengal through Chittagong port in Bangladesh in the near future, he stated.

He also pointed out to the fact that Assam is ranks third among the raw silk producing states in India.

"Over 80 per cent Muga silk and over 60 per cent of Eri silk produced in India comes from Assam," he said.

Sonowal also recalled that the petroleum industry in India started at Digboi in Assam and the state today has four refineries and significant petroleum as well as natural gas reserves.

On the sidelines of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, Sonowal kick started here a roadshow of "Advantage Assam: Global Investors' Summit" to be held in Guwahati next month.

In a move to woo investors, he presented the business landscape of the state, especially on ease of doing business, single-window clearance system, skilled work force and the state's verdant natural resources before a galaxy of business leaders.

Sonowal also joined External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in a meeting with Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan during the course of which bilateral issues for the promotion of India-Singapore relations were discussed.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Texas-based chef Chris Trapani, a transgender, will take on a five-city tour in India, starting with New Delhi on Wednesday.

The globally celebrated authority in Tex-Mex food will also travel to Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Chandigarh.

For his visit here, Trapani along with The Lalit Food Truck Company chefs will conduct a skill development workshop for the members of the transgender community.

The aim of this workshop is to share anecdotes on how to set up and run a successful food truck and catering business and follow the passion for food. The workshop will conclude with a live cook off session by the participants.

"My move to Texas changed my life over a decade ago. Today, I am hoping to touch and inspire some lives in India. I have heard a lot about the country and can't wait for the journey to begin," Trapani said in a statement.

Keshav Suri, Executive Director of The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group, expressed his enthusiasm on the prospect of introducing India to Trapani's talent. "I am immensely pleased with Chef Chris' visit and joining us in this initiative to continuously support the marginalised communities."

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Television reporting took an all new turn when videos of a reporter from a leading English news channel went viral on Facebook. The video showed the reporter chasing an aide of Rahul Gandhi from the Press Club, where Jignesh Mevani, the face of the Dalit agitation in Gujarat, was supposed to address the media.

The aide was seen dodging questions about Gandhis presence or his meeting with Mevani. The video took a hilarious turn when, while trying to avoid the questions, the aide ran from one end of the road to the other  all the while being chased by the reporter and his ...In the course of just six months or so, Indias sovereign yield curve has steepened sharply. In other words, differences between the repo rate, the policy rate targeted by the Reserve Bank of India, and the long-term rate of return on bonds have grown. While the RBI has maintained the repo rate, bond yields have gone up swiftly.

At the end of the calendar year, the yield on the 10-year government securities (G-sec) hit 7.4 per cent, which is an increase of 100 basis points since July of 2017. The implications for the economic revival going forward are considerable and worrying. India ...Efficient functioning of legislatures will be a key issue whips of Parliament and legislatures, and parliamentary affairs ministers of various states will deliberate upon when they meet for a two-day conference beginning tomorrow in Rajasthan's Udaipur.

The conference -- to be inaugurated by Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, and Chemicals and Fertilisers Ananth Kumar -- will also consider rolling out of e-Sansad and e- Vidhan in Parliament and state legislatures to digitise and make their functioning paperless, an official statement said.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia, Union Ministers of State Vijay Goel and Arjun Ram Meghwal would also attend the inaugural session of the 18th All India Whips' Conference being organised by Union Parliamentary Affairs Ministry and the state government, the statement added.

"The Whips' Conference would make other recommendations for smooth and efficient working of Parliament and the state legislatures in the light of the experience gained by the whips," it said.

It added that the Union Parliamentary Affairs Ministry would then forward the recommendations to chief ministers of states, ministers-in-charge of Department of Parliamentary Affairs in state governments and presiding officers of the state legislatures and all the invitees to the conference for information and necessary action.

A 'whip' is a member of a political party's parliamentary body responsible for discipline within the party. Their main job is ensuring that their members in Parliament and legislature vote in line with the party's official policy on important issues.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)In an offshoot of the Bofors guns purchase case, two executives of a private company have been convicted by a Special CBI court, Mumbai, in a 25-year-old matter pertaining to criminal conspiracy and cheating in exports to the Swedish company.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Laxmi Kant Bidwai has convicted Abhay V Udeshi, director of Jayant Oil Mills, and Harish Pandya, an employee of the company, for criminal conspiracy and cheating and sentenced them to two years of imprisonment.

In a recent order, Bidwai said it was a case of cheating to cause "damage or harm" to the reputation of the Indian government in the international market.

"This is not only an attempt to commit cheating but it is a complete act of cheating," he said.

India had inked a deal with Swedish company Bofors for the supply of 400 155-mm Howitzer guns for the Indian Army worth Rs 14.37 billion in 1986 through a counter trade agreement.

One of the conditions of the agreement was that in return of the sale of guns, Bofors would import from India commodities such as coffee and castor oil and its byproducts.

The Indian government had nominated the State Trading Corporation (STC) as the nodal agency to monitor the import of castor oil and other commodities by Bofors from India.

Similarly, Bofors had nominated London-based Alexander Crichton Associates Limited to import various commodities from India on its behalf under counter trade obligation.

Jayant Oil Mills agreed to export castor oil and its byproducts to Bofors through the London-based company. As part of the trade, Jayant Oil Mills had to pay 0.5 per cent of the Free On Board value of the export to the STC as a service charge.

In 1989-90, Abhay V Udeshi and Vithaldas G Udeshi -- both directors of Jayant Mills -- along with Harish K Pandya, an employee of the company, entered into a criminal conspiracy to cheat the STC.

Pandya dishonestly prepared false export shipment documents along with a cheque favouring STC as a service charge without exporting 56 MT Hydroxy Stearic Acid to Hamburg, West Germany.

The trio also submitted the forged documents to Alexander Crichton Associates Ltd which forwarded those documents to STC, without the actual export of a goods consignment.

The STC officials noticed the fraud and informed the CBI which started the investigation in 1992.

The CBI did not find any evidence against two STC officials and a private person, named in the FIR, during its probe. The agency dropped the charges against them.

In 2004, charges were framed against Abhay Udeshi, Vithaldas G Udeshi and Pandya. During the trial Vithaldas died, so the proceedings against him were dropped.

While pronouncing Udhesi and Pandya guilty, ACMM Bidwai said it was clear that the accused hatched a criminal conspiracy to cheat the STC.

Bidwai pointed out that the accused had deceived the STC to presume and accept that they had exported 56 MT Hydroxy Stearic Acid by virtue of an invoice and a bill of lading. In the event of giving approval to it, there was the likelihood of the STC's reputation being harmed.

"Thus, even though here is no case of delivery or retention of any property by deception but as contemplated in Section 415 of the Indian Penal Code, there was likelihood of damage to the reputation of STC and equally to the foreign trade policy of Government of India. Thus, it was a cheating, to cause damage or harm to the reputation of Government of India," Bidwai said while convicting the accused.

He said even though there was no loss of money to any person in this case, there was every likelihood of loss of reputation of Government of India in the eyes of the international trading market which could not be calculated in the terms of money.

"Even the act of accused is an attack on the Foreign Trade Policy of Government of India. They have tried to kick the Foreign Trade Policy of Government of India," Bidwai said, but adopted a lenient approach in sentencing the accused considering that the trial had run on for 23 years, the age of the accused and that there was no monetary loss to anyone.Five AIMIM corporators in the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) may lose their membership for allegedly abusing and "forcing" civic officials to raze a structure near Damdi Mahal recently.

Mayor Nandkumar Ghodele (Shiv Sena) directed the municipal commissioner to initiate proceeding to cancel the membership of the five corporators after a special General Body meeting was held yesterday to discuss the incident.

While Sena and BJP corporators joined hands to move the proposal against the corporators yesterday, the MIM members staged a walkout as soon as the mayor read the ruling. The NCP and Congress corporators remained silent.

About two weeks ago, the issue of demolition of a house was raised by the MIM corporators, who wanted the structure to be razed claiming that it was built illegally and was coming in the way of widening the 100 feet road.

Sena members alleged that the five AIMIM corporators Feroz Khan, Naser Khan, Zameer Ahmed Qadri, Sarwat Begum and Sajeda Farooqui pressurised and abused the AMC officials during the anti-encroachment drive.

Addressing reporters here today, local AIMIM MLA Imtiyaz Jaleel said the mayor proposed cancellation of membership of the corporators as they belonged to a particular community.

"Two of our corporators are jailed as they demanded clean water and its equal distribution in the city whereas five others are proposed for disqualification by the mayor for helping the removal of the illegal construction for widening a road only because they belonged to a particular community," the MLA said.

He said AIMIM would launch a protest against such "anti-development ideology" of some parties.

Jaleel said the mayor's proposal was "based on a communal ideology".

Countering Sena's claim that the structure was built on the land of Revenue department, he said the concerned house owner didn't have the requisite documents.

He accused the mayor of "misusing" his office for "shielding" illegal structures and proposing cancellation of the membership of the five corporators.

Jaleel said the local MP (Sena) and state BJP president (Raosaheb Danve) were allegedly involved in pressurising the AMC officials on the issue.

He justified the presence of AIMIM corporators at the site near Damdi Mahal for "maintaining peace and harmony".

"More than 150 legal properties were removed for widening the road. The property owners were not given any substitute land. However, instead of lauding the efforts of AIMIM corporators, the AMC mayor is proposing cancellation of their corporatoship," the MLA said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)More than 70 girls were found staying in a Rajasthan ashram run by self-styled godman Virendra Dev Dixit, the accused in the Rohini-ashram case, the police said today.

On December 24, 47 women and six minor girls were rescued from different centres of Adhyatmik Vishwa Vidyalaya in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh run by Dixit, with the CBI probing charges of rape and illegal confinement of girls and women at the centres against him.

The search at Abu Road in Sirohi district of Rajasthan was conducted yesterday following directions from senior officers.

The 72 girls claimed that they were staying in the ashram for spiritual activities and living there willingly. They asserted that they are allowed to meet their guardians, said Mithu Lal, Station House Officer (SHO) of Abu Road police station.

The caretaker of the ashram has been told to provide documents of the girls. However, no suspicious activity was noticed in the ashram as of now, the SHO said.

"We are verifying the credentials of the girls and other staffers," he said.

Last month, the Delhi Commission for Women along with a police contingent raided two centres of Dixit in Rohini and Dwarka and rescued over 40 girls who were allegedly confined there.

The matter had come to light after a PIL was filed by an NGO, Foundation for Social Empowerment, in the Delhi High Court. The NGO had informed the court that several girls and women were allegedly being illegally confined there.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Sales of products containing dangerous levels of acids and corrosive substances have been banned in the UK for under 18s under a new voluntary government plan aimed at stopping growing acid attacks.

In the year to last April, police recorded more than 500 attacks in England and Wales, double the number five years ago, with the majority of incidents in London.

A fifth of attackers who had been identified were under 18 years old, the BBC reported today.

Under the voluntary ban, retailers will agree not to sell to under-18s any of their products that contain harmful levels of acid or other corrosive substances, such as powerful drain cleaners.

Staff will be expected to challenge buyers to prove their age in the same way that they do in relation to solvents, spray paints and knives.

The true level of acid crimes in the UK may be much higher than official records show, the report said.

A Freedom of Information request found the Metropolitan Police alone recorded over 450 noxious or corrosive fluid incidents in London in 2016.

A Home Office analysis estimated the true national rate could be as high as 900 crimes a year.

The Home Office has already proposed a new legislation to ban the sale of corrosive substances to under-18s as well as an additional offence of possession in a public place without a good reason.

This would bring the law for household acids and harmful chemicals that are not already subject to legal restrictions into line with crimes relating to knives.

The public consultation on that proposal, which would have to go through Parliament, closed last month, the report said.

Meanwhile, Do It Yourself (DIY) chains like B&Q, Screwfix and Wickes have committed to impose their own voluntary bans on sales to under-18s, it said.

The British Independent Retailers Association, which includes independent DIY and hardware shops, will also ask its members to sign up to the new voluntary ban.

Crime minister Victoria Atkins said: "I'm pleased that so many of the UK's major retailers are joining our fight ... and signalling they are committed to selling acids responsibly.

"This is the next step of our acid attacks action plan that has already seen us consult on new laws to restrict young people's access to acids."



The Home Office has also announced that experts at the University of Leicester are set to start detailed research into the characteristics and motivations of attackers using corrosive substances.

Acid or other corrosive chemicals have been a weapon in a range of crimes, including revenge, so-called "honour crimes", gang violence and theft from delivery drivers.

In one of the most serious recent cases, a man who threw acid in a packed London nightclub, injuring 22 people, was jailed for 20 years.

Another man is facing trial later this year for the alleged murder of a woman who died after she was splashed with a corrosive substance.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)





Press Release by

The State Information Service

In reference to The New York Times report published Saturday 6, 2017 and titled Tapes Reveal Egyptian Leaders Tacit Acceptance of Jerusalem Move by David D. Kirkpatrick, the Times international correspondent based in London, claiming the existence of audio recordings of telephone calls obtained by The New York Times of an alleged Egyptian intelligence officer to the hosts of several talk shows in Egypt, The State Information Service (SIS) finds it important on this occasion to set forth the following points regarding the content of the report:

First: The report mentioned four of the hosts of several influential talk shows in Egypt namely:

1) Mr. Mofid Fawzy is a journalist who stopped TV presenting years ago contrary to the claim made in the Times report;

2) Mr. Saeed Hassaseen whose talk show stopped several weeks before the Jerusalem decision and who does not currently present any other TV show as well. Mr. Hassaseen denied that he received a call on Jerusalem, affirming that he does not know at all a man by the name of Ashraf al-Kholi;

3) The renowned movie star Yousra has no relation whatsoever to presenting TV talk shows and is a household name in the movie and acting industry in Egypt and the Arab world as well, a fact Mr. Kirkpatrick should have been aware of given his long stay in Egypt. Mrs. Yousra denied knowing someone by the name Ashraf al-Kholi, that she discussed with anyone the issue of Jerusalem and that she has spoken or expressed views on political subjects to any media outlet, adding that she was not present in Egypt during the period specified in the report. She further announced that she will seek legal action for bringing her name into these alleged leaked audio recordings as this amounts to an affront to her reputation as a big movie star;

4) And lastly Mr. Azmi Megahed who denied knowing a man by the name of Ashraf al-Kholi.

Second: The Times report claims that Captain Ashraf al-Kholi is an officer with the Egyptian General Intelligence without presenting its readers with the slightest evidence as to the truth of this piece of information or that a person by this name exists in the first place.

Third: The Times report contains allegations regarding Egypts position on the Jerusalem issue mentioned in the so-called audio recordings. It is inappropriate for The New York Times, a reputable newspaper, to publish such allegations. Egypts positions on international issues are not derived from alleged leaks from an anonymous source. Rather, Egypts positions are conveyed by the President, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and in official statements as well. All of the entities in charge have expressed, in word and deed, the inalienable position on Jerusalem in the United Nations and other international organizations with disregard for the threats of the U.S. Permanent Representative in the UN to cut aid to countries including Egypt over UN Jerusalem vote. The report itself admits this fact regarding the Egyptian position saying Egypt submitted a United Nations Security Council resolution demanding a reversal of Mr. Trumps decision. (The United States vetoed the resolution, although the General Assembly adopted a similar one, over American objections, days later).After an ugly spat over the unfurling of the national flag in Kerala on August 15, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat is all set to hoist the tricolour again in the left-ruled state on Republic Day.

He will hoist the flag on January 26 in a school on the outskirts of Palakkad, RSS members said.

Bhagwat will be in Kerala to attend a three-day Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) camp, to be held in a school near Palakkad town from January 26.

"The sarsanghchalakji (RSS chief) always hoists the national flag on Independence Day and Republic Day wherever he is on these days. Since on January 26 he will be in Kerala, he will hoist the flag there. It should only be seen in this light," a senior Sangh functionary said.

Sangh members added that the school where the RSS event is being organised is under the administration of the outfit's Bharatheeya Vidya Nikethan.

"There will be a programme on the morning of January 26 to mark and celebrate Republic Day, when sarsanghchalakji will unfurl the national flag," RSS's state coordinator KK Balram told PTI.

Balram said there was no need to take permission from the local administration as the event was being organised in a Sangh-run school and not in a government institute.

Bhagwat had unfurled the tricolour at a government-aided school in Palakkad district on August 15 last year, flouting an order of the district administration. The state government has ordered action against the school authorities.

The RSS has a considerable presence in Kerala, where the BJP is seeking to make inroads. Last year, BJP chief Amit Shah had flagged off his Janraksha Yatra in Kerala to protest against alleged violence against its workers in the state.

The state has been witnessing incidents of political violence involving cadres of the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the RSS.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)An organisation representing Kashmiri pandit migrants today called for better facilities for the community members serving in government departments in the valley.

All Parties Migrants Coordination Committee (APMCC) also demanded release of pending salaries of these employees, timely promotion, and treating of their absence from duty during the 2016 turmoil as official duty, it said in a statement issued here.

APMCC chairman Vinod Pandit said Kashmiri migrants granted jobs under the Prime Minister's Special Recruitment package were promised adequate accommodation.

However, only 550 units of pre-fabricated structures have been put up till date for more than 3000 employees, he said.

"Apart from this, additional 3000 posts have to be filled by the government for Kashmiri Pandit's as a part of Return and Rehabilitation Programme and therefore the government must construct more structures at different districts," Pandit added.

At a transit camp Vessu in Anantnag, he said just three towers out of the proposed 32 were complete. In Mattan, 97 families were residing in just 16 flats, he claimed.

There was no facility for regular water and electricity in Baramulla, Pandit added.

APMCC national spokesperson King C Bharati said despite six years of service, no District Promotion Committee meeting was held to promote migrant employees while their colleagues kept getting regular promotions.

APMCC would take up the matter with the government to treat the period of turmoil from July 2016 to August 2017 as official duty for all migrant employees, Bharati said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Delhi High Court has directed the AAP government to inquire whether there was any medical negligence by the Aruna Asaf Ali Hospital, accused of denying admission to a pregnant woman having labour pain that resulted in her giving birth in an autorickshaw while returning home.

Justice Vibhu Bakhru issued the direction to the Delhi government and its Department of Health and Family Welfare on the 25-year-old woman's plea for Rs 500,000 compensation on account of alleged negligence by the hospital in providing treatment to her.

The court said if the facts, as stated by the woman, are correct, "there is a good ground to conduct an inquiry" to determine whether there was any medical negligence.

"Respondent no 3 (Department of Health) is directed to institute a proper inquiry to determine whether there has been any medical negligence on the part of the attending doctor(s).

"The inquiry shall be completed within a period of twelve weeks from today. Needless to mention that if the said findings are indicative of medical negligence, a complaint would also be made to the Delhi Medical Council," the court said and disposed of the woman's plea.

It also directed that the amount of Rs 7,000 spent by the woman on a midwife, to assist with her delivery, and medicines be reimbursed to her.

In her plea, Pinki claimed that she had gone to the hospital around 9.30 am on November 17 after "experiencing labour pain along with the rupture of membranes".

However, the doctor on duty refused to admit her and only gave injections to reduce the pain, saying that the cervix was not yet dilated and therefore delivery was not due, the petition, filed through advocates Sija Nair Pal and Deepak Kumar Singh, said.

With no other option, she took an auto to return home and on the way, near ISBT Kashmiri Gate Bus Station, she delivered the baby, the petition said and added that after reaching home a midwife was called "to perform the rest of the delivery".Four days after a rebellion in the BJP unit here, outgoing Mayor and senior party leader Asha Kumari Jaswal, who had decided to contest the January 9 mayoral polls as an Independent, has decided to withdraw her nomination.

Jaswal, who was against her party fielding Davesh Moudgil for the mayor's post, was mollified after her meeting with senior BJP leader Ram Lal yesterday.

"Asha ji will withdraw her nomination tomorrow," Chandigarh BJP president Sanjay Tandon told PTI over phone today.

He said that he has called a meeting of all the councillors of the party here tomorrow.

The Chandigarh unit of the BJP had faced a revolt after the outgoing mayor had filed nomination papers as an Independent candidate against the party's official nominee earlier this week.

The BJP leadership had announced the name of Moudgil, who is considered to be close to former MP Satya Pal Jain, ignoring the camp led by Tandon.

The saffron party has an overwhelming majority in the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (CMC) House and the election is scheduled to be held on January 9.

Moudgil had filed his nomination at the CMC's office here while Jaswal, who is also the BJP Mahila Morcha's vice president, filed her's for the post as an Independent.

Jaswal had earlier maintained that out of the 20 BJP members in the CMC House, 14 were not in favour of the present candidature.

She had said, "Moudgil has been going against the party's interests at various forums. There are other issues involving him".

Tandon, today, said that Moudgil has given him a detailed letter, the contents of which he would not like to share.

The city BJP chief, however, said that Moudgil's response pertains to the reservations which some of the councillors have raised against him.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)In the wake of the UIDAI filing a case over a report in The Tribune on the breach of details of more than one billion Aadhaar cards, the newspaper today said authorities have "misconceived" an honest journalistic enterprise.

The Tribune's Editor-in-Chief Harish Khare in a statement also said that the newspaper's stories are in the best traditions of responsible journalism.

"We regret very much that the authorities have misconceived an honest journalistic enterprise and have proceeded to institute criminal proceedings against the whistleblower," he said.

He said that The Tribune shall explore all legal options "open to us to defend our freedom to undertake serious investigative journalism."



Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) Deputy Director B M Patnaik told the police that an input was received from The Tribune that it purchased a service being offered by anonymous sellers over WhatsApp that provided unrestricted access to details of any of the Aadhaar numbers created in India.

On January 5, a complaint was received from Patnaik and the FIR was registered the same day.

Khare said, "Our stories are in the best traditions of responsible journalism. Our story was in response to a very genuine concern among the citizens on a matter of great public interest."



"My colleagues and I are grateful for expressions of support and solidarity from media organisations and journalists. We at The Tribune believe that our stories were in the nature of a legitimate journalistic exercise," he said.

The Chandigarh Press Club (CPC) condemned the action of the UIDAI for lodging a case against The Tribune reporter over a story on Aadhaar data breach.

"Instead of taking action against people, who were involved in the data breach, the government agency preferred to lodge a case against the reporter, who exposed the loopholes in the system.

"In an act of 'shoot the messenger', the UIDAI had filed a case against the reporter of The Tribune for an article on how anonymous users accessed Aadhaar details and sold it for a fee," CPC, secretary general, Barinder Singh Rawat said in a statement.

The CPC will also hold a protest tomorrow in the club premises, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Goa is likely to face shortage of beef for the next couple of days as slaughter houses in neighbouring Karnataka have refused to supply meat till the government takes steps to stop harassment by cow vigilante groups, an official said today.

The coastal state is facing a beef shortage with traders suspending import of meat from Karnataka alleging harassment by cow vigilantes.

An association of traders earlier said its members have stopped procuring beef from Belagavi in Karnataka.

All Goa Qureshi Meat Traders Association president Manna Bepari told PTI that Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar yesterday assured them to discuss the issue with the police.

However, he said the chief minister is currently out of station and is expected to return only after two days.

"The suppliers from Karnataka have categorically said they will not resume supplies till action is taken against the so-called cow vigilantes," he said.

Bepari said they can expect some action only after the chief minister returns to the state, "so until then the supplies will not resume."



He said around 25 tonnes of beef is brought from Belagavi every day.

Cow protection groups, including the Gau Raksha Abhiyaan, have alleged beef in Goa is brought from illegal slaughter houses in Karnataka, a charge denied by Bepari.

He said non-availability of beef has resulted in a rise in the prices of mutton and chicken in the state.

Gau Raksha Abhiyaan leader Hanumant Parab earlier claimed cattle were being slaughtered in abattoirs across the border without approval from authorities.

"Due to this we have undertaken stringent checks (on the Goa-Karnataka border) along with police," he said.

Bepari said traders want immediate intervention by the state government in the matter. Till then, they will not buy beef from the neighbouring state.

Beef sale has been banned in Maharashtra, which also borders Goa.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)He is born to veteran screenwriter Salim Khan and has superstar Salman Khan as his big brother, but Arbaaz says the stardom of his kin has not overshadowed his career.

The 50-year-old actor-director said getting recognised as Salman's brother does not bother him and it only acts as an advantage.

"I don't think (it has bothered me) ever. There are only advantages of being Salim Khan's son, Salman Khan's brother and coming from a known family," Arbaaz told PTI.

The actor said the fact that "I could never make it to the level that I should have was because I was under pressure or under the shadow of my father or brother. I think those are just excuses."



Arbaaz said he is aware that there is a certain baggage of expectations when a person comes a famous family but he has taken it in his stride.

"There is a pressure. People look at you differently. But you've got to move on. I look at all that has happened to me because of my family as an advantage rather than disadvantage. It has more pros than cons."



After an acting career of more than a decade, Arbaaz ventured into film production between 2009 and 2014. He took a sabbatical from acting as he produced films like "Dabangg", "Dabangg 2" - which he also directed - and "Dolly Ki Doli".

He, however, said acting is something he enjoys the most.

"For me, acting is something I am passionate about. I am someone who wants to be known for who I am. If I wanted to just make money, I would've chosen some other profession.

"I know there are insecurities in being an actor. There are certain compromises you need to make, but they are all worth it. The perks of being recognised are something else," he said.

Arbaaz is currently awaiting the release of his next "Nirdosh", in which he plays a cop investigating a murder.

The thriller, directed by Pradeep Rangwani and Subroto Paul, also features Manjari Fadnis, Ashmit Patel, Maheck Chahal and Mukul Dev.

"Nirdosh" is scheduled to be released on January 19.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Undeterred by an ugly spat over the unfurling of the national flag in Kerala on August 15, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat is all set to hoist the tricolour again in the left-ruled state on Republic Day.

The flag will be hoisted on January 26 in a school on the outskirts of Palakkad in Kerala, RSS members said.

Bhagwat will be in Kerala to attend a three-day camp of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), starting January 26, to be held in a school near Palakkad town.

"The sarsanghchalakji (RSS chief) always hoists the national flag on Independence Day and Republic Day wherever he is on these days. Since on January 26 he will be in Kerala, he will hoist the flag there. It should only be seen in this light," a senior Sangh functionary said.

Sangh members added that the school where the RSS event is being organised is under the administration of the RSS's Bharatheeya Vidya Nikethan.

A functionary said the RSS was a nationalist organisation and celebrating these national days was a part of its culture.

On august 15 last year, Bhagwat had unfurled the tricolour at a school in Palakkad district, flouting an order of the district administration.

"It was very unfortunate that last year the state government ordered the school not to allow him to hoist the flag," the functionary said.

The RSS has a considerable presence in Kerala, where the BJP is seeking to make inroads.

The state has been witnessing incidents of political violence involving cadres of the ruling Communist Party of India - Marxist (CPI-M) and the RSS.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The chief of the Bhim Army outfit, Ashok Kamble, was today taken into preventive detention, police said.

Kamble was to hold a meeting in suburban Mulund today to protest the January 1 violence at Bhima-Koregaon and Mulund police said that he was detained in view of this protest.

Kamble had also written to the Kurla police asking for the postponement of the "Hindu Chetna Sangam" currently underway in the city's Bandra (East) area.

The gathering is an interaction programme of the RSS for its workers and well-wishers and is on the lines of a similar programme the outfit held in Pune in January, 2016.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)BJP general-secretary Arun Singh today demanded an apology from Congress leader Ashok Gehlot for "misleading" the public over re-laying of the foundation stone of Barmer oil refinery by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Former Rajasthan chief minister Gehlot yesterday questioned the rationale behind re-laying the foundation stone of the refinery, which was already done by Sonia Gandhi in 2013.

"The prime minister's proposed visit on January 16 for the foundation-laying ceremony is unfortunate," Gehlot had said.

However, Singh, during a visit to the party's state headquarters in Jaipur, iterated that the Vasundhara Raje government's decision to sign a new MoU last year on the project was a good move, as it saved public money to the tune of Rs 40,000 crore.

Gehlot should appreciate the chief minister for this, Singh added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)BJP's Janjgir Champa MP Kamla Devi Patle was injured today when her vehicle rammed into a tractor from behind in Chhattisgarh's Balodabazar district, police said.

Patle (51) has sustained a fracture but is out of danger.

Patle was headed to Raipur in an SUV this afternoon when the tractor ahead of her vehicle suddenly took a right turn on the Balodabazaar bypass road, 80 kms away from here, a senior police officer said.

"Kamla Devi Patle sustained a fracture in her left hand in the accident and she was rushed to a local hospital before shifted to Raipur for further treatment. Her condition is said to be out of danger," Balodabazar Superintendent of Police RN Dash told PTI.

There was no vehicle escorting the MP's SUV at the time of the accident.

The driver of the SUV and four other persons, including the husband of the MP, who were on the back seat, are safe, the officer said.

The tractor has been seized, the SP said, adding that efforts are on to trace the driver of the tractor who fled the spot.

A case has been registered in this connection and further investigation is on, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Hollywood star Brad Pitt offered to pay USD 120,000 to watch an episode of "Game of Thrones" with Emilia Clarke.

The 54-year-old actor, however, was outbid during a silent auction at Sean Penn's annual gala for Haiti, held at Milk Studios in California, reported Variety.

During the charity gala, the auctioneer announced the opportunity to watch an episode with Clarke, who was in attendance at the event, along with her "Game of Thrones" co- star Kit Harington.

The auction to watch the episode with Clarke started at USD 20,000.

Pitt bid USD 80,000 to watch an episode of of the epic fantasy drama with Clarke. Then he outbid himself to USD 90,000. When Harington offered to also sit in on the episode viewing, Pitt raised his own bid to USD 120,000.

The actor was outbid by a gala-goer who ended the auction at USD 160,000.

The charity event to benefit the J/P HRO & Disaster Relief Organizations, hosted by Penn, CAA's Bryan Lourd and Sean and Alexandra Parker, also honoured Leonardo DiCaprio for his work combating climate change.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)In a major haul, the Border Security Force (BSF) has seized 19kg of heroin along the Indo-Pak border in the Gurdaspur sector today, an official said.

BSF troops detected suspicious activity near the fence in the Adhian border outpost area early morning, he said, adding that the troopers challenged the smugglers, who did not pay heed to the warning.

The BSF personnel then fired a few rounds, following which the smugglers escaped using the cover of darkness, the official said.

A search operation was launched and 19 packets of heroin, weighing a kilogram each, were found from the area.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Captive breeding of the Tibetan Antelope - hunted for their underfur - will neither serve the purpose of conservation nor provide raw material for weavers as they have to be killed to collect wool for making shahtoosh shawls, the ministry has told a parliamentary panel.

The ministry's assertion came after the panel recommended that Tibetan Antelope or chiru goats should be conserved and bred and vast tract of land should be utilised for it to provide sustainable livelihood for people of Jammu and Kashmir, which has been a "conflict region for long".

The ministry noted that China failed to keep Chiru in captivity due to its poor survival rates after the department related parliamentary standing committee on science and technology, and forest mentioned that China and Mongolia were breeding the goats.

The animal has long been hunted for their underfur shahtoosh, which is renowned for its quality and has traditionally been transported to Srinagar, where it is woven into an extremely fine fabric used to make shawls.

However, it takes 3-5 hides to make a single shawl, and the wool cannot be sheared or combed, so to collect the fur the animals have to be killed.

"Captive rearing of Chiru or Tibetan antelope will neither serve the purpose of conservation nor can provide raw material for weavers as these animals cannot be bred in captivity and animals have to be killed to collect their wool to make the shawls," the Ministry said in its action taken report to the panel chaired by Congress leader Anand Sharma.

Trade in shahtoosh shawl is banned.

The Ministry said chiru is assessed as Near Threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN 2017), because the current status can only be maintained with continued high levels of protection in its natural range and strict controls on trade and manufacture of the shawls made from its underfur.

Any relaxation in the protection regime is predicted to result in a rapid population decline due to commercial poaching.

The Ministry said there have been representations from weavers and traders in J&K for the removal of ban on trade in shatoosh through amendments in the Wildlife Acts of India, J&K State, China, and the CITES in order to benefit Shatoosh weaving industry in Kashmir.

Chiru inhabits high altitude Tibetan Plateau and requires large expanse of land for its movement and ranging patterns to fulfil its feeding and breeding requirements and therefore rearing in captivity is extremely difficult, it said.

The quality of wool depends on the cold and harsh climatic factors operating at high altitudes (3,800 m up to 5,500 m) where this animal occurs in nature.

"It therefore, may not serve the purpose, if it is kept in captivity below this altitude. As per unconfirmed reports, the Chinese failed to keep Chiru in captivity due to its poor survival rates.

"Any attempt to do conservation breeding of chiru at very high altitude regions of Ladakh (> 3800m) may neither be economical nor feasible as humans cannot be posted there continuously for more than 2-3 months to manage the resources due to high rate of casualties," the ministry said.

Prior to the assessment of the technical feasibility and economic viability of captive rearing or farming of Chiru by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the issues dealing with the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 will have to be examined first as Chiru is listed under Schedule- I.

The panel in one of its reports earlier had recommended that the ministry should conserve and breed the chiru goat and vast tract of land should be utilized for conserving them.

"These goats can then be given to shawl makers for collecting hair. This would not only increase the number of these goats but would also add to the sustainable livelihood opportunities of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, who are a lot dependent on the handicraft of embroidered shawls," the committee had earlier said.

The committee had said it understands that China and Mongolia are breeding chiru goats and Mongolia is known for its finest wool.

"The Committee feels that livelihood opportunities are very low for the people of Jammu and Kashmir because of the extreme climatic conditions there and shawl-making contributes a lot towards sustainable livelihoods of these people," it had said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Over 14,000 community and individual bunkers would be constructed along the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB) for border residents facing Pakistani shelling in Jammu division, officials said today.

While 7298 bunkers would be constructed along the LoC in the twin districts of Poonch and Rajouri, 7162 underground bunkers would be constructed along the IB in Jammu, Kathua and Samba districts, the officials said here.

The Centre recently sanctioned the construction of 14,460 individual and community bunkers at a cost of Rs 4.15 billion for people living along the LoC and IB.

A total of 13,029 individual bunkers and 1431 community bunkers were being constructed, the officials said, adding that the capacity of the 160 square feet individual bunker was eight people, and that of the 800 square feet community bunker was 40 people.

The officials said 4918 individual and 372 community bunkers would be constructed in Rajouri, and 3076 individual and 243 community bunkers would come up in Kathua district.

A total of 688 community and 1320 individual bunkers would be constructed in Poonch, Jammu would get 1200 individual and 120 community bunkers, and 2515 individual and eight community bunkers would be constructed in Samba district, they said.

India shares a 3,323 km long border with Pakistan, of which 221km of the IB and 740km of the LoC fall in Jammu and Kashmir.

As many as 35 people -- 19 Army personnel, 12 civilians and four BSF personnel -- were killed in ceasefire violations by Pakistan last year alone.

Senior BJP leader and MP Jugal Kishore Sharma welcomed the move by the Centre. "It is indeed a matter of joy and satisfaction for the people of border villages that the Centre has sanctioned construction of bunkers and approved relief and compensation for various property and livestock losses due to cross-border firing," Sharma said here.

The MP expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh for acceding to the demands of people living in border villages.China could play a "helpful role" in convincing Pakistan that it is in its national interest to crackdown on terror safe havens, a senior White House official has said.

The official said China shares some of the concerns of the US about the terror issue in Pakistan and Washington is seeking to work with Beijing and other regional players to convince Islamabad about the need to crackdown on terror groups.

The official said that dismantling terrorist safe havens in Pakistan is key to bring stability in Afghanistan and in the region.

"Pakistan already has deep historical ties with China going back to many years and they have close military ties. The economic relationship is also growing due to China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)," the senior administration official said on condition of anonymity.

"But, China shares some of the concerns of the US about the terrorism problem. The US is seeking to work with other regional players and China would be one of the main ones to deal with this issue. It won't serve China's interests to have terrorist sanctuaries in Pakistan," the official said.

The official was quick to point out that China has been playing a more helpful role in terms of encouraging better relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan. "It is taking a more active role in this regard."



"So, I would disagree with the assertion that China will not play a helpful role in convincing Pakistan it is in its own interest to crack down on the terror sanctuaries," the official told a group of reporters on Friday.

"Ultimately, China is also working towards a stable Afghanistan. That's going to take them back to the same issue which are the sanctuaries in Pakistan," the official said.

China-Pakistan relationship is already very strong and appeared unconcerned over reports that the US' decision to freeze approximately USD 2 billion in security assistance to Pakistan would push Islamabad towards Beijing, the official added.

"That relationship is already very very strong. But what we have seen is an interest by Pakistan in having a strong relationship with both the US and China. So that's one issue. And the second issue is that China is also concerned about terrorism and extremism in South Asia," the official said.

Noting that China has taken a more active role in trying to help stabilise Afghanistan, trying to improve relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, the official said the US believes that China is also interested in stability in Pakistan and also for the China Pakistan Economic Corridor.

"Ultimately if they want to see stability in the region, and I think they do, they also will have an interest in seeing Pakistan crack down on the Haqqani and Taliban network," the senior administration official said.

The Trump administration has suspended about USD 2 billion in security aid to Pakistan for failing to clamp down on the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network terror groups and dismantle their safe havens.

The freezing of all security assistance to Pakistan comes after President Trump in a New Year's Day tweet accused the country of giving nothing to the US but "lies and deceit" and providing "safe haven" to terrorists in return for USD 33 billion aid over the last 15 years.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The R S Puram police station in Coimbatore followed by Hyderabad's Panjagutta were named the top two best-performing police stations in the country under different parameters, including crime control and serving the people, an official said.

A competition among around 14,850 police stations to judge their performance was conducted following an idea mooted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015, the home ministry official said.

The officers-in-charge of these police stations were given awards by Home Minister Rajnath Singh at the ongoing directors general of police conference being held at the Border Security Force Academy here.

At the annual DGPs conference in Gujarat's Rann of Kutch, the primeminister had said the police officers should devise a parameter to identify the best police stations in the country.

Followingthis, the home minister hadannounced at theDGPs conference in Hyderabad in 2016 that he will recognise 10best police stations and give award to them.

The idea was to generate a healthy competition among the police stations, the official said.

The Intelligence Bureau had been entrusted with the task to identify the best performing police stations.

A methodology was devised under whichj data related to various policing parameters was obtained from the state police forces.

A national-level quality and accreditation organisation, Quality Council of India,was employed to collect and process the data.

The QCI assessors did field visits of all the shortlisted police stations and submitted their reports.

To arrive at the final ranking, 80 per cent weightage was given to police performance data and 20 per cent weightage to the field visit reports.

The others in the ranking were: (3)Gudamba in Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh), (4) Dhupguri in Jalpaiguri (West Bengal), (5) K4 police station in Chennai (Tamil Nadu), (6) Banbhoolpara in Nainital (Uttarakhand), (7) Ghiror in Mainpuri (Uttar Pradesh), (8) Rishikesh (Uttarakhand), (9) Valapattanam in Kannur (Kerala) and (10) Kirti Nagar (Delhi).

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Thousands of commuters were left stranded across the state as the indefinite strike called by some transport unions over wage-related issues entered the fourth day on Sunday.

Even as private buses were being operated, many passengers complained that they did not carry destination boards unlike government buses.

"I have been waiting here for two hours...I need to go to Vandalur but I do not know which bus to board. We have to go ask the bus drivers every time," Kanagavel, a passenger at Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus here said.

In several districts, a majority of the buses stayed off roads prompting the transport department authorities to operate them with temporary drivers and conductors.

The state government claimed that 66.49 per cent of buses belonging to State Transport Undertakings were plying since last night across the state.

Transport Minister M R Vijayabaskar had yesterday said many employees were getting back to work considering the wage revision offered by the government, besides respecting the Madras High Court directive.

He had exuded confidence that more employees will return to work and operations would resume across the state today.

Meanwhile, the Southern Railway operated weekday services today instead of weekend reduced services in Chennai Beach-Tambaram and MRTS suburban sector to accommodate extra rush in view of the strike.

The frequency of local trains will be every 10 minutes on Chennai Beach-Tambaram section, instead of every 20 minutes, and a train every 15 minutes on MRTS section instead of every 20 minutes, a Southern Railway release had said.

DMK, the main opposition party in the State assembly, had urged the government to hold talks with trade unions and bring an end to the impasse.

As many as 17 trade unions had launched an indefinite stir since Thursday night, with scores of Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) staff joining the protest.

The striking unions want the 'factor' for wage revision to be fixed at 2.57 times while the state government insisted it be 2.44.

On January 5, the Madras High Court had issued an interim order restraining employees from striking work.

The government had also issued an ultimatum, asking workers to return to work, else it will not hesitate to take action as per law.

However, the trade unions were firm on their demand and said agitation would continue till their demands on wage revision were met.The condition of the Officer-in-Charge of Shyampur police station who was seriously injured in a mob attack at a village in Howrah district yesterday, still continued to remain critical at a city hospital.

The 44-year-old OC, Suman Das, who went to Bargarchomukh Munsipara village to implement a court order following dispute over a land and disperse two clashing groups, was chased down a road for over half a kilometre by a mob and brutally beaten with rods and bamboo sticks.

A profusely bleeding Das was immediately taken to a local hospital for check up, but admitted to private-run Belle Vue Clinic in Kolkata, 70 km from the village, with severe head injury.

"Condition of Das, the injured OC, is still critical. Das has brain haemorrhage. He has been kept under ventilator support. He needs to be kept under ventilator support for a few more days till there is improvement," the hospital sources told PTI.

A sub-inspector Tarun Pramanik, who tried to rescue Das, was also injured along with a civic volunteer Prasenjit Majhi in the incident. Pramanik was later admitted to Uluberia hospital.

Sensing serious trouble, senior police officers rushed to the area immediately with reinforcement and arrested seven persons including the main accused Munsi Matiar Rahaman, an advocate in an Uluberia court.

A strong police picket has been posted in the area to defuse tension, the police said.

The police charged the arrested with rioting, attempt to murder, criminal conspiracy and offences under the Arms Act and yesterday produced them in a court in Uluberia, which remanded them to police custody for five days.

Many people of the village were absconding to avoid arrest, the police said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Congress today attacked the Centre after the UIDAI filed an FIR with the Delhi Police over a newspaper report on the breach of details of more than one billion Aadhaar cards, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being "evasive" and shooting the messenger, instead of probing the leak.

Congress's chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said "every Indian must condemn this mindless act" of the government.

UIDAI Deputy Director B M Patnaik has informed the police that an input was received from The Tribune newspaper that it had purchased a service being offered by anonymous sellers on WhatsApp, that provided unrestricted access any of the more than 1 billion Aadhaar numbers, according to the police.

The FIR mentions the names of the journalist and the people the reporter reached out to purchase the Aadhaar data, but they have not been shown as accused, the police said.

The Congress also raised questions on the Modi government's "intentions" on privacy issues as it referred to former Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi reportedly saying last year that "no citizen can have an absolute right over his/her body". It charged the government with being "dismissive and oppressive" instead of being "responsive" to issues flagged.

"Intent, & 'Intentions' of Modi Govt on Privacy were thoroughly exposed when it had proclaimed that 'no citizen can have an absolute right over his/her body'," Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said in another tweet.

"In SC, Modi Govt had accepted Aadhaar data leak! Now instead of investigating, an evasive Modi ji shoots the messenger!" he added.

Addressing a press conference here, party spokesperson Shobha Oza said the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) filing the FIR in connection with the report showed the government's "dictatorial mindset".

She said "from time to time" there have been reports about Aadhaar data leakage and referred to a study by the Bengaluru-based organisation - Centre for Internet and Society (CIS), which in May last year claimed that information about 130 million card holders had been leaked from four government websites.

She alleged that personal information of India's citizens were exposed to hackers everyday and the right to privacy was being "mocked and flouted with impunity".

"But the Modi government remains immune...the government itself has accepted that there is a leakage. But still the government is being adamant, which is a matter of concern," Oza said.

Under fire for filing the FIR, the UIDAI said it respects free speech, including freedom of the press, and its police complaint should not be viewed as "shooting the messenger".

In a statement, it said that its act should not be viewed as one targeting the media or a whistleblower.

Oza also defended senior Congress leader P Chidambaram for suggesting that the government's "militaristic" approach allegedly failed to end militancy in Jammu and Kashmir.

In a series of tweets, Chidambaram today suggested that the government's "muscular and militaristic approach" had failed in Jammu and Kashmir. The former Union minister also pitched for the government to find out a political solution to the Kashmir issue, and said former prime ministers AB Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh will be remembered for their "diligent efforts" to find a solution to the issue.

Chidambaram also said that the "mandate" of Dineshwar Sharma as Special Representative for Kashmir was "not clear".

Stressing that Kashmir was an integral part of India, Oza said the state had moved towards normalcy during the previous government, led by her party. However, she alleged, the situation worsened since the PDP-BJP government was formed in the state and asked the saffron party to come clear about it.

"Peace has to be restored in Jammu and Kashmir. Citizens of Jammu and Kashmir are citizens of India... The government has to take strict measures to ensure normalcy and peace there," she said.

Oza also slammed the government over Union minister Ramdas Athawale saying that Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani was not responsible for the violence in Maharashtra's Bhima-Koregaon last week even though an FIR was lodged against him for a "provocative speech", which led to clashes.

"We have seen them (the ruling BJP) appointing those spitting communal venom as chief minister. But the government (led by the BJP) does not shy from lodging FIR against innocent people," she added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Former Himachal Pradesh chief minister and BJP leader Shanta Kumar today said that there should be constructive criticism from the opposition for the development of the state.

In a democracy one can criticise and levy allegations against each other during election, but when the government is formed there should be constructive criticism from the opposition for the healthy development of the state, he said in a statement here.

Kumar appealed to both the political parties -- the ruling BJP and opposition Congress -- to start " of cooperation" as the government in the Centre was ready to help the state.

Most of the time, in the last five years in Himachal Pradesh, was spend in political quarrels and in opposing each other. This put development aside, he claimed.

The BJP leader also said that the parties have trusted their youth leadership.

"Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur is representing the youth from the Mandi district, whereas the opposition Congress has given the leadership to Mukesh Agnihotri, a young MLA from Una district, who started his career as a journalist and reached the position after winning a few times from his home turf," he said.

This proves that the present Himachal Pradesh Assembly is in the hand of youths, which is a "good and positive political position", the BJP leader said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A Defence Innovation Centre would be set up here by industry body CODISSIA to assist small industries in manufacturing components for the defence sector, Defence Minister Nirmala Seetharaman said today.

The Defence Ministry would release Rs 20 crore as an initial funding to the Coimbatore District Small Industries Association (CODISSIA) to set up the innovation centre, she told reporters here after discussions with the association office-bearers.

"Ministry of Defence has recognised CODISSIA as an innovation centre required for defence production," she said adding the association had earlier submitted a proposal in this regard.

Seetharaman said small and micro units as well as startups, that can manufacture components required for the defence production, would be identified by the association.

"They can design or test their products at the centre," she said adding the association had earlier submitted a proposal in this regard.

The Minister said the decision to set up the innovation centre was taken in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Make in India" programme and his dream of making India a defence manufacturing hub.

Defence ministry had identified many micro, small and medium enterprises, which can meet the huge requirements of the sector, she said adding that being an industrial hub Coimbatore had the potential to supply components to Defence production.

CODISSIA President V Sundaram said the city would have an exclusive defence park within three years.

To a question on Okchi cyclone and missing fishermen, Seetharaman said the government had taken all possible steps to rescue the fishermen from November 30 last year. Updates on the search operations which continued till December 27 had been posted by her every day on twitter.

On fishermen still missing, the Minister said the government was aware of it and she will hold discussions with the Union Home Ministry on sorting out the issue.

Earlier, Tamil Nadu Municipal Administration Minister S P Velumani submitted a memoradum seeking to set up a Defence park to manufacture and supply components to the sector to Seetharaman at the airport on her arrival here.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today praised Tamil Nadu for giving priority to education, particularly to the girl child, and the manner in which the sector has evolved over the years in the state.

Delivering the convocation address at Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher for Women, Sitharaman said it was noteworthy how the sector has evolved, especially through philanthropy, in Tamil Nadu.

The Union minister said the University Grants Commission (UGC) should ensure that "no capitation fee" becomes the norm.

She asked UGC Joint Secretary and Chief Vigilance Officer Dr Arcana Thakur, who was present at the convocation, to use her good offices to convey the message for the benefit of the institute, which does not want to take capitation fee.

"Capitation fee cannot be a subject of exception. It should be a norm. No capitation fee should be the norm," she told Thakur.

Higher regulatory institutions should be worried about the quality of imparted and it can exempt the capitation fee if an institution comes forward, she said.

Importantly, if UGC comes up with rules and set of norms in the broader interest of promoting education, it should also adopt certain flexibilities with regard to some exceptional institutions and universities, she said.

Sitharaman was conferred with the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters at the convocation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Ltd, an arm of Kolkata-based real estate developer Jain Group, is planning to dilute 25 per cent stake with its maiden IPO on BSE's small and medium enterprise platform by March 2018.

The company operates the Holiday Inn hotel in Kolkata under a management contract with Intercontinental Hotels Group.

"We are at an advanced stage of launching an IPO and the issue will be completed over the next two months," Dream Gateway director Rishi Jain told PTI.

"We are looking at raising Rs 35-37 crore from the public issue to fund an expansion of the property, diluting 25 per cent stake," he said.

The hotel has been operational since February 2017 and the company is expecting a revenue of Rs 20 crore in the current fiscal, Jain said.

The company is optimistic of a valuation of around Rs 150 crore.

However, according to an analyst tracking the hospitality sector, the expected valuation is on the "higher side".

"With limited data available, the hotel would ideally be valued at Rs 110-120 crore based on replacement cost estimates," Managing Director-India (Hotels & Hospitality Group) JLL, Mandeep S Lamba, said.

Given the hospitality industry has been stressed for a while and as Kolkata is expected to see a continued increase in the inventory of hotel rooms, the market is likely to see some corrections in rates going forward, he said.

Hotels are typically valued by Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) methodology which is considered the gold standard. Other methodologies include EBIDTA multiples and replacement costs.

Jain said that the cash raised through IPO will be used in expanding the 137-room Kolkata property to 215 rooms with an investment of Rs 60-70 crore.

The company also has two hotels in Siliguri and Durgapur in the pipeline.The digital learning scheme in which students of classes VII and VIII would use tablets for science and mathematics, is likely to be introduced in some more Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) in Odisha from the next academic session.

At present, the system is functioning only in one school, KV Mancheswar, Bhubaneswar. The Kendriya Vidyalaya Sanghathan (KVS) introduced the scheme on a pilot basis in the school this year, said an official.

"We expect that the scheme will be rolled out in at least five more KVs, including Berhampur, in the state from the next academic year. We are planning to submit a proposal in this regard to the KVS soon," said Deputy Commissioner, KVS Bhubaneswar region, ALV Jaganadha Rao during a visit here.

The Bhubaneswar region has 61 KVs.

Under the scheme, students of Class VII and VIII are using tablets for science and mathematics and almost all activities such as accessing reading materials to submitting assignments are being done online by using the tablets.

Apart from accessing the text books online through ePathshala, which provides digital textbooks and resource materials of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), the students are enhancing their learning experience through animations and videos, he said.

Around 160 students of the two classes in the school in Bhubaneswar have been provided tablets free of cost by the KVS, he said. Digital learning is a part of the Centre's flagship programme Digital India, an official said.

Deputy commissioner of KVS, Bhubaneswar, was here to attend some programmes and to inaugurate



The government has also sanctioned the Atal Tinkering Laboratory (ATL), a state-of-the-art laboratory equipped with robotic kit and other sophisticated electronic gadgets, for three KVs in the region last year.

The KVs are in Berhampur, Balasore and Bhubaneswar.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Odisha government has appointed Koraput district judge as head of the inquiry commission to probe the alleged gang rape of a minor tribal girl at Kunduli area in Koraput district.

A 14-year-old class IX student of Musaguda village had alleged that she was gangraped by a group of four men in uniform on October 10 last year while returning to her village from Kunduli market.

"The Commission will enquire into and report in respect of three matters - the sequence of events alleged to have led to the purported crime, the person(s) responsible for the incident and any other matter connected with the incident," the notification read.

The Commission has been asked to submit its report within three months, a notification issued yesterday said.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had earlier ordered a judicial probe into the incident.

The district police which investigated into the allegation, concluded that there was no rape of the girl.

The medical reports submitted to the Odisha Human Rights Commission had also mentioned that the medical experts have found no proof of gang rape after examining the girl.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)BJP MP Subramanian Swamy today urged the Assam government not to compromise on the insurgency problem.

During his visit to the city, Swamy said that any rebel group carrying out subversive activities against the sovereignty of the nation should be eliminated.

Replying to queries regarding the recently published first draft of the National Citizens Register (NRC), Swamy said that politically it is an apt honour for legal Indian citizens.

"It is a process executed under the direction of the Supreme Court to find out the illegal foreigners and to deport them from the Indian soil. So, everybody should accept it honestly, extending their cooperation to make the process successful," he added.

Commenting on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's recent remark on NRC update in which she said the BJP was "conspiring" to drive out Bengalis from Assam by excluding their names from the list, Swamy said that if the Supreme Court-designed process has irritated her, she should frame a policy herself on it.

While mentioning that McMahon Line is the historic boundary between India and China, the BJP leader said there is an urgent need of understanding with China for mitigating the border disputes.

(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 today announced that 2,514 school buses that are over 15 years old would be phased out, two days after four Delhi Public School students were killed in a collision between their school bus and a truck here.

Chouhan consoled family members of the deceased and visited the hospital where the injured students are undergoing treatment.

"We won't allow buses more than 15 years old to ply at any cost. A directive will be issued to take these buses off roads within three months," the chief minister told reporters.

He said that 2,514 out of the total 17,400 school buses, plying with the permission of the Transport Department, have been in operation for more than 15 years.

"These old buses will be taken off roads in a phased manner," he said.

Chouhan also announced removal of Indore Regional Transport Officer (RTO) M P Singh after taking cognisance of a photograph published by some newspapers in which the officer was purportedly seen laughing while giving information about the accident to a senior police officer.

"I saw the picture (of the officer) in newspapers. This behaviour after such a big tragedy is not good. Therefore, I have immediately removed the RTO," he said.

According to police officers, the bus was 15 years old.

The accident had occurred at the Kanadiya bypass on Friday when the speeding bus rammed into a truck, killing four students, aged between six and 13 years, and the bus driver, Rahul Sisodia. The bus conductor and nine students were injured, of which six are in a critical condition.

A faulty speed governor device installed on the bus is suspected to be the cause behind the accident.

"We are going to set up automated centres to carry out fitness test of vehicles so as to do away with the human intervention," Chouhan said.

He said the state government would cap the speed of school buses at 40 km per hour to check road accidents.

The ill-fated school bus was said to be moving at more than 60 km per hour when it crashed into the truck.

Chouhan said the government would set up a centralised data unit that would monitor the speed and location of school buses through GPS.

He said the accident was being investigated by an IAS officer and the probe report would be prepared within 15 days.

"We will take appropriate action as per the report," the CM said.

Chouhan said the government would make all efforts to ensure the best possible treatment for the injured students.

Earlier in the day, the chief minister faced the ire of grieving parents who accused the DPS management of insensitive approach and alleged "irregularities" in the Transport Department.

Chouhan assured them that those guilty would be punished on the basis of the investigation report.

The police had yesterday arrested DPS Transport Officer Chaitanya Kumawat, Suvidha Auto Gas director Neeraj Agnihotri and its staffer Jalaj Meshram in connection with the accident and booked them for culpable homicide.

The accident had led to an outrage in the city.

According to the information available on the Transport Department's website, the bus was registered in the name of the school which was its third owner.

The Indore RTO, in a report sent to the state transport commissioner, had said the 34-seater bus was issued a fitness certificate on December 26, 10 days before the accident, and it was valid till December 25, 2018, sources had said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Depending on who you ask in Europe, China's colossal East-West infrastructure programme is either an opportunity or a threat -- and when French President Emmanuel Macron visits next week, Beijing will be watching to see how keen he is to jump on board.

Since China launched the New Silk Road plan in 2013, the hugely ambitious initiative to connect Asia and Europe by road, rail and sea has elicited both enormous interest and considerable anxiety.

"It's the most important issue in international relations for the years to come, and will be the most important point during Emmanuel Macron's visit," said Barthelemy Courmont, a China expert at French think-tank Iris.

The USD 1 trillion project is billed as a modern revival of the ancient Silk Road that once carried fabric, spices, and a wealth of other goods in both directions.

Known in China as "One Belt One Road", the plans would see gleaming new road and rail networks built through Central Asia and beyond, and new maritime routes stretching through the Indian Ocean and Red Sea.

Beijing would develop roads, ports and rail lines through 65 countries representing an estimate 60 percent of the world's population and a third of its economic output.

Macron, who heads to China for a three-day state visit on Sunday, will notably be accompanied by some 50 company chiefs keen to do business with the Asian powerhouse.

So far France has been cautious on the Silk Road plan, but Courmont said Chinese leaders were "waiting for a clear position" from Macron at a time when they view the young leader as an "engine" for growth in Europe.

"If Macron takes a decision on how to tackle the Chinese initiative, all of Europe will follow," Courmont predicted.

But, as Courmont acknowledges, Europe is divided on what to make of China's ambitions.

The continent could potentially benefit handsomely from increased trade over the coming decades, but in some corners there is suspicion that it masks an attempted Beijing influence grab.

"They are notably asking themselves about the geopolitical consequences of this project in the long-term," Alice Ekman, who covers China at the French Institute of International Relations, said of France and Germany.

In Central and Eastern Europe the programme has been met with altogether more enthusiasm, given the huge infrastructure investment that China could bring to the poorer end of the continent.

"Some consider the awakening of China and Asia as a threat," Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban told a summit in Budapest in November which gathered China with 16 Central and Eastern European countries.

"For us, it's a huge opportunity," he said, with Beijing using the summit to announce three billion euros of investment in projects including a Belgrade-Budapest railway line.

Bogdan Goralczyk, director of the Centre for Europe at the University of Warsaw, noted there were divisions even within eastern Europe, with Poland hesitant due to its right- wing government's "strong anti-communist stance".

Others to the west have made little effort to hide their concern.

Former Danish premier Anders Fogh Rasmussen fretted in a column for Germany's Zeit newspaper that "Europe will wake up only when it's too late, and when swathes of central and eastern Europe's infrastructure are dependent on China."



The former NATO chief noted that Greece -- a major recipient of Chinese largesse -- had in June blocked an EU declaration condemning Chinese rights abuses.

It came just months after Athens' Piraeus port, one of the biggest in the world, passed under Chinese control.

Germany, Europe's biggest economy, is favourable to Chinese investment, but has reservations.

"If we do not develop a strategy in the face of China, it will succeed in dividing Europe," Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel warned in August.

France is meanwhile seeking to "rebalance" relations with China during Macron's trip, according to his office -- eyeing a trade deficit of 30 billion euros, its biggest with any partner.

"Our Chinese partners would prefer a win-win situation. Why not? On the condition that it's not the same party that wins twice," French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Thursday.

"It is not France's intention to block China," he said.

"But we should establish a partnership based on reciprocity when it comes to the opening of markets.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)In a major policy move, China frontier guarding force ITBP will sponsor India-wide excursion tours for senior citizens living in border areas of Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh to build strong ties with the people, described as "strategic assets" by Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

The paramilitary force has also decided to almost double, to a dozen in a year, the number of such regular educational tours for the children living in border areas.

Both the steps have been undertaken for the first time in decades and are understood to be done in the backdrop of India's strategy to enhance security on its borders.

Official sources said the new policy to take elderly citizens on excursion tours to mainland India, including the national capital Delhi, was made after Singh recently told the force that they should always keep in mind that the border population living along the Sino-India border were the country's "strategic assets".

Addressing the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) troops at their camp in Uttarakhand's Joshimath in September after a forward area tour, Singh had directed the frontier guarding force to ensure that this population is taken care of as their migration would put India's security at risk.

As per a blueprint prepared by the force and accessed by PTI, it is "proposed for the first time that apart from schoolchildren, elderly inhabitants including senior citizens of the border population will also be the part of future excursion tours by the force."



The force has also decided to earmark fresh funds from its Civic Action Programme (CAP) budget to ensure airline tickets for these guests of the force. The CAP funds are given by the home ministry to the forces to undertake outreach initiatives for locals in their area of deployment.

Funds for air tickets were required, officials sources said, as many border villages are located in remote locations and journey by air will cut down the overall travel time.

"With such initiatives, the force has been eyeing to organise more programmes to win hearts and minds of the remote population and to provide them an opportunity to experience the rich social, cultural and historical heritage of the nation," the blueprint said.

"Till now, the ITBP and other border guarding forces were only undertaking such tours for children living in border areas to educate them about their vast country which they probably could not see themselves due to their remote location or meagre resources.

"The MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) recently allowed the new proposal for the ITBP to take senior citizens for such tours where travel, boarding and all logistics are taken care by the force," a senior home ministry official explained.

The first such tour of senior citizens, probably from forward areas of Arunachal Pradesh, is expected in the next a few months and the contingent is expected to travel to religious and iconic places of the country and culminate in Delhi before winding up.

"People living along the India-China border should not be made to migrate at any cost. They are our strategic assets. They should be given more importance. The day they will migrate...that will not be good for our border security," the home minister had said.

He told the troops, during his address, that the border population held an important place in the hearts of the government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"The prime minister has said special attention should be given to the well-being of the people living on the borders. I will request ITBP (personnel) to make friends with the local population in the area of their border deployment," he had said.

The 90,000-personnel strong ITBP is tasked with guarding the 3,488-km-long Sino-India border that stretches from Jammu and Kashmir (1,597 km), to Himachal Pradesh (200 km), Uttarakhand (345 km), Sikkim (220 km) and Arunachal Pradesh (1,126 km).

Border guarding forces on India's eastern flank, like the ITBP, the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and the Army have said they were taking steps to ensure tranquillity on the borders after the more-than-two-months-long Dokalam standoff between Indian and Chinese personnel ended in August last year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Four engineering students drowned in a pond in Andhra Pradesh's West Godavari district, a police official said today.

The victims, three third year students and one of first year of the Ramchandra Engineering College in Eluru, went to a guava orchard last evening.

They later got into the Vatluru village pond apparently for having a bath and drowned, the police official said over phone.

The deceased, in their earlier 20s, were identified as G Vijaya Sankar, K Harikrishna Raju, ASK Parasuram (all in third year of mechanical engineering course) and Kota Sai (in first year of electronics and chemical engineering).

The bodies were fished out from the pond this morning, the official said.

The postmortem was conducted at the district headquarters hospital in Eluru and later the bodies were handed over to the kin, he said.

A case has been registered in connection with the incident, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)An abandoned Western Coalfields Limited (WCL) mine caved-in in Madhya Pradesh's Betul district today, killing three women and an 11-year-old girl illegally working there, police said.

Another woman was injured in the accident at the mine in Patharkheda area, they said.

"The incident occurred when the women were digging Satpura mine number 2, which was abandoned by the WCL, about 50 km from the district headquarters," said Superintendent of Police D R Taniwar.

Sub-Divisional Magistrate S K Bhandari said the bodies were pulled out from under the debris and the rescue operation was over.

The deceased have been identified as Nitu Chorse (41), Meena Bhorse (40), Nani Bai Padhekar (30) and Payal Deshmukh (11).

The injured woman, Sandhya Devi (35), has been admitted to the district hospital, Bhandari said.

All the victims hailed from Tatta Colony, near the mishap site, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar was amongst the RSS cadres who participated in the Hindu Chetna Sangam, a mass outreach programme organised by the Hindutva fountainhead across the Konkan region today.

Parrikar, clad in the trademark RSS uniform, participated in the programme held here this evening which was chaired by Sangh national organising secretary Jayant Sahastrabuddhe along with other leaders.

The one-day Sangam organised the event across 17 locations in Goa.

"Hindutva is India's identity and it is based on the Indian culture which is 8,000 years old," Sahastrabuddhe said while addressing a gathering of around 100 swayamsevaks.

He said the Sangam was held to mobilise the Hindu society, cadres and all those who want to contribute towards the progress and development of the nation.

"We need to think about how we need to come together as a Hindu samaj (community) and work towards nationhood and nation," the Sangh leader said.

The events are mainly aimed at reaching to masses and starting new units.

RSS Goa chief Laxman Behre had told reporters on January 4 that the Sangam was aimed at starting RSS local units at places that have remained out of reach for Sangh so far.

The Sangam was planned across 263 talukas of the coastal Konkan region including at 17 places in Goa.

The programmes under the Sangam mainly target the college-going and working youths.

Goa, which comprises two districts, has 22 RSS shakhas.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra and Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh today paid tributes to former chief minister and ruling PDP founder Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on his second death anniversary.

The governor, in his message, said Sayeed was a far sighted political leader and an astute administrator who, during his two tenures as the chief minister, remained focussed on securing development and bettering people of the state.

The deputy chief minister also paid tributes to the former chief minister and said people of the state should carry forward the legacy of the visionary leader and implement his vision for peace, dignity, development and prosperity of the state.

"The vacuum and void created by the demise of Sayeed is very difficult to fill, however, the state would witness a new era of development and prosperity by pursuing the path and vision shown by the late leader," Singh said.

PDP leader and Minister for Food, Civil Supplies, Consumer Affairs and Tribal Affairs, Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali, said Sayeed was a "statesman of the century and ambassador of peace".

While paying tributes to the party founder at a commemoration function at Gandhi Nagar here, Ali said Sayeed's decision of forming government with the BJP was historic.

He said, "although there is huge difference between policies and ideologies of the PDP and the BJP, the government is functioning very well under the leadership of Mehbooba Mufti".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The kite making industry in Gujarat, that employs over 48,140 people directly and indirectly, is likely see a growth of just 2.5 per cent this fiscal as compared to last year, an official said today.

"With the growing popularity of International Kite Festival in Gujarat, the kite making industry is also growing steadily. However, this financial year year we expect the kite making industry to generate Rs 625 crore to Rs 630 crore, a growth of just 2.5 per cent against last year," Gujarat Tourism's principal secretary S J Haider told reporters here.

The kite making industry witnessed a 7.5 per cent revenue growth of Rs 615 crore in 2016-17, compared to Rs 572 crore in FY16.

Haider said the marginal slowdown in revenue growth can be attributed to the implementation of the GST which has made it difficult for the industry, which is mostly unorganised.

"However, there is a growth in volume and we expect things to settle down soon," he added.

The 29th International Kite Festival in the state opened for visitors from today and will go on till January 14 in the city here.

Gujarat Governor O P Kohli and Chief Minister Vijay Rupani inaugurated the festival.

The chief minister said these festivals are gaining an international popularity and helping in boosting tourism in the state.

"Due to these festivals there is a steady increase in global travellers to the state. This is helping in boosting the tourism industry of Gujarat," Rupani said.

This year about 535 kite fliers are participating in the festival, including 96 from 18 different states, 149 from 44 countries including the US, UK, Israel, Turkey among others and around 290 from different parts of Gujarat.

Besides Ahmedabad, the festival will also be celebrated in other cities of the state, including Palanpur, Dakor, Jamnagar, Surat, Dwarka, Saputara, Rajkot, Vadodara, Pavagadh, Valsad and Gandhidham.

"The International Kite Festival is one of the most important and colourful festivals in Gujarat. The locals also benefit from such festivals as they receive livelihood opportunities," Gujarat Tourism Managing Director Jenu Dewan said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Siddharthnagar is counted as one of the most backward districts in the country but village Hasuri Ausanpur in the district is far ahead with 97 per cent of households having power connections, 98 per cent residents having Aadhar cards and 95 per cent having bank accounts.

The village has Wi-Fi facility and is also gender friendly with every house painted pink - a colour which symbolises honour for women, their empowerment and also stands for social harmony.

Hasuri Ausanpur is located almost 60 km from the district headquarters of Siddharthnagar in Domariyaganj tehsil, and almost 26 km from the India-Nepal border.

According to the 2011 Census, the population of the village is 1,024, and there are around 235 families in the village, pradhan of Hasuri Ausanpur, Dilip Tripathi, told PTI.

The 38-year-old pradhan said, "There are 23 CCTVs installed in the village, which have reduced the incidents of thefts to a large extent. Apart from this, the entire village has Wi-Fi facility, and there are 23 public address systems through which announcement can be made."



Tripathi claimed that GIS mapping of the village has been done.

"I spent nearly Rs 25 lakh from my own pocket to install Wi-Fi system, Geographic Information System and public address system in the village for the larger public interest. Using GIS, we can clearly get information about each individual household of the village.

"This includes land records, whether they have a soil health card or not and whether they have toilets or not. From the government, we got nearly Rs 7.50 lakh for development of the village," he said.

The village pradhan said, "97 per cent of the households have electricity connections, 98 per cent residents have Aadhar number and 95 per cent people have bank accounts."



Tripathi said he has been inspired by the concept of Digital India of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and smart village of UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath.

"I was also motivated by Punsari -- the model village developed in Gujarat. I went there to see how the Punsari model could be replicated in Hasuri Ausanpur."



Punsari is a village in Sabarkantha district of Gujarat.

"Some of the facilities provided by the panchayat include local mineral water supply, sewer and drainage project, a healthcare centre, banking facilities and toll-free complaint reception service," Tripathi said.

In 2006, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj had named Siddharthnagar as one of the country's 250 most backward districts out of a total of 640. It is one of the 34 districts in Uttar Pradesh currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).

The village pradhan, who is an alumni of Deen Dayal Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur, said efforts are on to start computer education in the village, and five computers have been donated by people. "We are also planing to start sewing centres for women of the village," he said.

Tripathi also endorses the Provision of Urban Amenities to Rural Areas (PURA), a strategy for rural development in India, given by former President APJ Abdul Kalam.

"This will ensure that there is virtually zero exodus and migration of villagers from the village to nearby cities," Tripathi said.

Lauding the work done in Hasuri Ausanpur, chief development officer of Siddharthnagar district Anil Kumar Mishra said, "The district administration will facilitate visits by pradhans of other villages to Hasuri Ausanpur so they can seek inspiration from the turnaround, which has been brought about in the village.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Hindu farmer Surodhon Pal has packed his bags, eager to return to Myanmar after fleeing for Bangladesh during a wave of violence last year, but he is in a tiny minority -- most of the refugees are terrified of going home.

Bangladesh wants the more than 655,000 refugees who have flooded into the country since late August to start returning to Myanmar by the end of this month under a controversial agreement between the two nations.

The vast majority are Rohingya Muslims who have faced decades of persecution in Myanmar, which sees them as illegal immigrants, even though many have lived there for generations.

They say they would rather stay in the squalid camps in Bangladesh than return to the scene of violence the US and the United Nations have said amounts to ethnic cleansing.

But a small community of Hindus who lived alongside the Rohingya in Myanmar's Rakhine state and were caught up in the turmoil say they do want to return.

"We want security and we want food. If the authorities can give us those assurances we'll happily go back," Pal, 55, told AFP.

"The Bangladeshi government and the UN looked after us well, but now we have prepared our bags and are ready to return to our country."



Last month Dhaka sent a list of 100,000 refugees to Myanmar authorities for repatriation after the two governments signed an agreement in November for the process to begin on January 23.

But rights groups and the United Nations say no one should be repatriated against their will and so far only around 500 Hindu refugees have expressed willingness to go.

Modhuram Pal, a 35-year-old community leader, said some 50 Hindus had already returned to Rakhine where they were welcomed by Myanmar security forces.

Hindus who fled the area have told AFP that masked men stormed into their community and hacked victims to death with machetes before dumping them into freshly-dug pits.

Myanmar's military alleges the Arakan Rohingya Solidarity Army (ARSA) carried out the massacre on August 25, the same day the rebel group staged deadly raids on police posts that sparked a military backlash. At least 45 bodies have been found in mass graves.

The ARSA has denied the allegations, saying it does not target civilians.

But Pal and his fellow Hindu refugees say they will only go back if they are rehoused away from their former villages in Rakhine.

Monubala, a Hindu woman who like many of the refugees goes by one name, told AFP masked men dressed in black had attacked her village near Kha Maung Seik, where the massacre occurred.

"I left my home, including my chickens, ducks, goats and all property, and came to Bangladesh to save my life," she said.

Doctors without Borders estimates that thousands were killed in the violence that hit Rakhine in late August.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)It was a year of change and hope for the Congress, as the 132-year-old party saw a generational shift in leadership in 2017, and the election results in Gujarat gave its weary workers a much needed boost.

The year ended on a high note for the political outfit as Congress president Sonia Gandhi passed the mantle of the grand old party to her son, Rahul Gandhi.

It also infused hope in the rank and file of the electorally weakened Congress after the party put up a spirited fight in Gujarat, preventing a landslide by the BJP in Prime Minister Narendra Modis home turf.

The year 2017 began well for the Congress as it wrested power from the Akali Dal-BJP alliance in Punjab, the only state the party has won on its own since the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

But on the downside, it lost power in Bihar, where the party had registered a victory as part of the RJD-JDU alliance. The coalition government fell apart in 2017.

Overall, the Congresss poor electoral show continued as it failed to defend its governments in Manipur, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.

The party finished a poor fourth in Uttar Pradesh and squandered its mandates in Goa and Manipur, where the BJP ended up forming the governments after Congress strategists were caught napping.

This was also a year of continuing defections from the party, which lost stalwarts such as SM Krishna in Karnataka, Jayanti Natarajan in Tamil Nadu and Ajit Jogi in Chhattisgarh. Karnataka and Chhattisgarh go to the polls this year along with Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

The party, which once ruled over large swathes of India, now stands reduced to Karnataka, Punjab, Puducherry and Mehgalaya.

With elections this year in Karnataka and Meghalaya, the challenge for Rahul Gandhi would be party consolidation and organisational cohesion.

Addressing his first Congress Working Committee meeting after taking charge as party president on December 16, 2017, he admitted that organisational weakness was the principal reason why the party could not convert favourable ground conditions in Gujarat into an electoral victory.

He also sent a message that rank indiscipline would not be tolerated -- significant in view of two party veterans' remarks before the Gujarat polls. It is believed by some in the party that comments made by Mani Shankar Aiyar and Kapil Sibal, both former ministers, helped the BJP in Gujarat.

That said, the Congress's Gujarat show was its hallmark in 2017 as the party posted its best ever performance in 22 years in the state, winning 77 seats as against the BJP's 99.

"The BJP may have won Gujarat but the Congress was not defeated. In fact, the moral victory was ours," a Congress leader said.

Former minister and veteran Congressman Kishore Chandra Deo summed up 2017 for the party, holding it up as a year of transformation.

Things started to turn around then," he said.

Deo said a youthful Rahul Gandhi had proved himself a leader in Gujarat, where he single-handedly led the party to good results even when most thought the Congress would face an electoral rout.

In the coming months there will be dramatic and perceptible changes and the Congress will be at the fulcrum of the new set-up that is developing before us," he said.

But a section also felt the Congress would continue to need inputs from Sonia Gandhi, who held the reins of the party for 19 years.

"She will continue to guide us," a leader said.

If Sonia Gandhi took a backseat in party matters, a significant change in 2017 was the personal transformation of her son, who improved his Twitter following remarkably, honed his onslaught against the BJP with a spate of sharp one-liners and drew eyeballs with his defence of dynastic at a University of Berkeley address.

The party is also under transformation within, with the old guard making way for the young, who have been handed over the charge of states by the new president.

Rahul Gandhi has also set up different departments to woo various sections, including traders, the fishing community, professionals and tribals.

The year 2018 will be a year of reckoning for the Congress and it will be back on the centre stage," said a party member.

Only time will tell how far Rahul Gandhi will be able to sustain the momentum he has picked up.

But 2018 will be his acid test as the party faces elections in eight states Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland in March; Karnataka in mid year; and Rajasthan, MP, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram by the end of the year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The housing and urban affairs ministry was busy in implementing the government's flagship schemes pertaining to housing, cleanliness and smart city in 2017.

The year gone by also witnessed Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at loggerheads over metro fare hike.

During the year, diplomat-turned-politician Puri took over the charge of the ministry after M Venkaiah Naidu was nominated as the NDA candidate for the vice presidential election.

The government also merged the two ministries of urban development and housing and urban poverty alleviation to form a single ministry of housing and urban affairs. Officials said it was done with an aim to ensure cohesiveness in formulating policies related to urban issues and cut the flab in bureaucracy.

Kejriwal sought reviewing of the metro fare hike and offered to bear half the losses arising out of the proposed rollback of fares.

Puri, however, maintained that neither the Centre nor the Delhi government had powers to roll back the fares fixed by the fixation committee.

An RTI query, which revealed that the Delhi Metro lost over three lakh commuters a day after the steep fare hike came into effect on October 10, gave fresh ammunition to Kejriwal who attacked the Centre over the hike.

A controversy also erupted when Kejriwal was not invited to the launch function of Delhi Metro's Magenta Line which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

During the winter session, the Parliament also passed a bill to protect slums and unauthorised colonies in the national capital region from punitive action till a framework for orderly arrangements are in place.

Urban transport was accorded high priority by the ministry as about 180 km new metro sections have been opened for commercial operations during 2017, making the total operational 430 km across the country in 10 cities, the ministry said.

A 'Metro Rail Policy' was unveiled during the year gone by to ascertain the feasibility of metro rail projects from economic, social and environmental perspective.

The year also witnessed the ministry pushing the states to notify the real estate rules without diluting its tough provisions.

"Twenty-six States/UTs have notified Real Estate Rules under #RERA. 6 States/UTs have established a permanent Real Estate Regulatory Authority and 23 States/UTs have established an interim Real Estate Regulatory Authority," the ministry said in a tweet.

Around 20,000 projects have been registered with regulatory authorities under Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016.

The ministry also started preparation to conduct cleanliness survey 2018 from January 4 to March 10, 2018 to evaluate the cleanliness of over 4,000 cities. Indore secured first rank in 2017.

Over 37.5 lakh houses have been sanctioned so far under the Modi government's flagship scheme Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) with an investment of Rs 2.03 lakh crore. Out of the approved total central assistance of Rs 57,669 crore, Rs 12,916 crore have already been released to states and Union Territories.

The mission targets to provide houses to all urban poor by 2022. The estimated shortage of houses in urban areas is pegged at 1.2 crore.

Under the Smart City Mission, 90 cities have been selected in 3 rounds so far and 77 of them have already incorporated special purpose vehicles to implement the projects.

Projects worth Rs 1,35,958 crore are under various stages of implementation under Smart City Mission to improve urban infrastructure, ease of living and quality of life in urban areas. Projects worth Rs 1,872 crore have been completed.

Close to 43 lakh individual household toilets have been built and 1,977 cities declared open defecation free as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) so far. During 2017, over 1,470 cities were declared ODF.

To push rejuvenation and urban transformation, a provision of Rs 10,000 crore has been proposed as an incentive for the next three years under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT). Under the scheme, over 470 projects worth Rs 18,884 crore have been awarded.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A Parliamentary panel has expressed its "strong displeasure" to the government for not providing details of the expenditure incurred on the salaries and allowances of IAS, IPS and other officers.

The Committee on Estimates, in a recent report, suggested an effective mechanism to assess the contribution of officers from the all-India services -- the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Forest Service (IFS) -- to national growth.

"The Committee express their strong displeasure (to the government) for not providing the details of total expenditure incurred on salary and allowances of the officers of all India services in states and the Centre," said the report of the panel, headed by senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi.

It desired that the government furnish year-wise data to the panel within three months on the expenditure incurred on officers by the Centre and state governments.

The committee was "dismayed" to note that no efforts had been made by the government to assess the contribution of these services.

"Not only that, no study in regard has ever been made even by some outside agency," reads the report on "Estimates and performance review of all India services".

The panel noted that there was no mechanism to assess the expenditure made on IAS, IPS and IFS officers by the Centre and state governments and their contribution towards the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in relation to the cost incurred on their functioning.

"The committee are of the strong view that the officers of all India services should be fully committed to the citizens' concern and public good and reflect the hopes and aspirations of the public they serve and as such they should be held accountable for accomplishment of the projects/ programmes/policy issues being handled as per their specific assignments particularly when they are being paid from the exchequer's money," the report said.

The panel emphasised the need for evolving an effective mechanism with various parameters that are primarily outcome- oriented and citizen-centric so as to assess the contribution of the services to national growth, it said in the report submitted to the Lok Sabha recently.

"They (committee members) also recommend that, if need be, experts from premier institutions like IIMs, IITs, etc. may either be involved or outsourced to carry out such assessment for evolving an effective mechanism in this regard. The concrete action on the suggested lines should be taken and the Committee (be) apprise(d) accordingly," the report said.

The Ministry of Personnel was not able to furnish specific data with regard to expenditure met on salary, allowances, pension, perks as well as cost incurred on creating infrastructure such as offices and furniture for the civil servants, it noted.

The government, however, furnished scattered data of salary and allowances of these officers in respect of some of the ministries as well as the percentage share of emoluments of government employees at the Centre and in the states in the GDP at current prices, the panel said. According to the data, the share, which was 7.97 per cent during 2011, increased to 8.15 per cent in 2014-15, it added.

"From the overall position of expenditure met on government employees, it can be stated that a huge expenditure is met on wages of all India services officers besides the expenditure ... on other infrastructure like offices etc. for bureaucracy," the report said.

The total authorised cadre strength of the IAS in 1951 was 1,232 and grew to 4,599 during 1981. In 2016, the sanctioned strength rose to 6,396.

The total authorised strength of the IPS and IFS was 4,863 and 3,152 respectively, as on January 1, 2017.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Christian Bale believes that he is "invincible" when it comes to his obsession of giving it all to his acting.

"The Dark Knight" actor, who has gone to great lengths to get his physical appearance right for the characters he plays on screen, said it is his commitment to his work that allows him to give memorable performances.

"I keep thinking I'm invincible. I like obsession. I hope that it stays as healthy obsession," Bale told Metro newspaper.

He famously lost approximately 28 kgs, reducing his body mass to around 54 kgs to portray the role of insomniac, Trevor Reznik in "The Machinist".

Bale added, "There's just always been an image which struck me incredibly. Jimi Hendrix playing guitar, eyes closed, looking like he's in ecstasy, creating beautiful music... And I don't know if I imagined the blood or not but blood flowing from his fingers.

"I don't care if it really happened or not but the point for me is that he completely ignores the pain because of the ecstasy. I enjoy that level of obsession and think that viewers deserve performers to take it to that level if necessary.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The country's judge-population ratio has gone up marginally in the past three years against the backdrop of increased sanctioned strength, latest data of the law ministry says.

Based on the 2011 census and sanctioned strength of judges of the Supreme Court, the 24 high courts and numerous subordinate courts, the ratio stands at 19.66 judges per million people.

The ratio was 17.48 judges per million in 2014, according to ministry figures put in public domain.

The Supreme Court with a sanctioned strength of 31 is functioning with 25 judges, figures put out by the department of justice in the ministry say.

The 24 high courts have a sanctioned strength of 1,079 judges, but with 395 vacancies they are functioning with 684 judges. The sanctioned strength was 906 in June, 2014. While the sanctioned strength has gone up, the working or actual strength has not gone up considerably.

But in cases of the lower courts, the sanctioned strength of judicial officers has gone up and the vacancies have gone down since 2014. In 2014, the sanctioned strength of the lower courts was 20,214 judicial officers/judges.

In 2017, it rose to 22,677. The working strength in 2017 was registered at 16,693, whereas, in 2014, it was was 15,634.

At the end of 2017, the subordinate courts had 5,984 vacancies.

The issue of judge-population ratio came to the fore in April, 2016 when then Chief Justice of India T S Thakur lamented the executive's inaction in at least doubling the number of judges to handle the "avalanche" of litigations, prompting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to assure him of the government's resolve in finding a solution jointly with the judiciary.

"... It is not only in the name of a litigant or people languishing in jails but also in the name of development of the country, its progress that I beseech you to rise to the occasion and realise that it is not enough to criticise. You cannot shift the entire burden on the judiciary," the Chief Justice of India had said in a choking voice while addressing the inaugural session of a joint conference of chief ministers and chief justices of high courts.Six-time world champion Viswanathan Anand, who recently bagged the World Rapid title in Riyadh recently, today said India would be one of the five-six top teams at the Chess Olympiad.

Asked whether a Chess Olympiad Gold was a possibility, Anand said, "Of course, we (India) will one of the top five- six teams (at the Chess Olympiad), even that by very small rating points. It will be silly to rule out the gold (medal) because of the nature of the Olympiad and the Swiss format. We have a good chance but so do many other (teams)."



"Of course I was curious about playing it (Chess Olympiad), under different circumstances I might have played it earlier but it's nice that I can come back now and play it," he said during the final day of the IIFL Wealth 3rd Mumbai International Chess Tournament.

"There are some things I didn't like, things like zero- tolerance and some of the rules in the Olympiad but I feel that this time the camaraderie and the (Indian) team, the positive vibes will more than make up for it."



The Chennai-based Grand Master had recently expressed his desire to be part of the Chess Olympiad to held in Georgia later this year.

Meanwhile, Anand said it was like meeting an old friend on his recent World Rapid title triumph.

Quizzed what went right this time at World Rapid tournament, he said, "(A) Part of the reason is that I was a little upset regarding my resent Rapid results. I was not playing too many rapid events, and I was so focused on classic events that probably my style also changed."



"One of the things I intended to do was to try and work on this, try and figure out what was going wrong and then I thought I might make a comeback. The word comeback implies that I expected it to happen in 3 or 4 tournaments. One of the things I intended to do was play a lot more rapid events.

"And then I was presently surprised to win the first event," he added.

Anand also spoke on the growth of chess in the country.

"I was the first Grandmaster in 1987 and now we have 50. In terms of bench strength we are one of the strongest teams in the world," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)India's dialogue partnership with ASEAN has evolved into a strategic partnership and the Indian diaspora provides a platform for stronger ties with the grouping, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said today.

Addressing the Indian diaspora at the ASEAN-India Pravasi Bharatiya Divas here, Swaraj reaffirmed India's commitment to ASEAN.

"We are here to reaffirm our commitment and to share the course of our journey ahead to the future of India and ASEAN in the world," Swaraj told some 3,000 delegates.

"Our diaspora provides a platform for a stronger relationship between India and ASEAN countries," she said.

Noting the 25-year milestone of ASEAN-India partnership, she said, "Our dialogue partnership has evolved into a strategic partnership."



"India's engagement with the ASEAN region lies in the clarity of the principles that we share. We believe that when all nations adhere to international rules and norms and when we conduct on the basis of sovereign equality and mutual respect, our nations feel secure and our economies prosper, Swaraj said.

"As India's economy grows its ties will deepen, its trade and investment flow will grow, she said, emphasising that ASEAN was a part of Indias Act East Policy.

She said states play a vital role in India's progress and advancing the country's economic ties with the world.

She highlighted the presence of Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal at the gathering and underlined that the North East will grow and become a bridge to South East Asia.

"Our North East region will prosper when it is better connected to South East Asia and when the North East becomes our bridge to South East Asia, we will be closer to realising our hopes for India and ASEAN ties," she said.

She called for addressing the common challenges in the region like creating skills for the digital age, generating jobs in the age of disruption, meeting the need of rapid urbanisation, protecting the bio-diversity and making the energy sources cleaner.

"We are moving from industrial age to information age. The global power balance is shifting, and the relation between nations are changing, said Swaraj.

"There is interesting new technology but unsettled question of history still divides us. At the same time, we see progress and opportunities as never before, said the minister.

"It is the time for India and South East Asia to work for prosperity for its people and secure a peaceful future for new generation," she stressed.

ASEAN is India's 4th largest trading partner, accounting for 10.2 per cent of Indias total trade.

India is ASEAN's 7th largest trading partner. Trade is back on track and registered an 8 per cent increase in 2016- 17, as compared to the previous year.

New Delhi will host a commemorative summit on January 25 to mark the 25th anniversary of the Dialogue Partnership between India and the ASEAN in which all the leaders of the grouping are expected to participate.

ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Kite flyers from across the country and also abroad are participating in an international festival that began here today.

The international kite festival was inaugurated by Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani at Sabarmati Riverfront here. Governor O P Kohli was also present on the occasion.

Kite enthusiasts from across India and also foreign countries are participating in the week-long festival that is being celebrated across cities in Gujarat.

The state government-sponsored festival will culminate on January 14, which is celebrated as Uttarayan (Makar Sankranti).

Around 150 delegates from 44 countries, including the UK, South Korea, New Zealand, China, Indonesia and Malaysia, have arrived here to participate in the event.

Nearly 100 kite enthusiasts from 18 Indian states and hundreds of them from Ahmedabad also displayed their kite flying skills on the occasion.

Chinese dragon kites and hundreds of kites tied to a single string hogged the limelight.

"People from different countries have come here to fly kites. People from different states are also here. For around eight days, kite festivals will be celebrated in different cities in the state," Rupani told reporters after opening the festival.

He said the festival will give boost to the kite industry which employs around 3 lakh people.

The state Congress, however, criticised the government over spending money in organising the kite festival.

The Opposition party said the BJP government should instead provide relief to thousands of families associated with the kite industry by removing the 5 per cent Goods and Services Tax (GST) imposed on the sector.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Israel today identified 20 activist groups from around the world whose members will be banned from entering the country over their calls to boycott the Jewish state, stepping up its fight against a movement it views as a serious threat.

Israel last year enacted a law that would ban any activist who "knowingly issues a public call for boycotting Israel."



The list made public today, which includes a Nobel Peace Prize winning organisation, follows up on that legislation and could impact thousands of people if it is enforced.

"The boycott organizations must know that the state of Israel will act against them," Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan said in a statement. "The creation of this list is another step in our struggle against the incitement and lies of the boycott organizations."



The list is part of Israel's efforts against a grassroots movement known as BDS, which calls for boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel over its policies toward the Palestinians. The movement has urged businesses, artists and universities to sever ties with Israel and it includes thousands of volunteers around the world.

Supporters of the movement say the tactics are a nonviolent way to promote the Palestinian cause. Israel says the campaign goes beyond fighting its occupation of territory Palestinians claim for their state and often masks a more far-reaching aim to delegitimize or destroy the Jewish state.

Erdan's office said the list would be provided to Israel's immigration authority, but it wasn't clear how the ban would be enforced, including for Israeli citizens who might be members of the groups. A spokesman for Erdan did not respond to requests for clarification.

The listed groups, from the United States, France, South Africa and beyond, count thousands of people as members. They were chosen because they are the main ones who "operate consistently and continuously" against Israel, according to Erdan's office.

American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker group on the list, said it would continue to work for "peace and justice." The group, together with a British Quaker organization, won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1947 for assisting World War II refugees.

"We answered the call for divestment from apartheid South Africa and we have done the same with the call for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions from Palestinians who have faced decades of human rights violations," said Kerri Kennedy, an AFSC official responsible for international programs. The US-based Jewish Voice for Peace, which says it has more than 13,000 members, was also blacklisted.

"Israel's decision to specifically ban JVP is disconcerting but not surprising, given the further erosion of democratic norms and rising anxiety about the power of BDS as a tool to demand freedom," Jewish Voice for Peace wrote on Facebook in response to the decision.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL) will raise Rs 10 billion through qualified institutional placement (QIP) route in February, its chairman Naveen Jindal said.

Besides, the company also plans to raise up to Rs 20 billion by listing its Oman business on foreign exchange.

"We will raise Rs 10 billion by equity sale next month," Jindal told PTI.

He also said there is a plan to raise another Rs 15 billion- 20 billion in just four months by listing Oman operations on foreign exchanges.

If both figures are added then about Rs 30 billion will be raised by during 4-6 months, Jindal said without disclosing that on which exchange Jindal Shadeed Oman will be listed.

A source privy to the development said: "The company is evaluating options of listing in London, Dubai or Muscat".

Jindal also said that is regularly servicing all its debt commitments and the company's all plants are working in full swing. By May, "our overall capacity will be 11 million tonnes per annum".

The domestic capacity, he said, will reach 9 MT by March-end and "Angul will reach its full capacity by May, India will be number 2 position in the world in steel making. I am sure other people will also increase their capacity. I feel by May, India will definitely be number 2 (by then)".

The company has a 2 MTPA integrated steel plant at Sohar, Oman where it had recently commissioned a 1.5 MTPA Bar Mill. It had also launched Jindal Panther TMT Rebar brand in the middle east markets. had acquired Shadeed Iron and Steel in 2010.

(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.)The AAP government's night shelters here have come in praise from Justice Dalveer Bhandari of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), who has also stressed the need to set up more such facilities for the homeless.

Bhandari visited one of the shelters, equipped with a mohalla clinic in the Sarai Kalen Khan area last night, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said today.

He was accompanied by Jain during the visit to the model night shelter and interacted with inmates on the facilities being provided by the government.

The health minister said, Justice Bhandari, who was re- elected to the ICJ in The Hague last November, appreciated the night shelter, saying it is worth emulating at various places.

"Justice Bhandari appreciated the Delhi government's efforts and praised its night shelters where we are providing all facilities like TV to inmates.

"After seeing the arrangements, Bhandari stressed that there is need of setting up such night shelters for homeless people at various places," Jain told PTI.

In January last year, former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan had also commended the city government's flagship mohalla clinic project, aimed at providing free primary healthcare to city residents closer to their home.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A court on Sunday remanded Yug Pathak, the son of a retired IPS officer and one of the owners of the Mojo's Bistro pub, to a five-day police custody in connection with the deadly fire at the Kamala Mills compound on December 29, which had claimed 14 lives.

Pathak, the son of retired director general of police and former Pune police commissioner K K Pathak, was arrested yesterday.

On Friday, the Mumbai Fire Brigade, in its preliminary probe report on the fire, which had engulfed Mojo's Bistro and the adjacent 1 Above pub at the Kamala Mills compound in Lower Parel on December 29, had said the blaze possibly started at Mojo's Bistro due to the flying embers of a hookah.

Pathak was produced at the Bhoiwada court in Dadar, which remanded him to police custody till January 12, a senior police official said.

"We sought his custody for further probe into the fire incident and to find out whether all the safety precautions and norms were followed by the pub," he added.

The police had yesterday booked Pathak and his partner, Nagpur-based businessman Yug Tulli, under IPC sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life and personal safety of others) and other relevant provisions.

The police had recorded Pathak's statement in the case earlier.

The names of Pathak and Tulli were added to the FIR, which was lodged on December 29 against the owners of 1 Above - Kripesh Sanghvi, Jignesh Sanghvi and Abhijeet Mankar.

Earlier, the police had arrested two managers of 1 Above in connection with the fire.

The police have also announced a reward of Rs 100,000 for any information about the three pub owners, who are on the run.Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has shot off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi against the move to shift the proposed Coast Guard Academy in Kannur district to Mangaluru in Karnataka.

The Centre should drop such a "unjustified move", which was against Kerala's interests, Vijayan said in a letter to Modi, the Chief Minister's office said in a statement.

The state government had already transferred 164 acres of land for the Academy besides spending about Rs 65.56 crore for providing infrastructure facilities, he said.

Pointing out that the area in Irinive in Kannur district was a rich storehouse of mangrove cultivation, the Union and Forest Ministry had declined permission for construction activities.

However, about 50 acres of land, where there was no mangrove cultivation, was available for construction activities, the Chief Minister said.

In this circumstances, the Prime Minister should send a special team from the Ministry to visit the area and take necessary steps to give clearance for the project, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)RJD chief Lalu Prasad, sentenced to three-and-a-half years in jail in a fodder scam case, is likely to seek parole to attend the last rites of his only sister, Gangotri Devi, who died in Patna on Sunday.

Tejashwi Yadav, Prasad's son, said the family had tried to communicate the news of Gangotri Devi's death to Prasad through the prison authorities in Ranchi.

He, however, expressed apprehension that his father might not be able to get parole in time, due to the legal procedure involved and today being a Sunday.

"As of now, we are making arrangements to take the body to her village home, where the last rites will be performed," Yadav, who had accompanied his mother Rabri Devi and elder brother Tej Pratap to his deceased aunt's house, said.

Rabri Devi, a former Bihar chief minister, told reporters at the residence of Gangotri Devi that the latter was about four years elder to the RJD chief and that she had not been keeping well for some time.

"Yesterday, she spent the entire day praying for the release of her brother. When she learnt that he was sentenced to jail for a long period, she was shattered," Rabri Devi said.

Prasad was yesterday sentenced to three-and-a-half years in jail and fined Rs 1 million by a special CBI court in a fodder scam case, related to the fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 8.927 million from the Deoghar treasury 21 years ago.The commerce ministry will come out with a Logistics Performance Index (LPI) on January 8, ranking states in terms of the logistical support they provide to promote trade, a senior government official said.

"This will be a perception based ranking and it is the first time in the world that it is coming at the sub-national level," the ministry official said.

The index will act as a dynamic tool for the ministry to identify bottlenecks in this area.

"We will be able to see why perception is negative for some states," the official added. The World Bank has assisted the ministry in preparing the index.

The ranking is based on about eight parameters such as transportation facilities available in states and documentation procedures.

The ranking aims at encouraging states to work and improving their logistics related infrastructure. Inadequate infrastructure is impacting the country's trade and investments.

Logistics services such as customs and ports are central government matters but, "why they are functioning smoothly in certain states and not in other, the ranking would help us in understanding this also," another official said.

The issue would be discussed during the third meeting of the Council for Trade Development and Promotion on January 8.

Exporters body FIEO Director General Ajay Sahai has said that the logistics cost in India is very high and there is an urgent need to work on this parameter. High logistics costs make exports uncompetitive.

Indian exporters have time and again demanded drastic cuts in railway freight rates to enhance price competitiveness in the global markets as costs of exports is currently very high in India.

A Commerce Ministry strategy paper released in 2010 had emphasised the need to invest billions in improving infrastructure to boost exports. It had asked the government to invest in modernising roads, ports, railways, airports, power and customs stations.

In India, the container transport mainly happens through roads due to various reasons like high railway freight rates, unreliable scheduling of freight trains and poor last-mile connectivity.

In the World Bank's Logistics Performance Index (LPI), India's ranking improved to 35th as against 54th spot it occupied in the previous report. The report came in 2016 as it comes once-in-two-years.

Further, ministers from as many as 20 states are expected to participate in the meeting of the Council for Trade Development and Promotion.

The official said that Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has confirmed his participation.

The issues which would come up in the meeting include ways to improve exports and issues of exporters.

Two books -- LEADS (logistics ease access in different states) and statistics export booklet compendium of states data -- will also be released on the occasion.

The country's merchandise exports during April-November 2017-18 increased by 12.01 per cent to $196.48 billion.The opposition Congress today condemned West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's recent remarks on updating National Register of Citizens (NRC), saying it was "unwanted, immature and not based on facts".

Banerjee had on Wednesday accused the BJP-led central government of hatching a conspiracy to drive out Bengalis from Assam by "excluding" their names from the first draft of the NRC.

"We do not know why Mamate Banerjee made that statement. Congress do not support it and we condemn it. It is unwanted, immature and was not based on facts," Assam Pradesh Congress Committee President Ripun Bora said at a press meet here.

Till the final list of NRC is published, nobody should make such statements, he added.

"Such statements only provoke people, but do not help anyone. NRC is for genuine Indian citizens. Where is the question of Bengali or Bihari? How can someone throw Bengalis out of Assam? I think, she (Banerjee) was not properly briefed," Bora said.

He said that the Congress will keep a close watch so that no genuine Indian citizen is left out and no foreigner is included in the final NRC.

"If any genuine Indian citizen is not included in the NRC, Congress will take all necessary legal steps to ensure that his or her name is included," Bora said.

The Congress MP said that only 10 per cent of the residents in 13 districts, which have more people of linguistic and religious minority, have found their names in the first draft of the NRC as against around 60-70 per cent in other districts.

Addressing a rally at Ahmedpur in West Bengal on Wednesday, Banerjee had said the Central government was planning to drive out around 1.25 crore people from Assam.

The much-awaited first draft of the NRC was published on December 31 midnight containing 1.9 crore names out of a total application of 3.29 crore people in Assam. The authorities had stated that the rest of the applications are at various stages of verification.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today paid homage to those gunned down in Netai village in West Midnapore district on this day in 2011.

"On this day in 2011, innocent villagers in Netai were killed by indiscriminate firing," Banerjee wrote on her Twitter handle this morning.

The firing allegedly carried out by CPI(M) workers in Netai had killed nine villagers, including women, and injuring as many as 28 people, on January 7, 2011.

"My homage to the lives lost on that day," Banerjee added.

The CBI is currently investigating the case.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A 47-year-old man who was assaulted by four assailants, apparently in retaliation to the killing of a Hindu activist near here, succumbed to injuries at a hospital here on Saturday, police said.

Basheer was attacked at Kottara Chowki near here within hours of 28-year-old Deepak Rao, associated with Bajrang Dal and BJP being hacked to death at Katipalla on January 3, triggering tension in the communally-sensitive Dakshina Kannada district.

Police said Basheer, who had been battling for life for four days in a private hospital, breathed his last at 8.30 am.

All the four persons involved in the murderous assault on Basheer, two from the city and two others from Manjeshwar and Kasaragod in Kerala have been arrested.

Basheer's family members decided not to take out a funeral procession and opted to bury him in the premises of a local mosque.

Close relatives were allowed to visit Basheer's home to view the body and the public to pay last respects during funeral at the mosque, police said.

Additional DGP (Law and Order) Kamal Pant visited the hospital where Basheer died.

City Police commissioner T R Suresh told reporters that the family had decided not to hold a funeral procession.

Police had made all arrangements to maintain law and order, he said.

In a swift action, police had arrested all the four persons allegedly involved in the attack.

A series of killings of Hindu activists in Dakshina Kannda has triggered a political slugfest between the ruling Congress and BJP in recent months



The BJP has alleged that the Congress government had allowed "jihadi forces" to have a field day and to indulge in "wanton killings" of Hindu workers in pursuance of its "vote-bank politics" and minority appeasement.

According to BJP, the number of Hindutva workers who have fallen to the "murderous agenda of jihadi forces" in the state has risen to 22 so far.

The Congress has charged the BJP with polarising the sensitive situation in the region with an aye on the upcoming Assembly polls, which are due early this year.A 47-year-old man who was assaulted by four assailants, apparently in retaliation to the killing of a Hindu activist near here, succumbed to injuries at a hospital here today, police said.

Basheer was attacked at Kottara Chowki near here within hours of 28-year-old Deepak Rao, associated with Bajrang Dal and BJP, being hacked to death at Katipalla on January 3, triggering tension in the communally-sensitive Dakshina Kannada district.

Police said Basheer, who had been battling for life for four days in a private hospital, breathed his last at 8.30 am.

Dubbing as 'inhuman' recent killings in the region, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah asserted that his government would not allow anyone to take the law into their hands and stringent measures would be taken against such persons.

Communal politics being played by vested interests should be ended and killing of innocents and creating violence in the name of God and religion would not be tolerated, he said at a function at nearby Belthangady.

He was referring to the incidents of communal violence in Dakshina Kannada district in recent days.

Inaugurating foundation stone laying ceremony of various projects worth Rs 76 crore, Siddaramaiah said an end should be put to communal politics being "played over the bodies of the dead with the sole aim of grabbing power."



Police said all the four persons involved in the murderous assault on Basheer, two from the city and two others from Manjeshwar and Kasaragod in Kerala have been arrested.

Basheer's family members decided not to take out a funeral procession and opted to bury him in the premises of a local mosque.

Close relatives were allowed to visit Basheer's home to view the body and the public to pay last respects during funeral at the mosque, police said.

Additional DGP (Law and Order) Kamal Pant visited the hospital where Basheer died.

City Police commissioner T R Suresh told reporters that the family had decided not to hold a funeral procession.

Police had made all arrangements to maintain law and order, he said.

Earlier in the day, Siddaramaiah told reporters in Shivamogga that those who behind the series of murders were communal. "Those who perpetrate such crime lack the humanity, he said.

State forest minister Ramanath Rai, who was also present, alleged organisations associated with the RSS were behind the murders.

Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy, also referring to the death of teenaged boy Mesta in Honnovar in coastal Uttara Kannada district on December 8, termed the incidents unfortunate.

Reddy said both Basheer or Paresh Mesta (murdered on December 6) were not associated with any political outfit.

"That boy (19-year old Mesta) used to go to all the political rallies... Murders have taken place on both sides and both sides are responsible for the spate of murders. You cant clap with one hand," he told reporters.

Union Minister for Minister for Statistics and Programme Implementation D V Sadananda Gowda blamed Congress' "failed governance" for the series of murders in coastal Karnataka.

In a tweet, Gowda charged: The spate of murders in Dakshina Kannada district is an outcome of failed governance of Congress party and misuse of police department for personal gains."



Referring to the killing of Deepak, he said "Yesterday it was a Hindu and today it is a Muslim man Basheer. The curses of their families will burn you," he said.

He also asked the Congress leaders to stop "inflammatory speeches" so that peace was restored.

State BJP president B S Yeddyurappa, in a tweet, condoled the death of Basheer and said violence begets violence and created a vicious circle that ends with no justice.

He appealed to the people of Mangaluru to maintain peace and communal harmony.

The Popular Front of India (PFI) blamed the RSS for the killing of Basheer and demanded a probe by a special investigation team.

District PFI Secretary A K Ashraf alleged the killings were aimed at polarisation ahead of state assembly elections.

The PFI had often been blamed by the BJP and RSS for the killings of Hindu activists in the region.

A series of killings of Hindu activists in Dakshina Kannda has triggered a political slugfest between the ruling Congress and BJP in recent months.

The BJP has alleged that the Congress government had allowed "jihadi forces" to have a field day and to indulge in "wanton killings" of Hindu workers in pursuance of its "vote-bank politics" and minority appeasement.

According to BJP, the number of Hindutva workers who have fallen to the "murderous agenda of jihadi forces" in the state has risen to 22 so far.

The Congress has charged the BJP with polarising the sensitive situation in the region with an aye on the upcoming Assembly polls, which are due early this year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A 45-year-old civilian was injured today after being hit by a bullet near the Line of Control (LoC) in Naushera sector of Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, the police said.

Mohammad Yousuf, a resident of Pukherni village, was injured apparently from sniper fire from across the border around 7:30 pm, a police official said.

The man was hit by a bullet in the leg and was admitted to a sub-district hospital for treatment, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Actor Allison Janney thinks Margot Robbie's career graph is quite similar to Hollywood legend Katharine Hepburn.

The 58-year-old actor said her "I, Tonya" co-star reminds her of Hepburn as neither of them wanted to be labelled as "the beautiful young thing".

"I just kept thinking of Katharine Hepburn when I looked at her (Robbie). Katharine put together 'The Philadelphia Story' because she wasn't getting the parts that she wanted, and that's what Margot did," Janney told The Hollywood Reporter.

"She was going to be typecast as this beautiful young thing, and she wanted to find interesting roles for herself and for other women, so she took the bull by the horns and she formed this company," she added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The external affairs ministry's outreach initiative 'Sameep' has held its first engagement, with an Indian diplomat interacting with students of a Jalandhar school.

The objective of the 'Sameep' initiative is to familiarise school and college students about the role and functions of the Ministry of External Affairs and to introduce them to the key elements of India's foreign policy and achievements in a simple manner.

"SAMEEP-Student and MEA Engagement Programme makes debut @ Swami Sant Dass Public School, Jalandhar," the ministry said yesterday.

Raghoo Puri, posted at the Indian Embassy in Berlin, interacted with over 150 enthusiastic students answering queries on connecting foreign policy to the common people and Indian Foreign Service as a career option.

The initiative involves visits by officer of the ministry to schools and colleges in their hometown during leave.

(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 advocated strong and friendly India- Pakistan relations, while appealing to the leadership of both the countries for steps for the betterment of ties to reduce acrimony, violence and for an atmosphere of friendship between the two neighbours.

"For how long should humanity be left to bleed? The leadership of both the countries should rise to the occasion and change the hate mongering between the two into a peace narrative," she told a gathering at the mausoleum of her father and former chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed at Bijbehera in south Kashmir on his second death anniversary.

Mehbooba said a friendly relationship between the two countries would have a positive bearing on the situation in the state, which had seen enough bloodshed over the last three decades.

"Violence has inflicted only miseries upon the people and the state needs to be taken out of this vicious cycle. This is the main objective to stitch the alliance (with the BJP) to form the government in the state and my government will continue to pursue this goal with all seriousness," the PDP leader said.

She added that the people of Jammu and Kashmir were the worst sufferers of the Indo-Pak hostilities.

"Deaths on both sides of the border and killings inside the state rob us of peace and only the graveyards are getting filled, devouring the sons of the soil.

"Dialogue is the only way out and I appeal to the governments of India and Pakistan to resume the talks and resolve the mutual issues amicably. Dialogue alone will end mayhem and destruction and bring peace," Mehbooba said.

Paying rich tributes to Sayeed, the chief minister said he was the architect of a vision and mission, the sole objective of which was to get Jammu and Kashmir out of the miseries and give its people prosperous and peaceful times.

"Opening of more routes, better neighbourly relations between the two countries and more people to people contacts were the immediate results of this doctrine. Regretfully, these things were not taken so seriously after the late leader demitted office in 2005.

"The vision and philosophy of the late leader are becoming more relevant with every passing day as the situation in the subcontinent obtains," she said.

On the occasion, Mehbooba also outlined the measures taken by her government for the welfare of the people.

The chief minister said she honoured the promise of withdrawal of cases against the youth and regularisation of 60,000 casual and daily rated workers.

She claimed that she had secured an adequate financial assistance from the Centre, which would change the development scenario in the state and create huge employment opportunities.

"But it all requires a peaceful atmosphere. Many works could not be executed in 2016 due to the unrest and unfortunately, the funds got lapsed," she said.

Earlier, the chief minister paid floral tributes at her father's mausoleum and offered prayers there.

State ministers, MPs, MLAs, senior officers and a large number of people had also come to the Dara Shikoh Park to offer prayers to the former chief minister.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)In a bid to "build momentum" ahead of Rahul Gandhi's visit to the city in March, the local Congress unit headed by Sanjay Nirupam today launched a campaign to make citizens aware about the "anti people" policies of the NDA government.

"Congress president Rahul Gandhi is likely to visit Mumbai in the first week of March. We have decided to generate momentum across Mumbai and asked corporators and local party leaders to hold meetings with people. We want a huge turnout for our public rally," said Sanjay Nirupam, a day after the All India Congress Committee (AICC) decided to retain him as the city unit president.

The AICC also reposed its faith in the leadership of Ashok Chavan as the president of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC).

According to party sources, reaching to masses through "Sankalp Sabhas" or meetings is aimed at building the political atmosphere against the government as it would be Gandhi's maiden visit to the city after becoming the party president.

Launching the 'Sankalp Sabha' campaign in suburban Malad, Nirupam said, "This is just the beginning. Rahulji has planned a visit to Mumbai in the first week of March. This campaign will go on for the next two months consistently throughout Mumbai," Nirupam said.

He said the Congress' objective behind launching the outreach campaign was to make citizens aware about the "anti-people" policies of the NDA government.

"The infrastructure of Mumbai is crumbling due to corruption at the civic body level and absolute neglect by the ruling BJP-Sena alliance government," he alleged.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Underlining the shift in focus from the disease-centric treatment, Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J P Nadda today said the National Health Policy announced last year proposed holistic preventive and promotive healthcare.

Nadda appealed that doctors should focus on treating patients along with curing a disease.

"During treatment, we (doctors) are (mainly) involved in curing the disease. Many a times we forget to treat the patient while treating only the disease. I appeal to you that you should treat patients along with disease," Nadda said in his address as the chief guest at the 2ndconvocation ceremony of the Pt Deendayal Upadhyay Memorial Health Sciences and Ayush University of Chhattisgarh (DUMHSAYC) here.

He said doctors should understand the people suffering from an ailment along with their problems.

"People consider doctors on par with God and doctors should understand this. People devote their body to doctors in full faith for treatment and therefore doctors should understand the patients andprovide their services to mankind in a passive manner," the health minister said.

He saidthough acquiring primary, middle and higher education was a right but getting professional education was not a right but a "privilege" given by the society.

"Lakhs of students appear for professional courses and only few thousands get chance to be selected for professional courses," Nadda said.

He said the expenditure incurred per student in a newly established medical college is around Rs 3 crore of which Rs 1.25 crore is paid by Centre and Rs 1.75 crore by the state government concerned.

"Hence every student passing out from here should take a resolution as to how he or she will repay this privilege back to the society," he added.

He said a holistic approach has been adopted towards health services in terms of policies and programmes since Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office.

"Under the PM's leadership,Indiahas been successful in putting Yoga in the forefront in the world. Presently, researches are underway to cure cancer, diabetes and other disease through Yoga," the health minister said.

He said under the 2017 new Health policy, there has been a shift in focus from disease-centric treatment to "moving ahead on the path of holistic preventive and promotive healthcare".

He also listed out several schemes of Health ministry and its achievements.

"Under Prime Minister Dialysis scheme, 400 dialysis centres were started across the country where free services are being provided to BPL patients," the minister said, adding that around 1.40 crore patients have availed benefits of free dialysis in the past 8-9 months under this scheme.

On the occasion, Nadda, state Governor Balramji Das Tandon, and Chief Minister Raman Singh awarded 38 gold medals to 26 meritorious students and degrees to 182 students of the varsity who have pursued courses in medical, dental, Ayurved, Homoeopathy, nursing and physiotherapy streams for the period from 2014 to 2016.

Nadda also dedicated the new building for the university at Naya Raipur.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Indian Navy will showcase its operational prowess during a major event, starting tomorrow, along the western coast of the country, which will be attended by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

"In the programme, more than ten ships, including aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, a submarine and various naval aircraft will exhibit their combat capabilities and battle readiness," a Defence Ministry statement said today.

Sitharaman will preside over the Navy event which will display the operational might and maritime prowess on January 8-9, it said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Union Minister Radha Mohan Singh has urged the North Eastern states to accelerate implementing schemes for farmers where the Centre is providing 90 per cent funds to help double their income by 2022.

The Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare lambasted the Meghalaya government which has allegedly failed to implement the schemes properly and did not submit Utilisation Certificates in Central programmes.

"Ninety per cent assistance is being given to North-East states and they, including Meghalaya, should accelerate implementation of these schemes," Singh said addressing a farmers' fair at Umiam near here yesterday.

He said the government has initiated various programmes for the welfare of the people living in rural areas, especially the farmers, by improving the current farming process and thereby doubling their income from agriculture and allied sectors by 2022.

"The state governments should act to ensure that employment generation in farming sector is continued to retain the youth in agriculture," he said.

On Meghalaya, Singh said the state government should utilise the amount allocated under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana.

"The state has failed to spend the funds amounting to over Rs 50 lakh allotted for micro-irrigation under Per Drop More Crop scheme and was lying unused for four years," he alleged.

During 2015-16, Rs 1.44 crore was given to Meghalaya for water management and water harvesting and the government could not spend the amount in that year, he claimed.

In the following year, the state was unable to spend Rs 32 lakh and for 2017-18, the state has Rs 2.2 crore and expenditure report has not been submitted to the Centre, the minister said.

During 2015-17, he said, Rs 44 lakh was allocated to the state for Soil Health Card and 2.09 lakh Cards have been distributed. This year another Rs 53 lakh has been allocated.

Expressing regret, the union minister said expenditure certificate of the Rs 1.59 crore allocated under Mission Organic during 2016-17 was yet to be submitted.

Funds allocated under Oilseeds and Oil Palm Mission for 2014-16 was lying unutilised, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Over 30 energy sector players from around the world including India today converged in Nepal to explore the country's hydropower potentials.

The aim of the expo was to assist the Nepal government in achieving its objective of generating 17,000 megawatt (MW) of hydro electricity in the next seven years, said Vijaya Sagar Pradhan, managing director of Expo and Event Management private limited, the main organiser of the event.

Over 30 hydropower generators, producers of electrical equipments, investors, consultants and designers from Nepal, India, China, South Korea, Norway, Germany, Brazil, Italy, Sweden and Austria showcased their products and services at the three-day expo 'Himalayan Hydro Expo 2018'.

Italy's CMC, Germany's VOITH; BFL, CRYSTAL, FLOVEL from India, VAPTECH - Bulgaria, MAVEL - Czech Republic, Powerchina, CSEC from China among others participated.

President Bidya Devi Bhandari inaugurated the exhibition on Friday and said Nepal could not utilise its huge hydropower potential due to various reasons and that, it produced only 700 MW of hydro-electricity in the last one hundred years.

The president urged private players to join hand with the government in harnessing Nepal's immense hydro potentials.

She also called for more foreign investment in the sector for attaining economic prosperity.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Israeli Prime Minister today called for the closure of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, days after US President Donald Trump threatened to cut Palestinian aid.

Israel has long viewed the UN agency, known as UNRWA, as biased against it, an allegation the agency strongly denies, saying it is only providing necessary services to Palestinians.

Israeli officials also criticise the agency's method of classifying refugees, with descendants also eligible to register.

"UNRWA is an organisation that perpetuates the Palestinian refugee problem," Netanyahu said at the beginning of his weekly cabinet meeting.

He said that while millions of other refugees around the world were cared for by the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Palestinians have their own body which also treats "great-grandchildren of refugees -- who aren't refugees."



"This absurd situation must be ended," Netanyahu said.

In June, Netanyahu said he had raised the issue with Washington's UN envoy Nikki Haley.

On Wednesday, Trump threatened to cut aid worth more than USD 300 million annually to the Palestinians in a bid to force them to negotiate.

The United States has long provided the Palestinian Authority with much-needed budgetary support and security assistance, as well as an additional USD 304 million for UN programmes in the West Bank and Gaza.

A Friday report on Israeli Channel 10 television said the US had frozen a payment due to UNRWA, but a spokesman for the UN organisation said yesterday that they "have not been informed directly of a formal decision either way by the US administration."



UNRWA runs hundreds of schools for Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip, the occupied West Bank, Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.

It also distributes aid and provides teacher training centres, health clinics and social services.

Many analysts, including Israelis, warn that closing the agency without having an effective replacement could lead to further poverty and perhaps violence.

"While UNRWA is far from perfect, the Israeli defence establishment, and the Israeli government as a whole, have over the years come to the understanding that all the alternatives are worse for Israel," Peter Lerner, a former spokesman for the Israeli military, wrote in an opinion piece in Haaretz newspaper last week.

"In an extreme situation, the administration of those refugees could fall on Israel's shoulders.Ecuadorian lawmakers have picked a new vice president, Maria Vicuna, to replace Jorge Glas, who has been jailed for six years for graft.

Vicuna, who has been in the post on an acting basis, won the support of 70 of the 137-member legislature. She was to be sworn in yesterday.

Glas, 48, automatically lost his title on Wednesday because he was absent from his post for more than the three months permitted under Ecuador's constitution -- because of his incarceration and pre-trial detention.

He is the highest-ranking Latin American politician to be convicted and imprisoned in a regional scandal involving a Brazilian construction group, Odebrecht, which gave bribes to secure public works contracts.

He was given a six-year sentence on December 13 by Ecuador's Supreme Court after being found guilty of receiving USD 13.5 million in Odebrecht kickbacks. He says he is innocent and will appeal.

But, taking into account his detention since October 2 pending his trial, he has not been able to carry out his duties for over three months.

Odebrecht, which was investigated by the US Justice Department, agreed to pay a USD 3.5 billion fine after admitting to giving USD 788 million in bribes across 12 countries to secure contracts.

The scandal has ensnared politicians in several countries, including Mexico, Peru, Panama and Venezuela.

Ecuadoran prosecutors said Odebrecht spent USD 47.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The head of the committee that framed a new Haj policy has said the government should allow women below 45 years of age to go on Haj without a "Mehram".

Afzal Amanullah said it had suggested to the government that the age limit on women travelling without "Mehram" -- a term for a close male relative a woman cannot marry, such as her father, brother or son -- be removed.

"If a male major can go alone for Haj, why not a woman," Amanullah said in an interview to PTI Bhasha.

The Centre has for the first time decided to allow women pilgrims over the age of 45 to undertake the pilgrimage in groups of at least four sans 'Mehram'. Till now, women pilgrims would be required to be accompanied by their husbands or 'Mehrams' during the annual pilgrimage.

Amanullah, the former Consul General of India, Jeddah, said no restrictions on age and "Mehram" had been imposed by Saudi Arabia's government and the conditions had been set by India.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his 'Mann Ki Baat' radio address recently, had said the policy of allowing Muslim women to perform Haj only in the company of a male guardian was unjust and discriminatory and his government had removed the restriction following which hundreds of women had applied to travel without male guardians for the pilgrimage.

Modi's claims were met with criticism from some leaders such as All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi.

Owaisi had dismissed Modi's claim that it was his government which had enabled Muslim women to perform Haj without being accompanied by male guardians.

"This regulation was passed by the Saudi Haj authorities many years ago," the Hyderabad MP had said.

However, Amanullah, a retired IAS officer, said the restriction regarding "Mehram" was imposed by the Indian government and not Saudi Arabia.

"The Indian government has now removed the restriction. I consider it a very important step," said Amanullah, who was the convener of the committee on preparing the new Haj policy for 2018-2022.

It was on the basis of the report submitted by this committee that the government decided to do away with certain restrictions regarding "Mehram".

"I fail to understand why such a restriction was imposed by the Indian government for so many years. When we contacted the Saudi administration in the course of preparing the draft of the new Haj policy, we came to know that there was no such restriction from them," Amanullah said.

More than 1,300 women from across the country have applied to go for Haj without 'Mehram' and will be exempted from the computerised lottery system which shortlists pilgrims every year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The colour saffron appears to be gradually spreading across Uttar Pradesh, with parts of a nearly 80-year-old police station in the state capital being given a splash of the colour, days after the Haj office here was painted orange.

Ever since Yogi Adityanath took over as the chief minister of UP, the colour seems to have become a defining feature of the state.

It has virtually permeated everything -- from booklets and school bags to towels or chairs and even buses. And the Qaiser Bagh police station here seems to be the latest on the list.

The police station was built in 1939 and had the traditional colours of a police station - yellow and red.

But this time round some pillars and certain parts of the building have acquired a bright saffron hue against a light cream background.

"The renovation had started almost two-and-a-half months back as part of an annual programme," Inspector in-charge D K Upadhyaya told PTI. The renovation work is incomplete as the labourers have recently stopped coming because of the intense cold, he said.

The Lal Bahadur Shastri Bhawan, which houses the chief minister's office, was painted saffron in October last year. The facade of the state secretariat was given a saffron hue months after Adityanath took over the reins of the state.

Adityanath loves to see a saffron towel on his seat in his office. Recently, the chief minister flagged off a fleet of 50 saffron-coloured buses.

Besides, the education department had distributed saffron-coloured school bags in government primary schools, replacing the ones that featured former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav's picture.

Official booklets that were distributed to mark 100 days and then six months of the Adityanath government had saffron covers and the information diary of the state government, which contains the contacts and designations of various officials, is also saffron.

Interestingly, after the bright saffron shade on the Haj office boundary wall attracted criticism from the Opposition and flak from Muslim bodies, it was given a cream coat by the Estates department recently. The boundary wall originally was green and white.

The Haj office colour prompted opposition Samajwadi Party to accuse the government of "blatant saffronisation" after a series of steps were perceived by it as "anti-minority".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Pakistan has said it will continue to have engagement with the US "as far as possible" despite the Trump administration suspending over USD 2 billion in military assistance citing Islamabad's failure to clamp down on terror groups in the country.

Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua said that Pakistan needs to continue to have a "measured response" to all the rhetoric coming out of the US, the Dawn reported.

"As far as possible Pakistan wants to engage with the US because it is not only a global power but also has its presence in the region, and for us it's almost our neighbour," she said delivering a lecture on 'Pakistans Foreign Policy Issues at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) in Karachi.

In reply to a question, the foreign secretary said President Trumps tweet on January 1 could be well thought out or he was just being his impulsive self, or it could be a result of any other reason such as the fact that the US is not doing well in Afghanistan.

She said Trump's tweet on January 1 came for "many reasons" and Pakistan is trying to analyse why the president's scathing remarks came.

"It could have been some briefing material given to him in the morning...What triggered it? Because we must not forget that the meetings we had with the Americans (General Mattis) before that were positive, yet on January 1 the New Years gift to the world were two tweets: there was one about Pakistan and the other about Iran.

"Why was the president of the US at four oclock in the morning thinking about Pakistan and Iran? In Iran, there was something happening there, but Pakistan, a question mark, she was quoted as saying by the daily.

Trump in a New Year's Day tweet accused Pakistan of giving nothing to the US but "lies and deceit" and providing "safe haven" to terrorists in return for USD 33 billion aid over the last 15 years.

The Trump administration has suspended about USD 2 billion in security aid to Pakistan for failing to clamp down on the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network terror groups and dismantle their safe havens.

She said Pakistan's concerns were highlighted in the cabinets national security committee.

"They were security provider role given to India in our region; border management issues; the US National Security Strategy, 2017, which wasnt positive," she said.

The foreign secretary said one of the reasons for the situation was the rise of China as an economic and military power perceived as the challenger to the US dominance.

She said in Afghanistan the "India-US nexus" was very much there.

"There were ungoverned spaces in Afghanistan, so when they talked about sanctuaries in Pakistan, wed been telling our American friends that as far as Pakistan is concerned there is no organised presence of the Haqqani network. And if you have any information, through intelligence sharing we can address this issue," she said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Pakistan will continue to have engagement "as far as possible" with the US despite all the "rhetoric" coming out of America, Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua has said.

"We need to continue to have a measured response to all the rhetoric coming out of the US, Janjua said, delivering a lecture on 'Pakistans Foreign Policy Issues at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) in Karachi yesterday.

"As far as possible Pakistan wants to engage with the US because it is not only a global power but also has its presence in the region, and for us it's almost our neighbour," she was quoted as saying by the Dawn.

In reply to a question, the foreign secretary said President Trumps tweet on January 1 could be well thought out or he was just being his impulsive self, or it could be a result of any other reason such as the fact that the US is not doing well in Afghanistan.

She said Trump's tweet on January 1 came for "many reasons" and Pakistan is trying to analyse why the president's scathing remarks came.

"It could have been some briefing material given to him in the morning...What triggered it? Because we must not forget that the meetings we had with the Americans (General Mattis) before that were positive, yet on January 1 the New Years gift to the world were two tweets: there was one about Pakistan and the other about Iran.

"Why was the president of the US at four oclock in the morning thinking about Pakistan and Iran? In Iran, there was something happening there, but Pakistan, a question mark, she was quoted as saying by the daily.

Trump in a New Year's Day tweet accused Pakistan of giving nothing to the US but "lies and deceit" and providing "safe haven" to terrorists in return for USD 33 billion aid over the last 15 years.

The Trump administration has suspended about USD 2 billion in security aid to Pakistan for failing to clamp down on the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network terror groups and dismantle their safe havens.

She said Pakistan's concerns were highlighted in the cabinets national security committee.

"They were security provider role given to India in our region; border management issues; the US National Security Strategy, 2017, which wasnt positive," she said.

The foreign secretary said one of the reasons for the situation was the rise of China as an economic and military power perceived as the challenger to the US dominance.

She said in Afghanistan the "India-US nexus" was very much there.

"There were ungoverned spaces in Afghanistan, so when they talked about sanctuaries in Pakistan, wed been telling our American friends that as far as Pakistan is concerned there is no organised presence of the Haqqani network. And if you have any information, through intelligence sharing we can address this issue," she said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Pakistan today freed 147 Indian fishermen who were imprisoned in Karachi eight months ago for allegedly fishing in its territorial waters, according to a media report.

Their release follows a December announcement by Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal that nearly 300 Indian fishermen would be freed in two phases till January 8. On December 28, Pakistan had released the first batch of 145 Indian fishermen, who were held there on similar charges.

The process for returning the 147 fishermen has been initiated, as they were set to travel to Lahore this afternoon on the Allama Iqbal Express from the Karachi Cantonment railway station, the Dawn reported.

From Lahore, the fishermen will cross the Wagah border and return home, the report quoted Karachi's Malir jail officials as saying.

They said the travel expenses of the fishermen were being borne by the Edhi Foundation, a Pakistan-based not-for-profit welfare organisation.

"Some 262 Indian fishermen remain imprisoned at Malir jail still," jail superintendent Hassan Sehto said.

Fishermen from Pakistan and India are frequently detained for illegally fishing in each other's territorial waters since the Arabian Sea does not have a clearly defined marine border and the wooden boats lack the technology to avoid being drifting away.

Owing to prolonged bureaucratic and legal procedures, the fishermen usually languish in jail for several months.

A number of non-governmental organisations in both India and Pakistan have raised the issue, pressing their governments to release arrested fishermen without much delay.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The political party of Yemen's former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was killed in December by his erstwhile Huthi rebel allies, today named his replacement.

The General People's Congress, a key player in Yemeni for decades, elected former deputy premier Sadiq Amin Aburas by consensus at a meeting of its general committee, it said in a statement.

It made no mention of the Huthis, but said it would continue to "reject and resist aggression and siege" against Yemen, a reference to a military campaign being waged since 2015 by a Saudi-led coalition.

Aburas, 65, is seen as having been close to Saleh, the long-time Yemeni strongman killed by Huthi gunmen on December 4 after their alliance collapsed.

Saleh held power in the Arabian Peninsula country for three decades before being ousted in 2012 following mass protests.

He later allied with his former enemies, the Iran-backed Huthis, to seize the capital in 2014 from the internationally backed government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.

That prompted Iran's regional arch-rival Saudi Arabia to lead an intervention against the alliance the following year.

In late 2017, the Saleh-Huthi alliance fell apart after Saleh offered to "turn the page" with Riyadh in return for a ceasefire and the lifting of a crippling blockade.

That sparked fighting in the streets of Sanaa, and Saleh was gunned down as he tried to flee.

The GPC said Aburas would lead it until its next general assembly, a date for which could not yet be set "because of the current difficulties".

Aburas also heads the party's five-member executive committee.

The GPC said it was still open to dialogue and "national reconciliation".

More than 8,750 people have been killed since the Saudi- led coalition intervened in Yemen, according to the World Health Organization.

The country also faces what the United Nations has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Terming the launch of farm debt- waiver scheme by the Punjab government a "sham", AAP today held a protest in Mansa, even as the police detained some of the agitators when they tried to march towards the main venue of the event being held to launch the scheme.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal alleged that the Congress government has defrauded state farmers and betrayed their trust by giving them a Rs 167 crore crop loan waiver after promising a comprehensive Rs 90,000 crore relief.

Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today launched the scheme and said 5.63 lakh farmers in the state would benefit in the first phase, which will provide relief to the tune of Rs 2,700 crore.

Led by the AAP's senior leaders Sukhpal Singh Khaira and Aman Arora, some farmers and party activists held the protest in Mansa. The AAP activists, carrying black flags and placards, raised slogans against the Congress government.

Khaira, who is the Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, said there was resentment among small and marginal farmers, who feel "deceived and cheated" by the Congress government on the scheme.

He claimed that ahead of last year's Assembly polls, the Congress promised complete waiver of both institutional and non-institutional loans, but after forming government, it went on the promise of complete debt waiver.

"The loan waiver exercise announced by the state government is all sham and the farmers in the state have been cheated in the name of debt waiver," Khaira alleged.

As the protesters tried to march towards the venue and jump the barricades, they were detained for security reasons, the police said.

Before being asked to board a police bus as the protesters were detained, Khaira told reporters, "We have been detained. We wanted to highlight the plight of farmers. We did not break the law."



He said the party would call an emergency meeting to decide on the future course of action on the debt-waiver scheme and farmers' issues.

Hitting out at the Congress government, Badal said, "What is shocking is that 70 per cent of small and marginal farmers of the five districts of Malwa, where the bogus scheme was rolled out today, had been made ineligible for the same."



"The entire exercise is riddled with favouritism, with Congress legislators and Halqa in-charges making the lists at their residences, keeping genuine beneficiaries out of its purview," he said in a statement here.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The ruling PDP's Gujjar leader Choudhary Zafar Ali Khatana today quit the party, alleging it had become a hub of corrupt people.

Khatanas resignation from the PDP came on the second death anniversary of party founder Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.

"I and my workers announce our resignation from the basic membership of the PDP," he told reporters here.

Khatana alleged the PDP had drifted off the path shown by Sayeed and had become a hub of corrupt and insensitive people.

Accompanied by around 60 workers, Khatana said he had joined the party on the invitation of Sayeed in 2014 and wanted to address the problems of Gujjars and Bakerwals.

After Sayeed's death in 2016, the PDP completely got off the track that he had laid down, he claimed.

"A few leaders, who lost elections but are closer to the power corridors, are running the party on whims and fancies and indulging in open loot through various means," he alleged.

He demanded a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into the assets of ministers and their relatives.

Khatana had on December 27 resigned as vice chairman of the Advisory Board for Development of Gujjars and Bakerwals.

He enjoyed the status of Minister of State (MoS) in the government.

Referring to his resignation from the board, he said his mission was to serve the deprived Gujjar and Bakerwal community but he found that the board was a "mere eyewash as vice chairman could do nothing to mitigate their problems.

"The government has destroyed the tribal community and there was none who can listen to their grievances," he alleged.

He accused Tribal Affairs Minister Choudhary Zulfkar Ali of "amassing huge wealth"and asked Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to order a probe against him.

Khatana alleged that the Gujjar-Bakerwal community was being denied job opportunities and benefits of reservation and promotions.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here today to address a conference of top police officers from various states.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar, MP ministers Narottam Mishra, Jaibhan Singh Pawaiya and Maya Singh, and city Mayor Vivek Shejwalkar welcomed the prime minister at the airport.

Modi will address the two-day annual conference at the Border Security Force's Academy at Tekanpur in the district.

Top police officers share and discuss security-related issues at the conference of the directors general of police (DGPs) and the inspectors general of police (IGPs) of various states.

The prime minister had earlier addressed the conferences at Guwahati in 2014, Dhordo in Gujarat's Rann of Kutch in 2015 and at the National Police Academy in Hyderabad in 2016.

The event was postponed from its December schedule last year due to administrative issues and tight work schedule of the prime minister and the home minister, official sources had earlier said.

"At the last meeting, issues such as cross-border terrorism and radicalisation were discussed in detail. The prime minister had emphasised the importance of leadership, soft skills and collective training. He specifically mentioned the importance of technology and human interface for the police force," a release said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan today urged Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to review the state government's decision of not becoming part of the Centre's backward district development initiative.

I request Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to review the decision. The Centre has not forced any decision on the state. The state has all rights to bring in changes in the proposal. Besides, the whole process will be carried out under the Chief Secretary," Pradhan told reporters two days after the Odisha government boycotted a meeting of Niti Aayog addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Pradhan said only two states -- Odisha and West Bengal -- did not send district collectors to the meeting.

Pradhan clarified that the Niti Aayogs proposal should not be seen as an interference of the Centre into the business of the state.

Pradhan said Odishas Chief Secretary A P Padhi was approached by the Niti Aayog several times to cooperate with the initiative so that eight districts of the state would get special attention.

"Odisha Chief Secretary is an intelligent person. I do not know who pressurised him to write that Odisha was not taken into confidence while appointing the Prabhari officers by the Centre, the minister said.

Opposing the Centres action of appointing IAS officers as Prabhari (in-charge) officers in eight most backward districts of Odisha Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Gajapati, Rayagada, Malkangiri, Koraput, Dhenkanal and Bolangir to address specific developmental needs, the state government had decided to give the event a miss, he said.

While requesting Patnaik ro reconsider the state's decision in regard to the backward area development, Pradhan said: "The chief minister should prove that he is the best administrator through actions and not just words."



Meanwhile, ruling BJD spokesperson P K Deb said the state government has already appointed senior IAS officers for monitoring the developmental works in all the districts and there was no need to appoint more officers for the same job.

The objective of the Centre's initiative is to transform 115 backward districts across the country of which 35 are affected by Left Wing violence.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Central Information Commission has directed the Haryana Police to provide security to an RTI applicant who allegedly received threats to his life for seeking information about the impersonation scandal in the appointments in the Employees' State Insurance Corporation.

The case pertains to RTI activist Harinder Dhingra, who has approached the commission with an urgent petition claiming that threats started after the CIC posted its order seeking details of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory report which analysed admit cards and records related to appointments in the ESIC.

Dhingra, in his petition filed on January 5, said he has received multiple threats to his life since then and also asked to stop his efforts to secure information about the impersonation scandal in the appointments of LDCs and SSO (Inspectors) in the corporation.

"The delay in not providing information by the ESIC has exposed me to risk of being physically harmed and as such it is prayed that the ESIC is directed to provide information and also put it on public domain so that risk to the appellant is minimised," Dhingra said.

Information Commissioner Sridhar Acharyulu noted that the "threats are serious in nature and the risk to life and liberty of the appellant might have increased".

"The Commission directs Baljit Singh Sandhu, Director General of Police, Haryana to urgently act on this complaint and provide adequate security to Harinder Dhingra and his family members, besides informing him about the action taken and submit compliance report to the Commission...," Acharyulu said.

He also directed Raj Kumar, the director general of the ESIC and Arun Kumar, insurance commissioner in the Union labour and employment department, to initiate necessary steps to secure the life and safety of Dhingra and his family members, besides instructing speedy investigation and strict action against the culprits, who are behind the threats.

He also asked them to file a compliance report immediately.

"The copy of this Order shall be served on the Union Home Minister, the Chief Minister of Haryana and the Home Minister of Haryana urgently for necessary action and shall be dispatched to the concerned parties...by post and by email," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The following are PTI's top stories at 5:30 pm:



STORIES ON THE WIRE



NationDEL5 BIZ-JAITLEY-ELECTORAL BONDSGovt open to proposals to further cleanse pol funding: JaitleyNew Delhi: The electoral bonds mechanism is a substantial improvement in transparency over the present system and the government is open to suggestions to further cleanse political funding,Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said today.

DEL8 DL-ACCIDENT-2NDLD POWERLIFTER



4 killed, national-level powerlifter hurt in road accident



New Delhi: Four men died and two others, including a national-level powerlifter, were injured after their car met with an accident in the early hours today near the Delhi- Haryana border in northwest Delhi, police said.

DEL6 DL-QUAKE



6.0-magnitude quake hits Myanmar-India Border Region



New Delhi: An earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter Scale hit the Myanmar-India (Manipur) Border Region this afternoon.

DEL7 RAILWAY-FREE LOADERS



Panel pulls up Railways for free passes in luxury trains



New Delhi: A Parliamentary Standing Committee has pulled up the Railways for giving "freeloaders" complimentary tickets to travel on luxury trains even though they have been running with an occupancy of just 30 per cent. By Chitrita Sanyal



DES10 WCD-ADOPTION SHERIN



Sherin Mathews death: India suspends US adoption agency



New Delhi: The Centre has suspended an American adoption agency for "negligence" in its assessment of adoptive parents of three-year-old India-born Sherin Mathews who died in the US, government sources said.

LGB2 MH-COURT-FIRE-REMAND



Kamala Mills fire: Mojo's Bistro owner sent to police custody till Jan 12



Mumbai: A court here today remanded Yug Pathak, the son of a retired IPS officer and one of the owners of the Mojo's Bistro pub, to a five-day police custody in connection with the deadly fire at the Kamala Mills compound here on December 29, which had claimed 14 lives.

DEL9 UP-SAFFRON-POLICE STATION



Now saffron colour decorates Lucknow police station



Lucknow: The colour saffron appears to be gradually spreading across Uttar Pradesh, with parts of a nearly 80- year-old police station in the state capital being given a splash of the colour, days after the Haj office here was painted orange.

Foreign



FGN10



PAK-FISHERMEN



Pakistan releases 147 Indian fishermen



Islamabad: Pakistan frees 147 Indian fishermen who were imprisoned in Karachi eight months ago for allegedly fishing in its territorial waters, according to a media report.

FGN9 PAK-LD US



Pak will continue to have engagement with US despite fund freeze: Janjua



Karachi: Pakistan says it will continue to have engagement with the US "as far as possible" despite the Trump administration suspending over USD 2 billion in military assistance citing Islamabad's failure to clamp down on terror groups in the country.

FGN8 US-PAK-2NDLD CHINA



'China could convince Pak for dismantling terror safe havens'



Washington: With the Trump administration determined to eliminate terror safe havens in Pakistan, the US is hoping that China will play a helpful role in convincing its close ally that it is in its national interest to crackdown on these sanctuaries, a senior White House official says. By Lalit K Jha



FGN7 CHINA-2NDLD SHIP



32 missing as oil tanker collides with vessel off China coast



Beijing: Thirty-two crew members, mostly Iranians, go missing after a tanker carrying oil from Iran to South Korea collided with a cargo ship and caught fire off the coast of east China.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today launched his government's farm debt-waiver scheme here and slammed opposition parties and some kisan unions for spreading a "false propaganda" on the issues faced by farmers.

Singh symbolically handed over waiver certificates to 10 farmers from Mansa, Bathinda, Faridkot, Muktsar and Moga districts, where nearly 47,000 farmers would benefit from the scheme.

He said a total of 5.63 lakh farmers would benefit in the state during the first phase, which will provide relief to the tune of Rs 2,700 crore.

Farm debt waiver was one of the key promises of the Congress ahead of the February polls in the state. Then Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had during the election campaign described Singh's promise of waiving farmers' debt if the Congress comes to power, as an "election stunt".

Launching the scheme today, Singh referred to reports in a section of the media about a suicide by a farmer in Barnala.

The farmer reportedly killed himself on Friday night after allegedly finding that his name was missing from the first list of eligible farmers for debt waiver.

The chief minister denied any such suicide on account of non-inclusion of the farmer's name in the list from Barnala, and suggested that it was a "false propaganda" allegedly being spread by the Akali Dal, the AAP and a few kisan unions.

"The fiscal crisis being faced by the state was much graver than the Congress had envisaged before the elections," he said, adding that even then Punjab has announced a higher loan waiver than UP, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, MP and Karnataka.

Acknowledging that some farmers might have been left out due to technical errors, Singh said issues were being resolved and complainants should approach their respective SDMs or DCs.

He said 10.25 lakh farmers were being covered under the scheme, which only left out the bigger farmers.

Punjab has 17.5 lakh farming families, according to the government.

The loan waiver process would be completed in four phases, Singh said, adding his government would find ways to make it happen "despite not getting any help from the Centre".

Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar alleged that former chief minister Badal was resorting to "dirty over the debt waiver issue".

"Badal had tried to mislead people saying Singh will not fulfil this particular promise and is now trying to cover up his embarrassment by saying Rs 2 lakh is not enough for farmers," he said.

Unlike other parties, the Congress does not indulge in 'jumley ki rajneeti' ( of rhetoric), he added.

"In fact, Parkash Singh Badal should congratulate the chief minister and offer to support the ruling party's efforts to seek waiver from the central government," Jakhar said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)People of Garposh area under Bamra Block in Sambalpur district today observed a bandh over the death of a plus two student, who allegedly died due to ragging at a hostel in Visakhapatnam of Andhra Pradesh.

The 16-year-old boy, Shreyas Kesharwani, died on Saturday.

Shops at Garposh remained closed while the agitators blocked the Bamra-Garposh road keeping the body of Sreyas on the road.

Kuchinda MLA, Rabi Naik and former MLA, Rajendra Chhatria were also present during the agitation. The agitators demanded action against the culprits and the authorities of the educational institution.

They also staged a rail roko at the Garposh Railway Station and stopped the movement of the Rourkela-Sambalpur DMU and two goods trains for about one hour.

However, they called off the rail roko after the officials from the district administration and police discussed the issue with them and gave assurance that the matter would be properly investigated.

According to family sources of the deceased boy, Shreyas had taken admission in the educational institution in Visakhapatnam last year. He was staying in a hostel of the institution. On December 26, some students of the hostel thrashed Shreyas severely, they alleged.

He sustained injuries and informed the vice-principal of the institute about the incident. However, the vice- principal did not pay any heed. The authorities also allegedly did not make any arrangement for treatment of Shreyas.

Finding no other way, Shreyas had called up his father, Sailesh Kesharwani, two days after the incident and said that he had accidentally slipped in the bathroom.

Subsequently, Sailesh went to Visakhapatnam and brought Shreyas home on December 30. But Shreyas did not reveal the fact before his father even after reaching home.

Later, he started complaining of severe chest, leg and hand pain and subsequently narrated the whole incident to his family. The family members rushed him to the IGH, Rourkela.

Shreyas was shifted to Bhubaneswar on January 5 after his condition deteriorated. But he succumbed while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar on Saturday.

Sambalpur Superintendent of Police, Sanjeev Arora said the cops have received a complaint.

"We will transfer it to the concerned police station in Andhra Pradesh," the SP said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Rahul Gandhi today embarked on a visit to Bahrain--his first foreign trip after becoming the Congress chief--where he will address a convention of NRIs and meet the Gulf country's Prime Minister Prince Salman bin Hamas Al-Khalifa.

Gandhi, who will be a state guest of Bahrain, is also expected to meet King Hamas bin Isa Al Khalifa.

According to a statement issued by the Congress, Gandhi will be the chief guest at valedictory session of a function organised by Global Organisation of People of India Origin (GOPIO) there tomorrow.

Delegates of 50 countries are participating in the function, the statement said.

He will also have an interactive session with business leaders of the Indian origin tomorrow.

"NRIs are the true representatives of our soft power and the brand ambassadors of our nation across the globe. Looking forward to meeting and addressing fellow countrymen in Bahrain tomorrow," Gandhi tweeted ahead of his trip.

Gandhi is expected to return to India on January 9.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Protests over Sanjay Leela Bhansali's period drama "Padmavati", lynching of a man over suspicion of cow smuggling and encounter of most wanted gangster Anandpal Singh were among the several issues that kept Rajasthan in in 2017.

The Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government, which completed four years in office on December 13, was cornered over 'black law' which proposed to bar media from naming a public servant until the government sanctions the investigation.

Riding roughshod over protest, the government tabled the Code of Criminal Procedure (Rajasthan Amendment) Bill in assembly, for which the government had already brought an ordinance, but it was later referred to a select committee of the house.

Not only this, Raje and her government were criticised and targeted by senior legislator of the ruling party Ghanshyam Tiwari who along with his supporters also attempted to stage a protest in front of her house in civil lines against her twin residence dispute.

2017 began on an unpleasant note for filmmaker Bhansali who was slapped by Sri Rajput Karni Sena activists during a violent protest at the sets of the film "Padmavati" at Jaigarh fort.

This was the beginning of an unending controversy which caught the attention of the country with members of Rajput community accusing Bhansali of trying to present distorted facts with regards to legendary queen of Mewar Rani Padmavati, who along with 16,000 other women had committed Jauhar or self immolation in Chittorgarh fort to protect their honour when Muslim ruler Alaudddin Kilji had attacked the fort.

Bhansali's team assured the leaders that no love scene or dream sequence were filmed between Rani Padmavati (played by Deepika Padukone) and Alauddin Khilji (played by Ranveer Singh).

On December 30, the censor board decided to give "Padmavati" a UA certificate and suggested director Bhansali to change the film's title to "Padmavat".

The board also suggested modifications in disclaimers, pertinently adding one regarding not glorifying the practice of "Sati" and also relevant changes in the song "Ghoomar" to befit the character portrayed.

The state police heaved a sigh of relief after eliminating most wanted notorious criminal Anandpal Singh in Churu in June.

Anandpal was carrying a cash reward of Rs 5 lakh after he escaped from police custody in Ajmer in September 2015 while being taken back to prison from a court.

He was killed in a police encounter, which evoked sharp anger among Rajput community members who in large numbers gathered at his village Sanvrad in Nagaur. Family members demanded a CBI inquiry and refused to perform his funeral.

There was violence and authorities imposed curfew in affected areas in Nagaur district. The body was cremated on July 13 after police served notice to the family members to conduct the funeral as per the direction by the state human rights commission.

The state government later assured the community members to hand over the case to CBI.

The BJP government introduced a controversial ordinance which sought to protect both serving and former judges, magistrates and public servants in the state from being investigated for on-duty action without the government's prior sanction.

The Criminal Laws (Rajasthan Amendment) Ordinance 2017, promulgated on September 7, also sought to bar the media from reporting on accusations till the sanction to proceed with the probe was obtained. Amid protests by Opposition, rights activists and the media, the government later referred the bill to a select committee.

On the political front, Raje faced lot of criticism from rebel BJP MLA Tiwari, who was served show-cause notice by the party's national discipline committee in May. He later announced that political platform would be formed.

Tiwari also targeted the party leadership for making K Alphons the party candidate for Rajya Sabha election saying the party ignored and sidelined leaders and workers of the state and chose to field an "outsider". Union Minister of State for Tourism Alphons was elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan in November.

The Congress in Rajasthan led by Sachin Pilot left no opportunity to corner the state government on various occasions. One of the prominent issues which the Congress party as opposition raised was that of farmers. It held the state government responsible for suicide of farmers and demanded loan waiver for the farmers.

The Gujjar reservation issue also saw important developments in the state with the government initiating to raise OBC quota from 21 to 26 per cent for granting 5 per cent reservation to Gujjar and four other castes.

The government introduced a bill for this but it was challenged in the high court as it raised the reservation limit in the state from 49 per cent to 54 per cent, against the legal limit of 50 per cent.

Later, the government decided to give one per cent quota to the five castes so that the reservation limit does not cross the 50 per cent ceiling.

Apart from these developments, the Pahlu Khan lynching on suspicion of cow smuggling in Alwar and the brutal killing of a man for alleged 'love jihad' in Rajsamand were a blot.

Some other incidents of cows smuggling were also reported from Alwar, which shares border with Haryana and forms a part of Mewat region.

In one of such case, an alleged cow smuggler was killed in exchange of fire with police while in another case in the same month of December, another alleged cow smugger was injured when his speeding vehicle overturned when police were chasing the vehicle in Alwar. He was also beaten by locals.

Following those incidents, BJP MLA from Ramgarh (Alwar) Gyan Deo Ahuja warned "you will be killed if you smuggle and slaughter cows".

Medical and health services were badly hit in the state when in-service government doctors went on strikes in November and December to press for their demands.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A yogic symbol made popular by Rajinikanth may well be seen by the superstar's fans as his calling card, but has got a young start-up all worked up.

The hand position that the actor-and-would-be politician is known for is often likened to "apana mudra", a yoga finger and palm posture.

And now, Mumbai's Voxweb, an 18-month-old social networking app, says that it is similar to its logo.

"If another company or brand has a similar logo, it will not matter much. But social media and political parties have quite a few similar traits - they have mass adoption, they are really close to their user base and so on. This creates a conflict," Voxweb founder Yash Mishra said.

The mudra is seen by Rajinikanth's legion of followers as his trademark gesture, ever since he raised two fingers and folded two in his 2002 film 'Baba'. The actor holds the two middle fingers down with his thumb and raises the little and index fingers in a broad vee.

The symbol figured prominently on the stage at a series of meetings addressed by the mega star recently. Fans also carried placards with the hand symbol.

Voxweb, Mishra said, has a similar brand logo, but with the thumb left free.

"Social media platforms are being accused of favouring political parties during elections and using their algorithms to promote that kind of content. People are already asking us if we are favouring Rajnikanth's outfit or if we have any common investors," Mishra told PTI.

The startup has written to the actor over the issue, but is yet to hear from him. There was no response to messages sent by PTI to the star's publicity team.

Asked what measures he planned to take to save his logo from the Rajini juggernaut, Mishra said his moves would depend on the new political outfit's reactions.

"We are open to suggestions and would ask them to make some alterations. All that we have to say is there is absolutely no relationship between the company and the party or its ideology," he said.

Rajinikanth had said last month that he would soon launch a political party in Tamil Nadu.Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan today lashed out at MLA V T Balram for his controversial remarks on social media against communist icon A K Gopalan, and said the attempt of the Congress party to protect its legislator reflected the party's "degeneration".

Vijayan said the young MLA's comments were due to his "lack of discernment" and "ignorance". He said it was for the Congress leadership to explain whether the lack of discernment was the party's hallmark.

"The safeguarding of the MLA by Congress even after insulting AKG proves the degeneration of the party," the chief minister said in a post on Facebook.

Balram, representing Tritala constituency in the state Assembly, had remarked on the love affair and subsequent marriage of A K Gopalan with Susheela, who was years younger to him, on Facebook on Friday.

An embarrassed Congress disowned the MLA for making the alleged remarks against Gopalan, popularly known as AKG.

But Vijayan said: "The MLA had in a nasty language humiliated AKG, who had fought for the freedom of the land carrying the flag of the Indian National Congress. He may be unaware of the history of the Congress or the life of the leader."



The tragedy of the Congress party was that it did not have a "sensible" leadership to correct the "ignorant" MLA, he added.

Describing AKG as "an emotion of Kerala", the chief minister also said making any disparaging remarks against him would hurt the people of the country, especially labourers and farmers.

Balram's statements triggered a row on social media, with a large number of people coming out against the MLA.

CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and ministers Kadakampally Surendran and M M Mani condemned the remarks yesterday, besides Congress leaders K Muraleedharan and Shanimol Usman.

Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president M M Hassan today rejected the MLA's remarks and said it was not the opinion of the party.

In a Facebook post, Chennithala said not only AKG, the Congress party was against tarnishing anyone's image.

Portraying personalities like AKG, who had served as the first opposition leader in the Lok Sabha, in bad light was not acceptable, he said.

However, he also criticised the chief minister's Facebook post and asked why Vijayan was ignoring the slur used by his cabinet colleagues against others.

Many-time Lok Sabha MP, Gopalan, called AKG by his admirers, was popularly known as "crusader of the downtrodden". He had also served as leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL), the corporate entity of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, has signed an MoU with Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Limited (KIOCL) for setting up a 1.2 million tonne per annum pellet plant project at Vizag.

Both the PSUs will form a joint venture for the plant.

RINL CMD P Madhusudan and KIOCL CMD M V Subba Rao exchanged the documents of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the presence of Union Minister of Steel Chaudhary Birender Singh in Mangaluru yesterday, RINL said in statement today.

"The capacity of the proposed plant will be initially 1.2 million tons per annum with a provision to expand further as per requirement," it said.

Pellets will be produced by utilising iron ore fines which will be supplied from either mines situated at Bailadila in Chhattisgarh or Bellary in Karnataka. The RINL will use these pellets as part of raw material requirement for its blast furnaces.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Gold bars worth about Rs 32 lakh was seized by customs personnel today from a man who arrived at the international airport here from Dubai, a senior official said.

Customs Commissioner Sumit Kumar said nine gold bars, totally weighing 1049 grams, were seized from the man who arrived here from Dubai by an Indigo flight, he said.

The man was intercepted at the exit gate by officials of Air Intelligence Unit of Customs customs on suspicion and a search revealed the gold bars concealed in his person.

Following this, he was arrested, Kumar said.

On January 5, customs officials had seized gold chains worth about Rs 21 lakh from a man who arrived at the international airport here from Bahrain.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The head of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill today called on Russians to vote in upcoming presidential elections expected to extend President Vladimir Putin's rule.

"I call on all of you, including Orthodox believers, to take part in the upcoming presidential elections. This is very important," the cleric said in an interview to Russian state television aired to mark Orthodox Christmas.

The Patriarch also warned Russians of "the possibility of malicious people or forces to use digital technology to render irreparable damage to our country and society."



Last week, Russian opposition politician and popular blogger Alexei Navalny urged voters to boycott the March vote after election bosses barred him from standing.

In the interview, Patriarch Kirill praised Putin's role in Syria and warned of the dangers of social divisions.

The religious leader said Moscow's 2015 intervention in the Syria conflict was aimed not only at stabilising the situation on the ground and stopping jihadists from taking power but also at defending Christian minorities.

"There was also the important idea of defending the Christian minorities. And thanks to Russia, the genocide of Christians was stopped," the church leader said.

Without Russian involvement in the conflict, he added, the situation in Syria would look like Iraq after the fall and death of Saddam Hussein.

The powerful cleric said he had been to Iraq when Saddam was still in power, including Mosul, where he visited Christian monasteries.

"I saw the piety of the people and I was glad that Christian churches existed peacefully in a Muslim milieu. Now nothing of that is left. The monasteries are destroyed, the churches are blown up and 85 per cent of Christians are either dead or thrown out. That could have happened to Syria," he said.

The Patriarch said he believed Russia has historically been guided by its conscience over its pragmatism.

"The uniqueness of Russia, although this has sometimes caused problems for the country, is that it is conscientious," he said.

As an example, he cited Russia's role in the 19th century Balkan Wars when "thousands and thousands of Russians went to fight for their Slavic brothers" and when Moscow defended Serbia in the First World War.

The Patriarch also called on Russian authorities to do more to diminish the gap between the rich and poor in order to "increase justice in our national life."



"Socialism tried to solve this problem. But let's say it straight: it did not," the Patriarch said.

He also called on Russians to "respect the life" of Russia's last Tsar, Nicholas II, following a film about his love affair with a ballerina that stirred controversy in Russia on the centenary of the Bolshevik revolution last year.

The Russian Orthodox Church considers Nicholas a saint.

The Patriarch said the film "threw more dirt at the martyr (the Tsar)" and explained that it had offended Orthodox believers.

He added that an expert study on the presumed remains of the Tsarist family, executed by the Bolsheviks in 1918, is ongoing.

Russian president Vladimir Putin meanwhile praised the role of the Orthodox Church after attending an Orthodox Christmas church service in his native Saint Petersburg late yesterday.

"This holiday gives millions of believers happiness and hope, brings them back to spiritual sources and native traditions and unites (people) around the eternal Christian values of our nation's centuries-old cultural heritage," Putin stated.

Attending the service in an 18th-century Saint Petersburg church where his father was baptised, Putin praised the "truly selfless activity of the Russian Orthodox Church and other Christian confessions in helping to support civil peace and harmony in our country".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Singapore can provide a good base for Indian companies as a civil aviation, trading and financial hub, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean today said.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the two-day ASEAN India Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) 2018 held here, Teo made a vigorous pitch on the opportunities available for Indian businesses in Singapore.

"As a civil aviation, trading and financial hub, we are a good base for Indian companies to work from in order to expand to South-east Asia and beyond," he said at the PBD gala dinner.

The annual conference, that celebrates the achievements and contributions of the Indian diaspora, is being held with an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) theme this year, to mark 25 years of dialogue partnership between India and the regional bloc.

Singapore, the ASEAN chair, is hosting the meeting for the first time in South East Asia.

ASEAN is India's 4th largest trading partner, accounting for 10.2 per cent of Indias total trade.

India is ASEAN's 7th largest trading partner. Trade is back on track and registered an 8 per cent increase in 2016- 17, as compared to the previous year.

Many multinational companies have their headquarters in Singapore, noted Teo.

Today, Indian companies form the largest contingent of foreign companies here: there are more than 8,000 of them, double the number in 2009.

Singapore, he said, plays a key role in connecting many companies from all corners of the world who use the country as an operational base, among them more than 7,500 Chinese ones registered here.

These Singapore-based companies form a vibrant community, and can work together to tap on the country's business infrastructure and its network of 20 implemented free trade agreements with 31 trading partners to help them expand abroad, said Teo.

Noting the strong turnout from Indian and Singapore businesses - many of which operate across the region - at the conference, Teo also made a pitch for businesses to urge governments to facilitate the ease of doing business and to enact policies to attract greater investments and cross-border partnerships.

"Businesses can play an important role by encouraging governments, both at national and state levels, to be more competitive, responsive and plugged into global value chains," The Straits Times quoted the deputy premier as saying.

He added that, as ASEAN chair, Singapore is committed to deepening the group's relations with its key partners, including India.

Two events on the horizon will help further enhance ties: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's trip to India later in the month for the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit - his first ASEAN-related summit as 2018 chair - and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Singapore later in the year to deliver the keynote address at the Shangri-la Dialogue.

Teo also detailed three key areas in which ASEAN and India can work together more closely: economic integration, connectivity and digital technologies.

Southeast Asia and India represent a quarter of the world's population - 1.8 billion people - and a combined GDP of more than USD 4.5 trillion.

By 2025, India's consumer market is expected to become the fifth largest in the world, while South-east Asia will see a doubling of middle-class households to 163 million.

"Against this backdrop, we are starting from a modest base," said Teo, noting that ASEAN-India trade accounted for only 2.6 per cent of the bloc's external trade in 2016.

"There is much scope to strengthen our linkages and trade ties," the daily quoted Teo as saying.

He called for ASEAN and India to press on with economic integration, pledging that Singapore, as ASEAN chair, will do what it can to secure the support of India and all other Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership countries to advance negotiations on the pact.

Connectivity can be boosted too, said Teo, noting that with India's strategic location, maritime and air connectivity can be expanded to bring the country closer to the rest of ASEAN.

He noted that India has many airports ready and available to connect many more points in ASEAN.

"The key to unlocking this potential is to further liberalise air services as Singapore has done," said Teo, adding that India could start, as a pilot project, to allow one or two of its key cities to have open skies with those in ASEAN.

Thirdly, ASEAN and India - both fast-changing markets with an appetite for innovative solutions - can cooperate in digital technologies.

There are opportunities for platforms such as India's e- payment and digital identification systems to be harmonised with those in the region.

On the security front, Teo, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security, was heartened to see that defence cooperation between India and ASEAN has intensified.

India, which is located strategically along important sea-routes from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific, is integral to the security in the region, he noted.

"ASEAN and India share a common interest to keep these vital conduits of trade and economic exchange open," said Teo.

"And it is crucial that we continue to uphold our shared principles of the freedom of navigation and respect for the rule of law."



Earlier today, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who is on two-day visit to Singapore, said that India's dialogue partnership with ASEAN has evolved into a strategic partnership and the Indian diaspora provides a platform for stronger ties with the grouping.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A prominent Saudi cleric arrested in a crackdown on dissent has since been held for four months without charge or contact with the outside world, Human Rights Watch said today.

Salman al-Awda was among more than 20 people arrested in September in what the Saudi government has said was a crackdown on "intelligence activities... for the benefit of foreign parties against the security of the kingdom and its interests".

Awda's family, however, believes he is being held over a tweet linked to neighbouring Qatar, with which Saudi Arabia has cut all ties over accusations of links to Iran and Islamist extremists, according to HRW.

Awda has been held since then in solitary confinement and has been neither charged nor interrogated, said the New York- based watchdog.

The cleric has reportedly been allowed one phone call, in October.

Saudi activists have said Salman al-Awda's brother Khaled has also been detained for disclosing that the cleric had been arrested.

Dozens of Saudi citizens have been convicted on charges linked to dissent and under the country's sweeping cybercrime law, particularly linked to posts on Twitter.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Eleven Saudi princes face trial after their arrest at a sit-in protesting having to pay their utility bills, authorities said today, as the monarchy pursues reforms amid hefty debt and high unemployment.

Saudi Arabia's attorney general said "no one is above the law" after the princes were detained outside a palace in Riyadh, where they had gathered last week to demonstrate against a government decision to stop paying the water and electricity bills of royals.

They also demanded compensation for a death sentence issued against one of their cousins, convicted of murder and executed in 2016, attorney general Saud al-Mojeb said.

They have been charged on "a number of counts" and are being held at the maximum security Al-Hayer prison south of Riyadh, he said.

"A group of 11 princes staged a sit-in at the historic Qasr Al-Hokm palace on Thursday... objecting a recent royal order that halted payments by the state to members of the royal family to cover their electricity and water utility bills," the attorney general said.

"Despite being informed that their demands are not lawful, the 11 princes refused to leave the area, disrupting public peace and order".

The names of the 11 princes have not been made public.

Saudi Arabia is in the midst of a political and economic shake-up, marked by the sudden appointment of the king's son Mohammed bin Salman as crown prince in June.

Prince Mohammed, who sidelined his cousin as heir to the throne, has since consolidated his grip on the kingdom's economy in a meteoric rise in the royal court.

The recent arrests come amid a string of government spending cuts as Saudi Arabia, the world's largest producer of oil, pushes to diversify its economy following the 2014 drop in global oil prices.

The country plans to slash its generous welfare programme and open energy giant Saudi Aramco to partial privatisation.

The measures have been linked to rising tension within the royal Al-Saud family which counts thousands of members -- only a handful of whom wield direct influence over the kingdom.

The economic overhaul has been linked to the arrest of more than 200 princes in an anti-corruption purge in November spearheaded by Prince Mohammed.

Most of those detained were held at the palatial Ritz- Carlton hotel in Riyadh, which has turned into a luxury prison. Some have since reached settlements with the government.

On January 1, Saudi Arabia also hiked gasoline and fuel prices and imposed a five percent value-added tax on most goods and services, ending its decades-long tax-free policy.

Income remains tax exempt.

The Gulf kingdom has also intensified efforts to boost employment of its own citizens. Most working Saudis are employed by the state.

King Salman yesterday announced a string of benefits for Saudi citizens, particularly students, military personnel and public servants, to "soften the impact of the economic reforms" in the coming year.

Saudi Arabia's information minister on Sunday said the handouts would cost the government up to 80 billion riyals (USD 13.3 billion, 11 billion euros) in 2018.

The unemployment rate among Saudis aged 15 to 24 stood at 32.6 per cent last year, according to the International Labour Organisation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Senegalese government vowed today to be "relentless" in tracking down and bringing to justice those responsible for the execution of 13 people in the southern region of Casamance.

Gunmen ordered a group of men and youths, out looking for wood, to lie on the ground deep in the forest before opening fire, a survivor said following the first upsurge in violence in the isolated Senegalese region in years.

President Macky Sall, condemning an "armed attack of rare barbarity", summoned his national security council and ordered a ministerial delegation to the scene.

"A hard and relentless hunt will be conducted to find the perpetrators of this despicable act," interior minister Aly Ngouille Ndiaye told Senegalese press agency APS during a visit to survivors at the hospital in Ziguinchor, the region's capital.

The attack happened yesterday in Borofaye forest in the commune of Boutoupa-Camaracounda.

According to the government, ten of the 13 killed were shot dead, two were stabbed to death and one was burned. Half a dozen more were wounded, with the most seriously hurt being transferred to Dakar for treatment.

The as yet unidentified group stopped the young men and rounded them up before shooting them coldly, survivors told AFP.

"They made us lie face down and started firing," a 45- year-old father of two with two wives said today at Ziguinchor Ayib Ly hospital as he received treatment for injuries to his back and foot.

"Injured people trying to escape were finished off" by the attackers, said another survivor, Amadou Diallo.

Ibrahima Daffe, described being hit by "two bullets in the back", fired by men "in military uniforms", wearing "rangers" type boots and speaking the local language.

A source in Ziguinchor said 13 youths were killed, while army spokesman Abdou Ndiaye told AFP seven others were injured.

The Senegalese Press Agency said the assailants would have passed a buffer zone between the Senegalese army and separatist rebels of the Movement for Democratic Forces in Casamance (MFDC).

Abdoulaye Balde, a former armed forces minister and deputy mayor of Ziguinchor, told AFP those responsible were likely "not fully associated with the peace process" in a region where rebels began fighting in December 1982 -- though they have long ceased attacks on soldiers.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Investors of the country's oldest mutual fund UTI are likely to take a call on its listing sometime in April, said Sunil Mehta, head of Punjab National Bank, one of the sponsors of the asset management company.

"We are not the sole investors. There (are) 4 more investors. I think a meeting of the investors will take place somewhere in April, that time (a) call will be taken. May be there could be decision on listing," he told PTI.

State Bank of India (SBI), Punjab National Bank (PNB), Bank of Baroda (BoB) and Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) hold stake in on behalf of the central government. These entities jointly own a 74 per cent stake in the fund house, while the remaining 26 per cent stake is with the US-based investment firm T Rowe Price.

In 2008, UTI Asset Management Co (UTI AMC) deferred its initial public offer (IPO) owning to uncertain market conditions.

The fund house had proposed to sell 48 million equity shares through the IPO. Subsequently, in 2009, all the four sponsors of UTI diluted 6.5 per cent each in favour of T Rowe Price.

UTI MF was created after Parliament passed the Unit Trust of India (Transfer of Undertaking & Repeal) Act in 2002 after the flagship US-64 scheme went bankrupt. Post the Act, the then mighty UTI was bifurcated into Specified Undertaking of Unit Trust of India (Suuti), which owns almost 11.8 per cent in Axis Bank and UTI Asset Management Company.

The Baltimore-based T Rowe Price picked up 26 per cent in UTI in November 2009 by buying 6.5 per cent stake each from the four promoters for $140 million.

With regard to other non-core asset sales, Mehta said, "whatever we committed, we have done better than that. We have walked the talk. We have already sold 5.9% stake in PNB Housing Finance. We have got Rs 13.21 billion out of stake sale there".

The bank has also decided to exit from mutual fund PNB Principle from where it is going to get 1.25 billion, he said.

"So, roughly Rs 14.5 billion we have already disinvested. We will be getting that money. Out of which Rs 13.25 billion we have already received and the remaining Rs 1.25 billion we will be receiving in next few weeks," he said.A parliamentary panel has said PSU steel giant must adopt necessary measures to remove all bottlenecks and focus on overall improvement in performance in view of competition from private players.

Observing that Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) achieved its highest ever hot metal production at 15.73 million tonnes (MT) during 2016-17, the Standing Committee on Coal and Steel, chaired by Rakesh Singh, said though physical parameters have improved, it should step up efforts.

" should step up the good efforts for overall improvement in its physical performance so as to make the company more competitive with other players in the market," the 31-member committee said.

The panel said it is concerned to note the poor performance of Rourkela Steel Plant, IISCO Steel Plant, Alloy Steel Plant and Visvesvaraya Steel Plant that could achieve only 79 per cent, 56 per cent, 38 per cent, 60 per cent and 33 per cent, respectively of their installed capacity of crude steel during 2016-17.

"The company should take all necessary steps to address all the bottlenecks which hampers full capacity utilisation of these plants so that production targets for 2017-18 which are lagging behind during the first half of the year are fully achieved," the committee observed.

It also directed the PSU to ensure that all its plants are operated at full installed capacity.

The panel noted that though slowly and steadily has "managed to come on track after suffering initial setbacks during last two years, a lot is yet to be accomplished".

It said the turnover of the company which was Rs 50,627 crore during 2014-15 was reduced to Rs 43,294 crore during 2015-16 and again rose to Rs 49,180 crore during 2016-17.

Last year, Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh had warned PSUs, including SAIL, to "perform or perish" saying complacency cannot be tolerated at a time when private players are excelling on various parameters.

Chairing a meeting of chiefs of top steel PSUs, the minister had pulled up public sector firms like SAIL and RINL for not only lagging behind on international benchmarks, but were behind their private counterparts and complacent in ramping up capacities.

"On production and productivity parameters, PSUs are far behind their counterparts in private sector. In terms of international benchmarks, performance of Indian steel is very poor," Singh had told PSU top brasses as per the ministry sources.

Also pulling up SAIL for slow progress in modernisation as well as ramping up of capacity, the minister has said deadlines were missed one after another which cannot be tolerated anymore.Sudanese security agents today seized all copies of six newspapers after they criticised the government over soaring bread prices that have almost doubled this week, editors said.

Discontent has been simmering over the past few days as bread prices jumped on the back of a sharp rise in the cost of flour after a government decision to shift importing of wheat to private sector companies.

Several newspapers have criticised the decision concerning wheat imports, while the country's opposition groups called for nationwide demonstrations against the price rise.

Today, members of the powerful National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) confiscated entire print runs of Al- Tayar, Al-Mustagilla, Al-Karar, Al-Midan, Al-Assayha and Akhbar Al-Watan newspapers.

Akhbar al-Watan and Al-Midan are mouthpieces of opposition Sudanese Congress Party and the Communist Party, while the other four newspapers are independent journals that often report criticism of the government.

"No reason was given for confiscating copies of our newspaper but I think it was due to our transparent coverage of the food price rise," said Hanadi Al-Sidiq, editor of Akhbar Al-Watan.

Editors of other newspapers also confirmed to AFP that NISS agents had confiscated the entire print runs of their Sunday editions.

Media in Sudan are frequently targeted for their reporting. The country regularly ranks near the bottom of international press freedom rankings.

An opposition group said its members were also targeted after the call for nationwide demonstrations against the price rise.

Two senior leaders of the opposition Sudanese Congress Party have been detained by NISS agents, the party said in a statement.

Yesterday, police fired tear gas at groups of students protesting the price rise in the central Sudanese town of Sennar, witnesses told AFP.

Sudan witnessed sporadic protests in late 2016 after a government decision to cut fuel subsidies.

The authorities cracked down on those protests in an attempt to prevent a repeat of deadly unrest that followed a similar round of subsidy cuts in 2013.

Dozens of people were killed in 2013 protests when security forces crushed large street demonstrations, drawing international condemnation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today met with her Singaporean counterpart Dr Vivian Balakrishnan here and discussed bilateral and multilateral issues relating to the economic and strategic partnership, officials said.

The two leaders also discussed the enormous potential for cooperation between ASEAN and India, officials said.

They had discussions on bilateral and multilateral issues relating to the economic and strategic partnership, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in a tweet.

Swaraj addressed the Indian diaspora at the ASEAN-India Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) during which she reaffirmed India's commitment to ASEAN. She also met delegates from the ASEAN countries attending the PBD.

Balakrishnan said that the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) between ASEAN and six of its key partners including India is a historic opportunity to set up the world's largest trade bloc.

If it comes to fruition, the RCEP would cover half of the world's population and a third of its gross domestic product, he said.

"Economic integration is not just a mantra, but it is crucial for the mutual prosperity of the citizens of India and of ASEAN," Balakrishnan told some 3,000 Indian delegates.

He pointed out that the potential was still untapped.

"There is a huge potential for growth in trade, tourism and many other fields (between India and ASEAN)," he said.

To grow ASEAN's ties with India, Balakrishnan suggested more affordable flights, to encourage more businessmen and tourists to travel.

Smart cities in India and ASEAN could also connect with each other, the minister said.

He also called for better digital connectivity.

Earlier today, Swaraj said that India's dialogue partnership with ASEAN has evolved into a strategic partnership and the Indian diaspora provides a platform for stronger ties with the grouping.

ASEAN, which comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, is India's fourth largest trading partner, accounting for 10.2 per cent of India's total trade.

India is ASEAN's seventh largest trading partner. Trade is back on track and registered an eight per cent increase in 2016-17, as compared to the previous year.

New Delhi will host a commemorative summit on January 25 to mark the 25th anniversary of the Dialogue Partnership between India and ASEAN in which all the leaders of the bloc are expected to participate.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Syrian government forces and allied militiamen are advancing on the largest remaining rebel-held territory in the country's north, forcing thousands of civilians to flee toward the border with Turkey in freezing winter temperatures.

The offensive on Idlib -- a large province in northwestern Syria packed with civilians and dominated by al- Qaida-linked militants -- was expected after the defeat of the Islamic State group late last year.

Last week, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the main military operations against IS in Syria have ended and signaled that the focus would shift to al-Qaida-linked militants.

The Idlib offensive carries significant risks.

The province bordering Turkey is home to an estimated 2 million Syrians, including tens of thousands of people who fled fighting elsewhere. A full-blown government offensive could cause large-scale destruction and massive displacement.

Turkey, a supporter of the rebels, has deployed military observers in the province as part of a de-escalation deal with Iran and Russia, but that has not stopped the fighting on the ground or Russian airstrikes against the insurgents.

It is not clear how far the current offensive aims to reach, and recapturing the entire province is expected to be a long and bloody process. Opposition activists say the main target for now appears to be the sprawling rebel-held air base of Abu Zuhour, on the southeastern edge of the province, and securing the Damascus-Aleppo road that cuts through Idlib province.

Over the past two months, troops backed by Russian airstrikes have captured more than 80 towns and villages in the northern parts of the nearby Hama province and breached Idlib itself for the first time since mid-2015.

The offensive gained more intensity on Christmas Day, when one of President Bashar Assad's most trusted and experienced officers took command of the operation to extend the government's presence toward Idlib and boost security for the road that links the capital, Damascus, with Aleppo, Syria's largest city.

Brig Gen Suheil al-Hassan, also known among his troops as "Tiger," has led elite forces to many victories against insurgents since the conflict began nearly seven years ago. He has been credited most recently with the defeat of IS in much of eastern Syria, including the months-long battle for the city of Deir el-Zour.

"Conditions on the ground are wretched for the rebels," said an opposition activist based in northern Syria who asked to be identified by his first name, Hassan, for fear of reprisals by insurgents.

He said rebels are stuck in a two-front battle with government forces and remaining pockets of Islamic State militants. He said the Russian airstrikes have exacted a heavy toll.

Another opposition activist based in Hama province, Mohammed al-Ali, said the Russians and the Syrian government are "carpet bombing" villages before pushing into them.

"The Russian airstrikes, weak fortifications and Islamic State attacks in Hama" have all helped government forces, he said by telephone.

Hassan and al-Ali said it is highly unlikely that government forces would march toward the provincial capital, also named Idlib, because it would set up a costly battle with highly experienced and well-armed al-Qaida-linked insurgents.

The province is dominated by the Levant Liberation Committee, which claims to have severed ties with al-Qaida but is widely believed to still be affiliated with it.

Al-Hassan's chief mission for now appears to be securing the Damascus-Aleppo road.

In December 2016, Assad's forces captured rebel-held parts of the city of Aleppo, marking the government's biggest victory since the conflict began. The main road to the capital remained perilous, however, with insurgents attacking it from the west and IS from the east. The troops have since driven IS back, but the western side remains exposed.

Four days after al-Hassan took over operational command, troops managed to break through the militants' heavy defences and capture the town of Abu Dali, a link between Hama, Idlib and Aleppo.

Since then, thousands of people have been fleeing with their belongings amid harsh cold weather toward safer areas further north, including Idlib city and areas near the border with Turkey. Pro-opposition media say that more than 5,000 families have fled the violence over the past two weeks, some renting homes or staying in tents in open fields, others left homeless.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Synod of Kerala-based Syro-Malabar Church will begin here tomorrow amid a raging controversy over a land deal in which the Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese allegedly suffered huge financial loss.

A group of priests and faithful have accused Syro-Malabar Church head Cardinal George Alencherry, who is also the Archbishop of the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese, for selling the prime land of the archdiocese here for "a very low price".

They alleged role of land mafia in the sale of land in a non-transparent manner violating even civil and canon laws.

While the Cardinal, known for his simplicity, refused to react to the row over land sale, his supporters have dubbed the charges as a 'misinformation campaign'.

All India Catholic Almaya Forum urged the priests to stop the campaign being carried out against the Cardinal.

They alleged that a handful of priests were trying to defame the Syro-Malabar Church having over 55 lakhs followers and 35 dioceses.

Ahead of the crucial meeting of the Synod comprising Bishops of the Church, Presbyteral Council of the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese has shot off a letter to the Bishops to take up the issue in the Synod.

The priests alleged that a commission appointed by the Archbishop to enquire the land business had found that there have been serious violations of canon and civil laws.

According to the agitated priests, the commission had found that the revenue from the sale of 3.06 acres of the land in the city was expected to fetch Rs 27 crores as per the understanding, but officially only Rs nine crore had been shown as sale proceeds.

They claimed thatRs 18 crores was shrouded in mystery and remained unaccounted.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Taking paracetamol - an over-the- counter treatment for pain relief - during pregnancy may impair the fertility of female offspring, a study has warned.

Researchers reviewed three separate rodent studies that report altered development in the reproductive systems of female offspring from mothers given paracetamol during pregnancy, which may impair their fertility in adulthood.

Paracetamol, or acetaminophen, is commonly taken by pregnant women worldwide.

Recent studies have linked paracetamol use during pregnancy with disruptions in the development of the male reproductive system but the effects on female offspring had not yet been investigated.

David Kristensen and colleagues from Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark, reviewed findings from three individual rodent studies that evaluated the effects of paracetamol taken during pregnancy on the development of the reproductive system in female offspring.

In rodents and humans, females are born with a finite number of eggs for reproduction in the future.

In these reviewed studies, rodents given paracetamol during pregnancy, at doses equivalent to those that a pregnant woman may take for pain relief, produced female offspring with fewer eggs.

This means that in adulthood, they have fewer eggs available for fertilisation, which may reduce their chances of successful reproduction, particularly as they get older.

"Although this may not be a severe impairment to fertility, it is still of real concern since data from three different labs all independently found that paracetamol may disrupt female reproductive development in this way, which indicates further investigation is needed to establish how this affects human fertility," said Kristensen.

Although there are parallels between rodent and human reproductive development, these findings have yet to be firmly established in humans.

"As scientists, we are not in the positon to make any medical recommendations and we would urge pregnant women in pain to consult with their general practitioner, midwife or pharmacist for professional advice," said Kristensen.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray today said those who were involved in attacks against Dalits at Bhima-Koregaon should show courage and come forward.

Speaking at a function in neighbouring Navi Mumbai, the Sena chief said that some "invisible hands" had a role in playing caste politics in the state.

"The Shiv Sena will not tolerate such people and their tricks of playing the caste card in the state. Those behind the attacks at Bhima Koregaon should show courage and come forward," Thackeray said.

The attack on Dalits at Bhima Koregaon on January 1 led to a statewide bandh on January 3 which turned violent at several places leading to large-scale vandalism of public property.

Attacking the BJP, Thackeray said that the Sena would oppose projects like the Jaitapur nuclear power plant and the mega oil refinery in Nanar, both in Konkan's Ratnagiri district.

He claimed that the 'Make in India' initiative would have a devastating impact on Konkan.

"Konkan chi raakh honaar asun Gujaratla vikasaachi rangoli kadhnaar aahet (While Konkan will be reduced to ashes, Gujarat will prosper)," Thackeray said.

He claimed that projects like the International Financial Services Centre and the bullet train were heading to Gujarat while projects which damage ecology such as nuclear plants and refineries were coming to the Konkan.

"While Israel is known in the world for transforming deserts into green belts, our dream of development is damaging the existing beauty. We will be known in the world for transforming natural beauty into deserts," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)People who underwent surgery or blood transfusion for any reason before 2002 will be screened for Hepatitis C in a new drive by the government.

The step has been initiated, as before 2002, blood samples at the blood banks were not examined thoroughly, a senior health ministry official said.

The screening programme is expected to start from March, the official said.

The number of such people who have undergone surgery or blood transfusion before 2002, ranges between 60 lakh to 1.2 crore.

People who are diagnosed with Hepatitis C would undergo treatment free of cost, he said.

"The population that would be focused include those who received blood transfusion or underwent surgery before 2002, injection drug users, people receiving repeated blood transfusions (thalassemics and hemophiliacs), those living with HIV and attendees of STI clinics, among others," the official said.

The test facilities are available from primary health centres to district hospitals and the government plans to open 100 more centres for carrying out such tests, he informed.

The ministry has also drafted a national action plan for Hepatitis C for ensuring that there is no discrimination on the basis of a patient suffering from Hepatitis and to reduce morbidity and mortality due to the viral disease.

The action plan is expected to be rolled out this year.

"The objective is to increase awareness and take promotive prevention measures through various stakeholders and to capacitate the health sector response to viral Hepatitis, including early diagnosis, management and surveillance," the official said.

Viral Hepatitis are mainly of four types -- water and foodborne A and E, and bloodborne B and C, and like HIV/AIDS, bloodborne viral hepatitis has stigma attached to it.

According to rough estimates, 6-12 million suffer from Hepatitis C in India, and close to 35,000 people succumb to the infection each year.

Hepatitis C symptoms sometime may take 10 to 12 years to come to the forefront.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The son of a businessman here was today arrested in connection with a robbery case by the police from Chennai.

The man was arrested following a raid at the house of the businessman at Sindhupoondhurai Selvinagar and taken to Chennai for further investigations, local police said.

Police seized a gun and some bullets, they said without divulging any further information.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Ahead of the Assembly elections in Meghalaya, Union Tourism Minister K J Alphons today announced projects valued at Rs 70 crore to develop religious and spiritual circuits in the state which, he said, lack infrastructure.

These projects will be completed within a period between six and 18 months.

"Places of worship in Meghalaya lack infrastructure. They do not have parking areas and they are not lit. Project consultants were brought here and we decided to sanction these projects," Alphons told reporters here.

The ministry has sanctioned Rs 61,38 crore for illumination, landscaping, construction of parking lots and others in 37 Christian churches, and Rs 8.61 crore for similar projects for 11 other religious groups including the indigenous religions of the Khasi Jaintia tribals here.

Alphons rejected the view that the funds were allocated to woo voters ahead of the Assembly polls, saying that since elections are yet to be announced, development projects undertaken by the government need not stop.

Assembly elections are due in Meghalaya early this year. The term of the current house expires on March 6.

He said the tourism ministry has sanctioned 67 similar projects in the country worth Rs 5,648 crore linking religious and other places.

The Union Minister also expressed anguish over the 'failure' of the state government to send its representatives to an official meeting on January 5 in New Delhi convened in this regards.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The leaders of Turkey and Bulgaria are due to reopen the Bulgarian St Stephen's Church today in Istanbul after seven years of restoration, in a gesture of harmony in an often turbulent relationship between the two neighbours.

The Bulgarian Orthodox church in Balat, a historic Istanbul neighbourhood on the shores of the Golden Horn traditionally home to Christians and Jews, was built in 1898 after its original wooden structure was destroyed in a fire.

Made out of cast iron, the iconic ornate building has been dubbed the "Iron Church".

For President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who hosts Bulgaria's conservative Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, the ceremony will be a riposte to charges that Turkey's Islamic-rooted government does not do enough to protect the rights of Christian minorities and their heritage.

It is also seen as a sign of appeasement after a spat erupted in spring in the run-up to Bulgarian elections, and a Turkish referendum on expanding Erdogan's power.

Bulgaria, which holds the rotating EU presidency for the next six months, shares a 270-km border with Turkey.

Turkey is home to more than 200,000 ethnic Turks with Bulgarian passports who left Bulgaria during the communist era.

Around a third of them regularly turn out for Bulgarian elections, with the last ballot taking place on March 26.

Bulgaria, meanwhile, is home to a 700,000-strong ethnic Turkish minority, a legacy of the Ottoman empire.

Sofia had accused Ankara of meddling in its March polls, summoning Turkey's ambassador and recalling its own envoy from Turkey for consultations.

Meanwhile, the main party representing the Turkish minority in Bulgaria had denounced Turkey's April vote on granting Erdogan sweeping powers as "madness".

But in a show of cooperation, Bulgaria and Turkey co- funded St Stephen's restoration, one of the world's oldest prefabricated cast iron churches.

The iron elements were produced in Austria in the 19th century and shipped to Istanbul through the Danube and the Black Sea.

Vasil Liaze, president of a foundation overseeing the church, told Turkish media that the church had been restored under so-called rules of reciprocity.

This means that Sofia has given the green light for the Cuma (Friday) Mosque in Bulgaria's second city of Plovdiv to be restored in return.

In a key trip to neighbouring Greece in December, Erdogan said the rights of Turkish-speaking Muslim minorities should be safeguarded.

Istanbul also insists it has passed reforms to improve minorities' rights including legislation allowing minority groups to buy and renovate their properties.

In June 2014, when he was prime minister, Erdogan said that the government had returned to minority foundations their confiscated assets worth over USD 2 billion.

But opponents say Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party have done little to expand rights for minorities, and showed intolerance for dissenting voices.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A weekend outing to Pavana dam near Lonavala in district turned tragic for a group of picnickers as two members of the group, both IT professionals, drowned in the backwaters today.

Police said a group of nine people from Pune, including three women, yesterday went to Pavna area, 110 kms from here, for camping.

The incident occurred this morning when two men from the group entered the water after clicking photos near the Pavna backwaters.

"After clicking photos near the backwater, Mohit Jadhav (28) and one Ajinkya Shinde ventured into the water. However, they started drowning apparently after they failed to gauge the depth of water. Hearing their cries, Ved Prakash Rana (28) and one Shubham (also members of the group) rushed to save them," a Lonavala rural police officer said.

While all the four started drowning, other group members raised an alarm following which some locals rushed to their rescue, he said.

While Shubham and Shinde were pulled out of water safely, Jadhav and Rana could not be saved, the officer said.

"Members of Shivdurg Mitra and people from INS Shivaji, an Indian Naval station located in Lonavala, later fished out the bodies (of Jadhav and Rana)," he said, adding that the bodies were sent for postmortem and further investigation is on.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is deeply concerned by a spike in tensions in a buffer zone in disputed Western Sahara, his spokesman said.

Morocco has accused the Algerian-backed Polisario Front of carrying out incursions in the buffer zone near Guerguerat, an area in southern Western Sahara near the Mauritanian border.

The UN chief "is deeply concerned about recent increased tensions in the vicinity of Guerguerat in the Buffer Strip in southern Western Sahara between the Moroccan berm and the Mauritanian border," said a UN statement.

Guterres "calls on the parties to exercise maximum restraint and to avoid escalating tensions."



"Regular civilian and commercial traffic should not be obstructed and no action should be taken, which may constitute a change to the status quo of the buffer strip," it added.

A previous incursion of the Polisario at Guerguerat last year prompted the United Nations to intervene to force both Morocco and the Polisario to withdraw.

The spike in tensions come as new UN envoy Horst Kohler is working to restart talks between Morocco and the Polisario on ending the decades-old conflict.

Morocco and the Polisario fought for control of Western Sahara from 1974 to 1991, with Rabat taking over the desert territory before a UN-brokered ceasefire in the former Spanish colony.

Rabat considers Western Sahara an integral part of Morocco and proposes autonomy for the resource-rich territory, but the Polisario Front insists on a UN referendum on independence.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)After receiving flak from the Allahabad High Court over noise pollution in Uttar Pradesh, the government today issued detailed directives on the use of permanently installed loudspeakers at public places here.

The Allahabad High Court last month had asked the UP government whether the loudspeakers or public address systems installed at mosques, temples, churches, gurdwaras etc. were installed after obtaining a written permission from the authorities concerned.

Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar said, "On the directions of the court regarding ensuring implementation of noise pollution control rules, a government order giving detailed instructions has been issued".

This practically implies that sound should not go beyond the periphery of the public or private place, Kumar said.

The 10-page-order requires survey of loudspeakers permanently installed and issuance of show cause notice to those using it without requisite permission.

A format for applying for permission, issuance of permission and action against those who neither apply for permission nor comply with terms and conditions of permission has also been issued.

It also requires DMs to categorise areas into industrial, commercial, residential and silence zones. Each area has separate maximum limits for permissible sound levels.

The loudspeakers installed in public places can not have sound level more than 10 dB above ambient noise level at the periphery of a public place and 5 dB above ambient noise level at the periphery of a private place, Kumar said.

The Lucknow bench of the high court had on December 20 sought to know as to what action has been taken against such unauthorised installations and also against the officers who failed to ensure mandatory requirement of obtaining written permission in their area.

It directed the principal secretary (home) and the chairman of UP Pollution Control Board to file their personal affidavits along with the aforesaid information on February 1.

The division bench of justice Vikram Nath and justice Abdul Moin issued the directions on a PIL moved by lawyer Moti Lal Yadav, seeking strict compliance of the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules that had been framed in 2000.

Reiterating that right to live in freedom from noise pollution and right to sleep being a facet of Article 21 of the Constitution, the bench cautioned the officials to appear in person before it, if their personal affidavits were not filed till the next hearing.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Armed with a high court order, the Yogi Adityanath government on Sunday banned the use of loudspeakers at temples, mosques and other public places without permission and set January 15 as the deadline to remove the amplifiers.

After receiving flak from the Allahabad High Court over noise pollution in Uttar Pradesh, the state government also issued detailed directives on the use of permanently installed loudspeakers at these places.

The high court had last month asked the state government whether the loudspeakers or public address systems at mosques, temples, churches, and gurdwaras, among other places, were installed after obtaining a written permission from the authorities concerned.

Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar said, "On the directions of the court regarding ensuring implementation of noise pollution control rules, a government order giving detailed instructions has been issued."



This practically implies that sound should not go beyond the periphery of the public or private place, Kumar said.

The 10-page-order has directed a survey of permanently installed loudspeakers and issuance of show cause notice to those using them without requisite permission.

If the permission to install loudspeakers at religious or public places was not sought before January 15, the government would start removing these from January 20. After that, action will be initiated under noise pollution control laws.

A format for applying for permission, issuance of permission and action against those who neither apply for permission nor comply with terms and conditions of permission has also been issued.

It also requires the district magistrates to categorise areas into industrial, commercial, residential and silence zones. Each area has separate maximum limits for permissible sound levels.

The loudspeakers installed in public places cannot have a sound level more than 10 decibels above the ambient noise level at the periphery of a public place and 5 decibels above the ambient noise level at the periphery of a private place, Kumar said.

The Lucknow bench of the high court had on December 20 sought to know as to what action has been taken against such unauthorised installations and also against the officers who failed to ensure mandatory requirement of obtaining written permission in their area.

It directed the principal secretary (home) and the chairman of the UP Pollution Control Board to file their personal affidavits along with the information sought on February 1.

The division bench of justices Vikram Nath and Abdul Moin issued the directions on a PIL moved by lawyer Moti Lal Yadav, seeking strict compliance of the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules that had been framed in 2000.

Noting that the right to live in freedom from noise pollution and the right to sleep was a facet of Article 21 of the Constitution, the bench cautioned the officials to appear in person before it, if their personal affidavits were not filed till the next hearing.China shares some of the concerns of the US about the terrorism problem in Pakistan and Washington is seeking to work with Beijing and other regional players to convince Islamabad about the need to crackdown on terror safe havens, a senior White House official has said.

As the Trump Administration is determined to eliminate terrorist safe havens in Pakistan, which is key to bring stability in Afghanistan and in the region, the official hoped that China will play a helpful role in convincing Pakistan that it is in its own interest to crack down on these sanctuaries.

Pakistan already has deep historical ties going back to many years and they have close military ties, the official said, adding that the economic relationship is also growing with the China Pakistan Economic Corridor.

ALSO READ: US looks at options to mitigate retaliation from Pakistan

"But, China shares some of the concerns of the US about the terrorism problem. The US is seeking to work with other regional players and China would be one of the main ones to deal with this issue. It won't serve China's interests to have terrorist sanctuaries in Pakistan," the senior administration official said on condition of anonymity.

The official was quick to point out that China has been playing a more helpful role in terms of encouraging better relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

It is taking a more active role in that regard.

"So, I would disagree with the assertion that China will not play a helpful role in convincing Pakistan it's in its own interests to crack down on the sanctuaries," the official told a group of reporters on Friday.

"Ultimately, China is also working toward a stable Afghanistan. That's going to take them back to the same issue, which are the sanctuaries in Pakistan," the official said.

The China-Pakistan relationship is already very strong and the US is unconcerned over reports that its decision to freeze approximately $2 billion in security assistance to Pakistan would push Islamabad towards Beijing, the official added.

ALSO READ: Send Pakistan the right signal

"That relationship is already very very strong. But what we have seen is an interest by Pakistan in having a strong relationship with both the US and China. So that's one issue. And the second issue is that China is also concerned about terrorism and extremism in South Asia," the official said.

Noting that China has taken a more active role in trying to help stabilise Afghanistan, trying to improve relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, the official said the US believes that the Chinese are also interested in stability in Pakistan and also for the China Pakistan Economic Corridor.

"Ultimately if they want to see stability in the region, and I think they do, they also will have an interest in seeing Pakistan crack down on the Haqqani and Taliban network," the senior administration official said.A virtual reality tour of India's famous monuments will be the major attraction for visitors to the Netherlands' largest holiday fair beginning here from Tuesday.

"Virtual reality offers immersive, 3-D experiences via videos with 360-degree perspectives through which visitors will be able to enjoy the experience of visiting the Qutub Minar, Amer Palace, Khajuraho, Nalanda, Kailashnath Temple, Athirappiliy Waterfalls, Alappuzha backwaters and various other cultural and natural landmarks in India," a statement issued today by the Indian Embassy here said.

The India tourism and Kerala tourism stalls and virtual reality displays at the Vakantiebeurs (holiday fair) will be inaugurated on January 9 by India's Ambassador of India to the Netherlands, Venu Rajamony and the Mayor of Utrecht Jan van Zanen.

Traditional lighting of lamps will be followed by Bhangra dance performances and Indian refreshments throughout the day to showcase India's cultural richness to visitors, it said.

Staff of the Indian Embassy in the Netherlands, India tourism and volunteers from the Indian community will facilitate virtual reality tours of India for visitors during the six-day fair using devices specially procured for the purpose, the statement said.

Vakantiebeurs is held every year in the city of Utrecht at the heart of the Netherlands and attracts a large number of visitors with 1,050 companies participating in 2018.

Around 10 travel companies from India are co-exhibitors at the India tourism and Kerala tourism stalls this year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Actor Laura Dern said she believes that when women unite for a cause they walk together hand-in-hand like a "tribe of support".

The "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" actor, who has been lauded for her performance in "Big Little Lies", said it was "beautiful" to be part of the show, which also features Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman.

"It's very easy. Look what happens when girls get together, we do become a tribe of support. It's not necessarily the stereotype that women would be so supportive, and yet, it's amazing," Dern told People magazine.

"For myself and Reese and Nicole, we are also raising young children so it's been incredibly supportive to have the workplace be a place of sort of co-parenting as well and that's been delicious," she said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Rajya Sabha lost half of its working time due to disruptions in the Winter Session during which the contentious triple talaq bill also could not be passed with the government and the opposition trading barbs over it.

The truncated session started on a stormy note with the opposition creating an uproar over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks against his predecessor Manmohan Singh.

The remarks, made during the Gujarat elections campaign, led to acrimonious exchanges between the two sides in the Upper House with the Congress-led opposition demanding an apology from the prime minister on the issue.

The matter was, however, resolved with the intervention of Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, who helped both sides sit together and amicably resolve the dispute.

The matter ended with the sides making statements in the House, stressing that they respected the high posts of the prime minister as well as the former prime minister, and would not say anything to denigrate them.

The opposition also raised the issue of remarks made by Union minister Anantkumar Hegde against the Constitution and the attacks on Dalits in Bhima-Koregaon in Pune district on January 1, which led to uproarious scenes and disruptions.

However, when the triple talaq bill was introduced for consideration in the Rajya Sabha, the opposition brought two amendments in it for sending it to the Select Committee.

The House saw sharp exchanges over the issue, with the treasury benches blaming the opposition for stalling the key legislation seeking to empower women's rights and make triple talaq a cognisable offence with jail up to three years.

However, the opposition led by the Congress was adamant to send the bill to the Select Committee for further scrutiny.

The bill would now be taken up in the Budget Session which starts later this month.

The Rajya Sabha lost 34 hours working time to such disruptions.

Chairman Naidu urged members to seriously introspect and not treat Parliament as an extension of politics, which is marked by deep divisions and acrimony.

The session which started on December 15 had 13 sittings in all. The House, however, tried to make up this loss by sitting late for about three hours to complete legislative and other important businesses.

It worked for 41 hours that saw the passage of nine Government Bills.

The bills that were passed in the House included the Companies (Amendment) Bill, the Indian Institutes of Management Bill, the Indian Forest (Amendment) Bill, the Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy Bill and the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second (Amendment) Bill.

Besides, the Repealing and Amending Bill, the Repealing and Amending (Second) Bill, the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill, the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Amendment) Bill were also passed.

There were 51 special mentions on matters of public importance which were made during the session. Fifty-one matters were also raised with the permission of the Chair.

The House also discussed during short duration discussions the issues of excessively high levels of air pollution in Delhi, the state of the economy, investment climate and job creation in the country and the need to address the challenge of rising unemployment.

During the session, 19 Private Members' Bills were introduced and one Private Members' Bill namely the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2016 (insertion of new article 16A) was discussed and motion for consideration of the Bill was negatived.

However, no Private Members' Resolution could be discussed during the Session. During the Session, 110 reports/statements of various parliamentary committees were also tabled.

The issue of disqualification of two former JD-U members Sharad Yadav and Ali Anwar Ansari from the membership of the Rajya Sabha with effect from December 4, 2017, under the tenth schedule of the Constitution, also came up.

The House was informed by the Chair about the resignation of three sitting members - Manohar Parrikar, Mukul Roy and M P Veerendra Kumar



During the session, the House made references to the passing away of Shri Arjan Singh, Marshal of the Indian Air Force and 12 former members of the Rajya Sabha.

Twelve new ministers, inducted into the Union Council of Ministers, were introduced by the prime minister and the new secretary general, Rajya Sabha, was also introduced by the chairman to the House.

The House bid farewell to three members, Karan Singh, Janardan Dwivedi and Parvez Hashmi, representing the NCT of Delhi, whose term of office would expire on the January 27.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj made a statement regarding the meeting of the family members of Kulbhushan Jadhav with him in Pakistan and the situation arising there. Members of various parties and groups also expressed their concern.

The Minister of Commerce and Industry also laid a statement regarding 'India's stand in the WTO'.

Fifty statements on the status of implementation of the recommendations contained in the reports of various DRPS Committees were also laid on the Table of the House.

A Report of the Inquiry Committee in respect of Justice S K Gangele, Judge, Madhya Pradesh High Court were presented on the Table of the House.

During the Session, 210 Starred Questions and 2,239 Unstarred Questions were admitted and answered. Of these 46 Starred Questions were orally answered.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Global hospitality major Wyndham Hotel Group is looking to add 40 new hotels in India by 2020 as part of its expansion plans in the country, a senior company official said.

The company currently has 35 operational hotels with 3,258 rooms under the Ramada, Ramada Encore, Howard Johnson and Days brands in India.

"We aim to have 75 operational hotels in India by 2020 and plan to further expand our footprint in other high potential countries in the region by exploring new opportunities," Wyndham Hotel Group Eurasia Regional Vice President Deepika Arora told PTI.

Emphasising that India is a key market for the Group, she said the company is also planning to introduce some new brands in the coming years such as Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham, Wyndham Grand and Wyndham in India. Wyndham Grand is scheduled to open in Bengaluru in 2020.

Elaborating on the growth strategy, Arora said: "In India, as part of our development strategy, we look to provide global connectivity and brand recognition with further expansion into secondary and tertiary cities as well as leisure destinations."



The company's upcoming openings will add leisure locations like Kasauli and Lonavala, pilgrim destinations like Tirupati and Dwarka in Gujarat and business locations like Ghaziabad, Trivandrum, Bhubaneswar among others, she added.

Wyndham Hotel Group has two global business models but it primarily follows franchise models for its hotel brands although in many markets, the company also operates properties under management contract.

In India, the company has largely grown through the franchise model, she added.

"The franchise model has worked well for us and within a short time frame, we grew in India from eight hotels in 2010 to 35 operational hotels to date in 2018," Arora said.

When asked about the segment that could be a major growth driver for the hospitality major, Arora said: "We are concentrating on the mid-market segment in the country as we see an opportunity for immense growth in this segment."



There has been a shift with an increasing number of corporate travellers opting for mid-market hotels along with India's growing middle class with disposable income who are eager to travel and explore, she added.

"Our goal is to ensure that wherever across India or the region that travellers want to go, they will find a Wyndham Hotel Group hotel to meet their needs and their budget," Arora said.

Wyndham Hotel Group currently has over 8,100 hotels with more than 7,08,500 rooms in 78 countries across 20 brands.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A worker at a factory in China operated by iPhone maker Foxconn died on Saturday after jumping from a window, according to a statement from China Labour Watch, a US-based activist organisation, which cited information from employees. Ming Li was a dispatch worker from an agency at the factory in Zhengzhou, the capital city of Henan province. He lived at the factory, one of the company's largest in China. It is still not known why he jumped, China Labour Watch said in an email. Foxconn's Chinese headquarters in Shenzhen could not be reached for comment outside of ...Five things youve probably never done in Jasper

You may have hiked the Old Fort Point Loop Trail in Jasper National Park, but have you cooked and eaten a gourmet meal at the top? Last October, I stood on top of Old Fort Point gazing out at an incredible view while I made homemade cheese using a camping stove at a real table. Making cheese is something I never imagined myself doing. Having a gourmet cooking lesson on a mountaintop was even more inconceivable.comment, editorial

Summernats might have dropped its beauty pageant from the running sheet this year but it appears a lot more needs to be done to improve the culture of the event. There is no doubt that co-owner Andy Lopez and the rest of the Summernats team are doing their best to make the car festival more welcoming to women and families. Measures implemented at the event - like the banning of the wet T-shirt competition - send a strong message to the community that such behaviour is no longer acceptable. But although management is keen to change the perception of the festival and make it a safer environment by these moves it is another thing altogether to change a culture. A love of cars is not a passion exclusively held by men. And using that love of cars as an excuse to belittle and humiliate women who dare to walk down "Tuff Street" or indeed attend the festival at all is disgraceful. It is also unacceptable that car-loving women have to adjust their behaviour for their own safety and limit where they go at the festival to avoid unwanted attention. It is a sad indictment on our society that this year ticket holders had to tick a box on their pass agreeing that they wouldn't hassle other patrons - presumably women. It is not only inside the event; on social media Canberra women have reported being harrassed by groups of men in cars. As the behaviour by some patrons towards the Canberra Times on Saturday displayed there are some men who sanction their misbehaviour because they are at Summernats and "boys will be boys". It is this culture that needs stamping out if the festival is to become truly family friendly and welcoming to women. Of course the majority of festival attendees do not behave in this manner and attend the event as car enthusiasts looking to enjoy the day. But it cannot be denied that a predatory vibe still exists at the event and that many still do take the opportunity to denigrate women in packs. This behaviour is not condoned on the streets of Canberra so it must be asked how it is still acceptable inside the gates. Society is undergoing tremendous change when it comes to the treatment of women and the calling out of abuse and harassment against them. Perhaps it's time for the Summernats patrons to notice this.

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The federal opposition has called on newly named Agriculture Minister David Littleproud to reverse a key decision of his predecessor and stop the relocation of the national pesticides authority. Deputy Prime Minister and former agriculture minister Barnaby Joyce has faced ongoing charges of political pork barrelling over the controversial move of the Australian Pesticides And Veterinary Medicines Authority to his own electorate of New England, while a pre-Christmas report found the authority may have to hire staff from overseas to avoid a drain on its skills. Labor's agriculture spokesman Joel Fitzgibbon accused the government of trying to bury the report, calling on Mr Littleproud to reverse the forced relocation in the best interest of farmers and other stakeholders around Australia. Mr Fitzgibbon said the business model prepared by external consultants Pegasus Economics showed out-sourcing and the importation of foreign workers was needed as the authority struggled to find the qualified staff in its new home of Armidale, in northern NSW. "Since the announcement of the APVMA relocation by Barnaby Joyce in 2015, the APVMA has been bleeding staff and now will need to make drastic high risk operational decisions in a desperate attempt to make the failing relocation work," he said. "New Agriculture Minister David Littleproud's first act must be to stop the forced relocation in the interest of our farmers and all those who rely on the APVMA. "If David Littleproud fails that basic test, how can the producers of our food and fibre have any confidence in him?" The authority has had a horror run of deteriorating performance levels in 2017 and confirmed it expects a "modest" number of its Canberra public servants to move to New England. Chief executive Chris Parker has not ruled out hiring staff from overseas and said the best person for advertised jobs would be hired in Armidale. Public service hiring rules allow overseas recruitment, with agency bosses permitted to hire non-citizens only when they are considered more appropriate than domestic job applicants. The proposed business model also poured cold water on a staffing solution the agency has touted for its controversial move, saying remote-working staff who don't want to relocate from Canberra would be unable to take most of its roles. The authority expects up to 150 employees will work from Armidale after its move finishes in 2019. Staff for Mr Joyce have consistently ignored media requests related to the forced relocation of the authority, including from The Canberra Times. It was revealed this month disgraced celebrity gardener Don Burke told Mr Joyce he would reveal to the media his criticisms of the forced relocation unless the Coalition followed through on reforms of the authority. Documents provided to the Senate showed Mr Burke became increasingly frustrated and said he had publicly defended Mr Joyce, but would be forced to go public if he did not hear back about the structure of a proposed five-person advisory body by July this year. Follow Tom McIlroy on Twitter and Facebook

/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/a0c64765-a97d-4c26-a4af-201684220f92/r0_101_2000_1231_w1200_h678_fmax.jpgTo the editor:

Yes I am willing to help pay for roads, for schools, for public sewers systems, for public water systems, for hospitals, for mass transit, for the upgrades and expansion of power grids, of railroads, of ocean ports, of airports. Yes I am definitely a firm believer in taxation with a purpose.

Congressman Francis Rooney, you have just voted on the Tax Reform Bill that will increase the national debt by about $1.5 trillion. You voted to decrease the very wealthy earners tax brackets. You voted to slash the corporate tax brackets from 36 down to 21 percent. You voted to repeal an important part of the Affordable Health Care law  the requirement that all Americans carry health insurance or face a penalty. About 13 million Americans will be without health insurance. However, your health care via Congress is absolutely stunning so you have nothing to worry about concerning your own health insurance coverage.

Congressman Francis Rooney, do you think for an instant that corporations like Boeing, Amazon, Caterpillar, John Deere, Google, Verizon, Wells Fargo or billionaires like Murdock Rupert, Paul Allen, Robert Bigelow, the Koch brothers, the Trump and Kushner families will actually send money to fix the streets or to update the sewer systems and public water systems or build a new school in Cape Coral? In the real world, the economic trickledown theory does not work. The corporations will not raise their employee salaries. They will however show huge gains on their annual balance sheets and they will increase the bonuses to their executives and upgrade their corporate jets.

On a side note, I find it interesting that you voted to start oil drilling in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. I am not sure of the correlation between oil drilling and tax reform. Maybe the deal you worked out between Rex Tillerson and his Exxon cronies will come to light in the future.

I never did discuss in this letter anything about how the lower and middle class taxpayers will be helped by this tax reform law. Was that an oversight on your part not to address this issue in this tax bill? Interesting!!.

Congressman Francis Rooney, you have compromised many principles during your short political career in Congress. Your current voting record reminds me of a slime trail of a drunken slug.

It is my sincere hope that in your next reelection cycle to Congress that you become unelected  FOREVER!!

Earl W. Burt

Bremerton, WA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.Kelowna has recently changed its policy and is now charging $5.00 for the dumping of organic material. While this seems innocuous, here is my situation:



My wife and I live downtown, the street has many beautiful, large, old shade trees that produce copious, I mean tons of leaves in the Fall. These trees are on city property, now everyone loves these trees, Im sure. I love these trees, I just hate the leaves. I literally raked up over 40 large bags of leaves this year, leaves from trees on city property, not my trees. Did you catch that, theyre not mine! These arent my trees, now I dont even mind so much the raking, its good exercise. Its outside in the fresh autumn smoke. I even gave up smoking tobacco in lieu of inhaling wood smoke while I raked the city leaves.

All I remember from last fall is come home from work, rake the leaves, bag the leaves, breathe the smoke, haul the leaves. Forty plus bags of city leaves that I had to rake, bag and then haul, on my dime, to the citys composting site at the dump. I have a 1/2 ton pick up truck, I made at least ten trips to the dump through the fall, that would now cost me $50. (by the way on our street, I didnt observe the city sweep these leaves even one time this autumn! Not once.)

For the privilege of doing the citys job of cleaning up their leaves last season I am out of pocket for my: time, my tools, wear and tear on my vehicle, wear and tear on my lungs, gas to drive my vehicle and leaf bags. But now to add insult to injury, Im going to have to pay to dump these city leaves? So the city can mulch the organic material and sell it for a profit? Give the tax payers a break. Ill bet few on city council do their own raking and yard work. Ill bet no one on city council rakes up 40 bags of City-produced leaves. If you start charging the public to dump organic waste, it will just be all over the city. Empty ravines and empty lots as well as back alleys. If I blow them back onto the street, Ill get fined?

J. SteffenYou could have the missing piece of the puzzle that will help the RCMP put someone behind bars. Here are some recent crimes that Central Okanagan Crime Stoppers hope you can help solve by calling our anonymous tips line at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), visit our website at www.crimestoppers.net or text to CRIMES (274637), keyword Ktown.

CRIME: COMMERCIAL BREAK AND ENTER

DATE: December 31, 2017

RCMP FILE: 2017-77598

A commercial alarm was activated at Your Dollar Store located on Main Street in Lake Country at 4:01 a.m. on December 31st. A suspect broke in through the front door and kicked in the office door. Once inside the office the suspect rummaged around and was able to leave with an undisclosed amount of cash.

If you know anything about this crime, or any other crime, call the Central Okanagan Crime Stoppers anonymous tips line at 1-800-222-TIPS or visit our website at www.crimestoppers.net. Your information will be kept confidential and could lead to a reward of up to $2000.00.

CRIME: THEFTS FROM MAILBOXES

DATE: December 22-24, 2017

RCMP FILE: 2017-76435

Lake Country RCMP members were kept busy between December 22nd and December 24th when at least 6 complaints of mailbox theft/mailbox tampering were received. Canada Post Superboxes at the following locations were opened:

Seaton Road near Read Road

Seaton Road at Okanagan Centre Road E

Robinson Road

Robinson Road at Highway 97

Cliffshore Drive/ Cliffshore Court

Cliffshore Drive near Shoreline Drive

Witnesses at several locations reported seeing a male and female in an older silver or grey Chevy or GMC extended cab truck (could be two-toned with gold). The male is described as being bald with tattoos on both sides of his neck wearing a black hoodie. The female had shoulder length brunette hair.

Photo: Crime Stoppers

You can help catch these suspects and qualify for a reward by calling Crime Stoppers anonymous tips line at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), visit our website at www.crimestoppers.net or text to CRIMES (274637), keyword Ktown.Photo: Allison Wood A Black Mountain resident says her block has been forgotten by snow-removal crews.

A Black Mountain resident says her neighbourhood appears to have been forgotten by Kelowna's snow-removal crews.

While the City said Wednesday that all streets in Kelowna have been plowed at least once, Allison Wood is skeptical.

Even at the best of times we only get one lane plowed around our cul-de-sac, but this is ridiculous, she wrote Friday.

I even watched a garbage truck, equipped with chains, having trouble in front of my driveway.

Wood says the lack of snow removal on her block would be less of an issue if it were a flat road, but her road is on a hill with a corner, making manoeuvring around the corner difficult.

Wood said she had put in a service request to the City of Kelowna, but as of Friday, she hadn't gotten a response.Colton Davies

With the holidays over and many people disposing their real Christmas trees, there are some things to be aware of.

"People are sometimes hard-pressed to know what to do with that tree. You definitely want to get it out of the yard. Definitely get it out of the house, just from a fire-safety perspective," Penticton Fire Department crew member David Scott said.

The fire department in Penticton, like others in the Okanagan, is helping alleviate the tree-disposal process for the public.

The department hosted their annual Christmas tree drop-off on Saturday, at Station 202 on Dawson Street.

They also have been picking up trees from peoples homes this month by donation.

All of the trees collected will be taken to the Campbell Mountain landfill to be composted.

The efforts during January help the department fundraise for Muscular Dystrophy Canada, the B.C. Professional Firefighters Association Burn Fund, and other charitable causes.

Scott estimated that at least 200 trees have been collected this month by the department, and expects donations will reach about $2,000 dollars.

"There's no minimum donation. It all actually does add up, and that's not me being cheesy, it really makes a difference. People are being very generous," Scott said.

The public can still arrange to have the department pick up their Christmas tree until Jan. 17, and can drop their trees off at Station 202 until Jan. 31.

Scott advised those interested to call the department at 250-490-2315 to arrange a tree pick-up time.Photo: The Canadian Press

Canadian National Railway crews are clearing a derailment east of Winnipeg.

CN spokeswoman Kate Fenske says in an email that 23 cars were involved in the incident early Saturday, about 50 kilometres east of Elma.

Fenske says there were no injuries and no threat to the public.

She also says there were no leaks of dangerous goods from the tank cars involved.

The Transportation Safety Board says it has deployed a team of investigators to the site.Photo: Lark Group A render of the proposed 415-unit seniors housing development on Banks Crescent in Summerland.

Staff in the District of Summerland believe there is now enough information for council to schedule a public hearing on the controversial Banks Crescent housing development.

A third-party review of the impact the project could have on the nearby trout hatchery's water source was completed on Jan. 4. As well, the proposed project's developer Lark Enterprises updated their proposed amenity contributions  which would equal $1 million.

Golder Associates was tasked with reviewing the 155-page aquifer protection strategy that was submitted by Lark, which the trout hatchery requested in September.

Golder determined that construction will have a minimal risk on an underground aquifer, but ground vibrations could impact Shaughnessy Springs.

Flow of water through the springs occasionally causes erosion and soil sloughing, and "ground vibrations from construction have the potential to trigger new sloughing, or an increased frequency of sloughing," Golder said in their report addressed to Summerland's director of developmental services Dean Strachan.

To measure water quality in the aquifer, Golder also recommended that Lark incorporate an electronic monitoring system, which would need to be tested to prove it gives "reliable data" before construction were to start.

Vibration monitoring was also recommended by Golder, as was methods to mitigate vibration during construction.

In a letter to Summerland's mayor and council, also dated to Jan. 4, project manager Malek Tawashy said Lark will spend $1 million on amenities during construction  much of which would be for improving roads that residents in the complex would be driving on.

With the new information received, Summerland staff is advising council there is enough on the table for council to schedule a public hearing.

A report from Summerland staff noted they are looking at Jan. 29, 30 and 31 as days they could book a facility for a public hearing.

Lark had made two requests in 2017 to schedule a public hearing, which is needed before construction could begin. Summerland council agreed in November to schedule a hearing in the new year.

"In addition to the statutory requirements for notification, the number of people participating in the public hearing is anticipated to exceed the capacity of council chambers," the report reads.

The 415-unit senior housing development would add an estimated 1,000 residents to Summerland. The development would be valued at an estimated $94 million collectively, and bring about $429,000 in additional net income for the municipality.

More than 2,200 residents have signed a petition against the proposed project.

Summerland council will receive the new information during their next meeting on Monday.Photo: The Canadian Press

Last month, outdoor television host Steve Ecklund's cougar hunt led to online threats and criticisms  including a penis comment from Laureen Harper, wife of former prime minister Stephen Harper  after he bragged about it on social media.

Similar outrage followed the killing of No. 148, a well-known Banff grizzly bear, by a hunter in British Columbia last summer.

Both kills were legal.

Scientists say a cultural divide still exists  even within their own community  about hunting large carnivores.

"It's seeing a much greater value on an individual animal rather than a population, but the system is set up for us to manage populations, not individuals," said Adam Ford, an assistant professor of biology at University of British Columbia Okanagan.

"You see this come up when the individual-focus conservation people see a dead cougar and call people out for having a small penis.

"The way hunting has been designed for a long time is to not have an impact on the population."

Alberta has regulated its cougar population since 1969. An annual quota allows up to 155 animals to be hunted each year.

The province estimates there are 2,000 to 3,500 cougars.

Both the government's top carnivore expert and University of Alberta biologist Mark Boyce have said it's a sustainable population that must be managed because cougars can prey on cattle or become a public safety risk.

Similar debates have taken place around grizzly bears. The hunt in B.C. was banned last month after surveys showed it wasn't supported by most residents.

Although people are concerned about "beautiful cuddly carnivores" being shot, Ford said he worries scientists have been weighing in on the ethical debate over hunting.

"My morals are different than yours, but facts should be facts," he said, noting he's working on a paper looking at the growing divide between scientists on issues such as hunting.

Hunters have defended the hunt as a tradition.

"As outdoor enthusiasts, we look for opportunities to get into the outdoors," said Wayne Lowry, a hunter and past president of the Alberta Fish and Game Association. "The cougar season offers a very late-season hunting opportunity."

Lowry, who killed a cougar near Crowsnest Pass about 15 years ago, said it's unlike any hunt he's experienced.

"It took me two years," he said. "For me, it was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of event.

He still has the mounted cat in his home.

"It was a great experience ... You see the dogs get excited and you get excited as well."

One scientist said the outrage is not generally with hunting, but an ethical debate over killing large carnivores that can suffer. Chris Darimont, associate professor of geography at the University of Victoria, said hunting for sport makes people uncomfortable.

"They cannot accept the idea that people kill carnivores not to feed their families, but to feed their egos," said Darimont, who is opposed to killing animals other than for food or protection.

The Alberta government says it hasn't received any calls to end the hunt since the cougar controversy hit.

The province did ban the grizzly bear hunt in 2006 due to concerns about a dwindling population  although recent increases in some areas have led to calls to allow it to return in Alberta.Photo: The Canadian Press

The potential dismantling of the North American Free Trade Agreement poses the biggest risk to Canada's railways not benefiting this year from healthy economies and higher demand to move crude oil, say industry observers.

"What keeps us up at night?" said analyst Kevin Chiang of CIBC World Markets. "NAFTA renegotiations."

Chiang said the earnings implications of the U.S. government's move to disband the continental free trade agreement are unknown, but an almost immediate 10 per cent drop in values in the aftermath of the Brexit vote in the United Kingdom could be a guide post for Canada's industrial and transportation sectors.

"We would not be surprised to see a similar immediate reaction in the Canadian industrial/transportation complex, especially for those companies tied to North American trade," he wrote in a report this week.

Fadi Chamoun of BMO Capital Markets says a repeal of the 24-year-old NAFTA could create significant uncertainty and potentially weigh on the valuations of Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway.

About 30 per cent of the railways' revenues are derived from cross-border trade, with 60 to 70 per cent of that being Canadian exports to the U.S., he wrote in a report.

The overall impact to the Canadian economy would be almost a one percentage point decrease in gross domestic product and a likely five per cent depreciation in the value of the Canadian dollar, said a Bank of Montreal study released in November.

The depreciation of the loonie would bolster Canadian export competitiveness and over time offset half the decline in GDP resulting from about a 1.7 per cent increase in tariffs.

BMO Chief Economist Douglas Porter has described the impact as a serious but manageable risk.

U.S. tax reforms are expected to boost earnings for companies with large operations south of the border. Chiang estimates the decrease in the tax rate from 35 to 21 per cent will shave about two points off the effective tax rates of CN Rail and CP Rail, helping to raise earnings per share.

Even before these changes, analysts anticipate that healthy forecasted economic growth in North America should help railways.

They said the outlook for rail volumes has improved over the last six months as the North American grain harvest and automotive trends were not as weak as anticipated. They also expect crude-by-rail should provide a boost.

Chamoun anticipates overall carloads will grow about two per cent this year after increasing about 4.5 per cent in 2017. That should translate into double-digit earnings growth for the full year.

Increased oil sands production over the next two years should drive a resurgence of crude-by-rail until new pipeline capacity comes on stream, said Walter Spracklin of RBC Capital Markets.

Royal Bank is forecasting production increases of 315,000 barrels per day in 2018 and 180,000 in 2019.

Spracklin estimates that the two railways only handled 38 per cent of peak capacity last year transporting 35,000 to 40,000 carloads, compared to 110,000 carloads during the peak in 2014.

While CN Rail has a network advantage with its line running deeper into the oil sands, he said the Montreal-based railways has limited capacity for crude, giving CP Rail an opportunity to gain a larger share of the business.

The two railways report their 2017 results later this month.

CN Rail (TSX:CNR) is expected to earn $3.83 billion or $5.05 per share in adjusted profits for the full year, according to analysts polled by Thomson Reuters. That compared to $3.58 billion or $4.59 per share in fiscal 2016.

That is expected to increase to $4.06 billion or $5.52 per share in fiscal 2018.

Analysts forecast that CP Rail (TSX:CP) will earn $1.7 billion or $11.45 per share in adjusted earnings, compared to $1.55 billion or $10.29 per share in 2016. For 2018, they forecast $1.84 billion or $13 per share.The flaws, announced this week and dubbed Meltdown and Spectre, flow from designs that allowed computers to operate more quickly and efficiently. Though it's not clear whether hackers have exploited these flaws, security experts say attacks would be relatively easy to develop and could allow the theft of private information such as passwords, credit card numbers, private corporate data and other information stored in computers or smartphones. Such attacks, the experts add, would likely not leave any trace that could be detected later.Adding insult to injury, U.S. multinationals will spend big bucks complying with the new European rules and watching the backs of EU residents, while their attention to Americans privacy will be largely unchanged, which is to say theyll make as little effort as legally possible keeping our data under wraps.While we have always had full confidence in our ability to prevail in this case, we believe this decision is in the best interest of our company, employees and shareholders by allowing us to return our focus on doing what we do best  providing friendly, reliable, and low-cost service to our customers, the airline said in a statement issued Wednesday.Q: My wife got a nail in her run-flat tire, and they cannot repair those if the nail is in the outer row of tread. Fortunately we needed only to replace that tire because it had just 7,000 miles. We also realized that calling AAA is not going to help her because they cannot do anything to fix it. And if she gets a flat in the middle of nowhere, she really (has a problem) because even if you can make it to a garage in the tires 50-mile range, they will likely not have the tire in stock. Here, even NTB had to order it from their local warehouse.Still, this show is not disciplined enough for it to count with the good reality shows I reviewed in my years as a TV critic. Survivor and The Amazing Race are tightly edited and on point. Even The Apprentice managed to get you more invested in what would happen to the characters than fearful of what they might do. This show is sprawling, full of nervous energy, and you never think: Backstage somewhere there is an executive who really knows what he is doing.In the lawsuit, Filler said Rubin misrepresented himself to de la Huerta as a victims' rights advocate, but actually was acting for the benefit of Weinstein "to interfere by a series of harmful subterfuges, threats, and extortion demands, entirely outside the legitimate strictures of the legal system."At about 6:10 a.m., they were loading their vehicle with personal items when someone they didnt know came up to them and tried to rob them. It wasnt immediately clear whether the gunman actually stole any of their belongings but at some point, the man opened fire on the father and son, officials said.In that case, the robber handed a teller a note that said, "I need your money now!" He made off with more than $5,000, Deerfield police said.Chicago police are searching for two men who robbed people, and in one case sexually assaulted a person, after meeting them under the guise of buying or selling something from an internet ad.Fergusons report also noted that many of the 44 contracts with unions that represent more than 90 percent of the citys 32,000 employees expired either last year or the year before. He said their expiration thus constitutes a generational moment to align the terms of the relationship between the city and its unionized workforce with operational and fiscal imperatives too long deferred.President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn as he leaves the White House Jan. 5, 2018. (Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP)According to Julie Contreras, a friend of the family and speaking on its behalf, Cambray was last seen on Dec. 25 when he got out of his friend's car at a service station at Grand Avenue and Jackson StreetHe said he had to go somewhere but didn't say where, Contreras said. When he didn't return that night, the family got worried and filed a missing persons report with Waukegan police.Some parents might be proud that their student even went to college and suggest that perhaps it wasn't right for them. But parents with college experience are more apt to tell their kids they can get through it and suggest strategies to do better.A three-day celebration for the upcoming Chinese Spring Festival kicked off Saturday in central Japanese city of Nagoya.

The celebration was held on Hisaya Square in downtown Nagoya, where red lanterns and flags were hung high and people cheered in a festival atmosphere.

A record high of 78 booths were set up around the square, selling traditional Chinese cuisine, including dumplings, sugar-coated haws and others.

A number of Chinese and Japanese artists performed on a spectacular stage set up at one end of the square, including face-changing stunt of Sichuan opera, acrobatics and lion dances.

"Spring Festival is a traditional holiday in China to celebrate the Lunar New Year. It is hoped that the festival celebrations here would promote mutual understanding and friendship between people in China and Japan," said Deng Wei, Chinese consul general in Nagoya.

He added that as 2018 marks the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between China and Japan, the two countries could take this opportunity to further enhance communications and make new contributions to improvement of bilateral relations.

Ichiro Hirosawa, vice mayor of Nagoya city, said the Spring Festival celebrations here have attracted a large number of visitors from Nagoya and neighboring areas and provide good opportunities for Japanese people to get in touch with traditional Chinese culture.

As this year also marks the 40th anniversary for sister cities between Nagoya and China's Nanjing, friendship between the two sides could be further deepened at this significant juncture, he added.

Overseas Chinese have been holding Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations in Nagoya since 2007. The celebration has become an important platform for local people to learn more about Chinese culture and promote mutual understanding and cultural exchanges between central Japan and China.



China's top banking regulator on Saturday issued rules to tighten management over entrusted loans, a form of business-to-business lending that involves commercial lenders as intermediaries.





Under the new rules, as intermediaries, commercial banks should neither participate in the decision-making of entrusted lending nor provide guarantees of any kind, according to the China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC).





The entrusting parties should choose qualified borrowers independently, and they should bear the credit risk from entrusted lending.





The rules also tightened supervision on funding sources, which ask commercial banks to stay away from entrusted loans that use bank credit, funds with special purposes and other forms of borrowed capital as funding sources, as well as loans with unproven funding sources.





Meanwhile, entrusted loans should not be used in production, operation or investment in government-banned sectors, and they are also prohibited from investments such as bonds, futures, financial derivatives and asset management products.





The entrusted loan business has grown fast and played a positive role in serving the real economy, but there are "certain hidden risks" due to a lack of unified rules, the CBRC said in a statement.





Commercial banks should strictly separate entrusted loan business from their own business to enhance risk control and business management, said the regulator.





Entrusted loans have played a major role in China's shadow banking, which takes place outside the regulatory scope and remains a key source of risk to financial stability following years of rapid growth.





Following a tough financial clean-up in 2017, China will continue to crack down on irregular and illegal activity in the financial sector this year to forestall risks, according to the annual Central Economic Work Conference last month.This year is the 40th anniversary of the signing of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship. Both sides are taking steps to ensure a better perspective for the future.





Last November,President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in the Vietnamese resort city of Danang and agreed on a "fresh-start" in bilateral relations. More recently, Abe went further and said that he wanted to take the opportunity to deepen high-level exchanges with China in 2018.

Certainly, political and business affairs dominate the agenda. When Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met his Japanese counterpart in Manila some weeks ago, they affirmed their close coordination.

He also told the biggest ever Japanese business delegation to visit Beijing around the same time that ties between Asia's two biggest economies have been gradually improving. The Japanese business leaders welcomed this positive momentum.

This doesn't mean differences have been bridged. However, the preservation of peace and the advancement of economic globalization remain common objectives. No doubt, the promotion of communications and contacts between the two sides can facilitate fruitful dialogue on various existing complex factors.

The Beijing-Tokyo Forum, for instance, constitutes a useful platform in bringing Chinese and Japanese representatives from several fields closer together.

Within the framework of continuous discussions, however, history cannot be overlooked. Under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, China is attaching great importance to this. Specifically, three years ago, it designated a National Memorial Day to mark the anniversary of the 1937 Nanjing massacre when hundreds of thousands of civilians and unarmed soldiers were killed by the Imperial Japanese Army.

This year's ceremony coincided with the 80th anniversary of the day when Nanjing fell to the Japanese aggressors.

It is obviously problematic that the role of China in World War II has not attracted great attention by Western scholars and historians. As historian Rana Mitter explains, China has not been given sufficient credit for what has often been regarded as a purely American victory in Asia, and particularly the Pacific.

In his book Forgotten Ally, Mitter offers new insights that might form part of a fruitful debate regarding the revising of the history of WWII.

A fair analysis of developments in Asia and the Sino-Japanese war should acknowledge two important parameters. The first is the significant number of losses, as China suffered approximately 15 million deaths and saw a destruction of its infrastructure and agriculture production.

Massacres like the one in Nanjing are characteristic examples, while it cannot be ignored that most of country's rail network, sealed highways and factories were destroyed or seriously damaged. And the second parameter is the impact of these dramatic consequences on the future defeat of Japan.

We know that Japan made a huge investment in armed forces in its effort to dominate and control China. So, a hypothetical question can be asked: What would have happened, if Japan had won the Sino-Japanese war? A logical answer is that Japan could have not have necessarily surrendered as it finally happened.

Such a development might have extended the duration of World War II. The heroic stance and resistance of China to the Japanese aggression during World War II has to be considered as one of the most important reasons for the achievement of world peace in 1944-1945.

Responding to the Japanese policy of "Kill All, Burn All, Loot All," China showed great resolve in defending itself at any cost.

Last but not least, the contribution of China to world peace during World War II should not only be connected to developments in Asia, but also to the entire world. We should remember that in September 1940, a tripartite agreement was signed in Berlin between Germany, Japan and Italy.

Article 2 of this agreement stipulated that "Germany and Italy recognize and respect the leadership of Japan in the establishment of a new order in Greater East Asia." In the previous years, Italy had already occupied Abyssinia, Japan had attacked China and Germany had annexed Austria.

The role of China during World War II was a catalyst for world peace. On the one hand, the country managed to protect itself in spite of tremendous human losses, on the other, it contributed  with its determined stance of resistance  to the defeat of the Axis Powers.

Chinese archives reveal that, in the eight years from 1937 until 1945, allied forces killed and wounded about 1.95 million Japanese soldiers. About 70 percent of these casualties took place on Chinese battlefields.

All in all, China should be given a historical due. Politicians and businessmen have to carefully study the past when planning ahead. And the new generation of Chinese and Japanese people  as well as of the world community  need to remember history in looking towards the future.

George N. Tzogopoulos is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/GeorgeNTzogopoulos.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. Flash

After years of struggling growing various crops in vain due to low rainfall, farmers in semi-arid areas in Kenya have finally found a crop that is putting money in their pockets.

The crop is not only drought-tolerant but is highly valued both in Kenya and in the export market especially in Asia, making the farmers reap profits amid the negative effects of climate change, which has hit hard arid areas.

The green gram is also known as the mung bean, a small round bean similiar in shape to the field pea. The crop requires low rainfall hence performs well in semi-arid areas, is resistant to many pests and goes for up to 1.5 U.S. dollars a kilogram in the Kenyan market.

Sammy Mutunga, a farmer in the dry Kitui County, eastern Kenya, is among those who have embraced the crop reaping big from his once unproductive land.

Mutunga grows green grams on two acres and this is his third season, having started the farming in 2016.

"I was among the first people who embraced the crop when a non-state organization came in this area to promote it. They told us that it would perform better than the maize we were all struggling to grow. At first we doubted because they were selling the seeds but I gave it a try, starting with quarter acre," he recounted Friday.

The crop did unexpectedly well, said Mutunga, noting that he harvested a 90kg bag of green grams from the quarter acre.

"I was extremely happy. I could not believe that from a quarter acre, I would get a bag of green grams yet my two acres of maize only offered less than 10 bags," he said.

He sold the produce at 0.8 dollars a kilogram, earning some 60 dollars, which he had not even anticipated.

Since then, Mutunga and dozens of other farmers in the county have embraced the crop, ditching maize and others that were not performing well.

"I grow the crop on five acres after stopping the farming of cowpeas which I had done for years. This is my second season and I must say things are good. Last season, I harvested 20 bags (about 90kg) of green grams and sold a kilo at 1 dollar, earning some 1,747 dollars, money that I have never reaped before," said Elizabeth Muli, a farmer in Machakos County.

"I normally plant seeds in a spacing of 10cm from one crop to another and 60cm between the rows. One uses 4kg on an acre and plant with some DAP fertiliser," she offered.

Green grams take three months to mature and the pods are harvested just like beans, dried, threshed and winnowed.

"An acre produces at least 4 bags and one spends some 180 dollars per acre to grow the crop. Which means if they sell a kilo at 1 dollar, they end up with some 180 dollars profit. This is good money," said Muli.

Several kilometers away in Tharaka-Nithi County, another dry region in central Kenya, farmers growing the crop are exporting it to India, China, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

The farmers export the crop through an agent and in 2016, they earned some 194,174 dollars from export to Dubai.

"Green gram is ideal for dry areas because it requires little rainfall. Rains in arid areas last only about three weeks, which are enough for the crop to grow until they have four to six leaves and are ready for first weeding," said Bernard Moina, an agricultural officer.

He noted that green grams are a lucrative crop since in supermarkets, a kilo goes for up to 1.8 dollars while farmers sell on the farm for at least 1 dollar.

Kenya Red Cross Society, which has partnered with county governments in eastern Kenya to promote the crop, noted that its aim is to make it the cash crop. Secretary-general Abbas Gulet said the agency has set aside some 5 million dollars to buy produce from farmers mainly in Kitui to save them from exploitation by middlemen, adding the crop would save residents from perennial hunger that has dogged the region for years.



You are here: World

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UN deputy envoy Maeen Sharim arrived in Yemen's rebel-held capital Sanaa on Saturday, a security official at Sanaa airport told Xinhua.

This is his first visit to Yemen since his appointment to seek arrangements for holding talks planned by the United Nations between the Yemeni warring parties, the Iranian-allied Shiite Houthi rebels and Saudi-backed Sunni government of exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

Sharim told reporters at the airport that he would meet officials from Houthi movement to pave the way for planned talks that is set to be held in a neutral foreign country under the management and supervision of UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed.

Sharim declined to reveal topics he would discuss with Houthi officials.

Previous attempts by the UN envoy Ould Cheikh Ahmed had failed to reach a political settlement between the Yemeni rival forces.

The Saudi-led coalition has intervened in the Yemeni conflict since March 2015 to roll back the Houthi rebels and support the internationally recognized President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who was forced into exile by the Houthis.

The nearly three years into Yemen's civil war have killed over 10,000 Yemenis, mostly children, and displaced 3 million others, creating one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

The war between Houthis and the coalition-backed Hadi's government forces has recently intensified in the country's northern province of Jawf and the western Red Sea coasts.



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Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi attended on Saturday evening the Coptic Christmas Eve celebration held at a new, partly-opened cathedral in the country's new administrative capital city eastern Cairo.

"This partial opening of the cathedral is a very important message of peace and love not only to Egyptians but to the whole world," said the Egyptian president in his remarks at the cathedral aired on the state TV.

The new unfinished cathedral, named the Nativity of Christ, is said to be the largest in the Middle East region.

"We love you. We are one united people and no one can ever divide us," Sisi told the cheering Copts ahead of the Christmas Mass that is rarely held outside the main St. Mark's Cathedral in Cairo.

Copts constitute to about 10 percent of Egypt's 100-million population and most of Egypt's Copts belong to the Coptic Orthodox Church, which celebrates Christmas on Jan. 7.

Sisi's remarks came amid a wave of anti-Coptic church terrorist attacks that killed over a hundred since late 2016, with most of them claimed by a Sinai-based terrorist group loyal to the regional Islamic State (IS) group.

In late 2017, a terrorist shootout outside a church southern Cairo killed at least 10 people, including a policeman and one of the two perpetrators.

In late May 2017, the IS claimed responsibility for shooting dead at least 30 Copts heading to visit a monastery on the desert highway in Upper Egypt's Minya Province.

Earlier in April 2017, the IS-claimed bombings at two churches in northern provinces of Gharbiya and Alexandria killed at least 47 and wounded over 120.

A similar suicide bombing at a Cairo church in December 2016 killed at least 29 worshippers, mostly women and children.

Sisi told the attendees at the cathedral that "the people of evil" will not be able to harm Egypt as long as the Egyptians are united.

In the meantime, tens of thousands of soldiers and policemen were deployed across the country on Saturday to secure the Christians and their churches on the eve of Orthodox Christmas.

"The security patrols and joint combat groups have also intensified their deployment at the streets and main squares to deal with any law-breaking attempts and provide security and safety to all citizens nationwide," the Egyptian military spokesman said in a statement Saturday.

The beefed up nationwide security comes as a precaution against any possible IS anti-Copt attacks.

Egypt has been suffering terrorist activities that killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers since the military removal of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 in response to the mass protests against his one-year rule and his now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.

Terrorist attacks were centered in restive North Sinai province northeastern Cairo and targeted security forces before they gradually extended to other provinces and started to target dozens of the Coptic minority with church bombings.

Terrorism in Egypt did not stop at targeting security men and Copts, as a terrorist attack in late November 2017 against a mosque in a village of North Sinai's Arish city killed at least 310 Muslim worshippers and wounded over 120 others, marking the deadliest terror attack and the first against a Muslim mosque in Egypt's modern history.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the mosque attack, although fingers point at the Sinai-based IS affiliates.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian security forces have killed hundreds of terrorists and arrested a similar number of suspects during the country's anti-terror war declared by President Sisi, the army chief then, following Morsi's ouster.







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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday voiced concern over increased tension in the Buffer Strip in Western Sahara and called for restraint.

"The secretary-general is deeply concerned about recent increased tensions in the vicinity of Guerguerat in the Buffer Strip in southern Western Sahara between the Moroccan berm and the Mauritanian border," said Farhan Haq, Guterres' deputy spokesman, in a statement.

"The secretary-General underlines that the withdrawal of Frente Polisario elements from Guerguerat in April 2017, together with the earlier withdrawal of Moroccan elements from the area, was critical to creating an environment conducive to the resumption of dialogue under the auspices of his personal envoy Horst Kohler."

Western Sahara was partitioned between Morocco and Mauritania at the end of Spain's colonial rule in 1976. Morocco has asserted administrative control over the whole territory since 1979, when Mauritania, under pressure from Polisario guerrillas, abandoned all claims to its portion. Fighting broke out between Morocco and the Frente Polisario (Polisario Front), which is fighting for the independence of Western Sahara.

The secretary-general called on the parties to exercise maximum restraint and to avoid escalating tensions. Regular civilian and commercial traffic should not be obstructed and no action should be taken that may constitute a change to the status quo of the Buffer Strip, said Haq.



 Flash

Foreign ministers of Germany and Turkey on Saturday held meeting in the German city Goslar, in a bid to seek reconciliation after two years of tensions.

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel welcomed his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu to his hometown of Goslar in north Germany, Gabriel's hometown.

At a joint press conference after the meeting, Cavusoglu described Gabriel as a "personal friend," and Germany and Turkey as two "proud" nations, while the German top diplomat announced the revival of a joint economy commission which had been suspended amid the diplomatic spat.

Gabriel said the two officials intended to do everything possible to "find more common ground in the future."

Germany-Turkey ties are burdened after the aborted coup in Turkey in July 2016, with Ankara accusing Berlin of giving asylum to dissidents, while Berlin worrying about democratic backward in Turkey.

Erdogan had accused German Chancellor Angela Merkel of "Nazi methods" in 2017 because several election campaign appearances of Turkish politicians in Germany had been banned before the constitutional referendum on the introduction of a presidential system in Turkey.

Germany was especially angry with the detainment of the Die Welt reporter Deniz Yucel, who has been held 10 months in jail without an indictment.

"I can only say that we talked about all topics, including the difficult ones," he said, answering a question on Yucel. "He is definitely one of them."

Gabriel also denied recent reports that Berlin was considering halting a delivery of military equipment to Turkey as a means to pressure Ankara to release its prisoners.



 Flash

China's special envoy on Korean issues flew to Seoul on Friday for consultations ahead of new exploratory talks next week between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea (ROK).

Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou, who is also China's special representative on Korean Peninsula affairs, said his country welcomed the "positive" developments on the peninsula, where tensions have risen as a result of the DPRK's nuclear and missile programs.

He held talks with Lee Do-hoon, the ROK's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs.

"Currently, some positive things are unfolding with regard to the situation on the Korean Peninsula, though there are still complicated challenges," Kong said during the meeting.

"We're talking with DPRK. We hope the dialogue between the Koreas run smoothly."

The nations on the divided peninsula are due to meet at the border village of Panmunjom on Tuesday

Kong said that he would like February's Winter Olympic Games in the ROK city of PyeongChang to be an opportunity to bring peace to the Korean Peninsula.

"DPRK showed its intention to send a delegation to the Winter Olympics, and this is something we should welcome with open arms," he said. "South Korea and DPRK are compatriots of the same blood. We absolutely support (DPRK's PyeongChang Olympic participation) and we hope the two can continue exchanges even after the PyeongChang Olympic Games."

Kong also expressed the hope that Seoul and Beijing will strengthen strategic communication and advance mutual trust based on agreements their leaders reached during a summit in Beijing in December.

In response, Lee said that the current situation meant that "it is more important than ever" to maintain cooperation between South Korea and China.

"I hope that the cooperation between the governments of the two countries remain close going forward," he said.

"We'll try our best," Kong replied, "but only God knows if that will happen or not," in reference to the possibility of reopening the six-party talks on the Korean crisis.

Earlier Friday, DPRK accepted Seoul's offer for high-level talks to discuss the North's participation in the PyeongChang Olympics.





Moon and US President Donald Trump on Thursday agreed also to delay their countries' regular joint military exercises during the PyeongChang Olympics. The tentative agreement came at the request of Moon, according to the South Korean presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae.



You are here: World

 Flash





China on Saturday handed over to Myanmar authorities about 100 prefabricated houses for displaced persons in Myanmar's western Rakhine state at the Myanmar Industrial Port.





Speaking at the handover ceremony, Chinese Ambassador Hong Liang pledged to continue China's assistance to the conflict-displaced people in the region.





China is also willing to help develop the Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone to boost the region's economy, he added.





The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) extremist terrorists launched coordinated attacks on police outposts in Rakhine on Aug. 25, displacing residents in Maungtaw area.





Union Minister for Construction U Win Khaing expressed his thanks to China for providing aid to Myanmar people.





Each assembled-board house can accommodate 8 people and can be used for at least 20 years.





The houses can endure an 8.0-magnitude earthquake.





China also donated about 132 prefabricated houses for flood victims in the country in February 2016.Egypt has filed murder charges against the suspect involved in the attack on a Coptic church and a Christian-owned store in Cairo on Dec. 29 which left 11 people dead, according to judicial sources.

The suspect, who was taken into custody and treated for the injuries he had sustained in the encounter with authorities outside the Coptic Church, was reportedly detained pending the investigations. A judicial source said the public prosecutor has already charged him with "premeditated murder, attempted murder, possession of an unlicensed weapon and using it for terrorist activity," Reuters detailed.

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the latest church attack in Egypt. However, the terror group has not given evidence to back up its claim.

Meanwhile, Pope Tawadros II, the Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, previously said that the planned Coptic Christmas celebrations would not be cancelled despite the recent attack at the Mar Mina Church in Helwan district. He then told Al-Masry Al-Youm that special Christmas sermons would be delivered in the Cathedral of Christ's Nativity, The Egypt Independent relayed.

In the wake of the deadly attack, a number of churches in Cairo and nearby areas have stepped up security measures around churches. Authorities also instructed them to put up metal detectors and surveillance cameras as part of those measures.

Worshippers have also been instructed to comply with the security inspections without exception and to show their identification to authorities. Expenses for the metal detector gates and cameras were reportedly shouldered by the churches.

Ahead of the New Year and Christmas celebrations, security troops were dispatched not only to church areas but to tourist attractions as well. Bomb squads and sniffer dogs were also deployed to the said areas.

Even prior to the attack, the Interior Minister had announced a security alert in preparation for the holiday celebrations. There were around 230,000 police officers from various sectors who took part in the plan to protect the more than 2,000 churches all over Egypt.The Catholic Church in the Democratic Republic of Congo has denounced what it says is a barbaric crackdown on protests against the president, as activists reported on Jan. 2 that the death toll has now climbed to 12.

On New Year's Eve, Catholics and members of the opposition disregarded a protest ban and gathered for demonstrations to call for the resignation of DRC President Joseph Kabila, who has been in power since 2001.

Authorities resisted the anti-Kabila protests by firing bullets in the air and flooding the churches with tear gas. One AFP reporter witnessed a man being hit in the chest when soldiers fired on parishioners in Kananga.

The protest organizers' spokesperson, Jonas Tshombela, told the AFP news agency that there were 11 who died in the crackdown in Kinshasa and another one in Kananga.

While police denied the deaths were allegedly related with the crackdown, Kinshasa archbishop Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya angrily maintained that their protests were peaceful.

"We can only denounce, condemn and stigmatise the behaviour of our supposedly courageous men in uniform, who, sadly, and no more or less, are channelling barbarism," said Archbishop Pasinya.

Aside from that, DRC Telecommunications Minister Emery Okundji instructed mobile networks to suspend internet and SMS services ahead of the protests for security reasons. The services were restored on Jan. 2.

Meanwhile, the African Union Commission's chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat, has urged all DRC stakeholders to take concrete steps to ensure that the presidential elections push through in December 2018. His statement came after the United Nations reported that at least five were killed in the crackdown on anti-Kabila protests several days ago, The African News Agency reported.

Mahamat also highlighted the importance of bringing to light the police brutality that happened over the weekend. The AUC chairman called on all political stakeholders in the country to refrain from committing any acts and issuing statements that could worsen the situation.Homosexuality is an abnormal condition and the Catholic Church has no reason to apologize for its Biblical teaching on sexuality, according to conservative American cardinal Raymond Leo Burke.

In an exclusive interview with O'Clarim published last month, Cardinal Burke was asked about Pope Francis' statement on homosexuality during an in-flight question-and-answer session. The Catholic Pope had notably said Christians must not discriminate against LGBT individuals and should ask forgiveness for how they treated the gay community.

However, 69-year-old Cardinal Burke told O'Clarim that he has not witnessed any form of discrimination against homosexuals in his entire life that he spent in the Catholic Church. He also called homosexuality an "abnormal condition," as God did not create man to engage in same-sex relations. He said this was the truth of the Christian faith and it was not discrimination.

In addition, Cardinal Burke said he saw no reason for the Catholic Church to apologize for its teachings against homosexuality. He said priests have always been compassionate in dealing with people who suffer from this problem.

"I must say sincerely, even though I haven't read the words of the Pope, that I don't see why the Church ought to ask forgiveness for teaching the truth about sex and sexuality," said Burke. "Rather, during my priesthood of more than 42 years, I have always found priests very compassionate in meetings with people who have had this difficulty and have suffered from this condition."

This was not the first time that Burke had publicly spoken against homosexuality. In August, he talked about German Cardinal Reinhard Marx who said Germany's move to legalize same-sex marriage was not a concern of the Catholic Church there, Life Site News reported.

Burke slammed Marx for failing to communicate the real Catholic teaching on the issue of homosexuality. The American cardinal said Christians should always be taught to love the sinner and hate the sin, but Church leaders must never turn away from their responsibility of conveying the "solid teaching" of their faith.An evangelical university in Chicago, Illinois, has suspended its campus pastor on Jan. 2. and put her on paid sabbatical leave after she opted to officiate a same-sex wedding even though she was aware that the move could jeopardize her career.

A statement issued by North Park University several days ago revealed that its campus pastor Judy Peterson had been suspended because of her decision to officiate a gay wedding. The Board of Ordered Ministry of the Evangelical Covenant Church, which founded the university, will decide on her future later this month, The Christian Post relayed.

"Campus Pastor Judy Peterson, having had her ordination credential suspended by the denomination for non-compliance of an instruction of the ordered ministry, will enter the new year on paid sabbatical leave from her role as campus pastor," said NPU in a statement.

In an email shared by pro-LGBT group Mission Friends 4 Inclusion, Pastor Peterson revealed that it had taken her a few months to decide on whether she would push through with officiating the gay wedding in April 2017. Nevertheless, she went ahead with the decision and said it was a way to show how Jesus Christ could love other people.

The doctrine of the ECC defined marriage as a union exclusively between one man and a woman. However, NPU said it welcomed respectful conversations on issues where its staff and students differed in opinion.

In November 2016, NPU made headlines after an openly bisexual Chicago student named Taylor Volk claimed that she had received anti-gay notes and emails after President Donald Trump was elected. However, the university later found out that her claims were mere fabrications, The Washington Times reported.

After investigating Volk's claims, NPU President David Parkyn released a statement saying they were confident that no other incident of intolerance would happen within their campus. He also added that Volk would no longer be able to study at the evangelical university.A federal judge has ruled in favor of a former Atlanta fire chief who had been terminated for publishing a book containing Christian teachings on sexuality, saying the government cannot hinder its employees from expressing their religious beliefs.

A few years ago, Kelvin Cochran was terminated from his position as the chief of the Atlanta Fire Department after he published a book titled "Who Told You That You Were Naked?" The said book targeted Christian men who wanted to perform their roles in the community based on what the Bible teaches, and six of its 162 pages explained the biblical stance on sexuality and marriage, Breakpoint detailed.

Mayor Kasim Reed fired Cochran after coming across the contents of his book and told him that city employees whose beliefs and opinions varied from that of the city's ought to "check them at the door." However, the city denied that the Christian official was dismissed because of his beliefs and instead said it was due to his failure to get permission for the book before it was published.

Atlanta's city attorney Bob Godfrey said Cochran's termination was a trust issue. He said it was all about the former fire chief's campaign to push people to get in touch with Mayor Reed, Fox 5 Atlanta relayed.

"Given my history and work throughout my career and with the city of Atlanta, I was shocked that writing a book and encouraging Christian men to be the husbands and fathers and men that God had called us to be, would jeopardize my 34-year career," said Cochran.

Last month, a federal court concluded that Atlanta could not require its employees to secure permission first before expressing their religious views. On the other hand, it also disagreed with Cochran's claims that the city had violated his rights to free speech and religious liberty when he was terminated.

For now, Cochran may be able to recover the salary and benefits that he lost when he was fired over his book. Breakpoint also said there was "a remote possibility" that he could be reinstated in his job.New Year's Day in the town of Omoku in Nigeria's Rivers State took a bloody turn after gunmen fired at Christians returning from their church services early in the morning and killed more than 14 people.

On Monday, gunmen shot at Christians returning from their New Year's Day church services, killing at least 14 people on the spot and injuring 12 others. Rivers State Police Command's Public Relations Officer, DSP Nnamdi Omoni, confirmed the shooting but said the exact number of casualties still cannot be confirmed, The Nigerian Independent detailed.

Omoni also said police troops have already been sent to the area to keep the peace. He added that they will launch an operation to hunt down and bring to justice the people responsible for the attack.

"The Commissioner of Police (Ahmed Zaki) has launched a manhunt for the bandits to ensure they are arrested and prosecuted," said Omoni. "When the DCP and the teams there conclude we will know the total number of people involved."

Authorities determined that the shooting was one of two coordinated attacks in Omoku --- one in Kirigani and another in Oboh.

Just 48 hours before Christmas, suspected Muslim Fulani gunmen killed four Christians and injured 10 others in Nimdem village in Southern Kaduna while they were singing Christmas carols. The victims who were killed were identified as Jude Haruna, Kaffi Ali, Amos Musa, and Turaki Dauda, the International Christian Concern has learned.

The Southern Kaduna People's Union issued a statement lamenting the unprovoked and deadly attacks on Christians. The union also denounced the meaningless shooting of people who were merely enjoying their Christmas gatherings.

In light of what happened, ICC regional manager Nathan Johnson called on the government of Nigeria to take concrete measures to control the Fulani militants' attacks on Christians. He noted that the violence had already killed hundreds and displaced thousands, and doing nothing to address the problem will leave Christians continuously fearing for their lives.Baytown police on Saturday arrested a suspect in two bank robberies who allegedly pulled a gun on an officer, according to police.



Victor Luna, 32, was taken into custody after a short chase on Interstate 10 and Highway 146 following two bank robberies in the area, according to the Baytown Police Department.



Around 10:40 a.m., a robber hit the Texas First Bank at the 800 block of Rollingbrook. Less than an hour later, a man matching the same description robbed the TDECU in the 6000 block of Garth. Witnesses there described seeing the suspect flee in a black SUV onto Garth.

Police found Luna hiding behind a vehicle in a shopping center parking lot in the 6099 block of Garth. Police said Luna pointed a gun at the officer. The officer fired his gun, but did not hit Luna, Baytown Police said."Lady Bird," the dramedy about the sometimes rancorous relationship between a teenage daughter and her mom, was the big winner at the Houston Film Critics Society's 11th annual Movie Awards Saturday night. The film, starring Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf, won three honors including best picture as well as director and screenwriting nods for filmmaker Greta Gerwig.

Guillermo del Toro's fantastical "The Shape of Water" also went home with three awards including actress (Sally Hawkins), score (Alexander Desplat), and movie poster.A former Houston Community College trustee will be sentenced Monday after pleading guilty to accepting bribes in exchange for his influence over contract work with the college.

Chris Oliver, who represented swaths of southwest Houston for the college system for more than 20 years, said he took envelopes stuffed with cash and Visa gift cards  totaling about $12,000  from a one-time HCC contractor who was later appointed Mayor Sylvester Turners public works director.

The extortion and bribery case against Oliver was unsealed over the summer. The acting U.S. attorney agreed to dismiss the extortion case for his May guilty plea on the bribery indictment, for which he faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of not more than $250,000.

He will appear before U.S. District Judge Vanessa D. Gilmore at 9:30 a.m.

Fallout from Olivers plea began over the summer. He was stripped of his title as the boards vice chair and stopped attending board meetings.

Karun Sreerama, Houstons Public Works director, stepped down in July after he was revealed to have paid Oliver $12,000, which his attorney said was directed by the FBI. The dismissed count described $77,000 in other alleged payments to Oliver.

Oliver's seat was up for re-election in November, and candidates campaigned pledging to restore trust.

HCC has spent at least $175,000 on an investigation into college procurement initiated after Olivers plea. A spokeswoman told the Chronicle that the college expects to conclude an examination of past procurement over the last several years in March.

Separately, trustee Dave Wilson retained consultant Wayne Dolcefinos firm to investigate HCCs procurement, facilities, employment and related financial matters.

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges last month asked HCC for more information on board governance in light of these probes, a letter obtained by the Houston Chronicle shows.

It asked HCC to prepare a report explaining its compliance with an accreditation standard that requires board members to act collectively without control by a minority of trustees.

HCC chancellor Cesar Maldonado said in an email to trustees obtained by the Chronicle that the colleges response will be reviewed by the accreditor for further action if necessary, including monitoring, sanction or the appointment of a Special Committee to review the institution.Two bystanders were shot Saturday night outside a west Houston bar, authorities said.

An altercation inside the Bourbon St. Daiquiris Cocktail Lounge spilled out into the parking lot in the 12900 block of Westheimer just before midnight.

At least one person pulled out a gun and opened fire, hitting two women sitting inside a gray SUV, according to Houston police. The gunfire left their car with shattered windows and multiple bullet holes.

One woman was shot in the elbow and the other in the leg. Both were rushed to the hospital and are expected to survive.

Witnesses did not cooperate with police and the suspects are still at large. It's not clear what sparked the initial dispute or how many people were involved.

Although an off-duty Fort Bend officer was working an extra security job at the bar that night, he didn't catch sight of the shooting or possible shooters.Less than a week after his stash of weapons spotted in a Houston hotel room on New Year's Eve roused fears of a planned shooting, the Tomball man accused of drunkenly kicking a police officer was released on $20,000 bond.

Russell Lawrence Ziemba was arrested early Dec. 31 at the Hyatt Regency Houston after hotel staff called police over the 49-year-old's allegedly drunken behavior - and then found he'd brought an AR-15, shotgun and handgun to his room on the 28th floor.

After allegedly refusing to leave and then kicking a cop, he was was charged with trespassing and assaulting an officer just hours before a big New Year's bash and balloon drop packed the 1200 Louisiana hotel with throngs of revelers.

BACKGROUND: 'Cryptic notes' found along with guns in downtown Hyatt, causing suspicion among investigators

Initially prosecutors filed paperwork arguing against bond, even as police sought to reassure the public that Ziemba had no ill intent.

"Local and federal investigators are investigating defendant to determine if firearms & ammo possessed in hotel room with a high vantage point for purpose of inflicting casualties," prosecutors wrote in court documents the day of the arrest. Officials later said their request also stemmed from the finding "cryptic notes" scattered across his hotel room, including one that simply said "f*** it."

But, after hours of investigation, by the time the Gulf War veteran and former machinist showed up in court late Monday, prosecutors set their request at $500,000.

The Bronze Star Army vet has a pair of prior DWI convictions and was already out on bond for a weapons charge at the time of his latest arrest, prosecutors pointed out in court.

A Harris County criminal law hearing officer set bail at $105,000 on Monday, and a judge on Friday lowered it to $20,000. As part of his release conditions, he's banned from drinking or possessing firearms. He'll also be put under house arrest and required to wear an ankle monitor.

His attorney said Friday that he would seek "help with his PTSD and alcohol issues."

He made bond Saturday and was released from jail, according to online records. His next court date is Feb. 9.Police are searching for the killer of a man found shot to death in his car Sunday morning in southwest Houston.

Two groups of men started fighting outside La Sirena nightclub in the 8900 block of South Braeswood sometime before 3 a.m., according to Houston police.A man was shot in the stomach Saturday night while heading to a church event in Westview.

The 23-year-old was at a function and had gone home to his apartment to pick up a jacket around 11 p.m., according to Houston police.A pedestrian was killed Saturday night in a southwest Houston hit-and-run.

The unidentified woman was crossing Fondren near Minetta in a dark area outside of the crosswalk around 10 p.m. when a maroon Nissan crashed into her, according to Houston police.

The driver fled, and the injured woman was rushed to the hospital where she later died.

Witnesses said the fleeing Nissan had the letters JB in the license plate.

Houston police are still looking for witnesses to help identify the driver. Anyone with information in this can contact Houston police at 713-247-4065 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.Larry Harmon got a surprise when he went to his Kent, Ohio, polling place for a 2015 local election: He was no longer registered and couldn't vote.

Election officials removed him from the rolls because he hadn't voted since 2008 and didn't respond to the notice they say they sent in 2011. The lawsuit he and two interest groups filed against Ohio is now part of a U.S. Supreme Court case that will shape the rights of thousands of people as the 2018 elections approach.

The justices will decide how far states can go in purging their election databases of people who might have moved away.

The case, set for argument Jan. 10, has become a proxy for the highly partisan fight over the country's election rules. Republicans are calling for stepped-up efforts to prevent voter fraud, while Democrats say those moves are a thinly veiled campaign to stop liberals and minorities from casting ballots.

"The question of voter purges sits right at the center of voter suppression," said Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and a critic of purge efforts.

Dumping the inactive

Nineteen states use voter inactivity in the process of purging their databases, though only a handful make non-voting as central as Ohio does. Rules in Georgia, Tennessee, West Virginia, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania are among those that could be affected by the case.

Ohio is perennially a key battleground state in presidential elections and has given its electoral votes to the eventual winner in 28 of the last 30 elections. Two-term Sen. Sherrod Brown's Ohio seat is among 26 that Democrats will be defending in the November election. Republicans will be defending only eight Senate seats.

Under the disputed procedure, Ohio mails notices to people who haven't voted in two years, asking them to confirm that they still live at that address. If someone doesn't respond and then doesn't vote during the next four years, the state removes the person.

A federal appeals court voted 2-1 to block the procedure, saying it violates the 1993 National Voter Registration Act, more commonly known as the Motor Voter law. The majority pointed to a provision in the law that bars states from removing anyone "by reason of the person's failure to vote."

The appeals court ruling in September 2016 let about 7,500 state residents cast ballots in that year's election, even though they'd previously been struck from the list of eligible voters.

Ohio and its supporters say the appeals court majority misunderstood the federal law and the state's procedures.

"People are not being removed for failing to vote," said Robert Popper, a lawyer with Judicial Watch, an advocacy group that backs Ohio in the case. "They're being sent a notice letter for failing to vote."

Ohio said in court papers that the decision "makes it harder for states to conduct what all can agree is a critical activity - removing ineligible voters from registration lists."

The state has a separate procedure for removing people who file change-of-address forms with the U.S. Postal Service.

States against states

Harmon says he voted for Barack Obama in 2008 but was disillusioned four years later. "There's no option on a ballot for 'none of the above,' so I stayed home and expressed my political preference that way," he said in a sworn statement. He didn't vote in 2014 either but says he wanted to vote against a marijuana-legalization initiative in 2015.

The lawyers pressing the suit say the Motor Voter law was designed to protect people like Harmon.

"The right to vote is so fundamental that Congress wanted to make sure people can continue to exercise it even if they don't exercise it in every election," said Stuart Naifeh, a lawyer at Demos, the advocacy group that represents Harmon, the A. Philip Randolph Institute and the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless. "People have the right not to vote as well as the right to vote."

New York is leading a group of 12 states, plus the District of Columbia, that say officials have far better tools to identify voters who have moved. In addition to the Postal Service information, states can use government tax records, census lists and motor-vehicle department databases, the group says.

"There is no pressing need for states to target nonvoters," the states argued in court papers.

Seventeen other states, led by Georgia, are backing Ohio. They point to a separate provision in the Motor Voter law requiring states to make reasonable efforts to remove people from voting lists if they have moved or died.

The Trump administration is also supporting Ohio.SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea reopened a border hotline with South Korea on Wednesday, restoring a channel of direct dialogue and signaling a possible thaw in relations between the two Koreas after years of hair-trigger tensions.

The return of the telephone hotline at the village of Panmunjom, which straddles the Demilitarized Zone, the world's most heavily guarded border, came two days after North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, made a rare overture to the South.

In his New Year's Day speech Monday, Kim continued his nuclear threat against Washington, saying he had a "nuclear button" ready to launch a weapon against any target in the United States. President Donald Trump replied in a Twitter post, boasting of a bigger and more powerful "nuclear button" than Kim's.

But Kim also proposed negotiations with South Korea to discuss easing military tensions on the divided Korean Peninsula and his country's possible participation in the Winter Olympics, which are being held in the South Korean town of Pyeongchang next month.

The fast-moving political developments have given new hope for a warming of ties between the two long-standing enemies.

On Tuesday, South Korea's president, Moon Jae-in, who has called for dialogue with the North since his inauguration in May, quickly embraced Kim's offer of talks.

His government proposed that high-level negotiators from both Koreas meet at Panmunjom next Tuesday to discuss the North's Olympic participation.

Seizing on Kim's outreach, South Korea also urged the North on Tuesday to reopen the Panmunjom hotline so that both sides could start preparations for high-level talks, a proposal the North embraced Wednesday.

"We will connect with the South with a sincere and diligent attitude," Ri Son Kwon, a senior North Korean official, said Wednesday in a statement on state-run television, announcing the hotline's reopening. "We once again express our sincere hope that the Pyeongchang Olympics will be successful."

On Tuesday, when South Korea proposed high-level talks, there was no way to deliver its proposal directly to the North. So, Cho Myoung-gyon, a South Korean Cabinet minister in charge of relations with the North, held a news conference to read out the South's proposal.

Ri's television appearance was the North's response to Cho's news conference. Ri is chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, a North Korean agency that handles relations with the South.DAKAR, Senegal - Gunmen killed at least 13 people Saturday in Senegal who were gathering firewood in the forest, the military said. It was the worst attack in years in the West African nation's restive southern region, where a separatist insurgency has dragged on for more than three decades.

The bloodshed sparked fears of renewed unrest in the area, which had been relatively calm for the last several years.AUSTIN  Former Texas first lady Rita Crocker Clements, whose passion for politics and historic preservation secured her place in Texas history after her husband became the first Republican governor since Reconstruction in 1979, died peacefully in her sleep Saturday in Dallas, according to her family. She was 86.

Since her husband, Bill Clements, left office in 1991, Clements remained active in philanthropic work, GOP politics and had served on several corporate boards.

"Rita was an true stateswoman who served Texas both on the UT System Board of Regents and as a great steward of the Governors Mansion during her time as First Lady," Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement. Texas has suffered a tremendous loss, but Rita leaves behind an incredible legacy."

Born in Newton, Kansas in 1931 to Mason and Florabel Crocker, she moved to Brady with her family when she was 10. She found an appreciation of Texas history, an interest she shared with Bill Clements that would drive their passion for historic preservation.

During the governor's first term, Rita Clements led a statewide $3 million fundraising drive to restore the historic 1856 Greek Revival Governor's Mansion in Austin, a showcase project that drew wide accolades. During Clements' second term as governor, the 1888 Texas Capitol was restored in another high-profile project.

In an interview during the Capitol restoration project, Rita and Bill Clements said the restorations were among the achievements of which they were most proud.

Clements graduated from The Hockaday School of Dallas in 1949 and graduated with honors from The University of Texas in Austin. She had four children with noted Dallas businessman and rancher Richard Bass before divorcing him and, in 1975, marrying Bill Clements, a wealthy former wildcatter who founded the successful oil drilling company SEDCO.

Bill Clements served as deputy secretary of defense under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, before serving two non-consecutive terms as governor of Texas.

Rita Clements had been active for years in Texas GOP politics, in the days before Republicans held much political clout in Austin or most anyplace else. She worked as a campaign volunteer for Republican Dwight Eisenhower in 1952, served as a Republican party precinct chairman in Dallas County, as state co-chair of the 1964 committee for the Barry Goldwater presidential campaign and on the Republican National Committee in 1973.

During both of Bill Clements' campaigns, she served a key strategist.

As first lady, she was active in preserving the state's rich heritage through her leadership in the Texas Main Street program, a Texas Historic Commission program that successfully kept local town centers intact through preservation of existing landmarks and revival of sustaining businesses.

"When we think of Rita, we think of a strong Texas woman and a pioneer in the Republican party. She was a wonderful First Lady for the Lone Star State. We remember Rita's love of history  an interest from which we benefited when we lived with the collection of historical art and furniture she curated for the Texas Governor's Mansion. Most of all, we remember a friend whose beloved family and state loved her back and will miss her," President and Mrs. George W. Bush said in a statement.

The former first lady served on a number of corporate boards, including La Quinta Motor Inns and Dr Pepper. Philanthropically, she was a major contributor to the Hockaday School and had served on the board of The O'Donnell Foundation of Dallas, which focuses on education initiatives nationally.

In June 2009, the Clements donated $100 million to UT Southwestern Medical Center, the largest civic donation in Dallas history.

A longtime advocate of education, she served on the University of Texas System Board of Regents, first appointed by Gov. George W. Bush and re-appointed by Gov. Rick Perry. She served until 2007.

She was elected to the Texas Women's Hall of Fame in 1996.

Clements is survived by a brother, Byron Crocker of Beaumont, as well as four children, Dan Bass of Salt Lake City, and children Jim Bass, Barbara Moroney and Bonnie Smith, all of Dallas. She also has 13 grandchildren. Bill Clements died in 2011.

A memorial service to celebrate her life is set for 11 a.m. Thursday at St. Michaels and All Angels Church in Dallas.DALLAS  Facing a crowded Democratic primary election in just over eight weeks, former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez on Sunday kicked off her long-shot campaign to unseat Republican incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott.

And she quickly acknowledged she will have to work to win.

"A lot of people don't recognize me when I'm out of uniform," she told a crowd of around 100 cheering supporters, wearing a black suit with white blouse instead of her familiar blue outfit.

Indeed, in her first bid for statewide office, the 70-year-old daughter of migrant farm workers  born in San Antonio as the youngest of eight children  has challenges ahead. After announcing her candidacy a month ago, she is still building her campaign team and is operating the race out of her home.

Fundraising is just beginning. Her kickoff rally on Sunday at a converted wax paper factory, announced on Facebook days ago, was devoid of big-name Democrats who usually attend events for a candidate widely viewed as the party's likely standard-bearer should she win the primary.

She will have to convince Democrats, especially the Hispanic population, to turn out and vote in large numbers for the first time in a state where Republicans have won every statewide elective office for two decades.

If she can win the primary  over a field of candidates that seems destined to split enough votes to force a costly runoff  she will have to best a better-financed Republican incumbent whose campaign war chest holds a reported $50 million.

Valdez made it clear she thinks her message of inclusiveness in Texas, not the divisiveness she insists Abbott and other Republican leaders have sowed, will make her the first Latina to occupy the Governor's Mansion in Austin.

"Enough with the hate and vitriol," she said, citing the GOP-passed ban on sanctuary cities, the bathroom bill and a local law that allows local police to demand immigration papers, all championed by Abbott.

"We should be lending a hand up, not tearing them down. We must be the type of state that helps people get a fair shot."

Opportunity in the Lone Star State "should be as big as a Texas sky," she said in a speech that toggled between English and Spanish and was repeatedly interrupted in cheering and applause.

"I want to be the change-maker," she told the crowd. "I want to be the people's candidate and bring common sense to government."

Campaign manager Keifer Odell said Valdez's grassroots campaign will start with a candidate forum in San Angelo on Monday and stops next week in San Antonio and South Texas. Before the primary, she plans to visit dozens of Texas cities and towns.

"We're going to be reaching out to voters," he said.

The primary elections are March 6.

While political scientists say Democrats' chances of defeating Abbott are slim, the primary will be a first test in a race where most candidates have little name ID outside of their hometowns. Four years ago, state Sen. Wendy Davis  who was much better funded than Valdez is now  lost to Abbott by 20 percentage points.

So far, only Houston entrepreneur Andrew White, son of the late Gov. Mark White, appears to have the resources and organization to compete on a statewide basis  though his credentials as a conservative Democrat already have not pleased progressive and liberal party members, they said.

Wearing a T-shirt emblazoned "The Future is Latina" at Sunday's rally, Dallas political activist Soraya Colli, 44, said she supports Valdez because she thinks it is time to stop the Hispanic-targeting policies of Republicans in Austin and Washington. After the "show me your papers" bill was enacted in Austin last spring, Colli said she started carrying her passport with her at all times "to prove I'm a citizen if I get stopped."

"I was born in Texas and never had to think about the fact I was Mexican until then," said Colli, a daughter of immigrants. "Most people come to this country, there's no idea of rocking the boat.You work. You raise your family. You live your life. But with everything that is happening, this is the time when our voice must be heard."

Simone Contreras, 47, a Dallas businesswoman, shared that view.

Valdez "represents hope  hope that the politics of oppression will end, that progressive politics can return Texas to the days of Ann Richards," she said, noting that her parents entered the country illegally. "I hope this is where the blue wave starts. That's why I came out."

Richards, elected in 1990, was Texas' last Democratic governor.

Many of the supporters who came out Sunday said they accept that Texas is mostly Republican.

But they said they hope to make 2018 the year when Democrats turn the tide to make the state leaders more representative of Texas' growing diversity.

They said Valdez's resume highlights that diversity: A U.S. Army veteran, she has worked in law enforcement for 40 years, from a jailer to a prison guard to federal agent to sheriff, since 2005.

"Lupe Valdez is that: She's a Latina, comes from 40 years in law enforcement, not politics, and is an openly gay woman," said Mark Dinnell, 28, who said he attended even though he supports rival Democratic candidate Jeffrey Payne, a gay Dallas businessman.

"The fact that Texas has two gay candidates for governor, a record number of LGBT candidates for all offices and with a record number of women and Latinas says volumes about where this state is and who we to represent us," he said. "This is the year to change the course of our future."CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Death comes slowly. Death comes swiftly. It comes with varying degrees of pain. It awaits us with certainty yet leaves us struggling to comprehend the point of what came before it and what will follow.

David Giffels' road to comprehension began with a coffin. Specifically, the price tag on one.

"My wife Gina's family is old country Sicilian and traditional and more elaborate when it comes to funerals," says Giffels, slouching back in a booth at the downtown Akron bar-restaurant, The Lockview. "I was always more flippant about it and would tell her, 'When I die, you can throw me in a dumpster or bury me in a cardboard box.'"

It wasn't just that the Akron native is anti-ritual.

After all, he grew up in an observant Catholic family and attended a Catholic high school, St. Vincent-St. Mary. He is a lifelong resident Akron who's made no secret of his affection for the traditions and values of the Rubber City.

There's that other thing: Giffels is cheap, as he freely admits.

"The idea of spending thousands of dollars on a coffin seems crazy," he says. "Then one day eight years ago when Gina's father died we were at a funeral home picking out a casket and I saw one in the corner..."

He sucks a shot of soda throw a straw and then straightens up in the booth.

"It was this cheap thing that looked like it was made out of cardboard," he says. "And I told her, 'That's what I want when I die.'"

Calling it an epiphany would be an overstatement. But it became the seed of an idea, which led to a project, which led to a story, which found itself taking on a wholly different shape when life - and death - got into the way.

Giffels, you see, has just released "Furnishing Eternity: A Father, a Son, a Coffin, and a Measure of Life" (Scribner, 243 pp., $24). (He will be making a number of appearances to promote his book. For a schedule, go to: davidgiffels.com/events.)

The memoir, his third, began as an attempt to settle the great casket debate once and for all.

"Furnishing Eternity: A Father, a Son, a Coffin, and a Measure of Life" (Scribner, 243 pp., $24)

"Originally, I thought it would be a playful romp on the convention of caskets," says Giffels. "Plus, it would be a good excuse to hang out with my dad."

Actually, the latter came first: Working on the thing with his father, Thomas, a retired civil engineer who lives in Bath.

"I wasn't even thinking of this as a book when we started," he says. "My dad is a master woodworker and I figured I could make a casket for not that much money and a good one that would satisfy Gina's desire for something more formal than a cardboard box."

Giffels recounts working on it with his father, a man whose arms are now loose and scaly - arms that Giffels remembers as once being muscular, back when he would watch him in that workshop as child.

Nail by nail and plank by plank a story started taking shape. Yes, about a son and a father and also a coffin, but also abou tthe next stage - in life and in Giffels' literary career.

His 2008 debut memoir, "All the Way Home: Building a Family in a Falling-Down House," explored bringing new life to a left-for-dead Akron home and entering adulthood by raising a family in it.

"Furnishing Eternity" bears witness to the second half of the life cycle: Here the adult son ponders the time he has left with his parents before he enters the role of family elder.

It's a role he did not imagine for himself so soon.

"My mother died in 2012 and my best friend died a year later," says Giffels. "And suddenly this playful conceit I had was overtaken by something a lot deeper."

Giffels recounts the passing of his mother, Donna Giffels, who managed to fight off throat cancer only to die from complications resulting from a heart attack. He chronicles the battle of a stoic woman who, even after she left the convent as a young woman, "put it all in God's hands."

His friend, artist John Puglia, died of esophagus cancer in 2013.

"When you lose a parent, it changes your own sense of dying," says Giffels. "Losing John hit me another way because he was a guy my age that was always up for traveling to Cleveland or Pittsburg for a concert. People settle down and stop going out once they get to a certain age, but I never felt that way because I'd always go with John."

A running buddy since their days in the 1980s at University of Akron, Puglia goes back to Giffels' earliest days as a writer - the kind that plays guitars and sings into a microphone. His band The Difficult was a fixture on the '80s Akron-Kent-Cleveland punk and indie scenes.

"David never talked, at least with me, about being a writer," says Danny Basone, who played drums in the Difficult and now owns the Lockview in Akron. "We mostly talked about music and he really enjoyed writing songs."

Basone, who is still friends with Giffels, was struck early on with his work ethic and close-knit family - and not just because the trio also included Giffels' brother Ralph on bass.

"David and Ralph would want to practice at least two or three times a week, which seemed like a lot to me at the time but made us a really tight band," says Basone. "They also lived with their parents in West Akron and I remember going to their house and everyone having dinner together and then practicing in the basement afterward and thinking how cool it was that they had such a supportive, close family."

The Difficult's break-up in the early-'90s coincided with Giffels' move into journalism. It culminated with the Akron Beacon-Journal, where he worked for 14 year until leaving in 2008 to teach English at the University of Akron.

The Difficult performing during a 1999 reunion show at the Lime Spider (now The Lockview) in Akron.

"Teaching gave me more time to write books," says Giffels. "It's what I wanted to do since I was in grade school."

It is journalism, however, that led him to the memoir.

"I find non-fiction as a natural extension of being a journalist," he says. "Because even though I'm written about myself I'm telling other people's stories."

It took a while for Giffels' father to come around to having his story told.

"He was apprehensive at first about being the main thread because he's a private person and doesn't like attention," says Giffels. "But after I took him to New York to the publisher's office he's gotten down with the idea."

From left, Tom Giffels works with his son David on a coffin -- the central conceit in "Furnishing Eternity."

Giffels describes his dad as a man who "mourned mostly in private" and admitted that "he talked to the woman that was no longer there." The elder Giffels also had a battle of his own with cancer - one that he has waged for six years.

You'd think that the casket would've become some morbid elephant in the room. Not so, says Giffels.

"It was never like that," he says. "My dad and I were so busy with life that we were often like, 'We need to get this stupid thing done.''

In retrospect, it took on more a different kind of signifier than a play romp on casket conventions or even death.

"It was healing in way," says Giffels. "Going back to work on it was a way for me to spend time with him."

Completed at a cost of $1,067.09 - no doubt a bargain compared to most any casket you'll find at the funeral home - it continues to take on a different meaning.

"It's stored in my house," says Giffels, "disguised as a bookcase."

Editor's note: Since the completion of this article, Tom Giffels has passed away. He died Friday from complications resulting from cancer. He was 85.CLEVELAND, Ohio - A Cleveland State University professor recently published a history of Greater Cleveland's drug stores, which have changed just as drastically as those across the country.

Names like Marshal's, Revco and Medic Discount Drug once adorned storefronts through Northeast Ohio, selling medicines to price-conscious consumers. However, shifting consumer preferences and an increase in competition led to the rise of new names in the pharmacy industry and the decline of much of the old guard.

The druggists and apothecaries who sold medicines and supposed miracles cures in the 18th and 19th centuries would likely find the nationwide drug-store chains prominent in the 21st century unrecognizable.

Richard Klein, a professor of urban studies and business at Cleveland State, wrote an exhaustive account of the evolution of drug stores, chronicling their rise from neighborhood stores to nationwide giants. "The Legacy of the Pharmacy Industry: Cleveland, Ohio" is now available as an ebook.

"I wanted to write an evolutionary study of the pharmacy industry, mostly in their 19th and 20th century development," Klein said. "But I also wanted to focus on the major drug store chains in Cleveland in those centuries."

Cleveland was the sixth largest city in the United States for much of the 20th Century, and often served as a microcosm for national trends.

Klein spoke about about his work prior to publication and talked again about the project after it became available online.

Other retail industries, such as department stores, have declined precipitously as they've struggled to keep up with shopping trends and advances in technology. Drug stores, on the other hand, have persevered even as their names have changed and their customers have progressed.

They grew from corner stores to local chains, and as nationwide chains encroached on their business, many adapted in order to survive.

For example, chains like Marc's started life as pharmacies but grew beyond their original mandate and are known more as grocery stores today.

In his research, Klein looked at why drug stores persisted as other industries, like department stores, faltered.

"Because the drug store had a unique purpose," Klein concluded in an interview. "They offered a combination of a professional service, in terms of the drugs they provide, and retailing."

Drug-store owners were adept at reading the desires of their customers beyond medicines, Klein said. As the years wore on, they began offering customers products and services beyond medicine and prescription drugs, becoming one-stop shopping destinations.

"What the druggists were able to do, and still do, was bring those things together and anticipate the needs of the public," he said.

Mega-chains like CVS resulted from this evolution. The company bought stores throughout the nation and either erected new stores in their place or renovated existing ones. They built an empire of clean, modern pharmacies that offered a place for customers to fill their prescriptions and fulfill their daily shopping needs.

Now-defunct drug-store chain Revco tried a similar tactic with less success, Klein said. The chain wasn't as discerning as CVS when it bought new stores, and didn't always have the resources to update them.

Revco ultimately folded thanks to behind-the-scenes drama over its leadership and an attempted takeover in the 1980s.

Larger chains like CVS and Walgreens ultimately supplanted local discount drug sellers. Discount Drug Mart is one of the few that remains.

However, nearly all now-defunct drug-store chains either closed voluntarily or merged with other chains, Klein said. Revco's outright failure is unique in the industry.

Klein started work on his book in spring 2016. He said several people reached out to him after cleveland.com published an account of his project.

The professor browsed the archives of the The Plain Dealer for information on Northeast Ohio's drug stores and pulled pictures from groups like the Cleveland Memory Project.

Klein's work is available for download on Cleveland State University's website.Guest Columnist Patrick Scanlan, a resident of Berea, has a Burmese daughter-in-law and a Burmese grandson.

Patrick Scanlan, of Berea, taught school in South Vietnam during the war.

In 1803, Napoleon famously predicted that China's awakening from its slumber would "shake" and "shock" the world. When Mao and Nixon shook hands in Beijing in 1973, ending U.S.-Chinese-Communist Cold War tensions, China began "awakening." However, China continued to "doze" for a few more years.

Now, under the Xi regime, China is not only awake, but is enlightened -- shaking and shocking in its internal economic, international diplomatic, and global financial transactions.

Xi's China, since 2013, has actively promoted a new Asian world order, based not on traditional Western-style, imperialist-gunboat diplomacy, but upon a neo-mercantilist, American Marshall Plan-type program of loans, investments, and soft hegemonic power (backed by implied military power). China's new power projections extend even to Europe.

A dramatic example of China's new paradigm for international relations is evident in the Myanmar Rohingya crisis. Radical Burmese Buddhists, assisted by the Myanmar military and Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's silence, countenanced the persecution, rape, and killing of Myanmar's Rohingya in an attempt to eradicate this stateless Muslim minority from Myanmar by forcing the people back to their ancestral Bangladesh. At present, more than 650,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar; unknown numbers have perished.

Stunned by the atrocities, outraged Western opinion has reacted with the usual censure and boycott options. China, not surprisingly, has supported Myanmar, and vetoed the Western sanction proposals. Like North Korea, Myanmar is seen by China as "lips" to China's "teeth" (i.e., a strategic border state within China's suzerainty).

China has, however, brokered a plausible solution to the Rohingya crisis by gaining both Bangladesh's and Myanmar's agreement that the Rohingya refugees will be repatriated to Myanmar, resettled in Rakhine province and extended "poverty alleviation" measures. Of course, much is unsaid, but is this not in accord with the Franciscan idea of "action before words" and the old-fashioned American belief that economic development "floats" all boats? China has displayed some enlightened action logic here!

Of course, there is a rationale behind China's apparently benevolent (non-military) intervention. That is the 2013 international economic development project "One Belt, One Road" (China's Marshall Plan). The "OB, OR" project, in conjunction with China's Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), proposes that, over a more than 10-year period, China will spend between four and eight trillion dollars in 60-plus countries to develop both an overland "New Silk Road" connecting China with Europe and a similar maritime route.

A key section of the maritime "String of Pearls" is Myanmar's western coastal province of Rakhine, where the Rohingya people have settled for many generations. This strategic spot on the Indian Ocean is the proposed site for the development of a $7.3 billion deep-water seaport. Planned to get started in 2018, China needs political stability for this important project to succeed. Myanmar wants and needs the economic development, and the Rohingya can benefit from the employment the project will bring to their Burmese homeland.

What appears to be a cynical Chinese move to gain leverage in Myanmar might in fact be a Gandhian proposal to "teach a man to fish" with "Chinese characteristics."

Have something to say about this topic? Use the comments to share your thoughts, and stay informed when readers reply to your comments by using Notification Settings (in blue) just below.

Readers are invited to submit Opinion page essays on topics of regional or general interest. Send your 500-word essay for consideration to Ann Norman at anorman@cleveland.com. Essays must include a brief bio and headshot of the writer. Essays rebutting today's topics are also welcome.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A Cleveland man had just finished raking his yard in the city's Lee-Harvard neighborhood this past fall when a bag of fast-food debris landed on his tree lawn, courtesy of a passing motorist.

The man in the yard flung his arms up in disgust. He stared after the car. He felt a sense of helplessness and anger, but what could he do? The bag had been tossed and the jerk was continuing on his merry way.

Suddenly, the situation took a volatile turn. The homeowner watched as the driver hit the brakes and shifted the car into reverse. It was apparent that the motorist had decided to come back and confront the homeowner for having the audacity to protest the discarded garbage.

"The driver called the resident all sorts of profanity," said Cleveland Councilman Joe Jones, who recalled the story for me Friday morning.

"He challenged the man's sexual identity and said he'd better watch his back. He threatened to hurt him. That's when I got a call. That's when the homeowner told me that he was fed up with Cleveland. He said he was planning to put his house on the market and to leave the city," said Jones, who reclaimed the Ward 1 seat in this past November election.

"I've begged him not to leave. Literally! I've told him that we need residents just like him, who are committed to the neighborhood and the upkeep of their homes. If Lee-Harvard is to truly prosper and to be the type of proud community it has been historically, we can't afford to lose more people like him."

Jones uses the story to illustrate the sweeping nature of the challenges he faces as the newly reelected councilman in Ward 1. The ward has changed immensely from the time when the late Mayor Carl Stokes derided Lee-Harvard as a haven of "black bigots" who in the 1960s opposed efforts to introduce low-income housing into the ward.

The neighborhood is no longer immune from the type of violent crime that has marked much of Cleveland in recent years. Armed robberies and gunfire are regular occurrences. So is gang violence. Jones, 48, ran on a platform pledging to prioritize law and order in his ward and to increase police visibility.

However, keeping committed homeowners in the neighborhood may prove just as difficult as keeping criminals at bay.

A lifelong resident of Lee-Harvard, Jones has history well known in the ward. He was forced to resign his Ward 1 council seat in 2005 as part of a mail-fraud conviction related to a corruption case involving Cleveland businessman Nate Gray, a confidant of former Mayor Michael R. White.

Jones was given two years probation following his guilty plea, a sentence that barred him from seeking elected office. But he never was a prodigal son. He never stopped being active in matters important to the ward's vitality. For a time, he served as an official in the Lee-Harvard Community Association.

In 2015, his record was expunged, enabling him to seek elected office, which he did last year -- narrowly ousting Terrell Pruitt, who had represented the ward since 2008. Some residents say they are excited to see Jones return to office. They see him as someone who wears Lee-Harvard on his sleeve.

"I'm a fan of Joe Jones. I took to him instantly when he first served, and will continue to support him," said Alroy Gibson, the owner of Gibson Tire Service.

"Joe is always knocking on doors. You don't have to go looking for him because he'll come looking for you. That's how he's built. But it hasn't always been the case with our council reps," said Gibson, 64, who has sold and serviced tires in the community for more than four decades.

That reputation should serve Jones well as he acclimates to a City Council that has changed considerably since he last served. Jones says he has also changed. He says he's grown patient wiser, and more mature. His said his campaign mantra, "we can do better together," is a mindset he will take to City Hall.

The man rudely assaulted with a bag of drive-by fast food garbage would certainly agree that Cleveland must do better. Now let's see if Jones can convince him to stay. Saving a ward can start one homeowner at a time.Shawn Copeland is Ohio director of the Human Rights Campaign.

CLEVELAND -- A little more than three years ago, people across Ohio awoke to tragic news: Leelah Alcorn, a 17-year-old transgender girl from Kings Mills, near Cincinnati, had died by suicide and posted a heart-wrenching note to her online blog explaining her decision.

Leelah's final call was for all of us to "fix society" and fight injustice. Three years later, that call is one we must answer more urgently than ever.

In the painful weeks as we mourned the loss of Leelah, we learned that she had been a victim of so-called conversion therapy -- a range of dangerous and discredited practices that falsely claim to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. In response, LGBTQ people and our allies resolved to honor her memory -- and the lives of all those impacted by "conversion therapy" -- with action.

Cities throughout Ohio have made strides in banning this practice over the past three years. City councils in Athens, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton and Toledo have all passed ordinances protecting LGBTQ youth from going through the same horrifying experience that contributed to Leelah's death. And the state of Ohio should ban the abusive practice of "conversion therapy" that led Leelah to take her life.

While addressing conversion therapy is an important start, we must do more to protect transgender people -- especially transgender women, people of color and youth -- from the abuse, violence and discrimination that often lead to the staggeringly high rate of suicide in the transgender community.

Melissa Alexander is co-chair of TransOhio.

We must also do more to stop the deadly epidemic of violence aimed at transgender people, and particularly transgender women of color.

In November, the Human Rights Campaign and the Trans People of Color Coalition reported that 2017 was the deadliest year on record for the transgender community. At least 28 transgender people, including JoJo Striker of Ohio, were murdered last year, and this violence continued to disproportionately impact women and women of color: Eighty-four percent of those killed were transgender people of color, and 80 percent were transgender women.

FBI data released in November also recorded an overall increase in hate crimes in 2016 across the nation, including a rise in bias-motivated violence based on gender identity and sexual orientation.

The data beg us to explore why -- at a time when more and more Americans support LGBTQ equality and report personally knowing a transgender person -- would violence be on the rise? And what can we do to stop the tragic violence against and suicide among LGBTQ, and particularly transgender people?

First, Ohio should establish nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people statewide, and ensure that when any hate crimes targeting the LGBTQ community occur, they can be prosecuted as such under state law.

In this upcoming legislative session, we have the opportunity to do precisely this.

This month, the Ohio legislature is expected to hold a hearing on the Ohio Fairness Act, which has been introduced by state Rep. Nickie Antonio, a Democrat from Lakewood. This crucial legislation, House Bill 160, would bar discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in areas of employment, housing and public accommodations in Ohio. Most importantly, it would save lives and demonstrate that state leaders are looking out for LGBTQ Ohioans.

But addressing Ohio's laws is only a fraction of our nationwide problem. The Trump-Pence administration's ongoing attacks on the LGBTQ community and efforts to undermine protections afforded under the Obama administration have emboldened anti-LGBTQ extremists.

One of the current administration's first actions was to rescind protective guidance for transgender students in schools across the nation, putting transgender kids at risk in what should be a safe, welcoming learning environment. Since then, President Donald Trump has also sought to ban qualified transgender service members from the military.

These kinds of actions send a message to LGBTQ people and particularly LGBTQ youth that they are second-class citizens, unworthy of the same rights and protections afforded to everyone else.

In the Human Rights Campaign's post-2016 election youth survey, 74 percent of Ohio LGBTQ youth surveyed reported witnessing bullying and harassment during or since the 2016 election, and almost half of LGBTQ youth said they have taken steps to hide who they are since Donald Trump was elected.

There are real solutions right in front of us to "fix society," as Leelah called us to do. Until we stand up to prevent this epidemic of violence, we are failing our transgender youth and we are failing Leelah.

Shawn Copeland is the Ohio director for the Human Rights Campaign, a national LGBTQ civil rights organization. Melissa Alexander is co-chair of TransOhio, a nonprofit that advocates for transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals.

************

Have something to say about this topic? Use the comments to share your thoughts, and stay informed when readers reply to your comments by using the Notification Settings (in blue).Ohio's neighboring state once-removed, Virginia, showed last week why every vote counts in American elections. To break a tie in a Virginia House of Delegates race, the State Board of Elections put the two contenders' names in a bowl, then drew a winner. The GOP incumbent won, keeping the House of Delegates Republican-run. (If the Democratic contender, through further skirmishing, still lands the seat, control of the chamber would be split 50-50.)

In Ohio, every vote counts, too, as data compiled by Secretary of State Jon Husted's office demonstrate.

"When we say, 'One vote matters,' it's not just a saying - it has proven true 141 times in Ohio over the last five years," said Husted, a suburban Columbus Republican, in a statement released last week. "Last November's election was another reminder why eligible voters need to be active participants in the democratic process."

Among the close elections on Husted's list: In Cuyahoga Heights, village council candidates Rick Centa and Lois Henley each got 108 votes; a coin toss in November made Centa the winner. And in Montgomery County's Phillipsburg, voters rejected, by just one vote, a proposed 0.5 percent boost in the municipal income tax rate.

Historically, even "statewides" can teeter. Some of Ohio's presidential contests have been squeaky-narrow. Harry Truman carried Ohio by about 7,100 votes in 1948. Jimmy Carter carried Ohio by about 11,000 votes in 1976. And in 1990, Greater Cleveland Democrat Lee I. Fisher became Ohio attorney general by the memorable margin of 1,234 votes, besting the GOP candidate, Paul E. Pfeifer of Bucyrus, then a state senator. (More than 3.36 million Ohioans voted in the Fisher-Pfeifer contest.)

And in 1889 (at the time, statewide elections were in odd-numbered years), Ashtabula County Republican Elbert L. Lampson, of Jefferson, from a long-prominent local family, was elected lieutenant governor by just 22 votes. But Lampson only held the job for a little more than two weeks: After his foe, William V. Marquis, a Bellefontaine Democrat, contested the election, the state Senate's Democratic majority made Marquis lieutenant governor (a job that then included the Senate presidency).

Coincidentally, Husted, originally from suburban Dayton, once speaker of Ohio's House, is running for lieutenant governor as running mate of GOP gubernatorial candidate Mike DeWine, Ohio's attorney general. Other Republicans running for governor: Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor, of suburban Akron, and U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci, of Wadsworth, whose running mate is Cincinnati City Council member Amy Murray.

Democrats have periodically griped about Republican Husted's stewardship of elections. That's what an opposition party is supposed to do. But with the usual ifs, ands and buts, it's hard to argue Ohio isn't more voter-friendly than it was, thanks to Husted's advocacy and thanks to (some, not all) changes the General Assembly's passed, especially "no fault" absentee voting.

Opening up absentee voting, combined with the opportunity Ohioans have had since Jan. 1, 2017, to register online to vote, mean voter registration and voting absentee are comparatively simple. Husted's statement said that, since online registration took effect, "more than 8,300 Ohioans have [done so] and more than 492,000 Ohio voters have updated their [voter] information via the internet."

So, yes, as in Newport News - the Virginia contest originated there - as in Ohio: Twenty-nine of those 141 tied or one-vote-margin Ohio races and issues that Husted listed were held on Nov. 7, 2017.

True, voter or nonvoter, an Ohioan, like a Cleveland Browns fan, has a lifetime right to gripe about the cards she or he has been dealt. Difference: The fan can't pick another dealer. An Ohio voter can.

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, and stay informed when readers reply to your comments by using the Notification Settings (in blue)Drunken driving, Avon Road: A 29-year-old Richmond Heights man's attention to his GPS system caused him to drive around one "Road Closed" sign on Avon Road, and he crashed into another Jan. 1. He rang in the New Year at St. John Medical Center with operating a vehicle while impaired and failure to control citations, and he was treated for minor injuries. An intoxicated 27-year-old Cleveland man who was a passenger gave false ID info and was arrested for disorderly conduct while intoxicated and MisID. A 19-year-old Westlake woman passenger was uninjured, and an 18-year-old Bay Village woman passenger declined treatment for minor injuries.

Disorderly conduct, Clemens Road: An intoxicated 47-year-old Detroit Road man was wandering around a Clemens Road motel Dec. 29. He was unable to locate the room he rented and was not dressed for the 17-degree weather. Police arrested him for disorderly conduct while intoxicate and took him to St. John Medical Center due to his extreme level of impairment.

Theft, Detroit Road: A Cleveland woman's $670 cell phone was stolen Dec. 28 at a Detroit Road doctor's office. She suspects that a male and female couple who were in and out of that office took it. A tracking app showed it was in Cleveland and she was referred to Cleveland police for follow-up.

Disorderly conduct, Main Street: An intoxicated 39-year-old South Carolina woman created a disturbance in a bar Dec. 31. Officers arrested her for disorderly conduct while intoxicated after she yelled and kicked a stall door in the women's restroom, discomfiting the patron inside.

Drug charges, Marview Drive: A 25-year-old Marview Drive man was stopped Jan. 1 at his home for not having a front plate. Police found he had active warrants from Fairview Park and the Cuyahoga County. He also had hypos, a burnt spoon, cotton balls, a razor blade, and suspected heroin with him. He was arrested for drug possession, possession of drug abuse instruments, and drug paraphernalia.

Counterfeit checks, First Street: On Jan. 3, a First Street business found that three counterfeit company checks ($5,184 total) had been cashed in the Dayton area. Another legit check from this firm never reached the intended payee in Tennessee and may be related to the counterfeiting.

If you would like to discuss the police blotter, please visit our crime and courts comments page.WILLOUGHBY, Ohio - Willoughby police are looking for four men in connection with the theft of a baby bird that will die without proper care.

A pineapple green-cheek conure. The bird pictured is not the bird that was taken from the Willoughby pet store Saturday.

A baby pineapple green-cheek conure was stolen about noon Saturday from the Pet Paradise store on Euclid Avenue, near the intersection with East 355th Street, Willoughby police said in a post on its Facebook page.

Authorities say three men in their 20s and one older man went into the store. Three of the men distracted a clerk while the fourth took the bird, the post states.

The baby bird must be hand-fed or it will die, police said.

Anyone with information on the theft or where the bird might be should contact Willoughby police at 440-953-4212.

If you'd like to comment on this post, please visit the cleveland.com crime and courts comments section.Though Connecticut State Police Troopers who were on the ground in Puerto Rico have since returned home, State Police continue to help  now teaching displaced residents about drug abuse awareness.

In early Dec. 2017, 13 troopers were sent to Puerto Rico to help local law enforcement with post-hurricane recovery efforts after the U.S. territory was hit hard by Hurricane Maria on Sept. 20, 2017.GREENWICH  In the span of about 10 minutes, the Town of Greenwich had two water main breaks to deal with Saturday afternoon.

The first was reported around 12:20 p.m. on Holly Hill Lane between Muskrat Pond and Saint Roch Avenue. The police departments dispatcher said police closed the road during the repairs, but managed to reopen it around 1:30 p.m.MILFORD  After city cops arrested a Milford man on a disorderly conduct charge, hours later they picked up him for violating the conditions of his release.

Police charged Joshua Landrum, 31, of New Haven, with disorderly conduct and violation of the conditions of release.TRUMBULL  Four adults affected by a fire Saturday afternoon on Beach Hill Road are being helped by the American Red Cross.

Around 9:45 a.m., reports indicate fire units responded to the 60 block of Beach Hill Road in Trumbull for a residential structure fire. Trumbull Fire Department requested mutual aid after arriving at the scene.SHELTON  Bridgeport Avenue, which some city residents believe is becoming another Boston Post Road, might be getting busier.

Two weeks after closing a public hearing on the 10-building Fountain Square proposal, Sheltons Planning and Zoning Commission will be opening another during their meeting Tuesday at 9 p.m.

This time, the proposal will be R.D. Scinto Inc.s plan to build a 26,200-square-foot shopping center on roughly 3 acres of land at 899-905 Bridgeport Avenue.

Its going to be a beautiful development and a great addition to Bridgeport Avenue, said Robert A. Scinto, chief operating officer of R.D. Scinto. Id like to bring some of southern Fairfield county to northern Fairfield county.

If approved, Scinto would like to see a boutique, a high-end clothing store and a New Haven-style pizzeria in a terracotta-style building adorned by trees and flowering plants. However, he said, nothing has been finalized.

Changing proposal

Scintos proposal would require demolition of the five vacant blighted buildings on the site. Those include a 5,721-square-foot office building, a 22,886-square-foot warehouse and three what appear to have been single-family homes. The property also once housed a fitness center, a dental office and a weight-loss business. It is between exits 11 and 12 on Route 8.

Previously another developer received approval to build a hotel and restaurant on the site. But those plans were scuttled when a group of New Jersey developers formed Fountain Square.

For the past two months, the Planning and Zoning commission listened to Fountain Squares proposal to build a four-story, 123-room hotel, a 14,200-square-foot pharmacy with a drive through, 13,200 square feet of office space, 32,600 square feet of retail, a bank, three restaurants and a coffee shop just a half mile away on 19-acres at 801 Bridgeport Avenue.

That proposal is expected to be discussed by commission members Tuesday.

I dont expect a vote until a February meeting, said Virginia Harger, the citys new Planning and Zoning Commission chairwoman.

Facing opposition

Also on Tuesday, the Scintos are expected to ask that the previously approved planned development containing a hotel at 899-905 Bridgeport Avenue be revised to include their shopping center proposal.

I dont understand how the commission can consider totally changing the design of a planned development district after it has already been approved for a hotel and restaurant, said Greg Tetro, a leader in Save Our Shelton, a grassroots group of city residents who say they are opposed to over-development. Its like playing musical chairs.

Tetro and his group have repeatedly questioned the wisdom of allowing more retail on Bridgeport Avenue when there are several vacancies and a national trend of traditional anchors closing stores.

I saw a report on WFSB that 2017 made history for the number of retail establishments closing or going into bankruptcy, he said. The only stores that seem to be growing are dollar stores. Is that what we want in Shelton to go along with all our nail salons? You can only have so much redundancy.

After hearing Scintos proposal, the commission will allow the public to address it.

 I think Bob Scinto is a great developer, Tetro said. He has done a lot of good in Shelton. But his forte is office space and light industrial. He should stick to that.Here we come, waddling out of 2017 and right into the new years first major dump.

Speaking of dumps, Connecticuts bedraggled, part-time General Assembly will be back in the Capitol on Monday, with their duct tape and dreams, trying to solve the latest crisis in the never-ending saga.

Yep, they got caught offending a voter group of more than 100,000 elderly participants in the Medicare Savings Program. Its tough nickel-and-diming your way through a $5-billion deficit in a $20-billion annual budget, so lawmakers  approving a proposal by the governor  cut income limits by half.

When the state Department of Social Services sent letters describing the new income requirements that would take effect Jan. 1, the criticism of legislative leaders was strong.

Gov. Dan Malloys DSS bought them some time, extending the old income levels through June.

In the Capitols new bipartisan landscape, with Republicans actually taking responsibility instead of pointing fingers at Democrats, political expediency called for them to act.

Malloy, making a sensible but more-challenging request, wants them to tackle the bigger issue of a projected $220-million deficit in the budget that runs through June 30.

But lets take bipartisan baby steps.

So, on Monday state lawmakers will shake and bake their way to restoring $54 million in the current budget to help about 161,000 people in all (the governors budget office estimates) to pay for Medicare Part B premiums and out-of-pocket costs.

Theyll also find $130 million to keep the income levels in the next biennium. This will all swirl around in the crucible of a big election year.

Malloy, the Democratic lame duck, wont go gently into that political night. Its legacy-building time and hes essentially become a party unto himself, pouring water  or gasoline  as the occasions may require, on various legislative schemes, during a year that will be remembered as a turning point in Connecticut history.

On Friday, he tried to deflate lawmakers.

This isnt a long bill, and yet it embodies of all the bad practices that have imperiled Connecticuts state budget for decades, Malloy said Friday. In terms of budget gimmickry, it shoots the moon: wishful thinking, pushing problems off into the future, and shoddy math  most egregiously in the form of double-counting savings in our already underfunded teachers pension system.

Republicans havent enjoyed a majority in the state House or Senate since before John Rowland, the good-time Charlie of state politics now lingering in his second federal-prison stint, won the governors race in a three-way contest back in 1994.

That GOP control of the state Senate lasted only two years.

Now, Republicans are as close to grabbing back the executive and legislative branches as they have in 30 years or longer. The current flat-footed 18-18 tie in the Senate, with Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman as the Democratic hammer who broke about 14 tie votes last year, is fragile at best.

The 79-72 Democratic lead in the House is a bit of a reach for the GOP this fall, but every day House Minority Leader Themis Klarides of Derby doesnt make a move toward running for governor, brings her closer to becoming the first female Republican Speaker of the House.

And nothing is easier, or more true, than Republican charges that Malloy and his Democratic enablers enacted the states two largest tax hikes since the 1991 income tax. Forget the billions in state employee givebacks. Forget the investments in the states under-funded pensions. Taxpayers, taxpayers, taxpayers have such short attention spans and the only people who watch the gubernatorial debates, where such nuance will be aired, are the Democrat and Republican bases.

For whatever reasons, maybe hes not soft and cuddly enough, Malloy has an approval rate of under 25 percent. Rowland was a very likable pol, a young up-and-coming congressman, a schmoozer, an entitled crook who doled out an unnecessary $56 million contract for a juvenile prison that is headed for closure.

Democrats with some sense of scope hope that President Donald Trump hangs on, without starting a nuclear war, because he can definitely become an issue in the 2018 elections.

And if Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim doesnt become their candidate, forcing voter apathy and a 20-percent party turnout, they can play their Trump card into possibly maintaining control of state government.

Some history: In 1957, at the height of Republican President Dwight Eisenhowers two terms, the GOP controlled the Connecticut House of Representatives by 249 to 30.

In 1967, after the states Constitutional Convention of 1965, while Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson enjoyed post-JFK popularity, Democrats took control 117-60.

In 1973 and 74, at the zenith of Richard M. Nixons imperial presidency and his Silent Majority, Republicans were back to a 93-58 edge in the House. After Watergate and Nixons resignation, Democrats held a 118-33 majority.

Finally, during the sweet spot of the Ronald Reagan administration, 1985-86, House Republicans held a 85-66 majority. Little did they know that it would be their last for more than three decades.

The House GOP finally reached their low ebb, a 37-114 minority, during 2009-2010, President Barack Obamas first term.

Yep, theres a lot at stake in 2018.

Ken Dixon can be reached in the Capitol at 860-549-4670 or at kdixon@ctpost.com. See twitter.com/KenDixonCT. His Facebook address is kendixonct.hearst.Rare Bird Alert: January 5, 2018

Into the new year and a handful of birds are sticking around making for quite a conundrum for would-be 2018 Big Year efforts, assuming there even are any. Top priority for any 2018 run would certainly be the continuing ABA 1st Mistle Thrush in New Brunswick, that is still being seen though the times when it goes missing are getting longer and longer as the Mountain Ash berry supply is depleted. Tamaulipas Crows (ABA Code 4) continue in Texas as far north as Galveston and look increasingly likely that they will stay put for awhile. California birders are still reporting Nazca Boobies (4) and Garganey (4) in the south and north of the state, respectively. Barnacle (4) and Pink-footed Geese (4) continue to be seen in a number of states and provinces in the northeast.

The most exciting bird of the period came from Florida, a Loggerhead Kingbird (5) found at Bill Baggs Park in Miami-Dade. The bird has continued for a few days since the initial report, and has been hit and miss during its stay with local birders suggesting that poor weather is keeping it tucked away.

One 1st record to report, from Louisiana, where a quartet of Limpkins in Lafourche represent the 1st record for this weird wader in the state.

Very good for Georgia, an American Tree Sparrow was found in Richmond.

Virginias run of western strays continues with a Says Phoebe in King William.

Noteworthy for Pennsylvania, a Western Tanager was seen on a CBC in Lancaster, and a Harriss Sparrow was found in Bucks.

On Prince Edward Island, a Black-headed Grosbeak was visiting a feeder in Montague.

Ohio had a young Mew Gull, in Columbus that was seen by many before unfortunately succumbing to illness or exhaustion.

A very unexpected find in Illinois was an adult Ivory Gull in a parking lot in Lake.

A pair of Mountain Bluebirds were seen in OBrien, Iowa.

Texas had visitors from the north and the south this week, the latter a Blue Bunting (4) in Hidalgo and the former a Snowy Owl in the panhandle county of Hansford.

A Sinaloa Wren (5)has returned to Santa Cruz, Arizona, after a year off. Also in the state, a young Black-legged Kittiwake was photographed in Mohave.

Always a nice find away from Alaska, a Yellow-billed Loon was photographed on Lake Mead, in Nevada, this week.

Any gull in Hawaii is noteworthy, and a Laughing Gull in Maui is no exception.

In Montana, a Blue Jay was seen visiting a feeder in Bozeman.

And in Alaska, a Hawfinch (4) was discovered in Anchorage but has been difficult to find again.

=====

Omissions and errors are not intended, but if you find any please message blog AT aba.org and I will try to fix them as soon as possible. This post is meant to be an account of the most recently reported birds. Continuing birds not mentioned are likely included in previous editions listed here. Place names written in italics refer to counties/parishes.

Readers should note that none of these reports has yet been vetted by a records committee. All birders are urged to submit documentation of rare sightings to the appropriate state or provincial committees. For full analysis of these and other bird observations, subscribe to North American Birds <aba.org/nab>, the richly illustrated journal of ornithological record published by the ABA.ComebackTown is published by David Sher to begin a discussion on a better Birmingham.

David Sher is Co-Founder of AmSher Compassionate Collections and past Chairman of Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce, ONB, and CAP.

Let's turn Birmingham around. Click here to sign up for newsletter. There's power in numbers. (Opt out at any time)

Today's guest blogger is Charlie Waldrep. If you'd like to be a guest blogger, please click here.

"Metro Government" has become a mantra for some citizens while others are terrified of the thought of giving up their smaller, responsive local governments.

Consequently, "Metro Government" is a concept unlikely to be achieved among Jefferson County's 35 municipalities.

It is a huge "ask" for people who resist change in municipal governance to relinquish their police and fire departments, schools, senior centers, parks, or simple access to local elected officials.

Voluntary regional cooperation

Rather than belabor "Metro Government," perhaps we should discuss voluntary "Regional Cooperation" among County municipalities, the Office of Sheriff, and the Jefferson County Commission.

Our discussion should begin with successful templates for voluntary regional cooperation, by looking at two of the existing models of Regional Cooperation that work well.

Purchasing Association

The older model has existed for more than 25 years, i.e. the Purchasing Association of Central Alabama (PACA) sponsored by the Jefferson County Commission and administered by its Purchasing Division.

The concept is simple. PACA is a voluntary cooperative of governmental entities contracted to save taxpayer dollars through a joint purchasing agreement which achieves volume discounts for materials, services, or equipment, and provides an economic advantage for members.

Membership is open to all public entities subject to the Alabama Public Bid Law. Interestingly, 20 of Jefferson County's 35 municipalities are PACA members.

Metro Area Crime Center

A more recent model is the Metro Area Crime Center ("MACC") established last year by Sheriff Mike Hale consisting of investigators representing law enforcement agencies throughout Jefferson and surrounding Counties.

MACC already counts 12 of the police departments within Jefferson County among its members and uses innovative investigative resources to combat crime in the metropolitan area.

Both PACA and MACC are comprised of governmental entities that have come together voluntarily. We should recognize that "Regional Cooperation" is already a well-known concept for many municipalities working with the Jefferson County Commission, Sheriff Hale, and each other to save money on goods and services and combat crime.

Let's take this spirit of cooperation and apply it to three specific areas that affect almost all of our 35 municipalities:

Garbage Collection. A few municipalities provide garbage pick-up through their public works department, but most outsource it to private companies. Some municipalities pass these costs along to residents and others absorb expenses in their general fund budgets, but the garbage collected has a common thread - it must be dumped into a sanitary landfill.

Regardless of how the garbage is collected, the landfill charges a "tip fee" for each ton of garbage dumped and the municipality pays the tip fees. Only the City of Birmingham owns its own landfills, and it owns 2, both of which are due to be closed. Jefferson County also owns a landfill for household garbage.

What if all these municipalities joined a Jefferson County Solid Waste Authority (JCSWA) and required all the garbage collected within the city or town to be dumped at the JCSWA that will set the tip fee substantially lower than rates at privately owned landfills?

Perhaps Birmingham can avoid the expensive process of closing its two landfills and opening a new one by simply using its existing landfills as "transfer stations" and joining JCSWA. The principles which make PACA and MACC cost saving vehicles are easily transferable to a solid waste authority.

Correction Facilities. If a municipality has a police department, it must have a jail or some other arrangement for keeping prisoners.

The City of Birmingham must build a new jail. Mayor Bell announced that a new jail is planned with a public safety building in Ensley, but no action has been taken. Jails are a black hole of expense for municipalities with food, clothing, medical care, liability insurance, and housing of prisoners, plus the personnel to guard and transport them.

A Jefferson County Regional Correction Authority (JCRCA) could provide these services through consolidation. Let each municipality with prisoners to house determine if a state of the art facility operated by JCRCA with cameras utilized for court appearances, an infirmary for prisoner medical needs to avoid the cost of guarding hospitalized prisoners, and the cost of personnel, food, clothing, and liability insurance reduced by the economies of scale make financial sense.

Sheriff Hale should be consulted to determine if the Jefferson County Jails in Birmingham or Bessemer already have space for the JCRCA. No one wants a jail in their neighborhood, so if the Jefferson County jails lack space, perhaps additional floors can be added to one or both facilities. It is worth consideration.

Municipal Courts. Every municipality with a police department has a municipal court for offenders. A common problem is unpaid fines and court costs resulting in warrants being issued for defendants who fail to appear in court.

Recently, I volunteered at the Veterans Help Desk sponsored by the Birmingham Volunteer Lawyers Program at the Veterans Hospital Clinic. In an hour and a half, I saw six veteran clients who shared three common characteristics:

each was economically at or below the poverty level;

each had a driver's license suspended or revoked due to unpaid tickets; and

each readily agreed to perform community service in lieu of paying the outstanding fines and costs to get their license reinstated.

If the municipalities with courts agree on an approved list of charitable institutions, churches, synagogues, or mosques willing to accept qualified indigent defendants to perform community service, tens of thousands of hours of service could be rendered each year to benefit our communities while also benefiting those rendering the services.

I am confident there are other areas where voluntary, non-mandated regional cooperation can be implemented without local municipalities giving up any of their autonomy.

The key is to utilize "inter-governmental cooperating agreements" that already exist as a tool. These agreements already provide the mechanism for local governmental entities to work voluntarily and collaboratively as PACA and MACC operate to save money while delivering better services to our citizens.

Let's begin the discussion.

Charlie Waldrep, a City of Birmingham resident for 66 years, has served as a part time municipal prosecutor and City Attorney for 38 years. He's been City Attorney for seven of Jeffco's municipalities and currently serves as both City Attorney and prosecutor for four of these municipalities. Contact Charlie at waldrep@wskllc.comLast week the NHS collapsed. So did the national rail network, and the police service. This was preceded by an explosion in homelessness, and before that an implosion of the judicial and penal system. The year is seven days old. And, if you believe the reports, the country is already on its knees.

Except it isnt. What were actually experiencing is life in the age of the 140 Character Crisis. And unless Theresa May and her Government get to grips with it, it will ultimately lead to a genuine national calamity that will subsume us all.

This phenomenon first appeared with the 2015 winter floods. Fuelled by social media, and the 24-hour news cycle, seasonal rainfall became an existential threat to Britain and David Camerons government. Lack of flood-defence investment laid bare the inhumanity of austerity. That the worst flooding was in Cumbria, Lancashire and Yorkshire exposed the widening chasm between North and South. Tackling the issue was now an urgent national priority.

Pictured: Prime Minister Theresa May visits Frimley Park Hospital near Camberley in Surrey. She must learn to face the 'Twitter mob' or face calamity, says Dan Hodges

Then a week later it wasnt. The residents of the affected areas were left to mop up and chase their insurance payments. But we, as a nation, had moved on.

There was a time when Britains motto was Keep Calm And Carry On. Today its Take To Twitter And Start A Moral Panic. Over the past five years  the lifetime of a typical parliament  we have experienced an energy-pricing crisis, annual winter-beds crises, a social-care crisis, a pensions crisis, a policing crisis, a crisis over cladding, sprinklers and overall tower-block safety, a housing crisis, a tuition-fees crisis, a rough-sleeping crisis, an amphibious-assault-ship crisis, a rail-overcrowding crisis, a rail-fares crisis, a food-bank crisis, a universal-credit crisis and an immigration crisis.

As far as Im aware, none of these crises has actually been solved. Instead they have simply slid from the national consciousness, to be temporarily replaced by the next crisis on the rank.

As ever, part of this phenomenon is fuelled by the rise of social media. This week we have seen doctors  or people claiming to be doctors  tweeting they have been performing battlefield medicine and providing third world health care. Which is hysterical nonsense. But as Donald Trump has successfully demonstrated, a tweet is half way round the world before the truth has its boots on.

Another problem is that, in the era of instant analysis, policy planning has become an almost exclusively reactive process. The police have faced deserved criticism recently. But theyve also faced demands they channel resources towards everything from the terror threat and knife crime, through online abuse, white-collar crime, reckless driving towards cyclists and the hunt for Madeleine McCann.

But there is a much more fundamental reason for our 140 Character Crisis epidemic. Half the British political class are fuelling it. And the other half are too scared to challenge it.

Thatcher (right) secured power by pledging a smaller State and a reduction in public-sector borrowing. Tony Blair (left) won a landslide in 1997 promising to stick to Tory spending limits

There is a popular perception that our politicians always ingratiate their way into office with seductive promises of bread and roses. But in 1979 Margaret Thatcher secured power by pledging monetary discipline, a smaller State, and a reduction in public-sector borrowing. Tony Blair won a landslide in 1997 promising to stick to Tory spending limits. David Cameron and George Osborne bested their opponents in successive elections by openly committing to a programme of austerity. But then none of them came up against an opponent with the audacity of Jeremy Corbyn.

This week has shown Labour at its your money wouldnt melt in our mouth worst. Set aside the annualised shroud-waving in front the countrys A&E departments, and look instead at Mondays rant over the rise in rail fares.

This, Corbyn tweeted from the sunshine of Coyoacan, was The Great Train Robbery.

It was immediately followed by the ritualised demand for the renationalisation of the railways, and pledge this wouldnt cost the taxpayer a penny because of recouped private-sector profits.

Which would be true, if Labour were only pledging to maintain a steady state of operation. But Corbyn isnt. He wants more trains. He wants heavily subsidised fares. He wants more guards and other railway staff. He wants them to be paid more, and have better pensions, and have better working conditions. And the person he wants to pay for all that is you.

'At least Corbyn has a strategy' says Dan Hodges. Whereas Mays plan for rebutting the perception that the country is falling apart at the seams has been harder to decipher

But dishonest and fiscally irresponsible though his strategy of credit-card socialism may be, at least Corbyn has a strategy. Theresa Mays plan for rebutting the perception that the country is falling apart at the seams has been harder to decipher.

Labours leader has a clear message  austerity is crippling the nation. The Prime Ministers message  communicated by a close ally  is the following: Its not the age of austerity any more. You can see weve been introducing an element of fiscal loosening. Were now pursuing a balanced approach to the economy and spending. A balanced approach to the economy and spending is to be lauded.

But in the age of the 140 Character Crisis its no response to the charge Youre murdering the sick in their beds! Nor is it a response to the very real challenges facing the nation. Though hyped by the Twitter warriors, the pressures on the NHS are real. As are the social-care crisis, the pensions crisis and the dangers of additional defence cuts.

But at the moment the Prime Minister is unwilling to confront the nation with these realities, or the need to establish genuine national priorities.

She remains scarred by her experience in the Election, when she told the British people Were going to have to make some tough choices and the British people replied: No, Im afraid were not.

And that is where the real danger lies. Because though they will again slip from our consciousness, the crises that reared their heads this week are not simply going to vanish. Nor will they be magicked away by the Absolute Boy, and his strange brand of Left-wing Trumpian populism.

I apologise, Theresa May said as she toured the crowded hospital wards last week. It was a humble and empathetic response.

But in the age of the 140 Character Crisis, empathy and humility will not be enough.Shockwaves from the decision to release black cab rapist John Worboys spread across Westminster. Speakers wife Sally Bercow once had a too-close-for-comfort encounter with the criminal. When she was in Oxford Universitys Conservative Association in the 1980s, Sally booked Worboys  then a stripper called Terry the Minder  to entertain the members, joining him on stage during his act.

Despite Brexit, one corner of Brussels is forever British  the office sofa belonging to UK Commissioner Sir Julian King, on which he has placed a Union Jack cushion. After word of this reached the ear of bibulous Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, he swung into action: when Sir Julian arrived at work for the new term, he found an extra two cushions on his sofa  both bearing the EU flag. A note attached read: Yours, from Jean-Claude. The swine!

Of all the knighthoods coincidentally awarded to every MP on the committee overseeing the HS2 rail project, the one for Tory Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (above right) has caused the most tongue-wagging

Of all the knighthoods coincidentally awarded to every MP on the committee overseeing the HS2 rail project  as revealed by last weeks Mail on Sunday  the one for Tory Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown has caused the most tongue-wagging. Sir Geoffreys nickname in the Commons tea-room is Mr Magoo  the bumbling cartoon character who is constantly taking the wrong turn.

As Tony Blairs No 10 spin doctor, Alastair Campbell famously said we dont do God when his boss was asked about religion. Seems pro-EU, atheist Campbell is prepared to make an exception for Brexit and Trump. He says: Im sure if there was a God, everything I think I know about Him, He wouldnt like what Brexit and Trump are doing to His world. And He would be right.

Sir Geoffreys nickname in the Commons tea-room is Mr Magoo  the bumbling cartoon character who is constantly taking the wrong turn.

Theresa Mays reshuffle deliberations are being watched closely by Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry. The Prime Minister is mulling whether to fill Damian Greens old job as First Secretary of State, effectively the Deputy PM. Emily revels in her second job as Shadow First Sec  which allows her to take an occasional turn at PMQs in the Commons. If Mrs May decides that no one in her Cabinet deserves the elevation, then Emilys gig disappears too. Oh well, says a very undistraught-sounding Labour source.

A gripping new novel by bawdy ex-Left-wing MP Bob Marshall- Andrews is about a group of rich Americans on safari. It features a psychopathic murderous chimpanzee called Dump who has brutally usurped the position of alpha male and threatens the lives of all around him as his reign of terror reaches a terrible and inevitable climax. For Dump, read D. Trump.Remember when politicians and police chiefs used to boast that crime was falling, and academics and liberal news media used to believe them? It was a lie, of course, based on fiddled statistics which have now been thoroughly exposed. But it suited the Establishment at the time.

What the figures actually meant was that the police and courts had decided that millions of actions which were once considered crimes were now not crimes any more. So they would neither record them nor do anything about them. This is still true, as you will find out if one of these petty crimes happens to you.

But some crimes  in which people die or are seriously hurt  cannot be magicked out of existence in this way.

London saw four fatal stabbings on New Years Eve, taking the total of such knifings in the capital to 80 for the whole of 2017. File photo

London saw four fatal stabbings on New Years Eve, taking the total of such knifings in the capital to 80 for the whole of 2017.

And the use of knives in general is now a serious problem all over the country. In June 2017, the Office for National Statistics listed thousands of blade offences in the previous 12 months, including 214 killings, 391 attempted murders, 438 rapes, 182 other sexual assaults, and 14,429 robberies.

There were also more than 18,500 assaults involving an injury or intent to inflict harm with a blade and 2,816 threats to kill with a knife. Were it not for the extraordinary skill and swift responses of our paramedics and emergency surgeons, many more of these cases would have been homicides.

If we still had the medical services we had in 1965 (when the death penalty was abolished), we would now have thousands of murders a year.

Malicious, disastrous violence has increased by astonishing amounts in this period. It is not the effectiveness of the police and courts which keeps the homicide rate down. It is the brilliance of our doctors and nurses.

Then we learned that John Worboys, a multiple rapist, could now go free. But this mess is no more absurd than hundreds of seemingly tough sentences, falsely stated by judges and falsely reported by media.

We really ought to have grasped by now that these days eight years means four years and three years means 18 months.

I understand why the courts lie, to make themselves look strong when they are weak. But I cannot grasp why reporters, newspapers and broadcasters fall in with this. To me, an even more striking example of this cruel leniency is the case of Theodore Johnson. The Left-wing Guardian is exercised about Johnson because he repeatedly killed women.

Then we learned that John Worboys, a multiple rapist, could now go free. But this mess is no more absurd than hundreds of seemingly tough sentences

I am exercised about him for the more profound reason that he repeatedly killed humans.

I have long known that crimes which would once have been classified as murders are often now downgraded to manslaughter. This is done to save money and time, and to make it easier to release the culprits early to stop the prisons from bursting. But in most cases it is legally difficult to point this out.

The Johnson case is different. He is a murderer, but people who should be alive are now dead because he was wrongly convicted of a lesser crime.

In 1981, Johnson pushed his wife Yvonne off the balcony of their ninth-floor flat, after first hitting her with a vase and an ashtray. He was allowed to plead guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of provocation. She had, he said, been arguing with him.

She was, of course, not there to give her own version of who did the provoking. He was sentenced in 1982 to three years in prison. Thats right. Three years, though in those days it really meant three years. He was out by 1985.

In 1992 Johnson strangled another woman, Yvonne Bennett, with a belt. She had annoyed him by refusing to accept a box of chocolates which he had bought her to try to win back her affections.

He tried to hang himself from a tree, but the string snapped. String? Yes, string. He was much better at killing others than at killing himself. Doctors decided he was suffering from a depressive illness and he was sent indefinitely to a secure hospital.

Not indefinitely enough. He was out and under psychiatric care after two years. He went on to kill a third woman, Angela Best, by beating her with a claw hammer and throttling her with a dressing-gown cord.

As after his second killing, he tried and failed to commit suicide afterwards, this time by jumping in front of a train.Now, having first tried the manslaughter plea again, on the grounds of diminished responsibility, he has pleaded guilty to murdering Angela Best.

His injuries from the attempted suicide have left him in a wheelchair, though I wouldnt like to guarantee that he is harmless even now. Far too late, the courts have sentenced him to 26 years, which might just be enough.

Once, I would have said this was all evidence of a system which had lost all force since it stopped treating murder as a specially hideous crime. So it is. Once, I would have said that we should restore the death penalty for heinous murder. Now, I know this cause is lost. So I can only urge you to take care.

The law refuses to protect you. Those in charge of it lack the courage or the resolve to do so. Get used to it.

Models Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid,(pic) have attended parties to promote cannabis legalisation

Sorry, Gigi, there is NOTHING cool about cannabis

Nearly everyone has now caught up with the facts I established in my 2012 book The War We Never Fought, which was met with a mixture of rage, derision and snooty silence.

There is no war on drugs and you can wander the streets of London or Los Angeles openly smoking a marijuana joint without any real fear of the law. So what is all the fuss about Californias latest step towards legalisation of this dangerous poison (I heard only last night of another family devastated from top to bottom by supposedly soft cannabis)?

The California law had billionaire backing, as a similar campaign does here. Crucially, it will allow open sale and advertising. And Big Dope will also use endorsement and product placement, which Big Tobacco has used so effectively. Meryl Streep has already portrayed a fictional character smoking dope (such a giggle) in the 2009 film Its Complicated.

As they seek to overcome the justified suspicions of the public, marijuana promoters hope to recruit high-glamour figures, such as the models Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid, who have attended parties to promote cannabis legalisation. So far, they have met reluctance. My advice to anyone approached is to stay reluctant. Were only just starting to find out how dangerous this drug is. You dont want to look as foolish, ten years from now, as those stars who used to endorse cigarettes now do.

Ignorance at its most dangerous

Why is it OK to be so ignorant about Russia? I watched University Challenge in amazement as a team of distinguished Reading graduates completely failed to identify a single Russian city on a map of that country (they didnt even know that St Petersburg is on the sea, and werent embarrassed about being so ignorant) and clearly had no knowledge of the Russian alphabet.

This is normal among educated British people, so how can so many of them have such strong opinions about the alleged Russian threat? I think its the ignorance that breeds the fear.

If you want to comment on Peter Hitchens click here.When people retire they often think about travelling the world, but not many feel like they have the funds to do so.

An Australian couple have managed to make their dream a reality by spending only $99 AUD a year.

Peter. 57, and Deb, 52, who are originally from Perth, have been travelling the world for seven years now - far passing their original 12 month goal.

Peter. 57, and Deb, 52, who are originally from Perth, have been travelling the world for seven years now - far passing their original 12 month goal (pictured)

Some may believe that this is impossible but the couple have managed to accomplish this by house and animal sitting wherever they stay through the website TrustedHousesitters.com.

'When we first started house sitting it was simply a French Bed and Breakfast owner who enjoyed Deb's company so much that she asked us to house sit her large Champagne region house with her pets for a period of 18 months,' Peter told FEMAIL.

'We had no idea that people did this or were willing to let others come into their homes and live like locals. We agreed and returned in 18 months in December 2011.

'One thing led to another and we realised that there were websites offering services to match owners and sitters, so we joined to further the opportunities.'

The couple mainly house sit in Europe, here they were close to Chamonix Mont Blanc

The couple looked after a families household cat when they house sat in Turkey

This wasn't their first time to France as in 2010 the couple were visiting the country for 12 weeks.

'On the way home in June 2011, our Champagne sit was scheduled for later that year in December, we both asked ourselves why we were going home,' Peter explained.

'We decided that once home we would investigate the possibility of house sitting around the world for 12 months.'

The couple house sat in Lavaur in Southern France

'Scenery can not get much better than this,' Peter said

They applied for a house sit in Thailand and, as they say, the rest was history.

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The couple set off to Asia with a one way ticket in 2011 and have now been travelling continuously since.

'In Thailand we applied for and were accepted for a house sit in Southern Turkey and went from there,' Peter said.

'We have returned to Australia to house sit in Perth, Melbourne and Sydney.

'On the return home for these house sits, we had already booked our return to Europe to continue the adventure.'

Debra explained that they try to keep plans to a minimum.

This was the stunning view from their house in Guatemala

They also did a winter house sit in Toulouse, France being one of their favourite places to visit

Tranquil countryside roads are just the place to take a dog for a walk or run

'The beauty about this style of travel and TrustedHousesitters.com is we really dont know [our future],' she told FEMAIL.

'If something comes up that we'd both like to do, we go through the application process like anyone else and if it works for us we go.

'We are fortunate after seven years house sitting we are asked to return and have done so many times.'

Each year the couple plan to come back home Australia but every year they change their minds.

'We think that 2020 might be the time we return to Australia and return to living in one of our properties,' Debra explained.

Of course with house sitting comes certain duties that they have to take care of

When they were living in Turkey they were lucky to witness many a beautiful sunset

'House sitting is always fun with new animals to share with, Deb told FEMAIL

'House sitting gives you the opportunity to do things you've always wanted to do, like clearing snow at -47,' Peter said

'But this will merely serve as a base while we continue to travel on shorter journeys, potentially a one to three month duration, not to travel continuously like we are doing now.'

Peter and Debra have stayed in 11 capital cities around the world including Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Paris, Toulouse, London, Vancouver, Antigua Guatamela, St. Georges Granada, St Peter Port Guernsey and Helsinki.

'Most of our other 58 house sits are in country villages or rural settings in Australia, England, USA, Canada, UK, Turkey, Italy, Spain, Thailand and Switzerland,' Peter said.

'These are different houses, we have been asked to return on many occasions, the most being 10 times.'

They took the dog they were caring for walking near Felixstowe in England

They found themselves enjoying local delicacies on their stays, such as cheese in France

Most of the house sits they do are in the northern hemisphere and are rural or village style living.

'City house sitting is not something we have concentrated on as we have mentioned before 'in some cases we get to go places one has never heard of',' Peter said.

'Having said that we have house sat in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Paris, Toulouse, London, Vancouver, Antigua Guatamela, St Georges Grenada, St Peters Port in Guernsey and Helsinki and as part of our house sitting travels have had wonderful opportunities to visit Singapore, Geneva, New York, Boston, Barcelona, Bordeaux, Marseilles, Istanbul, Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Jersey and Bangkok between sits, travel to/from sits or being close enough to do day trips often.

'Next month we get to go to Antwerp in Belgium.'

'Beautiful villages like this one, Bagnoregio, are just waiting to be found while house sitting in Europe,' the couple shared

They had the opportinuty to stay in a beautiful moulin house in Uzes France

Peter said that when considering costs they always believe they will spend the same as if they would be living at home.

The first cost they consider is travel costs, especially if they're not sitting close to where they live.

'Deb and I had a house sit in the Yukon in British Columbia Canada and the airfare costs were $4,000 to get there. Expensive? Yes!' Peter shared.

'However we were fortunate to string together six months of house sitting in Vancouver, Victoria, Mayne Island and Kamloops in the same area reducing that cost to average $25 per day, which made it a more acceptable cost to us.'

The couple bonded with all of the animals that they cared for when they house sat

The couple are currently completing their 91st house sit in the high French PyreneesShe revealed her pregnancy on Friday and it seems that Zara Tindall baby bump is already blossoming.

Zara, 36, joined husband former England rugby captain, Mike Tindall, 39, to watch the Magic Millions polo match on the Gold Coast, after spending Christmas in Sydney.

The Queen's granddaughter plumped for a loose fitting navy dress which appeared to showcase her growing bump on Saturday.

Zara accessorised with a straw boater hat, sunglasses and flat gladiator sandals, while Mike Tindall looked dapper in a light tartan blazer, chinos and shades.

Zara and Mike Tindall (both pictured) attended the Magic Millions polo event on the Gold Coast over the weekend

For the occasion the Queen's granddaughter (left) opted for a navy blue silky dress, sunglasses and a straw boater hat - meanwhile Mike Tindall (right) wore a tartan jacket and chinos

Of course, Zara is no stranger to the Magic Millions polo match on the Gold Coast, held each January (pictured this year) - last year, she took part

Of course, Zara is no stranger to the Magic Millions polo match on the Gold Coast, held each January.

Zara is patron of the events Racing Women, an initiative promoting racehorse ownership among women.

Last year, the equestrian champion took a tumble while playing in the match herself.

And while the equestrian champion has made her return, there is no danger of pregnant Zara getting into the saddle.

News of Zara's pregnancy came just over a year after the royal couple suffered the heartache of a miscarriage on Christmas Eve 2016.

The couple were all smiles for the cameras on the Gold Coast (pictured)

News of Zara's pregnancy came just over a year after the royal couple suffered the heartache of a miscarriage on Christmas Eve 2016

The pair (pictured) looked happy and relaxed at the illustrious polo event

News of Zara's pregnancy means that the Queen will become a great-grandmother twice this year, with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge also expecting their third child.

The Tindall baby will be born in the summer, about three months after the Duke and Duchess of Cambridges third child is due, sources claim.

With Prince Harry due to marry fiancee Meghan Markle on May 19 at Windsor Castle, it will be a joyous year for the 91-year-old monarch and her family.

Ever since Zara (pictured) and Mike announced that they are expecting their second child, the British Royal family have been preparing themselves for a big 2018

Not only will the 36-year-old (pictured) give birth, but Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will also marry - meanwhile, the Duchess of Cambridge is set to give birth to her third child

According to royal sources, Zara's second child will be born in the British summer, about three months after William and Kate's third child (Zara pictured at the polo)

At one stage a gust of wind bellowed Zara's loose-fitting dress, as she walked around the event holding her pregnant stomach

Stepping out of the midday sun, Zara could be seen using a chic wooden fan to cool off

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: The Queen and members of the royal family were very pleased.

The new arrival will provide a sibling for three-year-old Mia, who was born in an NHS hospital in the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire - where it is expected Zara will also give birth to her second child.

Zara, Mike and Mia Grace have recently spent Christmas in Sydney, before they descended on the Gold Coast this weekend for the Magic Millions horse racing carnival.

She and Mike tucked into a healthy looking lunch during a break from the Polo

This will leave Tindall's baby 19th in line to the throne, which has been occupied since 1952 by 91-year-old Queen Elizabeth (pictured with her family and daughter, Mia)

The new arrival will provide a sibling for three-year-old Mia, who was born in an NHS hospital in the Cotswolds - where it is expected Zara will also give birth to her second child

The 2018 Magic Millions Carnival is a week-long celebration of all things equine, kicking off with the Pacific Fair Magic Millions Polo featuring world famous polo player Nacho Figueras.

The event brings in millions around the world, and is watched by many.

For a number of years Zara  a former world eventing champion and Olympic silver medallist  has been involved with the event which features thoroughbred sales, racing and polo matches.

The Queen's granddaughter (pictured with Mike) is patron of the event's Magic Millions Racing Women, an initiative promoting racehorse ownership among women

The 2018 Magic Millions Carnival is a week-long celebration of all things equine, kicking off with the Pacific Fair Magic Millions Polo featuring world famous polo player Nacho FiguerasShe bravely admitted that vertigo had caused her to cancel several royal engagements, but it seems that Crown Princess Mette-Marit is feeling herself once more.

The Norwegian royal stole the show in a dazzling floor-length red dress as she attended an awards ceremony on Saturday night.

Joined by husband Crown Prince Haakon Mette-Marit made sure all eyes were on her as she arrived at the event in Hamar, Norway.

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Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway dazzled in a statement red dress at a sporting awards ceremony on Saturday

The 44-year-old paired her elegant scarlet dress with a pair of eye catching lace heels by British designer Nicholas Kirkwood.

Adding a touch of glamour to her ensemble the mother-of-three opted for a pair of diamond encrusted statement earrings.

Her signature icy-blonde locks were tousled to perfection as she took to the stage at the Idrettsgallaen 2018 (Sports Gala 2018).

The event honours a year of sporting achievements in Noway, with the highest-achieving athletes receiving awards.

She was joined by husband Crown Prince Haakon for the Idrettsgallaen 2018 in Hamar

The Norweigan princess paired her eye-catching dress with a pair of lace stilettos from British Designer Nicholas Kirkwood

Haakon, 44, meanwhile, cut a dapper figure in a navy two-piece suit and a trendy skinny tie as he joined his wife in stage to present an award.

The princess' appearance comes just days after she revealed that she was suffering from vertigo which she had initially mistaken for the menopause.

The royal was even forced to cancel a public engagement at the end of November because the condition left her feeling like she'd been 'overindulging on the ferryboat to Denmark'.

Her signature icy-blonde locks looked preened to perfection in honour of the annual event

The Crown Prince and Princess took to the stage to honour the past year of sporting achievements in Norway

Mette-Marit confirmed that she was actually suffering from vertigo, or 'crystal sickness' as she has called it.

Norway's royal palace said Crown Princess Mette-Marit was suffering from Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV), which can cause a loss of balance, dizziness and nausea.

She explained to Norwegian radio station P3 how the illness manifested, saying: 'I turned my head quickly, and it was like the whole world began to move.

'I began to sweat and felt nauseous  I thought Id started early menopause.'

Crown Prince Mette-Marit said the condition began after a rigorous week of working out with girlfriends, saying: 'Id been incredibly good at training this fall. We used a program that changed from week to week.'

Despite a healthy work-out regime, Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit revealed that she was left unable to carry out royal engagements following a diagnosis of vertigo at the end of last year

The mother-of-three, who's married to Crown Prince Haakon, said the initial symptoms of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) left her thinking that she had started the menopause early

Vertigo is temporary and although it can reoccur at any time, Crown Princess Mette-Merit appeared to be back to full health while posing for a festive photo with her family

How vertigo can leave the world spinning Individuals with vertigo experience the sensation of having their surroundings spinning around them. The condition is not usually a sign of underlying illness. However, it is possible for vertigo to be related to inflammation in the inner ear (labyrinthitis), or ear infection. In a very severe form vertigo is called Meniere's disease, the sufferer may collapse and experience vomiting and/or ringing in the ears during an attack. Sometimes, antihistamine drugs are prescribed in an effort to control attacks, but these are not always effective. On a dietary level, avoiding sugar and foods that release sugar quickly into the blood stream such as white bread, white rice, and potatoes can help. These foods can upset the balance of sugar in the blood stream which seems to bring on symptoms in many sufferers. Opting for foods that release sugar slowly such as wholemeal bread, brown rice, meat, fish, fruits and vegetables. Another thing likely to help maintain blood sugar levels is to eat regular meals, perhaps with healthy snacks such as fresh fruit and nuts (preferably raw) in between. Advertisement

While the condition is temporary, it can come back at any time.

The Norwegian royal is clearly feeling better and enjoyed the festive season with her family, releasing a seasonal image of them looking in good spirits.

The Crown Princess, a former waitress, met her future husband at a music festival in the 1990s when she was a single mother and married into the royal family in 2001.

Mette-Marit has become widely respected for her charity work and has been a special representative for UNAIDS, a branch of the UN that focuses on dealing with HIV and AIDS.

She also joined the Norwegian aid agency NORAD as an intern, and is a patron of several Norwegian charities, including the Oslo International Church Music Festival and the Norwegian Scouting Association.Like any other engaged couple, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had their own plans in place for their perfect wedding day.

But the pair have reportedly been denied their chosen venue for the wedding reception - the 'dreamy' Frogmore House.

Frogmore is a significant venue for the couple, as the pair have reportedly enjoyed romantic picnics at the estate and it was also the backdrop for their glamorous engagement photos.

However, the Express reports that Meghan and Harry were denied the chance to celebrate their wedding at the exclusive venue, which is closed to the public for most of the year, in favour of the more 'practical' alternative.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had hoped to hold their wedding reception at Frogmore House, the setting of their engagement photos (pictured)

The couple were thought to be keen on Frogmore, which Meghan described as 'dreamy', for their wedding reception, but have now been 'gently vetoed' by royal aides.

They have instead been offered St George's Hall at Windsor Castle, which is thought to be more suitable for the size of the wedding party.

It is just a mile away from their venue of St George's Chapel, where they will wed on May 19.

A source said: 'They would have loved Frogmore for the party, particularly Meghan who has called it 'dreamy', but they have been told St George's Hall is far more practical.

However, reports claim that royal aides have 'gently vetoed' the stately home as a venue

The couple have reportedly been given St George's Hall in Windsor, which is said to be more suitable for their wedding party

'One person who would have readily approved of their choice was the Queen, for whom Frogmore is a very special place.

'The Queen would also have loved the family to see what had been done at Frogmore: the house has just been renovated by a group of friends as a 70th wedding anniversary gift to her and Philip.'

MailOnline has contacted Kensington Palace for a comment.

The couple's stunning engagement photos were taken in the 35 acre grounds of Frogmore House, which is only open to the public three days of the year.

The couple used Frogmore House's palatial grounds as the setting for their stunning engagement photos

Peter and Autumn Phillips used Frogmore House for their reception venue, and were said to have been paid 500,000 from Hello Magazine for the pictures

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had their wedding reception at Buckingham Palace after their wedding in Westminster Abbey

The stately home was also a setting for romantic picnics while the couple were still dating last summer.

Frogmore House is a stately home with a lot of royal history, and is where both Queen Victoria and Prince Albert are buried.

While Meghan and Harry have been denied their venue choice, other royal couples have held their wedding reception at Frogmore, including Peter and Autumn Phillips.

Their 2008 wedding reception caused a stir as they were reported to have been paid 500,000 for the photos to appear in Hello Magazine.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge held their wedding reception in Buckingham Palace after their fairy tale wedding at Westminster Abbey.

Meghan and Harry announced their engagement on November 27, with the American actress showing off her sparkling ring complete with diamonds owned by his mother Princess Diana.

They live in Nottingham Cottage in Kensington Palace next door to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children Prince George and Princess Charlotte.The first Christmas spent with a partner's family is always nerve-wracking, especially for Meghan Markle, whose in-laws include the Queen herself.

But Prince Harry's fiance managed to get on his grandmother's good side with a very amusing gift during her first Christmas at Sandringham.

According to the Daily Star Online, Meghan, 36, bought Her Majesty a singing toy hamster which, according to the paper, left the the monarch in 'hysterics'.

A source said: 'Meghan bought a little hamster that sings with a little rope for Her Majesty.'

Meghan Markle spent her first Christmas at Sandringham with the royal family last month, and according to sources her gift to the Queen was a great success

'It was so funny, especially when the corgis tried to take hold of the toy. She (the Queen) laughed and said ''they can keep my dogs company!'''

The Royal family buy each other comical gifts at Christmas and honour their German heritage by opening presents on Christmas Eve.

The Daily Star also claims that Meghan cheekily poked fun at the Duke of Cambridge's thinning hair by gifting him a Tam O Shanter hat, complete with fake ginger hair attached.

Meghan's choice of novelty gifts were well received among the family who tend to shun serious or expensive presents with Prince Harry reported to have once gifted his grandmother a shower cap printed with the slogan 'Ain't life a b****'.

Prince Charles' most cherished gift is reportedly a white leather toilet seat given to him by Princess Anne, which he found so comfy that it now travels with him on his overseas tours.

Prince Harry's fiance is said to have bought the Queen a singing toy hamster, which she was delighted with

In a recent radio interview Prince Harry said the royals 'loved' having Meghan with them over Christmas

In comparison the Duchess of Cambridge opted for a sweet homemade gift for her first Christmas with the Queen, gifting her a jar of chutney from her own grandmother's recipe.

Apart from a slight wobble when she curtsied to the Queen after the service, Meghan's first public appearance with members of the royal family appeared to go without a hitch.

Prince Harry told the Today programme that her first royal family Christmas had been a resounding success.

When the fifth in line to the throne was quizzed by presenter Sarah Montague at the end of guest editing the three-hour show he replied: 'It was fantastic, she really enjoyed it.'

Bride-to-be: Former Suits actress Meghan will marry Prince Harry in May 19 at Windsor Castle

Speaking about his fiancee, he said: 'The family loved having her there.

'There's always that family part of Christmas (where) there's always that work element there as well, and I think together we had an amazing time.

'We had great fun staying with my brother and sister-in-law and running round with the kids. 'Christmas was fantastic.'

The couple are just months away from their big and will get married at Windsor Castle on May 19.

As for their wedding reception, the couple were thought to be keen on Frogmore House, which Meghan described as 'dreamy', for their wedding reception, but have now been 'gently vetoed' by royal aides.

They have instead been offered St George's Hall at Windsor Castle, which is thought to be more suitable for the size of the wedding party.Usually I dont make New Years resolutions, but for 2018 I have solemnly resolved to change ten things.

Among them: to tolerate no fiddling with rulers. To issue detentions to anyone who has not done their homework. To make corrections in green pen. To carry 18 glue sticks around in a transparent bag.

Until last September, I cared nothing for rulers. Nor detentions. I was a pampered columnist on the Financial Times where, for 32 years, I had led a happy working life writing about whatever took my fancy.

Now at 58, I am a trainee maths teacher at Mossbourne Community Academy, a strict comprehensive school in Hackney, East London. I am also the co-founder of a charity called Now Teach, set up to encourage other people with successful careers to join the worlds most noble profession: teaching.

Lucy Kellaway (pictured), 58, shared her experience of quitting her career as a columnist to become a teacher

My life has been turned upside down and inside out. Whats it like, people always ask. I wish there was an easier way of telling them that its all of this (usually at the same time): exhausting, invigorating, relentless, stretching, humiliating and deeply satisfying.

It started this time two years ago, when it occurred to me I no longer loved what I was doing. My columns werent getting better, possibly worse; my youngest child had left home for university; my father, who Id been caring for, had recently died and my mortgage was paid off.

I was nearing the age when a previous generation would have been sloping towards retirement. But why would I want to do that? Dad had lived until he was 90; its probable Ill live longer still. I expect to be working well into my 70s.

For this last career, there were two things I wanted: the excitement and fear of starting all over again, and the feeling of being useful. As my mother was a much-loved English teacher and my daughter is an inspiring teacher of history, useful could mean only one thing for me: following them.

So NOW, as I start a new term, and with my first (and possibly hardest) term behind me, how is it going?

The sobering truth is that, if what I wanted was fear and excitement, I have got it in almost unmanageable quantity. So much so that most mornings I am wide awake at 5am, my head so full of lesson plans and childrens faces I cant remain asleep.

As for feeling useful? Not yet. Though towards the end of last term a child who had been steadfast in their refusal to see that subtracting a negative number was the same as adding a positive one, suddenly got it.

In 35 years in the workplace, I dont think I have experienced such a professional high as when I saw the students page of correct sums.

Lucy co-founded Now Teach to help people of all ages begin a career in teaching

Back in the spring of 2016, as I was plotting my escape from journalism, it occurred to me that instead of being unusual, I was surely typical for a fiftysomething professional.

It is normal to feel restless after a couple of decades of doing the same thing. It is normal to want to do a job that means something.

Every time I opened a paper, I read about the growing shortage of teachers, especially in science, and while there is nothing to stop someone my age becoming a teacher, all the recruitment material showed smiling pictures of 22-year-olds.

If there is Teach First, the organisation that recruits raw graduates to work in schools, where is Teach Last?

So, on a hunch, I co-founded Now Teach, did a bit of publicity and sat back to see what happened. Nothing prepared me for the flood of applications.

16 per cent of full-time teachers are in their 50s Advertisement

Within 24 hours of writing about my plans, 20,000 people visited the Now Teach website and more than 100 applications arrived.

In total, 1,000 people of a certain age expressed an interest and in September, 47 of us cast off our old lives and started again, learning on the job in classrooms in challenging secondary schools in London.

At our assessment centre, qualified trainers grilled us on subject knowledge tests. We gave lessons we had prepared, before being interviewed by the schools wed been matched with.

Now we work four days a week, spending three-and-a-half days in school and a half-day in training, which is provided by various teacher training bodies including Ark, the educational charity.

Buoyed by success, this year we are recruiting twice as many adults in schools in London and Hastings.

And just this past fortnight, Teach First revealed it was shifting its focus to older trainees, encouraging more middle-aged professionals to change careers to improve schools.

Lucy works as a trainee maths teacher at Mossbourne Community Academy (pictured) earning about 20,000

When we launched, various people accused me of doing something immoral. I had no idea about what it was really like working as a teacher, and yet there I was, in my ignorance persuading others to join one of the toughest professions in the world without knowing a thing about it.

Now a term in, I admit it was an act of hubris on my part, but Im not remotely repentant. Just before Christmas, the first Now Teach cohort gathered for a drink to celebrate surviving our first term. Everyone looked thinner, a bit tougher, but also  oddly  younger.

Maybe its about being surrounded by the young. Or maybe its what happens to you when you start learning all over again.

With lukewarm prosecco and a slice of pizza, we toasted surviving the first term and talked until closing time about the kids in school, behaviour, planning.

Being a columnist was about me. Being a teacher is not about me. Its about the children.

Only three of the 47 so far have not made it, and even if a few more fall by the wayside, the others are bringing to schools an experience of the world and true dedication.

As we shared stories of assorted humiliations and triumphs, we were agreed on one thing: teaching is brutal. Even if you are in schools where behaviour is excellent and where there is no chance of a child throwing a paper aeroplane, let alone a chair at you, it is still hard. Possibly the hardest thing weve ever done.

Its not that the hours are long  they are no longer than many other professional jobs.

Its not even that as a teacher you lose all the autonomy you used to have in your old life.

Former colleagues and contacts frequently say to me: Lets have lunch. Which day is best for you? They struggle to understand my answer: Teachers dont do lunch.

Lucy says the best and hardest thing about being a teacher is 'the teaching itself'

At best you have a polystyrene box of shepherds pie and cake and custard at your desk while you finish your marking.

I dont mind that structure. I rather like the comforting way my days are ruled by bells just as the childrens are. I dont mind being junior, either. I relish it. I used to have a fancy title that commanded respect. But there is a simplicity to being at the bottom of the pile. I am responsible for only my own learning.

As a trainee teacher Im on about 20,000, so Im dipping into savings, but not as much as Id expected as Im hardly spending any money  I have no time for shopping.

The problem isnt my age either. I havent felt for one second that I dont have the energy for my new vocation. Its tiring for everyone, but the people who seem worst affected by it are not the fiftysomethings, its the teachers who have young children at home.

If the kids think it is extraordinary to be taught by someone with grey hair, they dont say so. With my young colleagues age is also irrelevant. We all happily work and joke together, so much so that I started to tell myself they didnt even notice I was three decades older than them.

That is until one of them brought me back down to earth by saying I reminded her of her grandmother.

The thing that is hardest, is also the thing thats the best: the teaching itself.

Lucy claims she needs to improve her ability to see what each child is doing, as she believes the best teachers know when to explain themselves and when to let the children work

I used to be rather good at my job, but now I am at best OK, and at worst dismal. Teaching turns out to be a difficult, highly skilled job, and Im naturally feeble because Im a novice. If I were a trainee heart surgeon, Id be pretty ropey after my first term, too.

I suppose I expected that because teaching runs in the family, I would be a natural. I had visited too many schools to be expecting to experience the real-life equivalent of Dead Poets Society  the film where Robin Williamss teaching is so inspirational that it quickly transforms his students lives  but privately I expected to be good right away.

The truth is Im not. In every lesson I make scores of mistakes, only in teacher training they arent called that. They are euphemistically called even better ifs (EBIs). My EBIs are legion. I need to learn not to talk until I have 100 per cent attention and no one is fiddling with rulers. I need to talk less altogether.

I need to do something about chaotic beginnings and endings to lessons, where I have forgotten to hand out the homework sheets and failed to bring the glue sticks. I need to do less of the heavy lifting and get the children to do more of it.

I need to master the electronic whiteboard, which still defeats me. (In each of my first four lessons I amused the children by writing on it with a felt pen, rather than the electronic one.)

More fundamentally, I need to be better at seeing what every child is up to, who is listening, who understands and who doesnt. The best teachers know when to explain themselves and when to let the children work.

My mentor, Mariam Rizvi, is a formidable maths teacher 25 years my junior who is as demanding of me as she is of her students.

Do I mind being told what to do by someone who is barely older than my children? Not at all. Age is irrelevant. I respect her experience so I do as she says.

She sits in on my classes and will send me emails that tell me in no uncertain terms just how many things I am getting wrong.

I dont take them amiss. Im finding that being a novice is easier now than last time I was a novice some 35 years ago. When I am handed a list at the end of a lesson of all the things Ive done wrong, I sigh inwardly, but then set about trying to put them right.

Im not sure where this new thick skin comes from. As a columnist, I would smart for ages if anyone presumed to hint my work was wanting in any way. Possibly Ive grown-up, but I doubt it. I think it is something more fundamental.

Being a columnist was about me. Being a teacher is not about me. Its about the children.

And this is what saved me on the darkest days at the end of last term, when I had forgotten to turn up for the detentions I had set myself, and failed to grasp that my explanation of substitution in algebra had gone straight over the heads of half the students.

On those days I think about the kids. On my mantelpiece at home I have a card from a student saying: You are the best maths teacher Ive ever had. Im sure some students butter up all their teachers in that way, but still I treasure it.

I know I have a long way to go. But even now, after a day of teaching, children mostly come away from lessons knowing something they did not know at the start. And it feels wonderful.

I am writing this on the last day of the holidays, and the prospect of tomorrow fills me with even more excitement and dread than I felt on my first day back in September.

This time, unlike last time, I know exactly what Im letting myself in for.

I dont know what will happen to me in 2018. But I do know two things. First, I will not be bored for one moment. Second, I know that however hard I continue to find it, I will be on my way to being useful.

And for that reason, for the first time in my life, I am going to keep my New Years resolutions.

nowteach.org.ukWhat comes to mind when you think of cannabis: stoned old hippies? Teenagers smoking illicit joints? Its about as far away from luxe skincare as you can get. Yet cannabis looks set to be the hottest new ingredient in beauty products in 2018. Yes, its legal. And no, these creams wont get you high.

Both luxury and High Street brands are launching products containing extracts of the cannabis sativa plant, and are busy proclaiming its unique anti-inflammatory, anti-ageing and skin-healing potential.

Its already a huge growth area in the U.S., where cannabis has been legalised in some form in 29 states.

So, whats the magic ingredient? It turns out there are two: hemp oil, which is made from the seeds of the cannabis plant, and cannabidiol (CBD), which is extracted from the flowers and leaves.

Make-up artist Arabella Preston who founded natural oil skincare brand Votary, claims hemp oil calms skin

CBD is one of the two main active ingredients in cannabis, but not the mind-altering one  thats THC, illegal in the UK.

Hemp seed oil doesnt contain either CBD or THC, but its prized for its moisturising properties. It has more of the essential fatty acids our skin needs than any other vegetable oil. So far, so uncontroversial.

But its the growing trend for using cannabinoids such as CBD thats potentially more revolutionary. Around 250,000 people in the UK use CBD oil (usually orally) to treat medical conditions including multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, Parkinsons and inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis.

CBDs anti-inflammatory properties are promising for skincare, explains consultant dermatologist Dr Alexis Granite at Londons Cadogan Clinic. If you can reduce inflammation, you can also reduce ageing.

She points out that scientific proof is thin on the ground as yet, although a research review last year showed CBD could have an anti-inflammatory effect on skin.

We have to be careful because the studies that exist so far are small, says Dr Granite. As the U.S. continues to legalise cannabis there will be bigger scientific studies, which will be very interesting.

Here are some of the best cannabis-related products to consider in 2018 . . .

The Body Shop was the first High Street brand to bring out a range of hemp products. Hemp seed oil is known for its moisturising ability

ROYALLY GOOD

Whats on offer: Make-up artist Arabella Preston, who gave Kate Middleton make-up lessons before her wedding, is behind the natural oil skincare brand, Votary. Its newest range, Super Seed, contains hemp seed oil: theres the Super Seed Cleansing Oil, 55; Super Seed Nutrient Cream, 65 and Super Seed facial oil, 70 (votary.co.uk)

What it contains: All three products contain oil from cannabis seeds. Hemp oil is a calming oil that absorbs into skin beautifully, says Arabella.

How it works: Massage a few drops of the cleansing oil into your face and neck. Wet the face cloth and wipe away dirt.

OLD FAVOURITE

Whats on offer: The Body Shop was the first High Street brand to bring out a range of hemp products 20 years ago. It was banned in Australia, but now one tube of its hemp hand protector is sold worldwide every nine seconds. The three bestsellers in the range are Hard-working Hand Protector, 5; Heavy Duty Body Moisture Protector, 15 and Hemp Rescue Balm, 16.

What it contains: All three products contain hemp seed oil, made from the seeds of the cannabis plant, with virtually no CBD (less than 25 parts per million), but plenty of essential fatty acids.

How it works: Hemp seed oil has potent moisturising properties, explains Neil Watson, the companys research director. The range is aimed at those with very dry skin: the Heavy Duty Body Moisture Protector promises 96 hours of moisture with one application.

Dr Bronner's products have gained a cult following of fans including Meghan Markle

MEGHANS MIRACLE SOAP

Whats on offer: Cult U.S. soap brand Dr Bronners has a legion of celebrity fans, including Meghan Markle (who swears by the almond soap). All eight liquid soaps  peppermint, lavender, citrus, tea tree, rose, eucalyptus, almond and unscented  contain hemp seed oil. 10.49, drbronner.co.uk.

What it contains: Hemp seed oil, along with other essential oils. The exact percentage of hemp oil in our soap is a trade secret, says president Mike Bronner, whose grandfather began the company.

How it works: Hemp oil has an especially creamy lather and also mirrors the natural oils in the skins sebum, leaving skin feeling smooth, says Bronner.

Jasmin Thomas, 26, says her range of CBD oil products have become popular with people who have arthritis and psoriasis

HEALING HEMP

Whats on offer: Multiple sclerosis sufferer Jasmin Thomas, 26, started her own range of cannabis skincare products after she found that ingesting a few drops of CBD oil alleviated muscle spasms caused by her condition.

Her interest spread to skincare, and her company, Ohana, now offers three products: Lavender Soothing Balm, 30; Revitalising Body Oil, 40, and Ylang Ylang Lip Balm, 10, which officially launch next month (ohana-cbd.com).

What it contains: All three products contain CBD oil (200mg in the balm, 250mg in the oil and 15mg in the lip balm) in combination with other oils such as shea butter and avocado.

How it works: The lavender balm is really soothing on the skin, and although I cant make any claims for it, I know people with arthritis and psoriasis buy it, says Jasmin. The body oil can be used for massage or to moisturise.

The Love Hemp range of products have become popular with customers in search of something which reduces post-surgery scars

SOOTHING SALVES

Whats on offer: A supplier of CBD products, CBD Oils has introduced the Love Hemp range. Most products are designed to be taken orally, but their Body Salve is a skin cream containing CBD oil (29.99, cbdoilsuk.com).

What it contains: CBD Oils says the Body Salve has 300mg of CBD oil (in a 50ml pot), around average for a general purpose soothing cream. Some creams aimed at a more medicinal market have up to 900mg of CBD in a 30ml pot.

How it works: Use it on the body or face to soothe skin. Customers of Love Hemp say they use it to help reduce post-surgery scars, and to relieve conditions such as acne, psoriasis and eczema.This blog is looking for wisdom, to have and to share. it is also looking for other rare character traits like good humor, courage, and honor. It is not an easy road, because all of us fall short. But God is love, forgiveness and grace. Those who believe in Him and repent of their sins have the promise of His Holy Spirit to guide us and show us the Way.Ivanka Trump was spotted smiling on Sunday as she took her children on an outing, first bundling them up against the cold DC weather.

The mother-of-three was first seen arriving home with son Joseph, four, who was wearing a Paddington Bear-style coat.

Later in the day, she emerged from the home with her other two kids Theodore, one, and Arabella, six.

Off they go: Ivanka and her three children were seen leaving their Washington DC home on Sunday

Early on: She was seen on Sunday morning arriving home with just her four-year-old son Joseph, who was wearing a Paddington Bear-style coat

Ivanka looked ready for the weather in a double-breasted navy coat, jeans and black boots.

Along with Joseph in his stylish blue jacket, Ivanka's other two children sported stylish little parkas and hats, with one-year-old Theodore's sweet pom pom beanie hat also including a set of attached mittens.

Ivanka appeared happy and carefree despite her husband Jared Kushner's real estate company coming under investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for its use of a federal program that grants visas to wealthy foreigners investing in the United States.

The news, reported by the Wall Street Journal on Sunday, sees Kushner Cos asked by the SEC for information on its use of the visa program, known as EB-5, in May 2017, according to a person the Journal said was familiar with the matter.

All ready to go: Each of the children were wrapped up snugly against the below-zero temperatures in DC

Bit of fun: Arabella appeared to stick out her tongue as she followed her mother outside

A little help: Ivanka gave her youngest child a helping hand as she got into the waiting car

Trouble at home: Jared Kushner's real estate firm is being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission for its use of a federal program that grants visas to wealthy foreigners

The EB-5 visa is a method for eligible immigrants to become lawful permanent residents, or 'green card' holders, by investing at least $500,000 into a business in the United States that will employ 10 or more American workers. Most holders are wealthy Chinese individuals.

The Journal said the company also received a separate request from New York federal prosecutors in the same month for information on development projects financed in part by the EB-5 program.

The latest revelation involving Kushner's firm came after Michael Wolff claimed in his new book, Fire and Fury, that Trump was considering his son-in-law as Secretary of State.

The book depicts Ivanka and Kushner as virtually at war with Steve Bannon inside a tumultuous White House.

Ivanka herself was also the subject of shock revelations this weekend as it was revealed that her contact with a Russian attorney and a lobbyist in 2016 has attracted the attention of Special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.

The president's daughter reportedly came into contact with Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, and the lobbyist, Rinat Akhmetshin, while they were exiting the building during a brief elevator ride.

Details: Kushner Cos was asked by the SEC for information on its use of the visa program, known as EB-5, in May 2017

A person familiar with the encounter told the Los Angeles Times that while the exchange consisted of pleasantries, investigators want to know every interaction Trump's family members and inner circle had with them.

The report also says that one participant in the meeting with the Kremlin-connected attorney has been recalled for questioning.

It is believed that Mueller's focus specifically on President Trump's misleading claim that the meeting had to do with Russian adoption, and not with the goal of obtaining damaging information on Hillary Clinton, could indicate that investigators are looking at obstruction of justice by the president and several close advisers - as opposed to collusion with the Russians.

The meeting, during the height of the presidential race, was between his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and his campaign manager, Paul Manafort, along with Veselnitskaya and Akhmetshin.Doctors have called for a crackdown on popular painkillers dubbed 'the new Valium' over fears that they are highly addictive.

More than a million Britons have been prescribed pregabalin and gabapentin to treat chronic pain and anxiety. The drugs are also licensed to treat epilepsy.

Prescriptions for both drugs have more than doubled since they were licensed in 2011. They have been linked to scores of deaths and cases of addiction.

More than a million Britons have been prescribed pregabalin and gabapentin to treat chronic pain and anxiety. File image used

Now the British Medical Association says it wants to see stricter controls.

In a memo leaked to The Mail on Sunday, the BMA warns that the drugs are 'associated with problems of abuse and addiction', adding they 'can, when misused, produce a similar euphoric high to opiates'.

It is backing a Home Office plan to treat them the same way as other addictive drugs such as tramadol by making them class C substances.

Possession without a prescription would be illegal and could lead to prison.NHS trusts are failing to get doctors and nurses to have flu jabs despite fears of a flu epidemic spreading to Britain from France.

Figures have revealed that as few as one in three workers have been vaccinated at some hospitals.

This is despite Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, the NHS' medical director, last year warning that healthcare professionals had a 'duty' to get the flu jab to protect their patients and colleagues.

It also comes as the NHS braces itself for a flu epidemic following a surge in cases at hospitals and GP surgeries.

Figures have revealed that as few as one in three workers have been vaccinated at some hospitals (stock image)

Experts say around one quarter of NHS staff will contract flu during a typical season.

Of those, about half will avoid major symptoms, meaning they are likely to remain in work, spreading infections.

In a typical flu season, NHS staff take around 4.3 million sick days, the Sunday Telegraph reported.

The figure could be reduced by more than one quarter if all trusts matched the vaccination rates of the best, the figures suggest.

Official figures from Public Health England (PHE) found 58 trusts where less than half of staff had been vaccinated by the end of November.

Among hospital trusts, the lowest figure of 33.4 per cent was at Kings College NHS foundation trust in London.

Across the whole of the NHS, the average uptake rate was less than 60 per cent.

Dr Richard Pebody, Acting Head of Respiratory Disease, PHE, told the newspaper: 'It's vital that healthcare workers take up the offer of the vaccine to protect themselves and also vulnerable patients and to help ease pressures on the health service this winter.'

The NHS offers free flu jabs to the over-65s, pregnant women, children aged two to eight and those with long-term health conditions such as asthma and diabetes.

Some 1,649 people were struck down with flu last week in England and Wales as temperatures plummeted over the week of Christmas

NHS England, which runs the health service, is worried about rising flu rates, which are currently twice as high as this time last year.

They are closely monitoring the situation in France, where the virus has reached epidemic levels, led to 11,500 hospital admissions and claimed more than 30 lives.

Many patients there are succumbing to the same flu strain, H3N2, which was responsible for the worst flu outbreak in Australia for a decade.

Hospitals in England are already under severe pressure following a surge in A&E admissions just after Christmas which has led to the worst winter crisis in years.

Figures from Public Health England on Thursday showed the rate of hospital admissions for flu had trebled compared to the previous week.

UFC STAR CONOR MCGREGOR IS STRUCK DOWN BY 'AUSSIE FLU' UFC fighter Conor McGregor has been struck down by deadly 'Aussie flu' UFC fighter Conor McGregor has been struck down by deadly 'Aussie flu', which could be the worst bout Britain has seen in 50 years. He shared a candid Instagram snap of him relaxing in bed with his baby boy Conor Jr, revealing he and 'half his family' had contracted the virus. The 29-year-old millionaire sportsman wrote on the social media site: 'Well that was a wild New Year's Eve. 'Half the family hit with the Australian flu virus and some even left in hospital with it. I've never even been to Australia wtf.'[sic]' The MMA fighter and boxer said that he had been left shaken by the illness, which has affected people across Ireland over the festive period. He said: 'Big New Year's Eve party cancelled at the last minute and I am left shaking in bed the past two days. 'I'll leave that with the rest of the bad behind me in 2017 and take with me the many great experiences I've had this year! 'None greater than the birth of my son Conor Jr and the continued support of my family, my friends and my dedicated staff through thick and thin.' Advertisement

Health officials have urged the public to follow basic hygiene principles such as washing their hands and disinfecting stair railings and doors.

Paul Cosford, medical director at Public Health England said: 'People suffering with flu-like symptoms should catch coughs or sneezes in tissues and bin them immediately, wash their hands regularly with soap and warm water and frequently clean regularly used surfaces to stop the spread of flu.

'Avoid having unnecessary contact with other people if you or they have symptoms of flu.'

He urged patients to get the flu vaccine if they hadn't already, either on the NHS or privately.

Separate figures from NHS England showed that 16,900 individuals last week were forced to wait in ambulances outside hospitals for 30 minutes or more,

This was up by 21 per cent on the previous week and included 4,700 patients who waited for more than an hour.

The NHS 111 helpline fielded 480,000 calls, the highest since it was created in 2013.

Responding to the figures, Niall Dickson, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents NHS managers said: 'The pressures are becoming intolerable.'At The Mail on Sunday we take great pride in the quality of our journalism. All our journalists are required to observe the Editors Code of Practice and The Mail on Sunday is a member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), the new regulatory body for the Press set up in response to the Leveson Inquiry. We aim to correct any errors as promptly as possible.

A report on December 24 Sealed with a kiss: friendly texts from victim to sex pest Green said Kate Maltby texted to Damian Green MP: Sorry not to see you at the Speccie party. [Green official] was smooching the room on your behalf x. In fact, the text said the official was working the room smoothly on your behalf x. The accompanying photograph was an uncropped version of the image originally published in a national newspaper.

If you wish to report an inaccuracy, please email corrections@mailonsunday.co.uk. To make a formal complaint under IPSO rules please go to www.mailonsunday.co.uk/readerseditor where you will find an easy-to-use complaints form. You can also write to Readers Editor, The Mail on Sunday, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT.This year marks a full decade since the financial crisis reached its zenith.

It is still casting a shadow, and, in darker moments, its tempting to think we have learned nothing from it. But Im starting 2018 in an optimistic frame of mind.

I dont want to be Panglossian.

Ten years ago, as business editor on another newspaper, I was writing about the need to redraw the relationship between companies and the rest of society and for an end to exploitative cowboy capitalism.

The culture has changed, but unacceptable pockets remain.

In the US, the epicentre of the crisis, the big beasts of Wall Street, pictured, Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan, are more powerful than ever

For proof, look no further than the egregious incentives handed to housebuilding bosses at Persimmon, Berkeley and elsewhere. Builders, if they are not careful, will be the new bankers.

And some of the old bankers are still in their pomp.

In the US, the epicentre of the crisis, the big beasts of Wall Street, Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan, are more powerful than ever. The same men, Lloyd Blankfein and Jamie Dimon are still in charge.

Admittedly here in Britain, the only major bank chief executive still in the same job a decade on is Virgin Moneys Jayne-Anne Gadhia  but none of the crisis-era bosses has been punished with anything worse than the loss of a knighthood.

In previous decades, the financial sector came up with genuinely useful ideas, such as the cash machine.

The biggest innovation spawned out of the crisis, however, is Bitcoin, which was created out of distrust of conventional banking and is now threatening to become the biggest bubble the world has ever seen.

Bitcoin, pictured, was created out of distrust of conventional banking and is now threatening to become the biggest bubble the world has ever seen

Plenty of commentators are also worried that stock markets, particularly in the US where traders are exuberant thanks to President Trumps tax cuts, are heading for a fall.

Despite all of this, and the fears of business over Brexit, there are many reasons to be positive.

The banks are safer now, and have much more capital.

They have been forced to make reparations over scandals such as PPI and now HBOS Reading. They will be cut down to size, if not by regulation then by technology, which will make the whole business of payments and loans cheaper and more transparent.

The contempt for industry which marred political and economic thinking before the crisis has now gone.

We have rediscovered manufacturing  and remembered we are very good at it.

An emblem of that is the site of the Battle of Orgreave, where miners clashed with the police in the 1980s coal strike. It is now an advanced manufacturing park, one of the most impressive hotbeds of innovation I have seen.

Industrial strife has been replaced by the inventiveness of British companies such as supercar maker McLaren and Metalysis, a Cambridge University spin-out that is producing titanium powder to be used in 3D printing for car and plane parts.

And even as recently as 10 years ago, the idea that companies were dominated by white males was relatively unchallenged.

There are still not enough women or ethnic minorities in boardrooms but the need to attract more is now part of mainstream business thought, when it would once have been dismissed as soppy Leftish tosh.

An index of how far we have come is that no one sensible bats an eyelid that the most powerful central banker in the world  Janet Yellen at the US Federal Reserve, soon to step down  is female, and so is the most important European political leader, Angela Merkel.

The crisis laid waste to a system, much of which was corrupt and dangerous anyway, so good riddance.

It did not damage human capital  our intelligence, energy and entrepreneurial drive  but was a huge catalyst for us all to make better use of it.

Much of the past ten years has been absorbed in the biggest financial clean-up effort the world has ever seen. Now is the time to build on it.A new wave of so-called smart electronic devices designed to slash household bills by hundreds of pounds a year will hit the market this year.

Many talk to each other over the internet, using artificial intelligence to decide when is best to turn on  or off  your central heating or lights. Others operate spy cameras to watch out for burglars or keep tabs on your energy, water or gas usage  even spotting leaks.

Toby Walne assesses just how good these gadgets actually are by testing some of them - and highlights some to try.

Many smart gadgets use artificial intelligence to decide when is best to turn on  or off  your central heating or lights. Toby Walne, pictured right, assesses just how good these gadgets actually are

Smart thermostats

Heralded as one of the best ways to save money, a smart thermostat is supposed to reduce your energy bills by up to a third. For the average home spending 1,400 a year on gas and electricity it could mean knocking 450 off the annual energy bill.

Unlike traditional thermostats, these new gizmos often come with electronic brains that study a homeowners movements and come on automatically when someone is home  and go off when no one is around.

They can also be controlled by smartphones to ensure you are not being wasteful.

1. Netatmo Smart

The first device I road-test is the Netatmo Smart Thermostat, costing 135. It has a simple, stylish look created by French designer Philippe Starck.

Inside the package is a plastic wall panel, wire, rawl plugs and screws. To assemble it, I must supply my own screwdriver, electric drill and DIY know-how.

First I turn off the mains power and remove my existing 20 Honeywell thermostat.

There are four wires coming out of the wall, but I only need two to get the Netatmo thermostat working. I feel like a bomb disposal expert and must explore the Netatmo website to find the right wires to use.

The original thermostat housing is too large for a straight swap so I drill holes into the new plastic plate before fitting it. All rather fiddly work.

The Netatmo Smart Thermostat, pictured, costs 135. It has a simple, stylish look created by French designer Philippe Starck

Separately I plug a relay into a nearby power point that allows me to talk to the new thermostat with a mobile phone.

The website explains my equipment will only work if it respects the following criteria: two wired dry contact (on/off); switching current: max 120VA (4A load@30v

After an hour I have done all the DIY required and turn on the electricity again. Nothing. So I go online again, discovering I need to download a wizard setup to bring back heat into my home.

The website explains my equipment will only work if it respects the following criteria: two wired dry contact (on/off); switching current: max 120VA (4A load@30v

I have no idea what any of this means.

Still unable to qualify my heating equipment I email details and photos of my old boiler and thermostat to Netatmo. A reply begins: Cher client, ce courriel est genere automatiquement

The full message, roughly translated, says how much I am valued as a customer but the firm is experiencing an unexpected high number of emails.

In desperation and in fear of an earbashing from my wife I put back the old thermostat. After calling Netatmos UK office I realise it would be wiser to pay 100 for a professional to fit it.

Despite the marketing claims, I did not find this device easy to install.

Wiser, pictured, is a 220 three-channel thermostat system

2. Wiser

Next to test out is a 220 three-channel Wiser thermostat system from British heating engineer Drayton.

It looks the business but there is no way I dare try to fit it alone.

Having given up with Netatmo, I throw in the towel before I have even begun.

3. Nest Learning

Finally, there is the 220 Nest learning thermostat. Fortunately, this time, I am offered an engineer called Andy who is willing to come and fit the equipment. Of course, he does not come free but at least the thermostat is guaranteed to work.

Straightaway he proves his worth, discovering the control box that is hidden in the attic and connected to a timer in the airing cupboard.

He rips out my plastic beige timer and fits a fancy new metal-and-glass dial. Nest is owned by internet giant Google and founded by former Apple employees  and the tactile device is attractive.

The 220 Nest learning thermostat, pictured, is still working out its kinks

Andy pours out lots of information about settings and thermostat learning that goes right over my head.

But I manage to download the app, which allows me to have all the required controls on my phone.

It takes a few days to get used to.

Initially the heating goes off, even when saying it was on. The solution was to fire up the boiler by pressing the ignition switch.

Controlling the thermostat through a mobile phone makes it easy to fine-tune what time of day heating or hot water should be on or off. I reckon that if I use the device properly it will pay for itself within 18 months.

Initially the heating goes off, even when saying it was on.

Jonathan Ratcliffe, of heating maintenance firm Warm, based in Ilkley, West Yorkshire, says: The Achilles heel of smart systems is the internet. It if goes down you can lose control  but it can be overridden at home.

'The technology is still slightly behind our expectations but it should catch up within five years.

Intelligence home control technology, pictured, by Ovo Energy is being forced on homes in a nationwide scheme costing a jaw-dropping 11 billion

Energy Meters

4. The smart meter (Ovo Energy)

The so-called smart meter is being forced on homes in a nationwide scheme costing a jaw-dropping 11 billion.

Whether you want a meter or not each home must pay for the device  adding 420 to everyones energy bills. So if you are paying for this grand folly, how good is it?

It is designed to do away with estimated bills and manual meter readings. Instead usage is read remotely by an energy supplier using radio waves.

It also comes with a hand-held display that sits in the kitchen and shows how much energy you are consuming. The idea is that by monitoring your energy usage you will be less wasteful  knocking as much as 50 off your annual bill.

The Mail on Sunday has highlighted problems with smart meters. They usually stop working if you switch energy provider, are vulnerable to hacking and do not always save money.

But I still wanted to test one out. So I made an online booking with my electricity provider Ovo Energy.

Four days before the appointment I received a text explaining that company Lowri Beck will do the fitting. It allocated a time when someone would turn up  if not in I would be hit with a 30 fine.

If not in I would be hit with a 30 fine... at 44 minutes past noon, Steve the fitter finally arrived. I wanted to issue him with a fine for turning up late but I lost my nerve.

At six minutes past noon on the day  six minutes after Lowri Beck said it would arrive  I received a text asking how satisfied I was with the smart meter install experience.

At 44 minutes past noon, Steve the fitter finally arrived. I wanted to issue him with a fine for turning up late but I lost my nerve.

He was friendly but as soon as he opened the meter box he took a sharp intake of breath through his teeth and shook his head, stating: You have a three phase meter and the one I have bought will not fit.

Since then I have heard nothing. Not very smart.

Lightbulbs

5. The intelligent lightbulb (Hive)

There was a time when to save energy you had to shout upstairs at the children to turn off lights in rooms not being used. But now technology lets you save your breath.

The 20 Hive Active Light is one such device. The bulb is sold by British Gas but you must spend 80 on a Hive Hub to plug into your router so the bulb  and other Hive devices  can be controlled by your smart phone.

The 20 Hive Active Light, pictured, can be controlled by your smart phone

Plugging in the Hive Hub and bulb is easy. You then download an app that enables you to control the light. You can turn it on and off, vary its brightness and put it on a timer  anywhere with wi-fi or a 3G signal.

Other gadgets that work with the Hive Hub include a 39 plug control switch and a 30 motion sensor. These can turn off electric devices such as TVs left on standby when no one is at home  or automatically turn them on if someone walks into a room.

The set-up is likely to cost at least 100 but in the world of smart technology it is fairly cheap  and may pay for itself in a couple of years.

But there are simpler ways to save money on your lighting bill which, according to the Centre for Sustainable Energy, accounts for up to a fifth of electricity costs.

By replacing traditional bulbs with energy-saving ones, some 50 a year can be trimmed from your utility bills.

Do not assume all new bulbs are energy efficient. Halogen bulbs are often fitted in ceilings, but light-emitting diodes are 80 per cent more efficient, though they do cost more to buy upfront.

Spy cameras

6. Security camera (Nest Cam IQ)

Surveillance equipment  everything from movement sensors and spy cameras through to face recognition  has also gone smart.

There is a bewildering variety from which to choose but they all work on the same principle. A camera sits in your home and informs you via your mobile if it sees anything to worry about.

Among the gadgets available are the 160 Canary, the 250 Netatmo Presence and the 130 Y-Cam Evo.

Surveillance equipment  everything from movement sensors and spy cameras, pictured has also gone smart

There is also the Nest Cam IQ costing a hefty 299 but coming with an array of high-tech extras. It can scan the face of anyone within view and if it is not recognised it will alert you and send you the image.

In addition you not only hear what is being said but can talk back via your mobile. The set-up is simple. Download an app, scan a barcode and plug the camera into a wall socket.

Not everyone will welcome an Orwellian spy camera into their life but it is an attractive proposition to many and has applications other than crime prevention. For instance, you can keep an eye on your cat or dog while away from home.

Leigh Calton, who runs Cerulean Digital consultancy, in Poole, Dorset, says: The insurance industry is still wary of using camera technology to help lower premiums for customers, but if it deters burglars it offers great value for money.

Smart security systems are not always compatible with each other so you should check before buying.

If you like having a bath, then a water meter might not save you money

7. Water meter

Their advocates say a smart water meter can provide savings for some homes as bills are based on actual consumption rather than on a set fee.

Households with fewer occupants than bedrooms should be better off with a meter but bath-loving larger families would be worse off.

Industry body Consumer Council for Water offers a calculator on its website to help you determine which option is best.

Water bills have doubled over the past 15 years and now average 395 a year. Around 185 of this is for supplying fresh water while the rest is for taking it away and cleaning up waste.

About two in five homes already have a water meter.

A growing number of these are smart, allowing readings to be taken without anyone having to visit. Thames Water claims that the smart water meter can help it spot leaks  and is busy installing millions of them in new homes.

The reality is that the biggest beneficiaries of smart meters are the water firms.

Leigh Calton of Cerulean Digital consultancy also points to devices such as Hive Leak Sensor that costs 3.99 a month.

It may not lower insurance premiums but it will prove its worth if a tiny water leak is spotted before becoming a flooding disaster.

Smart water meter for me? No thank you, although I may consider it once our two children flee the nest.From his saturnine scowl to his highly polished shoes, Howard Shore is every inch the City grandee.

Only his collar-grazing mullet haircut, marginally too racy for a stockbroker, marks him out as a bit of a maverick.

His eponymous firm, Shore Capital, may not be up there with Goldmans or JP Morgan, but it punches above its weight.

Shore, 57, now one of the biggest movers and shakers in the City, set up the business with just 10,000 of start-up capital fresh out of Cambridge University, armed with an economics degree, aged just 25.

Howard Shore, pictured, set up the company Shore Capital which punches well above its weight

At that time, in the 1980s era of Big Bang, he was not only very young but also swimming against the tide.

Most independent British broking firms were closing down or being bought up by the US and European giants flooding into London.

Over the decades that followed, Shore Capital has established itself as a fixture in the City firmament and he has amassed an estimated 400 million fortune, as well as huge clout in the worlds of finance and politics, where he is a major donor to the Conservatives.

His annual December party at Claridges ballroom in Mayfair is attended by FTSE 100 chief executives, peers and property barons.

More prosaically, Shore Capitals analysts fire off commentary and research notes every morning, which ping into the inboxes of bankers, clients and journalists, percolating into the financial Zeitgeist.

It acts as a broker for clients including supermarket Wm Morrison and babywear chain Mothercare, as well as on deals including the 2013 float of Poundland.

Having been an entrepreneurial prodigy himself, Shore is scathing about the youth of today.

How much of the time are they looking at a text, or whatever it is that you guys do: is it from your girlfriend, is it from your mother or the plumber? Or is it work-related?

He is fearful for the long-term prospects of Europe, including the UK, and he seems to blame self-entitled millennials  the twenty-somethings who came of age this century.

Handwringing is fashionable over the plight of the young  usually described as drowning in student debt, struggling to get on the housing ladder and generally having been cheated by people of Shores age.

In his opinion, however, young people just waste too much time tapping away on their phones.

'How much of the time are they looking at a text, or whatever it is that you guys do: is it from your girlfriend, is it from your mother or the plumber? Or is it work-related?

'Its really hard to know. Clearly its a massive distraction.

In Shore's opinion, young people just waste too much time tapping away on their phones.

Unproductive youngsters, he seems to think, are responsible for the UKs dire productivity performance.

Its the same on the Continent, he says. Youngsters expect life to be handed over on a plate when their peers in China and India are working flat out.

'Its inconceivable, isnt it, that despite all the technological advancement that weve had over the last 10 to 15 years that productivity hasnt gone up at all. You have to step back and say: Well, why do you think that is?

'The workforce hasnt been trained properly? Are they not motivated? Or has something changed in society? I would say its probably all three.

The workforce hasnt been trained properly? Are they not motivated? Or has something changed in society? I would say its probably all three

Shore, who does not have children himself, also believes young people feel entitled to luxuries they havent earned.

'Theres clearly some expectation that you can have a certain lifestyle without working as hard as people in previous generations, he says.

In fairness to Shore and his own work ethic, when he recently stepped aside as chief executive to become chairman, the firm appointed two people to replace him.

He now has slightly more time for dining with politicians, watching his beloved Tottenham Hotspur and relaxing in his new 29 million Bel Air mansion, with seven bedrooms and a 90ft infinity swimming pool.

His neighbours are reported to include Jennifer Aniston and Clint Eastwood  not that he wants to discuss it.

Shores new new 29 million Bel Air mansion, pictured

Shore's neighbours are reported to include Jennifer Aniston, pictured right, and Clint Eastwood, pictured left

Shore wants to portray himself as a humble, Eurosceptic businessman with a finger on the pulse of politics.

Despite splitting his time between London, LA and Germany, where he has investment interests through his other firm Puma Brandenburg, Shore continues to keep his ear to the ground of British politics.

He has, after all, personally donated 46,000 to the Tories and Shore Capital has pumped nearly 800,000 into party coffers.

This sort of generosity does not go unrewarded. In 2014, he and his wife Andree shared the top table of a Tory Party fundraising dinner with David and Samantha Cameron. Shore Capital sponsored the event and Andree was chairman of the balls organising committee.

In 2014, Shore and his wife Andree shared the top table of a Tory Party fundraising dinner with David and Samantha Cameron, pictured

While Camerons Government implored the nation to vote Remain in 2016s EU referendum, Shore emerged as one of the Citys most high-profile Brexiteers.

Big US banks such as Morgan Stanley and Citigroup pumped hundreds of thousands into the Remain campaign, but Shore Capital donated 25,000 to the Leave groups coffers.

Why, when most financiers think Brexit could be disastrous for their industry, is he such an ardent Leaver?

He admits that the UK may suffer in the short-term. But he also believes our nation will ultimately benefit from shedding some of the mad bureaucracy thats come from the EU.

When will we start to see these benefits? Shore cant answer  because, he says, of the prospect of Jeremy Corbyn entering No 10. He believes Theresa Mays performance has been so poor she is giving Corbyn a chance.

With Corbyn, though, it could change very significantly. And I think that that would have a much greater impact on the structure of the UK economy than the effects of Brexit

Normally, he says, business people moan: Labour getting in would be the end of the world!

They argue there would be a shift in social policy and rhetoric  but the reality is it doesnt change that much.

'With Corbyn, though, it could change very significantly. And I think that that would have a much greater impact on the structure of the UK economy than the effects of Brexit.

The prospect of Corbyn is nearly enough to make Shore regret Brexit  nearly, but not quite, even though his share price has dropped from more than 300p before the EU referendum to 208p now.

'Its not about money. Its about passion and belief, he says.

Though he does have the candour to add: Honestly, Im fortunate enough to have made enough money that, whether were in or out, it probably wouldnt have changed my life.It's a tradition beloved of Scots  but soon Canadians and even Singaporeans may be piping in Scottish-made haggis.

For those marking Burns Night, this years event may be an extra special one  thanks to the arrival of seven tons of haggis in Canada from Macsween of Edinburgh.

The meat firm has started to export to Canada, where there are believed to be 4.7 million people of Scottish heritage  starved of their national dish for 46 years.

MEAT TREAT: Piping in the haggis is a feature of Burns Night

Canada lifted its ban on red meat from Europe in 2015, but a block on offal remains.

So Macsween has had to create a new recipe without sheeps lung  which may upset purists.

Haggis is made from lambs kidneys, livers, hearts and lungs, mixed with beef, oats, onions and spice. But Macsween, which started as a butchers in 1953, now even offers a vegetarian haggis.

The firm has this winter also begun exporting to Asia, shipping more than a ton of haggis to Singapore so far.

The consignments arrived in time for January 25, when Scots the world over celebrate the life of national poet Robert Burns.

Managing director James Macsween is hoping the exports to Canada and Singapore will provide a 150,000 sales boost in the year to July 2018.

He told The Mail on Sunday: Weve got a history of selling haggis abroad. Weve still been exporting throughout the year to France, Germany and the Netherlands.

'But getting products further afield is certainly high on our agenda.

Macsween sells 1,400 tons of haggis across the UK and 10 tons to other European Union markets.

It is also hopes to export to the US, once regulations have been relaxed.Department stores may be facing extinction on an unforgiving high street, but the countrys biggest online fashion operator is proving a spectacular success.

Sales at internet giant Asos, which sells brands from Hollister to Hugo Boss, could rise by 30 per cent this year to top 2.4 billion.

That would see the company, which targets 20-something fashionistas, soar past ailing high street giant Debenhams which sold 2.3 billion of goods last year but last week admitted that a dire Christmas had blown a hole in its annual profits.

Asos will update the market later this month.

SHOUT-OUT: Asos clothes are a hit with 20-something fashionistas

But City analysts are forecasting that its soaring sales trajectory will continue this year.

In a mark of its success, its name has entered the language as a verb in a similar way as to Google and to Hoover. To Asos, means to go fashion shopping, according to analyst John Stevenson at City broker Peel Hunt.

'They appear to be nailing it, to the extent that to Asos has become a verb for young fashion customers, he said.

'It has become the go-to platform for young fashion in the same way as Amazon has become the platform for all the other stuff.

Amazon recently increased the level of competition in the clothing market by launching its own fashion label, Find.

That has not so far hindered the astounding rise of Asos.

An analysis by Goldman Sachs last year revealed why the high street has been left in its tracks.

Asos can turn round products from design to store in just four weeks, it said.

Even the most streamlined high street fashion retailer Zara takes at least three times that on average, according to Goldman. Most other retailers take far longer.

Asos launched as AsSeenOnScreen in 2000 and floated on the stock market in 2001. A decade ago sales were still only 81 million but by then the writing, was already on the wall.

'We are having an absolute stonker, said co-founder Nick Robertson in 2007, as an economic crisis loomed and retailers began to enter choppy waters that would continue for much of the next ten years.

'For every pound we lose because of the economic downturn, we gain at least one more because someone turns to the internet to shop, he explained.

At the time the company was plugged into celebrity fashions  lifting styles from both TV and the catwalks. Now it is embedded into social media, allowing its own shoppers to do much of the marketing work.

Chief executive Nick Beighton neatly summed up the situation to investors last year: Asos sits in a place that has never been occupied before.

The company initially built its business on own label styles, but less than half of its sales are now in that category.

The remainder includes both high fashion and high street labels such as New Look and River Island. Clothing made by online rival Boohoo is one of its biggest sellers.

Boohoo and Missguided  whose design-to-floor lead times rival Asos  also relentlessly focus on fast fashion. But Asos has become a much bigger beast.

It has 85,000 product lines on offer online at any one time, introducing 5,000 new ones each week.

But it also has 850 brands from global fashion houses to local designers on its website, and culls about a fifth of those brands each season to help maintain excitement.

Peel Hunts Stevenson explains: It is now the online department store for young fashion.

'They have been very good at getting the proposition right for their target customers and bringing in right brands, getting the returns and refunds done quickly.

It is absolutely about being right for their young fashion customer, but also being a cutting edge website and having cutting edge new technology.

Recent innovations include Asos Instant, where shoppers in some London postcodes can order products by 10am to be delivered by 10pm the same day.

The shares price has increased 114 per cent in the past two years, taking the companys value to 5.8 billion on Friday, putting Asos in the top four most valuable retailers in the country behind only Tesco, B&Q owner Kingfisher and clothing retailer Next.

Deutsche Bank says the shares  currently 68.35  could reach 74 in the next 12 months.

Analysis by the bank suggests that successful entries by Asos in overseas markets in Europe, the US and Asia could see company sales reach 8.6 billion by 2026 if it can maintain the same momentum and keep the 20-something fashionistas of the world flocking to its website.Crisis-hit Carillion will this week meet with its lenders to hammer out a rescue plan.

The contractor, which employs 19,500 in the UK, has been struggling with debt and problem contracts and needs new cash from next month to stave off collapse.

Last night it said it would be meeting financial creditors and certain other stakeholders on Wednesday.

The company has been discussing potential Government support, which could mean a loan or handing back loss-making contracts.

Bridge over troubled water: Carillion has been awarded HS2 contracts despite profit warnings

Carillion is a key contractor for the Government, with jobs on HS2, Crossrail, hospitals and roads.

Last July it announced it had problems with several contracts, including an Aberdeen road project and two major hospital jobs, taking an 845 million hit.

At one stage the company was expected to ask shareholders for cash, but its market valuation has plummeted so that now appears impractical. It has 925 million of debt and a 600 million pension deficit, dwarfing its stock market value of just 80 million.

In addition to restructuring contracts, a rescue plan could also involve swapping debt for new shares in the company. Lenders include Santander, HSBC and Barclays.

Carillion has been unable to raise cash by selling operations, with one sale to Serco since its problems began.Bosses at Berkeley Group stand to make a total of 127 million in bonuses between now and 2023 despite the housebuilder putting a cap on its controversial incentive scheme after protests by investors.

The biggest winners are Tony Pidgley, Berkeleys founder, and chief executive Rob Perrins who are in line to make 48 million and 33 million respectively.

The pair were among five bosses who shared 21.25 million last autumn and among six who shared 92 million in September 2016.

It follows the furore over rival builder Persimmon agreeing a share bonus to chief executive Jeff Fairburn currently valued at 133 million.

The huge payouts come despite a chronic shortage of homes. Berkeley, one of Britains biggest builders, made a 812 million profit last year when it sold 3,905 properties at an average of 675,000.

The Berkeley bonus scheme was put in place during the downturn in 2011 and began to pay out five years later. Since 2011 the share price has soared from 13 to 42.

After furious protests, Berkeley halved the maximum amounts that could be paid, but only after dishing out 92 million in bonuses.

Five executives will still receive a total of around 21million each year. It means the bosses are in line for a total of 240 million from the scaled back plan, assuming they hit performance targets.

Unlike Persimmon, Berkeley does not benefit from the taxpayer-funded Help to Buy scheme.

But even with the cap on bonuses, shareholder advisory group Pirc still called it highly excessive. Stefan Stern, director of independent research group the High Pay Centre, said long-term incentive plans are badly conceived.

Berkeley declined to comment.Goldman Sachs Michael Sherwood, pictured, was paid $20 million (15 million) in 2016 before he retired from the bank

The London arms of American banks paid almost a thousand staff more than 1 million (900,000) each in 2016, in the latest revelation of the vast rewards on offer to Britains best-paid bankers.

Ten years after the financial crisis hit, pay rises at the biggest banks show no sign of abating  with the number of bankers paid more than 1 million still rising compared with the year before, according to an analysis of filings conducted by The Mail on Sunday.

Ten employees at Goldman Sachs European operation, headquartered in London, each received more than 9 million.

They include the former boss of the London arm Michael Sherwood, who was paid $20 million (15 million) in 2016 before he retired from the bank.

The London office is now run by South African Richard Gnodde, whose pay is not disclosed but who is among the banks highest earners.

JP Morgan paid 14 members of its London-headquartered business more than 5 million each. That includes London boss Daniel Pinto, who is on the board of the global bank and earned $19 million in 2016.

Morgan Stanley paid five members of staff more than 7 million each, while Bank of America paid seven employees more than 5 million apiece.

The figures are given in euros because banks now have to disclose how much they pay all employees classed as material risk takers under EU rules introduced following the crisis.

The four US banks between them paid 975 members of staff more than 1 million each. Last year the figure was 971. Of the 975, 330 were paid more than 2 million, and 97 were paid more than 4 million.

JP Morgan's London boss Daniel Pinto, pictured, earned $19 million in 2016

Nicky Morgan, Conservative MP and chairwoman of the Treasury Select Committee, told The Mail on Sunday that the pay levels led to huge feelings of them and us.

She added: It makes it harder for those of us who are in favour of financial services to argue for them on Brexit and other issues.

All the banks declined to comment.

The bankers covered in the reports all work for the American banks European arms, with the vast proportion based in the London headquarters of their respective organisations.

The big US banks are responsible for about a quarter of the Citys high earners. The European Banking Authority compiles figures for the industry as a whole and found that 4,133 people in the City across banking and fund management earned more than 1 million in 2015.

Full figures for 2016 are due out in the next few months.

The banks had to reveal the data by the end of last year. European banks have to reveal the same numbers, but do so much earlier as part of their annual reports.

South African Richard Gnodde, pictured, is among the Goldman Sachs highest earners

Barclays pays 541 staff more than 1 million worldwide, it said in February last year, with about a third of those believed to be based in London.

HSBC paid 363 staff more than 1 million each. RBS paid 87 people more than 1 million each, while Lloyds said 53 people had earned at least that much in 2016.

The British banks figures cover their worldwide operations rather than just their European businesses.

It emerged separately last week that three investment bankers who advised on many of 2016s biggest deals had shared 63 million between them.

Sir Simon Robey, Simon Warshaw and Philip Apostolides enjoyed the huge payday through their boutique corporate finance advice firm Robey Warshaw. The highest earner of the three, who was not named, got 37 million.

The trio had advised SABMiller on its 79 billion sale to rival brewer AB InBev, and helped Japans Softbank buy British microchip maker Arm Holdings for 24.3 billion.A dog owner has spoken of her distress at discovering her puppy, Winnie, had been taken from outside a store by a woman who just laughed when confronted.

Sydney woman Lauren Sten took her two cavoodles, five-month-old Winnie and one-year-old Alfie, for a walk down to Woolworths at Bondi Beach on a Sunday morning before Christmas, where she tied them up while grocery shopping.

When she returned after 'no more than five minutes', Winnie was gone.

'I was distraught, completely distraught to walk out and see one lead on the ground and just one dog sitting there,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

'I was distraught, completely distraught to walk out and see one lead on the ground and just one dog sitting there,' Ms Sten (pictured) said

Ms Sten frantically started asking people around her if they'd seen anyone take her dog.

One woman, who 'looked suspect', told her she hadn't seen anything.

When a passerby told her he saw the girl's friend pick the dog up and walk away with it, Ms Sten panicked.

'I threw my shopping down and ran, leaving Alfie still tied up,' she said.

Ms Sten said she sprinted down the road towards the woman described to her.

'I said "that's my dog" and snatched it off her,' she said.

When Ms Sten confronted the thief, she said the woman laughed in her face.

'She just laughed, she didn't run away, didn't look like she even cared,' she said.

Ms Sten tied her two cavoodles up outside Woolworths (pictured) at Bondi Beach where there were dog bowls provided but discovered one missing on her return

When Ms Sten walked out of Woolworths she discovered one of her cavoodles (stock) was missing

'Word of advice, don't ever leave your dog tied up at the front of Woolworths, Bondi Beach. Just had my dog taken, lucky for me a woman who knew what the girl was wearing so I could chase her. Please be careful if you have dogs!' Ms Sten wrote online

The distraught dog owner said she didn't know how to react to the woman's 'strange' laughter.

'I couldn't yell at her, I couldn't do anything, I was just so stunned,' she said.

When she had Winnie safely in her arms, Ms Sten's attention turned to her other dog, Alfie, who was still tied up outside Woolworths.

She feared Alfie could be taken by the other girl, who she believed was working together with the kidnapper.

She was relieved to find him still there.

When Ms Sten tried to leave with her two dogs, the woman who stole Winnie followed her and started to abuse her on the street.

'She started accusing me of abandoning my dog,' she said.

The Bondi local said she was lucky there were a lot of people around who stepped in to help.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia on Monday, Ms Sten (pictured) said it was 'just luck' she managed to go home with two dogs that day

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Ms Sten said it was 'just luck' she managed to go home with two dogs that day.

'If it weren't for the bystander who saw it, I wouldn't have been so lucky,' she said.

While her dogs were 'distressed', Ms Sten said she was beside herself.

'Who knows what the woman wanted with her, whether it was to re-sell her or something else,' she said.

Ms Sten was so distressed by the incident she did not want to share pictures of her dogs, for fear they might be recognised on the street.

When Ms Sten shared her story online, she was inundated with similar stories from people who also had their dogs taken in the prestigious eastern Sydney suburb.

'Someone took my pooch from Bondi Junction. I found her around the corner, the woman said he was thirsty or something equally invalid,' one woman said.

'There's one lady who's been caught several times by police stealing dogs,' another said.

'It happens all the time at Bondi.'

New South Wales Police confirmed the incident was reported, and said they were investigating CCTV footage.Advertisement

A Florida couple has hopes that the Supreme Court will stop the demolition of their astonishing two-story treehouse that overlooks the Gulf of Mexico.

Lynn Tran and Richard Hazen spent about $30,000 constructing their treehouse equipped with hammocks and windows in 2011.

Before they began building the structure around an Australian Pine on their Anna Maria Island property, Hazen asked the city whether they needed a permit. The answer: No.

So, with some help from the internet, Tran dreamed up the structure, which took six months to build.

Lynn Tran and Richard Hazen spent about $30,000 constructing their treehouse equipped with hammocks and windows in 2011

Before they began building the structure around an Australian Pine on their Anna Maria Island property, Hazen asked the city whether they needed a permit. The answer: No

Soon, however, the city got an anonymous complaint about the treehouse. After an investigation, the city found the couple did actually need to go through the permitting process.

And it turns out the treehouse was in an area where building is prohibited because of a city setback.

The couple hoped to get around that by having local voters weigh in, but courts told them no.

Now, they're at their last stop, the Supreme Court. Unless the high court intervenes, the treehouse must be torn down.

The justices had their first opportunity to consider taking the case at a closed-door conference Friday, and a decision on whether they will weigh in could come as early as Monday.

The couple's lawyer, David Levin, acknowledges the case is unlikely to be accepted by the justices, who only hear argument in about 80 of the thousands of cases they're asked to take each year.

So, with some help from the internet, Tran dreamed up the structure, which took six months to build. Soon, however, the city got an anonymous complaint about the treehouse. After an investigation, the city found the couple did actually need to go through the permitting process

Now, they're at their last stop, the Supreme Court. Unless the high court intervenes, the treehouse must be torn down. The justices had their first opportunity to consider taking the case at a closed-door conference Friday, and a decision could come as early as Monday

But he argues that his clients' rights were violated when a Florida court 'rubber stamped' a ruling proposed by the city of Holmes Beach without any evidence of independent consideration.

Tran and Hazen haven't been willing to give up on the structure she calls their 'getaway'.

'Part of me still believes there's got to be justice out there and we didn't do anything wrong,' Tran said in a telephone interview.

Tran and her husband run a rental property called Angelinos Sea Lodge on Anna Maria Island on Florida's west coast.

They have a house on their property and four rental units.

Holmes Beach Mayor Bob Johnson noted in a telephone interview that courts have sided with the city and he called the continued legal wrangling 'quite honestly a waste of time'.

'For some reason these people have this fixation on it,' he said.

Tran said she never expected such a drawn-out fight and that in hindsight the couple could have taken the money they've spent on the treehouse, gone somewhere else and built an actual house.

Tran said she never expected such a drawn-out fight and that in hindsight the couple could have taken the money they've spent on the treehouse (pictured), gone somewhere else and built an actual house. The couple spent a total of $30,000 on the treehouse in 2011

The treehouse is equipped with hammocks, windows and this sign that says: 'Never, Never, Never give up...'

Tran said she's enjoying the treehouse (pictured) on sunny days, meditating there or napping in a hammock

It's still costing the couple. They're accumulating a $50 a day fine for not taking down the treehouse, a fine that's now tens of thousands of dollars.

Tran said she's afraid to think about it. Until the high court acts, she's enjoying the treehouse on sunny days, meditating there or napping in a hammock.

The couple doesn't have any children of their own enjoying the treehouse, and renters aren't allowed up for liability reasons, but Tran said guests and beachgoers often admire the structure.

'It's kind of fun to have around,' she said.

If the treehouse ultimately has to go, there's a lurking irony for the couple. To take down the structure, they'll need the one thing they didn't have before they began putting it up: a city permit.

Tran and her husband run a rental property called Angelinos Sea Lodge on Anna Maria Island on Florida's west coast. They have a house on their property and four rental units. The treehouse overlooks the Gulf of Mexico (pictured)Republican Sen. Jeff Flake says the U.S. has found no evidence that American diplomats in Havana were the victims of attacks with an unknown weapon.

Flake, a Senate Foreign Relations Committee member and a longtime leading advocate of detente with Cuba, met Friday with high-ranking Cuban officials including Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez and officials from the Interior Ministry, which oversees domestic security and works with foreign law-enforcement agencies.

The Cubans told Flake the FBI has told them that, after four trips to Cuba, its agents have found no evidence that mysterious illnesses suffered by U.S. diplomats were the result of attacks.

Sen. Jeff Flake (pictured in October) says the U.S. has found no evidence that American diplomats in Havana were the victims of attacks with an unknown weapon

Flake told The Associated Press on Saturday morning that classified briefings from U.S. officials have left him with no reason to doubt the Cuban account, although he declined to discuss the contents of those briefings.

Cuban and FBI officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Saturday.

Washington says 24 U.S. government officials and spouses fell ill in Havana in their homes and some hotels starting in 2016.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said he's 'convinced these were targeted attacks,' but the U.S. doesn't know who's behind them. The U.S. has withdrawn most of its diplomats from Havana, citing a health risk, and forced many Cuban diplomats to leave Washington.

Cuba has decried the reductions as an unjustified blow to U.S.-Cuban relations that were restored under President Barack Obama.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (pictured in December) has said he's 'convinced these were targeted attacks'

'The Cuban Interior Ministry is saying the FBI has told them there is no evidence of a sonic attack, even though that term is being used, attack, there is no evidence of it,' Flake told the AP. 'There's no evidence that somebody purposefully tried to harm somebody.

'Nobody is saying that these people didn't experience some event, but there's no evidence that that was a deliberate attack by somebody, either the Cubans or anybody else.

'As I said, I won't talk about what I have seen in a classified setting, but nothing is inconsistent with what the Cubans have said, and I think the FBI would say that.'

Flake, one of President Trump's toughest Republican critics, announced last year that he would not seek re-election as Senator from Arizona. He has not ruled out running against Trump in 2020.

Washington says 24 U.S. government officials and spouses fell ill in Havana in their homes and some hotels starting in 2016 (the US embassy in Cuba is pictured)

Several of the 24 U.S. diplomats and spouses reported hearing loud, mysterious sounds followed by hearing loss and ear-ringing, leading some U.S. officials to describe the incidents as 'sonic attacks.' But officials are now carefully avoiding that term.

Medical testing has revealed that some embassy workers had apparent abnormalities in their white matter tracts that let different parts of the brain communicate, several U.S. officials said, and acoustic waves have never been shown to alter those tracts.William Etherton holds a camera on the North Sea island of Suderoog, Germany, after it was washed away four months ago

An English boy has been reunited with a video camera which went missing on a beach four months ago and washed up in Germany.

William Etherton, 10, lost his camera last year when it was carried off by a wave at Thornwick Bay in East Yorkshire, where he had been filming his day at the beach.

The camera drifted for about two months before washing up on the island of Suderoog in the North Sea, some 350 miles away.

But William, from Hull, has now been reunited with the camera, which amazingly survived the journey and still works.

Island resident Roland Spreer, 67, found the camera in early November, and his son Holger posted footage on Facebook which William had taken at Thornwick Bay before it was washed away.

The video eventually came to the attention of William's father, Mark Etherton, and this week the family travelled to Germany and walked more than four miles from the mainland at low tide to reach the island.

William said it was great that the camera still worked, after he was given it as a Christmas present in 2016, according to German broadcaster NDR.

'I'll have to take better care of my camera in future,' he said.

'It's a huge adventure that we're not going to forget,' added William's father.

The family had been visiting Thornwick Bay at Flamborough, East Riding of Yorkshire, when the camera went missing.

Holger Spreer posted the video, which showed the boy clambering around rocks on the seaside, on November 2 with the caption: 'That's surely never happened before.'

William Etherton holds the camera with island resident Roland Spreer, who found it on the North Sea island of Suderoog, Germany

The Etherton family, from left to right: Father Mark, daughter Poppy, son William and mother Hellen. They walked four miles from the mainland at low tide to reach the island

He wrote: 'The camera was found by my father, who knows all about beachcombing from his childhood.

'As it was packed in waterproof casing it still works and so we could watch the recorded footage from the memory card.

'It turned out to belong to an English boy who liked to film his family. He put the camera down on a rock while playing and forgot about it. But then the tide came in and a small wave pushed it into the sea.'

The memory card also included footage of the boy's grandparents and from the previous year's Christmas.

The younger Mr Spreer and his partner are the only permanent residents of the tiny North Frisian island.

The camera travelled 350 miles after it was washed away on a Yorkshire beach before reaching the German island of Suderoog in the North SeaResidents of the Hunter Valley residents are urged to prepare bushfire plans

NSW Health has warned people to drink plenty of water and limit outdoor time

Asthma sufferers are urged to stay inside as the level of ozone pollution rises

Temperatures are soaring into the mid-40s in some parts of New South Wales

As temperatures soar into the mid-40s in parts of Sydney, residents have been warned to brace for the most intense heatwave since 2013.

Temperatures are forecast to hit 40C in Sydney's inner city while people in the western suburbs have been warned to prepare for a 45C day.

The mercury in Sydney is tipped to rise to just shy of the city's 45.8C record for a January day - just two degrees short of the all-time record of 47.8C set in 1939.

Masses of Sydneysiders are headed to the beach to cool off as an extreme heatwave takes hold

Forecaster Helen Reed has told Sydneysiders to make preparations for a long, hot and dry day

People taking to the ocean to beat the heat have been warned to be careful while in the water

A a cool front is expected to bring cooler conditions to the coastal areas during the afternoon

Surf Life Saving NSW has implored people heading to the beach to take care given there have been ten drownings since the beginning of December 2017.

Asthma sufferers in particular are being urged to stay indoors as the relentless heatwave continues to oppress the east coast of Australia and dramatically drive up levels of ozone pollution.

Total fire bans are in place for Sydney and the Hunter region, with a 'severe fire danger rating' in place for the entirety of the greater Sydney region.

Meanwhile, the NSW Rural Fire Service is warning residents to prepare their bushfire plans, reminding people considering evacuation that 'leaving early' is always better.

Sydney hot spots Penrith.................45C Richmond............45C Liverpool.............43C Campbelltown....42C Parramatta..........42C Hornsby...............41C CBD.....................40C Bondi...................37C Advertisement

NSW Health has warned people to drink plenty of water and limit their time outdoors because of a rise in ozone pollution as a result of the hot, still weather.

Sydney is forecast to have poor air quality on Sunday which can especially affect people with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

However, a cool front is expected to bring cooler conditions to coastal areas during the afternoon and through the west in the evening.

Nevertheless, forecaster Helen Reed has told people to prepare for a hot, dry day.

Meteorologists have warned residents to prepare for a hot, dry day as temperatures hit 45C

Heading to the beach is a good way to beat the heat as a coastal cool change will bring relief

'We know over the next two or three days we're going to experience severe to extreme heat'

'We do have a southerly change moving it's way up the coast during the afternoon,' she told ABC. 'It's expected to come through Sydney at 3:00pm or 4:00pm.'

Meanwhile, environmental health director Dr Ben Scalley reminded people in a statement on Saturday that ozone levels are higher outdoors than indoors.

'Limiting time outside during the heat of the day and in the evening would help people to keep cool and to limit their exposure to ozone pollution,' he said.

Dr Scalley also warned of the dangers of a heatwave which put strain on the body, can cause dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

Australians are strongly advised to limit the time spent outside during extreme daytime heat

NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn on Saturday revealed the state's heatwave plan had been activated to ensure a coordinated response from emergency services.

'We know over the next two or three days we're going to experience severe to extreme heat conditions throughout NSW,' she said.

She also strongly cautioned people against leaving children or pets in vehicles, which is a federal offence and can be fatal: 'Cars become a furnace very, very quickly in this type of heat.'

NSW Health has warned people to drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration and heat stroke

Police advised motorists to avoid using the right hand lane of Hume Highway in Broadford, VIC

Map shows the area where residents were ordered to leave after a bushfire threatened homes

Drivers are also warned to avoid stretches of the Hume Highway in Victoria as the scorching temperatures caused parts of the road to start melting.

Authorities are particularity concerned with water safety given the recent spate of near-drownings - a 48-year-old is fighting for his life after he was found face down in the water at Sandon Point Beach on Saturday.

In a separate incident, a 35-year-old man was taken to hospital in a stable condition after being pulled semi-conscious from the Hawkesbury River at Lower Portland.

Meanwhile in Victoria, a15-year-old girl has been charged over a bushfire on Saturday which took 300 firefighters to put out.

The teenager was charged with intentionally starting the blaze, but has received bail to reappear in a children's court at a later date.

About 30 residents in Carrum Downs, in southeast Melbourne, were evacuated on Saturday during the fire, while emergency services battled through the night to contain it.

A teenage girl has been charged with intentionally setting a bushfire in Melbourne on Saturday

Australian weather forecast SYDNEY SUNDAY: Max. 45, Hot and sunny MONDAY: Max 33, Partly cloudy TUESDAY: Max 33, Shower or two CANBERRA SUNDAY: Max. 39, Hot and sunny MONDAY: Max. 30, Possible shower TUESDAY: Max. 31, Shower or two PERTH SUNDAY: Max. 31, Sunny MONDAY: Max. 33, Sunny TUESDAY: Max. 34, Sunny BRISBANE SUNDAY: Max 32, Sunny MONDAY: Max 32, Mostly sunny TUESDAY: Max 32, Mostly sunny MELBOURNE SUNDAY: Max. 22, Partly cloudy MONDAY: Max. 25, Possible shower TUESDAY: Max. 23, Partly cloudy ADELAIDE SUNDAY: Max. 28, Partly cloudy MONDAY: Max. 27, Partly cloudy TUESDAY: Max. 26, Partly cloudy HOBART SUNDAY: Max. 24, Mostly sunny MONDAY: Max. 24, Possible shower TUESDAY: Max. 22, Possible shower DARWIN SUNDAY: Max. 30, Storm likely MONDAY: Max. 30, Storm likley TUESDAY: Max. 32, Possible storm Source: Bureau of Meteorology Advertisement



The warm waters of Hawaiis Molokai Strait shone like silk in the moonlight. The 28-mile stretch between Oahu and Molokai islands, in the North Pacific, is notorious for its 20ft swells, strong currents and deadly marine life, but British swimmer Beth French deftly sliced a path through the swell.

Several hours into the 17-hour swim, one of the worlds most gruelling challenges for extreme swimmers, Beth did not immediately notice the dorsal fin surging upwards from the starlit sea.

But as the 7ft tiger shark went underneath her, so close she was forced to pull her legs upwards, the situation became perilous.

There were ten minutes of terror as the shark circled curiously; only slinking back into the gloom when Beths support boat returned. However, it was not the brush with death that haunted Beth afterwards  but the thought she might have left her nine-year-old son, Dylan, without a mother.

Several hours into a 17-hour swim in Hawaii , Beth encountered a shark that circled her - the thought she might have left her nine-year-old Dylan, without a mother scared her

I was plunged into crisis, she recalls. I thought, Im a terrible human being  what am I doing? I have a child. I nearly died.

My mums voice was shouting in my ear, I told you you were putting your life at risk. 

It was a unique spot for a parenting crisis. But Beths life had become anything but ordinary. The single mother had embarked on an extraordinary challenge that could have propelled her into the record books.

In anticipation of this, she was trailed by a Bafta-nominated production team that filmed her adventures for a documentary in the style of Touching The Void, the 2003 docudrama about one mans survival in the Peruvian Andes after a climbing accident.

The film, Oceans 7, to be released this year, will tell the story of how Beth, 40, a self-employed massage therapist and mother to Dylan, who is autistic, sought to complete one of the worlds toughest tests of mental and physical endurance, and to become the first person ever to finish it in a single year.

The Oceans 7 challenge involves swimming seven open-water crossings, including from Scotland to Ireland across the freezing North Channel, the Cook Strait in New Zealand and the English Channel.

She had completed four of them, facing freezing waters, swarms of toxic jellyfish, towering waves and the threat from shipping traffic. Even without time restraints it is a feat of nerve and resilience; most fail. But in the end, it was an emotional hurdle which stood between Beth and the record books. During her fifth crossing Beth announced that she was giving up her bid  consumed with guilt after Dylan had begged: Please dont leave me, Mummy. I dont feel safe.

Today, Beth explains: The wall I hit in the water that day wasnt physical, it was a maternal one. I knew in my bones that completing the challenge was possible.

Beth French and son Dylan out on the beach, she said her biggest fear was not surviving the challenge for her autistic son Dylan

Id done it to carve out a new role for myself as more than just a mother, but it had to be one that benefited Dylan, too. It made me question what I was doing in the water. Nothing is more important than Dylan.

At the heart of Beths decision lies a familiar tension, albeit one which is more extreme than that faced by the average mother.

Her determination can be explained, in part, by a childhood shadowed by chronic fatigue syndrome, or ME. Growing up on a farm in Somerset, Beth had been an active child until her teens when the illness confined her to a wheelchair.

Following a long period of recovery, she travelled to Ireland and then Hawaii where, in her early 20s, she discovered a love of open-water swimming. She studied indigenous medicine, and travelled to Bali and Thailand.

On returning to the UK, she became pregnant during a short-lived relationship and her adventures were put on hold when Dylan began showing signs of autism.

Then, on a whim, she booked a place to swim the English Channel in 2010. I needed to feel more than just Dylans mum, or Beth the massage therapist, she says. I craved a new challenge and freedom.

She trained when she could. There were sessions in a local pool while Dylan napped, and hurried trips to the coast at Lyme Regis for longer swims in the open water on the days her mum could help out.

Her family disapproved. But standing on Shakespeare Beach in Dover at night at the start of her swim, Beth felt at peace.

I thought  ironically  this is the only time Im ever going to do anything this stupid in my life, she says. My head was all over the place worrying about Dylan.

But then came the sunrise. It was mirror-flat calm, clear. I could see my hands in the soft aqua water, massive tankers and ferries flying past. I thought it would be hell but I loved it. She got back home in time to put Dylan to bed.

Inspired, and supported by friends who would look after Dylan, Beth completed the Molokai Strait in Hawaii four months later, despite injuring her left shoulder after 12 hours and doggy-paddling on one arm the rest of the way.

Dylan loved the adventure. They swam with dolphins, and hiked in the volcanic tundra. His autistic traits and ticks diminished.

Here, too, Beth began to consider the Oceans 7. Back in England, she tried a feat which had never been achieved before  swimming 27 miles, against the current, from Cornwall to the Isles of Scilly. Despite becoming a human pinball for jellyfish, she was amazed to find it straightforward.

The planning took nearly three years. A local association for each stretch helps with booking boats and crew  known as pilots  and organising dates. The training, too, was gruelling, involving intense mental preparations. Experts reckon channel swimming is 80 per cent mental and emotional.

Id do mental toughness days where Id not sleep and train in the morning, or not eat all day, then train hard in the evening, so my body got used to exhaustion and hunger. Beth jokes being a single mum meant she already had the endurance part nailed.

Nevertheless, the first swim, in October 2016 across the Catalina Strait to Los Angeles, was nearly disastrous. There are sharks and jellyfish, strong tides and currents. But worse  a stomach bug struck three hours into the swim.

It should have been a ten-hour swim, but it turned into a 19-hour, six-minute pukefest. It was hell, but I did it. I kept thinking, if I can do this, I can do anything.

Beth and Dylan returned to Hawaii for the Molokai Strait in December 2016 and, shark notwithstanding, it felt great.

There were two attempts at the Cook Strait, from New Zealands North Island to the South, in February 2017 after strong currents caused the first bid to be abandoned. It meant the relative ease of the ten-mile Strait of Gibraltar, despite the risk from shipping traffic, was a relief. Beth made it to Africa in four and a half hours, and was back in time for lunch.

Physically, she had never felt better. But Dylan was becoming distressed on swim days, when he would be looked after by a friend. He was having nightmares, sleeping in Beths bed, and his traits and ticks were re-emerging.

His fears were coming out in his behaviour, Beth says. He was telling me loud and clear that the swimming was starting to stress him out. When we were alone, hed say, Mummy, Im so proud of you. I believe in you  youre going to do all of them. But the day before a swim hed say, Please dont leave me, Mummy  Im not safe. 

The day before the fifth crossing, in Northern Japan in July, Dylan hid in their hotel room cupboard. Beth was emotional. After this swim, the next two  the English and North Channels  meant Dylan could stay in their home, and be with family.

But when she got into the water the doubts became all-consuming. After two hours I told the boat I wanted to get out. Id never done that; not even when Id come face-to-face with a shark, she says. They urged me to give it another hour. I gave them five, until there was four miles left. They said, If you can get through it, youll have broken the record. Then you can tell Dylan hes more important.

But they didnt get it. That would have been false and empty. I had to show him he was more important, and that meant stopping there.

Back at the hotel, Dylan said, Youre back early. When I explained he said, like only an autist can, Well, youre a bit of a disappointment then. 

Its a decision Beth has never regretted; nor does she plan to complete her seven swims. Filming is nearly complete on the documentary, which director Stefan Stuckert from Channel 4s Peep Show, hopes to release this year.

For now, Beth is content to focus on Dylan. Im all for learning new things, but water is where the world makes sense to me  its my solace.The family of a stuntman who fell to his death on the set of The Walking Dead in Georgia is moving forward with a lawsuit against the show's production company.

John Bernecker, 33, was killed in a 25-foot fall from a balcony during filming for the show in Senonia, Georgia last July.

His mother Susan Bernecker said Saturday she will 'seek justice' for her son, so 'that no other parent with a child working in the film and television industry suffers this kind of heartbreak.'

Family attorney Jeff Harris says in a statement that they'll proceed with civil litigation now that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Stalwart Films for what it says are serious violations and proposed the maximum allowable fine.

'OSHA issued a serious citation and proposed penalties totaling the maximum allowable fine of $12,675,' the agency said in a statement Friday.

John Bernecker (left) was killed falling from a balcony during filming for the show in Senonia, Georgia last July. His mother Susan Bernecker (right) is suing the production company

Bernecker is seen standing left on the set of The Walking Dead. He died after falling while rehearsing a fight scene with actor Austin Amelio, who plays Negan henchman Dwight

The 25-foot balcony where Bernecker was killed is seen. The stunt man died after losing his footing and falling while rehearsing a fight, and landing on concrete

Bernecker missed this safety pad by 'just inches' after losing his footing during a stunt fall

Stalwart Films said Friday that the company takes employee safety extremely seriously and disagrees with the citation.

John Bernecker died after losing his footing and falling while rehearsing a fight scene with actor Austin Amelio, who plays Negan henchman Dwight.

The scene was meant to end with a fall from the balcony, but went horrifically wrong.

The stuntman was unable to get good separation from the balcony when he started falling and 'attempted to abort the fall by grabbing onto the railing with both hands,' assistant director Matthew Goodwin told TMZ.

He then apparently slammed into the bottom of the balcony before falling, landing on his head and neck, missing the safety cushion on the ground 'just by inches.'

Bernecker is seen on a film set left and performing a jumping stunt right

The stuntman's mother (with him left) said she will 'seek justice' for her son, so 'that no other parent with a child working in the film and television industry suffers this kind of heartbreak'

The Walking Dead was filming in Senonia, Georgia when Bernecker died. Star Andrew Lincoln is seen in his role as Rick Grimes

The 33-year-old was airlifted to hospital in Atlanta with severe brain injuries, and his ventilator was turned off a day later as he was surrounded by his friends, family and girlfriend Jennifer Cocker.

Richard Hawk, a coroner for the Coweta County Coroner's Office, said the cause of his death was blunt force trauma.

Bernecker's resume included stunt performances in several recent films, including 'Get Out,' 'Logan' and 'The Fate of the Furious.'

OSHA Atlanta regional administrator Kurt Petermeyer said the death on the set of 'The Walking Dead' should serve as a 'wake-up call' for Hollywood.

'The entire industry needs to commit to safety practices for actors and stunt people involved in this type of work,' he added.

Stalwart Films circulated a statement to US media describing Bernecker's death as 'a tragic and terrible accident,' adding that it complies with -- and frequently exceeds -- industry safety standards.

'We disagree with the issuance of this citation and are considering our response,' it added.Three people have been arrested after at least two hoons wrapped a car around a pole and left their mate to die.

Police are holding a man, 33, and a woman, 21, under police guard in hospital, and are speaking to a 26-year-old Epping man.

Emergency services were called to Wollert in Melbourne's northern suburbs, about 6am on January 5, where paramedics found a man in the back seat of a crumpled Subaru Impreza.

The car, which was understood to be fitted with incorrect plates, had slammed into a power pole about 6am, and the other occupants of the car had fled the scene.

Three people have been arrested after hoons wrapped a car around a power pole in Melbourne and fled the scene, leaving their passenger to die

A man, aged between 25 and 30, was found still strapped in to the car when emergency services arrived. Paramedics worked on the man, but he could not be saved

Police believe the car was moving at an excessive speed when it spun out and hit the pole.

The man, aged between 25 and 30, was alone in the vehicle, still strapped in to his seat belt.

Paramedics worked on the man, but he died from his injuries soon after. Police say he could have survived if the driver and passenger had stayed to help, Seven News reported.

Major Collision Investigation Unit Detective Inspector Stuart McGregor said he could not understand how the pair could walk away with their friend 'literally dying'.

Police are holding a man, 33, and a woman, 21, under police guard in hospital, and are speaking to a 26-year-old Epping man

'They didn't call for an ambulance, they didn't let emergency services know, they didn't let the police know. If we had have got to him, he may be alive today,' he said.

'What they were doing at the time was probably hooning. They've made a clear choice to leave the car and leave the person in the back of the car while he died.

'I don't understand how a person can just walk away from their mate when they're dying in front of them.'

The woman and man arrested over the crash, who are under hospital guard, are of no fixed address, and are understood to be in a stable condition.Amazon is clamping down on internet trolls in the customer review section for a controversial new book about President Donald Trump.

The e-commerce giant is deleting reviews for Michael Wolffs bombshell book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House that do not comply with company guidelines.

The company did not reveal how many reviews it deleted, according to Quartz.

Amazon is clamping down on internet trolls in the customer review section for author Michael Wolff's (right) controversial new book about President Donald Trump (left)

Wolff's book is No. 1 on Amazon's best-seller list since its release on Friday

In an apparent effort to prevent the discourse in the review section from deteriorating, Amazon is limiting customer reviews only to those who are 'verified' to have bought the book

But the fact that the number of reviews for such a popular book  nearly 800 as of Saturday evening  is relatively low shows that the site is careful about allowing anyone to post comments on the politically charged topic that is the Trump presidency.

The site appears to have learned its lesson from last September, when it removed hundreds of one-star views for Hillary Clinton's memoir.

The poor reviews appeared within hours of the publication of What Happened, a 512-page book in which she tries to set out why she lost the US presidential election to Trump.

It was published on September 12. By the next morning there were more than 1,500 reviews on Amazon.com, most of which were either glowing or scathing.

The e-commerce giant is deleting reviews for Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House that do not comply with company guidelines

Quartz, which analysed the reviews, said that of the 1,500-odd original reviews, only 338 were from users with verified purchases of the book.

The books publisher at Simon & Schuster, Jonathan Karp, said: It seems highly unlikely that approximately 1,500 people read Hillary Clintons book overnight and came to the stark conclusion that it is either brilliant or awful.

Amazon said at the time that reviews are designed to help customers make purchase decisions and its not the companys role to decide what customers would find helpful in reviews.

The ex-first lady and former Democratic candidates book features a series of digs at Trump, with Mrs Clinton describing her election foe at one point as a creep who made her skin crawl.

In total, the presidents name is mentioned 536 times.

Wolff's book appears to have generated as much - if not more - buzz than Clinton's memoir.

Yet there are fewer reviews of the book on Amazon after its initial release on Friday compared to the number of reviews for Clinton's book.

In an apparent effort to prevent the discourse in the review section from deteriorating, Amazon is limiting customer reviews only to those who are 'verified' to have bought the book.A Silicon Valley executive has helped raise more than $130,000 for a Roy Moore accuser whose home was destroyed in a suspected arson attack.

Katie Jacobs Stanton set up a GoFundMe page for Tina Johnson of Gadsden, Alabama, who lost her home Wednesday in a fire that's under investigation by arson specialists in Etowah County.

Stanton, chief marketing officer at Color Genomics, wrote on the page: 'I don't know Tina Johnson. But I believe her.

'Tina Johnson bravely shared a story about being sexually harassed by Roy Moore. It has always been dangerous and risky for women (and men) to speak out against sexual harassment.'

Silicon Valley executive Katie Jacobs Stanton (pictured in 2016) set up a GoFundMe page for Tina Johnson

She added: 'Today, this danger reached a disturbing level. Tina's home burned down and she lost everything. An arson investigation is underway.

'100% of these funds will be used to help her rebuild her home. If Tina has insurance that covers the damage, she'll still receive funds from this campaign to help with living expenses and ease the weight of all this.

'Money won't erase what happened, but I truly hope it will help.'

Stanton, who previously worked at Google, Twitter and director of citizen participation in the Obama administration, later said any funds raisde over and above the cost of rebuilding the home can be donated to organizations supporting victims of arson and/or sexual harassment.

Johnson, who lives with her husband and 15-year-old grandson, told CNN Money after learning of the fundraiser: 'Honestly, I'm in shock like I was the day it happened. I can't comprehend all this, it's just overwhelming. I need a home for my grandson.'

A statement from the sheriff's office says authorities are speaking to a person of interest about the fire.

The statement says investigators don't believe the fire is linked to Moore or the allegations against him.

This is what remains of Tina Johnson's home in Gadsden, Alabama, after a suspected arson attack. Johnson spoke out against Roy Moore in November to claim he sexually assaulted her in his office in 1991

The fire destroyed the home on Wednesday. Neither Johnson nor any member of her family was inside at the time

On Friday, Johnson told AL.com she had lost everything in the fire.

'I am devastated, just devastated. We have just the clothes on our backs,' she said.

Tina Johnson (seen in an interview in November) came forward last year to allege misconduct against Moore which she said happened in 1991

Police had previously said they had identified a suspect who is known in the area for being drunk and misbehaved. Cops have not released his name.

On Tuesday morning, residents said they saw the man walking around the back of the home.

He asked one woman if he thought it would burn down. No arrests have yet been made.

In November, Johnson gave a detailed description of how Moore allegedly molested her in his office in Gagsden in the 1990s when she went to him for his legal expertise during a custody battle over her son.

Her mother had accompanied her to the meeting but it did not stop Moore from 'grabbing' her buttocks as she left, she claimed.

'He didn't pinch it; he grabbed it,' she said at the time.

Moore (seen above with his wife during his failed senate campaign) denied Johnson's allegations

At the start of the meeting, Moore remarked on how 'pretty' she was and made her feel uncomfortable, she said.

Johnson spoke out along with other women in the hope of blocking him from taking office.

Despite being backed wholeheartedly by President Trump throughout his campaign and dismissing the allegations against him as false, Moore could not overcome them.

He lost the special election to Democrat Doug Jones on December 12, turning Alabama blue from red for the first time in 25 years.Clinton James Dally, 36, has died in Bali

An investigation has been launched into the cause of death of an Australian father found dead in his hotel room in Bali after complaining of a headache.

Clinton James Dally, 36, checked into the Matahari Bungalow on Friday with his girlfriend Ni Ketut Kartika, 29.

The Perth man visited the Kuta Art Market on Saturday morning before returning to his Kuta hotel room to lie down, where his body was found at 1pm on Saturday.

Staff found him face down on the bed unconscious, and when the doctor arrived he declared the man dead of an apparent heart attack, The Herald Sun reported.

Clinton James Dally, 36, was found dead of an apparent heart attack on Saturday afternoon

A photograph taken inside the hotel room shows a carton of cigarettes, a bottle of Gentleman Jack whiskey, some Panadol, Berocca tablets, a phone, wallet and smart tablet on a small table

9NEWS reported that a photograph taken inside the hotel room shows a carton of cigarettes, a bottle of Gentleman Jack whiskey, some Panadol, Berocca tablets, a phone, wallet and smart tablet sitting on a table.

Ms Kartika told police that Mr Dally had been suffering from stomach pains on Saturday morning before he died, and that he had taken a Panadol and had a beer on Friday.

Mr Dally had told his girlfriend of three months that he wasn't sick, but simply tired.

Mr Dally (right) visited the Kuta Art Market (left) on Saturday morning before he passed away

Kuta police chief, I Nyoman Wirajaya, said an investigation had been conducted and police had found the room to be neat.

'We do not find any violence or crime in this case,' he concluded. 'The doctor alleged that the victim died because of a heart attack.'

Police said the man's body was taken to Sanglah morgue awaiting instructions from local and Australian authorities concerning an autopsy.

Mr Dally (left) has been found dead in his Balinese hotel room at the Matahari Bungalow (right)A woman in Berlin was tortured and killed by a couple she met on the internet during a sex game and her body dumped in a rubbish container, investigators have said.

The couple aged, a man named by police as Taifun S., who is 36, and his 27-year-old girlfriend Jasmin P., were arrested at the German capitals Schonefeld airport as they tried to flee to Turkey.

According to investigators, the 55-year-old woman, named as Marianne M., met the suspects on a forum for people with specialist sexual interests.

The 55-year-old woman's body was found on this street in the Wedding district of Berlin

The man and woman, suspected of carrying out the murder, were arrested a Berlin airport trying to flee to Turkey

After she was tortured for a long time in a specially rented apartment before being killed and her body dragged down four flights of stairs, Bild reported.

A passer-by found her corpse wrapped in a grey blanket, 37 metres away from the apartment by a pile of rubbish on the street at 8.30 am on December 23, in the Wedding district of Berlin.

An autopsy determined she had been murdered and Berlin police say the suspects were arrested just before 1pm on December 29 at the airport on suspicion of killing her.

According to Bild, the male suspects previous offences include drug trafficking, violence, weapons offences and theft.

The female suspect has convictions for threats, insults, resistance arrest and theft, the paper said.A 21-year-old man is in a serious condition in hospital after he was shot at a western Sydney pizza shop on Sunday morning.

Anand Singh was working at the Wentworthville Domino's store when a man armed with a firearm entered the shop around 1.40am.

The armed offender demanded cash from the young man before a confrontation broke out and the victim was shot, 9 News reports.

Anand Singh was shot in the hand and chest after a confrontation with a burglar at a Wentworthville Domino's on Sunday

CCTV footage caught Mr Singh, who appeared to be holding his wounds, and his work colleague walking across a train station ramp to the police

The offender fled the scene as the 21-year-old victim sustained a gun shot wound to the chest and hand, police told media on Sunday.

Despite his injuries, Mr Singh managed to stumble to Wentworthville Police Station, a short distance away, and get help.

CCTV footage caught the victim, who appeared to be holding his wounds, and his work colleague walking across a train station ramp to the police.

He was taken to hospital and treated for his injuries.

The armed man has been described as being of Caucasian appearance, aged in his mid 20s with a slim build and wearing a dark-coloured hooded top.

Police are appealing for anyone with information about the robbery and shooting to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

The 21-year-old was taken to hospital in a serious condition after he was shot at the western Sydney Domino'sPeople will tune in to the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday to see who will wear black for the planned anti-harassment protest on the red carpet.

The 75th annual awards show is scheduled to take place Sunday in Beverly Hills.

The gala will be held against the backdrop of a spate of sexual harassment scandals that have rocked Hollywood to the core since revelations about alleged crimes by movie giant Harvey Weinstein.

Actresses seeking to call attention to sexual harassment in the workplace are being encouraged to wear all-black as a form of silent protest.

While there may be sympathy with the overall message, it is unclear whether everyone will go along.

At Sunday's Golden Globe awards, the red carpet will turn black as A-listers wear sombre ensembles in protest at Tinseltown's culture of sexual harassment. Pictured left is the man at the heart of the scandal Harvey Weinstein with Nicole Kidman and right Renee Zellweger

Rose McGowan - who accused Weinstein of rape - has branded actresses who happily worked for him (Jennifer Lawrence pictured left and Emma Watson right) as 'hypocrites'

Actresses seeking to call attention to sexual harassment in the workplace are being encouraged to wear all-black as a form of silent protest. Jessica Chastain (seen above at the 2014 Golden Globe awards) also plans on taking part in the protest on Sunday

The Handmaid's Tale actress Elisabeth Moss posted a picture of herself wearing a black t-shirt with the words 'Time's Up' emblazoned on it

For one, the surge in demand for all-black outfits has apparently left Hollywood stylists scrambling to find enough dresses, according to the Telegraph.

There is also talk that not all actresses are on board with the all-black silent protest that was first started by Time's Up, the initiative to combat sexual harassment in the workplace.

'There's some backlash to the wear-black mandate,' a well-embedded Hollywood source told PEOPLE.

'Some feel women should celebrate their newfound power, strong voices and the future by wearing a wide variety of brighter shades.

'Instead of distracting from the real issue with a mandate to wear one particular color.

'There will be big important speeches, no doubt, and they will make a much better statement.'

McGowan blasted the all-black fashion protest as hypocritical and vapid. She also took aim at actress Meryl Streep for her 'silence' and for agreeing to 'happily work for the Pig Monster'

Robin Givhan, a fashion critic for The Washington Post, says there's something 'regressive' about imposing a uniform dress code that 'takes the fizz out of fashion.'

'It smacks of sexism to say, even indirectly, that fashion - the quintessential realm of women - must be shunned in order for women to be taken seriously... mostly it reads like the proper response to sexual harassment is to change one's attire,' she wrote.

'Understandably, there is a desire to expand the solidarity of the #MeToo movement, which made plain the breadth of the problem, to provide a visual image of women aligned and displaying their strength in numbers,' she wrote.

'But why black? Why choose a kind of full-body uniform that drains women of their individuality and paints the issue at hand with a single, nuance-free stroke?'

Givhan came out in support of actress Rose McGowan, who was one of the first to accuse Weinstein of rape.

Last month, McGowan blasted the all-black fashion protest as hypocritical and vapid.

On Twitter, McGowan expressed anger at Meryl Streep.

This year's Golden Globes will be held against the backdrop of a spate of sexual harassment scandals that have rocked Hollywood to the core since revelations about alleged crimes by movie giant Harvey Weinstein (seen above with Streep in Los Angeles in 2012)

'Actresses, like Meryl Streep, who happily worked for The Pig Monster,' McGowan said, referring to Weinstein, 'are wearing black @GoldenGlobes in a silent protest. YOUR SILENCE is THE problem.'

McGowan - who was one of the first of 84 women to accuse Weinstein of sexual misconduct, claiming the producer raped her in 1997 - said that Streep and her contemporaries were putting on little more than a dog and pony show to adhere to the current trend in Tinseltown.

'You'll accept a fake award breathlessly & affect no real change,' McGowan said, adding, 'I despise your hypocrisy.'

McGowan wrapped up in saying, 'Maybe you should all wear Marchesa,' in reference to the fashion line presided over by Weinstein's estranged wife Georgina Chapman, who McGowan has past implied was complicit to her husband's decades of alleged criminal behavior.

Weinstein's rep has said repeatedly that 'any allegations of nonconsensual sex are unequivocally denied by' the producer.

Streep responded to McGowan's criticism of her, saying: 'I wasn't deliberately silent. I didn't know. I don't tacitly approve of rape. I didn't know. I don't like young women being assaulted. I didn't know this was happening.'

Eva Longoria, the actress and one of the chief spokeswomen for the Time's Up initiative, defended the all-black dress code as a necessary show of female solidarity.

'This is a moment of solidarity, not a fashion moment,' Longoria told The New York Times.

'For years, we've sold these awards shows as women, with our gowns and colors and our beautiful faces and our glamor.

'This time the industry can't expect us to go up and twirl around.'

On Saturday, The Handmaid's Tale actress Elisabeth Moss posted a picture of herself wearing a black t-shirt with the words 'Time's Up' emblazoned on it.

She wrote alongside the photo: 'The clock has run out on sexual assault, harassment and inequality in the workplace. It's time to do something about it.'

Among the actresses who have confirmed they will be wearing black at this Sunday's event are Gal Gadot, Saoirse Ronan, Mary J. Blige, Allison Janney, and Jessica Chastain.

It is not yet known which actresses will choose not to conform with the all-black fashion statement.

Yet there are already those who are calling on women not to criticize the actresses who decline to take part.

Andre Walker, Oprah Winfrey's hair stylist for over 30 years, said the #MeToo movement should show restraint.

'They have their own reasons,' he said of the actresses who choose not to wear black on Sunday.

'There might be a backlash. I think if you show up in something really bright, they'll get a lot of attention.

'But there are some people who think there is no such thing as bad publicity. I don't think there should be any judgement.'Michael Wolff has scoffed at Tony Blair's denial that he told Donald Trump MI6 may have leaked details of his team's contacts with the Russians.

Repeating the allegation made in his book Fire And Fury, Mr Wolff said that the former Prime Minister may have made the claim to 'curry favour' with Mr Trump, having once been so close to Bill and Hillary Clinton in the past.

The row dates back to last March, when The Mail on Sunday revealed how Mr Blair had secretly visited the White House in a bid to win a new role as a Middle East adviser to the President.

We reported how, weeks after Mr Trump's inauguration, Mr Blair held talks with the President's senior adviser Jared Kushner. Mr Kushner is married to the President's daughter Ivanka.

In his new book Michael Wolff has scoffed at Tony Blair's (pictured left) denial that he told Donald Trump (right) MI6 may have leaked details of his team's contacts with the Russians

It was seen as an audacious attempt to rebuild his career as an international statesman.

Mr Wolff's book says that Mr Blair also met Mr Trump himself, as well as his then top aide, Steve Bannon.

The former Prime Minister and ex-envoy to the Middle East told them he believed that British spies could have told the CIA about contacts between Mr Trump's advisers and the Russians before the presidential election in November 2016.

But Mr Blair angrily denied the alleged MI6 leak last week, stating: 'This story is a complete fabrication from beginning to end.

'I've never had such conversations in the White House, outside of the White House, with Jared Kushner, with anybody else.'

However, he admitted that he had discussed the Middle East with Mr Kushner at the White House.

Mr Wolff laughed off Mr Blair's denial  and told The Mail on Sunday the original source of the information was actually Mr Trump himself.

Repeating the allegation made in his book Fire And Fury, Mr Wolff (pictured) said that the former Prime Minister may have made the claim to 'curry favour' with Mr Trump, having once been so close to Bill and Hillary Clinton in the past

He said: 'For some reason Bannon and Kushner jumped into a car and went to meet the Director and Deputy Director of the CIA at its HQ in Langley to discuss what they had just heard from Tony Blair.

'Trump said, 'This is what Tony Blair has said, drive down and find out if it's true.'

'Mr Blair was 'trying to curry favour' with Mr Trump and play down his Clinton links, Mr Wolff claimed.

He added: 'I was very careful how I cast it. I don't know if Blair said, 'This is what is happening' or 'In the past such things happened' or 'Have you considered the possibility?'

'I don't know the context in which he said it but I am totally confident he said it.

'I was on the couch in the White House and saw Mr Blair.'Thousands of passengers are stranded at John F Kennedy airport following more than 6,000 flight cancellations or delays stemming from the 'bomb cyclone' that rocked the Northeast on Thursday.

The airport had closed on Thursday afternoon due to the storm and was reopened on Friday morning.

But the reopening has been compounded by further disasters - such as a plane needing to turn back for an emergency landing after a false alarm and a collision on the tarmac.

Passenger Lily Crawford told Pix 11: 'People are sleeping on the ground, people are sitting on the ground. People have taken over wheelchairs. There are no outlets, people are running out of power on their phone.'

She added: 'It's complete chaos.'

Chaos reigns at John F Kennedy Airport as thousands of passengers are stranded due to bomb cyclone-related delays and cancellations

Passengers are packed in quite closely in certain terminals as they ride out the travel nightmare in which they have unwittingly found themselves

A plane being towed at New York's John F Kennedy Airport struck a Kuwait-bound airliner, prompting the flight to be cancelled.

A China Southern plane clipped the right tail end of a Kuwait Airways plane before the latter was due to takeoff for an overnight flight around 12am Saturday morning, the Port Authority said on Twitter.

Both aircrafts, which were Boeing 777s, sustained damage. No one was injured.

Kuwait Airways tweeted in Arabic that their plane was made inoperable due to the crash.

A China Southern plane being towed along the tarmac at JFK airport clipped the right tail end of a Kuwait Airways plane early Saturday morning. Pictured is a scene from the incident's aftermath

Both planes sustained damage but no passengers on the Kuwait-bound flight were injured. Pictured is the China Southern plane

Pictured is debris from the crash that left one plane's passengers forced to stay in accommodation after their overnight flight was cancelled

Passengers on Kuwait Airways flight 118 were taken to hotels and alternative routes for them will be planned, NBC New York reports.

The nightly low reached 9 degrees Fahrenheit (-13 degrees Celsius) the night of the crash.

The crash comes amid travel chaos across the East Coast in the aftermath of the 'bomb cyclone' blizzard which wreaked havoc along the Eastern Seaboard on Wednesday and Thursday.

The Port Authority, which runs New York-area airports, announced that flights were being limited into JFK, 'including all flights scheduled to arrive into Terminal 1 for the rest of the evening.'

It said a surge in flights rescheduled after the storm, combined with severe storm damage to equipment, resulted in delays in getting planes and passengers to gates.

The passengers on the Kuwait-bound flight were booked into hotels and will be rescheduled on different flights

Passengers line up near the ticketing area of a terminal at JFK amid the airport's many cancellations and delays

The failure of baggage claim machines has caused the baggage claim process to be done manually - as in, by hand - greatly increasing the amount of time it takes for people to get their luggage

Frustrated: Passengers wait in the airport's Lufthansa terminal area amid the chaos

Tracking site Flightradar24 said at least 12 international flights had been waiting, around two to four hours, for a gate to deplane.

Passengers complained of being stranded on the tarmac for hours and then facing lengthy delays in baggage claim that made traveling, particularly with babies or the elderly, a misery.

Multiple trans-Atlantic flights simply gave up and went home, including an Aeroflot flight from Moscow that turned back over Iceland.

The airport was shut down following Thursday's blizzard and reopened on Friday morning.

Customers are outraged due to poor communication from airport staff and baggage claim malfunctions causing all off-loading to be done by hand, according to theNew York Daily News.

The Port Authority told the Daily News that much of the chaos is affecting the International terminal and Terminal 4.

Instagram user zhxiang20 uploaded a video showing stranded passengers in the airport packed in like sardines.

Stranded passengers play cards and check their phones in an effort to pass the time

Pictured are dozens of suitcases piled atop one another at JFK

The crash comes amid general travel chaos at JFK airport ever since it closed on Thursday due to the 'bomb cyclone' that hit the East Coast. Pictured is a busy scene at a baggage claim

The airport has been plagued with travel delays and baggage claim malfunctions

Another user, Sua Lee, shows utter chaos in a video as people swarm around a JFK terminal in an effort to understand the travel nightmare unfolding around them.

Passengers told DailyMail.com on Friday of their travel nightmares due to the huge snowstorm, which caused more than 5,000 flight cancellations in and out of the US Thursday.

Teacher Jessica Holden, who was returning to New York on a Thomas Cook flight from Manchester, England, said: 'The flight was due to land at 1.55pm, it touched down at 4pm but we were sat on tarmac until 6pm.

'I waited for baggage, then at 7.30pmish they said "Oh sorry, because the plane went into the wrong terminal we can't bring it in."

'There was nothing since. It's now 11pm and we've just been told we won't get our baggage tonight. People are getting angry. I just want to go home.'

Gemma Bond, who is from the UK and was visiting New York City for a vacation, said: 'After my flight being cancelled due to JFK's closure I was very lucky to get on a later flight today which had us land at JFK at 5.50pm local time, you could see the airport and runways had masses of back log and that this wasn't going to be a quick exit.

'After 25 minutes we were informed it could be another 50 minutes it was actually another two hours plus.'

Pictured is another view of hundreds of stranded passengers at JFK airport

The Port Authority tweeted out a photo of the American Airlines Boeing 738 that safely landed at its point of origin, John F Kennedy International Airport after turning back 20 minutes after takeoff

Passenger Gemma Bond took this photo at JFK on Friday night as she was stuck on a plane for nearly three hours after landing

Crews can be seen trying the clear the snow from the runway in this photo snapped by flyer Gemma Bond on Friday night

Cars are covered in snow in the airport's parking lot in the borough of Queens, New York

Also on Friday, an American Airlines flight bound for Cancun from JFK turned around for an emergency landing after someone on board said they saw a wing was on fire.

American Airlines officially said that the plane, a Boeing 738, needed to land due to a 'possible mechanical issue'.

And the Airbus A380 - the world's largest passenger jet - was en route to land at the John F Kennedy International Airport when it was diverted to Stewart Airport in Orange County on Thursday due to winds and whiteout conditions.

Port Authority said in a statement that it is 'working diligently with the FAA, airlines, and individual terminal operators to limit the arrival of flights into JFK Airport, until there are adequate gates available to handle the backlog of flights due to recovery of flight schedules in the wake of Thursday's storm.'

Charleston, South Carolina's airport has also been heavily affected by the storm.

The Southern, subtropical coastal city rarely sees snow but received four inches in the 'bomb cyclone'.

Forecasters says below-normal temperatures are likely to continue into early next week, forecasting freezing rain from Kansas to Tennessee, and that ice could complicate road transport.

Mount Washington, New Hampshire recorded the second-coldest temperature on earth early Saturday, minus 36 Fahrenheit.

Front loaders dump snow into a melter while clearing the apron around Gates C and D at Terminal B of LaGuardia Airport on January 4

Flights at JFK were suspended on Thursday afternoon because of the storm and resumed Friday morning

Stranded travelers and airport workers watch front loaders clear the snow on January 4

People crowd into lines at JFK airport as their flights likely become delayed or cancelledWe vegans can be wildly annoying.

My veggie girlfriend, upon being served nut roast on Christmas Day, whined abjectly: Hmm. I hope it doesnt contain walnuts. Im allergic. Gah!

My own most militant moment came just before Christmas, at my local Indian restaurant.

I ordered vegan samosas but when they arrived, and I cut one open, I could smell dead lamb.

I summoned the waiter. Would you, I asked him, like me to come to your house and eat your children?

Um, no, he said, looking very frightened indeed.

I refused to pay the bill, and as I left I gave him a death stare.

Would you, I asked him, like me to come to your house and eat your children? Granted, it was an extreme reaction

Granted, it was an extreme reaction.

So too were the death threats lobbed at chef Laura Goodman, owner of a couple of Italian restaurants in Shropshire, who boasted shed spiked a vegan a few hours ago.

The result was a social media furore with vegans, to quote one headline, going bananas (oh, hahaha).

But heres the thing: we are forced to shout loudly, because even intelligent people seem to have no grasp of the issues.

There was a debate on Radio 4s PM on Wednesday, when restaurant critic Giles Coren wondered why the default setting of people who profess to love animals is to kill humans.

A writer in the Left-wing press also opined: When millions around the world dont have enough to eat, theres something obscene about threatening to kill over a pizza topping.

'Nobodys body is that much of a temple.

So too were the death threats lobbed at chef Laura Goodman, owner of a couple of Italian restaurants in Shropshire, who boasted shed spiked a vegan a few hours ago

Its shocking that it still needs to be pointed out that millions around the world are starving simply because of our addiction to meat: an acre of cereal produces five times more protein than an acre used for meat production.

If anyones condemning human beings to death, its the meat mob.

But perhaps a less obvious misapprehension is that veganism is somehow all about our health.

Vegans are moved to threaten chefs (or the waiters children) because we care about the wellbeing of farm animals, not ourselves.

For me, the fact that even three slices of bacon a week may be a factor in breast cancer in older women, as reported last week, doesnt even enter the equation of why I choose not to eat animals.

Meat eaters have no concept of the difficult path the half a million vegans in the UK tread in order to practise what we preach.

We can be found peering at the small print on a bottle of wine, just to make sure its vegan (egg white, gelatine, milk and even fish are used in processing).

Meat eaters have no concept of the difficult path the half a million vegans in the UK tread in order to practise what we preach

We are discriminated against, constantly: I was forced to sit next to someone eating chicken on a flight to Islamabad, while the hostess confiscated my G&T!

I tried to clutch it to my breast, Patsy Stone-fashion.

We have to sleep beneath down duvets in hotels, sit on leather seats in taxis, handle 5 notes that contain animal fat.

You will never, ever catch me licking an envelope, just in case: my love of animals was sparked, aged five or so, by the cartoon horse in Animal Farm being carted off to the glue factory.

You could argue, well, why did the fusspot vegan party visit an Italian in the first place, and not choose a vegan establishment?

Trust me, in the frozen North, Ive yet to find one near me.

We are not even safe in our friends homes.

I was asked to a New Years Eve dinner, and was tucking into the lentils prepared by my hostess when I could suddenly smell bacon.

I actually vomited on to my plate.

Needless to say, Ive not been asked back

Ive been watching the new Celebrity Big Brother with horror, having flashbacks to my own terrifying time on the show three years ago, when I took part expressly and openly to pay my tax bill.

What grates rather is that this seasons female contestants (my colleague Rachel Johnson among them) all say theyve only deigned to go into the house because the theme is Year of the Woman.

Wouldnt it be real girl power if everyones fees went to support victims of domestic abuse?Theresa May is plotting to rebrand her premiership by promoting a new generation of Conservative talent and clearing out the pale, male and stale from her ranks.

A ministerial reshuffle, which Mrs May is expected to start tomorrow, is likely to hand eye-catching promotions to women and MPs from non-traditional backgrounds as the Prime Minister tries to build a Government more in the image of the country.

A senior Government source said that while the Prime Minister was not intending to move any of the big four  Chancellor Philip Hammond, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, Home Secretary Amber Rudd or Brexit Secretary David Davis  she will inject some youth, energy and fresh thinking into her ranks.

Conservative Party chairman Sir Patrick McLoughlin is widely expected to be sacked

Education Secretary Justine Greening (pictured) is at risk of a demotion as is Leader of the House Andrea Leadsom

The source said: Theresa understands that, when voters look at her Government, they see a lot of stale, male and pale Ministers who are the wrong side of 50. She will be promoting more women and those from non-white backgrounds, and there will be more of an emphasis on youth.

Party Chairman Sir Patrick McLoughlin is widely expected to be sacked, while Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has been fighting a fierce rearguard action against demotion.

Leader of the House Andrea Leadsom is also vulnerable, while Education Secretary Justine Greening is at risk of a demotion. Those tipped for advancement include Braintree MP James Cleverly and Esher MP Dominic Raab.

Mrs May has deliberated for months over whether to hold a reshuffle.

Last night, the Prime Minister was urged to re-energise her party by allowing members to directly elect the chairman.

Braintree MP James Cleverly is among those widely tipped for promotion in Theresa May's reshuffle

Grant Shapps, who was party chairman under David Cameron, told The Mail on Sunday: We are the only party that does not directly elect their party chairman or president. Doing so would provide our members with a compelling reason to belong.

He added: A combination of reasonable mid-Brexit negotiations, lack of obvious alternative and Mays dogged determination has given this Prime Minister the opportunity to make a fresh start in 2018.

Regardless of who leads us into the next Election, it is very much the duty of todays leader to pay attention to fixing our rusty party machine.

Mrs May will confirm today that she is abandoning plans to give MPs a vote on bringing back foxhunting after it proved to be a vote-loser at the General Election.One law for the rich. Another for the poor. It is the ultimate symbol of inequality, injustice and unfairness. But that may be what lies ahead for our NHS. If you are wealthy, the doctor will see you now. If not, go to the back of the queue.

When he set up the NHS in the 1940s, Labour Health Secretary Nye Bevan had a startlingly simple idea  to save people from financial stress at their time of need. And that became the founding principle of the NHS  free at the point of use.

But that wonderful dream is turning into a recurring winter nightmare  for patients, who wait for hours on trolleys in corridors, and for politicians, for whom the NHS has become the third rail of politics  touch it and die.

Any Conservative who thinks the best their party can do about the NHS is to shut up (because it is a Labour issue), should consider how many Tory majorities were lost in the South East at the June Election in constituencies along the strike-hit Southern Railway routes.

The founding principle of the NHS was that it would be 'free to the point of use' (file photo) but Lord Saatchi predicts inequality, injustice and unfairness lies ahead for our NHS

Passengers who suffer delays and cancellations feel they are treated with contempt. Patients may soon feel the same about delays and cancellations of operations. Any Government that believes the public will put up with this for ever will pay a heavy price at the next General Election.

The Prime Minister will have no shortage of advisers who will say: All is well. Or if it is not well, it is at least under control. In other words, keep kicking the can down the road and let your successor worry about it.

How wrong they are. To be rushed to hospital in an ambulance is a harrowing experience. To then be left waiting outside is bewildering.

A year ago in The Mail on Sunday I set out the solution  a cross-party Royal Commission on the NHS. These bodies are designed to address issues of great national importance in which the tribal warfare between the political parties is an impediment to the national interest. It is hard to think of a better example than the NHS.

Why do we need a Royal Commission rather than just spend more money? Because the forces behind these winter crises will not go away.

The wonderful dream of free health care that built the NHS is turning into a recurring winter nightmare for patients, who wait for hours on trolleys in corridors because there isn't enough room for them in the wards

First, a larger population  the increase from 2010 to 2020 is the biggest in history. Second, an older population  last year, for the first time, people aged 65 and over outnumbered those aged 16 and under.

YES, spending is part of the answer  and the period between 2010 and 2021 will see the biggest drop in NHS spending as a share of GDP since the service was founded. But we also need a simple answer to a straight question. Where is the money coming from?

The Treasury gets the blame for the endless Tory cuts. But it knows there is no simple solution to these huge pressures. People accept the NHS needs more money. But they will not pay more tax because they think they are paying enough. And they will not pay to see the doctor because it is supposed to be free at the point of use.

According to Lord Saatchi the Chancellor has the strongest motive for bringing a long-term solution

So the Chancellor has the strongest motive of all to bring a long-term solution. Yet Ministers, scarred by the experience of the Andrew Lansley reforms, feel unable to suggest radical changes  and would struggle to get public backing even if they did.

A Royal Commission can cut through this Gordian knot. It would have the power to summon witnesses  under oath  to get to the bottom of what is ailing the NHS, and to recommend changes that put it in a position to deliver the best outcomes over decades.

Tomorrow, the Centre for Policy Studies, which I chair, will publish a detailed remit for a future Royal Commission on the NHS. But there has already been support from the medical profession. Several former Health Secretaries have also offered their endorsement.

A Royal Commission could report with recommendations  fully costed  from which the public and the political parties could choose. Far easier, some Ministers might think, to keep their heads down. But leaving the NHS alone, or spending limited amounts to patch up the most serious problems, is a recipe for long-term catastrophe.

It is also contaminating the Governments reputation. The Director of the Centre for Policy Studies appeared on BBC local radio recently to explain our plan for a Royal Commission.

The presenter seemed puzzled  werent the Tories running down the NHS in order to privatise it? This was said not as an accusation, but presented as an accepted fact. The truth is that the Government has done a creditable job keeping the patient stable  funding has risen, in real terms, year after year. But the time has come to strive for a full recovery, to acknowledge that a system set up 70 years ago needs to be re-examined and put on a sustainable footing, both financially and institutionally.

Lord Saatchi says that if Theresa May can move the national debate on the NHS from a focus on short-term fixes to a long-term cure, she will deserve to sit by Nye Bevan in the pantheon of the health service's greatest heroes

There is, of course, an obstacle. A Royal Commission needs to be cross-party, or rather, to sit above the parties. But the NHS is Labours political weapon of choice, the stick with which it can beat the Tories. Why would it disarm?

There are several answers. Refusal to participate would give lie to Labours claim to want the best for patients. The terms of the remit could be clearly set to ensure it was impossible to claim the plan represented privatisation by stealth.

The Commissioners would have a duty to examine alternative revenue sources for the NHS beyond general taxation, and to ensure their proposals were affordable, sustainable and fully costed. But the fundamental principles of the NHS would remain sacrosanct.

When Theresa May became Prime Minister she gave a stirring address about her mission to resolve unfairness and injustice. It is still her deepest driving motive.

If she moves the national debate on the NHS from a focus on short-term fixes to a long-term cure, she will deserve to sit by Nye Bevan in the pantheon of the health services greatest heroes.

A Royal Commission On The NHS: The Remit, by Lord Saatchi and Dominic Nutt, is published tomorrow.The heartbroken wife of UKIP leader Henry Bolton has revealed her devastation after her husband left her for a 25-year-old glamour model.

Tatiana Smurova has told how Mr Bolton denied he was about to leave her when she confronted him just two weeks ago and said: 'My world has fallen apart.'

The 42-year-old was left shocked after pictures emerged taken in her home of 54-year-old Mr Bolton's new partner Jo Marney.

In one of the images the topless model has her feet up on a stool bought to celebrate a wedding anniversary.

Tatiana Smurova, wife of UKIP leader Henry Bolton, has told of her devastation after her husband of six years left her for a 25-year-old glamour model Jo Marney

Ms Smurova, who has dropped the Bolton part of her name, said: 'My world has fallen apart.' Her husband is pictured here shortly before Christmas with Jo Marney

After telling Ukip members they would see a change in his relationship status on social media Mr Bolton claimed his wife as fully aware of his affair with Miss Marney, who works as a model

Speaking on the 'terrible betrayal', Russian born Ms Smurova, who has dropped the Bolton part of her surname, told the Sunday Mirror: 'What kind of person runs away to sleep with another woman, leaving their two small children over Christmas?

'I'm still breastfeeding his child for goodness sake.

'I feel as though I've been thrown in a cold ocean and I'm just trying to stay on the surface.'

And, sharing her own pictures, the jilted wife set out to debunk 'lies' that she and her husband had already separated.

One of them shows a smiling Mr Bolton with his hand on Ms Smurova's knee. It was taken just three days after he was snapped with his arm draped around his new wife.

Mr Bolton, a father of three, claimed his wife had been living abroad since July and insisted there had been no 'clandestine affair'.

But Ms Smurova alleges he sent her a loving text on Christmas Eve and told how she only found out he had left her on December 30 when he dropped the bombshell in a text message.

Last week Ms Smurova told Mail Online her priority were her two children  and made no mention of her soon to be ex-husband.

Sources close to the 54-year-old UKIP leader have said his marriage had been under strain for months after his wife (pictured here with the couple's youngest daughter) moved to Vienna in Austria to take up a job with a EU funded security organization

The mother-of-two, who has been living in the Austrian capital since July when she landed a job as a senior secretary at the Organisation for Security and Co-Operation in Europe, told Mail Online: 'My focus right now is on my children'

Since moving abroad Ms Smurova has dropped the Bolton part of her name for her job at the OSCE which is funded by the EU to the sum of 139m euros a year

Sources close to the UKIP leader have said his marriage had been under strain for months after his wife moved to Vienna in Austria to take up a job with a EU funded security organization.

Speaking last week, Ms Smurova told Mail Online: 'All I can say at the moment is that the reports that have emerged are inaccurate.

'However, my focus right now is on my children and at the moment I will not be commenting further.'

Ms Smurova's accusations come as her former husband was exposed as a serial love cheat by the second of his three wives.

He was cheating on me, too, said Lidia Gouniakova, a Russian hairdresser he married in 2002. She claims Mr Bolton ditched her after starting an affair with Ms Smurova.

Speaking exclusively to The Mail on Sunday from her home in St Petersburg, Ms Gouniakova, 44, said: Henry was seeing Tatiana while we were married and their affair broke our family  he was cheating on me.

It is thought Smurova has returned to her family who live just outside Moscow to celebrate Christmas and New Year. Pictured: Mr Bolton and Miss Marney leaving her family home

Two years ago Ms Smurova hit the headlines after giving birth to her second child at London's St Pancras station after going into labour. Pictured: Miss Marney strikes a glamorous pose

Ms Smurova and Mr Bolton have another child, Lucinda aged three, and he has a 32 year old daughter from his first marriage. Pictured: Miss Marney is a keen Ukip supporter

Still, I feel sorry for Tatiana  I wouldnt wish an affair on my worst enemy.

Referring to revelations that Mr Bolton has left Ms Smurova for blonde model Ms Marney Ms Gourniakova added: I can understand why Jo is head over heels with him. Henry is an extraordinary personality  he is a capable and social man. Until the affair, Henry was an attentive, caring, ideal husband. Many great people have complicated characters.

Ms Smurova has been living in the Austrian capital since July when she landed a job as a senior secretary at the Organisation for Security and Co-Operation in Europe.

The 42-year-old was not at her desk last week and staff at the modern offices said she was on annual leave and would return next week.

Since moving abroad Ms Smurova has dropped the Bolton part of her name for her job at the OSCE which is funded by the EU to the sum of 139m euros a year.

She is listed as a senior secretary to the director of the organisation.

It is thought Ms Smurova has returned to her family who live just outside Moscow to celebrate Christmas and New Year.

Two years ago she hit the headlines after giving birth to her second child at London's St Pancras station after going into labour.

The couple named the baby girl Victoria after the rail station.

Ms Smurova went into premature labour as she travelled with her husband from their home in Kent.

The baby was safely delivered by paramedics called to the station by staff.

At the time Mr Bolton said: 'I think that is wonderful for a child to have something a little bit quirky in their background - and what's more quirky than being born on the train at platform 13 of St Pancras station?'

She and Mr Bolton have another child, Lucinda aged three, and he has a 32-year-old daughter from his first marriage.Theresa May today promised to review how parole board decisions are taken are victims were not told of the ruling John Worboys should be released.

The Prime Minister said her Justice Secretary David Lidington was examining procedures and the law following the shock decision.

In an interview with the BBC's Andrew Marr Mrs May said she personally knows one of the victims. Carrie Symonds, who is the Conservative Party director of communications, was a star witness at the 2009 trial.

The Parole Board announced this week it would release the 60-year-old after just nine years behind bars, without telling his victims in advance.

Worboys was found guilty of 19 charges of drugging and sexually assaulting 12 female passengers, including one rape. Questions have been asked about why not all of the 102 complainants had their cases brought to trial.

Theresa May (pictured on the Marr show today) promised to review how parole board decisions are taken are victims were not told of the ruling John Worboys should be released

John Worboys, left, targeted women in the back of his cab with his 'rape kit' right

Mrs May said told Marr it was for the courts to determine 'what is right' in specific cases.

But she said: 'In this case, if I may say, as we're saying, we've got to a situation where it's got to another stage in relation to the release of the individual.

'People are asking why is it that this has happened and why is it that victims weren't informed about this.

'I know someone who wasn't told about this, so it's important that we look at that and say actually should we be doing this in a different way?'

The PM added: 'My instinct is that people do want to know more about why decisions are taken in the way that they're taken.

'But look, let's look at this properly and that is exactly what we're going to do as a government but I fully recognise why people are concerned about this.'

Carrie Symonds was singled out as she waited for a night bus in Chelsea in July 2007

Ms Symonds, was 19 when Worboys spotted her waiting for a night bus after an evening out on the King's Road in Chelsea in July 2007. He offered to take her home to East Sheen six miles away.

She described how Worboys had boasted about winning a large sum of money from gambling.

She told the BBC in 2009: 'He then gave me a glass of champagne. There was always the slightest doubt this could be spiked so I had a sip but then poured the rest of it on to the floor.'

Ms Symonds said Worboys stopped the cab and asked to join her in the back to celebrate his win.

She said: 'He seemed quite friendly. I didn't feel worried by him.'

She recalled: 'I can't remember anything from that point onwards and that's what is so worrying. I believe he got in to the front of the cab and did drive me back then straight away.

'I feel that if I was assaulted I would instinctively know. That's what I hope. I can 99 per cent say nothing happened but to have that 1 per cent of doubt is terrifying.'

Justice Secretary David Lidington has announced a review into the Parole Board's controversial decision to recommend the early release of Black Cab rapist John Worboys.

It is feared Worboys could have carried out 100 attacks.

Kim Harrison, who represented 11 women in civil cases against Worboys, said yesterday they were 'absolutely terrified' by the prospect of his release.

Ms Harrison said her clients had been given the 'clear impression' Worboys would be imprisoned for 'a very long time' when they came forward.

One victim told MailOnline: 'I very much welcome any move to ensure greater transparency.

'It is only fair and right that victims know why someone - especially a prolific sex attacker like John Worboys - can be considered incredibly dangerous one day, and safe the next.

'I hope now they will also tell us victims why the decision has been made in this case. Without having the full facts on which the decision was based leaves me with zero confidence that he won't reoffend.'

Justice Secretary David Lidington announced a government review into the Probation Board as a result of the anger prompted by Black Cab rapist John Worboys' early release

The government faced significant pressure from opposition parties, with almost 60 Labour, Lib Dem and Plaid Cymru MPs writing to Mr Lidington to ask whether victims could appeal the Parole Board's decision before Worboys' release.

Announcing a review of the system, Mr Lidington said yesterday: 'While it is right that the Parole Board should remain an independent body, I believe that there is a strong case to review how to allow greater openness about the decision-making process.'

The Chairman of the Parole Board, Professor Nick Hardwick, has apologised 'unreservedly' for the failure to inform Worboys' victims of his release.

The Metropolitan Police said they continued to liaise with the Crown Prosecution Service following Worboys' conviction after they received further allegations from 19 women.

Scotland Yard said they investigated and recorded each allegation, however, by June 2009 the CPS advised against prosecution and the Met declined to proceed.

The 19 alleged victims were informed of the decision.

A spokesperson said: 'As no new information has been received at this time, there is currently no live Met investigation. Should any further information come to light it will be fully investigated.'

Worboys drove around London's West End in his cab, pictured, looking for suitable victims

The Crown Prosecution Service said a total of 83 complaints were referred to the CPS.

A decision was made to proceed with 14 cases as the remaining allegations did not pass 'the evidential test'.

A spokesperson said: 'Prior to trial, the cases of three further complainants were assessed to have passed the evidential test.

'However, by that stage it had been decided that there were sufficient counts on the indictment to enable the judge to impose an appropriate sentence in the event of conviction.

'These decisions were taken in full consultation with the police.

'In April 2008 the CPS charged Worboys with 23 offences where it was deemed there was a realistic prospect of conviction based on the Code for Crown Prosecutors.

'He was convicted of 19 of those offences following a trial at Croydon Crown Court in March 2009.

'Following this conviction, we were advised by the Metropolitan police there were a further 19 complainants.

'The police were advised in respect of these 19 complainants that if there were any allegations of rape they should refer these cases. It would be unlikely that it would be in the public interest to prosecute Worboys in relation to allegations of sexual assault or administering a substance with intent, because of the maximum sentence available to the court.

'The police were advised they should consult with the CPS at any time with any concerns or for further advice.

'The police submitted a file in respect of one complainant who alleged a sexual assault, this file did not pass the evidential test.

'At the outset of this case Lord Ken Macdonald was the Director of Public Prosecutions. Sir Keir Starmer became Director of Public Prosecutions in November 2008. Neither DPP had any involvement in the decision making behind this case.'

Chairman of the Parole Board, Professor Nick Hardwick, who apologised after some victims were not contacted ahead of the announcement that Worboys is to be released, will be summoned before the House of Commons Justice Committee to explain how the decision for release was reached.

Chairman of the committee, Conservative MP Bob Neill, called for the Parole Board's processes to be made more transparent, saying it is 'ridiculous that the current rules prevent the board making public the reasons for their decisions'.A taxi went flying across a busy highway intersection after it was swept up by a white van, who appeared to be running a red light.

Footage taken from the dashcam of a car in waiting at an adjacent red light shows a group of cars heading through a green light.

As they take off to cross the intersection, there are no cars in seen in the oncoming lane opposite.

But when they approach the halfway mark, the van comes flying through the intersection of Dawson Highway and Aerodrome Road in Gladstone.

Shocking dashcam footage shows the moment a van appeared to run a red light and smash into a taxi

According to the driver of the car filming the accident, the van's light was red.

The front of the taxi goes flying through the intersection, with its front caved in from the impact.

Meanwhile, the van continues to travel, eventually coming to a stop while wrapped around a traffic light pole.

Commenters on Facebook all appeared to agree the van should have stopped, but many also criticised the taxi driver.

The front of the taxi was caved in by the crash, and the car spun over to the other half of the intersection

The van continued on, eventually stopping after crashing into at a traffic light post

Most who took this stance claimed the driver could have seen the van coming and decided to stop instead of continuing through the intersection.

One person said the van was just trying to beat the van, and was unaware there were two lanes of traffic turning right.

Police attended the scene about 9.45, and reported there was a two vehicle crash.

A spokeswoman for Queensland Police Media told Daily Mail Australia the occupants were out of the vehicle when they arrived, but the crash had caused heavy traffic.



A Sinn Fein MP sparked outrage after posting a video of himself with a Kingsmill-branded loaf on his head on the 42nd anniversary of the Kingsmill massacre.

Barry McElduff later insisted the post was not meant as a reference to the republican murders of ten Protestant workmen in Northern Ireland in 1976, but unionist politicians have demanded he resign.

The MP posted a video of himself with a Kingsmill-branded loaf on his head (left) on the 42nd anniversary of the Kingsmill massacre. Pictured right at the count for his West Tyrone seat

Kingsmill village in South Armagh witnessed one of the most notorious incidents of The Troubles, when gunmen lined up and shot a group of textile workers on their way home. The sole survivor, clergyman Barrie Halliday, said the West Tyrone MPs position was untenable.

Last night, McElduff deleted the video and posted an apology on Twitter. He said: Had not realised or imagined for a second any possible link between product brand name and Kingsmill Anniversary. I apologise for any hurt or offence caused.

But TUV party leader Jim Allister said it stretched the bounds of credibility beyond breaking point to say it was not a deliberate reference.The row over Jeremy Corbyns refusal to criticise Tehran over the protests against its hardline regime grew last night after a video of his speech to a pro-Iranian Revolution rally in London emerged.

Mr Corbyn was billed on a poster to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Iran as putting the case for Iran. The event took place at the Islamic Centre in Maida Vale, north-west London, in 2014, the year before Mr Corbyn became Labour leader.

In his speech, he praised the inclusivity, tolerance and acceptance of other faiths and ethnic groups in Iran, adding: That is something most people in the West simply dont understand.

Mr Corbyn made no mention of human rights abuses under Irans hardline Islamic regime and defended it from the way it had been demonised by Western critics. But he lambasted similar abuses by former monarch the Shah of Iran, who was brought down in the 1979 revolution.

A video has emerged of Jeremy Corbyn making a speech to a pro-Iranian Revolution rally in London

He defended the Iranian government and pointed the finger of blame at the UK and US for its current troubles, saying: The problems of today stem from the history of European relations in the region dating back to World War One.

Britains former colonial policy had been obsessed with using Iran to control routes to the Empire and to obtain oil to power Navy warships. He also criticised Britain and America for inspiring the 1952 coup that saw the Shah take control.

Mr Corbyn was billed on a poster to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Iran as putting the case for Iran (poster pictured here)

Mr Corbyns role in the rally emerged as Tory MP Tom Tugendhat, chairman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, became the latest to criticise the Labour leader for his extraordinary refusal to speak out following a wave of unrest in Iran which has seen more than 20 people killed.

Mr Tugendhat said it was hardly a knee-jerk reaction to condemn the regime, which he claimed had been brutalising women and murdering gay people for 40 years.

Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry told the BBC that Labour didnt want to leap to judgment and the party was taking a cautious approach.

A Labour official said the party had been calm and measured in its response to the unrest and condemned both the violence by the regime and attempts at foreign interference.

A party spokesman denied Mr Corbyn had backed the Iranian regime in his 2014 speech.Hollywood mega-director Ridley Scott thinks there's a chance film producer Harvey Weinstein could return to show business, it was reported on Saturday.

The 80-year-old English director, who is currently promoting his latest work, All the Money in the World, was asked about the Weinstein revelations and the domino effect it had on his own film, according to the Irish Examiner.

After Weinstein was accused by scores of women of sex crimes ranging from harassment to rape, over a dozen men came forward to accuse actor Kevin Spacey of similar crimes.

In some cases, the Spacey's accusers were minors when the alleged crimes took place.

The allegations cost Spacey his starring role on the hit Netflix show House of Cards.

Scott also got to work, rapidly deleting Spacey's scenes as J. Paul Getty in his All the Money in the World.

Hollywood mega-director Ridley Scott (left) thinks there's a chance film producer Harvey Weinstein (right) could return to show business

Scott, his cast, and crew re-did the frames with Christopher Plummer standing in just a few weeks before the movie's scheduled release.

Weinstein has denied the allegations against him.

When asked if he believed Weinstein will ever return to Hollywood, Scott said: 'Never say never, I've no idea. I'm sure Harvey (Weinstein) will already have a go within a year.

'What's this thing about forgiveness? Do we ever talk about forgiveness? Or is forgiveness now out of that question? I don't know.

'Do you learn what is unforgivable, when a guy can rape and kill and get out after five years? I don't understand the law at that level.'

Scott said he did not hesitate to remove Spacey from his film after Anthony Rapp, an openly homosexual actor, came forward in October and accused the House of Cards star of assaulting him when he was just 14 years old.

'I knew enough about him over the years, gossip and things,' Scott said.

After Rapp made the allegations, 20 others also came forward publicly to accuse Spacey of groping and harassment.

When asked why the 'gossip' he heard about Spacey didn't deter him from casting him for the film, Scott said: 'I hadn't even thought about it, frankly.'

'It's his business what he gets up to, it only becomes the business of other people if it involves kids and things like that, then it's not on,' Scott said.

'You can always argue a guy can take care of himself but a kid can't, that's not right.'

After Weinstein was accused by scores of women of sex crimes, over a dozen men came forward with similar allegations against Kevin Spacey, prompting Scott to remove Spacey from his film All the Money in the World. Spacey is seen above as J. Paul Getty

Scott said he was impressed with Spacey's track record as an actor.

'I'd met him once, when I'd been in Berlin and he had a film that he directed on Bobby Darin, he sang like Bobby Darin, he's a great mimic. And American Beauty, and all that stuff  he's a great actor.

'But you know, the question is  should you separate the talent from the man? And I think you have to, otherwise, historically, does that make Francis Bacon valueless, Andy Warhol, valueless, you know what I'm saying?'

When allegations against Spacey surfaced, Scott said he 'looked towards the solution of the problem,' as Netflix did when it decided it would film the remainder of the series with Robin Wright as the lead star.

'I thought the solution is we'll get trampled, we won't even run, because already Netflix are talking about removing the show,' Scott said.

'And then instead of that, they removed him.'

Scott said Plummer, 88, was his first choice to play the billionaire Getty in his film, but he decided to cast Spacey, 58, because he was younger.

'That said, (there was) a lot of make-up in the mornings, big make-up, prosthetics,' he said.

'The film is pretty challenging, there are a lot of scenes, a lot of dialogue. So I went with youth, wrongly.'

Plummer has been nominated for a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Getty. The award show is scheduled for Sunday in Beverly Hills.Ivanka Trump's contact with a Russian attorney and a lobbyist during the infamous June 2016 Trump Tower meeting is reportedly coming under the microscope of Special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.

The president's daughter reportedly came into contact with Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, and the lobbyist, Rinat Akhmetshin, while they were exiting the building during a brief elevator ride.

A person familiar with the encounter told the Los Angeles Times that while the exchange consisted of pleasantries, investigators want to know every interaction Trump's family members and inner circle had with them.

Ivanka Trump's interactions with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya (right) is reportedly being investigated by Special counsel Robert Mueller

Mueller's investigation could be looking at obstruction of justice charges against the president, his family and closest advisers

The report also says that one participant in the meeting with the Kremlin-connected attorney has been recalled for questioning.

It is believed that Mueller's focus specifically on President Trump's misleading claim that the meeting had to do with Russian adoption, and not with the goal of obtaining damaging information on Hillary Clinton, could indicate that investigators are looking at obstruction of justice by the president and several close advisers - as opposed to collusion with the Russians.

The meeting, during the height of the presidential race, was between his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and his campaign manager, Paul Manafort, along with Veselnitskaya and Akhmetshin.

A Russian language translator, a US based employee of a Russian real estate group, and a British music promoter with Russian business ties, were also in attendance.

President Trump said Saturday that 'everything I've done is 100 per cent proper' regarding the special counsel's investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election and he insisted that his campaign didn't collude with Moscow or commit any crime.

Jared Kushner, Ivanka's husband, was at the meeting which was intended to obtain negative information on then presidential candidate Hillary Clinton

On Saturday the president said he has been open to Mueller's investigation and has done nothing wrong. Lobbyist Rinat Akhmetshin (left) was in the group during the 2016 meeting with Kushner, Donald Jr and several others

His team has been 'open' with special counsel Robert Mueller and 'done nothing wrong,' Trump told reporters at Camp David on Saturday, where he was meeting with Republican congressional leaders and Cabinet members to discuss legislative strategy in the new year.

He bemoaned the unrelenting focus on alleged Russia ties, saying the probe is 'very, very bad for our country. It's making our country look foolish and this is a country that I don't want looking foolish, and it's not going to look foolish as long as I'm here.'

A number of news outlets, including The Associated Press, have reported that Trump directed his White House counsel to tell Attorney General Jeff Sessions not to withdraw from the Justice Department's investigation into potential ties between Russia and the Trump campaign.

Sessions' decision to step away prompted Mueller's appointment.

Trump told reporters at Camp David that The New York Times story first reporting the request was 'way off, or at least off,' - though he wouldn't say how.

He added: 'Everything that I've done is 100 per cent proper. That's what I do, is I do things properly.'

Despite his anger over Sessions' withdrawal from the investigation, Trump said he stands by the embattled Sessions, a vocal and loyal supporter of his election bid.

The investigation into possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia already includes a close look at whether Trump's actions as president constitute an effort to impede that investigation.

Those actions include; the firing of FBI Director James Comey, an allegation by Comey that Trump encouraged him to end an investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn and the president's role in drafting an incomplete and potentially misleading statement about a 2016 meeting with Russians.

President Donald Trump sits with Attorney General Jeff Sessions during the FBI National Academy graduation ceremony in Quantico, VA in December

The latest revelation, that Trump directed White House counsel Don McGahn to tell Sessions not to step aside from the Russia investigation, is known to Mueller's investigators, who have interviewed many current and former executive branch officials.

Three people familiar with the matter confirmed to The Associated Press that McGahn spoke with Sessions just before he announced his recusal to urge him not to do so. One of the people said McGahn contacted Sessions at the president's behest. All three spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid publicly discussing an ongoing investigation.

It remains unclear whether Mueller's team has evidence to establish that the president's collective actions were done with the corrupt intent needed to prove obstruction of justice.

Trump and his lawyers have repeatedly maintained that he did nothing improper and that, as president, he had unequivocal authority to fire Comey and to take other actions. They may also argue that the president was empowered to want the attorney general he appointed to oversee the Justice Department's Russian meddling investigation or, as McGahn contended to Sessions, that there was no basis or reason at that time for the attorney general to recuse himself.

In stepping aside from the probe on March 2, Sessions said it was not appropriate for him to oversee any investigation into a campaign of which he was an active supporter, though the recusal also followed the revelation that he had had two previously undisclosed interactions during the 2016 campaign with the Russian ambassador to the United States. At his January confirmation hearing, he had said he had had no meetings with Russians.

Sessions' recusal left Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in charge of the Russia investigation. But once Trump fired Comey two months later, Rosenstein appointed Mueller, the former FBI director, to run the investigation and to report to him.

Four people, including Flynn and Trump's former campaign chairman, have been charged so far in the investigation.As the mercury passes 47 degrees in Sydney, many have taken to their cars in the hope of getting to the ocean with as little time outside as possible.

But a few people might be regretting that decision, as they sit in endless traffic, waiting to get close, and then not getting a park.

In Sydney's south, video shows cars stretched back along the off-road drive from Boat Harbour to Kurnell, and then even further along Captain Cook Drive.

The traffic jam itself is likely longer than a kilometre, as cars from two lanes wait patiently to get in to the once quiet and secluded beach.

Scroll down for video

Cars were seen lined up on main roads leading to beaches around Sydney on Sunday, as everyone tried to beat the heat

Sydney's beaches are packed with people soaking up the sun, as others run straight for the ocean

In a video shared to Facebook, one local is heard gasping in disbelief at the unfortunate predicament the drivers had found themselves in, with no way to turn around and escape.

She and a male friend hypothesize that none of the drivers would make it to the ocean at all, as the gates to the private beach were likely closed.

Nearby, others sat in their cars along the Kingsway to get close to the beaches in Cronulla.

Images show cars stretched up at least 500 metres from the end of the road, and more en route to join the queue.

Car parks at Wattamolla and Garie Beach, in the Royal National Park, are all full.

NSW Live Traffic has advised Wattamolla Rd and Garie Rd are now closed and there is no access from Sir Bertram Stevens Dr.

Hundreds flocked to Bondi on Sunday, with young families seen taking advantage of the shallow pool

On Freshwater Beach, more people appeared to be in the ocean than out as the temperature continued to rise

With the temperature soaring past 40 degrees early on Sunday afternoon, it is no wonder Sydneysiders are so desperate to get to the beach.

Pictures show towels, umbrellas and people covering nearly every available surface as sweating beach-goers sprint for the cool ocean.

Some brought small tents with them to keep the harsh sun at bay, while others chose to soak up as much of it as they could, simply covering their face with a t-shirt instead.

With the mercury not expected to drop until Sunday evening, let's hope those stuck in traffic have air-con.A 25-year-old man has died after he slipped and fell into water on his way to go rock fishing with a group of friends on Sunday morning.

Two of the men accompanying him jumped in with a nearby lifesaving ring to help their unconscious friend, who is not believed to have been wearing a life jacket.

The trio were rescued from the waters at Little Beecroft Head, near Currarong, by emergency services, who performed CPR on the man, but he could not be revived.

Both other men were taken to Shoalhaven Hospital in a stable condition, suffering from exposure.

Scroll down for video

A 25-year-old man has died after slipping and falling into the water at Currarong, NSW on Sunday

Two of his friends dived in to save him with a lifesaving ring, but were unsuccessful in reviving him

They were all helped out of the water by emergency services, assisted by a helicopter (pictured)

The pair of friends were distraught as they headed back to dry land (pictured)

Video showed the pair looking distraught as they headed back to dry land.

Officers from Shoalhaven Local Area Command are investigating whether the man could have suffered a medical episode.

Hours later, a man was rushed to hospital in a critical condition after nearly drowning at a beach south of Sydney.

Emergency services were called to M.M. Beach in Port Kembla just before 1pm on Sunday after a 33-year-old man was pulled from the water.

The man had been swimming before he got into trouble, after visiting the beach with his wife and young children, the Illawarra Mercury reported.

He was rescued by members of the public, who performed CPR while they waited for paramedics, and taken to Wollongong Hospital in a critical condition.

A man, 33, has been rushed to hospital in a critical condition after nearly drowning on Sunday at M.M Beach in Port Kembla

M.M. Beach is not patrolled by lifesavers, and Life Saving NSW duty officer Anthony Turner said the incident is a grave reminder to swim between the flags.

'We have 17 patrolled beaches in Wollongong  people really need to make that effort to drive to a local patrolled beach,' he said.

Mr Turner also urged swimmers to 'know their limitations and ability on the surf', and to speak with lifeguards if they were not sure.

The close call comes less than a day after two men lost their lives on Melbourne beaches.

Just hours before, on Saturday evening, a man drowned at Altona Boat Ramp in Melbourne after getting in trouble in the water

One man was pulled from the water at Altona Boat Ramp about 4.30pm on Saturday after getting in trouble in the water, alongside two others.

The trio were saved by passers-by on jet skis, who attempted to perform CPR on the man, who is yet to be identified, but he died at the scene.

At about 6pm, another man was swimming with a friend in Williamstown, when he began to drown.

He was pulled to shore by his friend, and others commenced CPR immediately, but he could not be saved.Posted 1/7/18

Capt. Juan Villanueva, commanding officer of Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop D, Springfield, recently announced boater safety certification courses will be offered at the Troop D Headquarters, Residents of the Hunter Valley residents are urged to prepare bushfire plans

NSW Health has warned people to drink plenty of water and limit outdoor time

Asthma sufferers are urged to stay inside as the level of ozone pollution rises

Temperatures are soaring into the mid-40s in some parts of New South Wales

As temperatures soar to a record-breaking 47.3C in Western Sydney, people have flocked to the beach to gain reprieve from the oppressive heat.

Sweltering at 47.3C, Penrith has experienced the all-time highest temperature ever recorded in a Sydney suburb at 3.25pm on Sunday, with the mercury in the city tipped to rise to just shy of the city's 45.8C record for a January day.

Mercifully, a cool front is expected to bring cooler conditions to coastal areas during the afternoon and through the west in the evening.

Masses of Sydneysiders are headed to the beach to cool off as an extreme heatwave takes hold

Forecaster Helen Reed has told Sydneysiders to make preparations for a long, hot and dry day

People taking to the ocean to beat the heat have been warned to be careful while in the water

A a cool front is expected to bring cooler conditions to the coastal areas during the afternoon

Surf Life Saving NSW has implored people heading to the beach to take care given there have been ten drownings since the beginning of December 2017.

As the relentless heatwave continues to oppress the east coast of Australia and dramatically drive up levels of ozone pollution, asthma sufferers in particular are being urged to stay indoors.

Total fire bans are in place for Sydney and the Hunter region, with a 'severe fire danger rating' in place for the entirety of the greater Sydney region.

Meanwhile, the NSW Rural Fire Service is warning residents to prepare their bushfire plans, reminding people considering evacuation that 'leaving early' is always better.

Sydney hot spots Penrith.................45C Richmond............45C Liverpool.............43C Campbelltown....42C Parramatta..........42C Hornsby...............41C CBD.....................40C Bondi...................37C Advertisement

NSW Health has also implored people to drink plenty of water and limit their time outdoors because of a rise in ozone pollution as a result of the hot weather.

Nevertheless, forecaster Helen Reed has told people to prepare for a hot, dry day: 'We do have a southerly change moving its way up the coast during the afternoon,' she told ABC.

'It's expected to come through Sydney at 3:00pm or 4:00pm.'

Temperatures in the inner city hovered in the low-to-mid 40s while residents of the western suburbs suffered in temperatures well above 45C.

Meteorologists have warned residents to prepare for a hot, dry day as temperatures hit 45C

Heading to the beach is a good way to beat the heat as a coastal cool change will bring relief

'We know over the next two or three days we're going to experience severe to extreme heat'

Meanwhile, environmental health director Dr Ben Scalley has reminded people in a statement on Saturday that ozone levels are higher outdoors than indoors.

'Limiting time outside during the heat of the day and in the evening would help people to keep cool and to limit their exposure to ozone pollution,' he said.

Dr Scalley also warned of the dangers of a heatwave which put strain on the body, can cause dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

Australians are strongly advised to limit the time spent outside during extreme daytime heat

NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn on Saturday revealed the state's heatwave plan had been activated to ensure a coordinated response from emergency services.

'We know over the next two or three days we're going to experience severe to extreme heat conditions throughout NSW,' she said.

She also strongly cautioned people against leaving children or pets in vehicles, which is a federal offence and can be fatal: 'Cars become a furnace very, very quickly in this type of heat.'

NSW Health has warned people to drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration and heat stroke

Police advised motorists to avoid using the right hand lane of Hume Highway in Broadford, VIC

Map shows the area where residents were ordered to leave after a bushfire threatened homes

Drivers are also warned to avoid stretches of the Hume Highway in Victoria as the scorching temperatures caused parts of the road to start melting.

Authorities are particularity concerned with water safety given the recent spate of near-drownings - a 48-year-old is fighting for his life after he was found face down in the water at Sandon Point Beach on Saturday.

In a separate incident, a 35-year-old man was taken to hospital in a stable condition after being pulled semi-conscious from the Hawkesbury River at Lower Portland.

Meanwhile in Victoria, a15-year-old girl has been charged over a bushfire on Saturday which took 300 firefighters to put out.

The teenager was charged with intentionally starting the blaze, but has received bail to reappear in a children's court at a later date.

About 30 residents in Carrum Downs, in southeast Melbourne, were evacuated on Saturday during the fire, while emergency services battled through the night to contain it.

A teenage girl has been charged with intentionally setting a bushfire in Melbourne on Saturday

Australian weather forecast SYDNEY SUNDAY: Max. 45, Hot and sunny MONDAY: Max 33, Partly cloudy TUESDAY: Max 33, Shower or two CANBERRA SUNDAY: Max. 39, Hot and sunny MONDAY: Max. 30, Possible shower TUESDAY: Max. 31, Shower or two PERTH SUNDAY: Max. 31, Sunny MONDAY: Max. 33, Sunny TUESDAY: Max. 34, Sunny BRISBANE SUNDAY: Max 32, Sunny MONDAY: Max 32, Mostly sunny TUESDAY: Max 32, Mostly sunny MELBOURNE SUNDAY: Max. 22, Partly cloudy MONDAY: Max. 25, Possible shower TUESDAY: Max. 23, Partly cloudy ADELAIDE SUNDAY: Max. 28, Partly cloudy MONDAY: Max. 27, Partly cloudy TUESDAY: Max. 26, Partly cloudy HOBART SUNDAY: Max. 24, Mostly sunny MONDAY: Max. 24, Possible shower TUESDAY: Max. 22, Possible shower DARWIN SUNDAY: Max. 30, Storm likely MONDAY: Max. 30, Storm likley TUESDAY: Max. 32, Possible storm Source: Bureau of Meteorology Advertisement



A San Francisco judge imposed a restraining order on a former Google contractor who wrote on social media that a woman suing the company deserved to be raped, it was reported on Saturday.

Kelly Ellis, a former Google software engineer who was one of three women to file a lawsuit against the company in September over unequal pay, persuaded the court to grant the restraining order against Alex Gulakov.

The 33-year-old says that Gulakov has targeted her for speaking out on gender issues and that he has waged an online campaign against her over the lawsuit.

Ellis alleges that Gulakov began harassing her on Tuesday morning.

Kelly Ellis (left), a former Google software engineer who was one of three women to file a lawsuit against the company in September over unequal pay, persuaded a San Francisco court on Wednesday to grant a restraining order against Alex Gulakov (right)

Ellis worked for Google from 2010 to 2014. Gulakov worked at the tech firm for a period of three months as a software-development contractor in 2014.

They did not work at the company at the same time.

Gulakov, a 26-year-old former Google contractor, tweeted to Ellis on January 2: You deserve to be raped fat worthless c***. Roofies from the deep web are easy to get and its time to shut your c*ckhole.

Ellis took a screen shot of the tweet. She then alleges that Gulakov deleted the tweet which I assumed was to avoid reporting for suspension.

Afterward, Ellis said that Gulakov called her via Google Hangout.

'What scared me the most was that this was a total stranger who Id never interacted with before this started, and how quickly this escalated,' Ellis told The Mercury News.

In her court filing, Ellis alleges that Gulakov began screaming at me and called her a feminazi.

Gulakov, a 26-year-old former Google contractor, tweeted to Ellis on January 2: You deserve to be raped fat worthless c***. Roofies from the deep web are easy to get and its time to shut your c*ckhole.

When Ellis demanded that he stop contacting her, she claims he called several more times. Ellis also alleges that Gulakov sent her over 30 texts over the course of several hours

When Ellis demanded that he stop contacting her, she claims he called several more times.

Ellis also alleges that Gulakov sent her over 30 texts over the course of several hours.

She then called the police. While she waited for the police to arrive, Gulakov allegedly sent her a text message saying that he was in her neighborhood.

He wanted me to meet him at a restaurant that was on the same city block as my residence, Ellis wrote.

I am very frightened that he knows where I live and that he came to my address trying to harass me in person.

The restraining order that Ellis obtained from the civil court in San Francisco was obtained on the basis of the victims declaration. It is not an indication of Gulakovs guilt.

Gulakov told a number of media outlets that he did write social media posts implying [Ellis] deserves rape.

He claims that his intent wasnt to harm but to get her attention.

Gulakov said that Ellis and other misguided feminists were making life worse for reasonable women.

He claims he contacted Ellis to talk to her to get her to stop this cycle of hate where she seizes everything to criticize.

Gulakov apparently has a history of provocative social media posts and tense interactions with women. Another female software engineer, Ingrid Avendano, tweeted that Gulakov has been contacting her for the past two years

Gulakov said his deserves to be raped tweet was said as a provocative starter that she deserves it from her many haters online.

She invites this hatred on herself by creating these types of fake news spectacles, Gulakov wrote in an email to The Mercury News.

The deserves rape was a troll comment to gauge how reactionary she is to trolls, I used that to tell her that she should not feed trollbait because that only encourages it.

Gulakov claims that his repeated phone calls and texts to Ellis were to assure her of her safety and that I dont intend her harm.

He claims he wanted to help warn Ellis that her other haters might wish her harm.

Gulakov has posted about Ellis on Reddit pages that are frequented by supporters of President Donald Trump.

He claims he is an advocate of mens rights and that Trump won repudiating the mainstream narrative of political correctness.

The era of PC culture is over, Gulakov wrote to The Mercury News.

He said Ellis was one of a large number of misguided SJW (social justice warrior) activists who concoct fake outrage over online trolls.

Gulakov apparently has a history of provocative social media posts and tense interactions with women.

Another female software engineer, Ingrid Avendano, tweeted that Gulakov has been contacting her for the past two years.

This has been two years now, multiple times Ive had to go off the grid and being gaslighted by him, she tweeted on Saturday.

Im already stressing about needing to find a new place to live again.

Last week, she tweeted that she went to the police to complain about Gulakov for harassing/stalking me.

He posted manifestos about me with my picture, found my address in a very scary way and talked about me getting raped and killed and how thatd make him a hero for mens freedom, Avendano tweeted on Wednesday.

When asked about Avendanos allegations, Gulakov told The Mercury News that he did, in fact, call her a fat and a tech-suing man-hating misguided feminazi.

Gulakov said, however, that he did not make any prior rape attempts on Ingrid and left her alone.

Ellis worked for Google from 2010 to 2014. Gulakov worked at the tech firm for a period of three months as a software-development contractor in 2014. They did not work at the company at the same time

In September, Ellis, Holly Pease (left) and Kelli Wisuri (right) sued Google claiming that it paid women less than men for doing the same work

He claims he would never make such a statement as a serious threat.

I did not say to any of these women that I will rape or kill them, he said.

In September, Ellis, Holly Pease and Kelli Wisuri sued Google claiming that it paid women less than men for doing the same work.

All three women quit the tech giant after it put them on career tracks that they claimed would pay them less than their male counterparts.

The suit says the company kept 'assigning and keeping female employees in lower compensation levels than male employees with similar skills, experience, and duties.'

'I have come forward to correct a pervasive problem of gender bias at Google,' Ellis said, in a statement.

'It is time to stop ignoring these issues in tech.'

Google spokeswoman Gina Scigliano contested the claims made in the suit to The Guardian.

'Job levels and promotions are determined through rigorous hiring and promotion committees, and must pass multiple levels of review, including checks to make sure there is no gender bias in these decisions,' she said in a statement.

'But on all these topics, if we ever see individual discrepancies or problems, we work to fix them, because Google has always sought to be a great employer, for every one of our employees.'The family of a 97-year-old woman taken from her Melbourne nursing home say they are 'shaken to the core' as a woman they do not know faced court charged with kidnapping the great grandmother.

Irene Moschones, 51, appeared before Melbourne Magistrates Court on Sunday charged with kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment after Dimitra Pavlopoulou was taken from her Clarinda nursing home on Saturday.

'What happened yesterday is for the movies,' Ms Pavlopoulou's family said in a statement.

'This rare occurrence even baffled some of the most senior police officers at the scene.'

Irene Moschones, 51, appeared before Melbourne Magistrates Court on Sunday charged with kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment (pictured)

The family of 97-year-old Dimitra Pavlopoulou say they are 'shaken to the core' as a woman they do not know faced court charged with kidnapping the great grandmother

Ms Pavlopoulou was wheeled out of her room at Clarinda Manor about 12pm on Saturday and put in a car, her wheelchair left behind.

Police found the 97-year-old at a Cheltenham home at about 9.30pm on Saturday after Moschones allegedly took the older woman there.

An associate of Moschones rang police after he saw Ms Pavlopoulou lying on a mattress in the living room, police prosecutor Sergeant Daryl Eales said.

It's alleged the 51-year-old believes Ms Pavlopoulou is her mother, even though investigators have established Moschone's mother died in 2013.

Sgt Eales said Moschones believes 'there was a conspiracy against her committed by a group of people to get her inheritance from her mother'.

Moschones has previously requested her mother's body be exhumed so DNA testing can disprove her mother's death and funeral.

She also visited Ms Pavlopoulou's nursing home using a fake name four days before she allegedly took the 97-year-old from her room while staff were distracted.

Ms Pavlopoulou (pictured) was wheeled out of her Inverness Street, Clarinda, nursing home about 12pm Saturday and put in a car

Ms Pavlopoulou's family on Sunday thanked police and the public for their help locating the 97-year-old.

She survived World War II and a civil war in Greece and has three children, seven grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren.

Magistrate Ross Betts denied Moschones bail on Sunday after police said they are concerned about her mental state.

Police also said they were worried Moschones would again try to take Ms Pavlopoulou from the nursing home and put her life at risk a second time, as she suffers from several conditions that require medical care.

Moschones will return to court on Wednesday.A group of friends gearing up for a spectacular New Year's Eve had their plans destroyed when they discovered they had been scammed out of $5000.

Auckland woman Michaela Scarrott, 22, was in charge of organising accommodation for herself and eight other mates when she came across a beautiful waterfront home in Whangarei on Airbnb.

It cost a whopping $5000 for six nights - but when friends of Ms Scarrott knocked on the door of the property, two confused owners answered who claimed they had never listed their home on the website, the New Zealand Herald reports.

Auckland woman Michaela Scarrott, 22, (left) was in charge of organising accommodation for herself and eight other mates when she came across a beautiful waterfront home in Whangarei on Airbnb

It cost a whopping $5000 for six nights - but when friends of Ms Scarrott (pictured) knocked on the door of the property, two confused owners answered who claimed they had never listed their home on the website

Ms Scarrott said she was initially hesitant to book the Airbnb accommodation because the fake owners asked her to transfer funds into a Spanish bank account.

After protests the scammers then agreed to let her transfer into a strange Sydney account, but with the pressure of losing the booking, she reluctantly obliged.

After making the payment Ms Scarrott said the owners severed all contact and seemingly dropped off the face of the earth.

On the day of the booking the young woman asked two friends who lived in Whangarei to drop by the place and knock on the door.

The real owners of the home answered said they had never had a listing on Airbnb and had only just recently moved in.

'My heart dropped, just dropped [when my friend called me], I couldn't believe it,' Ms Scarrott told the publication.

Ms Scarrott said she was initially hesitant to book the Airbnb accommodation because the fake owners asked her to transfer funds into a Spanish bank account (Stock image)

The sophisticated scammers appear to have taken photographs of the luxurious home and created a listing which linked out to a fake payment platform.

Ms Scarrott said the false listing and payment page were put together 'so well' that the 'savvy' woman was easily duped.

'I thought I had taken all the necessary precautions, but obviously it wasn't enough... It was just done so well,' she said.

To add insult to injury, Airbnb told Ms Scarrott they could not refund the lost $5000 as they payment was made through a third party.

She also reported the matter to police who said there was 'nothing' they could do.

The listing made for the Whangarei apartment since been removed by Airbnb.

One the day of the booking the young woman asked two friends who lived in Whangarei (pictured) to drop by the place and knock on the door

Daily Mail Australia contacted Airbnb about the matter who issued the following statement:

'Fake or misrepresented listings have no place in our community. We recently introduced new security tools to help tackle fake listings and educate our community about staying safe online, including more education to users on how to book safely,' the statement reads.

'The most important thing to know is that as long as you stay on the airbnb.com platform and only send money through Airbnb, you will always be protected.

There have been over 260 million guest arrivals on Airbnb and negative experiences are extremely rare.'Former Lib Dem MP Lembit Opik has been left heartbroken after his ex-girlfriend moved back to Bulgaria with the couple's child.

He spent Christmas alone in his London flat after Sabina Vankova, 33, left the UK following a row over the politician's close friendship with former wag Alex Best.

She had accused the pair of spending a night together and dramatically announced the end of their romance on Twitter in November. Opik, 53, strongly denies that any inappropriate relations took place between he and Alex.

He travels to the Bulgarian capital Sofia as often as possible 'for a day or two' to see his seven-month old daughter Angelina but says he wants his family to be 'together not apart'.

He told MailOnline: 'I don't resent her being there, I just miss them terribly. It's extremely upsetting and I had a dreadful Christmas and New Year on my own in my flat.'

He spent Christmas alone in his London flat after Sabina Vankova, 33, (pictured left) fled the UK following a row over the politician's close friendship with former wag Alex Best (pictured right)

The BBC radio presenter continued: 'I expect she'll return. I think about it every day, all the time. I'd like her to come back to the UK this afternoon.

'Sabina's turned out to be a great mum in many ways but I want to be part of the child's upbringing and it's crushingly distressing that I can't go there every day.

'Sabina is a strong-minded lady and has many great qualities - she wants to do what's best for the child and I respect that.

'I don't for a second regret having a baby with her - but I feel upset by the distance between her and rest of the family.

'A child needs two parents, not just one and I'm sure Sabina will agree with that.

'It wouldn't be a problem if Bulgaria was a London borough but it takes about four hours to get there - it's not just round the corner.

'I can only spend a couple of days because I've got to work to support the child.

Opik's relationship with Bulgarian national Sabina has been shrouded in drama from the outset - with her waters breaking during a meal in a Turkish restaurant.

Opik, pictured, travels to the Bulgarian capital Sofia as often as possible 'for a day or two' to see his seven-month old daughter Angelina but says he wants his family to be 'together not apart'

The couple 'left a spectacular mess' and hailed a cab to a London hospital in June last year - but had to endure a gruelling 29-hour labour before their daughter was finally delivered by Cesarean Section.

Opik joked at the time: 'Based on what I saw [the baby being delivered by Cesarean], I'd say the best way to describe it is like the most famous scene in the film Alien.'

The presenter met Miss Vankova at a political party to celebrate Tim Farron's appointment as Lib Dem leader. Miss Vankova was there as a supporter and voted for Farron.

The ex-MP for Montgomeryshire in Wales said she 'seemed very intelligent' and was impressed she was a qualified lawyer - adding they had 'natural chemistry'.

They spent the night together and Sabina admitted she did not know who Opik was until she Googled him the next day - and moved in with him six weeks later.

The pair had started trying for a baby in June 2016 and she became pregnant in September.

Following her pregnancy, Miss Vankova had hoped the couple will get married in the near future.The Russian embassy has hit out at the BBC for propagating negative 'cliches' of its citizens in the hit series McMafia.

The new eight-part series, which first aired Christmas Day, portrays a world where Russians move in a world rife with criminal activity - but the embassy moved quickly to point out the difference between fact and fiction.

Taking to Twitter, the UK-based embassy said the drama 'depicts Britain as a playground for Russian gangsters' and asked followers to answer a poll to guess how many Russian offenders are currently in UK prisons.

Fifty-nine per cent of voters guessed the embassy's correct answer of 'fewer than 10'.

The Russian embassy has hit out at the BBC for propagating negative 'cliches' of its countrymen in the hit series McMafia

Following the result, the embassy tweeted: 'Crime rate among Russians in UK is well below national average. Good that our followers are not buying into the cliches BBC is spreading.'

Ministry of Justice figures from September last year show there are 35 people of Russian nationality imprisoned in England and Wales, comprised of 34 men and one women.

This had dropped from 51 inmates at the end of 2016.

The figure is significantly lower than many other European countries, including Poland, which has 891 citizens locked up in the UK, Lithuania, which has 424, and Portugal's 245.

Yet the figure is higher than other nations, including Greece and Belgium.

The latest figures provided by the MOJ show there are 75,739 British nationals and 9,946 foreign citizens imprisoned in UK prisons.

When quizzed about the difference between the MOJ's figures and its own, the embassy told the Sunday Telegraph: 'We base our data on the notifications that the British authorities send us pursuant to their international legal obligations.

'We also double check these notifications since the persons recorded as "Russians" are often not Russian nationals.'

McMafia follows the life of a privately educated businessman called Alex Godman, played by British actor James Norton, who is dragged into the criminal underworld following the murder of his uncle.

The show has also been criticised in a Facebook post by UK Lawyers for Israel, who claim the show made 'gratuitous slurs against Israeli businessmen and makes references to Israel which aren't mentioned in the original book' and that the programme 'distorts the motto of Mossad'.

The Israeli intelligence organisation's slogan in the show is quoted as 'by deception we will do war', but the actual motto comes from Proverbs, 24.6 and is 'For by wise guidance you can wage your war', the group claimed.Documents show that Alan Turing's code-breaking machines from the Second World War were stashed away until 1959, just in case the Enigma code needed to be cracked again.

They were thought to have been completely destroyed after the war but documents recently found inside GCHQ reveal that 50 of the machines were hidden away in an underground shelter.

The records shows that 50 Bombes and 20 Enigma machines were kept 'against a rainy day'.

Newly found documents reveal that Alan Turing's code-breaking machines from the Second World War were stashed away rather than destroyed as previously thought

The GCHQ documents, released to the Telegraph, show that the machines were only disposed of in 1959 with the rise of electronic computers which ended up surpassing them.

Alan Turing developed the code-breaking machines at Bletchley Park to decipher messages encrypted by the German army's Enigma code during the Second World War.

The mathematician was pivotal in cracking the German codes, giving Allied leaders vital information about the movement and intentions of Hitlers forces.

Alan Turing developed the code-breaking machines at Bletchley Park to decipher messages encrypted by the German army's Enigma code

A restored and fully functioning Turing Bombe machine that was used to crack German military Enigma codes

The recently rediscovered documents suggest that the machines were stashed away after the war just in case the Enigma code needed to be cracked again.

GCHQ departmental historian Tony Comer, like many others, believed that the historic machines crafted at Bletchley Park had been destroyed.

He told the Telegraph: 'What we now find is that against a rainy day they decided to keep 50 Bombes and 20 Enigma in deep storage, just in case anybody started using Enigma again.'

Turing is widely seen as the father of computer science and artificial intelligence.

Historians credit the work of Turing and codebreakers at Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire with shortening the war by up to two years.

Turing was the subject of the 2014 film The Imitation Game and was played by Benedict Cumberbatch (pictured with Keira Knightley)

Turing's work also laid the foundation for modern computers, leading Time magazine to name him one of the 100 most important people of the 20th century.

He was the subject of the 2014 film 'The Imitation Game' starring Benedict Cumberbatch, which detailed his life from his time at school to his death in 1952 aged just 41.

Turing committed suicide in 1952 by cyanide poisoning after being convicted of gross indecency for engaging in homosexual acts.

He accepted chemical castration and reportedly spiralled into depression.

He was granted a posthumous pardon by the Queen in 2013.An SAS soldier decapitated an ISIS terrorist using only a spade after their unit was ambushed by militants during a patrol in eastern Afghanistan.

The veteran sergeant is said to have cut-off the gunman's head in one swoop after running out of ammunition during a fierce six-hour gun battle.

After killing him, the elite soldier then used the jihadist's own weapon to kill more ISIS henchmen.

An SAS soldier decapitated an ISIS terrorist using only a spade after their unit was ambushed by militants during a patrol in eastern Afghanistan (stock)

The deadly battle took place six weeks ago following a meeting between the SAS and former Taliban members now on the side of the Afghan government, the Daily Star reports.

When the special forces unit was ambushed by the ISIS gunmen, the Brits were forced to take refuge in a farm, picking off the attackers while under heavy fire.

But despite their skilled field combat the soldiers began to run low on bullets, leaving them sitting ducks.

The soldiers radioed their base calling for air support but could not tell whether the message was received.

Fearing that their time was up, the soldiers made a pact to fight until the death instead of being captured and tortured on camera before a public execution.

Some of the English speaking jihadists taunted the Brits warning they would send their decapitated heads back to their wives.

Our source said: 'The SAS thought they had seen their last day.

'They made a pact that they wouldn't be taken alive and vowed to fight to the death.

The sergeant - a veteran of dozens of battles - is said to have cut-off the gunman's head in one swoop after running out of ammunition during a fierce six-hour gun battle

'Capture would mean torture and a filmed execution and they weren't prepared to let that happen.

'They made every bullet count and when they ran low on ammo they waited for the jihadis to get close enough so they could be killed with grenades or using rifles as clubs  that was when one of the SAS managed to kill a man with a spade.'

Despite both gaining ground in Afghanistan of late, ISIS and the Taliban view themselves as enemies with differing ideological views and aims

But just as it seemed the brave SAS soldiers were going to be overwhelmed by the ISIS terrorists, two US Apache helicopter gunships appeared, forcing the insurgents to withdraw.

A US Chinook followed and rescued them.

By the time they arrived half the SAS unit had no ammunition left.

Despite both gaining ground in Afghanistan of late, ISIS and the Taliban view themselves as enemies with differing ideological views and aims.

Hundreds of fighters are believed to have moved in from Syria and Iraq fleeing the caliphate they declared in 2014.

Such is the threat the influx of new jihadists into the war-torn region, the UK is thought to be doubling its amount of SAS soldiers in Afghanistan in the next few weeks to around 100.Thirty two people are missing and an oil tanker is ablaze after it suffered a devastating crash with a cargo ship off the East China coast.

The tanker, carrying 136,000 tonnes of oil from Iran, caught fire following the collision on Saturday night and is spilling its load into the sea.

Its crew of 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis remain unaccounted for, China's transport ministry said in a statement.

Thirty two people are missing and an oil tanker is ablaze after it suffered a devastating crash with a cargo ship off the East China coast

The other vessel had been damaged but 'without jeopardising the safety of the ship' and all its 21 Chinese crew had been rescued, it added.

The Panamanian-flagged 899ft oil tanker Sanchi was operated by Iran's Glory Shipping and heading to South Korea with its cargo, when it crashed around 160 nautical miles east of Shanghai.

The second vessel involved was a Hong Kong-flagged cargo ship, the CF Crystal, carrying 64,000 tonnes of grain.

'The Sanchi is still floating and continues to burn, there is oil on the sea surface; search and rescue operations are rushing and underway', the ministry said in a statement.

The Panamanian-flagged tanker 'Sanchi' is seen on fire after a collision with a cargo ship at sea in a photo from the Korea Coast Guard

Chinese maritime authorities have sent eight ships for the search and rescue operation and South Korea has sent a plane and a 3,000-tonne coastguard ship to help.

'Our ship and plane have arrived at the site and are working closely with Chinese maritime authorities,' a coastguard official said.

Iran's Petroleum Ministry said the tanker belongs to the National Iranian Tanker Company and was delivering its cargo to South Korea's Hanwha Total.

The ship and its cargo were insured, a statement said.Germany's Angela Merkel said she was optimistic her conservatives and the centre-left Social Democrats could join forces as they started talks on forming a new government and reviving the 'grand coalition'.

It marked an attempt to break an impasse more than three months after the country's election.

Mrs Merkel's conservative Union bloc and the Social Democrats have run Germany together for the past four years.

German chancellor Angela Merkel greets Martin Schulz, leader of the Social Democrats, in Berlin

But the Social Democrats vowed to go into opposition after a disastrous election result on September 24, and only reluctantly reconsidered after Mrs Merkel's attempt to build a coalition with two smaller parties collapsed in November.

The effort to form a government has already become post-Second World War Germany's longest.

The week of meetings between Merkel's conservative alliance and the Social Democrats will examine whether both sides have enough common ground to begin formal coalition negotiations towards a new government by March or April.

As she arrived at the SPD's headquarters for the meeting Mrs Merkel said: 'I am going into these talks with optimism. At the same time it is clear to me that we will have an enormous amount of work in front of us over the next few days but we are willing to take it on and to bring a good result.

'I think that it can be done. We will work very swiftly and very intensively.'

The talks are not without pitfalls - including tricky questions surrounding the more than a million asylum seekers who have arrived in Germany since 2015.

The far-right anti-immigration AfD capitalised on growing misgivings in Germany over Mrs Merkel's migrant policy, winning more than 90 parliamentary seats in the watershed election.

Angela Merkel's conservative bloc and the SPD have scheduled five days of talks to see if they can find enough common ground to form a re-run of the 'grand coalition' that has governed Germany for the last four years

Anxious to appeal to those voters, the conservative wing of Merkel's party as well as her Bavarian allies CSU are championing a tougher stance on immigration - including demands that are unpalatable to the SPD.

With an eye on a regional election in Bavaria later this year, where current polls show that the CSU could lose its absolute majority, the party wants financial handouts to asylum seekers reduced.

Following several violent crimes involving refugees of uncertain age who claimed to be minors, the party also wants medical tests to determine if adult migrants are posing as under-18s.

Nevertheless, CSU chief Horst Seehofer voiced his determination to find a deal with the SPD.

'We must find an agreement,' he said as he entered into the exploratory talks.

SPD chief Martin Schulz meanwhile signalled that his party was going into the talks with an open mind, while determined to extract key concessions on social welfare reforms.

'We're not drawing any red lines, but we want as many red policies in Germany implemented as possible,' he said, in a reference to his party's colour.Posted 1/7/18

Community Blood Center of the Ozarks will sponsor a blood drive from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 11, at the Dallas County Technical Center, 33 Vo-Tech Road in Louisburg. Each donation will be The Syrian government and its allied forces are closing in on the largest remaining rebel-held territory in the country, forcing thousands of civilians to flee towards the border with Turkey in wintry conditions.

The siege on Idlib, a large province in northwestern Syria which is dominated by al-Qaeda-linked militants and a hub for civilians, was expected following the defeat of ISIS late last year.

Opposition forces claim more than 5,000 families have fled the region in the past two weeks, with reports of 'carpet bombing' by the Russians on towns and villages in the region.

The Syrian government and its allied forces are closing in on the largest remaining rebel-held territory in the country

More than 5,000 families are believed to have fled towards the Turkish border

Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said the primary military operations against ISIS had ended and that the focus would shift to other Islamic militant groups.

There are fears that a government offensive could spark large-scale destruction and displacement, with the province bordering Turkey already home to an estimated two million Syrians, including tens of thousands of people who had fled fighting elsewhere in the country.

Turkey, who support the rebels, has deployed military observers to the region as part of de-escalation deal with Iran and Russia, yet this has not stopped the fighting on the ground or Russian airstrikes against insurgents.

Troops, with the help of Russian airstrikes, have recaptured more than 80 towns and villages in the north of Syria and breached Idlib itself for the first time since mid-2015.

Opposition forces claim that Russian air strikes are targeting villages and towns by 'carpet bombing' them

A man, wounded in attacks carried out by Assad Regime in the de-escalation zone of Hamouriyah, receives treatment at a hospital in besieged Eastern Ghouta in Damascus

The province bordering Turkey is home to an estimated two million Syrians, including tens of thousands of people who had fled fighting elsewhere in the region

An opposition activist based in northern Syria, known only as Hassan, said the conditions on the ground were 'wretched for the rebels' and that they are stuck in a two-front battle against government forces and the remaining Islamic State militants.

Government forces have managed to move within eight miles of Khan Sheikhoun, which is where a sarin nerve gas attack killed more than 90 people last year, which led to the US carrying out a missile attack on Assad's troops.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said: 'The regime wants to take the eastern part of Idlib province. Their aim is to remove any threat to the road' between Damascus and Aleppo.'

A man holds a child, wounded in attacks carried out by Assad Regime, in HamouriyahAdvertisement

Britain is yet to escape the grip of a cold snap that plunged temperatures to bitterly-cold figures at the weekend, as parts were expected to drop to as low as -11C (12.2F) again last night.

Skiers took advantage yesterday as they took to the slopes of what could be mistaken for the Swiss Alps in a hidden area of the Lake District.

Around forty thrill seekers enjoyed the snowy conditions on Raise Fell in the Lake District which resembled a European ski resort yesterday morning, with the 950m mountain covered in snow.

On Saturday the temperature on Helvellyn, next to Raise Fell, was -3.6C with Weatherline reporting snow from 550m upwards.

Hardy skiers must take a steep 90 minute hike from the village of Glenridding on the shores of Ullswater to the tow while carrying their equipment, but the ski run on the northern slopes of Raise Fell offers spectacular views across the eastern Lake District fells.

Britons were being urged to check on vulnerable or elderly neighbours after the temperature plummeted to around -10C (14F) on Saturday night.

Temperatures are expected to pick up again during the week with a high of 11C on Wednesday, though clouds and drizzle are also expected.

The English Alps: Scores of skiers hiked up to England's highest ski tow yesterday to enjoy Alpine skiing on a remote area on Raise Fell in the Lake District

The skiers had to hike for an hour to reach the Lake District Ski Club on Raise Fell, high above Glenridding

Temperatures are expected to pick up again during the week with a high of 11C on Wednesday, though clouds and drizzle are also expected

On Saturday the temperature on Helvellyn in the Lake District, next to Raise Fell, was -3.6C with Weatherline reporting snow from 550m upwards

A skier is hauled up to the top of a slope high above Glenridding. Overnight sub-zero temperatures made for perfect skiing and breathtaking views in the Lake District

The Lake District resembled the Alps as wind-driven snow encrusted on the tow fences, and skiers took advantage of the slopes

The ski run, on the northern slopes of Raise Fell, offers spectacular views across the eastern Lake District fells, meaning the walk is surely worth it

Operated by the Lake District Ski Club the area comprises up to nine runs, one of which is a mile long

Hikers were rewarded for their climb in the Lake District as they enjoyed pristine vistas and snow-capped peaks

Skier Stuart Sharp enjoyed the Alpine conditions with his skiing companion Ben as they headed up the Lake District slopes

The hiker and his dog were not to be put off by the cold temperatures as they joined in the climb in the Lake District

Stuart was one of the Lake District hikers to enjoy breathtaking views over Ullswater valley, pictured in the distance

Stuart and Ben pictured on the way back down as they turned the very cold weather to their advantage in the Lake District

Founded in 1936, the Lake District Ski Club set out to encourage skiing in the north of England

In good seasons around 60 days of skiing can be enjoyed each year at the Lake District club which says it is positioned for the best snow in the Lakes

Some of yesterday's thrill-seekers are pictured as they made the most of the cold weather to have an adventure in the Lake District

Dogs and their owners wrap up in coats as they walk past Steep Holm island in the Bristol Channel on Weston-super-Mare Beach, Somerset

Two women enjoy a morning walk yesterday past the Grand Pier at Weston-super-Mare, Somerset

Walkers enjoy a Sunday morning stroll along the beach at Weston-super-Mare, Somerset yesterday

A flock of birds swoops above two dog walkers yesterday at Weston-super-Mare. Forecasters predict colder temperatures will return tonight to lows of -11C in rural Scotland

Bitterly-cold weather wasn't enough to put these intrepid fishermen off their favourite hobby at the beach in Weston-super-mare in Somerset

Dog walkers were wrapped up warmly as they played with their pets on Weston-super-Mare Beach

These walkers left footprints and cast long shadows in the winter sunshine on Weston-super-Mare Beach

Beach goers wrap up warm against the cold and wind to enjoy some winter sunshine at West Bay on the Dorset coast

Dog walkers chat among themselves as their pets get better acquainted with one another on the beach at West Bay, Dorset

One hardy boat crew were not to be deterred by the freezing temperatures at West Bay on the Dorset coast

It was a cold day at the beach at West Bay in Dorset but plenty of locals still came out to enjoy the sunshine

Crepuscular rays struggled to break through thick cloud yesterday morning at Tynemouth beach

This person went for a walk in a frosty landscape of barren trees in Glasgow's Pollok Park

The day was ushered in by a still and chilly start after sub-zero temperatures coated every blade of grass with frost in Glasgow's Pollok Park

The morning sun glints off frost-encrusted blades of grass and plants along a riverbank at Glasgow's Pollok Park

These walkers were dressed for the weather as they strolled through the frost in Glasgow's Pollok Park

The sun rises over a cold Glasgow skyline yesterday morning featuring the Co-operative Building on Morrison Street

Highland cows breathe into the air as they wake from a night of sub-zero temperatures at Glasgow's Pollok Park yesterday

A 3m high bronze sculpture entitled Seated Figure sits in frosty conditions in North York Moors National Park

The sculpture looked over a colourful landscape in the North York Moors National Park amid a cold snap in the UK

A walker braves the cold as he walks by Sean Henry's work, the first public sculpture in the North York Moors National Park

A kitesurfer enjoys the windy conditions on the sea in Greatstone, Kent, as temperatures plummeted across the UK

High winds made it feel colder in much of the UK but also provided ideal conditions for kitesurfing in Greatstone, Kent

The kitesurfer used the wind to his advantage as he braved the cold temperatures in Greatstone, Kent

A swimmer from the Serpentine Swimmers club take the plunge in slightly over freezing conditions in London

A woman from the Serpentine Swimmers Club braves icy cold waters in London's Hyde Park yesterday morning

Stretching off! A member of the Serpentine Swimmers Club prepares to take the plunge in London's Hyde Park yesterday

A woman clad in swimwear sports a hat as she takes a dip in freezing-cold waters in London's Hyde Park as part of the Serpentine Swimmers Club

One of the Serpentine Swimmers Club members looked freezing as she emerged from the water at Hyde Park

NHS England was encouraging people to stock up on medicines and get flu jabs ahead of the cold snap gripping Britain at the weekend.

Dalwhinnie, in the Scottish Highlands, endured a bitter -9.1C (15.6F) on Saturday night, while Scilly St Marys basked in a comparatively warm 8.5C (47.3F)

The pressures are expected to intensify again next week due to rising flu levels, which are coinciding with the below-freezing temperatures.

Cold weather increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes, and it also aggravates pre-existing conditions such as lung and liver disease.

A jogger runs through Avenham Park in Preston, Lancashire, yesterday morning. Britain is yet to escape the clutch of the cold snap which saw temperatures plummet across the country last night

A woman does her best to avoid slipping up on ice as she heads out for an early-morning walk in Avenham Park, Preston, Lancashire yesterday

A woman walks through Avenham Park in Preston, Lancashire yesterday morning, surrounded by frost-covered grass

The freezing temperatures were not enough to put joggers and walkers off of their routines yesterday. Pictured: Avenham Park, Preston, Lancashire

The sunrise breaks through the tress on a very chilly morning in Avenham Park in Preston, Lancashire, yesterday morning

A man and his dog takes a moment to observe the sunrise on a cold and frosty morning in Avenham Park in Preston, Lancashire

An early-morning jogger braves the freezing temperatures of Avenham Park in Preston, Lancashire, yesterday morning

A man admires the wintry scenes in frost-covered Avenham Park, in Preston, Lancashire, as he takes a photograph of a frozen-over fountain

A woman and her dog walk through wintry Avenham Park in Preston, Lancashire early yesterday morning as temperatures plummet across Britain

Waves crash against a pier as the sun rises over Seaham lighthouse near Durham yesterday morning

The crashing waves made for a spectacular sunrise at Seaham lighthouse on the County Durham coast

The Met Office issued yellow weather warnings for ice in parts of Northern England and Scotland ahead of the cold snap arriving. Londoners are pictured wrapped up warm as temperatures plummeted in the capital

Parts of Northern England, Wales and Scotland are also expected to endure bitingly-cold temperatures  especially where these is still lying snow. Two Londoners are pictured wrapped warm ahead of the cold snap

Londoners and tourists were prepared for the cold snap ahead of freezing arctic air sweeping down across Britain

A woman wraps up warm as she walks through the streets of London where the temperature was dropping

But despite the arctic blast that plunged temperatures across Britain and 'severe frost', much of Britain is set to enjoy a dry, sunny but cold Sunday

The Met Office said conditions provided the 'perfect ingredients' for wintry weather that is colder than average for this time of year  caused by 'calm and clear' conditions and arctic air being pulled down from the north.

The NHS was bracing itself for further strain on services as temperatures plummet and ice warnings were put in place at the weekend.

On Tuesday, hospitals were ordered to cancel up to 55,000 non-urgent operations and put patients in mixed-sex wards to create more room.

Choppy seas batter a lighthouse at Seaham Harbour in County Durham on Saturday morning. Met Office forecasters said arctic air from the north, combined with clear and calm conditions overnight, form the 'perfect ingredients' for a bitterly-cold night last night

Met Office forecasters say arctic air from the north, combined with clear and calm conditions overnight, form the 'perfect ingredients' for a bitterly-cold night ahead. Pictured: Seaham Harbour in County Durham yesterday morning

While a bitterly-cold northeasterly wind will chill much of the south, much of Britain is set to enjoy a dry, sunny but cold Sunday. Pictured: Seaham Harbour, County Durham, on Saturday morning

The temperature was expected to plunge in parts of rural Scotland and forecasters said temperatures could have dropped to as low as -15C in parts of rural Scotland overnight. Pictured: Seaham Harbour, County Durham

A black Toyota RAV4 ended up on its roof following a two-car collision in Horseheath, Cambridgeshire on Saturday where temperatures remain in the low singles

A forecaster temperatures will 'struggle' to get above 5C or 6C in southern England, but due to the strength of the wind it will 'feel more like 1C or 2C'.

Meanwhile, temperatures in Northern England are unlikely to get above 1C or 2C and frost will remain throughout the day.

And the Met Office said Britain is yet to escape the grasp of the cold snap, with subzero temperatures expected again tonight.

Londoners were wrapping up warm as Britain began to chill ahead of a freezing night that saw temperatures plummet to nearly -10C

'It could get down to -11C (12.2F) in Aviemore,' he said.

'In southern England, temperatures will probably hovering at around freezing. But, for most, another frosty night.'

Chilly Londoners took to social media amid the plummeting temperatures.

One user said: 'It was very cold in #London today but it still looked beautiful.'

Another, based in Ealing, suggested taking advantage of the cold conditions to chill drinks, writing: 'One thing about London I enjoy, there's little need for a fridge when it comes [to] a cold bev.'

Forecasters say usual seasonal temperatures will return on Wednesday, but that unsettled weather will see cloudy skies for most and the possibility of snowfall on northern hills.

In the aftermath of Storm Eleanor thousands of homes remain without power and a clean-up operation is under way after widespread flooding in parts of the country. A man is pictured wading past his car after the Thames burst its banks in London on Friday

Cars are left stranded after flooding from Storm Eleanor left London into disarray. Two men are pictured observing the chaos on Friday

Cars are pictured sitting in floodwater after the River Thames burst its banks at high tide in west London on Friday

Floods to the big chill: Powrthcawl in South Wales is pictured on Friday morning being battered by huge waves as Storm Eleanor runs its course

Bitter Arctic air and sharp frosts hit Britain over the weekend and into next week as the country prepares to wraps up warm. Snow fell on a cottage near Carrshield in Northumberland

A gritter spreads salt along a road in Northumberland yesterday morning. Storm Eleanor has now passed but forecasters are warning of an Arctic blast about to hit the UK

A motorist drives along a snow-lined road in Cumbria. Across the country, day time should see sunshine. But as the nights draw in temperatures will plunge to well below freezingAn 37-year-old mother has been arrested after a new-born baby was found dead in a plane toilet in Indonesia.

Indonesian police arrested the mother of the baby on Sunday after it was found in a plane stopped at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

Ground cleaners in Jakarta found the full-term dead baby wrapped in a plastic bag in a drawer in one of the plane's toilets, airport police said.

The cause of death has not yet been determined.

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Hani, a 37-year-old migrant worker from Cianjur, West Java, was arrested after a dead new-born baby was found in a plane toilet at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta Intl. Airport (pictured)

Hani, a 37-year-old migrant worker from Cianjur in West Java, was held soon after arriving from Bangkok at Soekarno-Hatta airport around 1am, said airport police chief Ahmad Yusef.

'She didn't look healthy and won't be questioned until she is fit,' he said.

'The woman is now at the airport's health centre.'

Police suspect that Hani, who had worked as a domestic helper in Abu Dhabi for four years, secretly gave birth during an Etihad flight from there to Jakarta on Saturday.

Around four hours after take-off she began bleeding.

The captain of the plane was forced to the divert the flight to Bangkok.

Passenger Francesco Calore said: 'The woman was in economy class but then laid on a business-class seat with an oxygen mask.

Police suspect that Hani, who had worked as a domestic helper in Abu Dhabi for four years, secretly gave birth during an Etihad flight from there to Jakarta on Saturday

'The captain then announced we should divert to Bangkok.'

A medical team boarded the plane to evacuate Hani after the Airbus A330 landed at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport.

The flight was held for an hour before it left Jakarta and continued with its journey without the sick woman, who flew home on a later flight.

An estimated five million Indonesians work abroad, of whom around 70 percent are female domestic helpers.A mother is 'fuming' after her 14-year-old daughter was put in isolation at school because she shaved her head for charity.

Niamh Baldwin was punished for breaking the rules when she turned up to Mounts Bay Academy in Penzance, Cornwall, with a shaved head.

She had donated her hair to the Little Princess Trust, which produces wigs made of real hair to children who have hair loss as a result of cancer treatment or other illnesses.

But when she arrived at school after the Christmas holidays she was immediately placed in isolation and told she must wear a head scarf until her 'extreme' hair grows back.

Niamh Baldwin (pictured) shaved her head for the Little Princess Trust charity which produces wigs for children who have hair loss as a result of cancer treatment. She uploaded this picture to Facebook with the caption 'My hair does not define who I am as a person'

Her furious mother Anneka Baldwin, 32, has slammed the school for their stance and said she was 'very proud' of her daughter.

She wrote on Facebook: 'Niamh recently shaved all of her hair off to donate to a children's wig charity. I think this is the most courageous and amazing thing to do and makes me so proud.

'That's why I am so upset the school has made her feel so low and put her in to isolation because her hair needs to be 1cm longer.

'Niamh has always had outstanding reports and feedback from all of her teachers and everyone I know and she meets always says she is an amazingly polite and lovely girl.

'This doesn't change because of a hair style and to me it is discrimination. I'm actually fuming.'

The schoolgirl, 14, shaved her head during the Christmas break to raise money for charity

Defending the school's position academy principal Sara Davey said their policy on shaved haircuts was 'very clear'.

She has said Niamh must wear a head scarf until her hair grows back.

She said: 'All students know this is the school policy and they also know that the consequence is to complete school work in the inclusion room until the hair grows so that it is no longer extreme.

'If Niamh had asked the school about shaving her hair for charity then this would have been pointed out and an alternative fundraising idea would have been suggested.'

Ms Davey added: 'The family had every opportunity to contact the school about their actions before Niamh shaved her hair for charity but they for some reason did not do this.

'Going forward, I will speak to Niamh's mother to try to resolve the situation to everyone's satisfaction so that Niamh can return to lessons as soon as possible.

'It would be reasonable in the circumstances to suggest that Niamh wears a head scarf until her hair grows sufficiently, for example.'

Anneka Baldwin, 32, (pictured with her daughter) has slammed the school for their stance

Mounts Bay School (pictured) academy principal Sara Davey said their policy on shaved haircuts was 'very clear'

Monica Glass, Little Princess Trust charity manager, told MailOnline: 'The Little Princess Trust is very grateful to Niamh and to all of our supporters who donate their hair and fundraise in support of the charity.

'We know that receiving a free real hair wig has a profoundly positive effect on the sick children and young adults that we assist and it is only thanks to our kind supporters that this is possible.

'We try to steer our hair donors away from actually shaving their heads, as to donate one's hair is already such a huge sacrifice. We also ask those who are under 16 and who are thinking about donating their hair, to obtain permission from their parent/guardian beforehand.

'We are very saddened to learn of Niamh's situation and equally wholly understand the standpoint of Mounts Bay Academy.

'We sincerely hope that the matter can be resolved to the satisfaction of all parties involved.'British Airways has announced it is axing reclining seats on all short-haul flights by the end of the year as part of a move to slash costs.

BA will fit non-reclining seats on its new fleet of 35 Airbus A320neos and A321neos that will begin coming into service later this year.

The decision may prove controversial for BA amid criticism of its increasingly budget-style service and cost-cutting measures.

It recently removed free food and drink in economy class for short-haul flights and faced a computer meltdown that stranded 75,000 passengers over last year's May bank holiday weekend.

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British Airways has announced it is scrapping reclining seats on all short-haul flights as part of a move to slash costs. Pictured: The inside of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner used for longhaul flights

And passengers may soon be forced to do their shopping solely in the airport as the airline is 'reviewing' selling duty-free products, such as perfumes, on short flights.

But some passengers are not convinced.

Marco Spiro, 25, a financial consultant from south London and a regular BA passenger, said: 'Very little differentiates BA from easyJet and Ryanair.'

BA said: 'As well as new long-haul aircraft, we have 35 brand new short-haul planes arriving over the next five years.

BA will fit non-reclining seats on its new fleet of 35 Airbus A320neos and A321neos that will begin coming into service later this year

The decision may prove controversial for BA amid criticism of its increasingly budget-style service and cost-cutting measures

'We're also completely refurbishing the cabins of all of our existing A320 and A321 aircraft at Heathrow to improve quality and choice for our customers.

'We are installing at-seat power throughout the aircraft and will soon offer on board WiFi.

'The new aircraft will have brand new seats set to a gentle recline to ensure everyone in the cabin enjoys a comfortable journey.

These changes will also allow us to offer more low fares to customers.'

This follows the airlines' decision to slash legroom and in-flight perks to rival the prices of its budget rivals - risking its elite status in the process.

The airline has been told its new business model, which has brought it much closer to traditionally cheaper brands such as Ryanair and easyJet, is damaging the company's reputation.

BA is planning to reduce the gap between seats from 30 inches to 29 on some of its planes, less than Ryanair.

The move, which would make BA's legroom the same as easyJet's, will make space for an extra two rows of seats to carry 12 more fliers. Ryanair's gap is 30 inches.

Skyscanner, the flight comparison site, compiled a table that showed the average price of a BA flight was actually cheaper than some of the low-cost flight operators

Flyebe, Norwegian and Wizz Air will now all have more legroom than BA.

The country's flag carrier also struck a deal with the supermarket giant Marks & Spencer to charge passengers for food for the first time.

This angered loyal customers who are used to complimentary food and drink on all of its flights.

But BA has been warned that squeezing bigger profits risked removing one of the last differences between the airline and its no-frills rivals.A female Uber driver was left shaken after a knife-wielding attacker handcuffed her to the steering wheel of her own car and demanded cash.

The 39-year-old was parked in her car in Biggera Waters in Queensland at 8.45pm on Saturday when a masked man hopped into the passenger seat and demanded she drive to a nearby street.

He then forced the woman to pull over where he handcuffed her to the wheel and threatened her with a knife, before searching the car for cash, Nine News reports.

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The 39-year-old was parked in her car in Biggera Waters in Queensland (pictured) at 8.45pm on Saturday when a masked man hopped into the passenger seat and demanded she drive to a nearby street

He then forced the woman to pull over where he handcuffed her to the wheel and demanded cash, before searching the car himself, Nine News reports (Map of Uber driver's route pictured)

The armed man - aged in his 20s - made the Uber driver continue to a neighbouring suburb where he exited the vehicle with a small amount of cash and fled.

He was last seen wearing a chilling Grim Reaper mask crossing a playground near Frank Street in Labrador heading towards the water.

The terrified woman, who suffered bruising to her wrists, then ran to a petrol station and police were called to the scene.

Officers patrolled the area but could not locate the man, instead warning other pedestrians about the dangerous criminal loose in the beach-side suburb.

The man was last seen wearing a chilling Grim Reaper mask (stock image) crossing a playground near Frank Street in Labrador heading towards the water

The armed man - aged in his 20s - made the Uber driver continue to a neighbouring suburb where he exited the vehicle with a small amount of cash and fled (Stock Uber pictured)

Police are still hunting the attacker who has been described as being Caucasian in appearance with a fair complexion.

A spokesperson for Uber Australia has confirmed the man did not use the car service app to organise a fare with the woman.

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Uber for comment on the incident.

Police are appealing for anyone who may have witnessed any suspicious activity in the areas mentioned around the time of the incident to contact Policelink on 131 444.A woman recovering from cancer has cruelly had more than 150,000 frequent flyer points taken away from her - because she missed a crucial email during her recovery.

Doctor Elizabeth Greenhalgh, an author and historian, had been undergoing treatment for ovarian cancer for several months, and the last thing she was thinking about were the loyalty points she had earned.

While recuperating, Dr Greenhalgh was emailed by Qantas informing her she needed to keep her 150,672 points active or they would expire, an email she never saw.

'I would have expected somebody who's been a frequent flyer for 16 years to be treated somewhat more flexibly and with more compassion,' said Dr Greenhalgh told Fairfax.

Doctor Elizabeth Greenhalgh, an author and historian, had been undergoing treatment for ovarian cancer for several months, and the last thing she was thinking about were the loyalty points she had earned

While recuperating, Dr Greenhalgh was emailed by Qantas informing her she needed to keep her 150,672 points active or they would expire, an email she never saw

Dr Greenhalgh discovered she had lost her points, more than enough to pay for a return flight to London from Sydney, in November when cleaning out old emails she had missed.

The points had expired in October, with Qantas emailing her to say they would be expiring unless she clicked a link to keep them active.

The 73-year-old immediately contacted the airline and informed them of her unique situation, providing medical records to prove her illness.

Qantas responded by denying her request to have the points reinstated, instead offering her a points challenge where she could have her 150,672 credits back should she accrue 2,500 in six months using a Qantas card.

That figure would dictate Dr Greenhalgh spend thousands.

Terms and conditions on Qantas' Frequent Flyer page says points expire after the 18th consecutive month of them not being used, and customers are informed 60 days prior to their expiration.

Dr Greenhalgh sought out the Airline Customer Advocate, an airline-customer mediator, to help them with the issue, but the body's response from Qantas said they believed they had offered a 'fair' and 'reasonable' method for her to re-earn her points.

'While we certainly appreciate Dr Greenhalgh's very difficult circumstances, according to our terms and conditions, points are not reinstated after they've expired,' Fairfax reports the Qantas response said.

'The goodwill challenge gives Dr Greenhalgh the opportunity to re-engage with our program, which is what any member must do to keep an account active in the first place, so we're not asking for anything that's hard to achieve.'

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Qantas for comment.A defence minister fired a warning shot at the Treasury today warning the Armed Forces needed investment to be a 'force for good'.

Tobias Ellwood demanded the on-going national security review be used to channel extra money into the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.

There have been fears among some Tories National Security Adviser Mark Sedwill will direct money into cyber security instead.

Defence minister Tobias Ellwood (pictured on Horse Guards Parade in October) fired a warning shot at the Treasury today warning the Armed Forces needed investment

Tory MPs were disappointed at the Budget in November when Chancellor Philip Hammond failed to announce new spending

Mr Sedwill's review into defence has since been postponed to allow a separate decision on military spending.

Mr Ellwood said the world was in a 'pivotal moment' and Britain should not be caught out with under-funded forces.

Writing in the Sunday Telegraph: 'Do we aspire to influence the world as a force for good or are we happy to withdraw to a more reactive footing, with all the negative consequences that may entail, not only for our for security but our economy too?

'I choose the former. It has always been in our nation's DNA to step forward when other nations might hesitate. To do so now will require investment.'

Mr Ellwood added: 'The Government's extended review of our national security provides an opportunity to make sure we are equipped to meet the future.

'But this must not come at the expense of conventional legacy capabilities.'

There have been fears among some Tories National Security Adviser Mark Sedwill (file image) will direct money into cyber security instead

Tory MPs were disappointed at the Budget in November when Chancellor Philip Hammond failed to announce new spending.

New Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson had asked for more funding and vowed to review draft plans for cuts to the Royal Marines.

Johnny Mercer, a Tory MP and Afghanistan veteran, underlined anxiety among Tory MPs this weekend warning defence cuts could 'sink a government'.

He said now is 'the perfect time for Government to sell a vision of what a modern, flexible, capable, brilliant military will look like for a truly global Britain.'A woman battling 'incurable and terminal' cancer is refusing to give in to the dreadful disease she fears will rob her children of their mother.

Mother-of-three Susan Cox, 33, was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer two years ago, and after undergoing a taxing double mastectomy, it returned with a vengeance.

The brave woman from Brisbane, Queensland, was told by doctors her cancer was incurable, but she is preparing to trek across the globe for treatment at a cutting-edge European clinic which will cost upwards of $100,000.

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Mother-of-three Susan Cox, 33, (pictured with her children) was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer two years ago, and after undergoing a taxing double mastectomy, it returned with a vengeance

The brave woman (Pictured right with her husband Phil) from Brisbane, Queensland, was told by doctors her cancer was incurable, but she is preparing to trek across the globe to a cutting-edge European clinic which will cost upwards of $100,000

Both a doting mother and dedicated wife, Susan is unwilling to believe her time is up.

'It can't be how it ends. This can't be the end of our story,' an emotional Susan told Nine News.

Her fight against cancer has been peppered with both joy and unthinkable tragedy.

Susan fell pregnant with her third child six months after surgery, however she lost her unborn baby girl at the five-month mark in an 'excruciating loss'.

She delivered her lifeless daughter, Alivia, following a harrowing 18-hour labour and said goodbye to her little girl.

Two months later she was pregnant with her son, Levi, and only six weeks after giving birth she was diagnosed with stage four cancer.

It was found the cancer had invaded into her breastbone and crept into the outer lining of her lung and heart.

Both a doting mother and dedicated wife, Susan (Pictured with her children) is unwilling to believe her time is up

' It can't be how it ends. This can't be the end of our story,' an emotional Susan (pictured) told Nine News

'Because of it's high resistance to particular mainstream treatments, it has the worst prognosis and highest mortality rate of all breast cancers,' Susan said.

'We've been in a whirlwind of tests and appointments since the diagnosis, all while trying to continue life as normal with two little ones and a newborn.'

But the second nightmare prognosis did not cause Susan's fighting spirit to waver.

Desperate to see her children grow up, Susan and her husband Phil researched alternative treatments and stumbled across an innovative cancer clinic in Germany.

The clinics use cutting-edge developments in medicine which are not yet seen on Australian soil.

Desperate to see her children grow up, Susan (pictured with her son) and her husband Phil researched alternative treatments and stumbled across an innovative cancer clinic in Germany

'Because of it's high resistance to particular mainstream treatments, it has the worst prognosis and highest mortality rate of all breast cancers,' Susan (pictured) said

Seeking radical treatment is the last hope for Susan who is now cherishing every moment she spends with her three young children.

'It's put so many things into perspective and has really made us strip down life to focus on the things that really matter....like, really matter,' she said.

'I put my kids to bed every night and cherish just getting to lay next to them and tell them how proud I am of them, how special they are and how deeply they are loved.'

Her loving husband Phil said the couple has prepared themselves for the worst - but will fight their hardest to conquer the terrible disease.

Seeking radical treatment is the last hope for Susan (pictured left with her husband) who is now cherishing every moment she spends with her three children

'While we don't live in denial of the fragility of life, or the very real outcome this could have for our family, we are not simply laying down and walking towards light either,' he said.

'Suz is the strongest woman I know. She is an incredible fighter and she refuses to give up on her family and leave her babies behind without their mother.'

Susan will start radiation and chemotherapy on January 11 while the couple raises the much-needed money to fund their journey to Germany.

A Gofundme account has been set up in her name and has so far raised $34,580 of their $100,000 goal.The former president of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been arrested for inciting unrest against the government, it was reported.

The ex-leader was apprehended during a visit to the western city of Busehehr on December 28, according to Al-Quds Al-Arabi.

The newspaper reported that Ahmadinejad said: 'Some of the current leaders live detached from the problems and concerns of the people, and do not know anything about the reality of society.'

It is also claimed he said Iran was suffering 'mismanagement' and that President Hassan Rouhani's government 'believes that they own the land and that the people are an ignorant society'.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (right, with current president Hassan Rouhani in 2013) was apprehended during a visit to the western city of Busehehr on December 28, according to Al-Quds Al-Arabi

It is also claimed the former president said Iran was suffering 'mismanagement' and that President Hassan Rouhani's government'

It comes after more than a week of unrest in Iran, as demonstrators took to the streets to protest against the government.

The unrest was sparked by a hike in food prices amid soaring unemployment

At least 21 people have been killed, and hundreds have been arrested.

Pro-government rallies were held in response with officials blaming the anti-government unrest on foreign meddling.

It comes after more than a week of unrest in Iran, as demonstrators took to the streets to protest against the government. Pictured: Pro-government forces march in the city of Ahvaz

A pro-government demonstration marches through Qom on Wednesday amid deadly unrest in the country

Pro-government rallies were held in response with officials blaming the anti-government unrest on foreign meddling.

Authorities are now said to be seeking to place Ahmadinejad under house arrest.

Today, the Iranian parliament held a closed-door meeting to discuss the deadly protests that shook the country.

In December, Ahmadinejad's former deputy Hamid Baghaie was sentenced to 15 years in prison on financial charges.

Ahmadinejad's former deputy Hamid Baghaie (left) was sentenced to 15 years in prison on financial charges

Among his charges was reportedly 'insulting judiciary officials' for which he was sentenced to two years and six months in prison.

He was imprisoned for seven months in 2015 for reasons that were never made public, though he was previously investigated for irregularities during his time in office.Supreme Court of New Mexico. STATE OF NEW MEXICO, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. JOHN N. JACK McDOWELL, JR., Defendant-Appellant. NO. S-1-SC-35245 Decided: January 04, 2018

Bennett J. Baur, Chief Public Defender, C. David Henderson, Appellate Defender, Santa Fe, NM, for Appellant Hector H. Balderas, Attorney General, Laura Erin Horton, Assistant Attorney General, Santa Fe, NM, for Appellee

OPINION

CHAVEZ, Justice.

{1} Following a jury trial, Defendant John Jack McDowell was convicted of first-degree murder, contrary to NMSA 1978, Section 30-2-1(A) (1994), and tampering with evidence, contrary to NMSA 1978, Section 30-22-5 (2003). During trial the prosecutor elicited testimony from the arresting detective, without objection, that Defendant had invoked his right to counsel, and that by doing so the detective was precluded from questioning Defendant. Defendant contends on appeal that he was deprived of due process when the prosecutor elicited this testimony. We agree that the prosecutor erred. For decades, prosecutors have been prohibited from commenting on or eliciting testimony about a defendant's exercise of his or her right to remain silent, see State v. Miller, 1966-NMSC-041,  30, 76 N.M. 62, 412 P.2d 240 (citing Griffin v. California, 380 U.S. 609, 614-15 (1965)), or his right to counsel, State v. Callaway, 1978-NMSC-070,  10, 92 N.M. 80, 582 P.2d 1293. We review the prosecutor's error in this case for fundamental error because the error was not preserved, and conclude that the error was fundamental due to the prejudicial impact of such testimony and the lack of overwhelming evidence against Defendant. Accordingly, we vacate his convictions and remand to the district court for a new trial.

I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

{2} James Chavez died from stab wounds to his chest on July 10, 2011 in his Rio Rancho home. Shortly before his death, Chavez was cleaning his home with two acquaintances, Casey Williams and David Dinelli. Defendant, Defendant's son, and Anthony Villagomez entered the home to recover goods stolen by Chavez that belonged to Defendant's son. Villagomez carried a sawed-off shotgun, pointed it at Williams, and threw her into the garage. Dinelli ran to a bedroom, jumped out through a window, and hid underneath a truck outside the house. Defendant and his son encountered Chavez in the kitchen, where a fight ensued between Defendant's son and Chavez. According to Villagomez, who testified under a grant of immunity, after three to five minutes of fighting, Defendant approached Chavez and stabbed him. Villagomez was the only witness to testify that he saw Defendant stab Chavez.

{3} This Court has jurisdiction over Defendant's appeal under Article VI, Section 2 of the New Mexico Constitution and Rule 12-102(A)(1) NMRA. See State v. Smallwood, 2007-NMSC-005,  6, 141 N.M. 178, 152 P.3d 821. Defendant advances three grounds for reversal: (1) he was deprived of due process when the prosecutor elicited testimony about Defendant's exercise of his right to counsel, (2) Defendant's attorney was ineffective because of his hearing impairment, and (3) the district court erred when it did not hold a hearing to determine whether the jurors accessed outside information to break their deadlock. We conclude that Defendant was deprived of due process and remand for a new trial. We do not need to address the remaining issues because the remedy would be the samea new trial.

II. DISCUSSION

A. The State erred in commenting on Defendant's right to counsel

{4} New Mexico courts have long held that a prosecutor is prohibited from commenting on a defendant's right to remain silent, which is protected under Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966). See Miller, 1966-NMSC-041,  30. Three rationales underlie this prohibition. First, the right against compelled self-incrimination under the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the prosecution from ask[ing] the jury to draw an adverse conclusion from the defendant's failure to testify. State v. DeGraff, 2006-NMSC-011,  8, 139 N.M. 211, 131 P.3d 61. Second, the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution protects post-Miranda silence. Id.  12; see also Doyle v. Ohio, 426 U.S. 610, 618-19 (1976) (holding that it would be fundamentally unfair and a denial of due process protected by the Fourteenth Amendment to allow post-Miranda silence to be used in a state criminal trial to impeach an explanation subsequently offered at trial). Third, as a matter of New Mexico evidentiary law, [b]ecause silence is often too ambiguous to have great probative force and may be given improper weight by a jury, evidence of a defendant's silence generally is not admissible as proof of guilt. DeGraff, 2006-NMSC-011,  15; see also State v. Lara, 1975-NMCA-095,  8, 88 N.M. 233, 539 P.2d 623 (holding that comments on a defendant's silence were prejudicial, of minimal probative value, and would require reversal).

{5} Similarly, eliciting testimony or commenting on a defendant's exercise of his or her right to counsel is also reversible error. Callaway, 1978-NMSC-070,  10; see also United States v. McDonald, 620 F.2d 559, 564 (5th Cir. 1980) (It is impermissible to attempt to prove a defendant's guilt by pointing ominously to the fact that he has sought the assistance of counsel.). Comments that penalize a defendant for the exercise of his right to counsel and that also strike at the core of his defense cannot be considered harmless error. McDonald, 620 F.2d at 564; see also United States v. Liddy, 509 F.2d 428, 443-44 (D.C. Cir. 1974) (noting with approval the district court's jury instruction prohibiting the drawing of an adverse inference from the mere fact of hiring an attorney, at least when the circumstances are such that admission of evidence of such a request provokes the possibility that it will be taken as self-incriminatory).

{6} The line of questioning at issue in this case is as follows:

Q. [The prosecutor] After making the arrest of Jack, what did you do next in your investigation?

A. [The detective] Once he was arrested, [Defendant's son] was arrested a short time later driving up to Jack's residence. From that point, I proceeded back to the police department to conduct interviews.

Q. Okay. And -- now, after you made these arrests and after you went back to the station to conduct interviews, Jack McDowell had already invoked his right to counsel, correct?

A. No. He did that when I went to interview him in the interview room.

Q. But he did invoke his right to counsel, correct?

A. Yes.

Q. After that, what you know as an officer, what are you to do when someone does that?

A. Not question them in regards to what I'm investigating.

The prosecutor commented twice on Defendant's exercise of his right to counsel. As if to bring home to the jury the importance of Defendant doing so, the prosecutor elicited testimony that, as a result of Defendant's request for an attorney, the detective could not question him furtherwhich is a comment on Defendant's right to remain silent. See State v. Madonda, 2016-NMSC-022,  26, 375 P.3d 424.

B. The State's error will be reviewed under a fundamental error analysis because Defendant did not preserve the issue

{7} We must first answer the question: what is the proper standard of review? The answer depends on whether Defendant adequately preserved the issue. To preserve an issue for review it must appear from the record that a ruling from the court was fairly invoked. Rule 12-321(A) NMRA. Where a defendant has made a proper objection at trial, the appellate court determines whether the prosecution commented on the defendant's protected silence, and if so, reverses the conviction unless the State can demonstrate that the error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt.  DeGraff, 2006-NMSC-011,  22; see Callaway, 1978-NMSC-070,  10. If not objected to, we review for fundamental error. DeGraff, 2006-NMSC-011,  21.

{8} Whether Defendant fairly invoked a ruling from the district court is difficult to ascertain from the record before us because of the less-than-ideal practices employed by both the attorneys and the judge. The prosecutor sought to introduce what was alleged to be an unsolicited statement made by Defendant while being transported to jail and after Defendant had invoked his right to counsel. However, before the detective could testify about the alleged unsolicited statement, Defendant's attorney objected. The relevant questions were as follows:

Q. [The prosecutor] And when he was taken into custody, did you Mirandize him?

A. [The detective] Yes, I did.

Q. Did he make any statements to you?

[Defendant's attorney]: Objection.

[The court]: Counsel, approach the bench.

{9} We do not know what the basis for Defendant's objection was. At the bench conference, the judge immediately told the prosecutor to be careful because he was concerned about a mistrial. In response to the judge's concern, the prosecutor explained that he only wanted the detective to testify that Defendant made the unsolicited remark My life is over after he had been Mirandized and had invoked his right to counsel. At this point, the judge took a recess to excuse the jury and continue the discussion with counsel.

{10} The judge resumed the discussion by asking the prosecutor to explain what he intended to show with this line of questioning. The prosecutor repeated that he only intended to show that without being questioned by the arresting detective, Defendant stated, My life is over. The prosecutor also offered to question the detective, who was in the witness box, about the subject. Instead of accepting the offer, the judge converted the discussion to a discovery issue by asking, Is [the statement] recorded? The prosecutor said that he did not have a recording, but asked the detective whether the detective had a recording on his jump drive, to which the detective responded, I might. The prosecutor then asked Could we check, Judge? to which the judge replied Was it disclosed to defense counsel? The prosecutor stated that the entire file was given to defense counsel. Finally, for the first time since objecting, Defendant's counsel spoke, saying that he had reviewed all of the CDs he had been given by the prosecutor and there was not a recording of the statement, that he had never before heard anything about the statement, and that nonetheless the statement was ambiguous and not Defendant's admission of guilt.

{11} The prosecutor repeated that the entire file was produced to Defendant, who also interviewed the arresting officer, and so was at liberty to question the officer about Defendant's statements. Defendant's attorney protested, stating that he did not ask the officer about the statement because it was never brought up, and the prosecutor should have been forthcoming with this a long time ago, and if he had, we would have addressed this issue a long time ago. The judge interjected by stating to the prosecutor, [Y]ou weren't even aware that there was a tape, were you? The prosecutor said there were about 100 CDs and implied that he had recently been given the case, and in any event Defendant's attorney had an opportunity to interview the arresting officer. Defendant's attorney retorted, He had an opportunity to disclose it, Judge. The judge then announced that he was not going to permit the line of questioning that Defendant had made an unsolicited statement after being advised of his Miranda rights.

{12} However, the judge's next statement may be more relevant to the issue before this Court. The judge stated, The other problem I have, he invoked both his right to remain silent, but he also requested counsel. The prosecutor again explained that the statements were not made in response to any questions. The judge returned to the issue of discovery, explaining that he wanted to know if there was a recording of the statement and if it had been produced to Defendant. Defendant's attorney reiterated that he had been through all of the CDs and the transcripts, and there's nothing there.

{13} In the final analysis, we simply do not know what objection Defendant had to the question Did he make any statements to you? Defendant's attorney never stated the specifics of his objection, nor did the judge ask Defendant's attorney to explain his objection. The objection could not have been that the prosecutor was getting ready to comment on Defendant's exercise of his right to remain silent. A statement is not silence and the prosecutor intended to elicit testimony regarding an allegedly unsolicited statement. Unsolicited statements, whether they are made before or after an accused is informed of his or her Miranda rights, are not protected by Miranda. See State v. Fekete, 1995-NMSC-049,  43-45, 120 N.M. 290, 901 P.2d 708 (noting that Miranda protections do not apply to statements that are volunteered, such as spontaneous statements not in response to conversation or questions from police).

{14} Defendant's attorney later acknowledged that he was aware of Defendant's alleged statement because it appeared in a police report. Whether the statement was recorded was never developed at trial. In addition, whether an officer must have his or her recording device on at all times while in a defendant's presence was also not developed at trial.

{15} Perhaps more enlightening was a statement made by the judge the day after the detective's direct examination, which occurred during the prosecutor's request that the district court reconsider its ruling that precluded admission of Defendant's unsolicited statement. After repeating his concern that a recording of the statement was not producedalthough it may not have existedthe judge stated that he was denying admission of the statement for the fact that as far as this [c]ourt is concerned, that recording was not made available to defense counsel. The judge then stated:

The other issue I have, and it may be a bigger issue that may come back to haunt you at another day, Counsel, in a case such as this, you never make any type of comments with respect to a Defendant's right to remain silent or Defendant's right to an attorney, such as, I Mirandized him, he didn't say nothing.

He Mirandized and then he said something. That's a bigger issue than the one we are talking about right here, because that may come back to haunt you at a later date.

{16} Perhaps this statement reflects the concern the judge expressed the previous day when he commented that he did not want a mistrial. The judge did not state on the record why he was concerned about a mistrial. Had the judge done so, the prosecutor would have been hard-pressed to argue that he was not on notice about the judge's specific concern. Instead, the judge made the issue one of whether a defendant's statements must be recorded and produced to the defendant before they can be admitted into evidence. The immediate issue before us is not whether a defendant's statement must be recorded before it is admissible; the question is whether Defendant objected because the prosecutor commented on Defendant's exercise of his right to counsel. Although the prosecutor should have been aware of the long-established prohibition against commenting on a defendant's exercise of his or her constitutional rights, we conclude that Defendant did not object to the prosecutor's error during the trial.

{17} Our conclusion is confirmed by Defendant's motion for a new trial. In his motion, Defendant alleged that the prosecutor engaged in misconduct when during his examination of Detective Romero he began his question by inquiring about a statement by Defendant before he was Mirandized.  Defendant explained that although the statement was excluded by the district court, the prosecutor's reference to Defendant's invocation of his right to remain silent was already before the jury. A generous interpretation of Defendant's motion is that he was objecting to the prosecutor having elicited testimony that Defendant invoked his right to remain silent. But even this generous reading does not establish that Defendant objected at a time when the district court could have prevented or corrected the errorfor example, at the time the prosecutor asked the officer what he should do after someone invokes his or her right to counsel. See State v. Carrillo, 2017-NMSC-023,  21-23, 399 P.3d 367 (holding that the ruling of the district court must be fairly invoked to permit the court an opportunity to correct an error). Defendant did not object to the prosecutor eliciting testimony that Defendant invoked his right to counsel either during the arresting detective's testimony or in his motion for a new trial.

{18} The DeGraff Court explained that in the context of a prosecutor's comments on a defendant's right to silence where no timely objection is made, the Court considers only whether the defendant has shown fundamental error. 2006-NMSC-011,  21-22. We will apply the same analysis when a prosecutor elicits testimony or comments on a defendant's exercise of their right to counsel. Fundamental error requires the defendant to show a reasonable probability that the error was a significant factor in the jury's deliberations relative to the other evidence before them. Id.  22. We must evaluate the prejudicial effect of the testimony and the quantum of evidence against Defendant. If the prejudicial effect is minimal and the evidence of the defendant's guilt overwhelming, the error does not rise to the level of fundamental error. Id.  21. In this case, we review the prosecutor's error for fundamental error.

C. The prejudicial effect of eliciting testimony that Defendant invoked his right to counsel, which precluded Detective Romero from questioning him, was not minimal

{19} Detective Romero testified that he was called to the scene where Chavez was killed on July, 10, 2011. After considerable investigation Detective Romero was able to interview Catherine Chavez, Williams, Dinelli, and eventually Villagomez.

{20} Williams, Dinelli, and all of the other witnesses who had been interviewed remained potential suspects until an arrest was made in January 2013. The prosecutor asked the detective, [A]s an officer and as a detective, how is it that you sort of knock people off of your list, so to speak, of possible suspects? The detective answered, You knock them off of their list by their statements. In response to questions from the prosecutor, the detective also explained to the jury that in this type of case, many of the people he interviewed were involved in the drug culture; therefore, they would not come forward to speak, so the officers had to seek them out.

{21} The detective did not interview Villagomez until after Villagomez had been arrested on federal gun charges. During the interview the detective urged Villagomez to help himself by coming clean and telling the truth. Ultimately both Catherine and Villagomez testified under grants of immunity. During closing argument, the State emphasized that Catherine testified because she wanted to [come] clean, and Villagomez testified because he wanted  the truth to come out. 

{22} The contrast between the witnesses who answered the detective's questions and Defendant, who invoked his right to an attorney, was made apparent during the direct examination of the detective. The prosecutor not only questioned the detective twice about the fact that Defendant invoked his right to an attorney, the prosecutor emphasized the import of Defendant's decision by eliciting from the detective the fact that by invoking his right to an attorney, the detective could not get information from Defendant. This was the classic contrastthe innocent speak, while the guilty remain silent.

{23} We are not persuaded that the prejudice was minimal. If reference to a defendant's invocation of his or her constitutional rights lacks probative value, reference by the prosecution to the exercise of such rights has an intolerable prejudicial impact on the jury. See Lara, 1975-NMCA-095,  8. What was probative about the fact that Defendant exercised his right to an attorney, and concomitantly his right to remain silent? What fact could be made more or less probable because Defendant had invoked his constitutional rights? The State has not offered any probative value for these questions, particularly since the judge prohibited the prosecution from admitting Defendant's alleged unsolicited statement.

{24} In Callaway, we reversed a conviction because the prosecutor focused his questions on Callaway's exercise of his rights to remain silent and to have an attorney. 1978-NMSC-070,  16, 18. We did so although the State argued that the questions were but a brief part of the entire trial and a curative instruction was given. Id.  15. We also analyzed whether the evidence of Callaway's guilt was so overwhelming that the prosecutor's improper questioning would have been harmless error. Id.  11-17. Although there was no curative instruction in this case and the questions were brief, we conclude that the prejudice from the prosecutor's improper questions resulted in more than minimal prejudice. We next turn to our evaluation of the evidence of Defendant's guilt to determine whether the evidence was so overwhelming that the prosecutor's error did not rise to the level of fundamental error.

D. The State did not present overwhelming evidence of Defendant's guilt

{25} Defendant was tried as a principal and not as an accomplice. Therefore to support the first-degree murder conviction, the State needed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Defendant himself killed Chavez with the deliberate intention of taking away Chavez's life. See UJI 14-201 NMRA. To support the tampering with evidence conviction the State needed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Defendant destroyed or hid the knife with the intention of preventing his apprehension, prosecution, or conviction. See UJI 14-2241 NMRA.

{26} Dr. Ian Paul, a forensic pathologist, testified regarding the injuries suffered by Chavez and the cause and manner of his death. Chavez suffered traumatic injuries, including a tear on the back of his head, bruises on the front part of his neck, small scrapes on the bottom of his front left abdomen, and scrapes on his left hand. Chavez had defensive wounds on the inside of his left wrist and on the third through fifth fingers of his right hand that were consistent with him grabbing a knife or defending against a knife. Chavez was stabbed once in the abdomen, and twice in the chest, with one of the stab wounds penetrating a major artery of the heart which was the cause of Chavez's death.

{27} Whether Defendant or his son stabbed Chavez was disputed. The evidence gathered at the sceneshoe prints and a knife sheath found under Chavezwas not probative of Defendant's guilt. Villagomez was the only witness who testified that he saw Defendant stab Chavez. However, his testimony conflicted with the testimony of Williams who was at the house when Defendant, Defendant's son and Villagomez arrived.

{28} Williams testified that three men entered the house. Two of the men were between the ages of twenty-eight and thirty-four, one of whom had long dark hair and the other with blond hair. The third person was an older man with shorter gray hair. The dark-haired man (Villagomez) took her to the garage and stood beside her holding her at gunpoint until all three men left. As she walked toward the garage, Williams saw the older man head toward the kitchen. Williams did not have a view into the kitchen from the garage because her back was to the door. While in the garage she heard Chavez yelling in a frightened voice.

{29} After five minutes, the blond-haired man left the house, followed by the dark-haired man. Before the older man left the house, he approached Williams and told her, Not a word. After the older man left, Williams returned to the kitchen, where she saw Chavez lying face down on the ground. She tried shaking him to get him up and heard his breathing. She then went outside the house to see if anyone could help. She returned to the house and checked on Chavez, who was no longer breathing.

{30} By contrast Villagomez testified that he, Defendant, and Defendant's son entered the home and that he encountered Williams in the house. He testified that Defendant took Williams's phone and her identification card. He and Defendant then stood there while Defendant's son fought with Chavez in the kitchen. During the middle of the fight, he took Williams into the garage and returned into the living room of the house to observe the fight. Villagomez testified that after three to five minutes of fighting, Defendant's son left the house and Defendant entered the kitchen and stabbed Chavez two or three times. He testified that after the stabbing, Defendant approached him and said, The girl needs to go, no witnesses, to which he replied, You got her ID and her phone. She's not going to say nothing.

{31} Catherine's testimony also persuades us that the evidence of Defendant's guilt was not overwhelming. Catherine, who was once married to Chavez but at the time was in a relationship with Defendant's son, called Defendant's son to report that cars were parked outside of the Chavez house. She waited in her car until she observed Villagomez, Defendant, and Defendant's son arrive, and she then left to her apartment. According to Villagomez, he and Defendant's son had planned to go to Chavez's house to beat him up for stealing the son's property. Villagomez obtained a gun before going to Chavez's house, but Defendant's son took it from him. When they arrived at the house, Villagomez took the gun from Defendant's son because Defendant's son looked mad. Detective Romero testified that a police report revealed Defendant's son had previously threatened Chavez with a gun.

{32} Detective Romero also testified that Defendant's son was nicknamed Blade because he was good with a knife and usually carried a knife. Catherine testified that as she arrived at her apartment Defendant's son called her and said, Come back over here, and she drove back to the Chavez house. When she arrived, Defendant's son threw a knife that belonged to him into her car and told her Get out of here. She buried the knife so that she would be the only person to find it.

{33} Catherine also testified that Defendant told her that Chavez did not have a knife, that Defendant's son and Chavez fought, that Defendant's son left the room, and that Defendant stood over Chavez until he took his last breath. This latter testimony does not corroborate Villagomez's testimony that Defendant stabbed Chavez. She did not testify that Defendant told her he stabbed Chavez and stood over his body. It is equally plausible that Defendant stood over Chavez after his son stabbed Chavez.

{34} The evidence at trial was not the quantity or quality of overwhelming evidence that overcomes the prejudicial impact of the prosecutor eliciting testimony regarding Defendant's exercise of his constitutional rights. We note that Defendant raised the issue of sufficiency of the evidence in his statement of issues. However, he did not argue it in his brief in chief and therefore abandoned the issue. See Rule 12-318(A)(4) NMRA (providing that an argument in a brief in chief shall set forth a specific attack on any finding, or the finding shall be deemed conclusive.); Jones v. Beavers, 1993-NMCA-100,  17, 116 N.M. 634, 866 P.2d 362 (An appellant waives the right of review for sufficiency of the evidence by failing to provide an adequate summary of the relevant evidence to satisfy the appellate briefing rule and related case law.). Villagomez's testimony in any event would have been sufficient evidence to sustain the verdicts. We reverse Defendant's convictions and remand to the district court for a new trial.

III. CONCLUSION

{35} For the foregoing reasons, we vacate Defendant's convictions and remand to the district court for a new trial.

{36} IT IS SO ORDERED.

FOOTNOTES

. Detective Romero testified that three or four shoe prints were taken, but that none of the prints connected to Defendant, Defendant's son, or Villagomez. He also testified that the knife sheath found underneath Chavez was submitted for [f]ingerprint DNA analysis, but that [t]he major DNA came back to decedent, James Chavez.

EDWARD L. CHAVEZ, Justice

WE CONCUR: JUDITH K. NAKAMURA, Chief Justice PETRA JIMENEZ MAES, Justice CHARLES W. DANIELS, Justice BARBARA J. VIGIL, JusticeFrench president Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte paid tribute to 11 people shot and killed on the third anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo massacre.

Pictured alongside Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo, the trio began the commemoration at the former premises of Charlie Hebdo, where two brothers armed with assault rifles murdered many of the publication's cartoonists and writers in 2015.

During the three-day killing spree, gunmen killed reporters and illustrators at the satirical weekly, as well as police officers and shoppers at a Jewish supermarket.

French president Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte paid tribute to 11 people shot and killed on the third anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo massacre. Pictured alongside Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo, the trio began the commemoration at the former premises of Charlie Hebdo

During the three-day killing spree in 2015, gunmen killed reporters and illustrators at the satirical weekly, as well as police officers and shoppers at a Jewish supermarket (Macron and Brigitte appear solemn during a one minute silence for the victims of the attack)

The names of the victims were read out before wreathes were laid in front of the office building, including one by Macron and Hidalgo.

Homage was then paid at the nearby site where a policeman was shot dead at point-blank range by one of the gunmen.

A similar tribute was later held at the kosher store where a third gunman killed four people.

The Charlie Hebdo attack was carried out by brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi, who died in a police assault two days later.

The perpetrator of the attack on the Jewish store, Amedy Coulibaly, also shot dead a policewoman in a separate incident. Coulbaly was also killed by police in a shootout.

The names of the victims were read out before wreathes were laid in front of the office building, including one by Macron and Hidalgo. Homage was then paid at the nearby site where a policeman was shot dead at point-blank range by one of the gunmen

A similar tribute was later held at the kosher store where a third gunman killed four people. The Charlie Hebdo attack was carried out by brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi, who died in a police assault two days later

Meanwhile sales of the controversial publication have fallen since an initial spike immediately following the attack, leaving shareholders with an increasingly large security bill to foot

Faced with a constant deluge of death threats on social media, the magazine has been forced to install security systems and hire bodyguards in addition to police protection

Meanwhile sales of the controversial publication have fallen since an initial spike immediately following the attack, leaving shareholders with an increasingly large security bill to foot.

Faced with a constant deluge of death threats on social media, the magazine has been forced to install security systems and hire bodyguards in addition to police protection.

In its most recent issue, under the headline 'Three years in a tin can,' Laurent Sourisseau, the director of the publication and its main shareholder, complained that the magazine had been left to fend for itself.

'Is it normal for a newspaper in a democratic country that one out of every two copies sold goes on paying for the security of its offices?', wrote Sourisseau.Monica Lewinsky, who was widely vilified and ridiculed when details of her infamous affair with former president Bill Clinton surfaced in 1998, revealed that not one political player who mocked her at the time has ever apologized.

'Public shaming as a blood sport has to stop,' Lewinsky said during her first ever public ticketed talk at the Park City Institute in Utah.

When Lewinsky was 24 years old she became internationally famous overnight as the most private details spread on the internet.

Monica Lewinsky (pictured during her 2015 TED talk), who was widely vilified and ridiculed when details of her infamous affair with former president Bill Clinton surfaced in 1998, revealed that not one political player who mocked her at the time has ever apologized

'Public shaming as a blood sport has to stop,' Lewinsky said during her first ever public ticketed talk at the Park City Institute in Utah. When Lewinsky was 24 years old she became internationally famous overnight as the most private details spread on the internet

'Overnight I went from being a completely private person to being completely publicly humiliated,' Lewinsky told an audience of about 1,000 on Saturday.

Lewinsky, now 44, said during her 45-minute speech that when her name and hours of tape were published as part of the Starr Report, she suffered 'devastating consequences,' according to the Salt Lake Tribune.

'I was branded a tramp, a tart, a slut, a bimbo, a floozy, and of course, 'that woman,' Lewinsky said.

Lewinsky called for a revolution of compassion as she spoke out against online bullying and harassment.

'A marketplace has emerged where public humiliation is a commodity and shame is an industry,' she said.

'Cruelty to others is nothing new, but online, technologically enhanced shaming is amplified, uncontained, and permanently accessible. The echo of embarrassment used to extend only as far as your family, village, school or community, but now it's the online community, too. Millions of people, often anonymously, can stab you with their words, and that's a lot of pain.'

Lewinsky, now 44, said during speech that when her name and hours of tape were published as part of the Starr Report, she suffered 'devastating consequences'. 'I was branded a tramp, a tart, a slut, a bimbo, a floozy, and of course, 'that woman,' Lewinsky (pictured in 1996) said

The Lewinsky scandal broke in 1998, when a news report emerged saying then-President Bill Clinton (pictured) had an affair with Lewinsky, who was a White House intern

During a Q&A, Lewinsky responded to a questioner that none of the main players in the political or media circus that shamed her ever apologized.

Lewinsky urged the audience to report instances of cyberbullying or to respond online instead with a kind comment toward the target of the harassment.

Her speech, which opened the Park City Institute's 20th-anniversary season, echoed that of her headline-making 2015 TED talk, The Price of Shame.

That speech has been viewed more than 11 million times.

Teri Orr, Park City Institute executive director, told the Park Record that it was a humbling experience to hear Lewinsky's TED talk in 2015.

'We found that she is someone who has a compelling, and sadly, a timely story to tell,' Orr said.

'We all judged from afar and we all got it wrong,' Orr added.

During the 2015 speech, Lewinsky received a standing ovation after Lewinsky announced that she was making efforts to reclaim her voice after a decade of self-proclaimed public silence.

In November, Lewinsky, appeared on ITV's This Morning to share her experience of cyber bullying, and revealed how she felt 'the whole world was laughing' at her.

She also spoke about her campaign against cyber-bullying that encourages people to 'click with compassion'.

Lewinsky shared her tips on how to cope for people being targeted, having lost her own 'digital reputation' overnight.

Asked what she would say to her younger self if she could, the activist replied: 'Hold on to who you are.'

She said: 'What's different about being harassed or shamed online is there's no border, it's not at school or if I made a gaffe at a dinner party where it's a contained audience, when it happened online you feel like the whole world is laughing at you.'

'I couldn't count how many horrible things people online had said about me, but I could count when somebody said something face to face on one hand,' she added.

The Lewinsky scandal broke in 1998, when a news report emerged saying then-President Bill Clinton had an affair with Lewinsky, who was a White House intern.

She was ruthlessly mocked on early online message boards and comment threads, and considers herself to be one of the very first victims of cyber bullying.

Clinton at first denied the affair in an infamous speech saying: 'I did not have sexual relations with that woman'

Lewisky had confided in a female colleague about the affair who recorded their conversation. Clinton eventually admitted in August 1998 to having an inappropriate relationship with Lewinsky

In November, Lewinsky, who has worked as a fashion designer and activist since the scandal, gave tips on how to prevent cyber bullying

Speaking on ITV, Lewinsky said: 'It's hard for us to imagine in today's world because of the internet, things break within seconds, but from a personal perspective, to have gone to bed as a private person and to awaken the next morning with the world knowing me was shocking.'

'There was no one who had gone through an online scandal in the same way losing a digital reputation overnight,' she added.

In November, Lewinsky, who has worked as a fashion designer and activist since the scandal, gave tips on how to prevent cyber bullying.

She advised thinking before you click, and recommended asking yourself whether you'd say what you're typing to someone's face.

Lewinsky also urged people not to click on anything that publicly shames another person, and to support people who are suffering by sending messages and even nice emojis so they feel less alone.

Clinton first forcefully denied the allegations, saying in January 1998 in a public statement: 'I want to say one thing to the American people. I want you to listen to me ... I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky.'

He eventually admitted in August 1998 to having an inappropriate relationship with Lewinsky.A leather bound 400-year-old Welsh bible that survived a French invasion, fires and even being used as toilet paper was discovered gathering dust in the back of a church after four centuries.

The leather bound 1620 Llanwnda Bible, which withstood the last invasion on British soil in 1797 defied the odds and will now go on public show at the National Library of Wales.

The bible was already nearly 200 years old when enemy invaders landed on shores in Llanwnda, Pembrokeshire, west Wales - while George III was still on the throne - before raiding buildings and burning all in their path.

A 400-year-old Welsh bible that survived a French invasion, fires and even being used as toilet paper by enemy soldiers is to be exhibited at the National Library of Wales. The leather bound 1620 Llanwnda Bible withstood the last invasion on British soil in 1797

The army of 1,400 French and Irish troops smashed up pews in St Gwyndaf's Church in Llanwnda and used pages from the bible to start a fire.

The Llanwnda Bible was then abandoned until being found again in the 1990s.

Vicar of the church Rev Sarah Geach said: 'The story goes that the book was rediscovered at the back of the church in the 1990s and nobody realised what it was.

'The parish made a cabinet but of course they were not able to store it under the right conditions and over a period of time it started to deteriorate..'

The bible was handed over to conservators at the University of Wales' Trinity St David's in Lampeter, West Wales, two years ago.

It was placed in a special strong room with temperatures set at 15C and humidity levels at 60 per cent to revitalise it.

The leather bound 1620 Llanwnda Bible, which withstood the last invasion on British soil in 1797 and for nearly four centuries sat in the back of a church, defied the odds and will now be on public show

Enemy invaders landed on shores in Llanwnda, Pembrokeshire, west Wales, while George III was still on the throne, before raiding buildings burning all in their path

It will next month be moved to the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth.

Retired lecturer Dr John Morgan-Guy said: 'What makes it unique is its association with the last invasion on British soil all those years ago.

'It did well to survive when you consider what it must have been through.

'Expert analysis of the bible suggests these soldiers grabbed it by the hard cover and tore the bindings, which were made of wood and thick, strong string, from the paper with considerable force.

The army of 1,400 French and Irish troops smashed up pews in St Gwyndaf's Church in Llanwnda and used pages from the bible to start a fire

'(soldiers) ripped handfuls of sheets from the bible and used them to start a fire outside so they could cook food and keep warm. 'Alas, some of the sheets were used for more basic purposes by the soldiers...' said retired lecturer Dr John Morgan-Guy

'They then ripped handfuls of sheets from the bible and used them to start a fire outside so they could cook food and keep warm.

'Alas, some of the sheets were used for more basic purposes by the soldiers...'

Eventually the bible will be returned to St Gwyndaf's - where it will be on display inside a temperature and humidity controlled glass cabinet.Theresa May today made clear she would fire Toby Young from a new universities regulator if he makes any vulgar tweets.

The Prime Minister said she had not been aware of Mr Young's controversial posts when he was appointed to the board of the Office for Students.

Mr Young - a Tory supporter appointed because of his role in opening free schools - has been at the centre of a major since the job was announced on January 1.

Years of offensive tweets and provocative writing as a journalist have prompted wide calls for him to be dismissed as unsuitable.

Theresa May (pictured today with Andrew Marr) has made clear she would fire Toby Young from a new universities regulator if he makes any vulgar tweets

Mr Young (file image) - a Tory supporter appointed because of his role in opening free schools - has been at the centre of a major since the job was announced on January 1

Mrs May made clear the behaviour could not continue in future in a major interview on the Andrew Marr Show today.

She said: 'First of all Toby Young has done exceedingly good work in relation to free schools. And that's what led to him being appointed to the office for students.

'When he was appointed I was not aware of these comments that he had made.

'Frankly I'm not at all impressed by those comments. He's now in public office and as far as I'm concerned if he was to continue to use that sort of language and talk in that sort of way he would no longer be in public office.'

She added: 'He's apologised, but as I say if he  if he continues to talk and use this sort of language then he will no longer be in public office.'

Mr Young's position on the new Office For Students watchdog was put into deeper jeopardy last night as it was revealed that he posted a sick sexual 'joke' about starving children on Comic Relief.

The campaigner's misogynistic Twitter messages threaten to undermine Mrs May's attempts to rebrand the Tories as a women-friendly Party with the expected promotion of several female MPs to the Cabinet tomorrow.

Theresa May was last night engulfed in a row over obscene tweets sent by her controversial new university tsar  casting a huge shadow over her imminent Cabinet reshuffle

The Prime Minister is under growing pressure to scrap Mr Young's appointment after two senior female Conservative MPs said his position was now 'untenable'.

It was further revealed yesterday that Mr Young  a close friend of Cabinet Ministers Boris Johnson and Michael Gove  was a self-confessed pornography addict who had watched thousands of adult films.

But his tweet 'joking' about masturbating over scenes of starving African children in a BBC Comic Relief segment fronted by Simon Cowell may prove the final straw.

Former Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said: 'In continuing to defend Mr Young when the Party needs to appeal to women and young people, we risk alienating those we need to re-engage with to win the next Election.'

Fellow Tory MP Sarah Wollaston, chairman of the Commons Health Select Committee, added: 'I feel deeply uncomfortable about someone who says things like this being appointed to a high profile public role.'

Last night there were signs that Mr Young was in danger of losing support from Mrs May and other senior Ministers, despite Mr Johnson leading a defiant rearguard action to save him. A Downing Street source said: 'Toby Young has a great record in setting up free schools.

MP Sarah Wollaston, chairman of the Commons Health Select Committee, said she was 'deeply uncomfortable' about Mr Young being promoted to such a high profile public role

'However, the Prime Minister was not aware of these tweets when she appointed him and, like most people, sees them as distasteful.

'Now he has a public role, any repeat of those kinds of comments would be clearly incompatible with that position.'

The message is seen as a clear warning to Mr Young, a former journalist, that if further damaging information comes to light, he is likely to lose his new job.

The tweet that threatens to end Mr Young's appointment stems from 2009, when Cowell was filmed in Kenya with children scavenging from a rubbish dump to survive. The pop mogul called it 'hell on Earth'.

A female Twitter user tweeted she had 'gone through 5 boxes of Kleenex' watching the harrowing scenes. Minutes later, just after midnight, Young tweeted a sarcastic and sick response, saying: 'Me Too, I havn't [sic] w***** so much in ages.'

Mr Young told The Mail on Sunday last night he had 'no recollection' of posting the tweet.

He said he had been a 'provocative journalist' for 30 years, whose stock in trade was saying 'controversial, sometimes outrageous things' so it was no surprise people were able to 'dredge up' material to embarrass him.

All the offending messages date back at least five years and most much longer. Mr Young insisted he was a changed man, saying: 'I'm a more serious person now.'

Former Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said Mr Young's appointment risked alienating voters

He spent three months in Kenya in 2013 to help a friend who was trying to establish a primary school and added: 'I've helped set up four free schools and have been running a charity for more than a year, helping other people set up schools.'

If 'anyone who has said anything offensive on Twitter' was to be banned from public life, it would 'become even more homogenous and anaemic than it is at present,' said Mr Young.

But Ms Morgan disagreed, saying Mr Young seemed 'determined to live up to the title' of his comedic memoir, How To Lose Friends And Alienate People.

She said: 'More seriously, many people will find it hard to understand how someone who expresses the kind of views in Mr Young's tweets can be appointed to a body responsible for universities.

'There must be someone else better suited to the position.'

Ms Wollaston added: 'Initially, I thought this was a confected explosion of rage against Toby from people opposed to him for political reasons over free schools. But it is increasingly clear that someone did not do due diligence when they appointed him to this post.

'His Trump-esque tweets are wholly inappropriate.'

Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg said: 'These tweets are revolting and impossible to defend. But I am a huge admirer of Mr Young's pioneering work in free schools and do not believe he is unsuitable to work with young people in universities.'

Labour Equalities Spokesman Dawn Butler said: 'To mock children in desperate need with a sexually explicit joke is truly beyond the pale. The spotlight should also turn on his chief defender Boris Johnson whose own misogynistic fantasies make him unfit for high office.'

But there is no sign that Boris or his brother, Universities Minister Jo  who announced Mr Young's appointment  are to withdraw their support. A source close to the Foreign Secretary said he stood by his view that there had been a 'ridiculous outcry' against Mr Young who would 'bring independence, rigour and caustic wit' to the university post and was 'the ideal man for the job'.

It is understood Jo Johnson is also continuing to back Mr Young. However, it is less certain if other senior Tory figures will continue to rally round. Environment Secretary Mr Gove hailed Mr Young last week for 'working night and day to provide great state schools for children of every background'. But asked yesterday if Mr Gove still endorsed Mr Young, a source close to the Environment Secretary declined to comment.

Mr Young has tried to stop further revelations about his past behaviour by deleting almost 50,000 tweets from his account.

The row over Mr Young comes two weeks after Mrs May was forced to sack her Deputy Prime Minister, Damian Green, for allegedly lying about pornography on his Commons computer.The sexual abuse case against Cardinal George Pell could fall apart after one of his accusers died after a long cancer battle.

Damian Dignan died from leukemia in Ballarat on Saturday, seven months after Pell was charged last June.

He and two former schoolmates at St Alipius primary school claimed the 76-year-old touched their genitals in a pool in Ballarat.

Damian Dignan (pictured), one of the three former choirboys who accused Cardinal George Pell of historical sex abuse has died after a long cancer battle

The trio made the claims on 7.30 in March 2016 and Victorian Police soon after confirmed the former Melbourne bishop was being investigated.

Pell has 'vigourously' denied the charges and vowed to defend himself at trial, even flying back from the Vatican to face initial court appearances in person.

Without Mr Dignan, prosecutors would have to change their plan for trying the case, which goes to a committal hearing on Match 5, or drop it altogether.

Former chief Victorian magistrate and crown prosecutor Nicholas Papas said convicting Pell was now a much more difficult task.

'Normally it would be the case that without them there, the prosecution can't proceed... You would normally say [an accuser dying] is the end of a prosecution,' he told The Australian.

'You'd normally expect those who are accused to be entitled to test the statements of the people who are accusing them.'

Pell has 'vigourously' denied the charges and vowed to defend himself at trial, even flying back from the Vatican to face initial court appearances in person

Mr Papas said it was possible the prosecution could use any sworn statements, evidence under oath, of commission statements Mr Dignan made before his death.

Victorian Police declined to say whether or how Mr Dignan's death would affect the case against Pell.

Mr Dignan's former girlfriend Sharon Rixon mourned the loss of her 'best friend' and father of her children in an emotional Facebook post.

'When two people part from a long relationship and remain best friends at the end of the day, that is something rare and precious,' she wrote.

Former chief Victorian magistrate and crown prosecutor Nicholas Papas said convicting Pell was now a much more difficult task

'I was so lucky and blessed to have that. I fought for you Damian and stood by you 100 per cent, I would never turn my back on you, you are my children's father and the best person I know.

'You had the biggest heart and loved your children unconditionally. I will continue to love, cherish and guide them in life and I know you know that.

'It's hard to say goodbye, but you're pain free now and that's the best thing we could hope for.'

Mr Dignan's lawyer Ingrid Irwin hit out at the length of time it took for Pell to be charged, saying she was gutted he never saw Pell's day in court.

'It's totally ridiculous that he's now passed away without any justice, the legal system is completely inept and archaic,' she told the Herald Sun.

'He is one of the bravest Ballarat boys I know, he walked around broken and somehow found the strength to speak out about the problem.

'There's so many survivors out there that haven't come forward but are heartened by what he did and they can see themselves in him.'

Ms Irwin, who also represented his fellow accuser Lyndon Monument, added that: 'Without Damian Dignan there wouldn't be anything happening.'

As many as 50 witnesses are expected to be called during the committal hearing, as Pell was facing numerous charges from multiple accusers.

The former Sydney and Melbourne archbishop and Ballarat priest has repeatedly denied the allegations and maintained he is innocent.

Pell said he is looking forward to finally having his day in court after a two-year investigation, and took leave from his Vatican position to fight the charges.

'News of these charges strengthens my resolve and court proceedings now offer me an opportunity to clear my name and then return to my work in Rome,' he said after being charged on June 29.A missing 19-year-old's parents are looking for any leads in connection to the disappearance of their son who has not been seen since Tuesday.

Blaze Bernstein was visiting his parents at their home in Foothill Ranch, California, while on break from the University of Pennsylvania.

'The fact that he didn't tell us he was going out tells us he wasn't planning to be gone very long,' Bernstein's mother, Jeanne, said to KCAL.

'And he left behind his wallet, ID, money, glasses and medications he takes every day.'

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Blaze Bernstein, 19, was visiting his parents at their home in Foothill Ranch, California, while on break from the University of Pennsylvania

His parents added that the friend picked Bernstein up around 10.30pm and drove to Borrego Park

At 9.30pm, he was said to have texted a friend with his address to discuss something with a third person, as per a family lawyer friend, Annee Della Donna.

His parents added that the friend picked Bernstein up around 10.30pm and drove to Borrego Park.

Donna said that the teen went into the park by himself while the friend waited at the car.

The friend was said to have texted Bernstein, asking where he was and when there was no response, the high-school buddy left.

According to the friend, Bernstein went into Borrego Park by himself and didn't return. The 19-year-old's location tracking system stopped working and his phone was turned off at 11.30pm

'Blaze if you hear me, it's OK for you to come home, we love you' his father Gideon Bernstein said

But by 4am, the friend returned to the location to look for Bernstein.

The lawyer said that the 19-year-old's location tracking system stopped working and that the phone was turned off at 11.30pm.

His family realized something was off when he didn't show up for a dental appointment on Wednesday.

'Blaze if you hear me, it's OK for you to come home, we love you' his father Gideon Bernstein said.

Gideon added that his son is a sophomore hoping to declare a major in psychology with a minor in chemistry for a 'pre-med focus'

Gideon added that his son is a sophomore hoping to declare a major in psychology with a minor in chemistry for a 'pre-med focus.'

'Blaze, come home, wherever you are, whatever has happened, we don't care,' his mother added.

'We just want you here. Find a way home.'

Volunteers with the Sheriff's Reserve Bureau went out for the second time to see if they could find any clues to the teen's whereabouts.

Volunteers with the Sheriff's Reserve Bureau went out for the second time to see if they could find any clues to the teen's whereabouts

Aerial searches using thermal imaging found nothing.

His parents have had difficulty accessing Bernstein's social media accounts as he is an adult.

He was scheduled to return back to school on Sunday.

Bernstein is five-foot-eight-inches and weighs 130lbs. He has blue eyes and brown hair and was last seen wearing a dark-colored jacket, long-sleeved zip-up and white Adidas sneakers.At least eight migrants have died and 86 have been rescued after a smugglers' boat started to sink in the Mediterranean Sea off Libya.

Video footage of the rescue attempt has been released, which shows a number of migrants holding onto lifesaving floats in the sea.

A search and rescue mission is now underway to find any possible survivors, with an aid group not involved in the rescue claiming there may be dozens of migrants still missing.

Coast guard rescuers managed to save dozens of migrants who were stranded in the Mediterranean Sea off Libya

Many of the migrants had fallen out of the dinghy and had been in the water for a number of hours

There are fears there could be as many as 25 migrants which have died, although the Libyan authorities statement has not been confirmed.

Italian navy and coast guard vessels were involved in the rescue. Coast guard Commander Sergio Liardo told Italian state TV RaiNews24 that 'it appears the dinghy deflated' after a puncture.

Rescuers arrived at the scene in the early afternoon and around 20 migrants were in the inflatable while a number of others were in the water.

All eight of the victims have been confirmed as female and the rescue mission is expected to continue into the night.

Survivors of the tragic incident say there were around 150 migrants on the dinghy when it left Libya.

Mr Liardo said: 'We are looking for any eventual survivors.'

The migrants were saved by the Italian coastguard, and survivors say there were around 150 migrants on board the boat before it deflated

A spokesman for Libya's navy and coastguard said the boat capsized and sank in international waters and that they did not have the resources to rescue them

The Spanish humanitarian group, Proactiva Open Arms, said a number of the migrants had spent hours in the water before they were rescued.

They also expressed fears that dozens of migrants may still be unaccounted for.

A spokesman for Libya's navy and coastguard said the boat capsized and sank in international waters and that they did not have the resources to rescue them.

The International Organisation of Migration has found there has been more than 3,100 recorded migrant deaths crossing Mediterranean in 2017, the International Organisation of Migration has found.Among the many interesting nuggets found in Michael Wolff's new book, 'Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House,' is a suggestion by a longtime Trump aide that the president wasn't fully knowledgeable of the U.S. Constitution.

In the book, Wolff explained that 'everybody in [Trump's] rich-guy social circle knew about his wide-ranging ignorance,' and then went on to quote aide Sam Nunberg, who the author says was sent to brief then candidate Trump on the Constitution.

'I got as far as the Fourth Amendment,' Nunberg recalled, 'before his finger is pulling down on his lip and his eyes are rolling back in his head.'

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President Trump's former campaign aide Sam Nunberg is quoted in 'Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House' talking about the president's short attention span as he tried to teach him about the Constitution for the first GOP primary debate

Later, in an interview with CNN, Sam Nunberg verified that President Trump (pictured) had only made it to the Fourth Amendment during their lesson, but argued that the now president 'knows the Constitution'

Since the initial release of excerpts of the book and the tome itself, which was rushed onto bookshelves Friday after the president's personal lawyer sent a cease and desist to the author, Nunberg appeared on CNN to explain the context of his quote.

Michael Wolff's new book contains a quote suggesting President Trump doesn't know the U.S. Constitution

Nunberg noted that he was prepping Trump for the first primary presidential debate, which was held in August of 2015.

'The president, before the first debate, was actually going to one of his properties in Europe,' Nunberg explained. 'And we were trying to get a lot of issues in before he left so he couldn't get these gotcha questions.'

Nunberg recalled candidate Rudy Giuliani, who ran for president in the 2008 cycle, being briefly tripped up when asked to name the difference between a Sunni and Shia Muslim during a Republican primary debate.

Trump's aide didn't want the same thing to happen to Trump.

'It wasn't to teach him the Constitution, he know the Constitution,' Nunberg protested.

He did, however, verify Wolff's account of Trump not being very interested in the lesson.

'We only got to the Fourth Amendment there,' Nunberg said. 'And at that time, remember, besides running for president he was running his business.'

Nunberg said he wasn't criticizing Wolff, adding, 'I like Michael.'

But characterized Trump as a very busy man.

'He had a ton of things to do,' Nunberg said.Children in China are being taught how to prevent sexual assault following a sex abuse scandal that rocked the country.

Parents are also purchasing more sexual health textbooks and signing up for online courses to better educate their children about sex.

Schools are also acting to educate youngsters, in a country where sex is traditionally a taboo subject.

The action follows a number of scandals that surfaced last month.

Parents are purchasing more sexual health textbooks and signing up for online courses to better speak to their children about sex. (Stock photo)

They included allegations against a Beijing's Red Yellow Blue Kindergarten, where staff were teachers were accused of drugging and sexually assaulting children.

One parent claimed her child told her of a naked man or men - referred to as 'uncle doctor' and 'grandpa doctor' - who would performing a 'health check' on a naked child.

Han Xuemei oversees an organisation operating in dozens of Beijing-area schools that administer sex education to more than 9,000 pupils.

'After Red Yellow Blue, people started paying much greater attention to us. Several kindergartens asked us to help train their teachers,' she told the Los Angeles Times.

Sex education in the country varies widely from school to school  with some offering none whatsoever.

Now, parents are taking matters into their own hands so youngsters can spot the warning signs of sexual abuse.

Chinese state media have also bolstered the movement after the China Daily published an article titled 'Sex Education Needed in All Schools, Experts Say'. (Photo)

A book titled 'Learning to Protect Yourself: Teaching Children How to Avoid Sexual Abuse' soared to the top-10 bestseller list on a Chinese children's books website.

'After the Red Yellow Blue incident, I rushed to buy my child a book on sex education,' said Weng Limin, 45, a mother in Shanghai.

'As they say: "You may worry your child is too young for sex education, but a criminal wont have the same compunction."'

Chinese state media have also bolstered the movement after the China Daily published an article titled 'Sex Education Needed in All Schools, Experts Say'.

It was later followed up by a story in the state-owned Global Times, titled: 'Sex Education Gains Recognition Among Chinese Parents'.A baggage carousel technician helped cartels smuggle at least 100kg of cocaine through Sydney Airport - and collected millions in the process.

Anthony Robert Parker used his access to the conveyor belt to intercept bags full of drugs arriving from Santiago in Chile.

He would then load them on to an airport buggy and innocuously drive them out of the airport and deliver them to an unknown dealer.

Baggage carousel technician Anthony Robert Parker helped cartels smuggle at least 100kg of cocaine through Sydney Airport

Parker used his access to the conveyor belt to intercept bags full of drugs, load them on an airport buggy, innocuously drive them out of the airport and deliver them to a dealer

Massive quantities were involved as police alleged the 100kgs of cocaine he delivered was worth $18.96 million, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Parker was paid handsomely for his services, blowing his ill-gotten gains on holidays to to Europe and the U.S., high-end jewellery, and built a new house.

Despite recruiting four people to launder money for him in bank deposits of just under $10,000, he still had $5 million in cash stashed under the stairs of his home in southwest Sydney.

His enterprise came unstuck on April 13, 2014, when baggage handlers picked up a kite surfing bag that was too heavy and bent oddly.

CCTV footage showed a successful delivery in February that year where Parker pulled a black sack on to a buggy and drove away

While customs took the bag away for inspection Federal Police saw Parker waiting for it along with another one, but they never showed up.

Parker was sentenced to 33 years jail last month with a non-parole period of 22 years

CCTV footage showed a successful delivery in February that year where Parker pulled a black sack on to a buggy and drove away.

Parker was finally arrested in September 2014 after a five-month Federal Police investigation starting with the failed April shipment.

He was sentenced to 33 years jail last month with a non-parole period of 22 years for what Judge Deborah Sweeney called 'high level' criminality.

'Anyone who spends time in this court knows the damage done to people's lives by this drug,' she said.

However, despite facing decades in prison, Parker never gave up his cartel partners and police still have no idea who he was working with.

'Nothing is known about the importation hierarchy and Mr Parker's position in it,' Judge Sweeney said.

'[He must have been] in touch with someone as someone had to manipulate the baggage tag system in Santiago.'U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday that he is willing to talk with Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), and supports the talks between the two Koreas next week.

US President Donald Trump [File photo: AP/Manuel Balce Ceneta]

"I always believe in talking," Trump told reporters at the David Camp resort when asked whether he was willing to engage in phone talks with Kim right now. "Absolutely I would do that. No problem with that at all."

However, Trump added that any talks will come with prerequisites, saying, "We have a very firm stance."

Trump's remarks have shelved his often-bellicose rhetoric on Kim. Since he took office last January, the Trump administration has resorted to hawkish and threatening rhetoric against the DPRK, and sent warships and conducted joint military drills with South Korea.

Such moves, plus the DPRK's several missile or nuclear tests, have sent the situation on the Korean Peninsula to a simmering extent.

Among their numerous wars of words, Trump and Kim recently staged another one about their nuclear arsenals.

This picture from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) taken and released on January 1, 2018 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un delivering a New Year's speech at an undisclosed location. [Photo: VCG/KCNA]

In a New Year's address, Kim said he has a "nuclear button" on his office desk and warned that "the whole territory of the United States is within the range of our nuclear strike."

Trump responded: "Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!"

Speaking of the coming talks between Pyongyang and Seoul, Trump said he hoped "it works out" and would "absolutely" love to see Pyongyang and Seoul take their conversation "beyond the Olympics."

"It's a start," he said, adding that "if something can happen and something can come out of those talks, that would be a great thing for all of humanity."

Trump also noted that "at the appropriate time, we'll get involved."

The DPRK on Friday agreed to hold senior-level and inter-governmental talks with South Korea on Tuesday. The hotline of direct dialogue between the two nations was reopened earlier this week for the first time in almost two years.

Signs of a thaw were seen on the Korean Peninsula as Kim said in his New Year's address that his country was willing to dispatch a delegation to the South Korea-hosted Winter Olympics set to kick off in February.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in agreed earlier this week with Trump that the two allies would not conduct the annual springtime war games during the Winter Olympics period.A British photographer has pictured the indigenous people of Myanmar, where he was overwhelmed by the warmth and kindness of those he met.

Rather than capturing soldiers and conflicts, Dan O'Donnell goes in search of nomadic tribes and remote villages.

He pictured the last surviving women of Myanmar's Chin tribe to have their faces heavily tattooed in a bid to ward off abduction.

Mr O'Donnell, from Kirkintilloch, also photographed the Palaung and Shan tribes who have settled in the mountains of the Shan State, in the north-east of the country.

The Chin women in Myanmar use sharp thorns and soot to tattoo their faces to ward off abduction

Photographer Dan O'Donnell, from Kirkintilloch, has returned home after making his way through many of the world's most troubled locations

A Chin Woman of the Mun Tribe - they tattoo their faces using sharp thorns from the local vegetation and use leaves and soot for the colour and disinfectant

The photographer has just returned to Scotland after two years of photographing his way through many of the world's most troubled locations.

He said: 'Myanmar may be the most hospitable country I've visited yet. If it wasn't for the media coverage, I may have never known about all the terrible things happening there.'

Discussing the tribes he pictured he said: 'The Palaung are one of the most ancient hill tribes in Myanmar and are famous for the tea they grow and cure to sell, particularly the pickled tea (lepet) which is popular across the country.

'Palaung women stand out among the other hill tribes for their colourful traditional dress. Their garments include velvet jackets of green, blue, or purple and lungi (a type of sarong) fastened with belts.

'Most Shan people live today in much the same way as they always have. The majority live in small, rural villages where they farm subsistence and cash crops such as rice and tropical and sub-tropical fruit and vegetables.'

The Scottish photographer was overwhelmed by the warmth and kindness of those he met

Mr O'Donnell also pictured the last surviving women of Myanmar's Chin tribe.

He explained: 'Chin legend says that many years ago a Burmese king visited the area and kidnapped the women, believing them to be the most beautiful in Myanmar.

'To prevent any future kidnappings, the Chin women began to tattoo their faces using sharp thorns from the local vegetation and using leaves and soot for the colour and disinfectant.

'There are six different Chin tribes, and each tribe has a specific design which tend to cover the entire face, and sometimes reach down to the neck.

'The Burmese government banned this old tradition in the 1960s, so the women that I had the privilege of photographing will be the last faces of Chin history to bear this tradition.'

Rather than capturing soldiers and conflict, Mr O'Donnell went in search of nomadic tribes and remote villages

Mr O'Donnell captured indigenous Myanmar people going about their daily lives in (pictured: a Palaung village girl)

The 26-year-old photographer avoids photos of conflict and goes in search of nomadic tribes and remote villages

Mr O'Donnell said he was unaware of the situation in Myanmar when visiting but his personal experiences with the people were only positive

Mr O'Donnell captured the indigenous people of Myanmar in a series of stunning images

Mr O'Donnell said: 'To have the chance of documenting all these different native tribes living their daily lives, and being accepted as one of their own really makes me love doing this type of photography'

The 26-year-old added: ''To have the chance of documenting all these different native tribes living their daily lives, and being accepted as one of their own really makes me love doing this type of photography.

'I get invited into their homes; they feed me with their delicious traditional food and provide me with a bed. I have a short but meaningful connection with almost every person I have the privilege of photographing.

'Sometimes this can be a stronger connection if I have the chance of hearing their life stories, or even some I've had the honour of dancing with at village festivals.

'To have the chance of documenting all these different native tribes living their daily lives, and being accepted as one of their own really makes me love doing this type of photography.

'You learn new languages, taste different food, wear clothes you never thought you would ever wear and gain so much fresh knowledge on how different cultures live their daily lives.'Meghan Markles half-brother Tom has blamed his drunken New Year's Eve brawl with his fiancee on the pressure and scrutiny caused by his sister's engagement.

The flare-up in their Oregon home led to Tom's fiancee Darlene Blount being thrown into jail for two nights for assault.

Tom has blamed the pressure of being in the public eye for his woes, saying: It hasnt been easy. Meghans relationship with Prince Harry has shone a spotlight on our family. It doesnt help when you have issues and your sister is engaged to Royalty. It adds a whole new level of scrutiny.'

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Tom Markle Jr says that his drunken New Year's brawl with fiancee Darlene came because of the pressure of being in the public eye after his half-sister Meghan's engagement to Prince Harry

And Tom  who was last year arrested for brandishing a gun at his fiancee during another drunken fracas  says they will both attend alcohol and relationship counselling.

Weve been under a lot of stress because of all the attention. At some point you find yourself drinking too much to escape the pressure.

Tom vowed last night to seek help after the drunken confrontation.

Tom initially told The Mail on Sunday Ms Blount had began pummelling me in the face with her fists, but last night he changed his tune and said the injuries he sustained were self-inflicted.

Darlene's police mugshot after she and Tom Markle Jr had a drunken row on New Year's Eve

As Prince Harry and Ms Markle reportedly ushered in the New Year partying like tycoons in the millionaires playground of Monaco, Tom and Darlene were downing beers and whisky at the decidedly less salubrious Cedarwood Saloon in their home town of Grants Pass.

Tom, 51, who has the same father as Meghan, said he and Darlene, 37, rowed at the bar before she stormed off. He returned to their bungalow and continued drinking, becoming increasingly enraged.

When Darlene finally came home she immediately began downing a bottle of bourbon.

I said some swear words, it turned into an argument, Tom confessed.

Darlene called the police  but ended up being arrested herself. I might have said that Darlene beat me up, Tom said. She was arrested for domestic violence. It was a big confusion.

The fiancee of Meghan's brother was thrown in jail after she hit Tom Markle Jr during a drunken row - he says public scrutiny because of his sister's engagement is to blame

Mr Markle, who paid $1,000 to bail his fiancee out of jail, said: Wed both been drinking. I was sitting on the couch and got up really fast, hit myself and gave myself a fat lip.

Josephine County District Attorneys office later confirmed that Darlene would not face prosecution.Tory darling Jacob Rees-Mogg today warned Theresa May and Philip Hammond to bury their difference and get the Government back on track.

The high-profile MP said it was impossible to govern effectively if Prime Minister and Chancellor disagreed.

Mr Hammond is expected to keep his job in the reshuffle in defiance of hardline Eurosceptics who want him fired for being pessimistic over Brexit.

Mr Rees-Mogg - the favourite of grassroots Tories to be the next leader - said the new Cabinet should focus on delivering core Tory values to make clear the difference with Labour as Parliament returns for the new year tomorrow.

Tory darling Jacob Rees-Mogg today warned Theresa May and Philip Hammond to bury their difference and get the Government back on track

Writing in The Sun, Mr Rees-Mogg said: 'The whole government machine ought to be directed towards the benefits of Brexit and not the timorous efforts of managing decline, a recipe for failure popular with too many post-War British politicians.

'In this regard, it is essential that the PM and Chancellor improve their working relationship and advocate the same policies.

'No government works when these two figures are not united.'

Mr Rees-Mogg urged the PM to put clear blue water between the Tories and Labour by highlighting the fundamental 'dividing lines' between the two parties.

'Tories want to help people to lead the lives they want and to remove as many obstacles as possible,' he said.

'The socialist aims to cajole people into leading lives that are 'good' for them. Tories are more realistic about human nature and generally more pragmatic.'

Mr Rees-Mogg said Theresa May (pictured today with husband Philip) and her new Cabinet should focus on a return to core Tory values

Chancellor Philip Hammond is expected to keep his job in the reshuffle in defiance of hardline Eurosceptics who want him fired for being pessimistic over Brexit

The North-East Somerset MP said Brexit could bring huge benefits, including cheaper prices and real control over Britain's future.

But he added: 'Here the government has been too timid. It is as if it were carrying out a policy reluctantly  one foist upon it by the electorate, not one it really and enthusiastically wants. This must change.'

Mr Rees-Mogg's intervention comes on the eve of a major government reshuffle that could see as many as six changes in Cabinet.

Many Tory members will hope to see Mr Rees-Mogg promoted into the Government for the first time - but the MP may resist any appointment that limits his ability to speak freely.

Mr Rees-Mogg said core Tory values would lay bare the difference with Jeremy Corbyn's Labour

Ahead of the reshuffle, the PM told Marr today: 'Well, it's no prizes for guessing, Andrew, that obviously Damian Green's departure before Christmas means that some changes do have to be made and I will be making some changes.

'But much though you would love me to talk about the reshuffle in detail here on the BBC, I'm afraid I won't be doing that.'

As she parepares her resahuffle, Mrs May said she will carry on as Prime Minister for 'as long as people want me to serve'.

The Prime Minister confirmed that she wanted to lead the Conservatives into the next general election - due to take place in 2022 - saying: 'I'm not a quitter. I'm in this for the long term.'A huntswoman who repeatedly whipped a man with her riding crop after he grabbed the reins of her horse will not be charged by police.

Jane Miller, 56, was filmed having a furious clash with anti-hunt activists while out riding in Herstmonceux, East Sussex in November.

Footage captured her striking a man around the head and face 17 times with her whip, while screaming 'get off my horse'.

However, Ms Miller has avoided punishment after Sussex Police said they would not be proceeding with the investigation.

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Jane Miller, 56, was filmed having a furious clash with anti-hunt activists while out riding in Herstmonceux, East Sussex in November (left, Ms Miller with husband Richard Goring and right, during the confrontation)

The hunstwoman is the wife of Richard Goring, whose family founded the five-star Goring Hotel in Belgravia, London.

She later told her husband she had been 'terrified' by the incident.

But since the clash, more footage has emerged of Ms Miller involved in a previous confrontation at an earlier hunt.

Mr Goring was shown trying to restrain his wife as she screamed at activists: 'F****** terrorists... You peasanty stupid f****** idiots!'

Last night South Coast Hunt Saboteurs said they had lodged a formal complaint with Sussex Police for their failure to proceed with the case.

Jane Miller (pictured) was heard shouting as she struck the saboteur during the hunt in East Sussex last year

Ms Miller goes to strike the saboteur who had pulled on the reins of her horse

A spokesman said: 'The prolonged assault was captured on four video recordings from different angles and five witnesses came forward to make statements. The reason Sussex Police dropped the case? ''Insufficient evidence''.

'Every week we experience threats, intimidation and often actual violence from the hunts and every week we read reports on social media of increasingly frequent and serious attacks on hunts sabs and monitors.

'The hunt sab who was beaten has been assaulted many times and never received justice - this has to stop - the violent hunt supporters need to know that there will be legal consequences if they attack us before another hunt sab is killed.'

Ms Miller's husband is Richard Goring (left, the couple together), whose family founded the five-star Goring Hotel (right) in Belgravia, London

Mr Goring said his wife felt 'terrorised' by the hunt saboteur who grabbed her horse

Mr Goring and his twin George are great-grandsons of the founder of The Goring Hotel in Belgravia.

The Queen has lunched at the five-star hotel and the Duchess of Cambridge stayed there the night before her wedding.

Speaking after the second incident Mr Goring said his wife felt 'terrorised' by the hunt saboteur who grabbed her horse.

He said: 'She was in a very threatening situation. She was scared stiff. She was terrorised, I'd say.

'She was absolutely terrorised, I'm not kidding. She was in an impossible position. She regrets even having a whip with her and wishes she wasn't even out that day.'

Mr Goring said: 'The police say there is no case to answer. They all wear balaclavas. It's very frightening you know.'Michael Lester, of Winter Haven, Florida, called the Polk County Sheriff office dispatcher who directed officers to his location on Sunday evening

A Florida man allegedly called local authorities on New Years Eve to alert them that someone was driving under the influence - himself.

Michael Lester, of Winter Haven, Florida, called the Polk County Sheriff office dispatcher who directed officers to his location on Sunday evening.

'I'm too drunk. I don't know where I'm at,' Lester said to the dispatcher in an audio recording that the department posted on their Facebook.

And during the call, the dispatcher can be heard trying to direct the man to the side of the road, but he keeps telling her that he is near a police department and nothing is happening.

He informs the dispatcher that he is driving a red F150 truck and when told that officers are headed to his location, adds: 'I think I am going to get something to eat, they can just catch up with me later.'

'I'm too drunk. I don't know where I'm at,' Lester said to the dispatcher. The police department later posted the audio recording on their Facebook page

But the dispatcher doesn't let Lester off the line, insisting that he share with her his last name, to which he refuses.

And when she tries to figure out where exactly the man is driving, Lester shares: 'I'm driving on the wrong side of the road.'

As sirens can be heard in the background, Lester attempts to get off the phone with the dispatcher, but she refuses.

The conversation, which has been edited for time, continues to spiral as the two can't seem to reach an agreement on Lester sharing his location.

Luckily, the dispatcher was able to get deputies to Lester's location.

Officials added that Lester has a criminal history of a previous DUI, aggravated battery, drug possession, disorderly conduct, resisting and hit & run

'Michael first told the deputy he had only two beers (standard drunk answer). Then he changed it to three or four (slightly more accurate),' said the sheriff's office on Facebook.

'He also mentioned that he had only slept four hours in the past four days. Oh, and he also said that he had swallowed meth earlier, instead of smoking it.'

Officials added that Lester has a criminal history of a previous DUI, aggravated battery, drug possession, disorderly conduct, resisting and hit & run.

'Driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs is a serious crime. Innocent people are too often injured or killed from impaired drivers. DUI is not a laughing matter,' the department said on Facebook.

'However...in this particular incident, nobody was hurt, so we couldn't help but LOTO (that means we Laughed Our Tasers Off).'

In addition to the DUI, Lester was cited for driving on the wrong side of the road, improper use of the center lane and no seat belt.The Republican National Committee has lashed out at 'Fire and Fury' author Michael Wolff with a mock bookcover with out-of-context quotes from well-known journalists undermining Wolff's credibility.

Wolff claimed in the bombshell book that President Donald Trump is suffering from a mental decline, but the president fired back and said he was never interviewed for it- hours after declaring himself a 'very stable genius' on Twitter.

And the president wasn't the only one to lash out at Wolff. On Friday, the GOP tweeted a photo of a reimagined Fire and Fury bookcover called 'Liar and Phony.'

The photo was captioned with: 'The reviews are in.'

The Republican National Committee has lashed out at 'Fire and Fury' author Michael Wolff with a mock bookcover (pictured) with out-of-context quotes from well-known journalists undermining Wolff's credibility

Wolff (pictured) claimed in the bombshell book that President Donald Trump is suffering from a mental decline, but the president fired back and said he was never interviewed for it- hours after declaring himself a 'very stable genius' on Twitter

The mock cover included quotes from prominent journalists who critiqued Wolff's actual book and questioned his credibility.

White House reporter Maggie Haberman of the New York Times, CNN's senior media correspondent Brian Stelter and Politico's senior media reporter Michael Calderone were all featured in some capacity on the mock bookcover.

'He gets basic details wrong,' the GOP quoted Haberman saying during an interview with CNN's New Day.

Her actual quote was: 'So he creates a narrative that is notionally true, that's conceptually true. The details are often wrong.'

Stelter also pointed out that one page in Wolff's book had three errors, including the misspelling of Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen's name.

Wolff has been accused in years past of fabricating details in books and misrepresenting events

Wolff also called Wilbur Ross labor nominee when he was actually the commerce nominee.

Wolff has been accused in years past of fabricating details in books and misrepresenting events.

Trump retweeted the mock book cover on Friday, saying: 'Michael Wolff is a total loser who made up stories in order to sell this really boring and untruthful book.

'He used Sloppy Steve Bannon, who cried when he got fired and begged for his job. Now Sloppy Steve has been dumped like a dog by almost everyone. Too bad!'

On Saturday, Trump defended his mental health again at a press conference saying his Ivy League education, television fame and 2016 election win are proof he is more than competent to run the country.

Responding to claims in Wolff's new book that White House insiders worry he is suffering mental decline, the president said: 'It's a disgrace that he can do something like this.'

Trump also called Wolff a 'fraud' as he attacked the libel laws in the US at a Camp David press conference attended by GOP leaders.

'Libel laws are very weak in this country. If they were stronger, hopefully, you would not have something like that happen,' said Trump who had defended his intelligence just moments before.

'Only because I went to the best colleges, I was an excellent student, came out and made billions and billions of dollars and became one of the top business people, went to television and was a tremendous success, as I am sure you all know and ran for president first time and won.'

Stelter also pointed out that one page in Wolff's book had three errors, including the misspelling of Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen's name

Washington Post reporter Mark Berman tweeted that he had never been to the Four Seasons for breakfast, which Wolff claimed Berman visited

Berman later tweeted this as an update saying that it was the lobbyist Mike Berman who was reportedly at the Four Seasons

'And then this guy who doesn't know me, doesn't know me at all. Who said he interviewed me for three hours in the White House, it didn't exist, it's in his imagination.'

'He was never in the Oval Office,' said the president who blamed 'Sloppy' Steve Bannon for bringing him into the White House.

Trump then dubbed the biography 'a work of fiction'.

Earlier on Saturday, Wolff, who is a contributor to the Hollywood Reporter, gave that publication a follow up interview in which he said he knew Trump was apoplectic with rage over the book.

'I hear that the president is very angry, or, let me be precise: I hear that he is truly bouncing off the walls,' said Wolff to the magazine.

Talking about the now-infamous dinner-party attended by former Fox CEO Roger Ailes, Steve Bannon and Hollywood Reporter co-owner Janice Min, Wolff said he recalled they ate clams and Arctic char.

Revealing that 100 per cent of Trump's inner circle believe the president to be 'hopeless', Wolff also claimed that he got such unfettered access to the West Wing because essentially no one knew who he was because they don't read, especially Trump.

'People tell him what's in an article  that's what Hope Hicks does  and she probably told him it was great. It's easier if he thinks it's great,' said Wolff.

This came hours after Wolff declared in a BBC interview that his instant New York Times bestseller would prove the catalyst for the end of the Trump administration, which has not yet completed one year in office.

The controversial journalist told the Today program, 'I think one of the interesting effects of the book so far is a very clear emperor-has-no-clothes effect.'

Trump retweeted the mock book cover on Friday, saying: 'Michael Wolff is a total loser who made up stories in order to sell this really boring and untruthful book'

On Saturday, Trump (pictured at Camp David with the Republican leadership) defended his mental health again at a press conference saying his Ivy League education, television fame and 2016 election win are proof he is more than competent to run the country

A steely Trump dubbed Michael Wolff a fraud and said that he never gave an interview to the New York City journalist

This was followed by one of Trump's now-traditional Saturday morning barrage of tweets - claiming that he is fit to be president and not just smart, but a 'genius... and a very stable genius at that!'

Hours before this, Wolff told the BBC's Today program: 'The story that I have told seems to present this presidency in a way that it says he can't do his job.

'Suddenly everywhere people are going, 'Oh my God, it's true, he has no clothes.'

He said the book was making people realise what the president was like.

When asked about what impact he expected the book would have, he said: 'We will end this presidency now.'

The journalist's book - 'Fire and Fury' has already shot to the top of the New York Times bestseller's list and portrays Trump as an imbecile who never believed he would win the 2016 election.

The book also severely questions the president's ability to carry out his job and casts aspersions on his mental acuity amid suggestions from White House sources he might be losing his mind.

In the book, former aide Steve Bannon questions Trump's competence. Trump's was having none of it.

Trump repeated his attacks on Wolff (right, out in NYC on Friday) and 'sloppy' Steve Bannon

Striking back: Trump launched off a series of early morning tweets on Saturday

Anger: The president defended himself against claims that he is unfit to be in the Oval Office

Boasts: Trump declared himself to be a genius in his series of posts - and attacked favorite target Hillary Clinton too

He wrote that critics are 'taking out the old Ronald Reagan playbook and screaming mental stability and intelligence'.

Trump modestly added, 'my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart.'

Furthermore Trump opined that he was a successful businessman to reality TV star to president on his first try 'would qualify as not smart, but genius .... and a very stable genius at that!'

During the course of his 15-minute interview with the BBC, Wollf repeated many of his previous claims about Trump, his White House and defended his book from claims of inaccuracy.

'Everyone went into election night expecting not to win. It would have been a victory to have kept their loss (to Hillary) to under six points,' said Wolff to the BBC.

'It was only around 8.15pm (on election night in 2016) that the trends started to really go the other way and come to terms with the fact that they were going to win.

'And by all reports the person most shocked by this was Trump's wife Melania, who certainly didn't want to be First Lady. Second to her it was Trump himself who appeared to be white as a ghost.'

Denying Trump's claim that he was given zero access and that the book was completely false, Wolff claimed he spent months in the West Wing, literally sitting on a sofa watching the West Wing and definitely got tacit permission from the president.

'I went the time honored fashion and I spoke to everyone who is as close to the action as possible who will talk to you. And you often grant them the veil of anonymity,' said Wolff.

'I got the president to say 'If not welcome, here, come in', then he certainly seemed to shrug his shoulders and say 'yea, if that's what you want to do then fine.'

Under fire: Trump departs for Camp David from the White House in Washington on Friday afternoon

Revealing that Trump's tantrums and volcanic temper are as much bemusing as intimidating, Wolff said that the White House resembled a side-show at times.

'One of the things about Donald Trump is that everything he does is Trumpian and that is one of the amusing things and one of the disconcerting things,' said Wolff to the BBC.

'It is theatric - he screams, he is yelling. What starts out as a schtick turns into vein popping rage.

'Every person in the White House describes him as child-like. That the president is in some way like a child. Sometimes it's an 11-year-old, sometimes its a six-year-old and sometimes it's a two-year-old. It's his need for immediate gratification.'

Worryingly, Wolff claims that despite entering the White House on a swell of euphoria - at least from his base - Trump does not have the faith of his cabinet anymore.

'All the senior staff have come to the conclusion over eight months that something was unbelievably amiss here - this was more peculiar than they ever imagined it could be and that in the end they had to look at Donald Trump and say, 'No, this man can't function in this job.' said Wolff.

'He may have been elected president but that does not turn him into president.'

Discussing the most shocking claim in Wolff's book - that of the president's mental health, Wolff said that it is not for him to say, but West Wing insiders are worried.

'Is he experiencing fundamental physical and mental issues?' said Wolff.

'All I can say is that it's a subject discussed in the White House and it is a subject of concern because his repetitions have been so frequent that people around him are saying, 'Oh my God, what are we going to do?'

The Saturday-morning tweet-barrage defending his own mental competency launched by Trump followed two other posts, one praising news the country's African-American unemployment rate had fallen to its lowest rate on record.

Difficult years: Michael Wolff's biography also made the claim that Trump has been 'chronically' unfaithful to his wife Melania

The former White House chief strategist dresses 'like an unmade bed,' a close associate told DailyMail.com on Friday, 'and doesn't care'

Shortly after initial claims from the book were published, the president on Tuesday tweeted that the political gossip tome is 'full of lies, misrepresentations and sources that don't exist.'

'Look at this guy's past and watch what happens to him and Sloppy Steve!'

Bannon is known for dressing 'like an unmade bed and doesn't care,' a close associate told DailyMail.com on Friday, layering two polos on top of each other.

He eschewed suits and other business attire outside the White House when he worked for the president.

Wolff describes Bannon's typical attire as a 'disheveled blazer' and 'signature pairing of two shirts and military fatigues.'

Sources claim Trump's closest allies questioned his suitability for office and view him as a 'child'.

Trump's lawyers made threats of legal action and tried to stop Henry Holt & Co from publishing the critical book which the president has dismissed as full of lies.

The book claims Bannon called a meeting involving the president's son, Donald Trump Jr, and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, with a Russian lawyer during the 2016 presidential campaign 'treasonous'.

The meeting is being probed as part of an investigation into possible collision between Trump's presidential election campaign and Russia.

After the comments attributed to Bannon were made public, Trump said his former strategist had 'lost his mind'.

Trump's lawyer has said that legal action is 'imminent' against Bannon.A shop worker is on a life support machine after he was brutally attacked for refusing to sell cigarettes and alcohol to underage youths.

The 49-year-old man was rushed to hospital where he remains in a critical condition following the savage assault.

Police said two employees were attacked in the shop on The Broadway, in Mill Hill, north London at around 11.45pm on Saturday night.

A shop worker is on a life support machine after he was brutally attacked for refusing to sell cigarettes and alcohol to underage youths at his store in Mill Hill, London (pictured)

Another suffered minor injuries that did not require hospital treatment.

Detectives are appealing for information to trace the three suspects who ran away after the attack.

Detective Inspector Ian Lott said: 'What we know now is that two shop workers have rightly refused to sell items to youths they believed to be underage.

'The three teenage suspects have then made threats before violently attacking both shopkeepers.

'One of the men assaulted is now on a life support machine.

'We understand that a number of people came to his aid and helped to put him in the recovery position.

'Were you there? Did you see the suspects running away?

'Some witnesses may have video footage during or after the attack and we would urge them to get in touch with investigators.'

A crime scene remains in place and the Met are urging anyone with information to call police on 020 8358 0200 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.Former Eurovision song contest winner Dana is pursuing a landmark prosecution of those who gave false evidence against her brother John (pictured together)

Former Eurovision song contest winner Dana is pursuing a landmark prosecution of those who gave false evidence against her brother John.

The Metropolitan Police have sent a file to the Crown Prosecution Service regarding the evidence given by the seven witnesses in 2014 when John Brown was acquitted of five counts of indecent assault against two girls under the age of 13 and 16.

The charges being considered against the seven include attempting to pervert the course of justice and perjury.

Mr Brown, 61, a father-of-three who works in PR and the music industry, had denied all the claims.

His older sister, 67, a former Irish presidential candidate, was accused by the prosecution of covering up her brother's abuse for more than three decades.

Mr Brown said it had been a 'horrendous experience' for his family', adding that 'both Dana and I were put on trial.'

If the CPS chooses to prosecute, it will be the first time witnesses in a historical sex abuse case have faced trial for making false accusations, the Sunday Times reported.

It would also increase the pressure to charge the 'credible and true' witness known as 'Nick', whose claims of a Westminster VIP paedophile ring led to the 2.5m Operation Midland inquiry which collapsed when he was outed as a fantasist.

Mr Brown has been backed by celebrities who have also been the subject of false sexual abuse allegations.

Louis Walsh, a judge on the X Factor, offered his backing to the 61-year-old.

He said: 'I have known Dana and John for many years. I fully understand the terrible time they went though.'

John Brown (right) said it had been a 'horrendous experience' for his family', adding that 'both Dana and I were put on trial'

The family have also received support from Sir Cliff Richard, who was the subject of a two-year inquiry into alleged historical child abuse offences in Britain before the case was dropped.

He said: 'I would like to join the growing band of people who, like me, have been put through the most agonising emotional trauma and I pray that together we, with Dana and John , will eradicate that destructive act known as 'a false accusation'.'

Paul Gambaccini, the BBC DJ who was arrested but never charged under similar allegations, added: 'No man can acquiesce in his attempted annihilation. I fully support John Brown and Dana and urge them to see their legal action through to its conclusion.'

The Met are scheduled to have a meeting with the CPS to discuss the case within the next few weeks.A baby born with half a heart whose life was saved in time for Christmas has smiled for the very first time.

Charlie Douthwaite, now 14 weeks old, was born in the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle and desperately needed a transplant to survive.

He was thought to be the youngest baby in the UK waiting for a heart.

But a Europe-wide appeal to find a match was successful and in December the little boy had the operation which saved his life.

And now the little fighter, currently in the Freeman Hospital, has smiled for the first time.

Charlie Douthwaite, now 14 weeks old, underwent a heart transplant in December - and now the little fighter has smiled for the very first time

'I take pictures of Charlie every day because babies change so quickly,' said his mum Tracie Wright, 30, of Fenham, Newcastle.

'I had just taken one of him looking really grumpy and so I started laughing, and he looked at me and smiled.

'It was overwhelming, just amazing. In that moment I forgot about everything we had been through.

'I just saw a beautiful baby smiling back at me and looking happy.

'It came out of nowhere. Charlie's dad Steven was with me but he didn't notice at first, I had to nudge him, then I took a picture as quickly as I could.'

Charlie's mum Tracie Wright, 30, of Fenham, Newcastle, often takes pictures of her little boy in hospital but said she was overwhelmed to see him smile

Charlie, who was born on October 2, has been steadily improving since undergoing the operation - and Tracie says he is doing better than ever.

A nurse even told her that her baby is the youngest to have had a heart transplant at the Freeman Hospital.

Tracie, also mum to Jamie, 10, and Ryan, seven, said: 'I have written to the family in case the want to contact us. I can't describe in words the gratitude I feel for them.

'They have given us the most precious gift.

'It's important that we are respectful of their privacy, but if they express a wish to meet us then I would be more than happy to.

'Charlie is doing well, but we are taking one day at a time, and we don't yet know when he will be coming home.

'We're just happy he's come this far.'

Charlie, who was born on October 2, has been steadily improving since undergoing the operation - and Tracie says he is doing better than ever

A nurse even told Tracie that her baby is the youngest to have had a heart transplant at the Freeman Hospital

Charlie's heart problem was diagnosed when Tracie had her 20-week scan.

He had hypoplastic left heart syndrome - a condition which leaves the left side of the organ underdeveloped and not working properly.

His aorta was also narrow and had a hole in it and there was another hole between two of the chambers of the heart.

But his parents decided to carry on with the pregnancy and give little Charlie the chance to thrive.

His mother made a viral appeal on Facebook to nearly 100,000 people in a desperate bid to find him a new heart.

Her prayers were answered and Charlie was rushed to theatre for the nine-hour operation.

'It was wonderful to see our little warrior's first ever smile,' said Charlie's dad Steven Douthwaite, 32.

'Charlie continues to make steady progress.

'His chest is still open. It has a vacuum dressing on so that will allow his chest to close at its own pace. Slow and steady seems to be working well.

'A nurse said she thinks Charlie is the youngest person to receive a transplant in the Freeman which is absolutely gobsmacking.

'He's been through so much and we are just so happy about the progress he has made.'

Charlie was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome - a condition which leaves the left side of the organ underdeveloped and not working properly - during Tracie's 20-week scan

Posting on Facebook shortly after Charlie underwent his transplant, Tracie and Steven wrote: 'We just wanted to let you all know that Charlie received his heart and has had his transplant.

'It hasn't quite sunk in that out there somewhere an amazing family gave us that amazing priceless most precious gift that could ever be given, in their darkest time they still thought of someone else.

'There (SIC) such special people. Thank you just doesn't seem like a big enough word to say to them.

'They gave our baby boy a second chance at life and for that we'll be forever thankful and eternally grateful.

'We can't describe what Charlie means to us hes the most special and precious baby boy.

'It's still early days for Charlie having a heart transplant is a massive operation for such a small baby and we just need him to recover well.

'He's done well so far we couldn't be any more proud of him he's a real life hero, our little warrior.'A single mother who took the perfect picture of of four smiling royals on Christmas Day says the photo has changed her and daughter's lives forever.

Karen Anvil, 39, was one of hundreds who braved the cold to get a glimpse of the royal family as they walked to St Mary Magdalene Church, on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk on December 25.

But she never expected to get such a candid shot of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

After 'screaming like a fan-girl' to get their attention, she managed to take a close-up that ended up on front pages around the world.

After 'screaming like a fan-girl' to get their attention, single mother Karen Anvil managed to take a close-up of the Duke and Duchess and Cambridge, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (pictured) as they attended church at Sandringham on Christmas Day

The hospital worker, of Watlington, Norfolk, told the BBC: 'My phone will ring at work and I have to say to my colleagues, 'oh it's just my agent'.

'Obviously they think it's hilarious, but I feel so silly.'

The picture Ms Anvil took ended up on the front of nearly every British newspaper and she says over 50 publications from around the world have since contacted her asking to use the photograph after she posted it on social media.

The requests have come as far as Japan, the US, Canada, Spain and Italy.

It was also used in Hello Magazine in the UK.

After it ended up on front pages around the world, hospital worker Ms Anvil (pictured with her daughter Rachel, 17) says the image has changed her and her family's lives

Ms Anvil says she is using the royalties she gets from the image to pay for her 17-year-old daughter Rachel's university fees.

She wants to study nursing, which will cost them 27,000 in tuition, plus maintenance.

The mother-of-one told the Eastern Daily Press at the time: 'Rachel wants to go to work for the NHS in some capacity.

'I want to save money for my daughter for uni and if I can get that opportunity that's amazing.

'I'm just someone who takes photos on their iPhone, I'm not a photographer by any means.

'I don't know how much I'm expecting to get. It's all going to go to my daughter and her education. She does me proud and that's what as mum does isn't it.'

The pair are also celebrating Rachel's 18th birthday with a US holiday later this year.

The 39-year-old's own picture has also appeared alongside her iconic snap in some places.

She added: 'There's a picture of me and Rachel in Hello too - that's the one I was happiest about. It couldn't get any better than that.

'I've had some offers to do work but they're just too cringe, to be honest. Some friends have told me I should do Gogglebox.

'It's not really for me though'.Advertisement

There were dramatic scenes at Sandringham this morning when an onlooker collapsed yards from the royal family as they attended church.

Locals gathered to watch the Queen, Prince Philip, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge come out of St Mary Magdalene Church on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk.

But police had to rush to the aid of a man, believed to be in his 50s, who collapsed just yards away from Prince William and the Duke of Edinburgh.

Prince William and his wife Kate were joined by her sister Pippa and husband James Matthews, who did not appear to notice the commotion.

After falling to the ground he was assisted by officers and wrapped in a thermal blanket with the help of onlookers.

He was conscious as medics treated him and did not appear to be in a serious condition.

Norfolk Constabulary and the East of England Ambulance Service have not yet commented on the incident.

Police had to rush to the aid of a man (pictured), believed to be in his 50s, who collapsed just yards away from Prince William and the Duke of Edinburgh (circled) as they left church in Sandringham, Norfolk this morning

Prince William and Prince Philip did not appear to notice the police commotion behind them as the man lay on the ground

It is not yet clear what happened to the man, but he was treated by paramedics at the scene and appeared to be conscious

After falling to the ground he was assisted by officers and wrapped in a thermal blanket with the help of onlookers

Norfolk Constabulary and the East of England Ambulance Service have not yet commented on the incident this morning

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge accompanied the Duke of Edinburgh on the short walk from Sandringham to St Mary Magdalene church on Sunday

DRAMATIC SCENES AT SANDRINGHAM After the royals attended the morning service at St Mary Magdalene Church on the Sandringham estate this morning they stood with onlookers outside. But as they chatted to locals, a man, believed to be in his 50s, fell to the ground. Police officers heard the commotion and rushed to his aid. Paramedics were called and wrapped him in a blanket to keep him warm. He remained conscious and did not appear to be in a serious condition. It is not clear what happened, but MailOnline has contacted the police and ambulance service for comment. Advertisement

Famously active at the age of 96, it was no surprise the Duke of Edinburgh made the journey from his Sandringham home to St Mary Magdalene Church on foot today..

Philip was not alone this morning, joined by his grandson Prince William and Kate, who is pregnant with the couple's third baby.

The Duchess of Cambridge showcased her growing baby bump in a fitted brown tweed coat by British designer Moloh paired with a Russian fur hat to keep out the January chill.

This is not the first time we have seen Kate in the coat having previously worn it for Christmas Day celebrations in Sandringham back in 2014.

She may be five-months pregnant but Kate rarely opts for comfort over style choosing to wear a pair of heeled court shoes for her outing today.

The couple's two children Princess Charlotte and Prince George are thought to have remained at home at the couple's Norfolk residence of Anmer Hall.

The trio appeared to be in high spirits as they made their way into the chapel for the traditional service which is regularly attended by the royals while in Sandringham.

Also attending the service today was the Duchess of Cambridge's sister Pippa Matthews who made a surprise appearance joined by her husband James Matthews.

The Duchess of Cambridge showcased her growing baby bump in a fitted brown tweed coat paired with a fur hat to keep out the January chill

The royals received a warm welcome from locals who had travelled to the church in hope to catch site of the arrivals

The family appeared to be in high spirits as they arrived at the chapel for the Sunday service

Pippa, who married James in a lavish ceremony in May, looked chic in a navy blue trench coat and matching fedora as she took her husband's hand.

The couple, who live in London, are likely to be staying with the Cambridges in their Norfolk home of Anmer Hall for the weekend.

While the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge chose to join Philip on the walk the Queen was seen arriving at the church by car.

Accompanied by a female friend, the Queen looked elegant in a vibrant pink coat and matching hat with black accents as she arrived at the church.

Also attending the service today was the Duchess of Cambridge's sister Pippa Matthews who was joined by her husband James Matthews

Pippa, who married James in a lavish ceremony in May, looked chic in a navy blue trench coat and matching fedora as she took her husband's hand

Pippa added a touch of embellishment in the form of a star shaped brooch placed on the brim of her hat while James looked dapper in a traditional suit

The royals received a warm welcome from locals who had travelled to the church in hope to catch site of the arrivals.

The family appeared to be in high spirits on Sunday morning in light of the news that Zara and Mike Tindall are expecting their second child.

The Queen will become a great-grandmother again twice this year, after her granddaughter announced yesterday that she and husband Mike Tindall were expecting their second child.

The baby will be born in the summer, about three months after the Duke and Duchess of Cambridges third child is due, sources claim.

The Queen however appeared to arrive separately, arriving with a female companion in the back of her car

Her Majesty looked elegant in a bright pink coat and matching hat with black accents during the church service on Sunday

With Prince Harry due to marry fiancee Meghan Markle on May 19 at Windsor Castle, it will be a joyous year for the 91-year-old monarch and her family.

Yesterdays news came just over a year after Zara and Tindall suffered the heartache of a miscarriage.

At the end of November 2016 the couple said they were expecting a brother or sister for three-year-old Mia, but almost a month later, on Christmas Eve, they announced Zara had lost the baby.

It is believed she was around four months pregnant at the time. As a result, she missed the Royal Familys annual celebrations at Sandringham.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: The Queen and members of the royal family were very pleased.

The royal family were last seen at the chapel in Sandringham on Christmas Day, which saw Prince Harry's fiance Meghan Markle join the royals for Christmas for the first time.

Crowds gathered along the footpath leading up to the chapel as the royal trio made their arrival for the Sunday service

The Suits star looked a little nervous as she was pictured with other members of the royal family, including the Duchess of Cambridge, for the first time.

And she appeared to wobble slightly as she gave her first curtsy to the Queen after the service.

However, Prince Harry told the Today programme that her first royal family Christmas had been a resounding success.

When the fifth in line to the throne was quizzed by presenter Sarah Montague at the end of guest editing the three-hour show he replied: 'It was fantastic, she really enjoyed it.'

Sandringham has been owned by the royal family since 1862 when it was purchased by Queen Victoria at the request of her son Edward, then Prince of Wales.

Since then, the house has been in continuous use by the royal family and it was there that King George VI died on the 6th February 1952.

It is also from Sandringham that the Queen's annual Christmas speech is broadcast.A British prostate cancer sufferer who was held in a Dubai prison after customs officers said he had 'too many pills' has been freed.

Perry Coppins, 61, was arrested at the port of Fujairah after a customs official thought he had taken illegal amounts of his prescription medication into the country.

The maritime security officer was carrying his medicine with his prescription, which is legal to take in the United Arab Emirates.

But the father-of-three, from Nottingham, was jailed for five weeks despite his explanation that he needed enough of his medication to last him for a six-month trip.

Perry Coppins (pictured) was arrested at the port of Fujairah in the UAE on November 1 after an official thought he had illegal medication

The maritime security officer (pictured) was held in Dubai but has finally been released

He was due to appear in court around on January 15 and it was feared that he could have been looking at 'years' in prison.

His heartbroken family, daughters, Pia, 24, and Mia, 10, son, 21-year-old son Cameron, said they missed their father and were pleading with the UAE authorities to allow him medical treatment.

His ordeal began during a luggage check at the port when his prescription paperwork was not accepted by a customs officer.

He has been diagnosed with anxiety and for the last 21 years has been taking Temazepam, Clonazepam and Citalopram prescribed by his GP.

A protest was launched after news of his arrest was publicised by Campaign group Detained in Dubai (DiD).

DiD said his passport has now been returned, the charges against him dropped and said that he is free to return home.

However, the group added he was cash-strapped after spending his savings on mounting legal and living expenses as he waited to face court.

DiD chief executive Radha Stirling said: 'We welcome the decision by Dubai authorities to take the humane and sensible course with Perry.

But he spent his savings in order to mount a legal challenge while he waited for his case to be brought to court

He was facing a lengthy prison sentence in Dubai, according to the charity which was representing him

Mr Coppins was detained at the port of Fujairah after a customs officer refused to believe his medication was for personal consumption

'This case should never have escalated to the point of criminal charges, but without the scrutiny of the international media, it is unlikely that Perry would be a free man tonight.

'In the absence of such attention, what was essentially a misjudgment by one customs official turned into a literally life-threatening situation for Perry.'

DiD claimed Mr Coppins was denied his medication in custody, and his condition deteriorated rapidly as he suffered severe withdrawal, including hallucinations, bouts of blindness and weight loss.

His family and friends were hoping that Mr Coppins would be able to get the treatment he needed.Male sex robots with bionic penises will be rolled out this year according to the pioneer of pleasure behind the popular female versions that dropped last year.

Matt McMullen, founder of Realbotix, is the man who created Harmony, an artificial intelligence app that syncs up with a robotic head system.

The application enables users to match an AI personality with a humanoid robot head, to create the most realistic sex doll imaginable.

Male sex robots with bionic penises will be rolled out this year according to the pioneer of pleasure behind the popular female versions that dropped last year

Harmony allows android companions to talk, learn and satisfy customer's sexual desires. Currently there are only only female versions of Harmony avatars and robotic heads but founder Matt McMullen thinks there is a demand for male versions

Harmony allowed the android companions to talk, learn and satisfy customer's sexual desires.

Currently there are only only female versions of Harmony avatars and robotic heads - and they cost around 11,000, but Matt thinks there is a demand for male versions.

'We're working on a male version of the robot AI,' Matt told Daily Star Online.

'We'll eventually have a male and a female platform available.'

Founder and CEO of Realbotix Matt McMullen (right) stands beside one of his female sex bot creations

He is the mind behind Harmony, an artificial intelligence app that syncs up with a robotic head system. Currently only female versions are available but McMullen revealed male versions will be rolled out this year

Matt, whose firm is based in San Diego, California, previously revealed he had blueprints to create a male sex robot with a bionic penis.

He said customers will be able to plug the robot in so that it can go as long as the user wants.

On the size of its manhood, Matt said the male sex robots will come in all shapes and sizes.

Lifelike: On the size of its manhood, Matt said the male sex robots will come in all shapes and sizes

'There's rebuilding that needs to happen on both fronts to create a male platform.

'We're working hard on that and that's one of the next big things we're looking to get up and running.'

World leading AI researcher Dr David Levy told the Daily Star Online that male erotic cyborgs could be more popular than sex toys such as vibrators and dildos

Expects said male sex robots could become more popular than toys such as vibrators and dildos

He said: 'I'm sure women will find robots equally appealing as men.

'If women are that interested in getting satisfaction from a vibrator, imagine how the same women will feel having a robot they can put their arms round them and having the robot squeeze them.'

Matt was scrutinised for objectifying women after he created a female sex robot with 'big breasts' and 'pornstar features'.

But the CEO said he considers his creations more than sex dolls, and refers to them as companions.American intelligence agencies initially believed that North Korea was still years away from developing a missile that could reach the United States - but may have gotten their predictions wrong, a new report claims.

When President Donald Trump first took office almost a year ago, intelligence agencies told the new administration that they had at least four years to come up with a plan to slow or stop North Korea's development of an atomic bomb that was capable of striking US soil, the New York Times reports.

Agency officials believed the East Asia country's leader Kim Jong un faced a wide range of issues that would give Trump and his administration more than enough time to negotiate or look into countermeasures.

The ICBM Hwasong-15 was launched in Pyongyang, North Korea in November. It's said the missile, pictured, can fly more than 8,000 miles and reach Washington

The Hwasong-15, pictured, did not survive re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere and broke apart in the waters off the coast of Japan, US officials said

President Donald Trump (left) said he would talk on the phone with North Korean leader Kim Jong un but not without preconditions

The intelligence community also said 33-year-old Kim was 'young, inexperienced and distrusted by his military', according to the outlet.

However, when senior officials began looking more heavily into North Korea's weapons programs, they made two wrong assumptions about how fast the country was working to develop stronger and deadlier warhead.

One wrong assumption, the Times claims, is that officials thought North Korea would need as much time to solve the rocket science as other countries did during the Cold War. Officials also misjudged Kim, who made the country's weapons program a higher priority than his father or grandfather.

One official reportedly thought the North Korean leader wouldn't be able to strike the US until 2020 or 2022.

Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, Trump's national security adviser, acknowledged in an interview with the Times on Saturday that Kim's weapons programs development 'has been quicker and the time timeline is a lot more compressed than most people believed'.

'We have to do everything we are doing with a greater degree of urgency, and we have to accelerate our own efforts to resolve the issue short of conflict, he continued.

A spokesman for the director of national intelligence, however, told the outlet that the intelligence community was not caught off guard with the leader's accelerated pace.

'Any suggestion that we didn't see these tests coming is dead wrong,' Brian P. Hale said. 'The intelligence community has always assessed that Kim Jong un is firmly committed to developing a nuclear capability. We were, therefore, no surprised by his accelerated pace of testing over the past few years.'

Recently, Pyongyang staged eight intermediate-range missile tests, seven of which either blew up on the pad or shattered in flight.

Pyongyang staged eight t intermediate-range missile tests, including Hwasong-15 (pictured). Seven of the eight missiles either blew up on the pad or shattered in flight

Kim Jong un made North Korea's weapons programs a high priority when he became leader

Trump is said to be unaffected by the intelligence community underestimating North Korea and their weapons program

On November 29, North Korea launched its latest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), dubbed Hwasong-15. It was said that the bomb could fly about 8,100 miles, which would reach Washington, but it did not survive re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere during the test.

US officials told Fox News that the missile broke apart landing in the waters close to the Japanese coast.

Despite the intelligence community's predictions seemingly being off, McMaster told the Times that President Trump is not worried.

'He doesn't have the expectation of perfect intelligence about everything. He is very comfortable with ambiguity,' he said. 'He understands human nature and understands he will never have perfect intelligence about capabilities and intentions.'

On Friday, Trump said he would be willing to talk to Kim on the phone but not with preconditions.

'Sure, I always believe in talking,' he told reporters while at a presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland. 'Absolutely, I would do that.'Police were called in to break up 'disturbances' caused by furious passengers who have been stranded at the John F Kennedy International for nearly two days as a terminal is evacuated due to flooding.

A portion of JFK, the arrivals section of Terminal 4, was evacuated around 1.30pm on Sunday due to a massive water break stemming from the sprinkler system. The water rose quickly as passengers fled the terminal.

The flooding affected the arrivals frontage areas and the customs and immigration processing facility, ABC7 reports.

The water system damage, which is being investigated by the Port Authority, caused 143 flight cancellations.

Passengers disembarking from international flights were processed through customs and then were forced to exit the airport without their bags because the baggage claim was not working.

The Terminal's arrivals section was reopened later in the evening.

Scroll down for video

A portion of JFK was evacuated around 1.30pm on Sunday due to a massive water break (pictured). The water rose quickly as passengers fled the terminal

Video and photos showed dozens of suitcases on the floor of the terminal as water spewed from the ceiling and onto computers and other technology in an arrivals area

Chaos at @JFKairport terminal 4 after water main break. Listen to passengers describe what happened: It was just a madhouse. They were just like pushing people out. Nobody was moving. Everyone was confused. pic.twitter.com/Y9CdVQcCUX  CeFaan Kim (@CeFaanKim) January 7, 2018

Video and photos showed dozens of suitcases on the floor of the terminal as water spewed from the ceiling and onto computers and other technology in an arrivals area.

Airport employees were seen desperately trying to clean up the area.

The airport has been rife with chaos for the past weekend as many passengers remained stranded from canceled or delayed flights from Thursdays 'bomb cyclone' snowstorm.

The airport has been rife with chaos for the past weekend as many passengers remained stranded from canceled or delayed flights from Thursdays 'bomb cyclone' snowstorm. Water is seen castigating

Airport employees (left and right) were seen desperately trying to clean up the area

Port Authority police officers were dispatched to break up a 'disturbance' over a canceled flight in Terminal 4, Virgin Atlantic tweeted Saturday night.

'We are sharing a gate with another airline, and they have just cancelled there flight, causing the disturbance and the police being called,' Virgin Atlantic tweeted just before midnight.

The disturbance was reportedly caused by angry passengers of an XL Airways France flight, whose trip had been delayed for 2.5 days.

According to passenger, Jeremy Silver, the madness began when travelers learned of their canceled XL Airways France flight at gate B23.

Silver said the incident was a 'near riot' as he prepared to board a bus with Virgin Atlantic flyers whose flight was operating on time.

Crowds of angry passengers at the John F Kennedy airport descended into 'near riots' after being grounded for more than two days by the massive 'bomb cyclone' that battered the Northeast last week

Port Authority police officers were dispatched to break up a 'disturbance' over a canceled flight in Terminal 4, Virgin Atlantic tweeted Saturday night. Video (pictured) showed passengers questioning an employee at the airport

'We are sharing a gate with another airline, and they have just cancelled there flight, causing the disturbance and the police being called,' Virgin Atlantic tweeted just before midnight

'It seems as if some punches were thrown as people jostled,' Silver told the New York Daily News.

'The crowd went nuts booing and shouting.'

Silver's flight was headed to London and Virgin had to transport passengers from the terminal to the aircraft via bus.

According to one passenger, travelers were 'literally protesting at the an Air China gate'.

'Then an Air France plane pulls up and the passengers lose it and block the boarding area. One pax saying theyve been there for 3 days. Very bad situation at JFK,' the passenger said in a tweet.

The disturbance was reportedly caused by angry passengers of an XL Airways France flight, whose trip had been delayed for 2.5 days

According to passenger, Jeremy Silver, the madness began when travelers learned of their canceled XL Airways France flight at gate B23 (pictured)

Passengers are seen waiting on information about their flights at gate B23

A passenger on the plane, Benjamin Sutton, tweeted updates about the XL Airways flight. He tweeted the above photos as he and others were transported on a bus (left) to the aircraft (right)

The flight left shortly before noon Sunday and is expected to arrive in Paris at 1.20am Monday morning

'Update on flight SE041: flight departed JFK at 11:50am. Scheduled arrival at CDG: 00:20am on Jan. 8,' the airport tweeted

Video recorded by one passenger showed angry customers gathered around a JFK employee.

'@XLAirways_NA Fix this. We havent slept in 2 days and were all *really* pissed,' on user tweeted in the caption of the video.

Several people are heard in the video trying to get information from the employee.

A passenger on the plane, Benjamin Sutton, tweeted updates about the XL Airways flight.

'The @XLAirways_NA agents keep repeating that other airlines at @JFKairport are dealing with the same issues, but plenty of flights at neighboring gates have boarded and taken off in the meantime,' Sutton tweeted at 6.48am.

About four hours later, Sutton tweeted a photo showing passengers being bused to their XL Airways flight.

The flight left shortly before noon Sunday and is expected to arrive in Paris at 1.20am Monday morning.

'Update on flight SE041: flight departed JFK at 11:50am. Scheduled arrival at CDG: 00:20am on Jan. 8,' the airport tweeted.

Thousands of passengers were stranded at JFK over the weekend, following more than 6,000 flight cancellations or delays stemming from the 'bomb cyclone' that rocked the Northeast on Thursday.

Chaos reigns at John F Kennedy Airport as thousands of passengers are stranded due to bomb cyclone-related delays and cancellations

Passengers are packed in quite closely in certain terminals as they ride out the travel nightmare in which they have unwittingly found themselves

The airport had closed on Thursday afternoon due to the storm and was reopened on Friday morning at 7am.

But the reopening was compounded by further disasters - such as a plane needing to turn back for an emergency landing after a false alarm and a collision on the tarmac.

Passenger Lily Crawford told Pix 11: 'People are sleeping on the ground, people are sitting on the ground. People have taken over wheelchairs. There are no outlets, people are running out of power on their phone.'

She added: 'It's complete chaos.'

A plane being towed at New York's JFK struck a Kuwait-bound airliner, prompting the flight to be cancelled.

A China Southern plane was being towed at JFK when it clipped the right tail end of a Kuwait Airways plane before the latter was due to takeoff for an overnight flight around 12am Saturday morning, the Port Authority said on Twitter.

Both aircrafts, which were Boeing 777s, sustained damage. No one was injured.

Kuwait Airways tweeted in Arabic that their plane was made inoperable due to the crash.

A China Southern plane being towed along the tarmac at JFK airport clipped the right tail end of a Kuwait Airways plane early Saturday morning. Pictured is a scene from the incident's aftermath

Both planes sustained damage but no passengers on the Kuwait-bound flight were injured. Pictured is the China Southern plane

Pictured is debris from the crash that left one plane's passengers forced to stay in accommodation after their overnight flight was cancelled

Passengers on Kuwait Airways flight 118 were taken to hotels and alternative routes for them will be planned, NBC New York reported.

On Saturday, temperatures reached a low of 9 degrees Fahrenheit (-13 degrees Celsius).

The Port Authority, which runs New York-area airports, announced Saturday that flights were being limited into JFK, 'including all flights scheduled to arrive into Terminal 1 for the rest of the evening'.

It said a surge in flights rescheduled after the storm, combined with severe storm damage to equipment, resulted in delays in getting planes and passengers to gates.

The passengers on the Kuwait-bound flight were booked into hotels and will be rescheduled on different flights

Passengers line up near the ticketing area of a terminal at JFK amid the airport's many cancellations and delays

The failure of baggage claim machines has caused the baggage claim process to be done manually - as in, by hand - greatly increasing the amount of time it takes for people to get their luggage

Frustrated: Passengers wait in the airport's Lufthansa terminal area amid the chaos

Tracking site Flightradar24 said at least 12 international flights had been waiting, around two to four hours, for a gate to deplane.

Passengers complained of being stranded on the tarmac for hours and then facing lengthy delays in baggage claim that made traveling, particularly with babies or the elderly, a misery.

Multiple trans-Atlantic flights simply gave up and went home, including an Aeroflot flight from Moscow that turned back over Iceland.

Customers were outraged over the airport staff's poor communication and baggage claim malfunctions causing all off-loading to be done by hand, according to the New York Daily News.

The Port Authority told the Daily News that much of the chaos is affecting the International terminal and Terminal 4.

Instagram user zhxiang20 uploaded a video showing stranded passengers in the airport packed in like sardines.

Stranded passengers play cards and check their phones in an effort to pass the time

The New York City metropolitan area has seen temperatures hovering in the single and low double-digits over the past couple of days. Pictured in the foreground, a man sleeps

Pictured are dozens of suitcases piled atop one another at JFK

The crash comes amid general travel chaos at JFK airport ever since it closed on Thursday due to the 'bomb cyclone' that hit the East Coast. Pictured is a busy scene at a baggage claim

The airport has been plagued with travel delays and baggage claim malfunctions

Another user, Sua Lee, shows utter chaos in a video as people swarm around a JFK terminal in an effort to understand the travel nightmare unfolding around them.

Passengers told DailyMail.com on Friday of their travel nightmares due to the huge snowstorm, which caused more than 5,000 flight cancellations in and out of the US Thursday.

Teacher Jessica Holden, who was returning to New York on a Thomas Cook flight from Manchester, England, said: 'The flight was due to land at 1.55pm, it touched down at 4pm but we were sat on tarmac until 6pm.

'I waited for baggage, then at 7.30pmish they said "Oh sorry, because the plane went into the wrong terminal we can't bring it in."'

'There was nothing since. It's now 11pm and we've just been told we won't get our baggage tonight. People are getting angry. I just want to go home.'

Gemma Bond, who is from the UK and was visiting New York City for a vacation, said: 'After my flight being cancelled due to JFK's closure I was very lucky to get on a later flight today which had us land at JFK at 5.50pm local time, you could see the airport and runways had masses of back log and that this wasn't going to be a quick exit.

'After 25 minutes we were informed it could be another 50 minutes it was actually another two hours plus.'

Pictured is another view of hundreds of stranded passengers at JFK airport

The Port Authority tweeted out a photo of the American Airlines Boeing 738 that safely landed at its point of origin, John F Kennedy International Airport after turning back 20 minutes after takeoff

Passenger Gemma Bond took this photo at JFK on Friday night as she was stuck on a plane for nearly three hours after landing

Crews can be seen trying the clear the snow from the runway in this photo snapped by flyer Gemma Bond on Friday night

Cars are covered in snow in the airport's parking lot in the borough of Queens, New York

Also on Friday, an American Airlines flight bound for Cancun from JFK turned around for an emergency landing after someone on board said they saw a wing was on fire.

American Airlines officially said that the plane, a Boeing 738, needed to land due to a 'possible mechanical issue'.

And an Airbus A380 - the world's largest passenger jet - was en route to land at the JFK when it was diverted to Stewart Airport in Orange County on Thursday due to winds and whiteout conditions.

Port Authority said in a statement that it is 'working diligently with the FAA, airlines, and individual terminal operators to limit the arrival of flights into JFK Airport, until there are adequate gates available to handle the backlog of flights due to recovery of flight schedules in the wake of Thursday's storm'.

Charleston, South Carolina's airport has also been heavily affected by the storm.

The Southern, subtropical coastal city rarely sees snow but received four inches during the 'bomb cyclone'.

Forecasters said below-normal temperatures are likely to continue into early next week, predicting freezing rain from Kansas to Tennessee. Ice could complicate road transport.

Mount Washington, New Hampshire recorded the second-coldest temperature on earth early Saturday, minus 36 Fahrenheit.

Front loaders dump snow into a melter while clearing the apron around Gates C and D at Terminal B of LaGuardia Airport on January 4

Flights at JFK were suspended on Thursday afternoon because of the storm and resumed Friday morning

Stranded travelers and airport workers watch front loaders clear the snow on January 4Iranian protesters have been seen burning their identification cards as unrest continues in the country despite government claims protests have ended.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard said on Sunday the nation and its security forces have ended the wave of unrest linked to anti-government protests that erupted last month.

But videos of civilians burning government documents and bills suggest the violence, which has already killed 21, is far from over with Iranians refusing to pay for their utilities.

Clips were uploaded to social media with captions stating, 'We do not pay any bills' and 'This corrupt system is doomed to end'.

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A government document is torched by an Iranian as anti-government unrest continues in the country

Iranian protesters have been seen burning their identification cards as unrest continues in the country despite government claims protests have ended. Iran's Revolutionary Guard said on Sunday the nation and its security forces have ended the wave of unrest linked to anti-government protests that erupted last month

A university student attends a protest inside Tehran University while a smoke grenade is thrown by Iranian police, in Tehran, Iran, back in December

In a statement on the Revolutionary Guard's website, the force blamed the unrest on the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia, as well as an exiled opposition group known as the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, and supporters of the monarchy that was overthrown in the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Price hikes sparked protests in a number of cities and towns late last month, and at least 21 people were killed in scattered clashes.

The protests, which vented anger at high unemployment and official corruption, were the largest seen in Iran since the disputed 2009 presidential election, and some demonstrators called for the overthrow of the government.

Authorities have said in the past few days that the protests are waning, though these reports remained unverified.

The Revolutionary Guard is a powerful paramilitary force loyal to the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (pictured)

The Revolutionary Guard is a powerful paramilitary force loyal to the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Many of the demonstrators protested against the Guard's massive budget, its costly interventions across the region, and against the supreme leader himself.

Hundreds of people have been detained since the protests began.

They include around 90 university students, reformist lawmaker Mahmoud Sadeghi was quoted as saying by the semi-official ISNA news agency.

Later on Sunday, Tehran prosecutor, Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, said that 70 of the detained protesters have been released on bail during the last 48 hours.

He added that there would be more releases from detention, except for the main instigators of the riots who will be 'dealt with seriously.'

Iranian lawmakers held a closed session on Sunday in which senior security officials briefed them on the protests and the conditions of the detainees, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.

'It was emphasized that foreign elements, and in particular the United States, played a basic role in forming and manipulating the recent unrest,' IRNA quoted lawmaker Jalal Mirzaei as saying.

The United States and Israel have expressed support for the protests, which began on December 28 in Iran's second largest city, Mashhad, but deny allegations of fomenting them.

In recent days, government supporters have held several mass rallies across the country to protest the unrest.

A protester with covered face holds a sign as others hold Iranian flags of the constitutional monarchy era as they protest near Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany on Saturday

The head of the CIA on Sunday denied his agency had any role in fomenting the recent anti-government protests in Iran but predicted the violent unrest 'is not behind us'.

Mike Pompeo, named a year ago by President Donald Trump to head the intelligence agency, told Fox News Sunday that economic conditions in Iran 'are not good.'

'That's what caused the people to take to the streets,' he said.

He blamed what he called Tehran's 'backward-looking' regime for turning a deaf ear to the voices of the people.

Asked about a claim by Iran's prosecutor general, Mohammad Javad Montazeri, that a CIA official had coordinated with Israel and Saudi Arabia - Iran's regional rivals - to work with exiled Iranian groups to stir dissent in Iran, Pompeo replied simply: 'It's false.'

'This was the Iranian people - started by them, created by them, continued by them, demanding a better set of living conditions and a break from the theocratic regime.'

Trump has repeatedly tweeted his support for Iranian protesters while castigating the Tehran regime, seizing on the recent unrest to again slam the multiparty nuclear deal with Iran as deeply flawed.

Trump faces deadlines around mid-month on whether to renew temporary waivers or restore US sanctions on Iran.

In October, Trump refused to certify that Iran was respecting its commitments under the 2015 nuclear accord, but did not reimpose sanctions or abandon the deal itself.

The administration has not revealed its intentions, but the Iran unrest is seen as a possible pretext for blowing up the nuclear accord.

The US Congress has been working on legislation aimed at tightening terms of the agreement in ways that might satisfy Trump's demands, and Pompeo expressed careful optimism that it might succeed.

'They could do something,' he said.

'They could take some of the weaknesses from the agreement... extend deadlines and snap back sanctions into place where they could really happen.'

But Bob Corker, head of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, said last week that while talks on Iran were continuing with the White House and its European partners, no new bill was imminent.

Any agreement, Corker said, would take several more weeks to work out.Gareth Martin, who lost control of the seaplane that crashed into the Hawkesbury River, has been described as 'a gentleman of the skies'

The pilot who lost control of the seaplane that crashed into the Hawkesbury River has been described as 'a gentleman of the skies' ahead of his funeral.

Gareth Morgan, 44, was at the helm of the doomed aircraft when it nosedived into the river, north of Sydney, killing him and a British family of five.

Family and friends gathered on Sunday at the Jubilee Church in Waverley where Mr Morgan attended services.

'He would always come to church on Sunday when he wasn't working, dressed immaculately, and he loved wearing smart, shiny shoes,' pastor Fini De Gersigny told The Daily Telegraph.

'It's been very difficult for us, Gareth was a man of the church for five or six years and was always offering his support to those in the church who needed it... He was a gentleman of the skies.'

Mr Morgan's funeral service will be held at Jubilee Church on Wednesday morning.

'It has been a difficult time for all who knew him but it will be an amazing reflection on who he was and how loved he is,' the church posted on Facebook.

'Thank you and bless you all.'

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Mr Morgan was at the helm of the doomed aircraft when it nosedived into the river, north of Sydney, killing him and a British family of five

Pastor Fini De Gersigny said: 'It's been very difficult for us, Gareth was a man of the church for five or six years'

Mr Morgan's funeral service will be held at Jubilee Church on Wednesday morning

It comes after revelations police were set to search Mr Morgan's home and probe his religious and political leanings, as well as his social behaviours, the paper reported.

Mr Morgan's flatmate Luke Thornley said police had last week requested to inspect the Enfield property, in Sydney's inner-west, and the pilot's bedroom.

'As far as we are aware, Gareth was fine and happy and didn't give the impression anything was wrong,' Mr Thornley told the paper.

Mr Morgan died along with high-profile UK businessman Richard Cousins, his two adult sons Edward and William, his fiancee Emma Bowden and her 11-year-old daughter Heather.

The crash killed experienced pilot Gareth Morgan (left), 44, and high-profile UK businessman Richard Cousins (right), 58

Victims Emma Bowden, 48, and her 11-year-old daughter Heather in front of Sydney Opera House days before the doomed 1960s single-engine DHC-2 Beaver plane plunged into the Hawksbury River

Emma Bowden, 48, and her daughter Heather, 11, died in the horror seaplane crash in the Hawkesbury River

Authorities last week used a floating crane to recover the seaplane, which crashed into the river on New Year's Eve.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is working to determine why the seaplane went down. One possibility is the plane stalled.

Aircraft maintenance engineer Michael Greenhill said that while it was not mandatory in Australia for Beaver planes to have stall warnings installed, most did.

'A stall is when the airflow over the aircraft's wing becomes insufficient enough to produce lift,' Mr Greenhill said.

'So basically the wing stops flying.'

Mr Cousins' sons Edward, 23 (left) and William, 25 (right) were also killed when their seaplane plunged into the Hawkesbury River

Pictures show the wreckage of the Sydney Seaplane which crashed into a river on New Years Eve killing all six people on board being pulled out of the water

Emma Bowden, 48, with her daughter Heather in Sydney, days before the pair died in the crash

Investigators hope data will be recovered from the plane's avionics instruments and any smartphones or cameras which were on board to piece together the final moments before the crash.

The Seaplane Pilots Association Australia said the aircraft involved in the crash is considered safer than other small planes because of its capacity to land on water in an emergency.

But it is believed the plane nosedived suddenly, leaving the pilot no time to make a mayday call before it plunged into the river.

This is believed to be the last photograph taken of pilot 44-year-old Gareth Morgan, 44

Wreckage of the Sydney Seaplane which crashed into a river on New Years Eve killing all six people on board has been pulled out of the water

Parts of the plane are being loaded onto a barge to be taken away

The tragic crash killed all six people on board including a British family of fiveA ghost hunter claims he spoke to the apparition of comedy icon Stan Laurel at a rundown cinema - and says he's got the photographic evidence to prove it.

Micky Vermooch, 64, captured the image at the derelict Kings cinema in Bishop Auckland, Co Durham.

The paranormal investigator also claims he had a conversation with the former silent movie star  who was one half of legendary comedy duo Laurel and Hardy.

Micky Vermooch, 64, claims to have captured an image of comedy legend Stan Laurel (right). Left, the movie star in his heyday

'Stan Laurel was walking alongside me,' he told the Daily Star Online.

The ghoul hunter described Stan's voice as gentle and claimed the comic smelled of Macassar oil, a hair-styling product popular in Victorian times.

He said: 'Stan said he was at peace and told me, "This is where I had my happy times. This is where I belong".'

Stan Laurel rose to fame in the 1920s as one half of comedy duo Laurel and Hardy

Mr Vermooch said: 'He has shown himself to me because he wants the world to know he's around.

'It also seems ironic as his daughter passed away recently in America and a tribute to her life was held.'

Lois Laurel Hawes died last July aged 89 in Los Angeles after a short illness.

The slapstick comedy pair featured in 107 films and were recently voted the seventh best comedy act of all time by a UK poll of fellow comedians. Above Laurel (right) and Oliver Hardy

Mr Vermooch, of Scarborough, North Yorkshire, also claimed to have made contact with Elizabeth Taylor's ghost in 2015.

The Kings cinema was shut down in the 1960s but the seating area and projection room upstairs are still intact.

Mr Vermooch said: 'I actually filmed this water tank moving. We were in what would have been the projection room and off that is an annex with three water tanks.

Above, the pair on-set of the Film The Devil's Brother in 1933 when they were at the height of their fame

'One was tipped over and it was moving. It was demonic. It vibrated and moved up and down for quite some time.'

Mr Vermooch said Mae was at the cinema with him with two other male stars from that era.

He said: 'Mae Dahlberg gave me her name. When she came through the atmosphere changed to an electric excitement. It was almost euphoric.

Laurel and Hardy The pair were a comedy duo during the Classical Hollywood era of American cinema In 2005 they were voted the seventh-greatest comedy act of all time by a UK poll of fellow comics Made up of English thin man Stan Laurel (18901965) and American fat man Oliver Hardy (18921957) They rose to fame in the 1920s through to the 1940s for their slapstick comedy Pair appeared in 107 movies, including full-length features and short films, with Laurel playing the clumsy and childlike friend of the big bad bully Hardy Their bowler hats became iconic along with their catchphrase 'Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into' Advertisement

'I felt she and Stan Laurel are linked in spirit. I got pushed down some steps.

'We were all engulfed in this atmosphere as if we were witnessing their stage performance.

'It was as if we were experiencing the feeling that the audience felt whilst watching them perform. It was wonderful.'To outsiders, Faye and Matthew Gooding and their five young sons appear to have perfect lives.

Indeed, more than 32,000 people follow them on Instagram, where Mrs Gooding posts beautiful photos of life in their four-bedroom detached house in a sought-after village near Lincoln.

For the couple themselves, however, this materially perfect world was lacking something  so now they are giving up all their possessions to travel round the world with Ralph, nine, Judah, seven, Hunter, four, and twins Freddie and Jasper, ten months.

Faye and Matthew Gooding have sold their home to travel the world with their children, twins Freddie (centre left) and Jasper (centre right) and (bottom row left to right) Judah, Ralph and Hunter

The couple made their decision after twins Freddie and Jasper (pictured) were born. They plan on bringing just one backpack with them each

This was the last Christmas that the couple, who run a mortgage broking business, will spend in their home, which has already been sold. Most of their belongings have gone too.

Shortly their Ford Galaxy car will be sold  and the family will take just one backpack each.

Mrs Gooding, 33, said: Some friends and family think Matt and I are mad to be giving up so much. Its been incredibly difficult getting rid of so many possessions  Christmas was strange as we didnt exchange lots of presents as we usually do.

Selling our house, which weve completely refurbished over the past couple of years, is sad. But getting rid of so many possessions has been liberating.

The couple made their decision after Freddie and Jasper were born.

Getting pregnant with the twins was a shock, said Mrs Gooding. Yet rather than enjoying spending time with the boys, I found myself cleaning the house all day. The older ones were at school and I thought, I hardly see them.

The family will leave this month and plan to start their travels in Sweden where they have friends

I admitted how I felt to Matt. He agreed it felt as if our lives revolved around material things  both of us working to pay the mortgage and keep ourselves in our materially perfect world.

Last summer the couple put their house on the market. And in September the older children didnt return to school, with Mrs Gooding teaching them at home instead.

When we told the older boys they were so excited they were going to have so much time as a family. It made us realise no amount of toys or material possessions compensates for time spent with your children.

Theyve had to give away many toys, bikes and books. However, although they can only take a small rucksack each of possessions  we gave each of them a rucksack for Christmas  they cant wait to go.

Their luxury four-bedroom detached home in a sought-after village near Lincoln has already been sold - and their Ford Galaxy car will soon be next

They will leave this month and plan to start their travels in Sweden where they have friends.

Mr Gooding, 36, said: The older boys will plot where we go next but we hope to see Europe and over two years travel as far as Japan, America, Bali and Thailand. While they wont go to school, Faye and I feel they will learn more than ever on our travels.

The couple have taken on extra staff in Britain and plan to run their business from abroad.

Mrs Gooding, who posts on Instagram as mother_of_five_boys, added: People have said arent you worried about stability and security?  particularly as we have five small children. It is a risk because we are giving up so much. But we cant wait to spend more time with our sons without the stresses of everyday routines.

We dont know what will happen, but we do know if we didnt do this we would always regret it.The caregiver of a six-year-old boy in Ohio who was so severely injured in a car crash that he was left paralyzed and bound to a wheelchair for the rest of his life faces deportation after an appeal was denied.

ICE agents said they will move forward with the deportation of 27-year-old Yancarlos Mendez, who was stopped in November for driving without a valid license. It was his second offense and he was sentenced to 30 days in jail.

While Mendez was detained in the Butler County jail the sheriff's office notified federal immigration officials that they had the mechanic.

When he completed his sentence, he was transferred to Morrow County Jail, north of Columbus, where he remains.

Yancarlos Mendez faces deportation after after he was stopped in November for driving without a valid license. The 27-year-old is the main caregiver of six-year-old Ricky Solis, who was severely injured and left paralyzed following a February 2017 car crash in Fairfield, Ohio

Mendez, who has dual citizenship in Spain and Dominican Republic, came to the United States legally in 2014 under the Visa Waiver Program but violated the program's terms by overstaying his visit for more than two years, the Detroit office of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement said.

Federal immigration officials told the Cincinnati Enquirer on Friday that Mendez 'was ineligible for any agency relief' and they will 'move forward with his repatriation to his home country.

According to officials, participants in the Visa Waiver Program waive their rights to a hearing before an immigration judge and can be detained until they are deported.

Up until his arrest, Mendez had been living with six-year-old Ricky Solis and the boy's mother Sandra Mendoza in their Springdale, Ohio apartment. Mendez and Mendoza are engaged.

In February, Solis and Mendoza were severely injured in a car crash on Dixie Highway in Fairfield when a driver crossed lanes and crashed into their vehicle.

Mendoza, who is also in the country illegally, broke her arm and leg in the crash and suffered other serious injuries.

She has since filed an application to receive a U Visa, which grants legal residency to victims of serious crime who cooperate with law enforcement.

She reported Solis' biological father for allegedly physically and emotionally abusing her.

Solis, who is a US citizen, fractured two vertebrae, ruptured his bowel and bladder, tore his colon, fractured multiple bones in his face and suffered a traumatic brain injury.

The little boy also suffered spinal cord bleeding, leading to permanent paralysis from the waist down. Solis is now confined to a wheelchair.

The kindergartner at Sharonville Elementary School has a long road to recovery ahead.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that Solis still deals with ongoing internal bleeding and will have to undergo surgery in February. His mother told the outlet that he's 'not healing fast enough'.

Solis spent months in Cincinnati Children's Hospital. Before he was released, Mendez and Mendoza had to undergo medical training and a 24-hour supervised period.

Ricky Solis fractured two vertebrae, ruptured his bowel and bladder, tore his colon, fractured multiple bones in his face and suffered spinal cord bleeding, leading to permanent paralysis from the waist down. Solis is now confined to a wheelchair

Because of some of the physical challenges that comes with caring for Solis, like lifting him out of his wheelchair and helping him shower, Mendez was the sole caregiver.

Mendoza now worries how she will handle those tasks on her own.

'He is so heavy and the bathtub so slippery that I am afraid I will drop him,' she told the outlet.

The young mother, who said she quit her job as a pizza worker to care for her son, said she's in shock over ICE's decision to deport her fiance and the only father figure Solis has ever known.

I cant believe this,' she said. 'Why is this happening?

The family's attorney applied for a one-year-old suspension of deportation with ICE, according to the Enquirer. They are still awaiting a decision.Streets across Britain are being plunged into darkness because councils cannot afford to fix the lights.

New figures show more than 33,000 streetlights considered necessary on roads are currently broken.

In some cases councils have taken almost three years to fix them. Fifteen councils had a streetlight that took a year or more to be fixed in 2016/17.

The figures were obtained by the Lib Dems in a Freedom of Information request to all councils, in which 118 responded.

Streets across Britain are being plunged into darkness because councils cannot afford to fix the lights (file photo)

Last night the AA warned elderly residents felt they had effectively been placed under a curfew because streets had become too dark to walk down.

The revelation comes despite local authorities planning to raise council tax by up to 5 per cent. Dozens of councils are already switching off their lights entirely as part of cost-cutting measures.

The rise in the number of streets being plunged into darkness raised fears of a rise in crime and road accidents.

The Lib Dems warned a lack of street lighting was 'a gift to criminals'.

Wera Hobhouse, Lib Dem Local Communities spokesman, said: 'It is shocking that in some areas it is taking months or even years to fix faulty streetlights.

Wera Hobhouse, Lib Dem Local Communities spokesman, described the streetlight situation as 'shocking'

'Our streets are being plunged into darkness as a result of cuts to council funding. It is a gift to criminals and a threat to public safety.

'This is especially concerning in the dark winter months when people rely on street lighting to get home safely.'

She added: ' Street lighting is crucial to help cut crime and reduce the risk of road accidents.

'Cash-strapped councils must be given more resources to detect faulty street lights and get them repaired as soon as possible.'

Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA said: 'With local authorities taking more than a year to fix a streetlight, councils are making some roads unnecessarily dangerous.

'Neglecting to repair streetlights in a timely manner has meant some elderly residents feel they have been placed under a curfew, as some streets become too dark to walk down.

The street light that hasn't been switched on for SEVEN years A street light still hasn't been switched on - seven years after it was installed on a level crossing. The lamp was erected in Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex, to help pedestrians cross the tracks. But it was never connected to the mains due to a row between council bosses over who should foot the bill. Town mayor Bob Calver, 66, said: 'It's a very strange story of a lamppost which was erected without an idea of how it was going to be connected when it was lit up. '[Every time I walk past it] it makes me feel that I wish we could do something about it. 'It's a ridiculous situation. I would describe the plans as missing an essential step. 'From my investigations it would appear that the original project plan...nobody had worked out the cost of linking it to the mains.' It's understood that workers at Burnham-on-Crouch organised to have the street light installed on land owned by Maldon District Council in Essex. But they didn't take into account the costs of wiring it up to the mains power supply - instead abandoning it for seven years. Mr Calver said Essex County Council and Maldon District Council have refused to connect the lamppost to the mains because of an estimated 5,000 cost. Burnham Town council has now hired a lighting contractor to estimate the cost of powering the lamppost with a solar panel. Advertisement

'The dimming of streetlights has contributed to 11 deaths since 2009. This dragging of heels is unacceptable, and residents will be interested to know why it took almost three years to fix the light on their road.

'How long does it take a council to change a streetlight?' might sound like the start of a joke, but the reality is that it's no laughing matter.'

Most councils take an average of a week to fix a broken streetlight, but for some councils the average is almost as long as a month, the figures reveal.

In total, more than 33,000 streetlights across the country are currently deemed broken.

The number of streetlights being reported faulty is down from 641,000 two years ago to 562,000 this year - down 12 per cent.

But local government officials said the fall could be a result of fewer night patrols checking how many lights are faulty.

The longest delays were in Suffolk, where one light took 1053 days to fix, followed by Knowsley council where it took the council 1002 days to fix a light this financial year.

Swindon council waited 871 days before they fixed their broken lights.

The average amount of time it took Knowsley council to fix a light was eight days this year.

Excuses for the delays included the need for extensive tree trimming, the need for portable scaffolding to reach inaccessible areas and a lack of special equipment.

Last year it emerged 85 per cent of councils are dimming or switching off some lights, up from 75 per cent three years ago.

An FOI found 1.27million lights  a total of 42 per cent  were being either switched off at night or dimmed.

This compared with a survey in 2014 of 141 councils, which found 24 per cent of lights were being switched off or dimmed.Father-of-three Ian Cross decided he'd go to the front line of the Rohingya crisis after signing up to Medecins Sans Frontieres when his wife died

A 64-year-old doctor has told how he left his comfortable life to go to the front line of the Rohingya refugee crisis.

Father-of-three Ian Cross arrived in Kutupalong, Bangladesh, to find more than 620,000 had arrived after fleeing persecution in Myanmar.

It was a far cry from his 25-year career as a GP in Leicester, which took a decisive turn when his wife died and he joined Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) in 2012 as a 'tribute' to her.

He watched the Rohingya crisis unfold this year having already completed 'missions' in Swaziland and Delhi fighting HIV and TB, but wrote on the Mirror Online it didn't stop him being heartbroken at seeing four people die on his first day in Bangladesh.

'Even though Id never worked in a crisis zone before, I made up my mind right away to go,' he said.

'I knew Id be in for a shock. Long days, and months without a day off were common in emergency zones, as medics pull together to save as many lives as possible.'

Doctor Cross is pictured at the Kutupalong medical facility in Bangladesh, where he worked to help the minority fleeing persecution in Myanmar

He found more than 620,000 refugees squashed into a 3,000-acre park that had been transformed into a makeshift camp and was struggling with a relentless flow of newly arriving Rohingyas, with as many as 20,000 arriving in just one day.

'The injuries we were seeing were atrocious  a lot of gunshot wounds, people whod been hit with gun butts, stepped on landmines, or who had fallen while fleeing from soldiers attacking their villages,' he said.

The patient that most stuck in his memory was a five-year-old girl who fled from soldiers attacking her village.

As her father ran with her held close to his chest, she clung tightly to his neck. But when a soldier fired at them, the bullet smashed through her arm and hit her father;s neck.

He died instantly and fell on top of his daughter, who was forced to wriggle free from beneath his corpse and flee to the Bangladeshi border.

Doctor Cross says bones in her wounded arm were fused together at the camp, where she also received tendon transplants.

Doctor Cross says he has found 'absolute joy' despite the devastation, recalling the treatment of young children who fled to the camp

Thanks to Medecins Sans Frontieres, she will be able to use her hand again once she has recovered from her injuries.

A father to three daughters, Doctor Cross said the hardest part of the Rohingya mission is seeing children born with conditions easily corrected in the UK.

'Its hard not to feel upset when you see a little girl wholl be blind for life because of cataracts that could have been corrected,' he said.

He also recalled treating a boy aged about 12 who had a club foot, which prevented him from running away from soldiers who stormed his village.

Once they'd easily caught up with him, they shot him in his disabled foot rather than killing him, which Doctor Cross said was intended to spread terror to other Rohingya people.

Refugees have been pouring into Bangladesh as soldiers terrorise Rohingya and chase them from their villages in Myanmar

At the camp, 43 Medecins Sans Frontieres medics work alongside Bangladeshi doctors.

Despite Doctor Cross joking 'I don't want to die' when he first joined the group in 2012, he says he's found 'absolute joy' and camaraderie at the frontline of this dangerous crisis.

He recalled witnessing the relief on a young girl's face as the agony brought on by tetanus spasms left her and she relaxed into her tearful father's arms.

In just 12 days at the camp, 300,000 youngsters were vaccinated against measles and medics are splitting their time to also dig wells for the refugees.

Doctor Cross has since returned from the crisis for a break and says he'd struggle to go back to being a full-time GP after his time at the frontline.

He admits finding it difficult to adjust and says he even sees the faces of Rohingya refugees in his dreams as he awaits his next mission.The French may well be renowned as fashion leaders, but it seems the cost of looking tres chic is actually tres cheap.

For a new study suggests Britons spend some 66 per cent more on clothing than those across the Channel.

The average Briton shells out more than 1,000 on new clothes and shoes each year, compared to a mere 600 for their French counterpart.

Expenditure on clothing and shoes accounted for only 3.7 per cent of the average household budget in France compared to 5.6 per cent in Britain in 2016, the EU statistics agency Eurostat has revealed.

French women are now for their style but a new study suggests Britons spend some 66 per cent more on clothing than those across the Channel (file photo)

And between 2006 and 2016, the proportion of British household budgets spent on clothes rose by 0.5 per cent, whereas in France it fell by 0.8 per cent.

Eurostat does not give any explanation, but it might be that Britons have been seduced by fast fashions and are constantly changing their wardrobe with items that do not last, while French women  at least those based in the city - buy fewer quality items.

The British Fashion Council says the British fashion industry contributes some 26bn to the UK economy each year, but France still has a reputation as the more stylish nation.

Leah Bourne of StyleCaster, a fashion website, said: When it comes to style, the French do it better.

But she pointed out that many French women say no to most trends and develop a signature look.

Another money-saving Gallic fashion secret, she said, is to investment shop.

The average Briton shells out more than 1,000 on new clothes and shoes each year, compared to 600 for their French counterpart. Pictured: British model Cara Delevingne

French women tend to buy fewer but better clothes rather than constantly renewing their wardrobes.

A big-ticket purchase that you love can actually turn out to be a value when compared with an endless string of disposable purchases, she said.

According to Laurent Thoumine, a retail expert, the French are still passionate about style, but are increasingly inclined to buy clothes from cheaper outlets or hypermarkets rather than from Frances world-famous fashion houses such as Chanel, Dior and Hermes.

Since the 2008 financial crisis, Mr Thoumine said, a trend which has hit different parts of France is buying and selling second-hand clothes.A Gold Coast woman is mourning the loss of her beloved Chihuahua after it died in a David and Goliath battle with a brown snake.

Evangeline Lim, 54, believes 10-year-old Cooper was trying to save her when he took on the highly venomous snake just as she was about to step outside to hang out her washing last week.

'The snake was upside down and Cooper was on top of it and wrestling,' the Hope Island woman told the Gold Coast Bulletin.

Cooper died saving his owner from a deadly brown snake

Evangeline Lim, 54, (pictured) believes 10-year-old Cooper was trying to save her when he took on the highly venomous snake

'He was obviously saving me from the snake.'

Ms Lim and her partner managed to rescue Cooper, by putting a pot plant on top of the snake.

But the tiny pooch had been bitten, and died within about 10 minutes.

'We rushed to get to the car to take him to the vet and my daughter was backing the car out... but by this point he was already going into cardiac arrest,' she said.

Ms Lim says locals need to be aware that deadly snakes may be lurking in their backyards.

Security officers at their Riverleigh Drive gated estate have reported spotting snakes every day.A cost-cutting plan that may lead to the loss of thousands of free cash machines could go ahead within days, campaigners said last night.

Banks have demanded a reduction in the fees they pay when a customer withdraws money from an ATM that is owned by another operator.

If they get their way it is feared many unprofitable machines would be shut down, hitting isolated communities and small firms.

Link, which oversees the country's network of 70,000 free ATMs, is expected to announce by January 31 its decision on whether fees should be cut.

But it is expected to reach a verdict privately before then.

Banks have demanded a reduction in the fees they pay when a customer withdraws money from an ATM that is owned by another operator. If they get their way it is feared many unprofitable machines would be shut down, hitting isolated communities and small firms

Business groups, MPs and campaigners last night pleaded with Link to change course and protect the network.

Wes Streeting, a Labour member of the Commons Treasury committee, said: 'As thousands of free ATMs in small towns and villages hang in the balance, I hope those taking the decision about ATM fees have seen the level of public concern about access to local cash machines.

'This is one MPs will be watching closely.'

The Treasury committee is asking the Payment Systems Regulator, which is responsible for Link's conduct, to make sure consumers are not harmed by the changes.

Mike Cherry, of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: 'With only a matter of days to go until Link announces its final decision on lowering the fee paid to cash machine providers, different operators are still at loggerheads over the implications of a reduced fee.

'The PSR must step in if Link's decision negatively impacts consumers and small businesses.

'With the bank branch network in rapid decline, it's more vital than ever that we have a robust ATM network across all areas of the UK.

'Dropping the interchange fee could seriously hamper cash flow in local economies, particularly in rural areas and tourist hotspots.

Wes Streeting, a Labour member of the Commons Treasury committee, said: 'As thousands of free ATMs in small towns and villages hang in the balance, I hope those taking the decision about ATM fees have seen the level of public concern about access to local cash machines.'

'That would mean less opportunity for small firms to invest, create new jobs and push our economy forward.'

Link claims that the 20 per cent cut in fees over four years  from 25p to 20p per average withdrawal  is necessary to stop banks from pulling out of its system altogether.

Bosses also suggest that there too many ATMs and numbers need to come down to a sustainable level.

Link has already been forced into a partial climbdown, saying it will now protect the network in remote areas.

James Lowman, of the Association of Convenience Stores, said: 'When any community is deprived of a free cash machine, it has a negative effect on businesses.

'We remain very concerned about Link's proposals.'A woman who discovered a red and sweating baby inside a parked car, says the father 'protested' when she pulled him from the vehicle.

Margi Keys was walking through a carpark in Whanganui, New Zealand on Wednesday when she heard the distressing cries of a baby from inside a car.

'There were heaps of people around but no one took any notice. I started calling out asking whose baby it was and eventually a man in his 20s waved at me but didn't come over to the car,' she told the NZ Herald.

Margi Keys was walking through a carpark (stock) in Whanganui, New Zealand on Wednesday when she heard the distressing cries of a baby from inside a car

Ms Keys said it was about midday and the temperature was 25 degrees when she saw the baby boy 'cooking' in the vehicle.

She said the child looked so distressed and heat-affected she knew she couldn't walk away and leave it.

With no assistance from the child's father, Ms Keys opened the back door, unclipped the boy's seatbelt and pulled him out.

'As soon as he was out of the car and in my arms he stopped crying,' she said.

With the baby in her arms, Ms Keys approached the father to discuss why she stepped in.

'He protested that he'd 'only been gone two minutes' and that 'he was asleep' when he parked the car,' she said.

Ms Keys said it was about midday and the temperature was 25 degrees when she saw the baby boy 'cooking' in the vehicle - she reached in and unclipped the child

New Zealand law states it is illegal to leave a child under the age of 14 alone in a car

She said she was shocked by his disinterest, and his ignorance about the dangers of leaving children in cars.

Ms Keys said she walked away unsure whether her message had gotten across to the father.

The incident was not the first for Whanganui, after a 16-month-old baby died when it was left in a hot car in 2015.

New Zealand law states it is illegal to leave a child under the age of 14 alone in a car.

The police warned parents if they had any doubt about leaving a child in a vehicle, they should not do it.A 38-year-old woman is behind bars after she allegedly attacked her ex-boyfriend with a meat cleaver.

The 51-year-old man was left with serious wounds to his chest and body after the alleged attack in the inner Sydney suburb of Darlinghurst on Friday.

The woman allegedly punched the man, who she had previously dated, before using the meat cleaver during a fight, police said.

A 38-year-old woman is behind bars after she allegedly attacked her ex-boyfriend with a meat cleaver (stock image)

The man was rushed to Vincent's Hospital where he was treated for his injuries.

Following a police investigation, the woman was arrested at her home on Sunday afternoon.

She was charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and is due to face Central Local Court on Monday.The number of British private school pupils going to university in the U.S. has risen by a fifth in just three years as aspirational families look for new ways to give their children the edge.

Some of the very brightest students at elite schools are shunning Oxbridge even though American colleges can cost more than 100,000 for tuition alone.

Harvard is among the most popular destinations and is currently attended by Barack Obamas daughter Malia and her British boyfriend Rory Farquharson, a former head boy of elite Rugby School. Brown University was also popular in 2014  the year in which Harry Potter actress Emma Watson graduated.

Between 2014 and 2016, the number of private school pupils from the UK attending US universities rose by 19 per cent, from 637 to 762, according to data from the Independent Schools Council (ISC). The council represents most private schools in the UK.

Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is among the most popular destinations for pupils at elite British schools

Demand is so great that London-based agencies are now charging up to 20,000 per pupil to guide families through the American application process.

One agency, Edvice, is understood to have pupils from top public schools including Charterhouse, Eton, Harrow and Godolphin. St Pauls and Wellington College have even set up their own in-house departments to handle applications, offering half-term trips to visit Ivy League campuses and providing test preparation.

Barnaby Lenon, ISC chairman, said a growing number are choosing American universities, although the proportion of total ISC pupils remains small  around 2 per cent. He said the surge may be partly down to rocketing fees and living costs in the UK, coupled with the increasing availability of scholarships in the U.S.

In the United Kingdom now you are paying 50,000 [including living costs] for a three year degree, he said. In the U.S. it is also expensive, but they have got a very extensive scholarship programme now going and are paying recruiters to come to Britain. Ten years ago, the great impediment to going to university in America was money. That is less the case now. He added that many pupils at ISC schools like the flexibility of U.S. degrees, which usually take in a much broader range of subjects.

Students at private schools are shunning Oxbridge for U.S. universities such as Harvard (pictured) even though they can cost more than 100,000 for tuition alone

Admissions tutors in the U.S. are also much more interested in extracurricular activities and qualities such as leadership, which many private schools pride themselves on nurturing.

Mr Lenon added an ISC pupil had recently rejected a place at Oxford to go to Stanford because of its prestige in the field of nanotechnology.

Parents are now more willing to allow children to go abroad because of cheaper flights and easy communication via the internet, he said. And he admitted some pupils may be swayed a little bit by the glamour appeal of universities that have been attended by the rich and famous.

The most popular university for British private school pupils in each of the three years was New York University (NYU), with attendance numbers jumping from 45 to 68 between 2014 and 2016. Former students include pop star Lady Gaga, actresses Anne Hathaway and Angelina Jolie, and film maker Woody Allen.

NYU costs 34,000 a year, meaning total tuition fees alone cost 136,000 as US degrees are typically four years. Tuition for UK degrees costs 9,250 a year.

Applying to a U.S. university is a gruelling process. Pupils are advised to set aside at least 80 hours to fill in the forms and apply to at least eight universities.Prime Minister Theresa May (pictured arriving back in Downing Street today) botched her reshuffle today as Jeremy Hunt refused to leave health and Justine Greening resigned rather than be moved

Theresa May's New Year relaunch hit the rocks tonight after Justine Greening dramatically resigned rather than be shifted from Education Secretary.

Ms Greening was offered the Work and Pensions brief in a bungled reshuffle but turned it down despite hours of talks with Mrs May.

Government sources said the Prime Minister was 'disappointed' but 'respects the decision'. Ms Greening was replaced by Employment Minister Damian Hinds.

The explosive development came at the end of a day in which Jeremy Hunt derailed Mrs May's plans by refusing to be moved from the Department of Health.

The pair of ministers thwarted Mrs May's hopes of overhauling her Government with more women and younger faces.

So far she has brought in four full Cabinet ministers - three of whom are white men - and lost a female minister.

Only one - Mr Hinds - has never served in the Cabinet before.

The failure to execute her reshuffle plans will leave Mrs May newly weakened in No 10 after starting the day hoping to put her mark back on the Government.

Ms Greening and Mr Hunt both spent hours inside Downing Street arguing with Mrs May that they should keep their jobs.

Mr Hunt left with an expanded portfolio and a new job title - Health and Social Care Secretary - while Ms Greening departed with her ministerial career in tatters.

It was claimed tonight that Mr Hunt argued 'strongly and passionately' to keep his current job - defying Mrs May's wishes and holding up the wider reshuffle.

After Mr Hunt kept his job, it meant Greg Clark - widely expected to be sacked - was immediately reappointed as Business Secretary. The Health Secretary was also left scrambling to apologise after inadvertently 'liking' a tweet about Ms Greening's departure tonight.

Mrs May has promoted just four women. Karen Bradley has moved from Culture Secretary to Northern Ireland, Esther McVey was pushed up from deputy chief whip to become Work and Pensions Secretary, Caroline Nokes was made immigration minister, and Claire Perry business minister.

The last two jobs merely attend gatherings of the top team rather than being a full member.

Three new full members of the Cabinet are white men. Brandon Lewis has been made party chairman while Matt Hancock is the new Culture Secretary.

Damian Hinds has been announced as the replacement as Education Secretary.

Justine Greening dramatically resigned from Government tonight after Theresa May tried to move her from Education Secretary

After more than an hour with the Prime Minister in Downing Street, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt declined to become Business Secretary and instead left with a wider portfolio that includes all social care policy

Mr Hunt was left scrambling to apologise after inadvertently 'liking' a tweet about Ms Greening's resignation

Tory grandee Nicholas Soames could not hide his frustration at the scope of Mrs May's changes tonight

After more than nine hours of appointments, more than half of the Cabinet is now in place. Fifteen ministers are in the same job they started the day.

Justice Secretary David Lidington has been shifted to fill the gap left by the axing of deputy PM Damian Green over computer porn allegations, becoming Cabinet Office minister.

However, although he will deputise for Mrs May at PMQs he has not been granted the same status as First Secretary of State.

In turn, David Gauke replaces Mr Lidington at Justice, moving from Work and Pensions.

CABINET RESHUFFLE: WINNERS AND LOSERS IN Tory Chairman: Brandon Lewis Culture Secretary: Matt Hancock Education Secretary: Damian Hinds Work and Pensions Secretary: Esther McVey Immigration minister: Caroline Nokes (attends Cabinet) Business minister: Claire Perry (attends Cabinet) STAYING Home Secretary: Amber Rudd Chancellor: Philip Hammond Brexit Secretary: David Davis Housing and Communities Secretary: Sajid Javid Foreign Secretary: Boris Johnson Health Secretary: Jeremy Hunt Business Secretary Greg Clark Defence Secretary: Gavin Williamson Trade Secretary: Liam Fox Transport Secretary: Chris Grayling Aid Secretary: Penny Mordaunt Environment Secretary: Michael Gove Lords Leader: Natalie Evans Scotland Secretary: David Mundell Wales Secretary: Alun Cairns Commons leader Andrea Leadsom Attorney General: Jeremy Wright QC MOVED Cabinet Office Minister: David Lidington Justice Secretary: David Gauke Northern Ireland Secretary: Karen Bradley OUT Patrick McLoughlin James Brokenshire Justine Greening Advertisement

Mr Lewis was the first appointment of the day, replacing party chairman Patrick McLoughlin who has retired from front line politics after a 30-year career.

The reshuffle got off to a difficult start when James Brokenshire resigned as Northern Ireland Secretary.

And it threatened to descend into chaos after Tory HQ tweeted that Transport Secretary Chris Grayling was the new party chairman - only to delete the post.

Just over an hour later Mr Lewis was confirmed in the job instead, with James Cleverly as his deputy.

Embarrassingly the image congratulating Mr Grayling had already been shared by MPs including Rebecca Pow and Sheryll Murray.

Earlier the official Tory website crashed after someone apparently forgot to renew a security certificate.

Mr Brokenshire decided to quit on health grounds after discovering a lesion on his lung which will need surgery in the coming weeks.

The departure of her close ally will be a blow to Mrs May as she attempts to reassert her authority on the government.

Mr Brokenshire was replaced tonight by Ms Bradley, who has been promoted from Culture Secretary.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd, Chancellor Philip Hammond, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Brexit Secretary David Davis have been confirmed as staying in their posts, as the PM stopped short of tackling any 'Big Beasts' in the Cabinet.

Despite widespread speculation, Mr Hunt stayed on as health secretary - and added social care to his remit.

It was claimed tonight that Mr Hunt refused to take over at the Department for Business despite an hour-long meeting with Mrs May - meaning Greg Clark kept his job there.

The BBC said he was able to 'persuade' Mrs May to leave him at health, a decision which had a major knock-on effect on the 'fluid' reshuffle.

Sajid Javid also gets an expanded job, with housing specifically included in his title at rearranged Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

David Gauke has merely been shunted sideways from Work and Pensions to Justice.

Gavin Williamson is keeping the Defence Secretary job he was handed last year, as does Penny Mordaunt at International Development.

Liam Fox as expected keeps the International Trade job, as does David Mundell at the Scotland Office.

Mrs May spent hours trying to talk Ms Greening (pictured left leaving the Department for Education tonight) into staying in the government but to no avail. Esther McVey (right at No10) was drafted in as Work and Pensions Secretary after Ms Greening turned the job down

David Gauke emerged from No 10 (pictured left) as the new Justice Secretary tonight while Karen Bradley (centre arriving at Downing Street) is made Northern Ireland Secretary. She was replaced by Matt Hancock (right tonight)

Caroline Nokes has been made immigration minister, and will attend Cabinet - although not a full member

Mrs May could send a stark message to Brussels by installing a dedicated 'Cabinet minister for no deal' to prepare for a collapse inBrexit talks.

Mrs May has previously been too weak to carry out a full shake-up, but sealing the Brexit divorce deal has allowed her to claw her way back into the driving seat.

A Tory source said that CCHQ political director Iain Carter sent the image appearing to confirm Mr Grayling's appointment as chairman to a WhatsApp group for MPs, before realising his error.

By the end of the night, five or six changes are expected to be made at Cabinet level, although the top names such as Boris Johnson are considered untouchable.

Education Secretary Justine Greening is said to face a demotion or being sacked amid claims the PM finds her 'patronising'.

Ms Greening ignored questions about whether she expected to be fired as she left her London home this morning.

Sir Patrick McLoughlin (left) has been axed as Conservative Party chairman and replaced with Brandon Lewis (right)

Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire (left) decided to quit on health grounds as the PM kicked off the reshuffle. Justice Secretary David Lidington (right) has replaced Damian Green as Cabinet Office minister

Mrs May announced a raft of new vice-chairmen for the Tory Party. They include from left: James Morris, Helen Grant, Marcus Jones, Rehman Chishti, Party Chairman Brandon Lewis, Prime Minister Theresa May, Deputy Chairman James Cleverly, Kemi Badenoch, Chris Skidmore, Maria Caulfield and Ben Bradley

The reshuffle was also threatening to descend into confusion as Tory HQ tweeted that Transport Secretary Chris Grayling was the new party chairman - only to delete the post

Conservative central office tweeted congratulations to Mr Grayling, before the message was swiftly demoted

Brexit minister Steve Baker is already deputy to David Davis in the Department for Exiting the European Union, and has responsibility for 'contingency planning'.

SHAMBLES AS TORY WEBSITE COLLAPSES AMID RESHUFFLE The Tory website was down today with a security warning shown to visitors The Conservative Party website collapsed today just as Theresa May ordered a major shake up of Tory headquarters. Visitors to www.conservatives.com were greeted with a warning message their 'connection is not private'. It warned: 'Attackers might be trying to steal your information from www.conservatives,com.' The error suggested the security certificate for the website was out of date - a simple administrate failure. A Tory source said the site had fallen victim to technical problems, rather than a hacking attack. Advertisement

His role could be beefed up and given the right to attend Cabinet, although he would not be a full member.

The minister's duties would include providing the Prime Minister with updates on preparations if the UK is to leave the EU without negotiating a trade deal.

According to the Daily Telegraph, the post would not be a secretary of state but would attend Cabinet meetings.

The move would show EU counterparts in Brussels that Mrs May still plans on leaving the EU even if a deal is not reached.

A government source said Mrs May will promote more women from 'non-white backgrounds' and it has been confirmed she will replace Mr Green after his forced resignation.

Mr Hunt had been tipped to become her effective deputy, with his current role likely to be given to former NHS nurse Ms Milton, MP for Guildford - who is nicknamed 'Scary Spice' for her combative Commons performances.

However, Mr Lidington has now taken the Cabinet Office job.

The appointment raises questions about what Mrs May will do with Mr Hunt, and whether he is resisting being moved.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson are staying in their jobs amid the overhaul by Mrs May

A source said that Mrs May will make changes to the Cabinet because she is worried voters see 'stale, male and pale Ministers on the wrong side of 50' in government.

Mr Lewis will be a popular choice as party chairman, with one of his main tasks to sharpen up social media campaigning.

REMAINER TASKED WITH FIXING CCHQ Brandon Lewis has been given the crucial task of getting the Conservative Party back on track. The new party chairman and Great Yarmouth MP, a father of two, was elected to parliament in 2010. He became a junior minister at the Department for Communities and Local Government two years later. Mr Lewis supported Remain in the EU referendum - despite a heavy Leave vote in his area. During the ensuing Conservative leadership campaign, Mr Lewis was a key supporter of Theresa May and she moved him to the Home Office on taking power, most recently appointing him immigration minister. A qualified barrister, Mr Lewis started his political career on Brentwood Borough Council, which he led for five years. Among his hobbies are marathon running and DJing. Advertisement

In an illustration of the problems, Mr Grayling's appointment was accidentally announced by CCHQ, before being deleted.

An hour later Mr Lewis was confirmed in the post on the No10 Twitter feed. But even that had to be deleted and replaced because the 't' had been missed out of 'portfolio'.

New deputy chairman James Cleverly admitted someone at CCHQ had been a 'little over excited' in naming Mr Grayling chairman. Mr Cleverly said he was 'excited' to get on with the job of shaking up Tory headquarters.

He told Sky News: 'This is a fantastic opportunity to tell the whole country about the stuff we have been doing in Government.

'The job here is brilliant.'

Mr Cleverly said the Government was getting on with 'delivering for the country' and said he was confident getting out the message would show in positive election results for the party.

As part of the ritual exchange of letters with Sir Patrick, Mrs May said it was important to make changes to put the party on a 'strong footing to fight and win the next general election'.

And in his resignation letter, Sir Patrick said there was 'so much talent' among junior ministers and backbenchers.

'I know you need to bring them on to secure the future of our party and the country as a whole,' he said.

EX-ARMY MP MOVES TO TORY HEAD OFFICE James Cleverly is a popular choice as Tory deputy chairman. The father of two is a good performer on the airwaves and not afraid of engaging with political opponents on Twitter. Having served in the army, his career was cut short by injury. But he went on to work in publishing and built a small business before entering politics as MP for Chelmsford. Advertisement

Among the new appointments, media-friendly mixed race backbencher James Cleverly takes over as deputy chairman.

Kemi Badenoch, the black MP who entered Parliament in June and introduced Mrs May's ill-fated party conference speech in October, becomes vice chairman for candidates.

Tthere is another place for a 2017 intake MP as Ben Bradley, who is in his late twenties, becomes vice chair for youth.

There was a backlash from Labour and the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (Bpas) charity over the appointment of Maria Caulfield as vice chair for women, as the Christian nurse led parliamentary opposition to proposals to liberalise abortion laws in March.

Elsewhere, Pakistan-born Rehman Chishti and mixed-race former sport minister Helen Grant become vice chairs for communities.

Chris Skidmore, Andrew Jones and Marcus Jones gave up junior ministerial positions to take up roles as vice chairs for policy, business and local government respectively.

James Morris becomes vice chair for training and development.

Jeremy Hunt (pictured leaving his London home today) was tipped to take over as Mrs May's deputy after the departure of Damian Green last month, but is staying as Health Secretary

Mrs May will turn her attention to shaking up the lower ministerial roster tomorrow.

But she has already made space by demoting three ministers to unpaid jobs at CCHQ - Chris Skidmore, Andrew Jones and Marcus Jones.

MPs first elected in 2015, such as Suella Fernandes, Nusrat Ghani and Rishi Sunak could be given ministerial jobs for the first time.

HOW GRAYLING'S 27 SECONDS AS TORY CHAIRMAN UNFOLDED 11.00: Rumours spread in Westminster Transport Secretary Chris Grayling is about to be appointed party chairman. 11.44: Grayling apparently confirmed on the Conservatives official Twitter account as party chairman. 27 seconds later: Tweet deleted. But not before it is shared by Tory MPs, wishing Grayling congratulations, and reported on TV news. 11.58: Immigration Minister Brandon Lewis arrives Number 10. 12:52: Lewis is confirmed as the new party chairman. Advertisement

The changes will be seen as 'succession planning' to bring through a new generation of politicians.

Former Tory leader Lord Howard said Mrs May must make clear that 'no deal is better than a bad deal' in Brexit negotiations.

Commenting on the prospect of a 'no deal' minister, he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I certainly think you've always got to make it clear in any negotiation that no deal is better than a bad deal, because if you go into any negotiation saying 'I've got to have a deal at any price', you're going to be taken to the cleaners, which is what I feel would happen if Mr Corbyn was in charge of these negotiations.'

He also encouraged the PM to promote talented MPs who entered Parliament at the 2015 and 2017 general elections.

'The challenge facing the Prime Minister today, what she will want to do is to give fresh impetus to the Government and there is an array of talent on the back benches, and in junior ministerial positions,' the peer said.

'There really is, particularly but not exclusively those who have entered Parliament relatively recently and I hope and I believe that the Prime Minister will seize this opportunity to give some of those people a chance to show what they can do.'

Boris Johnson (left out for a job this morning) and Brexit Secretary David Davis (right) are being kept in post as the PM stops short of a radical overhaulThe father of Meghan Markle says his daughter and Prince Harry are a 'very good match'.

Describing the Royal as a 'gentleman', Thomas Markle quashed rumours of a rift with his actress daughter.

His remarks come after the Prince described the Windsors as the family Meghan never had.

Meghan's father, Thomas Markle, has described himself as 'delighted' at the couple's engagement and called Harry a 'gentleman'

Mr Markle, 73, gave the royal couple his approval in a video obtained by The Sun (pictured)

The former Hollywood lighting director, 73, gave the couple his approval in a video obtained by The Sun.

He was speaking to a passer-by near his home in Rosarito when he told of his desire to witness the wedding in person.

When asked how he felt about the impending ceremony at St George's Chapel in Windsor, he said: 'I think its wonderful, Im very delighted. I think theyre [a] very good match, Im very happy for them, Meghan and Harry.

'I love my daughter very much  Harrys a gentleman.'

Though Meghan shared this picture of her and Mr Markle on Instagram, she was reported to have told a friend that they were not on the best of terms when she was growing up

This is the first time Mr Markle has spoken publicly about the Prince, though he has previously claimed he would 'love to' be the one to give 36-year-old Meghan away on May 19.

Harry's remarks about Meghan's past were couple with the Suits star's admission that she was 'not on the best of terms' with her father when she was a teenager. Following the Prince's comments, Meghan's half-brother - Tom Markle Jr - said she had a family that 'smothered her with love'.

Mr Markle split from Meghan's mother when the future Royal was just six years old and has kept out of the public eye since the couple announced their engagement.

The 73-year-old seems to live a much more relaxed lifestyle compared with his daughter's

Harry's comments about the Royals being the family Meghan never had caused anger among her family but her father's remarks quashed rumours of a rift

After he spoke to the passerby, Mr Markle was heard telling onlookers to leave him alone.

'Now leave me alone please,' he said. 'Dont bother me any more. No more flashing cameras in my eyes or Ill flash back.'

The woman said she got to know Mr Markle while visiting friends in Rosarito because he stopped his car while passing her daughter to say how cute the girl was.

Tom Markle Jr blames drunken brawl with fiancee on scrutiny arising from Meghan's engagement

Meghan Markles half-brother Tom has blamed his drunken New Year's Eve brawl with his fiancee on the pressure and scrutiny caused by his sister's engagement.

The flare-up in their Oregon home led to Tom's fiancee Darlene Blount being thrown into jail for two nights for assault.

Tom has blamed the pressure of being in the public eye for his woes, saying: It hasnt been easy. Meghans relationship with Prince Harry has shone a spotlight on our family. It doesnt help when you have issues and your sister is engaged to Royalty. It adds a whole new level of scrutiny.'

Tom Markle Jr says that his drunken New Year's brawl with fiancee Darlene came because of the pressure of being in the public eye after his half-sister Meghan's engagement to Prince Harry

And Tom  who was last year arrested for brandishing a gun at his fiancee during another drunken fracas  says they will both attend alcohol and relationship counselling.

Weve been under a lot of stress because of all the attention. At some point you find yourself drinking too much to escape the pressure.

Tom vowed last night to seek help after the drunken confrontation.

Tom initially told The Mail on Sunday Ms Blount had began pummelling me in the face with her fists, but last night he changed his tune and said the injuries he sustained were self-inflicted.

Darlene's police mugshot after she and Tom Markle Jr had a drunken row on New Year's Eve

As Prince Harry and Ms Markle reportedly ushered in the New Year partying like tycoons in the millionaires playground of Monaco, Tom and Darlene were downing beers and whisky at the decidedly less salubrious Cedarwood Saloon in their home town of Grants Pass.

Tom, 51, who has the same father as Meghan, said he and Darlene, 37, rowed at the bar before she stormed off. He returned to their bungalow and continued drinking, becoming increasingly enraged.

When Darlene finally came home she immediately began downing a bottle of bourbon.

I said some swear words, it turned into an argument, Tom confessed.

Darlene called the police  but ended up being arrested herself. I might have said that Darlene beat me up, Tom said. She was arrested for domestic violence. It was a big confusion.

The fiancee of Meghan's brother was thrown in jail after she hit Tom Markle Jr during a drunken row - he says public scrutiny because of his sister's engagement is to blame

Mr Markle, who paid $1,000 to bail his fiancee out of jail, said: Wed both been drinking. I was sitting on the couch and got up really fast, hit myself and gave myself a fat lip.

Josephine County District Attorneys office later confirmed that Darlene would not face prosecution.Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 7)  Senator Franklin Drilon doubts a no-election scenario will happen in 2019.

In a radio interview Saturday, Drilon said he trusts his colleagues will be "decent enough not to agree to a 'no-el' or term extension," because doing so would be in "conflict of interest."

"Tayo po ay may tiwala sa ating mga kasama sa Senado that they have moral standing not to be tempted to vote for this amendment," he said.

[Translation: I have faith in my colleagues in the senate that they have moral standing not to be tempted to vote for this amendment.]

Drilon, the Senate Minority leader, said at least five senators will benefit from such a scenario as their two terms are almost up.

Under the Constitution, the term of office shall be six years, and no senator must stay in office for more than two consecutive terms. While lawmakers at the House of Representatives shall have a three-year term, for three consecutive terms.

RELATED: No election scenario looms amid push for federalism

To postpone the elections and extend the terms elected officials would need Constitutional amendment, and which must be ratified in a plebiscite. Drilon said it is unlikely that would happen before the next elections in May 2019.

He said they will be busy with the impeachment trial of Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno once the case reaches the Senate, reportedly in May.

"For the rest of they year, the remaining six months of 2018, we cannot do anything so I cannot see kung paano namin aamyendahan ang Saligang Batas, which is controversial. I can't see kung paano isasabay sa halalan sa May 2019. Hindi ko nakikita. Hindi talaga magagawa," he said.

[Translation:For the rest of the year, the remaining six months of 2018, we cannot do anything so I cannot see how we can amend the Constitution, which is controversial. I can't see how we can work on it alongside the elections in May 2019. It can't be done.]

House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez has floated the idea of a no-election scenario when he said the Congress will be prioritizing the shift to a federal system this year. He said the shift will require a transition period.

Drilon, however, said Alvarez cannot speak for the Senate. He also lamented how the House Speaker seems to be attacking the Senate.

There used to be inter-chamber courtesy, Drilon said, where differences were settled privately.

"Sa akin, this demeans the Senate as an institution of democracy. Ito po ay nakakatakot dahil ang check and balance ay bahagi ng demokrasya at ang check and balance within the House and the Senate, iyan po ay isang bahagi ng ating demokrasya," Drilon said.

[Translation: For me, this demeans the Senate and an institution of democracy. This is scary because check and balance is part of democracy and the check and balance between the House and the Senate is part of our democracy.]

Drilon also called on on Senate President Aquilino Pimentel to make a stand.

"Regardless of one's political affiliation, the higher obligation of the Senate President is to defend the Senate as an institution of democracy," he said.

Drilon also said the Senate has yet to receive a proposal on the federal system.

"This is something very complicated. Hindi pwedeng basta-basta na lang na kapag isinubo ay kailangang aprubahan [It cannot be approved just like that]. I challenge Malacanang, tell us if you have submitted officially anything to the senate. Walang [There is no] official position from Malacanang on federalism," he said.

RELATED: What is Federalism?

A unitary form of government under a federal setup was one of President Rodrigo Duterte's campaign promises. He has since called for charter change to pave the way for federalism.

Under federalism, the country will be divided into autonomous regions or states. Duterte, the first president from Mindanao, has said federalism would bring lasting peace in Mindanao, whose leaders have been pushing for an autonomous Bangsamoro region.

READ: Senate President pushes for constitutional reform, federalism

CNN Philippines senior digital producer Pia Garcia contributed to this report.As price reductions sweep across Britain's high streets, estate agents are getting in on the action by slashing property values by up to a massive 50 per cent.

We have found 10 properties currently for sale with asking prices that have been cut in half.

The reductions on a previous asking price translate into savings that range from tens of thousands of pounds to millions.

This Perthshire property (also pictured below) has been reduced from 420,000 to 210,000

Our top 10 bargain list includes everything from a four-bedroom detached house in central London that has seen its asking price slashed from 8million to 4million to a studio in Basingstoke, Hampshire, reduced from 135,000 to 67,500

The best asking price should be like lingerie: Comfortable, flattering, enticing yet leaving something to the imagination Buying agent Henry Pryor

Buying agent Henry Pryor explained how many of the estate agents who end up selling a property are often not the first agents to be instructed by a buyer.

'It's not always the seller's fault that they have to reduce their asking price although they are frequently to blame. Many will instruct the most optimistic and the cheapest estate agent - and agents know this.'

He added: 'The successful estate agent isn't the one who can most accurately value a property, it's the one who is instructed when it eventually sells.

'There is a case for letting the more intoxicated agent have a go first and wait for them and the owner to sober up.

'The best asking price should be like lingerie: Comfortable, flattering, enticing yet leaving something to the imagination. It needs to excite and be attractive, not look cheap but equally it shouldn't look frighteningly expensive.'

Here are 10 of the biggest property bargains in Britain today, compiled from data from property website Zoopla

1. Two-bedroom house in Blairgowrie, Perthshire, reduced from 420,000 to 210,000

This unique two-bedroom house is on sale for 210,000 with agent McEwan Fraser Legal

Washing up with a view! The shaker-style kitchen comes with stunning views of Perthshire

2. Four-bedroom farmhouse in Aberystwyth, West Wales, reduced from 580,000 to 290,000

The smallholding is currently on sale for 290,000 via estate agent Morris Marshall & Poole

The estate agent describes the property as an 'outstanding lifestyle change opportunity'

3. Four-bedroom house in central London's Brewery Square, reduced from 8million to 4million

The sale of the detached four-bedroom property is being handled by estate agent Sotheby's

Quirky features: The unusual shapes of the rooms are embraced by the striking interior design

4. Three-bedroom barn conversion in Portpatrick, south-west Scotland, reduced from 120,000 to 60,000

A Grand Designs project awaits! This derelict farm building comes with planning permission

The barn conversion is on sale for 60,000 via estate agent South West Property Centre

5. Four-bedroom house in north London's Winchmore Hill, reduced from 1,995,000 to 999,975

Privacy secured: The large conservatory with wooden floor overlooks a secluded garden

The Tudor-style property is in a cul-de-sac and boasts four bedrooms and double-glazing

6. Two-bedroom flat on North London's Caledonian Road, reduced from 530,000 to 265,000

The north London flat is being advertised for sale for 265,000 via Doorsteps.co.uk

There is a large living room with enough space for a dedicated dining area and seating

7. Three-bedroom semi-detached house in Leek, Staffordshire, reduced from 90,000 to 45,000

The entire property is in need of modernisation and is an ideal opportunity for an investor

Still time to bag a bargain: The auction is taking place at 6.30pm on January 29 at The Moat House Hotel in Stoke-on-Trent

8. Studio in Basingstoke, Hampshire, reduced from 135,000 to 67,500

The 50 per cent share of the Basingstoke property is being sold via estate agents Connells

Ideal for a car enthusiast: The property is within walking distance of Basingstoke's centre

Feeling hungry? It is a short walk across the road to the local Waitrose supermarket

9. Three-bedroom house in Swallownest, South Yorkshire, reduced from 200,000 to 100,000

Plenty of work to do: The estate agent describes the property project as an 'investor's dream'

The asking price includes a large plot with plenty of off-road parking for several vehicles

10. And finallya garage for sale in London's West Hampstead, reduced from 80,000 to 49,950Brand  pictured with Bear  describes the dog as a tornado of fur and a beautiful hooligan

Russell Brand is at his wits end with his alsatian Bear after it mauled a sheep so badly at Christmas the farmer had to put it out of its misery.

Comedian Brand, 42, was forced to send bottles of expensive wine to his farmer neighbour in Henley in a desperate bid to placate him and prevent Bear from becoming the next creature he takes a shotgun to.

Brand  pictured with Bear  describes the dog as a tornado of fur and a beautiful hooligan.

Last week he posted a picture of Bear with the caption: Looking magnificent, before causing us all a*** ache.

Robbie Williams has dropped yet another clanger  by referring to Ayda Field as his current wife. Robbie made the gaffe when wishing her luck on Twitter ahead of a TV appearance.

If the comment was made in jest, it was not seen as funny by her fans. One said: I hope she hires the most brass-balled divorce lawyer and levels your bank account.

The couple married in 2010, and Robbie, 43, famously filmed actress Ayda giving birth to their son in 2014 while he sang Let It Go from Frozen.

Despite winning plaudits for her role in the hit BBC crime drama, Thandie and her daughter Ripley, 17, said they were very angry at 2017

She is usually known for her radiant smile and Hollywood glamour, so I did a double-take when I spied Line Of Duty star Thandie Newton scowling in a beanie hat and bomber jacket in this New Years Eve Instagram snap, taken at director Richard Curtiss Suffolk home.

Despite winning plaudits for her role in the hit BBC crime drama, Thandie and her daughter Ripley, 17, said they were very angry at 2017.

Lets hope the actress is back to her old self in 2018.They're preparing to launch their new Melbourne radio show on Monday, after finding success in New Zealand.

But things got off to a shaky start for KIIS 101.1's Jase & PJ when host Jase Hawkins posted a very confronting image of his female co-star Polly 'PJ' Harding on social media - before swiftly deleting it.

Taking to his Instagram account, Jase shared a photo of a woman believed to be PJ in her underwear and hunched over a toilet.

Too far? Incoming KIIS FM radio hosts Jase Hawkins and Polly 'PJ' Harding sparked controversy after Jase posted this photo of his female co-star on Instagram, before swiftly deleting it

Jase captioned the photo, which was shared with his 16,000-plus followers, 'Don't be nervous Peej. Show starts Monday, @kiis1011.'

He then added the crying with laughter emoji.

According to the Herald Sun, the picture was 'liked' by the show's official Instagram account and was posted before station management became aware of it.

Not the best timing? They're preparing to launch their new radio show in Melbourne on Monday, after finding success in New Zealand

Controversial: According to the Herald Sun, the picture was 'liked' by the show's official Instagram account and was posted before station management became aware of it

Sources told the News Corp publication the photo was indeed of PJ and that she was with Jase when he posted it online.

PJ also reportedly shared a unflattering image of her male co-host, but swiftly deleted it.

It is understood the radio stars would post embarrassing snaps of each other every Friday as part of their New Zealand radio show.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted KIIS FM for comment.

Joking around? Sources told the News Corp publication the photo was indeed of PJ and that she was with Jase when he posted it online

Jase recently took to Instagram to reflect on his time in New Zealand before his show moves to Australian airwaves.

'Thanks NZ for the most incredible three years, I've loved every second of it. Time for the next adventure,' he wrote.

PJ also wrote on Instagram: 'Lots of laughs in 2017, here's to a s**t tonne more! Next stop: MELBOURNE (for good this time).'She's the heavily pregnant footy WAG who recently celebrated her one-year wedding anniversary with Carlton captain Marc Murphy.

And as she awaits the birth of her first child, Jessie Habermann attempted to make the most of the Melbourne heatwave on Saturday.

But the 28-year-old model and socialite found little success, admitting on Instagram that she only 'last five minutes' in the 40 degree heat.

'Lasted five minutes!' As she awaits the birth of her first child, footy WAG Jessie Habermann attempted to make the most of the Melbourne heatwave on Saturday

'40 degrees... lasted five mins at the beach,' Jessie captioned an Instagram Story video of herself.

Wearing a low-cut black bikini, the C'est Vogue blogger added the hashtag, 'Melbourne heatwave'.

Meanwhile, Jessie looked chic in a $90 maternity playsuit.

Football WAG: Jessie recently celebrated her one-year wedding anniversary with Carlton captain Marc Murphy (right)

'IT'S A BOY!' We are thrilled to be welcoming Baby Murphy into the world!' In July, Jessie took to Instagram to reveal she was expecting her first child with her husband

And despite heading to the beach, Jessie wore glamourous makeup and styled her hair in loose curls.

In July, Jessie took to Instagram to reveal she was expecting her first child with her husband.

'IT'S A BOY!' We are thrilled to be welcoming Baby Murphy into the world in January 2018,' she wrote.

Wedding of the year! Marc and Jessie's nuptials was a glamorous affair

Jessie recently spoke about her relationship with Marc in an interview with the Herald Sun.

'I can't wait to see him as a father. He is going to be amazing. He has so much patience,' Jessie said.

'It is exciting to be starting our own little family and to move on to that new chapter and journey'.It is traditionally the place for Hollywood stars to wow in their most colourful couture gowns.

But at tonight's Golden Globe awards, the red carpet will turn black as A-listers wear sombre ensembles in protest at Tinseltown's culture of sexual harassment.

Meryl Streep, Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon are among those set to don all-black outfits as a reaction to the allegations against Hollywood powerhouses such as shamed mogul Harvey Weinstein.

Eva Longoria said the blackout was 'a meaningful show of female comradeship', adding: 'For years we've sold these awards show with our gowns, our beautiful faces and glamour this time the industry can't expect us to get up and twirl around.'

At tonight's Golden Globe awards, the red carpet will turn black as A-listers wear sombre ensembles in protest at Tinseltown's culture of sexual harassment. Pictured left is the man at the heart of the scandal Harvey Weinstein with Nicole Kidman and right Renee Zellweger

But actress Rose McGowan  who was one of the first to accuse Weinstein of rape, a charge he vehemently denies  called the protest meaningless, saying: 'Your silence is the problem.'

She has branded actresses who happily worked for Weinstein  who until his downfall was frequently pictured with attractive A-listers  as 'hypocrites'.

McGowan and others have called for a boycott of awards shows instead.

One Hollywood producer said: 'It all smacks of attention-seeking and it will be interminable as this will happen on red carpet after red carpet from now until the Oscars. Is changing the colour of your frock really going to change sexism in Hollywood? It's classic self-indulgence.'

Fashion journalist Robin Givhan added that the protest made it appear as if 'the proper response to sexual harassment is to change one's attire'.

Rose McGowan - who accused Weinstein of rape has branded actresses who happily worked for him (Jennifer Lawrence pictured left and Emma Watson right)  who until his downfall was frequently pictured with attractive A-listers  as 'hypocrites'

But stores in Los Angeles have sold out of black dresses while designers including Chanel, Ralph Lauren and Armani have rushed to dye or remake colourful frocks for the ceremony.

New York designer Naeem Khan said he had to remake a gold dress for Mad Men's Christina Hendricks in black, 'which was a big challenge because everything is done by hand'.

Men are also being encouraged to swap their traditional white dress shirts for black  a move British actor Gary Oldman, up for best actor for portraying Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour, says he will support.

At the ceremony, Netflix's Royal drama The Crown is tipped to win best dramatic TV series, while other Brits up for awards include director Christopher Nolan for Dunkirk, Judi Dench for Victoria And Abdul, and Helen Mirren for The Leisure Seeker.She's been laying low the past few weeks amid a scandal.

But on Saturday, Lena Dunham was back on Instagram, lounging around in an Instagram Stories clip in which she relaxed while playing with two of her cats and catching up on her reading.

In the clip, the Girls star, 31, lounged in bed in a lime green top while engaging in a stream-of-consciousness rant about the menagerie she's keeping at home.

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Back at it: Lena Dunham, 31, was back on Instagram Saturday, lounging around in a clip in which she relaxed while playing with two of her cats. She had been ensnared in a controversy after defending a colleague accused of sexual assault

'The rumors are true, I have two dogs and two hairless cats and if you want to come for me, come for me - I know that I'm a crazy animal lady,' the Emmy-nominated star said.

Later, she added a cat-themed filter and joked, 'Two can play at this game, there are multiple cats in this bed ... three to be exact!'

The Golden Globe winner also filled in details on what she's doing on the first weekend of the year.

'For me Saturday is all about reading, so stay tuned, cause my book picks for 2018 are about to come at you,' wrote Dunham, who later shared a collage of stacks of books she's read.

Kickback: The actress-writer had one of her hairless cats perched on her chest

Adjusting: The Girls star used a feline-inspired filter during her social media clip

Dunham emerged in the social media post after keeping a relatively-low profile the past few weeks, after she was ensnared in a controversy stemming from the ongoing national conversation revolving around sexual harassment and assault, particularly in show business.

In November, Dunham's co-writer on Girls, Murray Miller, was accused of rape by actress Aurora Perrineau.

Dunham, in a statement defending Miller, inferred that Perrineau was lying about the alleged assault, which she said happened in 2012, when she was 17 and Miller was 35, according to The Wrap.

Meow: The TV star shared a shot of her hairless cats in the Instagram Stories video

Lena's Book Club: The pop culture phenom showed off some of the titles she's reading

'While our first instinct is to listen to every womans story, our insider knowledge of Murrays situation makes us confident that sadly this accusation is one of the 3% of assault cases that are misreported every year,' Dunham said in a statement with her Girls collaborator, Jenni Konner.

After massive backlash on social media - including from actress/feminist activist Asia Argento - Dunham backpedaled and issued a subsequent statement apologizing over her first take on the situation involving Miller, who has denied the claims made by Perrineau.

'Every woman who comes forward deserves to be heard, fully and completely, and our relationship with the accused should not be part of the calculation anyone makes when examining her case,' Dunham wrote November 18. 'Every person and every feminist should be required to hear her.

'Under patriarchy, "I believe you" is essential. Until we are all believed, none of us will be believed. We apologize to any women who have been disappointed.'She broke up with her husband Buck Palmer a year ago, famously announcing the separation with a mountaintop ritual.

And now it appears Ashley Hart may have finally moved on with someone new.

On Sunday, the 29-year-old model's sister Jessica sparked rumours of a romance by posting a photo of Ashley and a mystery individual in a romantic pose at the beach.

'Were off to a great start': Ashley Hart sparked rumours she's in a new relationship after posing for a romantic beachside photo with a mystery individual

'First light of 2018 was magical...' Jessica wrote in the caption. 'Were off to a great start.'

Jessica added the hashtags: 'Tulum', 'Don't know that couple', and 'Happy New Year to everyone.'

Ashley made headlines a year ago thanks to her 'hipster' breakup with meditation guru and socialite Buck.

'First light of 2018 was magical': The image was posted by Ashley's big sister, Jessica (left)

In the breakup announcement, Ashley wrote an emotional poem and performed an 'infinite dance' with her ex on a mountaintop.

Taking to Instagram to share her innermost thoughts, Ashley declared to Buck: 'Forever you are in my heart.'

She continued: 'We danced as we moved to life's perfect beat / Here where we always meet / Not needing to think about the steps of our feet.

'Infinite dance': Ashley made headlines a year ago thanks to her hipster-style breakup with meditation guru and socialite Buck Palmer

'Where it lead us / We perceived we achieved / Yet it came a time / Unable to hear the music we once believed / Spun around and dipped down / Innocent smiles turned to darken frowns.

'Shattering dreams of how it's "supposed" to be / I tried to make it work with every part of me.'

'Lessons, growth and explanation of heart / To encompass the fear, hurt and what felt like a tearing of us apart.'

Spiritual: In the breakup announcement, Ashley wrote an emotional poem and performed an 'infinite dance' with her ex on a mountaintop.

Consciously uncoupled: Taking to Instagram to share her innermost thoughts, Ashley declared to Buck: 'Forever you are in my heart'

Ashley concluded the poem by saying the former couple would always have love for each other.

She mused: 'Letting go in complete surrender / Allowing ourselves to be moved again / Separate ways may be perceived with pain / Yet it is this undeniable expansion of love we forever gain / I feel this beat, this movement, truly never stop / Forever infinitely dancing, like us now, on this hill top.'

Reflecting on their newfound friendship, she added: 'Here I am, love, known deeper than ever before / Like you say baby, it's just taken another form.

'Always with me, never apart, forever you @buckpalmer are in my Heart.'Tina Malone has claimed cocaine was planted in her bag when she was arrested after her pantomime performance in December.

The Shameless star was seized by cops in front of her four-year-old daughter Flame and cautioned for possession after 'less than a line' of the Class A drug was found in her purse.

The actress, 54, furiously denied claims she took drugs during the show - and claimed she only agreed to the caution because she wanted to get back to Flame, who had just watched her onstage.

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Claims: Tina Malone has claimed cocaine was planted in her bag when she was arrested after a pantomime performance in December

'I swear on my daughter's life I'd never take drugs in front of children or while performing,' she told The Sunday Mirror.

'I told police it was a set-up but I took the caution because of Flame. To be honest, I'd have admitted to being Jack the Ripper right there and then to get back to her.'

Tina said she had just kissed her daughter and was walking to her taxi when police stopped her.

She added that her husband Paul Chase - who is 19 years her junior - took Flame to a hotel to wait for her as she was taken to a station and eventually released at 3am

Ex alcoholic Tina said she has 'always been honest' about her past addictions - admitting she tried cocaine and 'smoked pot' during her college days - but that alcohol was her true 'drug of choice.

The mum-of-two said she would own up if she really had been taking drugs, as she furiously argued that her arrest was a set up.

Not happy: The Shameless star was seized by cops in front of her four-year-old daughter Flame and cautioned after 'less than a line' of the Class A drug was found in her purse (pictured in panto)

She claimed she was shocked that police allegedly found cocaine wrapped up in paper in a purse Flame had bought for her.

Malone added that it was 'suspicious' that photographers arrived at the panto and asked her to pose for them hours before her arrest.

She also claimed it was strange that the story was reported so quickly - before she had been released from the police station.

MailOnline has contacted Tina's representative for comment.

Tina also denied 'ludicrous' claims that she swore at the child actors in the panto and that she displayed diva-like behaviour.

'Call me a gobby Scouse dog, but don't say I would be horrible to kids. I'd never take drugs anywhere near a child. I would never tell a child to f*** off,' she said.

Tina previously said her life had been 'ruined' by the incident and added that her daughter 'hates her' and her toyboy husband Paul had been left 'devastated'.

Adamant: The actress, 54, furiously denied claims she took drugs during the production and claimed she only agreed to the caution because she wanted to get back to Flame, who had just watched her onstage

The post reads: 'Thank you to all those who supported me through this horrific time, my mother is ill because of the shock, my daughter now utterly hates me and thinks I am a drug addict, my hubby is devastated, I have not had my last payment so those that vilify me, hate me [sic] fill your boots.

'I'm distraught, devastated, my life is ruined the repercussions are unbelievable. Have i ever drunk, taken drugs etc etc yes yes. Am I proud, no.'

Tina has two daughters, Dannielle, 36 and Flame, four.

It was also claimed Tina caused chaos backstage at the Cloud 9 Theatre in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria by locking herself in the only working toilet for hours, reports Mirror Online.

The website reports that according to a former cast member, the star's alleged long sessions in the toilet left child actors so desperate that they would wet themselves.

MailOnline has contacted a representative for Tina for comment.

Breaking silence: In the post, the star reportedly wrote her life had been 'ruined' by the incident and added that her daughter 'hates her' and that her toyboy husband Paul Chase, 35, had been left 'devastated'

A source told the website: 'She was an absolute nightmare. There was only one working toilet backstage and she would just sit in it for hours saying she was smoking.

They claimed that she would scream and shout if you tried to go into the toilet, and added that when she wasn't in the loo she was in her dressing room 'surrounded by rolls of twenty pound notes.

A spokesman for Cloud 9 Theatre declined to comment when approached by MailOnline but confirmed that Tina would not be performing in the play's final show on Sunday.

Show director and producer Joe Purdy posted a statement to Facebook confirming Tina's sacking from the show and said the cast and crew were 'shocked and saddened' by the incident.

He wrote: 'I can confirm an incident took place on the evening on Friday 22nd December and as a result on this we (Joe Purdy Productions) and the artist involved (Tina Malone) have made a mutual decision to terminate said contract with immediate effect as soon as we were made aware of the situation.

'We've had a fabulous time in Pantoland and recent events will only make us a stronger team for the remainder of the run. Today's and tomorrow's performances will go ahead as normal, l with Alan French in the role of Carabosse.

Family: Tina pictured with her mother Olwyn Evans and daughter Dannielle, 36. She also has four-year-old daughter Flame

I'd like to thank Alan for stepping in at the eleventh hour with less than an hours notice. The Chaperones, Cast, Children and Creatives safety is our first priority hence the immediate termination of the contract on discovery of the incident.

'We'd like to wish everyone who's come to watch us a merry Christmas and a happy new year and we hope to see you again in the near future. The cast and crew were deeply shocked and saddened by the events but in true Panto spirit, the show must go on!

'We all remain upbeat and positive that the remaining 2 shows will be just as wonderful as the 16 shows prior, we look forward to seeing you there!'

Tina herself appeared to comment on the incident writing 'Thanks for y9ur support joe you and i both now know what happened,funny how my costume was altered to fit me the hour after i left the theatre!!!!!, good luck joe x'(sic)

The star allegedly asked her fellow pantomime cast members if anyone had seen her 'little bag of snow' shortly before she was arrested on suspicion of possessing cocaine.

Tina was starring in the performance of Sleeping Beauty on Friday with her four-year-old daughter in attendance.

Sad: Show director and producer Joe Purdy posted a statement to Facebook confirming Tina's sacking from the show and said the cast and crew were 'shocked and saddened' by the incident

Post: Tina herself appeared to comment on the incident via a social media post

Staff reportedly tipped off police after suspecting the actress had taken cocaine during both rehearsals and performances.

A source said the star was asking whether anyone had seen her 'little bag of snow' after it reportedly went missing.

And a show insider told The Mirror the mother was behaving 'diva-ish' and constantly complaining about the accommodation the theatre had put her up in.

Cumbria police confirmed the actress had been arrested and received a caution for the offence.

'As she came off stage, she heard a rumour police had been tipped off she was using cocaine,' a source told the newspaper .

'She tried to get a taxi, but police stopped her in time and took her inside the venue to search her. She begged the police not to handcuff her, and seemed very worried.'Ant McPartlin has reportedly held 'emotional crisis talks' with wife Lisa Armstrong, amid claims he wants to 'officially announce' their split.

The I'm A Celebrity presenter, 42, allegedly feels there's 'no way back' for their 11-year marriage - something that Lisa is said to be 'struggling to accept'.

The make-up artist thought talking things out with her husband could help smooth out their issues but is 'gradually realising' that it's over, sources claimed.

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Turbulent times: Ant McPartlin has reportedly held emotional crisis talks with wife Lisa Armstrong, amid claims he wants to 'officially announce' their split (pictured in 2015)

Ant, who lives in a rented home in London reportedly met up with his 'estranged' wife Lisa last week to hash things out.

'It was obviously very emotional for both of them,' a source told The Sun.

'Lisa has struggled to accept that this is the end of the road.She thought at first that talking things through might help them resolve things.

'But she is gradually realising that as far as he is concerned, there's no way back.'

MailOnline has contacted Ant's representatives for comment.

Ant has reportedly been living apart from partner Lisa, having moved out of the 6million property they share last year following his stint in rehab for an addiction to super-strong painkillers.

Oh dear: The I'm A Celebrity presenter, 42, allegedly feels there's 'no way back' for their 11-year marriage - something that Lisa is said to be 'struggling to accept'

He had spent the last two months filming Down Under for ITV reality show I'm A Celebrity, but make-up artist Lisa was unable to join him overseas, owing to her commitments to BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing.

At the time, Lisa dismissed claims that this made her 'estranged' from husband Ant, explaining that she had not been out to Australia with him for 10 years.

However, a contradicting source told the Sunday Mirror that Lisa reportedly felt more 'independent, happier and stronger' while Ant was in Oz.

A source told the publication: 'Ant has had a dreadful year, but Lisa has been through hell too.

'The intense pressure of the situation has left her emotionally drained and was really taking its toll. Back in October she was terribly stressed and worried and seemed to be carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.'

End of the road? The make-up artist thought talking things out with her husband could help smooth out their issues but is 'gradually realising' that it's over, sources claimed (seen in 2016)

It was continued: 'It was clear those close to her she was heartbroken. But it's been so much happier since they've been living apart - especially when he flew to Australia to film I'm A Celebrity.'

It comes as reports surfaced on New Year's Eve alleging that the TV star wants to divorce Lisa.

While Lisa has made no official comment on the claims, she had posted a telling meme in the early hours of January 1st that appeared to speak volumes - it showed a cartoon version of herself holding a bag of rubbish.

In the image, the caricature is seen holding out the steaming bin bag of trash which exudes a green gas, drips with toxic-looking fluid and is swarmed by flies.

On the bag it simply says '2017' in the same radioactive-looking green that seeps from the bottom of the bag, and 'Lisa' holds her nose.

Out with the old! Lisa likened 2017 to a steaming bag of garbage as she posted a telling meme to Twitter on New Year's Eve amid the couple's marital woes

This post follows the news that Ant has reportedly told Lisa that he wants a divorce, despite her allegedly 'clinging on to hope that they can work things out'.

Insiders tell The Sun, the presenter is preparing to end his marriage having not been been pictured with his wife of 11 years in four months and is seeing in the New Year with his mum Christine and sister Sarah.

It was claimed that Ant, who checked into rehab for prescription painkiller addiction over the summer, has asked Lisa for the split but that she would not agree to putting out an official statement.

The insider added that the pair were both 'devastated' but are still on friendly terms, and that no-one else is involved in the split.With her business savvy, strong work ethic, and history of high-profile clients, it's hardly surprising they call Roxy Jacenko 'Sydney's PR queen'.

And the 37-year-old Sweaty Betty founder took advantage of the Australian heatwave on Sunday to promote fast food restaurant Chargrill Charlie's.

Roxy, joined by her husband Oliver Curtis, headed down to Bondi to plant 500 beach umbrellas in a promotional campaign she claims to have invented eight years ago.

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No days off! Roxy Jacenko took advantage of the heatwave on Sunday to promote fast food restaurant Chargrill Charlie's at Sydney's Bondi Beach. Pictured with husband Oliver Curtis

Bold claim! Roxy, the 37-year-old founder of Sweaty Betty PR, also made the rather bold claim she invented the Bondi Beach promotional umbrella stunt eight years ago

'Came up with this PR initiative about eight years ago and still activating it now,' Roxy captioned a photo of Bondi Beach dotted with Chargrill Charlie's beach umbrellas.

When quizzed about being the first publicist to 'activate' the promotional concept, Roxy told Daily Mail Australia she was initially inspired by a previous trip to Europe.

'I picked up the idea when I was in Cannes, France and saw some umbrellas lining the beach from various alcohol brands. It wasn't a promotion but just people's own umbrellas,' she explained.

'It struck me as a great way to not only advertise on the spot and for weeks after, as the recipients came back to the beach, but also to encourage sun safety.'

Sizzling hot! Chargrill Charlie's beach umbrellas were all over Bondi Beach on Sunday as Sydneysiders flocked to the tourist hotspot

All about the brand: The fast food joint's name was featured prominently on the umbrellas

'Came up with this PR initiative about eight years ago and still activating it now': Roxy laid claim to the publicity stunt, which she told Daily Mail Australia was inspired by a trip to France

Putting him to work: It wasn't just Roxy doing all the work, as husband Oliver (far left) and Sweaty Betty staffer Daniel Goldstein were also handing out umbrellas in the 45 degree heat

It's not the first time Roxy has publicly maintained she is the inventor of the Bondi Beach branded umbrella stunt.

Back in 2016, the mother-of-two called out Australian fashion designer Bec & Bridge when she saw their umbrellas on the beach.

She wrote on Instagram: 'The moment when you watch a campaign you came up with and executed for a client Santa Vittoria two years back replicated by another brand - only to see your handiwork still present in the background.'

They're popular: Roxy told Daily Mail Australia on Sunday the beach umbrellas are 'a great way to not only advertise on the spot and for weeks after... but (also) to encourage sun safety'

Inspiration? 'I picked up the idea when I was in Cannes, France and saw some umbrellas lining the beach from various alcohol brands. It wasn't a promotion, but just people's own umbrellas'

Get 'em while they're hot! Beachgoers are shown soaking up the sun at Bondi

Sun safe: A bikini-clad woman is shown taking shelter below a Chargrill Charlie's umbrella

They're everywhere! It seems most beachgoers took advantage of Roxy's helpful freebies

When asked about that incident on Sunday, Roxy told Daily Mail Australia she was 'flattered'.

'Sure, it's been copied by other brands but they say imitation is the finest form of flattery so I am good with it!' she said.

Meanwhile, it wasn't just Roxy doing all the work, as husband Oliver and Sweaty Betty staffer Daniel Goldstein were also handing out umbrellas in the 45 degree heat.

It's not the first time Roxy has said she is the inventor of the Bondi Beach branded umbrella stunt. Back in 2016, she called out Bec & Bridge when she saw their umbrellas on the beach

'Sure, it's been copied by other brands': When asked about the 2016 incident on Sunday, Roxy told Daily Mail Australia she was 'flattered'

Getting the word out: Chargrill Charlie's beach umbrellas are seen dotting the Bondi shorelineUh-oh! It could be you, or it could be us, but there's no page here.Somebody is getting excited about her upcoming nuptials.

Paris Hilton donned a bridal veil for an Instagram selfie on Saturday.

'#BrideToBe,' she captioned the intimate close-up, with a generous sprinkling of wedding-themed emojis.

Bride to be! Paris Hilton donned a bridal veil for an Instagram selfie on Saturday.

The hotel heiress has only had one thing on her mind  her dream wedding to fiance Chris Zylka  since the actor proposed to her on New Year's Eve.

The day before, Paris posted pics from inside her Beverly Hills home, which had been decorated to celebrate the happy couple's engagement.

The main hall was adorned with huge silver balloons reading 'CONGRATULATIONS!' while another pink set read 'YAS I DO'.

'I am so excited to be engaged to the love of my life and my best friend. I have never felt so happy, safe and loved,' Paris gushed after breaking the news. 'He is perfect for me in every way and showed me that fairytales really do exist!

On bended knee: The hotel heiress has only had one thing on her mind  her dream wedding to fiance Chris Zylka  since the actor proposed to her on New Year's Eve

Congrats: The day before, Paris posted pics from inside her Beverly Hills home, which had been decorated to celebrate the happy couple's engagement

'The ring was so gorgeous and sparkling. I was shaking as I put it on. It is the most beautiful ring that I have ever seen,' she told People.

Chris also talked of his excitement at Paris becoming his fiancee as he told the magazine: 'I feel like the luckiest man in the world to be marrying my dream girl. I cant wait to spend the rest of our lives together.'

The couple first met eight years ago at an Oscars party at Chateau Marmont but didn't start dating until 2016, finally making it official on social media in February 2017.

On Sunday, alongside a black and white image of the duo, she wrote: 'Never in a million years did I think I would find someone so completely perfect for me. Someone who would make me happier than I ever dreamed I could be.

The couple have yet to set a date, but the ceremony may take place before the year is out.He's the rising fashion star known for his hard partying.

But Jordan Barrett swapped 'bad boy' behaviour for old-fashioned bad manners on Thursday when he was caught picking his nose in Byron Bay, NSW.

The 21-year-old male supermodel was photographed digging for gold while driving around his hometown in a silver convertible Volkswagen.

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Model behaviour? Jordan Barrett picks his nose as he takes a spin in a convertible in Byron Bay

Despite the warmer weather, Jordan went about his day in a longsleeve white top.

His famous blonde locks were styled in messy waves, and he displayed a golden tan.

Jordan hails from Byron Bay, and was first scouted at age 13 when he was trying to steal matches from a local supermarket.

On the road: The 21-year-old fashion 'bad boy' was behind the wheel of a silver Volkswagen convertible

Hometown: Jordan hails from Byron Bay, and was first scouted at age 13 when he was trying to steal matches from a local supermarket

Success: Jordan has taken the modelling world by storm in recent years

At the time, Jordan thought he was being approached by store security, but the man turned out to be model scout.

'He was asking me all these questions about my mum and stuff I didn't understand. I thought he was security, and I sort of scampered away,' Jordan previously told Vanity Fair.

The agent then gave Jordan his card, and Jordan's mother contacted the modelling agency soon after.

Feeling hot? Despite the warmer weather, Jordan went about his day in a longsleeve white top

Last month, Jordan made headlines when he re-uploaded a pornographic image to his Instagram account.

He shared a censored version of a photo of two people having sex, after previously risking being banned from Instagram for posting other X-rated photos.

Jordan tagged his yet-to-be released eyewear range Heavilly Sedated in the post.

Explicit: Last month, Jordan made headlines when he re-uploaded a pornographic image to his Instagram account and risked being banned from the image-sharing website

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia in August, Jordan defended his habit of sharing racy pictures online, arguing they were 'artistic'.

'Those photos are all art. It's an art account. It's all art, every image on there,' he explained.

Jordan maintains the 'art' account separately to his personal Instagram page, which also features racy imagery.

He continued: 'What everyone else thinks is raunchy... some people don't, it's everyone's opinion.'She's already the author of three popular novels loosely based on her career in public relations.

And Roxy Jacenko confirmed on Sunday she is writing a fourth book with the help of her six-year-old daughter Pixie Curtis.

The Sweaty Betty PR founder, 37, told Daily Mail Australia they are working on an illustrated book for children about 'doing the right thing'.

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Coming soon! Roxy Jacenko confirmed on Sunday she is writing a fourth book with the help of her six-year-old daughter Pixie Curtis

'Pix and I are working on a picture book this afternoon for kids to encourage them to be kind and do the right thing. Coming soon,' she wrote on Instagram.

In the accompanying photo, Roxy goes makeup-free in a black singlet with daughter Pixie by her side.

Roxy told Daily Mail Australia the book is set for release by the end of the year.

New project: The Sweaty Betty PR founder, 37, told Daily Mail Australia they are working on an illustrated book for children about 'doing the right thing'

She explained that writing the book will be a way to teach her daughter to always treat others with kindness.

'Pixie and I are working on an illustrated book together for kids which will promote being kind and doing the right thing, regardless of how others are treating you,' Roxy said.

'It so important to understand how to manage relationships and conflict at a young age. So I wanted to do it with her and help her and others in later life.'

Writer: She's already the author of three novels loosely based on her career in public relations

The news comes after Roxy revealed Pixie had been teased at school over her father Oliver Curtis' 12-month jail stint for insider trading.

'She was very upset and hearing "your dad broke out of jail and is a bad person" was something I would never have wanted her to hear,' she told The Daily Telegraph.

However, Roxy clarified that the family had 'worked through it' and that Pixie is now looking forward to returning to school later this month.Advertisement

He invited the good and the great of the showbiz world to his sensational extravaganza in Los Angeles on Saturday night.

But it was John Legend's stunning wife Chrissy Teigen who stole the show in her dazzling gown when she supported her husband at his star-studded Art of Elysium Heaven gala.

American model Chrissy, 32, showcased her blossoming baby bump in the embellished feathered dress while the singer showed off his emotional side when he dotingly placed his hand on her growing stomach.

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A heavenly evening! Pregnant Chrissy Teigen showed off her blossoming baby bump in an embellished feathered Pamella Roland frock to support her doting husband John Legend at the star-studded Art of Elysium Heaven gala in Los Angeles on Saturday

The showbiz power couple, who have been married for four years since they tied the knot in Lake Como in 2013, showed they were going from strength to strength when they put on an affectionate display on the red carpet.

Chrissy looked lovely in the embellished gossamer Pamella Roland creation selected by her stylist Monica Rose, and Le Vian diamond rings.

The wisecracking presenter's husband John Legend looked dapper in a black and navy brocaded tuxedo selected by his stylist David Thomas.

As 'Visionary,' the 39-year-old R&B belter - who's an Emmy away from EGOT status - 'conceptually curated' the one-night only artistic installation where tables cost between $25K and $100K.

Love Me Now! The musician planted an affectionate smooch on his wife's cheek as they cosied up for the cameras at the star-studded red carpet extravaganza

Positively glowing! Chrissy proved pregnancy suited her down to the ground in her sheer nude feathered maternity gown

Chrissy and the Penthouse Floor crooner will soon welcome their second child - likely a son since she tweeted that was 'the embryo we have left' back on January 30.

Teigen and Legend (born Stephens) are already the proud parents of 21-month-old daughter Luna.

Catch more of the half-Thai beauty providing 'color commentary' in the fourth season of Lip Sync Battle, which premieres January 18 on the Paramount Network (formerly Spike TV).

Must be love: The All of Me hitmaker cradled his giddy wife's growing stomach when they posed for cameras on the red carpet

Going strong: The showbiz power couple, who have been married for four years since they tied the knot in Lake Como in 2013, showed they were going from strength to strength when they put on an affectionate display on the red carpet

Only eyes for you! The soulful singer showed he was a proud husband as he couldn't take his eyes off Chrissy when she posed up a storm on her own on the red carpet for waiting cameras

Caped crusader: The pregnant 32-year-old looked lovely in the embellished Pamella Roland gossamer creation selected by her stylist Monica Rose, and Le Vian diamond rings

Power couple: The wisecracking presenter's husband John Legend looked dapper in a black and navy brocaded tuxedo selected by his stylist David Thomas

Man of the hour! As 'Visionary,' the 39-year-old R&B belter - who's an Emmy away from EGOT status - 'conceptually curated' the one-night only artistic installation where tables cost between $25K and $100K

Date night: Teigen and Legend (born Stephens) are the proud parents of 21-month-old daughter Luna

Future child: Chrissy and the Penthouse Floor crooner will soon welcome their second child - likely a son since she tweeted that was 'the embryo we have left' back on January 30

PDA: Catch more of the half-Thai beauty providing 'color commentary' in the fourth season of Lip Sync Battle, which premieres January 18 on the Paramount Network (formerly Spike TV)

Orange eye shadow: Powerless' Vanessa Hudgens - who relies on stylist Natalie Saidi - wore a yellow sheer caped gown that resembled Chrissy's dress

And John is next scheduled to perform March 10 at Asia World Expo in Hong Kong.

Powerless' Vanessa Hudgens - who relies on stylist Natalie Saidi - wore a yellow sheer caped gown that resembled Chrissy's dress along with orange eye shadow applied by Allan Avendano.

Justice Leagues' Amber Heard certainly wasn't holding anything back at the bash, looking nearly naked in a sheer halter gown.

The 31-year-old ex-wife of Johnny Depp had her flaxen locks in an updo with bright red lips as she showcased her 5ft7in figure in a the grey embellished number.

Va va voom! Justice Leagues' Amber Heard certainly wasn't holding anything back at the bash, looking nearly naked in a sheer halter gown

Vamp: The 31-year-old ex-wife of Johnny Depp had her flaxen locks in an updo with bright red lips as she showcased her 5ft7in figure in a the grey embellished number

Siblings: Joining the blonde Texan on the black carpet was her long-haired younger sister Whitney, who's a photographer

Stronger together: Bruce Willis and Demi Moore's daughters Tallulah (L) and Rumer (R) also made the Art of Elysium into a family affair by attending together

Everything okay? The 23-year-old eccentric artist looked very slim in a red brocaded mini-dress while the 29-year-old Empire actress took the plunge in a black gown

The nepotistically-privileged socialite - who's openly struggled with eating disorders - later shared a snap from the bash captioned: 'Gala Girls'

Joining the blonde Texan on the black carpet was her long-haired younger sister Whitney, who's a photographer.

Bruce Willis and Demi Moore's daughters Tallulah and Rumer also made the Art of Elysium into a family affair by attending together.

The 23-year-old eccentric artist looked very slim in a red brocaded mini-dress while the 29-year-old Empire actress took the plunge in a black gown.

The nepotistically-privileged socialite - who's openly struggled with eating disorders - later shared a snap from the bash captioned: 'Gala Girls.'

Runs in the genes: Family seemed to be the secret theme of the night with Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix (M) rocking denim and combat boots alongside his sisters Rain (L) and Summer (R) clad in gowns

Double take: A Ghost Story's Roooney Mara (L) and Lethal Weapon's Jordana Brewster (R) selected sophisticated cocktail attire and severe updos for the Art of Elysium festivities

Classic LBD: Big Little Lies' Shailene Woodley flaunted her growing flaxen locks and her cleavage in a lacy black cocktail dress

The 26-year-old Oscar nominee shared a b&w snap of herself with Shameless' Isidora Goreshter (L) and Godless' Shawn-Caulin Young (M) captioned: 'Three lil pigs. bring it, wolf'

Inked: Clarence actress Mena Suvari teased a bit of her unfortunate '13' cleavage tattoo in a silver-sequinned jumpsuit and maxi-blazer selected by stylist Nola Singer

Family seemed to be the secret theme of the night with Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix rocking denim and combat boots alongside his sisters Rain and Summer clad in gowns.

A Ghost Story's Roooney Mara and Lethal Weapon's Jordana Brewster selected sophisticated cocktail attire and severe updos for the Art of Elysium festivities.

Big Little Lies' Shailene Woodley flaunted her growing flaxen locks and her cleavage in a lacy black cocktail dress.

The 26-year-old Oscar nominee shared a b&w snap of herself with Godless' Shawn-Caulin Young and Shameless' Isidora Goreshter captioned: 'Three lil pigs. bring it, wolf.'

Couples: Cara Santana and longtime fiance Jesse Metcalfe (L) attended, as well as Topher Grace and wife Ashley Hinshaw (R), who welcomed their first child Mabel just two months ago

Looking good! Things are apparently still going strong for elusive couple Reeve Carney and Victoria Justice, who fell in love on the set of Fox's The Rocky Horror Picture Show in 2016

Significant others: Blonde beauties Amy Smart (2-L) and Ali Larter (R) glammed up with their real-life leading men - husbands Carter Oosterhouse (L) and Hayes MacArthur (R) - respectively

Making them green with envy! Burlesque queen Dita Von Teese went solo, easily defying her 45 years in an eye-catching green gown featuring belled sleeves

Gorgeous in green: Dita Von Teese put on a very busty display in her plunging emerald gown and she drew further attention to her eye-popping assets with the garment's pleated neckline which perfectly framed her cleavage

Clarence actress Mena Suvari teased a bit of her unfortunate '13' cleavage tattoo in a silver-sequinned jumpsuit and maxi-blazer selected by stylist Nola Singer.

Things are apparently still going strong for elusive couple Reeve Carney and Victoria Justice, who fell in love on the set of Fox's The Rocky Horror Picture Show in 2016.

Other couples present included Cara Santana and longtime fiance Jesse Metcalfe, with Cara adding some blign to her look courtesy of her Ileana Makri jewels, as well as Topher Grace and wife Ashley Hinshaw, who welcomed their first child Mabel just two months ago.

Blonde beauties Amy Smart and Ali Larter glammed up with their real-life leading men - husbands Carter Oosterhouse and Hayes MacArthur - respectively.

Ebony: E! Live from the Red Carpet's Kristin Cavallari (L) and NCIS star Maria Bello (R) both opted for not-so-basic black ensembles for the party

Dapper dudes! Gentlemen attending solo included Hairspray Live's Derek Hough (L), The Bachelor 21 Nick Viall (M), and Riverdale's Cole Sprouse (R)

White out: However, Cole's castmate-turned-girlfriend Lili Reinhart (L) was also there in angelic white alongside similarly-clad IMG Model Sistine Rose Stallone (M) and Twilight alum Nikki Reed (R)

Dolled up: Shameless' Shanola Hampton (L) donned a blue Reem Kachmar gown, while How to Get Away with Murder's Aja Naomi King (R) rocked a red cold-shoulder creation selected by stylist Tara Swennen

On the mic: Teal-tressed America's Got Talent champ Grace VanderWaal, who's only 13, also opted for a frilly cold-shoulder gown as she performed at the event

Burlesque queen Dita Von Teese went solo, easily defying her 45 years in an eye-catching green peasant gown featuring belled sleeves.

E! Live from the Red Carpet's Kristin Cavallari and NCIS star Maria Bello both opted for not-so-basic black ensembles for the party.

Dapper dudes attending solo included Hairspray Live's Derek Hough, The Bachelor 21 Nick Viall, and Riverdale's Cole Sprouse.

Blooming beauty: Braless Emma Kenney flashed a glimpse of sideboob in the semi-sheer bodice of her floral ballgown which drew attention to her figure with its eye-catching embroidered floral design

However, Cole's castmate-turned-girlfriend Lili Reinhart was also there in angelic white alongside similarly-clad IMG Model Sistine Rose Stallone and Twilight alum Nikki Reed.

Shameless' Shanola Hampton donned a blue Reem Kachmar gown, while How to Get Away with Murder's Aja Naomi King rocked a red cold-shoulder creation selected by stylist Tara Swennen.

Teal-tressed America's Got Talent champ Grace VanderWaal, who's only 13, also opted for a frilly cold-shoulder gown as she performed at the event.

Leggy lady: Braless Shanola showed off some serious skin in her thigh-split blue gown which featured daring cutaway segments to best reveal the star's sensational figure in the sequinned embellished ensemble

Sizzling in scarlet! Natalie Eva Marie flaunted her eye-popping cleavage when she went braless in the halterneck crimson dress which had a very racy keyhole neckline that was cut to her navel

She's dazzling! Mena Suvari showed off her svelte figure in a metallic sequined embellished floor-length dress which featured a plunging neckline to best flaunt her ample assets

Beautiful couple! Victoria Justice sparkled in her pink sequinned dress on the arm of dapper Reeve Carney as they rubbed shoulders with the great and the good of the showbiz world

Fabulous figure: The American actress toted a deep pink clutch bag to highlight the dazzling sequins stitched into her ballgown for the showbiz spectacular event

She looks wonderful: Lili Reinhart looked ethereal when she span around on the red carpet in her fairytale dress which teased a glimpse of her slender legs in the semi-sheer embellished skirtShe's currently enjoying a well-deserved break in Hawaii.

And Doreen Jacenko was in the holiday spirit on Saturday, as she posed for an Instagram photo wearing a rather daring swimsuit.

The sixty-something mother of PR queen Roxy Jacenko shared the social media snap while dining at a Waikiki restaurant.

Roxy's mum: Doreen Jacenko was in the holiday spirit on Saturday, as she posed for an Instagram photo wearing a rather daring swimsuit

The Sydney grandmother showed off her slender waist in the black one-piece, which featured criss-cross detailing across the sides.

She completed her look with a pair of mirrored sunglasses, a black-and-white sarong, and brown slides.

It appears she purchased the swimsuit from the exclusive Sylvia Rhodes boutique in Double Bay.

Fashionista: Sixty-something Doreen is enjoying a well-deserved break in Hawaii. Pictured with her friend Judi Faust (left)

Doreen's Instagram followers were quick to praise her style, with one fan describing her a as 'spunky nanna'. Another wrote: 'Looking great, Dors!'

On Friday, the age-defying businesswoman took to Instagram to share a photo of herself wearing a black and pink string bikini.

In the snap, Doreen offers a glimpse of her cleavage while relaxing on the sand with the camera directly above herself.

Life's a beach! On Friday, the age-defying businesswoman took to Instagram to share a photo of herself wearing a black and pink string bikini

She captioned the daring photo: 'Not sure if factor six is low enough?'

Doreen is currently employed by her daughter as Head Of Administration at digital influencer agency Ministry Of Talent.

Her corporate bio states: 'Bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience to the team, Doreen oversees day to day operations and ensures organisational efficiency.'

Confident: Doreen was previously pictured in a bikini while on the Greek Island of Santorini with her friend, Judi FraustCorey Feldman held little back in an interview Saturday following Lifetime's airing of A Tale of Two Coreys, a TV film documenting his relationship with his late friend and colleague Corey Haim.

Feldman, best known for his work in 1980s films such as as The Goonies, The Lost Boys and Stand By Me, sat down with Shaun Robinson for a chat in which topics included his friendship with Haim, his career and how he believes Hollywood remains plagued by child molesters in high places.

The 46-year-old said that pedophilia remains the 'number one secret' in Hollywood, a mantra he will repeat 'until people stop ignoring him.'

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Revealing: Feldman sat down with Shaun Robinson for a chat in which topics included his friendship with Haim, his career and how he believes Hollywood remains plagued by child molesters in high places

Feldman said that even in the current environment in show business - rocked with calls for reform the past three months amid a wave of sexual harassment and abuse allegations toward dozens of high-powered men - he 'absolutely' believes molestation remains epidemic amid show business movers and shakers.

'Parents should be shaking,' Feldman said, adding that he's repeatedly refused to listen to any show business opportunities for his 13-year-old son, Zen. 'I don't have my kid in this industry, what does that tell you?

In the chat, Feldman said that he was corrupted by an adult minder who introduced him to drugs, Los Angeles nightlife and a host of other adult activities from the time he was 15, with the intent to molest him.

Feldman said being molested by a trusted adult is 'the most confusing things to a kid's mind.'

Bold: The 46-year-old said that pedophilia remains the 'number one secret' in Hollywood, a mantra he will repeat 'until people stop ignoring him'

Ongoing? Feldman said he 'absolutely' believes molestation remains epidemic amid show business movers and shakers

Feldman said that he was invited to a party thrown by the son of a famous casting director, in which child molesters and child performers were mixed on the guest list.

'There was a group of pedophiles around all these kids,' Feldman said.

The actor revealed that he only travels with armed guards after receiving death threats - and being told there's a contract out on his life - amid his outspokenness on the issue by people 'who don't want to be unmasked.'

Fast youth: Feldman said that he was corrupted by an adult minder who introduced him to drugs, Los Angeles nightlife and a host of other adult activities from the time he was 15

Tragic: Feldman said being molested by a trusted adult is 'the most confusing things to a kid's mind'

Shocking: Feldman said that he was invited to a party thrown by the son of a famous casting director, and that 'there was a group of pedophiles around all these kids'

Regardless of the danger, Feldman vowed he'd 'never give up' or 'stop fighting' the predators who prey on children.

On the topic of Haim, Feldman said that his friend would be grateful for his current efforts, as he'd expressly asked him to tell his story shortly before his death, with a premonition his life would end soon.

He said that Haim had 'rotted' his mind with drugs to escape the pain of the sex abuse he endured.

Protective: Feldman said he's repeatedly refused to listen to any show business opportunities for his 13-year-old son, Zen

No surrender: Feldman vowed he'd 'never give up' or 'stop fighting' the predators who prey on children

On his own struggles, Feldman compared his battle with drug use to a shooting star - a fast rise, explosion and quick conclusion.

At one point, Feldman said he would travel to downtown LA to purchase heroin from drug dealers and gang members.

'I remember chasing after gangsters, cause I thought that I was tough,' he said.

Feldman recalled another troubled timeframe in which he kept his grandfather's gun under his mattress - and would contemplate suicide on a daily basis - before erupting into prayer.

Looking ahead, Feldman said that he was hoping to reconvene an acting career he believes was taken away from him amid the aforementioned tumult. He said he hoped he could be given a break and offered 'something cool.'

Tough times: Feldman said he would travel to downtown LA to purchase heroin from drug dealers and gang membersShe's the former Bachelor 'villain' who reportedly found love with Jarrod Woodgate on Bachelor In Paradise.

And on Sunday, Keira Maguire put on quite a leggy display after her short girls trip to Brisbane.

Taking to Instagram, the 31-year-old was seen in a pair of short denim cut-offs while flaunting her toned and bronzed pins.

Coming home to her beau? With rumours that she's planning to move to Melbourne to be with 'boyfriend' Jarrod Woodgate, on Sunday, Keira Maguire put on quite the leggy display after her short girls trip to Brisbane in a pair of denim cut-offs

'Brisbane you were fun...' she captioned adding a goodbye hand emoji.

Sitting on a grey beanbag chair, Keira added a low-cut white midriff cotton shirt that showcased her surgically-enhanced cleavage.

The stunner's blonde locks were left out and she sported a full face of makeup.

Found love? Looking for a second shot at love on The Bachelor In Paradise, it is believed Keira has struck a romance with the Vineyard Manager

Taking to Instagram Stories, Keira was seen posting a Boomerang of herself in the mirror.

Again showcasing her long and lean pins, the reality star added a round satchel over her shoulder.

Looking for a second shot at love on The Bachelor In Paradise, it is believed Keira has struck a romance with the Vineyard Manager.

Moving in! With filming already concluded, a source close to the pair told Daily Mail Australia that 'it's only a matter of time' before Keira moves from Sydney down to Melbourne with her alleged beau

With filming already concluded, a source close to the pair told Daily Mail Australia that 'it's only a matter of time' before Keira moves from Sydney down to Melbourne with her alleged beau.

After meeting on-set of Ten's upcoming Bachelor In Paradise, 'they've been inseparable ever since,' the source added.

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to both of them for comment.Her new fiance Chris Zylka may have put a ring on it last week.

But Paris Hilton's new jewelry may have been the last thing people noticed on her latest outing.

The 36-year-old socialite put on quite the display in a lacy black number as she headed to celeb-favorite Craig's in West Hollywood on Saturday night.

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Lovely: Paris Hilton was joined by new fiance Chris Zylka as she hit celeb-favorite Craig's in West Hollywood on Saturday night

She was also accompanied by her 32-year-old actor man as they headed into the highly-popular American eatery.

Her clinging black dress featured sheer and lacy paneling all over it which showed off her svelte figure.

Paris accessorized with a black leather designer bag and dangling blinged out earrings.

Wow factor: The 36-year-old socialite put on quite the display in a lacy black number as she was accompanied by her 32-year-old actor man

Rocking it: Her clinging black dress featured sheer and lacy paneling all over it which showed off her svelte figure

However her top accessory had to be the $2million engagement sparkler on her finger which gleamed even at nighttime.

Her signature blonde locks were pulled back and tucked behind her ear.

Paris rocked evening make-up including smokey eye and shiny pink lip.

Elegant: Paris accessorized with a black leather designer bag and dangling blinged out earrings

Natural beauty: Paris rocked evening make-up including smokey eye and shiny pink lip

Dapper: Chris looked every bit the gentleman in a black suit with matching black dress shirt with a royal blue tie

Chris looked every bit the gentleman in a black suit with matching black dress shirt with a royal blue tie.

This came just hours after Paris donned a bridal veil for an Instagram selfie on Saturday.

'#BrideToBe,' she captioned the intimate close-up, with a generous sprinkling of wedding-themed emojis.

Bride to be! Paris donned a bridal veil for an Instagram selfie on Saturday

The hotel heiress has only had one thing on her mind  her dream wedding to fiance Chris Zylka  since the actor proposed to her on New Year's Eve.

The day before, Paris posted pics from inside her Beverly Hills home, which had been decorated to celebrate the happy couple's engagement.

The main hall was adorned with huge silver balloons reading 'CONGRATULATIONS!' while another pink set read 'YAS I DO'.

'I am so excited to be engaged to the love of my life and my best friend. I have never felt so happy, safe and loved,' Paris gushed after breaking the news. 'He is perfect for me in every way and showed me that fairytales really do exist!

On bended knee: The hotel heiress has only had one thing on her mind  her dream wedding to fiance Chris Zylka  since the actor proposed to her on New Year's Eve

Congrats: The day before, Paris posted pics from inside her Beverly Hills home, which had been decorated to celebrate the happy couple's engagement

'The ring was so gorgeous and sparkling. I was shaking as I put it on. It is the most beautiful ring that I have ever seen,' she told People.

Chris also talked of his excitement at Paris becoming his fiancee as he told the magazine: 'I feel like the luckiest man in the world to be marrying my dream girl. I cant wait to spend the rest of our lives together.'

The couple first met eight years ago at an Oscars party at Chateau Marmont but didn't start dating until 2016, finally making it official on social media in February 2017.

On Sunday, alongside a black and white image of the duo, she wrote: 'Never in a million years did I think I would find someone so completely perfect for me. Someone who would make me happier than I ever dreamed I could be.

The couple have yet to set a date, but the ceremony may take place before the year is out.She's the stunning blonde who wowed Australia with her vibrant personality during a reality TV stint.

And Nikki Gogan wowed onlookers at a Perth beach on Sunday, while flaunting her flawless bikini body in a revealing two-piece.

The 31-year-old showcased her gym-honed physique in the Solid And Striped number, which retails for $202.

Sun-sational! Bachelor reject Nikki Gogan poses for an incredible bikini pic after fans encouraged her to DATE Sam Frost's ex Sasha Mielczarek

'Took the new kini for a spin yesterday, goes alright. Went back again today just to be sure,' she captioned the shot taken at Port Beach in Perth.

And Sam Frost's ex Sasha Mielczarek may have been paying special attention, with a host of flirty comments between the pair recently spurring keen fans to suggest they're an item.

'Cmon you @sash1313 and Nikki need to hook up! Perfect match,' one individual wrote on Instagram.

'You need to hook up, perfect match!' Fans encouraged Nikki Gogan, 31, to date Sasha Mielczarek, after the pair interacted in a series of flirty Instagram comments on Tuesday

The teasing began on Tuesday, when Nikki shared a festive snap to her account.

Nikki, sporting a strapless frock that offered a hint of cleavage and a Santa hat, was seen embracing her sister Dani.

The Perth local captioned the image 'Christmas Day' alongside the hash-tag #fullhearts.

Festive snap: The flirty exchange began on Tuesday, when Nikki shared a festive snap to her account. The Perth local, sporting a strapless frock that offered a hint of cleavage and a Santa hat, was seen embracing her sister Dani

Getting flirty: Sasha, 32, who famously dated Sam Frost, was quick to take to the comments section, writing 'first like' alongside the drooling face emoji. Correcting the construction manager in a cheeky tone, Nikki replied: 'Second comment' alongside the relieved face emoji'

Sasha, 32, was quick to take to the comments section, writing 'first like' alongside the drooling face emoji.

Correcting the construction manager in a cheeky tone, Nikki replied: 'Second comment' alongside the relieved face emoji.

Fans of Nikki's were quick to notice the pair's interaction.

Online frenzy: Fans of Nikki's were quick to notice the pair's interaction, with one urging the stars: 'Cmon you @sasha1313 and Nikki need to hook up! Perfect match'

Playful: Sash appeared to agree, writing playfully: '@mumofwozzagirls come on @nikki_gogan! Why not?!'

Someone wrote: 'Sash & Nicki you two would make a perfect couple!'

Sash appeared to agree, writing playfully: '@mumofwozzagirls come on @nikki_gogan! Why not?!'

The pair could perhaps make for a great love story, with both having been linked to stars of The Bachelor and Bachelorette.

Nikki was brutally dumped by Richie Strahan on last year's grand finale episode of The Bachelor, when he chose single mother Alex Nation over her.

Heartbreak: The pair could perhaps make for a great love story, with both having been linked to stars of The Bachelor and Bachelorette. Nikki was brutally dumped by Richie Strahan on last year's grand finale episode of The Bachelor, when he chose single mother Alex Nation over her

And Sasha called time on his relationship with Sam Frost, after 18 months of dating.

Taking to Instagram last December, Sasha wrote alongside a snap of the couple sporting LA Lakers caps: 'After 18 months together, I can confirm that Sam and myself have come to a mutual decision to part ways.

'I respect Sam wholeheartedly and cherish our newfound friendship. It is important to stress that there is no bitterness or scandal however the distance has been challenging at times.

'This is a very difficult time for the two of us and to be honest I'm absolutely heartbroken!'He has already played two fan favorite superheros in his career.

But Ben Affleck still is looking for more thrills in his life.

The 45-year-old actor was spotted riding his motorcycle with no hands while driving around in Los Angeles on Saturday.

Vroom vroom: Ben Affleck was spotted riding his motorcycle with no hands while driving around in Los Angeles on Saturday

He was seen atop his 2011 BMW two-wheeler while balancing it using merely his thighs.

No doubt it was an impressive feat as he enjoyed the solo ride on the chilly afternoon in Southern California.

He looked ever the avid biker in a black leather jacket with blue jeans and black leather motorcycle boots.

Balancing act: The 45-year-old actor was seen atop his 2011 BMW two-wheeler while balancing it using merely his thighs

What a pro: He seemed to enjoy the ride on the bike

Thrilling: No doubt it was an impressive feat as he enjoyed the solo ride on the chilly afternoon in Southern California

Speed demon: Ben made sure to wear protection in the form of a silver Arai helmet as he had a black backpack strapped to his back

Showing his style: He looked ever the avid biker in a black leather jacket with blue jeans and black leather motorcycle boots

Ben made sure to wear protection in the form of a silver Arai helmet as he had a black backpack strapped to his back.

The outing comes just a day after he was spotted enjoying a shopping day with his lady love.

Ben couldn't help but plant a kiss on his girlfriend Lindsay Shookus during a spot of shopping in Los Angeles on Friday.

The 45-year-old Batman actor and the 37-year-old Saturday Night Live producer appeared relaxed as they browsed stores for a low-key date.

Love birds: Ben and Lindsay Shookus packed on some PDA while the SNL producer held a pair of Christian Louboutin in her hands in Los Angeles on Friday

Coffee date: Ben looked relaxed as he faced the misty day with Lindsay by his side

Ben sported a casual look with a dark gray T-shirt, black denim jeans, and a black leather jacket.

The father-of-three finished off his attire with brown oxfords and sunglasses that he hung off his shirt collar.

Lindsay donned a chic look while strolling the streets in black denim, nude flats, and a gray long-sleeve shirt with bell-sleeves.

The 37-year-old sported a make-up free look as she kept her blonde tresses down by her shoulders.

Looking good: The 35-year-old Batman actor and the 37-year-old Saturday Night Live producer appeared relaxed as they browsed stores for a low-key date

Coffee run: Ben sported a casual look with a dark gray T-shirt, black denim jeans, and a black leather jacket

Out and about: The father-of-three finished off his attire with brown oxfords and sunglasses that he hung off his shirt collar

The couple later headed inside a store where they perused the selection of designer shoe brands.

Ben and Lindsay packed on some PDA while the SNL producer held a pair of Christian Louboutin in her hands.

Ben later found multiple pairs of shoes he found keen, while holding them up and asking the seven-time Emmy nominee for her opinion.

Shopping spree: The couple later headed inside a store where they perused the selection of designer shoe brands

The perfect pair: Ben later found multiple pairs of shoes he found keen, while holding them up and asking the seven-time Emmy nominee for her opinion

Meanwhile, Ben's ex-wife Jennifer Garner was seen getting in a workout across town.

The estranged couple spent Christmas together with their children according to People.

Ben and Jennifer are parents to daughters Violet, 12, and Seraphina, eight, and son Samuel, five.

The former couple, who also spent Thanksgiving together with their kids, separated in June 2015 after 10 years of marriage.(CNN)  In a sign of escalating tensions between the United States and Pakistan, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley accused Pakistan of playing "a double game for years" and confirmed the administration will withhold $255 million in aid to the country.

"They work with us at times, and they also harbor the terrorists that attack our troops in Afghanistan," Haley said Tuesday at a news conference. "That game is not acceptable to this administration."

Her remarks came a day after President Donald Trump accused Pakistan of lying to and deceiving the U.S. despite receiving billions in foreign aid.

The Pakistani government said earlier Tuesday that recent comments from U.S. leaders were "completely incomprehensible" and could damage the trust between the countries.

Haley said the White House expects far more cooperation from the Pakistani government in the fight against terrorism. Trump is willing "to go to great lengths to stop all funding from Pakistan as they continue to harbor and support terrorism," Haley said.

There was no immediate response from the Pakistani government.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi chaired a National Security Committee (NSC) meeting, attended by the country's Foreign, Interior and Defense Ministers, along with chiefs of staff of the army, navy and air force.

In a statement following the meeting, the NSC expressed "deep disappointment" at recent US leadership comments, which it said were "completely incomprehensible as they contradicted facts manifestly, struck with great insensitivity at the trust between two nations built over generations, and negated the decades of sacrifices made by the Pakistani nation."

It said there had been close interaction with the U.S. following Trump's initial policy statements regarding South Asia, and that recent visits to Pakistan by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defense Secretary James Mattis were "robust and forward-looking."

The NSC claimed that Pakistan's counterterrorism campaign had, at great financial cost, "served as a bulwark against the possible expansion of scores of terrorist organizations currently present in Afghanistan -- a fact acknowledged by U.S. authorities at the highest levels."

"Even more importantly the huge sacrifices made by Pakistan, including the loss of tens of thousands of lives of Pakistani civilians and security personnel, and the pain of their families, could not be trivialized so heartlessly by pushing all of it behind a monetary value -- and that too an imagined one," the statement said.

Claiming the roots of terrorism in Afghanistan were due to corruption, drug production and ungoverned terrorist havens, "the Committee observed that Pakistan cannot be held responsible for the collective failure in Afghanistan and that blaming allies certainly does not serve the shared objective of achieving lasting peace in Afghanistan and the region," the NSC statement said.

The statement said that "despite all unwarranted allegations, Pakistan cannot act in haste and will remain committed to playing a constructive role towards an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process, not just for the sake of its own people, but also for the peace and security of the region and international community".

Following the NSC meeting, Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif offered to pay for Trump to carry out an audit on his claim that Pakistan had received $33 billion in US aid over the past 15 years.

"He can hire a U.S. based Audit firm on our expense to verify this figure & let the world know who is lying & deceiving," Asif wrote in a tweet.

A separate tweet from the Government of Pakistan contained a graph showing a drastic decline number of its civilians killed by Islamist militants. It claimed the number of Pakistanis killed in terror attacks had dropped significantly over the past five years, and that the number of people killed in the country since 2003 had cost the state $123 billion.

Meanwhile, around 200 members of the Difa-e-Pakistan Council, a coalition of Islamist parties, demonstrated against the U.S. in Karachi, holding "Dump Trump" placards and burning the American flag. A similar protest was held in Lahore, according to AFP.

On Monday, U.S. Ambassador David Hale was summoned to Pakistan's Foreign Ministry ministry to meet with senior officials, a US Embassy spokesman confirmed.

The White House said that it would continue to withhold $255 million in military aid to Pakistan out of frustration over what it has characterized as Islamabad's obstinacy in confronting terrorist networks.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Rhetoric rises as US vows to withhold aid to Pakistan."Fans can now brace themselves for Kim Kardashian West's next hair transformation following her sleek silver bob look.

On Saturday, the 37-year-old reality star - who boasts 192.4M social media followers - Insta-storied her 'hair artist' Chris Appleton coiffing long extensions from ChaViv Hair by Violet Teriti.

It takes a virtual village - including stylist Simone Harouche and make-up artist Ariel Tejada - to transform the Selfish author into her glamorous everyday self.

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Chameleon: Fans can now brace themselves for Kim Kardashian West's next hair transformation following her sleek silver bob look

Kardashian's eccentric third husband Kanye West has been quite active on Twitter writing on Thursday:'I wish Kim loved me like I love me.'

The 40-year-old rapper-designer ended his year-long performance hiatus November 4 in his Chicago hometown by rapping with Kid Cudi onstage the Aragon Ballroom.

And it's been a little over a year since the 21-time Grammy winner's nine-day stay at UCLA Medical Center for 'temporary psychosis.'

Long hair, don't care! On Saturday, the 37-year-old reality star Insta-storied her 'hair artist' Chris Appleton coiffing long extensions from ChaViv Hair by Violet Teriti

Maintenance: It takes a virtual village - including stylist Simone Harouche and make-up artist Ariel Tejada - to transform the Selfish author into her glamorous everyday self

Kardashian's eccentric third husband Kanye West has been quite active on Twitter writing on Thursday:'I wish Kim loved me like I love me'

Any day now! Aside from putting out Yeezy season six, the 40-year-old rapper-designer and Kim - who are parents to daughter North, 4; and son Saint, 2 - are expecting their third child via surrogate

'He's home and all better!' Kardashian's pregnant younger sister Khloe told ET on Thursday that little Saint is 'doing great now' after being hospitalized for pneumonia last month

Aside from putting out Yeezy season six, Kanye and Kim - who are parents to daughter North, 4; and son Saint, 2 - are expecting their third child via surrogate any day now.

Kardashian's pregnant younger sister Khloe told ET on Thursday that little Saint is 'doing great now' after being hospitalized for pneumonia last month.

Catch more of the former sex tape star and the rest of her fame-hungry family on the 14th season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, which resumes Sunday on E!Sydney is sweltering through a dramatic heatwave.

But those who headed to Bondi Beach on Saturday hoping to cool down may not have had much luck, with 'Prince' Christian Wilkins spotted putting on a scorching display.

The 22-year-old turned heads as he stripped down to a pair of VERY eye-catching budgie smugglers on the outing with BFF Andrew Kelly.

Sizzling! Christian Wilkins and BFF Andrew Kelly were spotted at Bondi Beach on Saturday as Sydney sweltered through a heatwave

Much to the delight of onlookers, the socialite son of Channel Nine's Richard Wilkins shed his shirt and shorts to show off in the teeny swimsuit.

The Moschino budgie smugglers, which were a garish orange colour, stood out as he frolicked in the sand and surveyed the surroundings.

The Filthy Rich and Homeless star tied his golden locks back in a tight ponytail and shielded his eyes from the sun in a pair of oversized shades.

Eye-catching! The Moschino budgie smugglers, which were a garish orange colour, stood out as he splashed around

Meanwhile, close pal Andrew opted for a more modest form of swimwear, donning a pair of stylish blue and white board shorts.

It wasn't long before the two stars joined the masses to cool off in the water, seen splashing about in the waves.

The refreshing dip seemed to be sweet relief for Christian who sported a large grin on his face as the waves crashed around him.

Cooling off! The refreshing dip seemed to be sweet relief for Christian who sported a large grin on his face

It's not the first time the hunky star- who appears to take after his famously handsome father- has hit the beach this summer.

The previous day Christian and Andrew were also by the seaside, where they both took to their popular Instagram pages.

Andrew was seen splashing Christian with H20 from his water bottle as the blonde lay on the sand hoping to catch a tan.He attended the Paddington 2 premiere earlier in the evening.

And Hugh Grant, 57, joined his girlfriend Anna Eberstein, 35, for a romantic dinner date after the red carpet event on Saturday, dining out at Madeo restaurant in West Hollywood.

Swedish TV producer Anna - who has been lying low in recent months - looked happy and healthy in a tight black top, dark jeans and a matching blazer.

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Rare outing: Hugh Grant joined his girlfriend Anna Eberstein for a romantic dinner date after the red carpet event on Saturday, dining out at Madeo restaurant in West Hollywood

Hugh followed closely beside her, dressed down in a shirt and jeans as they headed into the celebrity favourite venue together.

The British star is in LA to present an award at the 2018 Golden Globe Awards, and stopped off at the Regency Village Theatre to celebrate his new film Paddington 2 over the weekend.

Hugh and Anna have two young children together - a son John, born in 2012, and a second child, born in December 2015.

Stepping out: Swedish TV producer Anna - who has been lying low in recent months - looked happy and healthy in a tight black top, dark jeans and a matching blazer

Happy families: Hugh and Anna already have two young children together - a son John, born in 2012, and a second child, born in December 2015

The name of their second child remains a mystery, but the birth was confirmed by Anna's mother to a Swedish newspaper.

Anna Eberstein from Sundsvall has had her second child with film star Hugh Grant, it said.

The newest member of the family saw the light of day for the first time last Wednesday.

Protective: Hugh followed closely beside her, dressed down in a shirt and jeans as they headed into the celebrity favourite venue together

Secretive: The name of the couple's second child - born in 2015 - still remains a mystery, but the birth was confirmed by Anna's mother to a Swedish newspaper

Her delighted mother Susanne, a judge and prominent left-wing politician, confirmed to Swedish newspaper Ornskoldsviks Allehanda the baby, her second grandchild, had been born.

I can confirm that I have another grandchild,' she said.

It is wonderful that we now have grandchildren [more than one grandchild].

Confirmation: Her delighted mother Susanne, a judge and prominent left-wing politician, confirmed to Swedish newspaper Ornskoldsviks Allehanda the baby, her second grandchild, had been born

A close friend of the family told MailOnline at the time: I heard from Annas parents that she had given birth last Wednesday. It was a little girl.

Everything seemed to have gone okay.

Hugh also has two other children - a daughter Tabitha, six, and son Felix, four, with Chinese beauty Tinglan Hong.

The Notting Hill star went from having no children to being a father of four in just four years.

Promotional trail: The British star is in LA to present an award at the 2018 Golden Globe Awards, and stopped off at the Regency Village Theatre to celebrate his new film Paddington 2 over the weekend

Meet and greet: Hugh shook hands with a life-sized version of the marmalade guzzling bear

At the time of Tabitha's birth, Mr Grant's spokesman said: 'He and the mother had a fleeting affair and while this was not planned, Hugh could not be happier or more supportive. He and the mother have discussed everything and are on friendly terms.'

When Ms Hong gave birth to Felix, Mr Grant wrote on Twitter: 'In answer to some journos. Am thrilled my daughter now has a brother.

'Adore them both to an uncool degree. They have a fab mum.'

MailOnline has contacted Hugh's representatives for comment.

Devoted dad: Hugh also has two other children - a daughter Tabitha, six, and son Felix, four, with Chinese beauty Tinglan HongShe is known for being the daughter of acting legend Sylvester Stallone.

But Sistine Stallone proved she was carving out a stellar reputation all of her own as she wowed in three dazzling outfits for a host of glittering events in Los Angeles on Saturday.

The 19-year-old model showed off her sartorial prowess, as well as flashing her cleavage, toned legs and taut abs as she attended the W Magazine It Girl luncheon, The Art of Elysium's 11th Annual Celebration John Legend's 'Heaven' and the Vanity Fair x Instagram Celebrate the New Class of Entertainers events.

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Wow factor: Sistine Stallone proved she was carving out a stellar reputation all of her own as she wowed in three dazzling outfits for a host of glittering events in Los Angeles on Saturday

Blossoming career: The 19-year-old model attended the W Magazine It Girl luncheon, The Art of Elysium's 11th Annual Celebration John Legend's 'Heaven' and the Vanity Fair x Instagram Celebrate the New Class of Entertainers events (above)

For the Art of Elysium, Sistine's first stunning look saw her flash her braless cleavage in a ivory floral cold-shoulder strappy dress which also accentuated her toned arms with flared sleeves.

The dress featured a white and green floral split skirt, which showed off her toned leg as she posed, adding extra height to her statuesque frame with ivory stiletto sandals.

Her caramel flecked brunette locks were styled in an elegant 60s style ponytail while her striking features were enhanced with smoky eyeshadow, fluttery lashes and a slick of rose lipstick.

She accessorised with a sparkling clutch bag.

Polished: For the Art of Elysium, Sistine's first stunning look saw her flash her braless cleavage in a ivory floral cold-shoulder strappy dress which also accentuated her toned arms with flared sleeves

Flawless: The dress featured a white and green floral split skirt, which showed off her toned leg as she posed, adding extra height to her statuesque frame with ivory stiletto sandals

Striking: Her caramel flecked brunette locks were styled in an elegant 60s style ponytail while her striking features were enhanced with smoky eyeshadow, fluttery lashes and a slick of rose lipstick

Leggy: Sistine wowed in the daring thigh-high split dress as she worked the cameras

Glowing: The star showed off flawless make-up and styling as she posed at the event

Stepping out at the W Magazine's It Girls with Dior event, the star glowed in a glittering gold ensemble, featuring a daring semi-sheer bodysuit, with strategically placed metallic sequins covering her pert bust and flashing her toned abs.

Adding a couture edge to the bodysuit, she slipped on a champagne silk blazer over her shoulders and completed her ensemble with matching high-waisted trousers.

She added height with gold strappy sandals.

Her tresses were styled in a more casual ponytail while the star opted for a stripped back, glowing make-up look to accentuate her natural beauty.

Toned: Sistine flashed the camera a warm smile as she made the most of her toned legs

Chic: Stepping out at the W Magazine's It Girls with Dior event, the star glowed in a glittering gold ensemble, featuring a daring semi-sheer bodysuit, with strategically placed metallic sequins covering her pert bust and flashing her toned abs

Elegant: Adding a couture edge to the bodysuit, she slipped on a champagne silk blazer over her shoulders and completed her ensemble with matching high-waisted trousers

And for the Vanity Fair x Instagram party, the star donned a daring semi-sheer canary yellow rollneck sweater with black and white stripe detail across the bust.

The glittering sweater flaunted her taut midriff and tiny waist, and she paired this with neon yellow and black floral harem pants.

Putting on a leggy display, Sistine finished her outfit with black strappy stilettos, a black clutch and gold hoop earrings.

Speaking about her relationship with her father in December, Sistine told W Magazine the 71-year-old is 'very supportive' of her modelling career and tells her to 'cherish every moment'.

Sleek: Her tresses were styled in a more casual ponytail while the star opted for a stripped back, glowing make-up look to accentuate her natural beauty

Gold goddess: Sistine looked relaxed as she chatted during lunch at the event

Glitter: The daring bodysuit flashed her cleavage in the daring bodysuit

'He and my mom did a very good job of keeping us away from the public eye,' She said.

'Now, he's like, 'This is your moment. Mine is over, and I want it to be about you.'

Sylvester celebrated twenty years of wedded bliss to Jennifer Flavin last year, and they also share daughter Scarlet, 15.

Pals: Sistine posed with actress Kaitlyn Dever at the star-studded luncheon

He rose to fame as the underdog boxer Rocky Balboa in a series of films released in the 70s-80s aptly named after the character.

Meanwhile, Sistine and her sister Sophia, 21, were honored with the prestigious titles of Miss Golden Globe in 2017.

Sophia and Sistine also recently starred in a Dolce & Gabbana Beauty advert inspired by old Italy.Marco Pierre White is the celebrity chef described as a 'tyrant in the kitchen'.

But broadcaster Melissa Doyle has found out the famous cook can be just as intimidating in an interview room.

During a sit-down chat which screened on Seven's Sunday night, things took a tense turn when Melissa brought up Marco's explosive feud with fellow cook, Matt Preston.

Tense: Melissa Doyle's Sunday Night interview with celebrity chef Marco Pierre White became quite stifled when she broached the subject of his feud with fellow cook Matt Preston

47-year-old Melissa appeared to be getting on famously with the British-born star, as he gushed about his four children.

'You know my children are without question the most wonderful thing. I've learnt more about myself through my children than any other experience in my life,' the chef fawned.

The personality's son, 23-year-old Marco Pierre White Jr, has become a household name in his own right following an appearance on the British version of Big Brother.

Tense: Marco gave a very blunt reply when Melissa brought up the tender topic of his feud with Matt

However, Marco Jr was at the centre of a feud that hit headlines last year between his father and fellow chef Matt Preston.

Speaking on The Kyle and Jackie O Show last year, Masterchef judge Matt was critical of Marco Jr's appearance on Big Brother, in which he allegedly had sex with a fellow housemate.

At the time the Matt famously stated: 'I think it is that terrible thing when you have kids that go off the rails'- a comment which sparked a war of words with Marco Sr.

Star appearance: Marco Pierre White Jr became famous following a rather raunchy appearance on UK Big Brother, which attracted criticism from Australian chef Matt Preston

Fall out: Marco (left) and Matt (right) before their war of words drove a wedge between them

And when Melissa brought up the spat on Sunday Night things became dramatic.

'There was quite a famous confrontation with Matt Preston. Did he cross the line by talking about your children?' Melissa tentatively asked.

'You know the answer to that. I don't have to get involved,' Marco bluntly replied.

With a slight smirk on his face he added: 'Don't ask me a question I'm not going to answer, and don't try and draw me into something I won't be drawn into'.

Shut down: When Melissa brought up the spat on Sunday Night things became dramatic

After Matt's comments last year, Marco Sr was so incensed he defected from Masterchef.

The tough-talking chef instead appeared on Channel Nine's rival cooking series, Hell's Kitchen.

And Marco Jr. also hit back against Matt's criticism about him, sending out a series of now-deleted tweets, according to The Daily Telegraph.While her wellness website The Goop has been received tremendously well since its launch in 2008, it has also come under fire for its 'deceptive' and 'unsubstantiated' claims over the years.

And Gwyneth Paltrow was seen cutting a casual figure as she attended a yoga class in Studio City, California on Saturday after urging her readers to celebrate the New Year with cocktails laced with drugs.

The American actress, 45, continued to divide opinion as she took to the online platform with a post that read: 'Ringing in 2018 with a CBD-spiked cocktail intrigued many of us at Goop.'

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Casual figure: Gwyneth Paltrow, 45, was seen attending a yoga class on Saturday after urging The Goop readers to celebrate the New Year with cocktails laced with drugs

New post: The American actress continued to divide opinion as she took to the online platform with a post that read: 'Ringing in 2018 with a CBD-spiked cocktail intrigued many of us at Goop'

In the post shared on December 28th of last year, Gwyneth informed her readers how to mix their fancy cocktails with the cannabis oil dubbed, CBD.

'Depending on where you live and what the laws are (theyre about to become even more relaxed here in Los Angeles), it seems like just about everyone is experimenting with cannabidoil (also known as CBD) oils and tinctures,' the daughter of film star Blythe Danner mentioned in her post.

'Devotees swear it helps with everything from sleep and stress... and have started mixing it into smoothies, lattes, and -at certain restaurants and pop-ups around town- cocktails.

'Maxwell Reis was one of the first people we know to incorporate CBD into cocktails, and he... has developed insanely delicious cocktails just for us,' she continued in the post.

Dividing opinion: In the post shared on December 28th of last year, Gwyneth informed her readers how to mix their fancy cocktails with the cannabis oil dubbed, CBD

Health reasons: While controversial, cannabis is legal in many US states. However, medical experts have warned against consuming alcohol with drugs - such as CBD cocktails (stock)

As well as drinks laced with the cannabidoil ingredients, the Oscar-winner also offered a number of weed cocktails - including Up in Smoke, Gin & Chronic and Cannabis Cup.

While controversial, cannabis is legal in many US states. However, medical experts have warned against consuming alcohol with drugs - such as CBD cocktails.

Meanwhile, Gwyneth look ready to work up a sweat as she rocked a pair of skin-tight grey leggings as she arrived at her workout session on Saturday.

Gwyneth kept warm in a grey jumper, adding some extra warmth with a padded gilet. She went make-up free for her outing, wearing her blonde locks scraped back from her face in a bun.



'Back in the chair': Meanwhile, Gwyneth is about to reprise her famous Marvel character Pepper Potts for a seventh time

Gwyneth is about to reprise her famous Marvel character for a seventh time, alongside co-star Robert Downey Jr, 52, in the new Avengers sequel that is currently filming in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Shakespeare in Love actress posted a selfie to social media of herself back in the makeup chair on Wednesday.

In the Instagram post, the Academy Award winning actress wears collagen eye masks under her eyes while a makeup assistant applies brow gel.

Her blonde tresses are slicked back and she wears a towel over her bare shoulders.

The Sliding Doors actress captioned the post 'Back in the chair #pepperpotts #mcu @marvel ous'

Corporate superhero: In the Marvel film series, Paltrow's character Pepper Potts has graduated from the secretary of Tony Stark aka Iron Man, to the CEO of Stark Industries

In the Marvel film series, Paltrow's character Pepper Potts has graduated from the secretary of Tony Stark aka Iron Man, to the CEO of Stark Industries and the billionaire superhero's live-in girlfriend.

Although her character didn't appear in Captain America: Civil War, it was mentioned during that film that she and Stark were 'taking a break'.

But by the end of Spiderman: Homecoming, it was suggested that the pair had rekindled their romance.

On-again off-again: Although her character didn't appear in Captain America: Civil War, it was mentioned during that film that she and Stark were 'taking a break'

The Se7en actress recently urged New Year's revelers not to get behind the wheel after drinking.

The A-list fellow mom took to Instagram on New Years Eve to partner with Lyft, calling on party-goers to use the service if they are imbibing at all.

Gwyneth wrote: '@Lyft Lux is driving us to ring in the new year tonight. Stay safe out there.'She turned heads with her envy-inducing figure in the Love Island villa earlier this year.

And Montana Brown set pulses racing once again on Saturday, as she stripped to another skimpy swimsuit to soak up the sunshine in Barbados.

The reality star, 22, gave a saucy flash of side boob in a plunging scarlet swimsuit as she enjoyed a relaxing dip in the sea on the idyllic island.

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Red hot! Montana Brown set pulses racing on Saturday, as she stripped to a skimpy swimsuit to soak up the sunshine in Barbados

Life's peachy! The reality star, 22, gave a saucy flash of side boob and her peachy derriere in a plunging scarlet swimsuit as she enjoyed a relaxing dip in the sea on the idyllic island

The star showed off her impressive figure in the swimsuit - which plunged to a daring length at the side, to flash a hint of sideboob and plenty of sun-kissed skin to all.

Pulling into a racer back style, the bright red one-piece then cut to a eye-watering height at her rear, to leave her famously rounded derriere on show.

Cinching in at her slim waist before rising high at her thigh, the garment displayed her enviably long and slender legs to all as she relaxed with friends on the beach.

Saucy: The star showed off her impressive figure in the swimsuit - which plunged to a daring length at the side, to flash a hint of sideboob to all

Toned: Pulling into a racer back style, the bright red one-piece then cut to a eye-watering height at her rear, to leave her famously rounded derriere on show

Legs for days: Cinching in at her slim waist before rising high at her thigh, the garment displayed her enviably long and slender legs to all as she relaxed

Feeling the chill: Despite the sunshine, Montana was seen flinching as she plunged deeper into the water

Sizzling: Her impressive figure was clear to see as she topped up her tan in the swimsuit

Slender: The one-piece clung tightly to her frame to display her enviably toned stomach and tiny waist as she cooled off in the water

She left her hair in its everyday sleek style and added a typically glamorous make-up look, to draw attention to her naturally striking features as she cooled off in the sea.

Later tiring of her tanning session however, the brunette was then spotted making her way back to her accomomdation with a friend - clad in casual denim shorts and a sporty black cap.

Montana shot to fame on ITV2's Love Island this year, and although she failed to find Mr Right, she garnered a huge fan following with her witty sense of humour.

Effortless: She left her hair in its everyday sleek style for her day at the beach

Dolled up: She also added a typically glamorous make-up look, to draw attention to her naturally striking features, as she laughed with a friend on the sand

Sporty: However she made her look more casual with a black sports cap, which she wore backwards on the beach

Relaxed: Montana appeared to be in high spirits as she laughed and joked with her friends on the beach

Here she is: Montana is no stranger to stripping to her swimwear, having risen to fame on ITV2's Love Island back in June

Fan favourite: Although she failed to find Mr Right on the show, she garnered a huge fan following with her witty sense of humour

The brunette has been riding the wave of fame since departing the Mallorca villa - bagging a presenting role with MTV as well as her own fashion line with Pretty Little Thing.

After the series came to an end, Montana confessed it was the prospect of working in the public eye after the show that convinced her to apply.

She said on Loose Women: 'I just thought it could be a great platform do what I want to do, I dont know what yet. I thought it would open doors and opportunities, to be in the public eye and influence public in good way.

'I definitely thought I was going to find a boyfriend. But its not easy have to find real connection with people, you dont have a connection with everyone.'

Success: The brunette has been riding the wave of fame since departing the Mallorca villa - bagging a presenting role with MTV as well as her own fashion line with Pretty Little Thing

Chilling out: However after a busy few weeks, she was no doubt in need of some respite on the island

Honest: After the series came to an end, Montana confessed it was the prospect of working in the public eye after the show that convinced her to apply

Say cheese! Montana giggled with a friend as they made their way back to their accommodation

Casual: Her pal looked equally summery in a floral shirt, white shorts and striped sliders

She also addressed her decision to have sex on camera with villa squeeze Alex Beattie - against her mother's advice.

She laughed: 'Mum was like, "Do not have sex on camera!" When youre in the moment you forget so easily. You're like, "Oh well!" My mum's words went in one ear, out the other.

'When she came to visit in villa, she was like, "Well talk about when we get home". I have zero regrets looking back and seeing journey I went on.

'I never thought I would have sex but when youre in a relationship with someone It felt right for me at the time.'She's the Real Housewives of Cheshire star, that ran off to have her lover's child, behind her husband's back.

And in Monday's The Daily Telegraph, Ester Dee said that despite now loving reality TV, she was initially reluctant in joining the series.

'It was scary to join (the show) because I thought I wasn't as much of a good girl,' the 32-year-old admitted.

'It was scary at first as I'm not much of a good girl': The Real Housewives of Cheshire's Ester Dee, 32, revealed her initial thoughts on joining reality TV, in Monday's The Daily Telegraph

'When you open my closet, there's lots of skeletons and going on the show I'm worried about opening my life to everybody,' Czech-born Ester confessed.

However despite her initial concerns, the socialite has gone on to love becoming a household name back in the UK.

Ester explained: 'I thought it was going to be horrible but I think the excitement of being on TV, I wanted to experience that and the passion was stronger than the worry.'

Candid confession: 'When you open my closet, there's lots of skeletons and going on the show I'm worried about opening my life to everybody,' Czech-born Ester told the publication

Limelight: However despite her initial concerns, the socialite has gone on to love becoming a household name back in the UK: 'I thought it was going to be horrible but I think the excitement of being on TV, I wanted to experience that and the passion was stronger than the worry'

Speaking her mind, Ester told Daily Mail Australia that perhaps the Sydney housewives spin-off was not picked up by broadcasters outside of the country, due to the women having too many problems.

'If you've got deep issues in yourself you're probably horrible to other people,' she said.

'The girls probably need good sex or something to shut them up. They probably were very catty because there was a good reason.'

Ester also suggested that the hot Australian weather could have played a part in the Sydney housewives' raging tempers.

Vocal: Speaking her mind, Ester told Daily Mail Australia that perhaps the Sydney housewives spin-off was not picked up by broadcasters outside of the country, due to the women having too many problems: 'If you've got deep issues in yourself you're probably horrible to other people. The girls probably need good sex or something to shut them up'

Antics: Ester also suggested that the hot Australian weather could have played a part in the Sydney housewives' (pictured) raging tempers: 'They need to eat some good food or stop drinking or it was too hot. It might be the weather as to why they were so aggressive'

'They need to eat some good food or stop drinking or it was too hot. It might be the weather as to why they were so aggressive,' she said.

The buxom blonde also spoke about the differences and similarities between the Australian housewives and their English counterparts.

'We are girls. We've got the same agenda. But I think it's the nature of the country. They've got a little more sunshine so they may be a little happier.'

'We have to film in the rain all the time so it makes you grumpier. I think the weather affects a lot,' Ester continued.

To catch up on The Real Housewives of Cheshire, all six seasons are now available for download on Hayu.He is the toast of Hollywood with his internationally renowed sci-fi anthology series Black Mirror winning his first Primetime Emmys in September.

And success story Charlie Brooker has paid tribute to his wife Konnie Huq and their two sons, revealing his whirlwind romance with the former Blue Presenter and becoming a parent changed him for the better.

The talented writer, 46, told BBC 4's Desert Island Discs that marrying Konnie in a Las Vegas ceremony after just nine months together in 2010 and deciding to become a dad was 'the best decision' he had ever made.

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Success story: Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker has paid tribute to his wife Konnie Huq and their two sons, revealing his whirlwind romance with the former Blue Presenter and becoming a parent changed him for the better

Love story: The talented writer, 46, told BBC 4's Desert Island Discs that marrying Konnie in a Las Vegas ceremony after just nine months together in 2010 and deciding to become a dad was 'the best decision' he had ever made

Of the loved-up pair's marriage he said: 'That was absolutely the right time.

'It was weird because, for years, I'd not known if I'd wanted kids or a family, that seemed like something that other people did, I couldn't perceive of that as a future.

'And then Konnie came along and quite early on she said 'I want kids and a family' and this sort of thing, and I heard myself going 'OK', and sort of thought, 'oh, right, why have I said that?'

'It was the best decision I ever made.'

Smitten: Of the loved-up pair's marriage and their children he said: 'That was absolutely the right time. It was the best decision I ever made'

Konnie, 42, who previously dated fellow presenter Richard Bacon for six years, met Charlie, 46, nine years ago when she appeared in an episode of his show Screenwipe on BBCOne in 2008.

The star said that he has a 'romantic fluttering heart' underneath his saracastic exterior.

The couple now share two sons Covey, five and Huxley, three.

Charlie said it was a 'cliche' to say that becoming a father changed him, as the star had written columns in the past in which he expressed his dislike for children and said he didn't want any.

Softy: The star said that he has a 'romantic fluttering heart' underneath his saracastic exterior

He also admitted to fearing that he wouldn't bond with his baby and spoke about Konnie's 'horrific' emergency Caesarean section while giving birth to eldest son Covey

He said: 'I remember when Konnie was pregnant with our first son Covey, this was like in 2012 when he was born, and it was a thing I could worry about, the pregnancy.

'But my biggest fear was that I'd heard about dads who, the baby is born and they just don't connect, or for whatever reason, they don't emotionally connect, and I didn't really get babies and kids.

'I was like, 'that's going to be me, what if I feel nothing?'

Cute couple: He also admitted to fearing that he wouldn't bond with his baby and spoke about Konnie's 'horrific' emergency Caesarean section while giving birth to eldest son Covey

The pair raised eyebrows when they first got together due to their very different personalities, with Charlie described as a satirical pessimist while Konnie has a clean-cut happy-go-lucky image.

In an interview with the Guardian in 2011, Konnie was asked, 'What or who is the greatest love of your life?' to which she replied, 'My husband.'

Charlie scooped two awards at the Primetime Emmys in September, winning both Outstanding Television Movie and an Outstanding Writing award for the episode San Junipero.

Charlie gave Konnie a shout-out in his acceptance speech, including her in the thank yous, finishing off with 'and finally, my wife Konnie who is down there, who I love very much'.

Winner: Charlie scooped two awards at the Primetime Emmys in September, winning both Outstanding Television Movie and an Outstanding Writing award for the episode San Junipero

The rest of his acceptance speech alluded to the fact that his twisted and dystopian satire series Black Mirror seems to draw inadvertent parallels to current events.

'I have heard 2017 described as being trapped, like being trapped in one long unending Black Mirror episode,' he said. 'But I like to think if I had written it, it wouldnt be quite so on the nose with all the Nazis and hate.'

The winning episode, San Junipero starred Mackenzie Davis and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and was about how technology can help deal with aging and loneliness.

'San Junipero was a story about love  and love will defeat hatred, love will win,' he went on. 'But it might need a bit of help. Maybe, if all the beautiful people in this auditorium could start to physically make love with each other  or yourselves  on the count of three, this world would be a far better place. Three, two, one, go!'It looks like Paris Hilton has no bad blood with on-off pal Kim Kardashian.

Asked whether or not the wife of Kanye West would be invited to the socialite/mogul's wedding to actor Chris Zylka, 32, she replied: 'Of course!'

The Stars Are Blind songstress, 36, offered up the tidbit as TMZ chatted her up while heading home from a date with her soon-to-be hubby at celeb-favorite Craig's in West Hollywood Saturday.

VIP RSVP! Paris Hilton said 'of course' on-off pal Kim Kardashian will be invited to her wedding with Chris Zylka while chatting to TMZ Saturday night. The former BFFs are seen in 2009 above

Paris looked lovely in a lacy black number, flashing a wry smile as she gave her answer.

Hilton and Kardashian were the best of friends during the early 2000s, but had a falling out some years later.

Word the mother-of-two has made the guest list seems to signal all is forgiven now.

Wedding bells! The Stars Are Blind songstress, 36, offered up the tidbit as TMZ chatted her up while heading home from a date with her soon-to-be hubby

Once upon a time... Hilton and Kardashian (above in 2006) were the best of friends during the early 2000s, but had a falling out some years later

Lovely: Paris was joined by new fiance Chris Zylka as she hit celeb-favorite Craig's in West Hollywood on Saturday night

Though photographers peppered her with questions, the hotel heiress was quiet on any other details.

'I don't know,' she answered, 'We're gonna plan it soon with my family.'

Her new fiance Chris Zylka got down on one knee in Aspen, Colorado last week.

The Leftovers actor popped the question with as $2million engagement sparkler.

Wow factor: The 36-year-old socialite put on quite the display in a lacy black number as she was accompanied by her 32-year-old actor man

Natural beauty: Paris rocked evening make-up including smokey eye and shiny pink lip

Elegant: Paris accessorized with a black leather designer bag and dangling blinged out earrings

Their date came just hours after Paris donned a bridal veil for an Instagram selfie on Saturday.

'#BrideToBe,' she captioned the intimate close-up, with a generous sprinkling of wedding-themed emojis.

It seems the hotel heiress has only had one thing on her mind  her dream wedding to fiance Chris Zylka  since the actor proposed to her on New Year's Eve.

Dapper: Chris looked every bit the gentleman in a black suit with matching black dress shirt with a royal blue tie

Bride to be! Paris donned a bridal veil for an Instagram selfie on Saturday

The day before, Paris posted pics from inside her Beverly Hills home, which had been decorated to celebrate the happy couple's engagement.

The main hall was adorned with huge silver balloons reading 'CONGRATULATIONS!' while another pink set read 'YAS I DO'.

'I am so excited to be engaged to the love of my life and my best friend. I have never felt so happy, safe and loved,' Paris gushed after breaking the news. 'He is perfect for me in every way and showed me that fairytales really do exist!

On bended knee: The hotel heiress has only had one thing on her mind  her dream wedding to fiance Chris Zylka  since the actor proposed to her on New Year's Eve

Congrats: The day before, Paris posted pics from inside her Beverly Hills home, which had been decorated to celebrate the happy couple's engagement

'The ring was so gorgeous and sparkling. I was shaking as I put it on. It is the most beautiful ring that I have ever seen,' she told People.

Chris also talked of his excitement at Paris becoming his fiancee as he told the magazine: 'I feel like the luckiest man in the world to be marrying my dream girl. I cant wait to spend the rest of our lives together.'

The couple first met eight years ago at an Oscars party at Chateau Marmont but didn't start dating until 2016, finally making it official on social media in February 2017.

On Sunday, alongside a black and white image of the duo, she wrote: 'Never in a million years did I think I would find someone so completely perfect for me. Someone who would make me happier than I ever dreamed I could be.

The couple have yet to set a date, but the ceremony may take place before the year is out.She's been enjoying an extended festive break in her homeland of Brazil, weeks after announcing that she was stepping down from her role as a Victoria's Secret Angel.

And on Sunday, Alessandra Ambrosio took to Instagram to share more snapshots from her Latin American adventures, as her travels took to her Costa Esmeralda.

In the shots, the 36-year-old beauty displayed her lithe form in a flattering white bikini as she took to the welcoming azure waters for a paddleboarding session.

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Soaking up the sun: Alessandra Ambrosio took to Instagram to share a racy shot of herself soaking up the sunshine in Brazil over the weekend

Shielding her eyes from the sunshine with a stylish pair of shades, the mother-of-two wore her glossy brown locks in a high ponytail as she posed for the envy-inducing snapshots, which she captioned: 'Sunday fun day.'

A day before, she put on quite the cheeky display for her 9million followers, when she shared an image of herself pulling up her bikini bottoms to reveal her pert posterior as she waded in the waters of Praia Brava.

Alessandra announced her departure from the brand that propelled her to worldwide super-stardom in late November, after walking in an incredible 17 Victoria's Secret shows - most recently the 2017 presentation in Shanghai, China.

Making waves: On Sunday, she shared a pair of shots of herself paddleboarding in Praia Brava

Confirming the rumours via her Instagram page, she wrote: 'Words cannot describe how grateful I am to have been working for this amazing brand that inspires me and women all over the world.

'In my wildest dreams I would have never imagined doing 17 Victorias Secret Fashion Shows. Thank you Ed, and all my Victorias Secret family for making these memories unforgettable.

'Last night was so emotional to say goodbye to my angel sisters but we put on the biggest and best show ever. I could not have done this without all the love and support from my fans.

'It gives me great pride to be part the Victorias Secret movement! I will always be cheering for you! Love you forever.'

Wow: The supermodel wowed in a white Aexae bikini, in which she displayed her enviable physique

The model kicked off her fashion career at the tender age of 12, and went on to appear in her first show for the lingerie brand in 2000.

In the 2008 edition of the show, the mother-of-two famously returned to the runway just three months after giving birth to her first child, daughter Anja.

She was selected to wear the coveted 'Fantasy Bra' on two occasions; modelling a $2.5 million version in 2012 and joining fellow Brazilian bombshell Adriana Lima, 36, to showcase the Dream Angels Fantasy Bras, worth $2 million apiece, in 2014.

Break: The brunette beauty has been enjoying an extended break in her sun-soaked homeland

The model raises daughter Anja and son Noah with businessman fiance Jamie Mazur, 36, to whom she has been engaged to since 2008.

Alessandra previously said her body has improved since she gave birth to her two children, because she never used to workout before becoming a mother.

She told The EDIT magazine in 2014: 'Your body will never go back to exactly what it was before pregnancy, whatever people tell you. It can't.

'But I think I have a better body now than before I had kids. It's partly because I work out, whereas before I didn't, but also to do with the shape - it just looks more formed now and I feel better about it than I did.'She caused huge controversy after defending Girls co-writer Murray Miller after he was accused of rape by actress, Aurora Perrineau.

And Lena Dunham has been seen for the first time since the backlash, as she made an appearance at Sean Penn's JP HRO Gala in Los Angeles on Saturday night.

The American actress, 31, was seen displaying the inking on her arm as she indulged in a conversation with her former co-star, Allison Williams.

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Stepping out: Lena Dunham has been seen for the first time at Sean Penn's JP HRO Gala in Los Angeles since defending Girls co-writer Murray Miller after he was accused of rape by actress, Aurora Perrineau

Weeks after laying low following the scandal, Lena also made her return to social media on Saturday, as she was seen on her Instagram Stories relaxing with two of her cats and reading.

In the clip, the actress and writer lounged in bed in a lime green top while engaging in a stream-of-consciousness rant about the menagerie she's keeping at home.

'The rumours are true, I have two dogs and two hairless cats and if you want to come for me, come for me - I know that I'm a crazy animal lady,' the Emmy-nominated star said.'

Later, she added a cat-themed filter and joked, 'Two can play at this game, there are multiple cats in this bed ... three to be exact!'

Back at it: Weeks after laying low following the scandal, the actress also made her return to social media on Saturday, as she was seen on her Instagram Stories relaxing with two of her cats and reading

Backlash: Lena caused huge controversy after defending Girls co-writer Murray Miller after he was accused of rape by actress, Aurora Perrineau

The Golden Globe winner also filled in details on what she's doing on the first weekend of the year.

'For me Saturday is all about reading, so stay tuned, cause my book picks for 2018 are about to come at you,' wrote Dunham, who later shared a collage of stacks of books she's read.

Dunham emerged in the social media post after keeping a relatively-low profile the past few weeks, after she was ensnared in controversy stemming from the ongoing national conversation revolving around sexual harassment and assault, particularly in show business.

In November, Dunham's co-writer on Girls, Murray Miller, was accused of rape by actress Aurora Perrineau.

Kickback: The actress-writer had one of her hairless cats perched on her chest

Adjusting: The Girls star used a feline-inspired filter during her social media clip

Meow: The TV star shared a shot of her hairless cats in the Instagram Stories video

Lena's Book Club: The pop culture phenom showed off some of the titles she's reading

Dunham, in a statement defending Miller, inferred that Perrineau was lying about the alleged assault, which she said happened in 2012, when she was 17 and Miller was 35, according to The Wrap.

'While our first instinct is to listen to every womans story, our insider knowledge of Murrays situation makes us confident that sadly this accusation is one of the 3% of assault cases that are misreported every year,' Dunham said in a statement with her Girls collaborator, Jenni Konner.

After massive backlash on social media - including from actress/feminist activist Asia Argento - Dunham backpedaled and issued a subsequent statement apologizing over her first take on the situation involving Miller, who has denied the claims made by Perrineau.

'Every woman who comes forward deserves to be heard, fully and completely, and our relationship with the accused should not be part of the calculation anyone makes when examining her case,' Dunham wrote November 18. 'Every person and every feminist should be required to hear her.

'Under patriarchy, "I believe you" is essential. Until we are all believed, none of us will be believed. We apologize to any women who have been disappointed.'She motivates others to be their best selves on her show Revenge Body.

And Khloe Kardashian opened up about her own journey of self-acceptance in an Instagram post showing before-and-after pics of her figure, along with a long caption on Sunday.

'Sometimes it's hard for me to post these body transformation shots,' the very- earnest post by the expecting mother, 33, said, 'because I can't imagine my life being this unhealthy again.'

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Glow up! Khloe Kardash opened about about her own journey of self-acceptance in an Instagram post showing before-and-after pics of her figure with a long caption on Sunday

The Good American jeans creator continued, explaining how it was her mindset and not her body that she thinks held her back in the past.

'Never would I ever consider myself fat, But I would consider myself unhealthy mentally/physically and not knowing my true value. Mind, body and soul.

'For me, my transformation journey started from within,' she continued, 'I needed to heal myself from the inside out.'

She offered up several motivational messages for her some 71million followers, writing: 'It's ok to take the control back. Choose your life. Don't let anybody else decide for you!'

The post had raked in over 1.1million likes and counting by not even three hours after being posted on Sunday morning.

Transformed: The reality figure (above in 2008) explained how it was her mindset and not her body that she thinks held her back in the past in the lengthy and inspirational Instagram caption

Mental makeover: The star said 'Never would I ever consider myself fat, But I would consider myself unhealthy mentally/physically and not knowing my true value. Mind, body and soul'

You're worth it! The star (above Monday) urged followers to do the best for themselves, writing 'It's ok to take the control back. Choose your life. Don't let anybody else decide for you!'

Later on Snapchat the star bemoaned some much less serious body worries after being sent a product which was meant to protect expecting mom's protruding belly buttons.

The star couldn't help but be squeamish, explaining: 'I have such a phobia about belly buttons and I heard that when you're really pregnant your innie will become an outie!'

'I can't even think about that, I'm so grossed out by that. Ew,' she continued.

She complimented the brand for their creativity before continuing to worry aloud.

Belly up! Later on Snapchat the star bemoaned some much less serious body worries after being sent a product which was meant to protect expecting mom's protruding belly buttons

The ins and outs of pregnancy: The star couldn't help but be squeamish, explaining 'I have such a phobia about belly buttons and I heard that when you're really pregnant your innie will become an outie!'

'I'm so freaked out that that's gonna happen to me!' the celeb said, 'I'm assuming everyone's belly button does that... I don't know... I wonder if mine has to... Holy cow.'

Khloe announced she and beau Tristan Thompson were with child in late December after months of speculation.

The starlet is making sure to stay fit during her pregnancy, posting video of her pre-natal workout on Snapchat the day earlier.

Season two of Revenge Body With Khloe Kardashian premieres Sunday night following Keeping Up With The Kardashians on E!Tonight's Golden Globes marks the third straight year Caitriona Balfe's earned a nod for her show Outlander.

Hoping that she'll finally take home the gold, on-screen opposite Sam Heughan sent his love to the Irish actress, 38, just hours before the Sunday night ceremony in LA.

The Scottish gent took to Twitter to root for his co-star, writing: 'Good luck to our very own @caitrionambalfe tonight @goldenglobes @Outlander_STARZ!!!'

Outlander-ishly talented! Outlander's Sam Heughan wished his co-star Caitriona Balfe (together in 2016 above) luck before the Golden Globes on Sunday

Heughan, who plays charming Highland warrior Jamie Fraser in the show, gushed over his castmate.

'You deserve ALL the awards,' his tweet continued, 'Sending our love from sunny Scotland!'

He added the tags #TimesUp and #GoldenGlobe2017, before correcting himself in another tweet reading: '#GoldenGlobes2018 (ahem).'

The Money Monster actress was touched by the message, responding in a retweet with three kissing emojis.

Lots of love! Heughan, who plays charming Highland warrior Jamie Fraser in the show, gushed over his castmate writing 'You deserve ALL the awards'

Sealed with a kiss! The Money Monster actress was touched by the message, responding in a retweet with three kissing emojis

While Caitriona has been nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Series Drama she's yet to win a trophy for the Starz show.

Tonight the model-turned actress will face off against some of TV's finest tonight.

Balfe will go head-to-head with Claire Foy of Netflix's The Crown, Maggie Gyllenhaal for HBO's The Deuce, up-and-comer Katherine Langford from Netflix's 13 Reasons Why, and Elisabeth Moss for her part in Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale.

The Outlander star posted Instagrams in support of the fledgling Time's Up campaign support women's rights in Hollywood hours ahead of the glamorous evening.

Third time's the charm! While Caitriona has been nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Series Drama she's yet to win a trophy for the Starz show

The actress's posts read: 'Why I Wear Black Today' along with several reasons she's supporting the cause.

'Because #TIMESUP on silence... waiting... discrimination... harassment... abuse,' the first read.

The following offered a statistic that said: 'In the last 10 years only 4% of top-grossing directors were female. Only 7 of these directors were women of color.'

The 75th annual Golden Globe Awards kick off the red carpet around 6pm with the ceremony starting 8pm PST on NBC.

Time for a change: The Outlander star posted Instagrams in support of the fledgling Time's Up campaign support women's rights in Hollywood hours ahead of the glamorous eveningHe is known as the 'Mr Nasty' of skating, making a sensational return to the Dancing on Ice judging panel on Sunday night.

And while Jason Gardiner held no prisoners in his critique of this year's celebrity line-up, he also found himself at odds with the host, Phillip Schofield, after making a comment towards his co-host Holly Willoughby.

As Jason made a sly comment towards Holly in the show, Phil staunchly defended his friend and co-host, quipping: 'Don't you snap at my girl!'

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Got her back: Phillip Schofield (right) jumped in to defend Holly Willoughby during Sunday's Dancing On Ice launch show, as she found herself in an exchange with Jason Gardiner

The incident occurred during the judging of actress Stephanie Waring, as Jason delivered a scathing critique of the beauty's performance.

Jason said: 'I'm seeing a very tentative performance, I need to see more confidence and panache.'

However things became slightly tense when Holly moved the judging on to Ashley, with the comment: 'Well it is only week one Jason...'

At odds: Dancing on Ice stars Jason Gardiner (left) and Phillip Schofield (right) came to blows when Phil quipped 'Don't you snap at my girl' to Jason after he made a comment towards Holly in Sunday's launch show

Mr Nasty: Jason, known for his scathing critiques was judging the performance of actress Stephanie Waring

At odds: As Jason said to Holly 'That's why I'm giving her information,' Phil furiously snapped back in defence of his co-host

As Ashley began to speak, Jason instead spoke back to Holly, saying: 'Because it's week one, that's why I'm giving her information!'

The quip caused Phil to jump to his sidekick Holly's rescue, declaring: 'Don't you snap at my girl! Don't you snap at her!'

While Jason continued to contest her comments, the audience drowned him out with their booing, causing the blonde to giggle awkwardly.

Tense! As the audience booed Jason in the cringe-worthy moment, Holly giggled awkwardly

Tough: Jason held no punched during his judging of the six celebrities who took to the ice on Sunday

The moment went down a storm with viewers on Twitter, who commented: 'Nothing cuter than phillip protecting holly and defending her when jason was coming for her, actual goals right there' and 'I b***dy love Phil and Holly, what a friendship!

Another tweeted: 'Nothing cuter than phillip protecting Holly and defending her when Jason was coming for her, actual goals right there!'

A third commented: 'I bloody love Phil and Holly, what a friendship'

Legendary: The moment went down a storm on Twitter, with fans praising Phil for defending his sidekick

Jason held no prisoners during Sunday's big launch, showcasing his famed image as 'Mr Nasty' with ice-cold critiques of the six celebrities who performed.

Coming to blows with Coronation Street star Antony Cotton during his performance, the Aussie said: 'Were you [meant to be] a waiter or a Gigolo?'

When Anthony replied with a witty retort about drinks, Jason said: 'If I'd had a drink, you would have looked better...'

Tough group: Jason return to the judging panel for the ITV show's revival, along with Ashley Banjo, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean

He was also quite scathing when it came to the second dancer of the evening, Candice Brown, who is best known for winning The Great British Bake Off.

In no uncertain terms, he told her that she had to lose her 'anxiety' on the rink, and she was awarded a total score of 13/40 from the panel.

He said: 'You started off with all of the right ingredients, the arms were brilliant and then they turned into spatulas. You're still joining the dots in your head, it's still not seamless.'She's been seen posing up a storm with fellow Victoria's Secret Angel Candice Swanepoel during her time in Brazil.

But Sunday was all about family for Doutzen Kroes, who was seen keeping a watchful eye over her children Phyllon and Myllena at the beach.

Joined by her husband Sunnery James, the beauty juggled parenting duties, all the while looking effortless in a tiny black two-piece.

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Looking good: Model Doutzen Kroes looked incredible in her teeny black bikini on Sunday, as she hit the beach in Brazil with children Phyllon and Myllena

Doutzen looked lithe in a black bikini, which featured thong bottoms perfect for showcasing her pert derriere.

She matched it with a sporty crop top and tied her hair up into a high bun for maximum ease.

Her model body was certainly impressive as she displayed her six-pack abs while carrying her children.

Peachy: The model showed off her pert bottom in a thong bikini as she slipped into mother mode on the sands

Now that's a super mom! The blonde showcased her abs as she carried her child on her back

Taking it in turns: Doutzen's husband Sunnery James carried one child, while she held the other

As Sunnery took one child on his back, Doutzen carried the other and the pair looked like they had mastered teamwork.

She was covered up with a sarong tied around her middle and her cute sunhat just shielding her face.

Even at the water's edge, as she watched her little ones play, the model carried off effortless beach styled.

She teamed high-waisted denim shorts with an off-the-shoulder Bardot top and some mirrored shades.

Taking a dip: The beauty looked effortless as she cooled off in the sea

Family break: It was fun for all the family when the four-piece were seen on the sands

In recent days, model Doutzen has been hanging out with her Victoria's Secret pal, who is set to welcome a second child in 2018.

Having welcomed her last child in 2014, Doutzen couldn't resist cradling Candice's burgeoning baby bump.

The duo previously walked in Victoria's Secret shows together, but Doutzen quit in 2015 to focus on her family.

'We built amazing relationships,' she said. 'Whats so great is that there is always someone in the world that I know.

'Every fashion country I go to, there is someone there that I can spend time with.'

Baby bump: Doutzen has been hanging out with pregnant model pal Candice Swanepoel in Brazil

Chic: She dressed in a black off-the-shoulder top and a pair of high-waisted denim shortsThe usual Golden Globes glamour and spectacle will be usurped by Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie and Hollywood's other elite actresses when they mount a campaign against sexual abuse and harassment at the award ceremony.

The actresses are expected to wear black gowns on Sunday (Monday AEDT) in response to scandals involving super producer Harvey Weinstein and numerous other high profile men.

"I think it is so important right now we are all together and we are helping each other, can make change happen and make this a safe world for all of us," Kidman said ahead of the Globes ceremony at the Beverly Hilton hotel.

Kidman and Robbie are strong chances to win Globes, providing a huge platform to address harassment in their acceptance speeches.

Kidman is expected to repeat last year's double Emmy win with two Globes for starring in and producing the TV mini-series, Big Little Lies.

The Sydney-raised actress played a physically, sexually and psychologically abused mother in the series.

Robbie's Oscar hopes for her role as US Olympic figure skater Tonya Harding in I, Tonya, could rest with a win at the Globes.

The Globes split acting categories in two, with Robbie in the comedy-musical actress category.

Saorise Ronan (Lady Bird) is considered Robbie's biggest threat.

A win for Robbie will boost her chances of snaring an Academy Award nomination later this month, while avoiding Oscar frontrunners in the Globes' talent packed drama actress category: Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water), Frances McDormand (Three Billboards), Meryl Streep (The Post), Michelle Williams (All of the Money in the World) and Jessica Chastain (Molly's Game).

Robbie could also score a double win as a producer for I, Tonya, a nominee for best comedy-musical.

The Globes offer a similar Oscar boost opportunity for Hugh Jackman with his Globe nomination in the comedy/musical actor category for playing PT Barnum in The Greatest Showman.

He does not have to compete in the loaded dramatic actor category led by Oscar frontrunner Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour) and including Daniel Day-Lewis (Phantom Thread), Tom Hanks (The Post), Timothee Chalamet (Call Me By Your Name) and Denzel Washington (Roman J Israel, Esq).

Jackman's biggest threat is James Franco for The Disaster Artist.

Australian Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush is also nominated for a Globe for best actor in a limited TV series for playing Albert Einstein in Genius.

Perth 21-year-old Katherine Langford's star continues to rise with her nomination for best performance by an actress in a TV series for the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why.

The 75th Golden Globes will begin noon Monday AEDT.Firefighters in South Australia are still battling a fire that has been burning for more than three days in the basement of a large meat processing plant east of Adelaide.

Excavators are peeling away layers of the Thomas Foods International meat processing site at Northern Heights near Murray Bridge to help firefighters get to a deep-seated blaze that has been burning since Wednesday night.

"Firefighters will remain on scene throughout the day and are expected to continue to battle the fire into tomorrow," a Metropolitan Fire Service spokeswoman said on Sunday.Retiring Trade and Investment Minister Martin Hamilton-Smith has made a significant contribution to South Australia during his four years in cabinet, Premier Jay Weatherill says.

Mr Hamilton-Smith, who sits in parliament as an independent Liberal, will not seek re-election in his eastern suburbs seat of Waite at the March state election.

The former leader of the Liberal opposition caused controversy in 2014 when he sensationally quit the Liberals to join the Labor government ministry.

"He decided to quit the Liberal Party and join a Labor cabinet because he wanted to make a difference, and that's exactly what he's done," Mr Weatherill said on Sunday.

"In defence industries, he's been a vocal advocate for South Australia's interests during a period when our state has secured record investment in the defence sector.

"He's also helped nurture one of our emerging industries in space."

Mr Hamilton-Smith said it was time for him to step back from political life and focus on his family.

"After long consideration over the Christmas-New Year break I have decided that 21 years of public service, has been fulfilling and that now is the time to move on.

"I've delivered for SA and my local community almost everything I set out to do,."

Mr Hamilton-Smith entered state parliament in 1997 and served as a Liberal government minister before Labor won office in 2002.

He became opposition leader in 2007 but after losing support within the Liberal ranks called a leadership vote in 2009.

After winning the ballot by just one vote, he surprisingly instigated a second vote in a bid to seek a stronger mandate.

He lost the second ballot to Isobel Redmond.

After his defection in 2014, Mr Hamilton-Smith was dubbed a traitor by his former colleagues while recent opinion polls suggested he faced almost certain defeat in Waite at the March state election.

He will officially stand down from cabinet at its next meeting on January 18 and will not be replaced ahead of the March poll, with his portfolios to be allocated to the premier.Two men have allegedly been assaulted by a man wielding hedge shears in a targeted attack at a home in Sydney's west.

A 54-year-old man forced his way into the Emerton property on Saturday night and assaulted two men, aged 22 and 20, with the hedge shears, NSW Police say.

The 22-year-old man was taken to Westmead Hospital with lacerations while the 20-year-old was assessed at the scene by paramedics.

Police allege the attack was targeted and charged the 54-year-old man on Sunday with wounding a person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and aggravated entry into a dwelling with intent to use corporal violence.

He was refused bail and is due to appear at Parramatta Bail Court on Sunday.Australia have produced their longest Test innings this century, strengthening their bid for a 4-0 Ashes series win by forcing England to toil in 40C heat at the SCG.

Shaun Marsh and Mitch Marsh celebrated emotional centuries on day four of the fifth Test, powering their side to 5-578 at lunch.

The hosts already lead by 232 runs, with Shaun Marsh unbeaten on 145 and keen to inflict more misery on an attack that has already taken the third new ball.

Mitch Marsh was bowled by childhood friend Tom Curran for a well-made 101, having shared a 169-run partnership with his older brother.

England have endured plenty of taxing sessions this summer but none compare to the punishment they copped at a sun-baked SCG.

The current innings has spanned 183 overs.

Australia haven't batted for so long in a Test dig since 1997, when Steve Waugh and Greg Blewett helped the tourists frustrate South Africa for 193.4 overs in Johannesburg.

Jimmy Anderson was the pick of the visitors' bowlers, hitting the 140 km/h mark and creating some headaches for the batsmen in a four-over spell.

Anderson, who went close to trapped Mitch Marsh lbw for 78 with consecutive deliveries, has now bowled 223.3 overs in the series.

England's all-time leading wicket-taker has never had such a big workload in a Test series.

"A bit tired but happy to be here," Anderson told ABC Radio prior to the start of play.

"It feels like a lot of overs but I'm happy my body has coped with it.

"I might have bowled my fastest ball of the series yesterday afternoon, so that's a good sign."A rock fisherman has died on the NSW South Coast after slipping and falling into the water on the way to a fishing spot with two others.

Emergency services were called to Little Beecroft Head, near Currarong, just after 9.30am on Sunday following reports three men were in the water.

Police were told the other two men had grabbed a nearby Angel Life Ring and jumped in to assist the unconscious man, who was not wearing a life jacket.

The three men were pulled from the water by a marine rescue crew assisted by police and the Westpac Life Saver Helicopter but despite CPR attempts, the 25-year-old man could not be revived.

The two other men were taken to Shoalhaven Hospital in a stable condition, suffering from exposure.

Police are investigating whether the dead man may suffered a medical episode and will prepare a report for the coroner.

Police have urged rock anglers to always wear life jackets, never fish alone, check weather conditions, watch sea conditions and never turn their backs on the water.The heatwave has claimed its first scalp at the Sydney International after fifth seed Kristina Mladenovic retired during her match against Australian wildcard Ellen Perez.

With temperatures around 40 degrees, Mladenovic was down 6-4 4-2 on Ken Rosewall Arena on Sunday when the world No.11 handed Perez a win at just her second WTA tournament.

The world No.343 progresses to the second round where she is likely to face Australian No.1 Ashleigh Barty, who opens her campaign against qualifier Veronica Cepede Royg on Monday.The Turnbull government's new childcare package has been slammed by Labor who say thousands of families will be worse off under the reforms.

The new childcare package, which kicks in from July 2, means low income families will be paying more for childcare than they were four years ago, deputy opposition leader Tanya Plibersek told reporters in Sydney on Sunday.

"I was surprised also to see the government boasting about their new childcare policy that will take effect in the middle of the year that will see 280,000 families worse off including 88,000 families on the lowest income," she said.Local hopeful Jordan Thompson has crashed out of the Sydney International after losing 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 to Italian veteran Paulo Lorenzi in his opening match.

Thompson, Australia's third-highest ranked male at world No. 94, fought valiantly in stifling temperatures in Homebush but eventually succumbed to the world No.43 in straight sets.

The 22-year-old looked to force a deciding set on Sunday when he broke Lorenzi late in the second, however was immediately broken back in the following game.

Lorenzi now progresses to the second round, where he will meet Spanish first seed and world No.23 Albert Ramos-Vinolas.

While Thompson exited on day one, youngsters Aleksandar Vukic and Alexei Popyrin claimed their spot in the main draw with qualifying wins in Homebush.

The 18-year-old Popyrin came back from one set down to beat veteran Nicolas Mahut 4-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-4, while Vukic defeated Ricardas Berankis 7-5 6-2.

Both players will now make their senior ATP debuts against fellow Australians, with Popyrin meeting John Millman, and Vukic facing off against Alex Bolt.

The quartet join exciting talent Alex de Minaur, who opens his tournament against world No.35 Fernando Verdasco, in the 32-man field.

Defending men's champion and world No.25 Gilles Muller enjoys a first-round bye before a second-round encounter against Millman or Popyrin.A man who allegedly handcuffed an Uber driver to the steering wheel of her car while robbing her remains at large.

Queensland police say the man, described as a Caucasian in his early 20s, entered the 39-year-old's car around 8.45pm on Saturday in the Gold Coast suburb of Biggera Waters.

Wearing a mask and armed with a knife, the man ordered the woman to drive him to a nearby shopping centre.

He then ordered her to stop the car and hand over money.

After giving the man a small amount of cash, police say the man handcuffed the woman to the steering wheel as he searched for more money.

He took off the handcuffs and made the woman drive him to Labrador before leaving the car.

The man was last seen walking through a waterside playground near the Broadwater.

The woman, who suffered bruising from the handcuffs, drove to a service station and contacted police.

Uber said the man had not used the app to organise a fare with the driver and they were supporting the woman involved.

"We have reached out to the driver-partner to check on her well being and offer our support," a spokesman told AAP.

"Public reports and our own review indicate that this incident did not occur on the Uber app, however we are always ready to help the police if needed."

Police are urging anyone who witnessed any suspicious activity in the suburbs mentioned to contact them.A 21-year-old man is recovering in hospital after being shot in the chest and hand at a Sydney pizza restaurant where he was working.

Anad Singh, 21, was shot twice by an armed robber at a Domino's Pizza restaurant in Wentworthville in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Mr Singh says the man came through the backdoor of the shop and demanded cash.

"Then he took out his revolver and I was afraid because maybe he (would) shoot me or my two other friends," Mr Singh told Nine News from his Westmead Hospital bed.

Mr Singh then walked almost half a kilometre to the Wentworthville Police Station, helped by one of his coworkers.

Police, who described Mr Singh as "an extremely brave man" are still hunting the gunman.Firefighters are removing burned out trees and patrolling a reserve that was allegedly deliberately set on fire, extensively damaging a Melbourne home.

It took more than 300 firefighters to contain the blaze in Carrum Downs, which badly damaged Jim Crozier's home on Darnley Drive and put the entire street at risk on Saturday.

A 15-year-old Carrum Downs girl has been charged with intentionally starting a bushfire.

"People just don't become an aronist or don't go out to willingly hurt or kill or maim or take my house from me," Mr Crozier told reporters on Sunday.

"There has to be something going on and I hope she gets the help."

The girl has been bailed to appear before a children's court at a later date.

Mr Crozier's house was extensively damaged when a burning ember got sucked into his air conditioning.

"All I saw was all my memories going up in smoke," he said.

Firefighters will patrol the Pines Flora and Fauna Reserve treating hazardous trees for the next few days, and the reserve is closed until further notice.

A community meeting will be held at the Frankston North Community Centre at 7pm on Wednesday.The Turnbull government is set to announce a $110 million package to fight anxiety and depression among young people.

News Corp Australia publications report that the package, to be announced on Monday, will include a $46 million boost for beyondblue's education drive. Teachers will be given advice to identify mental health issues in the classroom.

Health Minister Greg Hunt said mental health was an important issue which touched Australians of all ages.

"Keeping children and young people healthy and happy is good for them, their families and for the broader community," he told Melbourne's Herald Sun.

"These positive initiatives will help schools and communities to support the wellbeing and mental health of our kids and respond rapidly to personal and community challenges."

Other organisations to benefit from funding increases include Emerging Minds, headspace, ReachOut, Kids Helpline and Orygen.

Australian readers seeking support and information about depression can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for young people aged 5 to 25).A 38-year-old woman is behind bars and set to face court after she allegedly attacked her ex-boyfriend with a meat cleaver at a unit in inner Sydney.

The woman allegedly punched the 51-year-old man, who she had previously dated, several times before using a meat cleaver to attack him during a fight in Darlinghurst on Friday, police say.

The man suffered numerous wounds to his chest and body and was treated at Vincent's Hospital.

Following a police investigation, the woman was arrested at her home on Sunday afternoon.

She was charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and is due to face Central Local Court on Monday.Uniformed soldiers of the pro-independence Polisario Front stand before a Sahrawi flag flying at the Boujdour refugee camp near the town of Tindouf in Western Algeria in October 2017

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is deeply concerned by a spike in tensions in a buffer zone in disputed Western Sahara, his spokesman said Saturday.

Morocco has accused the Algerian-backed Polisario Front of carrying out incursions in the buffer zone near Guerguerat, an area in southern Western Sahara near the Mauritanian border.

The UN chief "is deeply concerned about recent increased tensions in the vicinity of Guerguerat in the Buffer Strip in southern Western Sahara between the Moroccan berm and the Mauritanian border," said a UN statement.

Guterres "calls on the parties to exercise maximum restraint and to avoid escalating tensions."

"Regular civilian and commercial traffic should not be obstructed and no action should be taken, which may constitute a change to the status quo of the buffer strip," it added.

A previous incursion of the Polisario at Guerguerat last year prompted the United Nations to intervene to force both Morocco and the Polisario to withdraw.

The spike in tensions come as new UN envoy Horst Kohler is working to restart talks between Morocco and the Polisario on ending the decades-old conflict.

Morocco and the Polisario fought for control of Western Sahara from 1974 to 1991, with Rabat taking over the desert territory before a UN-brokered ceasefire in the former Spanish colony.

Rabat considers Western Sahara an integral part of Morocco and proposes autonomy for the resource-rich territory, but the Polisario Front insists on a UN referendum on independence.GATIA fighters, shown on a joint patrol with Mali troops, support the central government

Three members of an armed pro-government group were killed Saturday by suspected jihadists in northern Mali, security sources said, a day after extremists freed two hostages held since July in the troubled region.

Jihadists continue to roam the north and centre of the African country, despite being ousted from key northern towns by an ongoing French-led military intervention in 2013.

"Three members of the GATIA group were killed by terrorists in the vicinity of Anderamboukane, near the border with Niger," a Malian security source told AFP, requesting anonymity.

The guerrilla group was working with the Malian army to secure part of Mali's north, said a local administrative source who confirmed the death toll.

"The GATIA fighters had taken control of an area of Anderamboukane that the terrorists came and attacked," the source said.

GATIA, (Imghad and Allies Tuareg Self-Defence Group) which supports the central government in Bamako, signed a 2015 peace deal with members of the country's former rebel alliance that is aimed at quelling uprisings in the north, but both sides have repeatedly violated a ceasefire.

A 2012 rebellion by the Tuareg-led rebels was hijacked by jihadists linked to Al-Qaeda who then seized control of key northern cities, triggering the international military intervention the following year.

A retired soldier and a Malian civilian who were taken hostage last July by Islamists were also freed on Friday in the Timbuktu region in Mali's northwest, a local government representative told AFP.Torkham in Afghanistan's Nangarhar Province is one of two main Afghan-Pakistan border crossing points

Pentagon officials are watching for Pakistan's next moves after Washington froze security aid payments to Islamabad, saying it is not doing enough to target Afghan Taliban and Haqqani group bases.

The Trump administration's decision to withhold hundreds of millions from its "coalition support funds" has riled Pakistan, with some there calling for retaliatory measures that might hamper America's warfighting efforts in neighboring Afghanistan.

Most problematic for America as it wages its 16-year war in Afghanistan would be if Pakistan suddenly shut its border points into the country, stemming the vital flow of goods, food and gear from the port at Karachi.

Though US officials insisted they'd seen no evidence Islamabad was planning such a move, it has happened before.

In 2011, Pakistan closed its border to NATO supplies following a series of incidents that brought relations between the US and Pakistan to all-time lows.

These incidents included a botched American air raid and the killing of Osama bin Laden, who was living in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad.

At the time, the US-led forces in Afghanistan endured the closure by relying on cargo flights and a more costly northern route through Russia, Central Asia and the Caucasus.

Citing security reasons, the Pentagon declined to provide percentages of US supplies going into Afghanistan through Pakistan, but Afghan security forces in particular rely on the supply lines through Pakistan, with a stream of trucks hauling a plethora of goods into the landlocked country.

While the US favors Pakistan supply routes because of cost, officials stressed America has built "flexibility and redundancy" into its supply chains.

"As military planners, we develop multiple supply chain contingencies to sustain theater requirements to maintain the train, advise and assist mission to the Afghan National Defense Security Forces," Lieutenant Colonel Kone Faulkner told AFP.

In Pakistan, several figures were quick to call on their government to close supply lines, including opposition leader Imran Khan.

"The time (has) come to stand firm and give a strong response to the US," Khan said in a statement.

"We must deny the US (supply route) facilities which we were providing the US free of charge."

But Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told Pentagon reporters he had gotten no indication the Pakistanis were going to shut off ground supply lines, or air overflights.

- 'Humongous problem'

US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis visited Pakistan and vowed to tread lightly and find "common ground" as Washington pressures its wayward ally to eliminate militant safe havens

"I am not concerned about them," he said, referring to the supply lines.

Mattis said the US continues to work with Pakistan and would restore security payments "if we see decisive movements against the terrorists who are as much of a threat against Pakistan as they are against us."

For Christine Fair, a South Asia expert at Georgetown University, this part of the problem is key.

The Trump administration must clearly lay out what it expects from Pakistan and what additional punitive steps would be taken if it shuts down the supply lines, she said.

She was particularly concerned about the possibility of Pakistan closing its air space to America, meaning efforts to fly air cargo into Afghanistan could get much more difficult.

Pakistan "could within its rights... say you will not use our air space," she said. "That would be a humungous problem."

Unlike in 2011, the US no longer has an air base in Kyrgyzstan, which had been the main transit point for American military personnel and cargo in and out of Afghanistan but was abandoned amid a price row in 2014 with the Obama administration.

Additionally, Washington's fraught relations with Russia could make flying over Central Asian states less reliable, with Moscow able to exert influence on its smaller neighbors.

After more than a decade of simmering US anger at Islamabad's links with the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network -- a Taliban affiliate -- the Trump administration is trying to draw a line in the sand.

Fair said almost all US deaths from the Taliban in Afghanistan can be attributed to the Pakistanis.

"They literally take our money with one hand and they give it to the Taliban with the other," she said.

"You cannot fight a war and win when the country you are dependent upon for logistical supplies is undermining your efforts there."

US Marines load equipment onto a C-130 transport aircraft as they withdraw from the Camp Bastion-Leatherneck complex at Lashkar Gah in Helmand province in 2014

A US defense official told AFP that the military already has plenty of options to keep its troops well supplied, and could fill gaps by chartering commercial air delivery planes.

"The question is, if it were to happen, how long would it last?" the official said.

Weeks or months would probably be "something that we could deal with through temporary solutions and wouldn't matter so terribly much."

But a longer-term embargo would require the US to find more practical solutions, and these would come with a high price tag, the official added.People brave cold weather in New York as the National Weather Service said very cold temperatures and wind chills will follow for much of the eastern third of the US through the weekend

The eastern United States and Canada froze Saturday under record-breaking low temperatures following a deadly winter storm as New York's flagship airport descended into chaos, battling to contain flight backlog.

In Canada, temperatures approaching minus 50 degrees Celsius (minus 58 degrees Fahrenheit) were forecast in northern Ontario and Quebec.

Arctic blasts and dangerously cold wind chills could make it feel as low as minus 45 Fahrenheit across the eastern United States, with the risk of frostbite to exposed skin within 10 minutes, officials warned.

The deep freeze follows a storm, dubbed a "bomb cyclone" by forecasters, which has been blamed for at least 19 deaths in the United States, from Texas to Wisconsin, US media reported.

Thursday's storm raked the East Coast with heavy snowfall, glacial temperatures and high winds, forcing the cancellation of flights.

Arctic blasts and dangerously cold wind chills could make it feel as low as minus 45 Fahrenheit across the eastern United States

But on Saturday, more than 3,420 flights within, into or out of the United States were still delayed, with New York's John F. Kennedy airport and South Carolina's Charleston among the most affected.

The Port Authority, which runs New York-area airports, announced that flights were being limited into JFK, "including all flights scheduled to arrive into Terminal 1 for the rest of the evening."

It said a surge in flights rescheduled after the storm, combined with severe storm damage to equipment, resulted in delays in getting planes and passengers to gates.

Tracking site Flightradar24 said at least 12 international flights had been waiting, around two to four hours, for a gate to deplane.

- Flights diverted -

Passengers complained of being stranded on the tarmac for hours and then facing lengthy delays in baggage claim that made traveling, particularly with babies or the elderly, a misery.

A pedestrian struggles across Times Square during a winter storm in New York

"Losing patience," tweeted passenger James Allen, who said he travelled on Virgin Atlantic and had to wait three hours on the tarmac before reaching the gate, then two hours in baggage claim.

"Two small children hungry, thirsty and tired with no facilities or help in baggage reclaim. Very poor," he tweeted.

Multiple trans-Atlantic flights simply gave up and went home, including an Aeroflot flight from Moscow that turned back over Iceland.

A Norwegian Air flight from London diverted to Stewart International, 70 miles (112 kilometers) north of Manhattan, while Flightradar 24 said a Japan Airlines flight from Tokyo diverted to Boston.

Adding to the chaos, a China Southern Airlines and Kuwait Airways jet clipped each other's wings at JFK's Terminal 4 late Friday, causing damage to both aircraft but no injuries, officials said.

In New York, the National Weather Service chalked up record lowest high temperatures for the day at each of its climate sites except for Central Park, with temperatures about 25 degrees below normal.

The deep freeze follows a storm, dubbed a "bomb cyclone" by forecasters, which has been blamed for at least 19 deaths in the United States, from Texas to Wisconsin

Forecasters says below-normal temperatures are likely to continue into early next week, forecasting freezing rain from Kansas to Tennessee, and that ice could complicate road transport.

Mount Washington, New Hampshire recorded the second-coldest temperature on earth early Saturday, minus 36 Fahrenheit.

In eastern Canada, which has suffered through extreme cold for two weeks, there were further flight delays and cancellations at Toronto airport, and some communities along the Quebec coast faced flooding.

"Frostbite can develop within minutes on exposed skin, especially with wind chill -- and keep emergency supplies in your vehicle," the Canadian weather service warned.

burs/jm/wd/Civilians run for cover after reported air strikes by Syrian and Russian forces in rebel-held Hammuriyeh in Eastern Ghouta on January 6, 2018

Syria's rebel-held enclave of Eastern Ghouta near the capital is the regime's Achilles heel, and because of this it faces an almost inevitable military offensive, experts say.

The battle-scarred region east of Damascus, which has been under near-daily bombardment and a crippling government siege since 2013, is strategically vital to President Bashar al-Assad.

Despite residents facing a humanitarian crisis, rebels controlling the region have been able to use it as a launch pad for rocket and mortar attacks on the capital.

Joshua Landis, director of the Centre for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, said the ongoing rebellion in Eastern Ghouta contrasted with the regime "presenting itself as the winner" of Syria's war elsewhere.

"The persistence of the East Ghouta resistance has become a major embarrassment and liability for the Assad regime," he said.

The Assad regime, militarily backed by its ally Russia, has retaken control of more than half of the country with a string of victories against rebel and jihadist forces.

Rebel and jihadist groups managed this week to surround a regime base on the edge of Eastern Ghouta, prompting intensified regime air strikes there

"It hopes to convince the international community that it faces little opposition any more save for the enclaves on the margins of Syria," Landis said.

But rebel and jihadist groups managed this week to surround a regime base on the edge of Eastern Ghouta, prompting intensified regime air strikes there.

Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the enclave is the regime's "weak spot".

"The factions there are strong and directly threaten Damascus," he told AFP.

- Rebels 'remain popular' -

Even though Eastern Ghouta was one of four "de-escalation zones" agreed under a deal between rebel and regime backers, fighting has continued there.

The area is the target of near-daily regime air strikes and artillery fire that has killed thousands of people since 2011.

Rebels have killed hundreds of civilians with mortar rounds and rockets fired at Damascus, although such attacks have waned since the regime seized several areas close to the capital.

Jaish al-Islam, a powerful Islamist rebel group that has recognised the de-escalation deal and takes part in United Nations-backed peace talks, is among the most powerful groups in Eastern Ghouta

The beleaguered 100-square-kilometre (40-square-mile) enclave's estimated 400,000 inhabitants are suffering severe shortages of food and medicine.

Children there are particularly vulnerable to malnutrition.

Despite the civilian suffering caused by the blockade, rebel groups in Ghouta "still have a popular base, because thousands of their fighters are from the region", Abdel Rahman said.

Jaish al-Islam, a powerful Islamist rebel group that has recognised the de-escalation deal and takes part in United Nations-backed peace talks, is among the most powerful groups in Eastern Ghouta.

It controls Douma, the largest city in the region, but shares power with Faylaq al-Rahman, another Islamist rebel group that controls the localities of Erbin and Hammuriyeh.

- 'Whatever the cost' -

But the offensive against the regime military base was the work of Ahrar al-Sham and an alliance dominated by the jihadists of Fateh al-Sham, a former Al-Qaeda affiliate.

Syria analyst Sam Heller of the Century Foundation think tank said the regime had responded by intensifying its operations, "whatever the cost in terms of troops and reinforcements".

Additional forces have been deployed to the area, according to pro-regime Syrian media.

Heller said things were moving "towards a militarily settlement in the regime's favour" in areas held by Faylaq al-Rahman, Ahrar al-Sham and the Fateh-al Sham-dominated alliance.

But the situation is different in areas controlled by Jaish al-Islam, he said.

The beleaguered 100-square-kilometre (40-square-mile) enclave's estimated 400,000 inhabitants are suffering severe shortages of food and medicine

The group "is an armed force that is not to be underestimated, and it controls large residential areas that the regime would struggle to absorb", he said.

He said talks between the group and Russia could lead to "a negotiated solution that would leave it in place once it has made some concessions".

Landis said the de-escalation deal over the area would be "nibbled away at" in the coming weeks.

"Assad has preferred until now to starve and bomb the Ghouta enclave rather than launch an expensive frontal attack," he said.

Rights groups and the UN have criticised "reconciliation" agreements that see civilians evacuated following sieges and bombardment apparently aimed at forcing civilians to leave their homes.

Such deals have seen rebels transferred to Idlib in the north, the only province in Syria fully outside regime control.

"We should also expect that increased pressure will be applied to the Ghouta militias to surrender or agree to reconciliation or deportation to Idlib," Landis said.Macron's state visit will be the first by a European leader since China's Communist Party conference in October, which reinforced Xi's grip on power

In Mandarin, Emmanuel Macron's name is rendered "Makelong", or "the horse vanquishes the dragon" -- an encouraging image for the French president as he heads to China on Sunday hoping to forge closer ties with President Xi Jinping.

During the three-day trip which begins Monday, Macron plans to seek a "strategic partnership" with Beijing, notably on terrorism and climate change, an official in the president's office said.

In particular, France is hoping Beijing will join it in playing a decisive role in implementing the Paris accord to fight climate change after the US pullout pledged by President Donald Trump.

Although China is the world's biggest polluter, it is also the biggest investor in clean energy technologies.

Macron also said this week that China had a key leadership role to play in easing the crisis provoked by North Korea's nuclear programme, following Trump's escalating war of words with Kim Jong-Un.

"The ambition of the Chinese leadership is to persuade the French president to position himself on issues like North Korea as a 'go-between', defending 'dialogue' against the more aggressive posture of the United States, and to implicitly recognise by his choices the pre-eminence of China in the region," analyst Valerie Niquet said.

Macron will also ask Beijing to help support the G5 Sahel force being created with forces from Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso, Niger and Mauritania, tasked with fighting jihadist forces spread across an area of desert the size of Europe.

China has already become a key business partner across Africa, with total investments reaching $31.6 billion in 2016 in projects including railways, highways, ports and power stations.

They are part of the extensive network of transport links Xi is developing as part of his "One Belt, One Road" initiative for increasing trade.

- 'Mutual confidence' -

The state visit will be the first by a European leader since China's Communist Party conference in October, which reinforced Xi's grip on power as he was formally handed a second term.

China has praised Macron's decision to make it the first Asian nation he visits.

"We hope this visit will reinforce mutual political confidence and strategic communication," China's foreign minister Wang Yi said this week.

A Chinese version of the book "Revolution" by French President Emmanuel Macron in Beijing

Macron will be travelling with a delegation of business executives hoping for a bonanza of contracts, including from AccorHotels, LVMH, Airbus and BNP Paribas.

"We will be signing an exceptional number of strategic deals, about 50," the official said, including sales of Airbus planes and Safran jet engines.

State nuclear giant Areva is also negotiating a contract to build a reprocessing site for radioactive waste.

France is pushing to "rebalance" its trade relations with China. Although China is France's second-biggest supplier of goods, it ranks eighth in terms of the top buyers of French goods.

That leaves France with a Chinese trade deficit of 30 billion euros ($36 billion), its biggest with any trading partner.

"Paris intends to seek a rebalancing and market access, for example in financial services," the official at the Elysee palace said, at a time when major French banks are hoping to tap into the rapidly expanding Chinese market.

The two leaders also plan to announce a French-China investment fund worth 1 billion euros which would help midsize companies, mainly from France, get a foothold in China.

- Museums and a manifesto -

Accompanied by his wife Brigitte, Macron will begin his visit in the northern city of Xi'an, "an important symbol because it is the cradle of Chinese civilisation, and the starting point for the ancient Silk Roads," the Elysee official said.

France-China trade

After visiting the terracotta statues of warriors near the city excavated from the tomb of emperor Qin Shihuangdi, who ruled from 221 to 210 BC, Macron will give a speech on the future of France-China relations.

An agreement is also expected to be finalised for a temporary exhibition in Shanghai by Paris's Pompidou Centre for modern art.

Not least, Macron will also be exporting his "Revolution" -- the campaign manifesto published in 2016 ahead of his sweep to the presidency.

The Chinese edition of the book, in which France's youngest president lays out his vision for France, hits bookstores on Monday.Myanmar's Rakhine state was plunged into turmoil last August

Rohingya rebels on Sunday claimed responsibility for an ambush on Myanmar security forces that left several wounded in northern Rakhine state, the first attack in weeks in a region gutted by violence.

Rakhine was plunged into turmoil last August, when a series of insurgent raids prompted a military backlash so brutal the UN says it likely amounts to ethnic cleansing of the Muslim Rohingya minority.

The army campaign sent some 650,000 Rohingya fleeing for Bangladesh, where refugees have given harrowing accounts of rape, murder and arson at the hands of security forces and vigilantes.

Myanmar's military, which tightly controls information about Rakhine, denies any abuses and insists the crackdown was a proportionate response to crush the "terrorist" threat.

The insurgents, known as the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), have launched few attacks in recent months.

But the army reported that "about ten" Rohingya militants ambushed a car with hand-made mines and gunfire on Friday morning, wounding two officers and their driver.

The militants claimed responsibility for the ambush in a rare post from an official Twitter account on Sunday.

"Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) hereby declares that we carried out an ambush against the Burmese terrorist army... at around 10:00am on 05 January 2018," it said.

The statement did not provide any more details about the attack in northern Maungdaw township.

The shadowy, poorly-armed ARSA -- whose August raids left at least a dozen dead -- says it is fighting for the political rights of the Rohingya, who have have faced systematic oppression in mainly Buddhist Myanmar for years.

Its statement on Sunday added that "Rohingya people must be consulted in all decision-making that affects their humanitarian needs and political future".

ARSA's fighting capacity at this point is unknown.

But a report last month from International Crisis Group said the organisation "appears determined to regroup and remain relevant" and may draw on desperate Rohingya refugees languishing in camps for future operations.

Any uptick in violence in Rakhine will deepen concerns about plans to begin repatriating refugees later this month.

Bangladesh and Myanmar signed an agreement in November allowing for repatriations from January 23.

But many aid groups and diplomats have expressed doubt that fearful Rohingya will agree to return to country where where they face severe discrimination from other communities and the state.A small community of Hindus who lived alongside the Rohingya in Myanmar's Rakhine state say they do want to return

Hindu farmer Surodhon Pal has packed his bags, eager to return to Myanmar after fleeing for Bangladesh during a wave of violence last year, but he is in a tiny minority -- most of the refugees are terrified of going home.

Bangladesh wants the more than 655,000 refugees who have flooded into the country since late August to start returning to Myanmar by the end of this month under a controversial agreement between the two nations.

The vast majority are Rohingya Muslims who have faced decades of persecution in Myanmar, which sees them as illegal immigrants, even though many have lived there for generations.

Bangladesh wants the more than 655,000 refugees who have flooded into the country since late August to start returning to Myanmar

They say they would rather stay in the squalid camps in Bangladesh than return to the scene of violence the US and the United Nations have said amounts to ethnic cleansing.

But a small community of Hindus who lived alongside the Rohingya in Myanmar's Rakhine state and were caught up in the turmoil say they do want to return.

"We want security and we want food. If the authorities can give us those assurances we'll happily go back," Pal, 55, told AFP.

Rights groups and the United Nations say no one should be repatriated against their will and so far only around 500 Hindu refugees have expressed willingness to go

"The Bangladeshi government and the UN looked after us well, but now we have prepared our bags and are ready to return to our country."

Last month Dhaka sent a list of 100,000 refugees to Myanmar authorities for repatriation after the two governments signed an agreement in November for the process to begin on January 23.

But rights groups and the United Nations say no one should be repatriated against their will and so far only around 500 Hindu refugees have expressed willingness to go.

- Massacre by masked men -

Modhuram Pal, a 35-year-old community leader, said some 50 Hindus had already returned to Rakhine where they were welcomed by Myanmar security forces.

Hindus who fled the area have told AFP that masked men stormed into their community and hacked victims to death

Hindus who fled the area have told AFP that masked men stormed into their community and hacked victims to death with machetes before dumping them into freshly-dug pits.

Myanmar's military alleges the Arakan Rohingya Solidarity Army (ARSA) carried out the massacre on August 25, the same day the rebel group staged deadly raids on police posts that sparked a military backlash. At least 45 bodies have been found in mass graves.

The ARSA has denied the allegations, saying it does not target civilians.

Doctors without Borders estimates that thousands were killed in the violence that hit Rakhine in late August

But Pal and his fellow Hindu refugees say they will only go back if they are rehoused away from their former villages in Rakhine.

Monubala, a Hindu woman who like many of the refugees goes by one name, told AFP masked men dressed in black had attacked her village near Kha Maung Seik, where the massacre occurred.

"I left my home, including my chickens, ducks, goats and all property, and came to Bangladesh to save my life," she said.

Tensions between the two communities have persisted in Bangladesh, where the Hindus live away from the main refugee camps

Doctors without Borders estimates that thousands were killed in the violence that hit Rakhine in late August.

Consistent accounts by Rohingya refugees of security forces and ethnic Rakhine Buddhist mobs driving them out of their homes with bullets, rape and arson have shocked the globe.

Although the influx has slowed, hundreds of Rohingya are still crossing into Bangladesh, now home to around a million refugees.

Rights groups say the crackdown was the culmination of years of persecution and discrimination against the Muslim group in mainly Buddhist Myanmar, where they are effectively stateless and denigrated as outsiders.

- 'Communal divide and rule' -

It remains unclear why the Hindus were targeted, but they appear to have been caught in the middle of a conflict between the military and Rohingya militants. Some reports say each side viewed the Hindus as collaborators with the other.

Myanmar state media said last month that the Hindus would be first to be accepted back -- a stance that expert Shahab Enam Khan called a "classic case of communal divide and rule".

It remains unclear why the Hindus were targeted, but they appear to have been caught in the middle of a conflict between the military and Rohingya militants

"The issue of religion as a tool for repression is visibly clear now, the global community should be aware," Khan, professor of International Relations at Jahangirnagar University in Dhaka, told AFP.

Tensions between the two communities have persisted in Bangladesh, where the Hindus live away from the main refugee camps.

Pal, the community leader, said two Hindu refugees in Bangladesh had been killed by Rohingya in a dispute over the sale of cattle they had brought over the border.

Local police chief Abul Khaer confirmed that a complaint had been lodged, and the body of one of the alleged victims found.

"We were tortured because of the war between Myanmar government and the (Rohingya) rebels," Shshu Pal Shil, 25, told AFP in his makeshift shelter.

"Thats why we were forced to come to Bangladesh. If the Myanmar government wants to take us back now, well be happy to go back."Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen (C) takes selfies with supporters during the rally

Cambodian premier Hun Sen led a huge rally on Sunday marking the anniversary of the fall of the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime, seizing the opportunity to burnish his image as saviour of the nation.

Tens of thousands of people attended the event organised by Hun Sen's ruling Cambodian People's Party, which has dominated the country since it was installed by the Vietnamese forces which toppled Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot on January 7, 1979.

The gathering on "Victory Over Genocide Day" attracted a much larger turnout than in previous years. Hun Sen's control over Cambodia is stronger than ever following the systematic removal of his rivals before a July election.

The crackdown culminated in the dissolution of the main opposition party in November, a move lambasted by Western democracies as a naked power grab by the strongman, who is determined to extend his 32-year rule.

Speaking before a sea of supporters on Sunday, Hun Sen took credit for the stability and growth his government has overseen since the Khmer Rouge era. At least 1.7 million Cambodians died during the regime's fanatical Maoist rule from 1975-79.

Most died through execution, starvation or overwork during the group's attempts to transform the country into an agrarian utopia.

Hun Sen, a former Khmer Rouge cadre who later defected and joined the resistance, frequently reminds the public of Cambodia's horrific past and warns that fresh unrest could break out if his government is ousted.

In a lengthy address Hun Sen also cheered the recent crushing of the opposition, saying it "evaded a new disaster for the nation, and will ensure the growth of democracy, human rights and rule of law in Cambodia".

Rights groups strongly disagree, saying the move plunged Cambodia's fragile democracy into peril.

The US and EU have withdrawn support for the July election due to the ruling, saying the vote would not be legitimate without the now dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party, which won 44.5 percent of the vote in the 2013 election, according to election authorities.

Hun Sen has responded by ramping up his ultra-nationalist rhetoric, reiterating on Sunday that "Cambodia does not bow to external pressure".

After the speech Hun Sen and his wife released white doves into the crowd and received flowers from foreign diplomats.

Hun Sen's self-styled reputation as rescuer of the impoverished kingdom was also on display in the past week in a new documentary recording his role in the toppling of the Khmer Rouge.

But while the premier boasts about the stability and economic growth nurtured during his time in office, critics point out the myriad rights abuses and endemic corruption that have flourished under his watch.

Some Cambodians have also criticised the celebration of the January 7 anniversary, saying it represents the start of a decade-long occupation by Vietnam rather than a day of liberation.A file picture shows Iranian President Hassan Rouhani delivering a speech to the parliament on October 29, 2017

Iranian lawmakers held a closed-door session on Sunday to discuss the deadly protests that hit the country last week, while more pro-regime rallies were held in several cities.

"The security officials confirmed that most of those arrested have been released," Gholamreza Heydari, a reformist lawmaker in Tehran, told parliament's ICANA website.

He was speaking after the session in which MPs grilled Interior Minister Abdolrahmani Rahmani Fazli, Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi and secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani over the days of unrest that straddled the new year.

Mohammad Reza Kachouie, another deputy, said most of those detained were unemployed people, "without university degrees".

"The parliament meeting principally looked into the condition of the people, the economic situation and unemployment. The enemy is trying to infiltrate the country by using these issues," he told ICANA.

A reformist MP Bahram Parsaie said blame should not focus on President Hassan Rouhani but on decades of poor governance.

"I hope we face up to reality and take lessons from past mistakes," ICANA quoted him as saying.

The protests began on December 28 over economic issues before quickly spiralling out of control and turning against the regime as a whole, leaving 21 dead and hundreds arrested.

Police have previously said they have released many of the hundreds arrested during the unrest, but that the main instigators were "in the hands of the judiciary".

Some lawmakers voiced concern over the internet controls put in place during the unrest, including a ban on Iran's most popular messaging app, Telegram, which officials said had been used to incite violence.

"The parliament is not in favour of keeping Telegram filtering in place, but it must pledge that it will not be used as a tool by the enemies of the Iranian people," Behrouz Nemati, spokesman for the parliament's presiding board, wrote on Instagram, which was also temporarily blocked during the unrest.

Many Iranians use Telegram as their main source of news and a way of bypassing the highly restrictive state media, with almost a third of Iran's 80 million people using the app daily.

Some 9,000 online businesses have been disrupted by the blocking, semi-official news agency ISNA reported, quoting a report by the culture ministry's digital media centre.

Pro-government rallies were again held in several cities on Sunday, this time in Qazvin, Rasht, Shahr-e Kurd and Yazd.

Tens of thousands of people have participated in similar rallies in the past few days.

The rallies are "the people's response to the rioters and troublemakers and their supporters", said state television.

It also repeated official claims that the unrest was orchestrated by the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia with the complicity of "anti-revolutionary" groups.A victim of the armed attack in the Bayotte forest being treated in the regional capital Ziguinchor, southern Senegal

The Senegalese government vowed Sunday to be "relentless" in tracking down and bringing to justice those responsible for the execution of 13 people in the southern region of Casamance.

Gunmen ordered a group of men and youths, out looking for wood, to lie on the ground deep in the forest before opening fire, a survivor said following the first upsurge in violence in the isolated Senegalese region in years.

President Macky Sall, condemning an "armed attack of rare barbarity", summoned his national security council and ordered a ministerial delegation to the scene.

"A hard and relentless hunt will be conducted to find the perpetrators of this despicable act," interior minister Aly Ngouille Ndiaye told Senegalese press agency APS during a visit to survivors at the hospital in Ziguinchor, the region's capital.

The attack happened on Saturday in Borofaye forest in the commune of Boutoupa-Camaracounda.

According to the government, ten of the 13 killed were shot dead, two were stabbed to death and one was burned. Half a dozen more were wounded, with the most seriously hurt being transferred to Dakar for treatment.

- Shot in cold blood -

The as yet unidentified group stopped the young men and rounded them up before shooting them coldly, survivors told AFP.

"They made us lie face down and started firing," a 45-year-old father of two with two wives said Sunday at Ziguinchor Ayib Ly hospital as he received treatment for injuries to his back and foot.

"Injured people trying to escape were finished off" by the attackers, said another survivor, Amadou Diallo.

Ibrahima Daffe, described being hit by "two bullets in the back", fired by men "in military uniforms", wearing "rangers" type boots and speaking the local language.

A source in Ziguinchor said 13 youths were killed, while army spokesman Abdou Ndiaye told AFP seven others were injured.

The Senegalese Press Agency said the assailants would have passed a buffer zone between the Senegalese army and separatist rebels of the Movement for Democratic Forces in Casamance (MFDC).

Abdoulaye Balde, a former armed forces minister and deputy mayor of Ziguinchor, told AFP those responsible were likely "not fully associated with the peace process" in a region where rebels began fighting in December 1982 -- though they have long ceased attacks on soldiers.

"When you negotiate with the main (MFDC) leaders, dissidents are often not involved," said Balde, who called the attack a surprise while noting that "we knew peace was precarious" in the tense region.

Sall has "ordered that the perpetrators of this criminal act be found and brought to justice," the government statement said, adding that the ministerial delegation would "evaluate the security situation and offer the nation's condolences to the families".

The army deployed 150 troops to evacuate the victims and flush out the attackers, and a resident of the nearby village of Bourafaye Bainuk said shots were heard as the army undertook a "deep search".

- Elusive peace deal -

Casamance, separated from the rest of Senegal by The Gambia, has been calm for several years since Sall took power in 2012, though peace talks have failed to yield a definitive settlement.

Ziguinchor governor Guedj Diouf said he thought the attack would not derail the peace process. "There's an irreversible dynamic in the direction of peace," Diouf said in remarks carried by the news website PressAfrik.

Former colonial power France, whose tourists visit other areas of Senegal in droves, removed Casamance from its list of danger zones in October 2016.

The attack came a day after the army released two MFDC fighters following negotiations spearheaded by Rome's Community of Sant'Egidio, a charity with ties to the Vatican specialising in peace mediation.

The Casamance separatist movement left thousands of civilians and military personnel dead and forced many to flee over three decades, as well as hurting the economy dependent on agriculture and tourism.

In a New Year's message last Sunday, Sall appealed to the Casamance rebels to continue talks to create a "definite peace".Malaysia's 92-year-old former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, a hugely divisive figure criticised for ruling with an iron fist during his long reign, could return as premier 15 years after stepping down

Malaysia's veteran ex-leader Mahathir Mohamad was named as the opposition's prime ministerial candidate Sunday as a bruising election battle looms against scandal-plagued premier Najib Razak and his long-ruling coalition.

The decision means the 92-year-old, a hugely divisive figure criticised for ruling with an iron fist during his long reign, could return as premier 15 years after stepping down.

But he also agreed to make way for jailed opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim -- his former nemesis turned political ally -- to become prime minister on his release from prison if Anwar is granted a royal pardon.

Mahathir's ascent to opposition prime ministerial candidate is the latest sign of how dramatically Malaysia's political landscape has been shaken up by a massive financial scandal that has rocked Najib's government.

Mahathir came out of retirement to take on Najib as anger mounted at allegations billions of dollars were looted from a state investment fund, 1MDB, founded by the current premier.

Both Najib, whose United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) has led the country in a coalition since independence in 1957, and the fund deny any wrongdoing.

The elections must be called by August but speculation is mounting they will be held in the next few months.

The decision to pick Mahathir as candidate for premier was endorsed by senior leaders of four-party coalition Pact of Hope at their convention in Shah Alam, just outside Kuala Lumpur, to rousing cheers by hundreds of supporters.

"Our great focus is to save our beloved country," Mahathir, who ruled the country for 22 years at the head of the UMNO, said in a speech.

"It wasn't easy for the parties that were my enemies before to accept me -- but they are aware of the importance of bringing down the current government."

People's Justice Party president Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Anwar's wife, was named as deputy prime minister candidate.

The coalition will be hoping that Mahathir, who has set up his own party to take on Najib, will be able to attract votes of from Muslim Malays, who make up about 60 percent of the population.

But most analysts think that the ruling coalition will win as the system is greatly stacked in their favour, the economy has performed well recently and the opposition has often appeared disunited.

Anwar, jailed after being convicted of sodomy, will be released on June 8, reports said Sunday, but he will be barred from politics for five years unless granted a royal pardon.A Sudanese newspaper vendor sits in a street on May 25, 2015

Sudanese security agents on Sunday seized all copies of six newspapers after they criticised the government over soaring bread prices that have almost doubled this week, editors said.

Discontent has been simmering over the past few days as bread prices jumped on the back of a sharp rise in the cost of flour after a government decision to shift importing of wheat to private sector companies.

Several newspapers have criticised the decision concerning wheat imports, while the country's opposition groups called for nationwide demonstrations against the price rise.

On Sunday, members of the powerful National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) confiscated entire print runs of Al-Tayar, Al-Mustagilla, Al-Karar, Al-Midan, Al-Assayha and Akhbar Al-Watan newspapers.

Akhbar al-Watan and Al-Midan are mouthpieces of opposition Sudanese Congress Party and the Communist Party, while the other four newspapers are independent journals that often report criticism of the government.

"No reason was given for confiscating copies of our newspaper but I think it was due to our transparent coverage of the food price rise," said Hanadi Al-Sidiq, editor of Akhbar Al-Watan.

Editors of other newspapers also confirmed to AFP that NISS agents had confiscated the entire print runs of their Sunday editions.

Media in Sudan are frequently targeted for their reporting. The country regularly ranks near the bottom of international press freedom rankings.

An opposition group said its members were also targeted after the call for nationwide demonstrations against the price rise.

Two senior leaders of the opposition Sudanese Congress Party have been detained by NISS agents, the party said in a statement.

On Saturday, police fired tear gas at groups of students protesting the price rise in the central Sudanese town of Sennar, witnesses told AFP.

Sudan witnessed sporadic protests in late 2016 after a government decision to cut fuel subsidies.

The authorities cracked down on those protests in an attempt to prevent a repeat of deadly unrest that followed a similar round of subsidy cuts in 2013.

Dozens of people were killed in 2013 protests when security forces crushed large street demonstrations, drawing international condemnation.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem on January 7, 2018

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called for the closure of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, days after US President Donald Trump threatened to cut Palestinian aid.

Israel has long viewed the UN agency, known as UNRWA, as biased against it, an allegation the agency strongly denies, saying it is only providing necessary services to Palestinians.

Israeli officials also criticise the agency's method of classifying refugees, with descendants also eligible to register.

"UNRWA is an organisation that perpetuates the Palestinian refugee problem," Netanyahu said while also lauding Trump at the beginning of his weekly cabinet meeting.

He said that while millions of other refugees around the world were cared for by the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Palestinians have their own body which also treats "great-grandchildren of refugees -- who aren't refugees".

"This absurd situation must be ended," Netanyahu said.

UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness said that its mandate came from the UN General Assembly "whose members give wide and strong support to the agency's humanitarian and human development mission".

"What perpetuates the refugee crisis is the failure of the parties to deal with the issue," he wrote in a statement.

"This needs to be resolved by the parties to the conflict in the context of peace talks, based on UN resolutions and international law."

In June, Netanyahu said he had raised the issue with Washington's UN envoy Nikki Haley.

On Wednesday, Trump threatened to cut aid worth more than $300 million annually to the Palestinians in a bid to force them to negotiate.

The United States has long provided the Palestinian Authority with much-needed budgetary support and security assistance, as well as an additional $304 million for UN programmes in the West Bank and Gaza.

A Friday report on Israeli Channel 10 television said the US had frozen a payment due to UNRWA, but a spokesman for the UN organisation said on Saturday that they "have not been informed directly of a formal decision either way by the US administration".

UNRWA runs hundreds of schools for Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip, the occupied West Bank, Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.

It also distributes aid and provides teacher training centres, health clinics and social services.

Many analysts, including Israelis, warn that closing the agency without having an effective replacement could lead to further poverty and perhaps violence.

"While UNRWA is far from perfect, the Israeli defence establishment, and the Israeli government as a whole, have over the years come to the understanding that all the alternatives are worse for Israel," Peter Lerner, a former spokesman for the Israeli military, wrote in an opinion piece in Haaretz newspaper last week.

"In an extreme situation, the administration of those refugees could fall on Israel's shoulders."Norway's Foreign Secretary Ine Eriksen Soreide with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on January 7, 2018. A Norwegian NGO ls on the banned list

Israel on Sunday named 20 foreign NGOs whose representatives are barred from its territory, saying that they support a boycott of the Jewish state over its occupation of Palestinian territory.

Publication of the list of groups from Europe, the United States, Chile and South Africa follows legislation in March banning entry to foreigners who support boycotting the country or its settlements, which are seen as illegal under international law.

Rights groups criticised the law as "thought control" and noted that Israel also controls who enters the Palestinian territories apart from one border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.

"We have moved from defence to attack. The boycott organisations need to know that the state of Israel will act against them and will not allow them to enter its territory in order to harm its citizens," Public Security and Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan wrote in a Hebrew-language statement.

Among the banned groups are the Paris-based Association France Palestine Solidarite, British charity War on Want and the American Friends Service Committee -- a Nobel Peace Prize-winning US Quaker organisation.

South African, French, Italian and Chilean branches of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS) also featured on the blacklist.

The statement from Erdan's office said that the proscribed NGOs were "the main boycott organisations which operate consistently and continuously against the state of Israel, while putting pressure on organisations, institutions and countries to boycott Israel".

It said that they employed "a false propaganda campaign aimed at undermining Israel's legitimacy in the world".

At a meeting in Jerusalem on Sunday with Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin told her that the boycott movement did nothing for the cause of peace.

"I believe that BDS leads to increasing hatred," his office quoted him as saying in English.

"It symbolises all that stands in the way of dialogue, debate, and progress," he added.

The Palestine Group of Norway was among the groups named on Sunday.

In November, Israel denied entry to a US employee of Amnesty International as part of its anti-boycott offensive.

Amnesty and Israeli officials said at the time that Raed Jarrar, an advocacy director for the Middle East and North Africa at the rights group, was prevented from entering the occupied West Bank.

Jarrar was turned back by Israeli authorities at the land crossing between Jordan and the West Bank.

Amnesty did not appear on Sunday's list.

Israeli authorities said Jarrar was barred at Erdan's orders over unspecified links with BDS.

Israel sees the boycott movement as a strategic threat and accuses it of anti-Semitism -- a claim activists deny, saying they want only to see an end to Israel's occupation.Le president sud-africain Jacob Zuma, au centre, danse avec des chefs traditionnels lors d'une rencontre a Durban, le 5 janvier 2018.

South Africa's parliament indicated Sunday it would this week deliberate procedures for presidential impeachment, as pressure mounts on embattled incumbent Jacob Zuma.

The move came just days after the Constitutional Court ruled that parliament had failed to hold Zuma accountable for using public money for private home upgrades.

Last month the court found the president guilty of violating his oath of office by refusing to pay back the cash and order the National Assembly to draw up procedures that could be used for his removal.

Parliaments subcommittee on reviewing procedures said it would convene Wednesday and Thursday "to deliberate on a draft procedure for implementing section 89(1) of the Constitution: Removal of President."

It added that once the subcommittee had finalised a draft procedure it would need to go before the National Assembly for adoption, and that "in keeping with the Assemblys commitment to comply fully with the Constitutional Courts majority judgment", lawmakers had been notified and furnished with documentation for consideration.

The committee added documents including a draft procedure drawn up in April 2016, but not finalised, and a comparative study, compiled in 2015, about impeachment proceedings of seven other parliaments on the removal of a head of state.

"The draft procedure, once finalised by the Subcommittee, would need to be adopted by the National Assembly as part of the Assemblys rules," it noted.

Zuma failed to abide by recommendations made by the country's anti-corruption watchdog in 2014 over $15 million of taxpayer-funded refurbishments at his personal home in the eastern KwaZulu-Natal province.

After the Court found against him, he eventually reimbursed the equivalent of around $500,000 for non security-related work at his homestead, a sum set by the treasury.

Until recently, the ruling African National Congress has steadfastly supported Zuma. But, a year out from the expiry of his second term, corruption allegations have tarnished his image and eroded his support base.

Last month also saw him suffer a blow when his vice-president Cyril Ramaphosa, who campaigned on an anti-corruption ticket, was elected ANC president after seeing off Zuma's former wife Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

Ramaphosa is set to distance himself from Zuma as the ANC seeks to retain its absolute majority in next year's general elections even if the latter still retains a constituency of support within the movement after ten years as its leader.The price of bread in Sudan has more than doubled

A student was killed in Sudan on Sunday during protests against soaring bread prices, officials and witnesses said.

Protests broke out in areas of war-torn Darfur and Blue Nile states as well as the capital Khartoum with demonstrators burning tyres and blocking roads and police firing tear gas.

Bread prices more than doubled this week as flour manufacturers raised prices amid dwindling wheat supplies after the government decided to stop importing grain and allowed private companies to do so.

Anti-riot police fired tear gas at hundreds of students and residents who staged rallies in the towns of Geneina and Nyala in Darfur and Damazin in Blue Nile, witnesses said.

"In the incidents that occurred in Geneina, one student was killed and six other people were wounded," Fadalelmola Al-Haja, governor of West Darfur of which Geneina is the capital, said in a statement.

"The situation is now calm," he said without specifying how the student had been killed.

Anti-riot police also clashed with stone-throwing students outside Khartoum University, an AFP correspondent reported.

"No, no to high bread prices!" chanted students and residents in Damazin as anti-riot police broke up their rally, witnesses said.

Pictures and videos of protests were quickly uploaded to social media sites.

"The price of bread is only rising in Nyala because many bakeries closed due to the shortage of flour," one resident told AFP by telephone.

A government official in Nyala said the situation there was under control.

"Police have dispersed the protesters. Our security forces are ready to deal with any disturbances," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Bread prices soared after the cost of flour surged to 450 Sudanese pounds ($25) for a 50-kilo (110-pound) sack from 167 pounds.

Leading opposition groups called for anti-government protests in response to the price rise.

- Newspapers seized -

A Sudanese newspaper vendor sits in a street in Al-Jarif city outside the capital Khartoum, on May 25, 2015

Earlier on Sunday, security agents seized the print runs of six newspapers after they criticised the government over the rising cost of bread.

"No reason was given for confiscating copies of our newspaper, but I think it was due to our transparent coverage of the food price rise," said Hanadi Al-Sidiq, editor of Akhbar Al-Watan which saw its entire run seized along with Al-Tayar, Al-Mustagilla, Al-Karar, Al-Midan and Al-Assayha newspapers.

Sudanese media are often targeted over their reporting. The country regularly ranks near the bottom of international press freedom rankings.

There were also sporadic protests in late 2016 after the government cut fuel subsidies.

The authorities cracked down on those protests in an attempt to prevent a repeat of deadly unrest that followed an earlier round of subsidy cuts in 2013.

Dozens of people were killed in 2013 when security forces crushed large street demonstrations, drawing international condemnation.Palestinian children do their homework during a power cut in Gaza City in September, 2017

Israel will reverse a power cut to Gaza begun in June after the Palestinian Authority agreed to pay for its supply to the blockaded enclave, the energy ministry said Sunday.

It said Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz had ordered the supply to be restored by Monday.

A cut in PA payments to Israel to supply power on its behalf to the Gaza Strip in June reduced the amount being delivered to the coastal Palestinian territory by some 50 megawatts.

Many residents were left with around four hours of electricity per day as a result.

Restoring the 50 megawatts will return the enclave to the situation before June, when mains electricity was supplied to residents in eight-hour cycles.

Steinitz said the PA had last year cut the amount of its monthly payments from 40 million shekels (9.7 million euros, $11.6 million) to 25 million shekels.

The electricity payments have been a key issue in efforts at reconciliation between Hamas, the Islamist movement that runs Gaza, and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's Fatah.

The cut came as part of measures taken by Abbas to pressure Hamas after the Islamist movement created what was seen as a shadow government in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas and Fatah signed a landmark reconciliation accord in Cairo in October aiming to end their decade-long feud and hand authority in Gaza back to the PA.

However, reconciliation efforts later stalled and the rival factions missed a December deadline to transfer power in Gaza.

Security control in the territory remains a major issue, with Hamas refusing to disarm its 25,000-strong armed wing.Sadiq Amin Aburas, pictured in 2016, was elected as head of Yemen's General People's Congress party

The political party of Yemen's former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was killed in December by his erstwhile Huthi rebel allies, on Sunday named his replacement.

The General People's Congress, a key player in Yemeni politics for decades, elected former deputy premier Sadiq Amin Aburas by consensus at a meeting of its general committee, it said in a statement.

It made no mention of the Huthis, but said it would continue to "reject and resist aggression and siege" against Yemen, a reference to a military campaign being waged since 2015 by a Saudi-led coalition.

Aburas, 65, is seen as having been close to Saleh, the long-time Yemeni strongman killed by Huthi gunmen on December 4 after their alliance collapsed.

Saleh held power in the Arabian Peninsula country for three decades before being ousted in 2012 following mass protests.

He later allied with his former enemies, the Iran-backed Huthis, to seize the capital in 2014 from the internationally backed government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.

That prompted Iran's regional arch-rival Saudi Arabia to lead an intervention against the alliance the following year.

In late 2017, the Saleh-Huthi alliance fell apart after Saleh offered to "turn the page" with Riyadh in return for a ceasefire and the lifting of a crippling blockade.

That sparked fighting in the streets of Sanaa, and Saleh was gunned down as he tried to flee.

The GPC said Aburas would lead it until its next general assembly, a date for which could not yet be set "because of the current difficulties".

Aburas also heads the party's five-member executive committee.

The GPC said it was still open to dialogue and "national reconciliation".

More than 8,750 people have been killed since the Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen, according to the World Health Organization.

The country also faces what the United Nations has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis.Opposition fighters drive in the village of Fureiji near al-Tamanah, in Syria's northwestern rebel-held province of Idlib, as they continue to battle government forces on January 2, 2018

Syrian regime forces on Sunday seized a strategic town as they pushed towards a jihadist-held airbase in an offensive to reclaim ground in northwestern Idlib province, a monitor said.

Government forces backed up by Russian air power are conducting an operation to carve out a foothold in the southeast of the province, the last one that had remained completely beyond regime control.

Troops captured Sinjar, the "biggest town in southeast Idlib", from Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate and were within 14 kilometres (9 miles) of the Abu al-Duhur military base, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The base -- which government troops lost to the jihadists in 2015 after a two-year siege -- could provide President Bashar al-Assad's forces with a vital forward post in the Idlib province.

The drive into the region is aimed at securing a key road that links Syria's second city of Aleppo -- recaptured by the government just over a year ago -- to the capital Damascus, the Observatory said.

State news agency SANA reported Saturday evening that the regime forces had taken control of "some towns and villages in the southeast" of Idlib province.

Since the start of the operation in late December, Assad's forces have recaptured roughly 60 towns and villages on the border between Idlib and neighbouring Hama province, Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.

In response to the situation on the ground the jihadists' "military council" under leader Mohammad al-Jolani convened an "urgent meeting", coalition Hayat Tahrir al-Sham said.

"The campaign by the criminal regime will not be easy," said the group, dominated by the one-time Al-Qaeda affiliate, previously known as Al-Nusra Front.

More than 340,000 people have been killed in Syria and millions displaced since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests.

Russia's intervention in support of Assad has shifted the balance firmly in the regime's favour.CIA chief Mike Pompeo, seen here at a Senate hearing last May, says his agency was not behind the recent unrest in Iran

The head of the CIA on Sunday denied his agency had any role in fomenting the recent anti-government protests in Iran but predicted the violent unrest "is not behind us."

Mike Pompeo, named a year ago by President Donald Trump to head the intelligence agency, told Fox News Sunday that economic conditions in Iran "are not good."

"That's what caused the people to take to the streets," he said. He blamed what he called Tehran's "backward-looking" regime for turning a deaf ear to the voices of the people.

Asked about a claim by Iran's prosecutor general, Mohammad Javad Montazeri, that a CIA official had coordinated with Israel and Saudi Arabia -- Iran's regional rivals -- to work with exiled Iranian groups to stir dissent in Iran, Pompeo replied simply: "It's false."

"This was the Iranian people -- started by them, created by them, continued by them, demanding a better set of living conditions and a break from the theocratic regime."

- Looming deadlines -

Trump has repeatedly tweeted his support for Iranian protesters while castigating the Tehran regime, seizing on the recent unrest to again slam the multiparty nuclear deal with Iran as deeply flawed.

Trump faces deadlines around mid-month on whether to renew temporary waivers or restore US sanctions on Iran. In October, Trump refused to certify that Iran was respecting its commitments under the 2015 nuclear accord, but did not reimpose sanctions or abandon the deal itself.

The administration has not revealed its intentions, but the Iran unrest is seen as a possible pretext for blowing up the nuclear accord.

The US Congress has been working on legislation aimed at tightening terms of the agreement in ways that might satisfy Trump's demands, and Pompeo expressed careful optimism that it might succeed.

"They could do something," he said. "They could take some of the weaknesses from the agreement... extend deadlines (and) snap back sanctions into place where they could really happen."

But Bob Corker, head of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, said last week that while talks on Iran were continuing with the White House and its European partners, no new bill was imminent.

Any agreement, Corker said, would take several more weeks to work out.Migrants wait at a naval base in the Libyan capital Tripoli January 7, 2018, after being rescued off the Libyan coast of Garabulli, east of the capital

Two women were found dead and 290 migrants rescued from two boats off the coast of Libya on Sunday, the navy said.

The migrants were rescued off the coast of Garabulli, 50 kilometres (30 miles) east of Tripoli, then taken to the capital, naval officer Meftah al-Zlitni said.

He did not give further details on how the women had died.

They had left Libya Saturday evening on a makeshift craft with 140 other migrants from various African countries, but their motor broke down a few hours later.

"We stayed put from six o'clock in the morning" until the navy arrived, said Baba Koni, a Malian who was on board the boat.

He said the motor had become waterlogged and cut out.

Zlitni said 150 migrants were on a second boat that had been about to sink when the patrol arrived.

Since the 2011 fall and killing of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi, Libya has become a key launch pad for migrants making desperate bids to reach Europe, often on unseaworthy vessels.

Last year, 3,116 people died attempting the crossing, according to the International Organization for Migration.

That has continued into the new year, with at least 25 people drowning on Saturday off Libya's coast in the sinking of a boat carrying as many as 150 migrants, rescue groups said.

There was however a sharp drop in arrivals in Italy during in the second half of 2017 following efforts by Rome to discourage migrants from attempting the crossing.

Some 119,000 embarked on the perilous journey, a decrease of one third on the previous year, according to Italy's interior ministry.

The first six days of 2018 saw 400 people rescued and taken to Italy, compared to 729 over the same period in 2017, it said.Syrian emergency personnel search for victims following an explosion in a rebel-held area of the northwestern city of Idlib on January 7, 2018

An explosion at a base for Asian jihadists in northwestern Syria's Idlib city on Sunday killed 23 people including seven civilians, a monitor said.

Extremist groups fighting in Syria count thousands of Asians among their ranks, including many from central Asian states and members of the Muslim Uighur ethnic minority of China's Xinjiang province.

"A large explosion on Sunday evening hit the base of the Ajnad al-Qawqaz faction in Idlib," said Syrian Observatory for Human Rights head Rami Abdel Rahman, adding that most of the non-civilian casualties were fighters from the group.

He did not specify the cause of the blast, but activists on social media said a car bomb was responsible.

The blast at the base also badly damaged nearby buildings

Dozens of people were wounded, particularly fighters, according to Abdel Rahman who said the base was "almost completely destroyed" and that nearby buildings were damaged.

The Ajnad al-Qawqaz group includes hundreds of Caucasian fighters and is battling alongside the Fateh al-Sham Front, a former Al-Qaeda affiliate, to repel a Syrian regime advance in the southeast of Idlib province.

The area has seen intense clashes following a regime offensive aimed at seizing a strategically vital highway between Damascus and second city Aleppo.

The Britain-based Observatory, which relies on a network of activists across Syria, said regime forces had seized more than 60 villages in the area since December 25.

An alliance dominated by Fateh al-Sham controls much of Idlib province where there are regular car bombings, often blamed on disputes between armed factions.

Some residents blame the Islamic State group for such attacks, although the group has no open presence in the province.SAN DIEGO (AP) - A lawyer who represented actress Paz de la Huerta has filed a lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein and a former New York prosecutor, alleging they coordinated in a scheme to get the actress to drop her sexual misconduct complaint against the movie mogul.

Aaron Filler's firm, Tensor Law, filed the lawsuit Friday in Los Angeles against Weinstein, his company and attorney Michael Rubin, a former New York City assistant district attorney for Bronx County.

In the lawsuit, Filler said Rubin misrepresented himself to de la Huerta as a victims' rights advocate, but actually was acting for the benefit of Weinstein "to interfere by a series of harmful subterfuges, threats, and extortion demands, entirely outside the legitimate strictures of the legal system."

FILE - In this Jan. 8, 2017, file photo, Harvey Weinstein arrives at The Weinstein Company and Netflix Golden Globes afterparty in Beverly Hills, Calif. A lawyer who represented actress Paz de la Huerta has filed a lawsuit against Weinstein and a former New York prosecutor, alleging they coordinated in a scheme to get the actress to drop her sexual misconduct complaint against the movie mogul. Aaron Filler's firm, Tensor Law, filed the lawsuit Friday, Jan 5, 2018 against Weinstein, his company and attorney Michael Rubin. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)

The lawsuit accuses Rubin of persuading de la Huerta to drop Filler as her attorney, and encouraging her to withdraw her complaint alleging Weinstein raped her. She changed lawyers but did not drop the complaint.

Rubin denied the allegations and said that Filler is upset he lost a client.

"I never met Harvey Weinstein in my life," he said.

Weinstein spokeswoman Holly Baird said in an email to The Associated Press on Saturday that it's "insanity" to suggest that Weinstein "had any involvement in this."

The suit contends Rubin attempted to obtain de la Huerta's psychiatric records to reveal them publicly. Rubin also contacted New York prosecutors assigned to the de la Huerta case and gave "false and discouraging advice, leading to the abrupt halt of progress toward indictment of Weinstein," according to the court documents.

Rubin said his intentions in reaching out to the actress were to help de la Huerta get Weinstein arrested.

"I did nothing to try to derail that investigation," he said, adding that he plans to take legal action against Filler for defaming him.

Weinstein has denied any claim of non-consensual sex.

De la Huerta's current lawyer, Carrie Goldberg, said the actress has nothing to do with the lawsuit.

"My client had no knowledge of this lawsuit filed by Mr. Filler and makes no claims as to the veracity of any of the information presented as facts in the complaint," Goldberg said in a statement Saturday.

The "Boardwalk Empire" actress publicly accused the movie producer of raping her twice in 2010. She began speaking with police in New York about the accusation in late October.

Goldberg has expressed concern about the pace of the probe.

___

Associated Press writer Colleen Long in New York City contributed to this report.PASADENA, Calif. (AP) - Trump fatigue? No such thing in comic Stephen Colbert's world.

"He is president of the United States," Colbert said Saturday. "There is no escaping it. It's like having oxygen fatigue."

Colbert and his CBS "Late Show" vaulted to the top of the late-night comedy heap with his sharp, topical humor about President Donald Trump. Now he's expanding into the world of animation with a Showtime series, "Our Cartoon President," that debuts later this month.

Stephen Colbert, executive producer of the Showtime animated series "Our Cartoon President," takes part in a panel discussion on the show at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018, in Pasadena, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

The series is an outgrowth of an occasional feature on "Late Show." Colbert and his executive producer, Chris Licht, developed it into a stand-alone series and hired a team to execute it that works out of the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York, where the "Late Show" is filmed.

While the late-night show finds comedy out of day-to-day news, "Our Cartoon President" seeks to develop characters of the president, his family and administration figures. Each episode takes two to three months to write, animate and voice, although there is flexibility built in for some rewrites based on new events, the creators said.

Showtime will stream an episode on Jan. 28 that features the cartoon Trump preparing to deliver his State of the Union address. The 10-episode series debuts on the television network on Feb. 11.

The rapid comings and goings of figures in the administration presents an ongoing challenge for top executive R.J. Fried and his team.

"We're not investing a lot of animation time into Rex Tillerson at this point," Colbert said.

Others have more staying power. The president's sons Donald Jr. and Eric are "our Beavis and Butt-Head," Fried said.

The three-anchor team of the "Fox & Friends" morning show - regular watching for the president - will also be featured in "Our Cartoon President."

"They're very much a part of the White House, we believe," Fried said.

"So does Trump," Colbert responded.

They may not always make it on the cartoon, but Colbert was up-to-the-minute in his comic references. He said the series will try to capture "just how stable his genius is," a reference to a Saturday tweet by the president about his mental state.

And Colbert also joked about Michael Wolff's new book about the administration, "Fire and Fury," stealing material.

"There is nothing in the book that's not in our show, and we just guessed," he said. "The great thing about the Trump administration is whatever you can imagine, you're right."

But Colbert said he didn't want to describe Trump's actions as a gift to comedians.

"I love my country more than I love a good joke," he said.MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - Top-ranked Rafael Nadal will make his return from injury at the Kooyong Classic exhibition tournament to prepare for the Australian Open, which begins on Jan. 15.

Nadal joins former No. 1-ranked Novak Djokovic, a six-time Australian Open champion, in using the Kooyong event to warm up for the year's first Grand Slam tournament.

Tournament director Peter Johnston on Sunday said negotiations with Nadal accelerated after the 16-time major winner withdrew from the Brisbane International.

"Rafa was looking for match play and of course we were more than happy to oblige," Johnston said. "The addition of both Novak and Rafa changes our schedule and the way we will run the four days but that's what Kooyong is all about, we are here to help the players get ready for the Open."

Nadal, who lost last year's Australian final to Roger Federer and went on to win the French and U.S. Open titles, has been struggling with a right knee problem and withdrew from the ATP tournament in Brisbane to give himself longer for recovery. He is scheduled to play Tuesday at Kooyong, which regularly hosted the Australian Open on grass before the tournament moved to hard courts at Melbourne Park.

Djokovic is returning from a right elbow injury that has kept him off the tour since July. Last week he said he wasn't sure he'd be able to play at the Australian Open, and wouldn't confirm until after the two exhibition events.LIMA, Peru (AP) - Five decapitated human heads have been found on the hood of a taxi in the drug violence-plagued Mexican state of Veracruz.

Veracruz Gov. Miguel Angel Yunes on Saturday attributed the killings to organized crime. The heads were found a day earlier in the municipality of Tlacotalpan.

Local media reported that the bodies were in plastic bags found inside the vehicle along with a written message. Parts of Veracruz are battlegrounds pitting the Zetas and Jalisco New Generation cartels.

In Mexico City, major newspaper El Universal said one of its editors was killed during a robbery.

The newspaper said Jose Gerardo Martinez's death "does not seem to be linked to his journalistic work." Before dying, Martinez managed to call police to say that two men were robbing him with a gun.VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope Francis on Sunday baptized 34 cooing and crying babies in the splendor of the Sistine Chapel, and encouraged their parents to make sure the "language of love" is spoken at home.

With Michelangelo's famed frescoes on the ceiling overhead, the parents - some with other young children in tow - brought 18 girls and 16 boys forward to Francis in the annual ceremony.

The pope then made the sign of the cross on the forehead of each child, and helped siblings do the same to their younger brother or sister. He also recited the name of each child and poured baptismal water over each baby's head.

Pope Francis delivers his blessing as he recites the Angelus noon prayer from the window of his studio, background building, overlooking St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Many of the parents of the baptized babies are Vatican employees.

Some babies slept, others cooed, and at least one mother gave her baby a bottle of milk. Parents juggled prayer books and pacifiers as they listened to the pope deliver his homily, which he kept short and unscripted.

Francis told the parents that they are tasked with passing on their Catholic faith to their children, stressing that the family is where that should happen.

"The transmission of faith happens only through dialect, in the dialect of the family, in the dialect of papa and momma, grandpa and grandma," Francis said.

"If the dialect is lacking, if in the home the parents don't speak that language of love between the two of them, this transmission won't be so easy, it can't be done."

Likening infants' wailing to a concert, Francis told the parents that if their babies start crying later in the ceremony, it's "because they are not comfortable, or too hot, or they don't feel at ease or are hungry." If that's the case, he said, "nurse them, without fear, feed them, because this, too, is a language of love."APALACHICOLA, Fla. (AP) - Reminders of the oyster's pre-eminence in this slice of northwestern Florida are everywhere, from the shells that line the edges of downtown buildings to the paintings of oysters that dot the walls of Apalachicola's art and history museum.

It's the oysters themselves that are harder to find these days, and Florida is hoping the Supreme Court can help fix that. The high court hears argument Monday in the long-running dispute between Florida and neighboring Georgia over the flow of water in the Apalachicola River, which runs from the state line to Apalachicola Bay and the nearby Gulf of Mexico.

Florida sued Georgia in the Supreme Court in 2013, blaming farmers and booming metro Atlanta for low river flows that harmed the environment and fisheries dependent on fresh water entering the area. Florida portrays the case as its last chance to "stem Georgia's inequitable consumption" of water from the Chattahoochee and Flint rivers in Georgia, leaving too little by the time the rivers come together and pass into Florida.

FILE - In this Aug. 13, 2013, file photo, Rep. Steve Southerland, R-Fla. and Sen. Marco Rubio listen to Florida Gov. Rick Scott announce a lawsuit against the state of Georgia, while touring Apalachicola, Fla. Florida is hoping the Supreme Court will come to the rescue of this slice of northwestern Florida, which the state says has been devastated by greedy water users in Georgia. The high court hears argument Monday, Jan. 8, 2018, in the long-running water war between the neighboring states. (AP Photo/Phil Sears, File)

"It is effectively strangling the Apalachicola Region and killing or threatening its animal and plant life," Florida said in its Supreme Court brief. Although the justices usually hear appeals, lawsuits between states start in the Supreme Court.

Georgia said Florida has failed to show that it would benefit from any cuts imposed on Georgia, pointing to the conclusion of a court-appointed special master who recommended that the justices side with Georgia. Georgia also said Florida is asking for unreasonable reductions that would "threaten the water supply of 5 million people in metropolitan Atlanta and risk crippling a multibillion dollar agricultural sector in southwest Georgia."

Complicating the issue is the absence from the lawsuit of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which manages dams on the Chattahoochee River.

The agency has enough control over the flow of water that there might not be any increase in the water that reaches Florida even if the court were to cap Georgia's use of water from the Flint River, special master Ralph Lancaster found. The Corps could decide to store more water in its Chattahoochee reservoirs and cancel out any increases from the Flint River, Lancaster found.

The states' battle over water use dates back to 1990, and includes drawn-out negotiations and several lawsuits. Alabama, which has the Chattahoochee on its eastern border, is not part of the current lawsuit.

For the tiny historic town of Apalachicola, the fight before the Supreme Court is more than some arcane legal struggle over water rights. Apalachicola wants to rescue its oyster industry, which collapsed in 2012 because of decreased flows in the river, Lancaster found in his report to the court last year.

The oyster harvest in the waters near Apalachicola plummeted from more than 3 million pounds in 2012 to just under 400,000 pounds in 2016, according to data collected by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

"It's probably the most important thing in a century for Apalachicola," said Pat Floyd, who has been city attorney since the 1980s.

"This is the best ecosystem and the most pure water body in the Northern Hemisphere," said Floyd. "So is that something worth giving away without a fight? ... If we can make a dent and get the fresh water down here, this can revive and populate the oysters the way they have been."

Carolyn White, a former nurse who moved from Athens, Georgia, 13 years and now volunteers at the museum, said she often talks to visitors from Georgia who don't understand the gravity of the water dispute.

"People come and visit us from Atlanta and they love it here," White said. "They don't understand that what's going upstream is affecting us down here."

Florida's legal fight hasn't been cheap. Since Gov. Rick Scott gave the green light in 2013 to take the case to the Supreme Court, the state has spent nearly $60 million on legal fees.

"For 26 years and under five gubernatorial administrations, Florida has been fighting for its fair share of water on behalf of the families and jobs at risk in Apalachicola Bay due to Georgia's reckless water use," McKinley Lewis, Scott's deputy communications director, said. Georgia officials declined to comment.

The Supreme Court decision isn't likely to be the final word in the conflict, said Gil Rogers, director of the Georgia and Alabama offices of the Southern Environmental Law Center.

Rogers, whose group is not part of the case, said the Corps has to be part of any long-term solution. "It's a complex river system that's got a lot of pressure on it from a lot of different uses," Rogers said.

___

Sherman reported from Washington.LONDON (AP) - British Prime Minister Theresa May has dismissed concerns about Donald Trump's mental fitness, saying the U.S. president acts in what he sees as the best interests of his country.

A new book by journalist Michael Wolff quotes prominent Trump advisers as questioning the president's competence.

Asked in an interview whether she thought concerns about Trump's mental state were serious, May said: "No."

She said that "when I deal with President Trump what I see is somebody who is committed to ensuring that he is taking decisions in the best interests of the United States."

In the BBC interview broadcast Sunday, May reaffirmed that Trump would visit Britain. She did not give a date, or say whether it would be a full state visit or a lower-key working trip.BOSTON (AP) - A Maine teen with autism and a rare neurological syndrome that affects his speaking ability cannot talk to his parents about his school day the same way other students can. So his family is fighting for the right for him to carry an audio-recording device to ensure he's being treated properly when they aren't watching.

A novel case heading Monday to the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston, which hears most New England cases, pits the student's parents against his southern Maine school district, which says the recording device would infringe on other students' privacy rights. His parents say they need a glimpse into his day so they can better advocate for him at a school they don't trust isn't always telling the whole story.

"Most kids can come home and tell their parents what happened at school or what the teacher had done or not done. He can't do that," said Matthew Pollack, the father of the now 18-year-old Ben.

In this July 2013 photo provided by Matthew Pollack, his son Ben Pollack stands beside chickens in Sidney, Maine. Matthew and his wife Jane Quirion are fighting against a southern Maine school district to allow their non-verbal autistic son to carry an audio-recording device at school to ensure he's being treated properly. (Jane Quirion via AP)

The teen, who is nonverbal, uses a device at school and at home that allows him to answer some questions or request things, but he cannot discuss events from his day, his father said.

The parents argue that laws prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities require the district to allow him to record his school day. Because their son largely cannot communicate with them, they say he cannot benefit from his education the same way non-disabled students can.

The parents, who are both lawyers, first pushed for the recording device in 2012, after the boy was unusually upset one day. They suspected something happened at school, but got no explanation from administrators, they say. The student's mother told the district they would start recording his days to "have some semblance of peace that he is safe at school."

The school told the couple the recorder would violate a ban on students using privately-owned electronic devices. Since then, two administrative hearing officers, a lower court judge and a jury have all rejected the family's request.

"The plaintiffs have tried a number of legal theories under which to attach a recording device to the child and they have lost at every round and on every theory," said Daniel Nuzzi, an attorney for Regional School Unit 75, which includes Ben Pollack's school in Topsham.

Attorneys for the district say teachers and administrators have gone above and beyond to provide the parents with information about the student, who they say loves school. A hearing officer concluded last year there is "simply no demonstrable benefit" to allowing the parents to record his day and that it would actually be "disruptive and detrimental" to his education.

In other states, parents of special education students have secretly placed audio recorders on their children to expose abuse, which have led to firings or settlements. And Texas recently began requiring school districts to install cameras in certain special education classrooms.

But opponents say such actions raise serious privacy concerns.

If parents can assert a right to "send an always-on listening device to school with their children, what would this mean for students who wished to report abuse or neglect at home to a school counselor, or for students with disabilities who are LGBT?" asked Samantha Crane of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network.

Arlene Kanter, director of Syracuse University College of Law's Disability Law and Policy Program, said she believes the family has a strong case.

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires schools make accommodations unless doing so would pose an undue burden or fundamentally alter their program. The family here is not asking, for example, the school to spend extra money or move him to another class, Kanter said.

"From what I've seen, there wasn't any showing that it was an undue burden," Kanter said.

A decision in favor of the parents could impact other children in his situation, which Pollack said is part of the reason why he and his wife have been fighting this case for so long.

"It has bothered us that the district's position has been that we don't necessarily have a right to know what happens to our son in school unless they decide it's important for us to know," Pollack said. "That's very disturbing."

___

Follow Alanna Durkin Richer @aedurkinricher. Read more of her work here.KUWAIT CITY (AP) - Thirteen imprisoned activists in Kuwait have announced they started a hunger strike to protest what they say are the country's "paradoxical" statements supporting protests in Iran, but barring protests at home.

The 13 activists say they began the hunger strike on Sunday. Their published letter of intent, with their names, was obtained by The Associated Press. It comes after Kuwaiti human rights activist Sulaiman Binjassem launched his own hunger strike on Jan. 3 to protest his imprisonment.

The activists are among nearly 70 defendants sentenced to prison for briefly entering the parliament building during a protest in 2011 against corruption and allegations of bribery among officials.

An appeals court in November found them guilty on charges that include protesting illegally and sentencing them to between one and nine years' imprisonment.LONDON (AP) - Ray Thomas, flautist and vocalist for British rock group The Moody Blues, has died at 76.

His music label, Esoteric Recordings/Cherry Red Records, says Thomas died suddenly Thursday at his home in Surrey, near London.

No cause of death was given Sunday, but Thomas disclosed in 2014 that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Born in 1941, Thomas founded The Moody Blues in 1964 with fellow musicians including Mike Pinder and Denny Laine.

The band soon swapped blues roots for a more orchestral sound that came to be called progressive rock. Thomas's flute solo was a key ingredient on one of its biggest hits, "Nights in White Satin."

The band is due to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio in April.There are times when Mary Deng thinks her only child is still alive, that he's going to come home, that he didn't die more than four years ago in a brutal fraternity hazing ritual.

Then reality intrudes.

"I feel like there's a cat clawing and scratching at my heart, hurting me persistently and relentlessly," Deng wrote. "I wake up and I pray for deliverance."

FILE - In this May 15, 2017, file photo, Sheldon Wong, right, leaves the Monroe County Courthouse in Stroudsburg, Pa. Wong is one of four men from the New York City borough of Queens who pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the 2013 death of Chun "Michael" Deng, a fraternity pledge from the Baruch College campus of the City University of New York, at a rented house in the Pocono Mountains. The four are set to be sentenced Monday, Jan. 8, 2018, along with the Pi Delta Psi fraternity itself, which was convicted after a trial. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz, File)

The grieving mom wrote of her anguish in a statement that will be delivered Monday at the sentencing of four men charged in her son's 2013 death in the Pocono Mountains. The fraternity itself, convicted of involuntary manslaughter following a trial, will also be sentenced.

A grand jury said fraternity members at Baruch College, a campus of the City University of New York, physically abused freshman pledge Chun "Michael" Deng, and then tried to cover it up as the 19-year-old lay dying in their rented house in the Poconos. Police charged 37 people with crimes ranging from aggravated assault to hazing to third-degree murder.

The four defendants to be sentenced Monday, Kenny Kwan, Charles Lai, Raymond Lam and Sheldon Wong, all of the New York City borough of Queens, pleaded guilty to felony manslaughter and hindering apprehension charges. They face 22 to 36 months in prison under standard sentencing guidelines, but could get less time if the judge imposes a sentence at the lower end of the range.

"Whatever I'm going to argue at sentencing does not mitigate the loss suffered by the Deng family," said Jim Swetz, the attorney for Lai, 27. "Michael Deng should not have lost his life. This was totally unnecessary. But we have to emphasize one thing: Nobody intended for that young man to die."

Deng was blindfolded, forced to wear a heavy backpack and then repeatedly tackled during a hazing ritual known as glass ceiling. He fell unconscious and was carried inside the house while fraternity members changed Deng's clothes, did a Google search of his symptoms and hid banners and other fraternity memorabilia in an attempted cover-up, prosecutors said. Three fraternity members eventually took Deng to the hospital, where he died a day later.

In the wake of Deng's death, Baruch banned Pi Delta Psi and suspended pledging activities for all fraternities and sororities in the college's tiny Greek community. The moratorium remains in place.

"Sadly, deaths and injuries as a result of hazing remain a national problem, and the ramifications are frequently devastating. Our thoughts continue to be with Michael Deng's family as justice is served for those who were involved," said Baruch President Mitchel B. Wallerstein.

Prosecutors are seeking the maximum penalty against the national fraternity, including a fine of more than $110,000 and a 20-year ban from Pennsylvania. Prosecutors also want the fraternity to notify every college where it has a chapter around the country of its conviction and sentence.

Pi Delta Psi has engaged in "illegal hazing ... throughout its history," prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memo.

The fraternity plans to appeal its conviction. Its attorney, Wes Niemoczynski, said the district attorney's office is seeking to destroy Pi Delta Psi.

"They're asking for a death penalty," he said.

Founded as an Asian-American cultural fraternity in 1994, Pi Delta Psi has 25 chapters in 11 states - including one at Penn State University - and Washington, D.C. The fraternity has said its Baruch College chapter performed an unsanctioned ritual.

The Deng family has sued dozens of criminal defendants, including the fraternity, for civil damages. Three of the cases have settled.

Even with the passage of time, Mary Deng has been unable to process her son's death, said the family's attorney, Douglas Fierberg.

"She's made appointments at doctor's offices to check to see if Mike's death is real," he said. "She essentially lives somewhere between dream and reality."

FILE - In this May 15, 2017, file photo, Charles Lai leaves the Monroe County Courthouse in Stroudsburg, Pa. Lai is one of four men from the New York City borough of Queens who pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the 2013 death of Chun "Michael" Deng, a fraternity pledge from the Baruch College campus of the City University of New York, at a rented house in the Pocono Mountains. The four are set to be sentenced Monday, Jan. 8, 2018, along with the Pi Delta Psi fraternity itself, which was convicted after a trial. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz, File)

FILE - In this May 15, 2017, file photo, Kenny Kwan, center, leaves the Monroe County Courthouse in Stroudsburg, Pa. Kwan is one of four men from the New York City borough of Queens who pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the 2013 death of Chun "Michael" Deng, a fraternity pledge from the Baruch College campus of the City University of New York, at a rented house in the Pocono Mountains. The four are set to be sentenced Monday, Jan. 8, 2018, along with the Pi Delta Psi fraternity itself, which was convicted after a trial. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz, File)WEST FRANKFORT, Ill. (AP) - A Mexican restaurant manager in southern Illinois who doesn't have legal permission to live in the U.S. isn't scheduled for another immigration hearing until 2021 after he posted bond last year.

Juan Carlos Hernandez Pacheco's immigration case gained national attention as President Donald Trump's administration clamped down on immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. Residents of West Frankfort, which solidly voted for Trump, rallied around Pacheco. He was released on bond in March after being detained by immigration officials.

The (Carbondale) Southern Illinoisan reports that Pacheco's last appearance before an immigration judge was in November to establish a case timeline. He's due in court in April 2021.

Letters of support came from the police chief and others. Pacheco ran La Fiesta Mexican Restaurant for years.

His case is among more than half a million pending in U.S. immigration courts.

___

Information from: Southern Illinoisan, http://www.southernillinoisan.comJERUSALEM (AP) - Israel says it will restore electricity to the Gaza Strip after cutting it off following a request by the Palestinian government in the West Bank.

Israel's Energy Ministry said on Sunday that power supplies will be returned by morning.

Last summer, the Palestinian government asked Israel to cut the electricity, as a way to pressure Hamas. The Islamic militant group seized power in Gaza in 2007 after driving out forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Amid a Palestinian reconciliation process, Abbas' government said last week it would restore the electricity supply. Israel is the main provider of power to Gaza.

The cutoff left the coastal territory with just four hours of power a day and blackouts have worsened this winter. Hamas has denounced the power cuts as collective punishment.ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) - Violent clashes involving gunmen, a community police force and state police killed 11 people in the troubled southern state of Guerrero on Sunday, while a separate series of shootouts the previous night left seven dead in the northern Mexico beach resort of San Jose del Cabo.

Guerrero state security spokesman Roberto Alvarez said eight people were initially killed when gunmen ambushed community police before dawn in the town of La Concepcion, near the resort city of Acapulco. Two of the dead were from the community force.

Later in the morning, state police arrived to disarm the local agents, and another shootout erupted in which three people were killed. Alvarez said he did not know how they died, but local media said they were community police.

State Attorney General Xavier Olea Pelaez said 30 members of the community police were detained on suspicion of crimes including homicide and illegal weapons and drug possession.

Among those arrested was Marco Antonio Suastegui, the founder of the community force and the leader of a social movement that for over a decade has fought against a hydroelectric project in the region.

Photojournalist Bernandino Hernandez said that while covering the violence he was beaten, kicked and dragged by state police and forcibly relieved of his camera's memory cards. He also witnessed several other journalists being treated roughly.

Hernandez said he had photographed police using force against locals who tried to prevent the arrest of the community agents: "Some people were dragged by the hair to take them away."

Hernandez is a regular contributor of photographs to The Associated Press but was not on assignment for AP at the time.

Guerrero has been one of Mexico's most violent states in recent years, home to marijuana and opium poppy fields as well as warring organized crime gangs.

It's also where 43 teachers college students disappeared in 2014 after being taken by police from the city of Iguala who allegedly handed them over to a drug cartel. They remain missing.

In the northern state of Baja California Sur, prosecutors said in a statement that marines responding Saturday night to reports of gunfire in San Jose del Cabo came upon heavily armed men wearing tactical vests and riding in two vehicles with license plates from the U.S. state of California.

Both vehicles sped off with the marines in pursuit and subsequently crashed, the statement said. In two separate exchanges of gunfire, all seven of the cars' occupants were shot dead by marines.

Baja California Sur has also seen an explosion of violence as the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels battle for territory in the state. In late December, four bodies were found hanging from highway overpasses in the resort-studded Los Cabos area.

___

Associated Press writer Peter Orsi in Mexico City contributed to this report.The chairman of the Parole Board will be summoned before MPs to explain how the decision to free serial sex attacker John Worboys was reached.

Professor Nick Hardwick has apologised unreservedly over the failure to inform Worboys victims of his imminent release, something he will also be questioned about by the House of Commons Justice Committee.

He said he fully accepts there was a problem with the parole system, and that it was believed the victims had been informed before the decision was issued.

Nick Hardwick (HM Inspectorate of Prisons/PA)

Chairman of the committee, Conservative MP Bob Neill, said: What has happened here is very disturbing. It is vital that the public has confidence in Parole Board decisions.

Mr Neill added: We will also want to ask about how the parole system can be made much more transparent, something Nick Hardwick himself has rightly called for.

In my view, it is ridiculous that the current rules prevent the board making public the reasons for their decisions. Professor Hardwick has called for MPs to back opening the process up and we will give him the opportunity to make precisely that case.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4s Today programme on Friday, Prof Hardwick said he is still trying to establish precisely what happened and does not want to blame anybody yet.

John Worboys' cab (Metropolitan Police/PA)

He said it was not the Parole Boards responsibility to inform victims, and added: Whoevers fault it was, I fully accept this was a problem with (the) parole system.

Im chair of the Parole Board, this would have been absolutely horrible for those two women concerned, and I apologise for it unreservedly.

London cabbie Worboys, a former stripper and adult film star, was jailed indefinitely in 2009, with a minimum term of eight years, for drugging and sexually assaulting women passengers.

In a statement, Prof Hardwick said the Parole Board has a statutory duty under its rules which prevents disclosure of proceedings, and revealed he will be launching a public consultation on how decision-making is shared with the public.

Lawyer Harriet Wistrich said two victims she has represented had not been informed of Worboys imminent release or of his Parole Board hearing.

She told the Press Association they are both shocked and horrified by this news.

It is understood that all those who were signed up to the Victim Contact Scheme were informed as soon as the Parole Board decision was made.

Im v surprised that #Worboys has been released on basis hes no longer a risk to women. Parole Board is notoriously risk averse ...  Anna Soubry (@Anna_Soubry) January 4, 2018

A Ministry of Justice spokesman described Worboys crimes as truly horrendous and extended their thoughts to the victims for the pain and suffering they have endured.

He said it is right that victims decide whether and how they want to be kept updated, and that some in the cases chose not to be.

Others chose to be informed by phone or email and were contacted immediately; others chose to be informed by letters which were sent straight away, but of course take longer, he added.

Our priority is to support victims and it is right that we respect their decisions about how they are contacted.

Worboys, who became known as the black cab rapist, was found guilty of 19 charges of drugging and sexually assaulting 12 women passengers, in one case raping a woman.

But police said in 2010 that his alleged victims numbered 102 after more people came forward following his trial and conviction.

The allegations were investigated but no further action was taken on the advice of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), police said.Joe Roots last stand was all that feasibly stood between England and 4-0 Ashes embarrassment as they diced with a landslide innings defeat at the SCG.

Shaun and Mitch Marsh completed their centuries, finishing respectively with 156 and 101 out of Australias monumental first-innings 649 for seven on day four of the final Test.

Then Steve Smiths mid-afternoon declaration put the onus on England to reveal a resilience which has been lacking throughout the winter - and they formed no new habits on the way to 93 for four, still 210 adrift, despite their captains unbeaten 42 from 124 balls.

Close of play on Day 4, we trail by 210.



Full scorecard here:https://t.co/VoLFTuuctq#Ashes pic.twitter.com/oS0DsbsDSo  England Cricket (@englandcricket) January 7, 2018

In extreme conditions, city record 47 degree heat under near cloudless skies, the tourists were softened up by the Marshes - who took their fifth-wicket stand to 169.

By each passing an Ashes century in the same innings, the two sons of former Test opener Geoff were emulating deeds of two previous sets of Australian brothers - the Chappells in 1972 and the Waughs in 2001, both at The Oval.

Englands batsmen were then unsurprisingly vulnerable.

Alastair Cook became only the sixth in history to pass 12,000 Test runs but then succumbed to a perfectly-pitched Nathan Lyon off-break which pinned him on the back foot and turned past the outside edge to hit off-stump.

Mark Stoneman was already gone by then, lbw on the defence to Mitchell Starc, and James Vince fell in all too typical fashion when he edged Pat Cummins to second slip off the back foot.

England lose a wicket and a review early in the innings as the @Specsavers DRS confirms the lbw decision #Ashes pic.twitter.com/Pm4b5ULNnM  cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 7, 2018

Root dug in manfully, battling on after a nasty bang on the finger from Starc.

He lost Dawid Malan lbw to a Lyon arm ball in the last hour, but Jonny Bairstow was skillful enough to help his fellow Yorkshireman at least close out the day.

The morning session was as unequal as any in this conspicuously one-sided series.

It began with Marsh the elder bagging his second century of the winter, cover-driving the fifth ball of the day off Moeen Ali for his 11th four to move from 98 to 102 off 212 deliveries.

There it is! Take a bow, Shaun Marsh. His sixth Test ton comes from 212 balls with a glorious drive for four: https://t.co/vhFwlbdpM8 #Ashes pic.twitter.com/UnqaeST4P0  cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 6, 2018

England had to look sheepishly elsewhere during the Marsh celebrations, twice over when Mitch repeated the dose - his hundred, also a second in the series, much quicker from just 140 balls and containing 15 fours and two sixes.

Tom Curran briefly interrupted the carnival, though.

The Marshes had almost stranded themselves with a mid-pitch embrace before each hastily making their ground for the two runs which took Mitch to his century; then one ball later, he lost his off-stump to one that nipped back.

Mitchell Marsh

Australias uncompromising means to an end nonetheless continued into the afternoon, as Stuart Broad was left stuck on 399 career wickets and Mason Cranes experience perhaps encapsulated the tourists strife best of all as he recorded the most expensive figures by any English debutant - 48-3-193-1.

There was a symmetry too in that his unwanted record exceeded Devon Malcolms at Trent Bridge in 1989 - when Geoff Marsh dished out plenty of the punishment.

Here, his eldest son eventually followed the younger back, run out by a direct-hit from Stoneman at cover as he responded to a call for a single, before Starc was last out to a miscued slog at Moeen.

The declaration left England with an hour to bat till tea, and almost instantly they found a different kind of trouble.Children as young as five have continued a tradition of smoking cigarettes during Epiphany celebrations in a Portuguese village.

The village of Vale de Salgueiro allows the practice each year, causing an outcry among outsiders.

An adult helps a young girl light a cigarette

Locals say the practice is centuries-old, but nobody is sure what it symbolises or why parents buy the packs of cigarettes for their children and encourage them to take part.

The legal age to purchase tobacco in Portugal is 18, but nothing prohibits parents from giving children cigarettes, and Portuguese authorities do not intervene to stop the practice.

Guilhermina Mateus, a 35-year-old coffee shop owner, cites custom as the reason why she gives her daughter cigarettes.

Ms Mateus said: I dont see any harm in that because they dont really smoke, they inhale and immediately exhale.Joe Roots last stand was all that feasibly stood between England and 4-0 Ashes embarrassment as they diced with a landslide innings defeat at the SCG.

Shaun and Mitch Marsh completed their centuries, finishing respectively with 156 and 101 out of Australias monumental first-innings 649 for seven on day four of the final Test.

Then Steve Smiths mid-afternoon declaration put the onus on England to reveal a resilience which has been lacking throughout the winter  and they formed no new habits on the way to 93 for four, still 210 adrift, despite their captains unbeaten 42 from 124 balls

That's stumps! Australia require six wickets on the final day for victory.



Get on down to the SCG, entry via gold coin donation to @McGrathFdn: https://t.co/vhFwlbdpM8 #Ashes pic.twitter.com/GLElLtny5B  cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 7, 2018

Morning session

It was a hot start in the field for England and temperatures reached an incredible 47 degrees under near cloudless skies.

And shortly after play began, Shaun Marsh advanced to his second ton of the series.

There it is! Take a bow, Shaun Marsh. His sixth Test ton comes from 212 balls with a glorious drive for four: https://t.co/vhFwlbdpM8 #Ashes pic.twitter.com/UnqaeST4P0  cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 6, 2018

From one Marsh to another, Mitchell joined his brother as he reached three figures.

CENTURY! A morning to remember at the SCG as Mitch Marsh joins his brother Shaun with another #Ashes ton! Incredible moment: https://t.co/vhFwlbdpM8 pic.twitter.com/4evtj32xnL  cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 7, 2018

And it mid celebration he had to remind his brother to get back in his ground to prevent being run out!

Another celebration for the Marsh brothers, but Mitch had to remind Shaun to get back in his crease  #MagellanMilestones pic.twitter.com/kEBdGpGGH8  cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 7, 2018

Steve Smith was screaming at Shaun to get back in his crease from the balcony.

Finally England had some joy as Tom Curran ended the partnership at 169 with the next ball.

Mitchell Marsh is bowled by Tom Curran (Rick Rycroft/AP)

But it was Australias morning.

That's lunch! Another dominant morning for the Aussies with Shaun Marsh unbeaten on 145 and the hosts 5-578, leading by 232: https://t.co/vhFwlbdpM8 #Ashes pic.twitter.com/A0lm6n8hzP  cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 7, 2018

Afternoon session

The temperatures continued to rise as England toiled in the middle and organisers decided on adding a second drinks break in the session.

Shaun Marsh continued his assault on the England attack and advanced to 150.

And a run out was about the only way England were going to remove him but what an innings!

Shaun Marsh is run out by Mark Stoneman (Jason OBrien/PA)

Shaun Marsh acknowledges the crowd as he leaves the field (Jason OBrien/PA)

Mitchell Starc greeted Moeen Ali with a huge six but fell trying to repeat the trick.

And after a brief cameo from Pat Cummins, Smith decided he had had enough.

Steve Smith embracing his inner @TheRock 



Australia declare after a huge first innings total of 649-7, a lead of 303 runs!#ItsTheAshes #Ashes pic.twitter.com/HFvwpkJrfg  Cricket on BT Sport (@btsportcricket) January 7, 2018

Englands reply got off to a disastrous start as Mark Stoneman was trapped lbw and not even a review could save him.

England lose a wicket and a review early in the innings as the @Specsavers DRS confirms the lbw decision #Ashes pic.twitter.com/Pm4b5ULNnM  cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 7, 2018

The worst possible start...



Mark Stoneman is dismissed for a duck and England lose a review 



 BT Sport 1 HD#ItsTheAshes #Ashes pic.twitter.com/eyY7rNAKFh  Cricket on BT Sport (@btsportcricket) January 7, 2018

Alastair Cook then became only the sixth player to pass 12,000 Test runs.

England champion Alastair Cook becomes just the sixth player EVER to score 12000 Test runs.



Incredible achievement #MagellanMilestones pic.twitter.com/HVB13HDtRT  cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 7, 2018

 12,000 NOT OUT 



 152 Tests

 32 hundreds

 55 fifties

 46.51 average

 294 highest score



Welcome to the 12,000 club Alastair Cook #ItsTheAshes #Ashes pic.twitter.com/tDqv7dJQBo  Cricket on BT Sport (@btsportcricket) January 7, 2018

But he fell shortly after and England went to lunch on 25 for two.

The King of Spin @ShaneWarne on how Nathan Lyon worked over Alastair Cook in his opening over: https://t.co/vhFwlbdpM8 #Ashes pic.twitter.com/lehCiARBKU  cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 7, 2018

Evening session

James Vince was given a reprieve with a successful review from a caught behind off Lyon.

Not for long though as he fell to Pat Cummins in the next over before Joe Root suffered a nasty bang on the finger from Mitchell Starc.

Joe Root was hit on the hand by Mitchell Starc (Jason OBrien/PA)

Joe Root receives treatment (Jason OBrien/PA)

Dawid Malan then fell and after an unsuccesful review England were left wobbling on 68 for four.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan cannot see a light at the end of the tunnel for England in Australia.Australian Nick Kyrgios secured his first ATP Tour title on home soil as he beat Ryan Harrison in the final of the Brisbane International.

The 22-year-old fired 17 aces as he powered to a 6-4 6-2 victory over his American opponent on Sunday.

Kyrgios wrapped up the first set in 37 minutes despite having to save five break points along the way.

Nick Kyrgios holds aloft the winners trophy after claiming the Brisbane International title (Tertius Pickard/AP)

I love playing in front of you guys. Even though sometimes it may not seem that way. But I do @NickKyrgios #BrisbaneTENnis pic.twitter.com/sX0MvRRZsT  #BrisbaneTennis (@BrisbaneTennis) January 7, 2018

The third seed grabbed an early break in the second set and did not take his foot off the gas for the rest of the match as he clinched his fourth career ATP Tour title.

After his victory, Kyrgios told the ATPs official website: I felt good all week. I felt right at home.

Every time I stepped out here you (the fans) gave me such great support. I love playing in front of you guys even though sometimes it may not seem that way. But I do  I really appreciate it.

Seventh seed Damir Dzumhur beat Germanys Jan-Lennard Struff 6-1 6-4 in the opening round of the Sydney International.

There were also first-round wins for Paolo Lorenzi and Alexandr Dolgopolov over Jordan Thompson and Viktor Troicki respectively.Syrian forces and allies are advancing on the largest remaining rebel-held area in the north of the country, forcing thousands of civilians to flee towards the border with Turkey in freezing temperatures.

The offensive on Idlib  a large province in north-west Syria packed with civilians and dominated by al Qaida-linked militants  was expected after the defeat of Islamic State late last year.

Government forces recaptured the town of Sinjar, about 12 miles south of Abu Zuhour airbase, on Sunday.

Russian Tu-22 bombers drop bombs on a target in Syria (Russian Defence Ministry Press Service/AP)

Conditions on the ground are wretched for the rebels, said an opposition activist.

Footage for the thousands of displaced people who left their homes and lands due to the last aggressive attack on #Idlib and #Hama pic.twitter.com/edBDX1horc  Asaad Hanna (@AsaadHannaa) January 5, 2018

He said rebels are stuck in a two-front battle with government forces and remaining pockets of IS militants, and Russian air strikes have taken a heavy toll.

Opposition activists say the main target for now appears to be the rebel-held airbase of Abu Zuhour, on the south-eastern edge of the province, and securing the Damascus-Aleppo road that cuts through Idlib.

Another opposition activist, Mohammed al-Ali, said the Russians and the Syrian government are carpet-bombing villages before pushing into them.

The Russian air strikes, weak fortifications and Islamic State attacks in Hama have all helped government forces, he said.

It is reported to be highly unlikely that government forces would march toward the provincial capital, also named Idlib, as it would set up a costly battle with highly experienced and well-armed al Qaida-linked insurgents.

The province is dominated by the Levant Liberation Committee, which claims to have severed ties with al Qaida but is widely believed to still be affiliated with it.

Last week, government forces advanced to within around eight miles of Khan Sheikhoun, where a sarin nerve gas attack killed more than 90 people last year, prompting the US to launch a missile attack on President Bashar Assads troops.

Experts from the UN and other monitoring groups blamed the chemical attack on the government, which denied responsibility.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the fighting through a network of activists, says some 43 civilians, 57 militants and 46 pro-government forces have been killed since the offensive began on December 25.

The Idlib offensive carries significant risks.

The province bordering Turkey is home to more than 2.6 million Syrians, according to the UN, including more than 1.1 million who fled fighting elsewhere in the country. A full-blown government offensive could cause large-scale destruction and massive displacement.

Turkey, a supporter of the rebels, has deployed military observers in the province as part of a de-escalation deal with Iran and Russia, but that has not stopped the fighting on the ground or Russian air strikes against the insurgents.Police are investigating the cause of a fire which destroyed several new homes.

More than 30 firefighters were called to tackle the blaze at a building site in Hythe, near Southampton, at about 11pm on Saturday, Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service said.

The flames engulfed one block of four semi-detached homes and one block of three, all of which were being built.

Police are investigating the cause of a fire which destroyed several new homes in Hampshire (pic via @SCAS HART, South Central Ambulance Service/PA)

#BellsDown: Construction site fire damages new homes being built in #Hythe -> https://t.co/lVXQsDdjgq pic.twitter.com/XnwaWVhedH  Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service (@HantsIOW_fire) January 7, 2018

No-one was injured.

Firefighters remained at the scene for most of Sunday morning, a spokesman said.

Hampshire Police are trying to establish the cause of the fire and appealed for anyone with footage of the blaze to come forward.The author of an explosive new book questioning US President Donald Trumps fitness for office has contradicted former White House chief strategist Steve Bannons explanation of comments which angered his former boss.

Michael Wolff appeared on MSNBCs Morning Joe show to discuss his book, Fire And Fury: Inside The Trump White House.

In the book, Mr Bannon describes a meeting between Donald Trump Jr, senior campaign aides and a Russian lawyer as treasonous and unpatriotic.

A stack of reserved Fire and Fury books by writer Michael Wolff

The reference angered the president, who last week lashed out at Mr Bannon, saying he had lost his mind.

Mr Bannon sought to make amends on Sunday, saying that his description was not aimed at Mr Trumps son, but at former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.

However, Mr Wolff told MSNBC: It was not directed at Manafort, it was directed directly at Don Jr.

Mr Wolffs book portrays the 45th president as a leader who does not understand the weight of his office and whose competence is questioned by aides.

Trump administration officials and allies defended the president and attacked Mr Wolffs book on Sunday.

Chief policy adviser Stephen Miller, in a combative appearance on Sunday on CNN, described Fire And Fury as nothing but a pile of trash, through and through.

CIA director Mike Pompeo said Mr Trump was completely fit to lead the country.

These are from people who just have not accepted the fact that President Trump is the United States president, and Im sorry for them in that, Mr Pompeo, who gives Trump his regular intelligence briefings, told Fox News Sunday.

Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the United Nations, said she visits the White House once a week, and no-one questions the stability of the president.

She told ABC: Im always amazed at the lengths people will go to to lie for money and for power. This is like taking it to a whole new low.

The picture painted by the book, said Mr Miller, is so contrary to reality, to the experience of those who work with him (Mr Trump).

Mr Miller also criticised Mr Bannon, who is quoted extensively in the book, saying it was tragic and unfortunate that the former senior aide would make these grotesque comments so out of touch with reality and obviously so vindictive.

Mr Bannon is chairman of Breitbart News, and his comments caused a key Bannon backer, Rebekah Mercer, the billionaire Republican Party donor and Breitbart co-owner, to distance her family from him.

In his statement on Sunday, Mr Bannon praised Donald Trump Jr as both a patriot and a good man.

I regret that my delay in responding to the inaccurate reporting regarding Don Jr has diverted attention from the presidents historical accomplishments in the first year of his presidency, Mr Bannon said in the statement, which was first obtained by the news site Axios.

Mr Millers interview on CNNs State Of The Union quickly grew heated, with Mr Miller criticising CNNs coverage and moderator Jake Tapper accusing him of speaking to an audience of one: his boss.

Mr Tapper abruptly ended the interview, saying: I think Ive wasted enough of my viewers time.

For those stunned by the impropriety of openly questioning a presidents mental health, #TheresATweetForIt https://t.co/fejorbAcJM  Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) January 7, 2018

Soon after, Mr Trump tweeted: Jake Tapper of Fake News CNN just got destroyed in his interview with Stephen Miller of the Trump Administration. Watch the hatred and unfairness of this CNN flunky!

The US president took the extraordinary step on Saturday of using Twitter to defend his fitness for office, insisting he is like, really smart and, indeed, a very stable genius.

He pressed the case again on Sunday as he prepared to depart Camp David, where he spent the weekend meeting with Republican congressional leaders, top aides and Cabinet members.

Ive had to put up with the Fake News from the first day I announced that I would be running for President. Now I have to put up with a Fake Book, written by a totally discredited author, he tweeted.

On Sunday, two days after the books release, WikiLeaks tweeted a link to an electronic image of the text. Posting the text of a book without permission would violate copyright restrictions and potentially damage sales.

However, hours after WikiLeaks tweeted the link, Fire And Fury remained at number one on Amazons hardcover and ebook bestseller lists.By Jim Finkle and Stephen Nellis

Jan 4 (Reuters. - Intel Corp shares fell nearly 2 percent on Thursday as investors worried about the potential financial liability and reputational hit from recently disclosed security flaws in its widely used microprocessors.

The largest chipmaker had confirmed on Wednesday that flaws reported by researchers could allow hackers to steal sensitive information from computers, phones and other devices. Apple Inc , Microsoft Corp and other software makers have issued patches to protect against the vulnerabilities.

Intel may be on the hook for costs stemming from lawsuits claiming that the patches would slow computers and effectively force consumers to buy new hardware, and big customers will likely seek compensation from Intel for any software or hardware fixes they make, security experts said.

"The potential liability is big for Intel," said Eric Johnson, dean of Vanderbilt University's Owen Graduate School of Management. "Everybody will be scrambling over the next few days to figure out just how big it is."

Intel has said that the patches for the bugs would slow its chips down somewhat but that most users will not notice.

Amazon Web Services (AWS), the largest seller of cloud computing services, said in a statement it does not "expect meaningful performance impact for most customer workloads."

Microsoft and Alphabet Inc's Google both said in statements on their websites that they expect few performance problems for most of their cloud computing customers.

But the incident is likely to spur cloud companies to press Intel for lower prices on chips in future talks, said Kim Forrest, senior equity research analyst at Fort Pitt Capital Group in Pittsburgh, which owns shares in Intel.

"What (Intels cloud customers) are going to say is, `You wronged us, we hate you, but if we can get a discount, well still buy from you," Forrest said.

Forrest also expects Intel will have to increase its chip development spending to focus on security.

Government agencies and security experts said they knew of no cyber attacks that had exploited the vulnerabilities.

Financial services firms were studying information on the vulnerabilities to determine how to best respond, said the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center, a global industry group known as FS-ISAC that shares data on cyber threats.

Banks and other firms are trying to understand what it will cost to respond to the issue, FS-ISAC said in an emailed statement.

"In addition to the security considerations raised by this design flaw, performance degradation is expected, which could require more processing power for affected systems to compensate and maintain current baseline performance," FS-ISAC said. "There will need to be consideration and balance between fixing the potential security threat vs the performance and other possible impact to systems."

Lawyers filed a lawsuit in San Jose, California, federal court on Wednesday that sought class action status and compensation for people who had bought vulnerable Intel chips or computers that came with them already installed.

Intel did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday about the lawsuit.

While more lawsuits are expected, Intel's biggest customers are likely to quietly seek compensation for any harm caused by the vulnerabilities, including costs to patch machines or replace microprocessors, Johnson said.

Legal experts said that consumers would have to prove concrete damages and harm to proceed with claims.

Intel shares fell 1.8 percent, following a 3.4 percent decline Wednesday.

Shares in rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc climbed 4.9 percent as investors speculated the No. 2 maker of microprocessors would woo customers away from Intel.

Still, researchers had said some of AMD's chips had one of the two vulnerabilities disclosed on Wednesday, as do processors from ARM Holdings. (Reporting by Jim Finkle in Toronto and Stephen Nellis in San Francisco.; Additional reporting by Tina Bellon in New York, Siddharth Cavale in Bengaluru, Doug Busvine in Frankfurt, Stephen Nellis in San Francisco, Elizabeth Dilts in New York, Mathieu Rosemain in Paris; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli)DAKAR, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Gunmen shot dead 13 people and wounded seven others on Saturday in the forest of Senegal's southern region of Casamance, the army said.

It was not clear who was responsible or what the motive was for the attack on a group of civilians searching for firewood near the town of Borofaye and about 10 km (six miles) from the Guinea Bissau border, said army spokesman Abdoul Ndiaye.

The area is home to separatist rebels who in 1982 formed what is now one of Africa's oldest rebellions in their search for independence from northern Senegal.

The Movement of Democratic Forces for Casamance (MFDC) is active in the area of southern Senegal, which is separated from the more affluent north by Gambia.

The movement has been largely dormant since a ceasefire in 2014. However, many areas remain off-limits because of land mines and arms stockpiles.

President Macky Sall called in his New Year address for dialogue with the rebels and a lasting peace. (Reporting by Diadie Ba; Writing by Edward McAllister; Editing by Adrian Croft)By Ahmed Aboulenein

AMRIYAT AL-FALLUJA, Iraq, Jan 7 (Reuters) - Iraqi security forces are forcibly returning civilians from refugee camps to unsafe areas in the predominantly Sunni Anbar province, exposing them to death from booby-traps or acts of vigilantism, refugees and aid workers say.

Managing more than two million Iraqis displaced by the war against Islamic State is one of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's most daunting tasks. But critics say he is more interested in winning elections in May than alleviating the suffering of displaced Iraqis and returning them safely home.

Authorities are sending back people against their will, refugees and aid workers say, to ensure that the election takes place on time. People must be in their area of origin to vote and if they do not get home, this could delay the election.

Abadi is riding a wave of popularity after defeating Islamic State in Iraq and is anxious the election should not be held up.

His strategy is not without its hazards. Abadi risks alienating Sunni voters if displaced Sunnis are seen to be suffering from being sent home to dangerous areas.

Abadi is seeking a second term in which he plans to fight corruption and maintain national unity in the face of Kurdish separatism. He will need all the votes he can muster to face down a challenge from candidates linked to Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias.

MILITARY TRUCKS

Interviews with aid workers and dozens of displaced people at camps in the town of Amriyat al-Falluja, located in the Sunni heartland of Anbar province, 40 km (25 miles) from Baghdad, as well as with several families who were returned to other areas in the province, reveal that many were forced to go home and several suffered death or injury.

Aid workers said military trucks arrive at camps unannounced and commanders read out lists of people, who have one hour to pack their belongings and go.

The aid workers, who all spoke on condition of anonymity, estimated that between 2,400 and 5,000 people were forcibly returned between Nov. 21 and Jan. 2.

"These returns are not safe," said one aid worker. "Even those who don't openly resist really have no other choice. They cannot really say no to a bunch of people with guns."

'THEY GAVE HIM A TENT'

An Iraqi military spokesman said the claim that the military forced displaced civilians to return against their will was an exaggeration.

"Our primary concern is the safety of our citizens, our job is to protect people," Iraqi Joint Operations Command Spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Rasool told Reuters.

However, "citizens have to go home" now that Islamic State had been defeated, he said.

Some aid workers said local military commanders told them the orders came from Abadi's office. The prime minister's spokesman did not respond to requests for comment.

On Nov. 25, security forces arrived at a camp in Amriyat al-Falluja and told Saleh Ahmed, 37, and his family to return to their home town of Betaya, his father, Mahdi Ahmed, said.

They refused because contacts at home told them the area was filled with booby-traps left by retreating Islamic State fighters and their houses had been destroyed.

A local commander assured them the area was safe, saying it was "better to go live in a tent in your home town than live in a tent in the camp".

Saleh reluctantly took his wife and some of his children and got on the truck. Mahdi Ahmed, 72, remained at the camp with his sick wife, another son, and some of Saleh's children as their names were not on the list.

"They gave him a tent. He went back to our destroyed house and tried to pitch it in our yard," Mahdi Ahmed told Reuters at the camp in Amriyat al-Falluja.

An explosive went off. Saleh's wife was killed instantly and his daughter sustained full body burns. Saleh lost one eye and was seriously injured in the other, according to one of his sons, who witnessed the incident.

CANNOT AFFORD TO RETURN

The Ahmeds' case is not unique. Abdallah, 17, told Reuters his family was forced to return to the town of Jweibeh on Nov. 26

A week later masked men arrived at the family home at 2 a.m. demanding to speak to the father. When he refused to open the door, they burst in and started shooting. Abdallah's father suffered leg injuries and his mother lost a finger.

The family do not know what the men wanted.

"It's not that we don't want to return but it has to be safe," said Abdallah, who is now the family breadwinner, working at a shop in the city of Falluja.

For many it is not economically viable to leave the camps, where they can set up barber shops or fruit stands at makeshift markets, making about $50 a month.

That sum would not be possible back home where jobs, basic services, and schools are nonexistent.

"I can't afford to return," said camp resident Alaa Hussein.

One man whose father suffers from kidney failure said leaving means losing access to the camp's dialysis machine. His village, 450 km (280 miles) from the camp, does not have one.

"I will return once there are adequate health services there, but why should I go before then?" said Jassem Ali, 37.

Five camp residents told Reuters separately they were forced to leave but had to turn back because checkpoints manned by Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias were demanding bribes of up to $400 to let people through, a sum none could afford.

They spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. Reuters was unable to independently verify the claim.

LIFE RUINED

A U.S. diplomat in Baghdad said she had heard reports of forced returns, which the embassy had brought to the attention of the Iraqi government.

She said the government had stressed its commitment to safe and voluntary returns but also said that "there is a real desire to get people home as quickly as possible".

The United Nations says more than half of displaced Iraqis have already returned. More than 3.2 million people were back home at the end of December, with 2.6 million still displaced, according to the International Organization for Migration.

For Mahdi Ahmed, the government has achieved the reverse of what it intended.

"They are doing this because of the election, but if I go back and see my house destroyed, my money gone, and my life ruined, why would I vote for them?" he asked.

(Reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein; editing by Giles Elgood)By James Mackenzie and Matin Sahak

MAZAR-I SHARIF, Afghanistan, Jan 7 (Reuters) - A stand-off between Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Atta Mohammad Noor, the powerful provincial governor he is trying to remove from his northern stronghold, is increasingly turning into a battle over next year's presidential election.

Noor, a leader in the Jamiat-i Islami party and governor of the strategic province of Balkh, is defying Ghani, denouncing the "weak, lazy and corrupt" Kabul government in daily rallies with thousands of supporters and warning the government against trying to remove him by force.

The deadlock, which has alarmed Western embassies and sparked fears of civil violence, has highlighted a fractious political climate that threatens to undermine recent battlefield successes from the sharp increase in U.S. air strikes last year.

Noor accuses Ghani of trying to remove a potential rival and divide Jamiat ahead of a presidential election likely to be shaped by the ethnic faultlines that dominate Afghan politics, notably between Pashtuns and Persian-speaking Tajiks.

"This is about the 2019 presidential election," he told Reuters in an interview at his office in the provincial capital Mazar-i Sharif, where his portrait adorns streets and buildings across the city. "They have no grassroots support among the people and they are afraid of public figures who do."

Ghani has not explained an announcement last month that he had accepted a letter of resignation from Noor, signed earlier last year during negotiations over a possible national role for the governor who has ruled Balkh for more than a decade.

But Noor says the letter, which has not been made public, was conditional on steps that Ghani has not taken and has refused to go.

Ghani has not said anything publicly about the stand-off. His spokesman did not answer calls seeking comment.

Noor, a former commander in the anti-Soviet Mujahiddin considered one of the richest men in Afghanistan, has faced repeated accusations of corruption, which he denies. In 2015 Human Rights Watch said there was "strong evidence that he controls and funds local militias implicated in serious abuse".

But Balkh, which sits on vital trade routes into central Asia, is also one of Afghanistan's most stable and prosperous provinces, with a much smaller Taliban and Islamic State presence than in other northern regions.

Noor enjoys strong support, notably from a business community that has done well out of the lucrative transit trade through Hairatan, the border crossing into Uzbekistan that handles hundreds of millions of dollars worth of goods a year.

"People have been very unhappy about the problems between the president and the governor," said Khairuddin Mayel, who runs a large cooking oil and foods business. "The governor has been very successful and people don't want this province to become like the others. They do not want to lose this governor."

DISPUTED ELECTION

As the stand-off in Balkh has continued it has become a national issue, with Noor now demanding wider concessions, including what Jamiat sees as proper implementation of the accord underpinning Ghani's national unity government.

Like many of the political problems of the past three years, the crisis stems from the fraud-marred presidential election in 2014 that left no agreed winner.

Under a U.S.-brokered deal, Ghani, an ethnic Pashtun, was appointed president while his rival Abdullah Abdullah, from Jamiat, was given the specially created post of chief executive.

Ever since, Jamiat supporters have bitterly resented what they see as Ghani's betrayal of the deal and favouritism towards Pashtuns, traditionally the strongest group in Afghan politics.

While Noor has been angry with Ghani, he has also been incensed by Abdullah, his long-time party rival, whom he describes as a "snake".

"Jamiat will never trust Dr Abdullah," he said. "He has shown he is weak and a partner in the incompetence and crimes of the government."

Abdullah has confirmed he had approved the decision to oust the governor, but has had little to say about Noor's reaction.

The dispute has also highlighted the role of a clutch of regional leaders, of whom Noor is one of the most prominent, whose strong local support have made them difficult for the central government to control.

Over recent months, Ghani has sidelined several of them, forcing ethnic Uzbek vice-President Rashid Dostum into exile following a torture scandal.

He has also clashed with General Abdul Raziq, a powerful police commander whose successes against the Taliban in the southern province of Kandahar have given him a growing national profile.

In June, Noor joined Dostum, currently in Turkey, in forming a "Coalition for the Salvation of Afghanistan", uniting figures from the Tajik, Hazara and Uzbek communities. Pictures of the two, together with Hazara leader Mohammad Mohaqiq, are on prominent display in Mazar.

Noor said they, and other regional leaders, represented a reality that could not be ignored.

"We have powerful political parties, influential figures, those who have grassroots support among the people," said Noor. "They will remain in Afghanistan and will fight against terrorism as they fought in the past." (Additional reporting by Mirwais Harooni in KABUL; Editing by Alex Richardson)By Jeffrey Heller

JERUSALEM, Jan 7 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin trod carefully on Sunday around a threatened U.S. aid cut to Palestinians, stopping short of backing a funding halt as he repeated calls for a U.N. agency that helps Palestinian refugees to be dismantled.

Netanyahu's public comments appeared to reflect a desire to show support for a major ally, but also concern that choking off funds would deepen Palestinian hardship and could put Israel and militants on a course for war.

With Palestinians seething over U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition last month of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, he threatened on Tuesday to withhold aid money, accusing them of being "no longer willing to talk peace".

On Friday, in a report denied by a State Department official, the Axios news site said Washington had frozen $125 million in funding for UNRWA. The U.N. agency, founded in 1949 to aid Palestinian refugees, is a main provider of educational and health services in the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu said UNRWA was "an organisation that perpetuates the Palestinian problem."

"It also enshrines the narrative of the so-called 'right of return'. Therefore, UNRWA should pass from the world," he told a weekly cabinet meeting.

Netanyahu made almost identical comments about dismantling UNRWA in June - a message he said at the time he had conveyed to the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Praising Trump's "critical approach" on the aid issue, Netanyahu steered clear of advocating a suspension of funding for the Palestinians. He said U.N. money for them should be transferred gradually to its global refugee agency UNHCR "with clear criteria for supporting genuine refugees and not fictitious ones, as is happening today under UNRWA."

Chris Gunness, an UNRWA spokesman, said the refugee crisis was being perpetuated by "failure of the parties to deal with the issue..."

"UNRWA is mandated by the General Assembly to continue with its services until a just and lasting solution is found for the Palestine refugees," Gunness said in a statement.

Palestinian officials have said Trump's declaration on Jerusalem, overturning decades of U.S. policy, meant he could not serve as an honest broker in peace negotiations that Washington has been trying to revive, and they condemned his remarks on a funding halt as blackmail.

Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a state they seek to establish in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The United States is the largest donor to UNRWA, with a pledge of nearly $370 million as of 2016, according to the organisation's website. Gunness said the agency had not been "informed directly of a formal decision either way by the U.S. administration" on cuts.

In addition to its services in Gaza, UNRWA operates in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and in Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. (editing by John Stonestreet)LUSAKA, Jan 7 (Reuters) - Zambia has declared a curfew in a poor Lusaka township badly affected by a cholera outbreak that has killed 58 people across the country since September, the government said on Sunday.

The curfew in Kanyama, a densely populated slum of iron-roofed shacks and winding dirt tracks, begins on Sunday and will run from between 1800 and 0600, Health Minister Chitalu Chilufya told reporters. The township has a population of 370,000 people.

Street vending and public gatherings have been banned in Lusaka to prevent the spread of cholera but the residents of Kanyama have been defying this order in the evenings after soldiers deployed to clean the streets have left.

"Kanyama has recorded the highest number of fatalities because of the poor compliance with interventions that have been put in place," Chilufya said.

The cholera outbreak was initially linked to contaminated water from shallow wells, but investigations indicated that contaminated food was the main culprit.

Zambia last week shut three of South African retailer Shoprite's Hungry Lion fast-food restaurants after their food tested positive for the bacterium that causes cholera.

Hungry Lion said on Saturday that the restaurants had been closed for disinfection and it hoped that the government would soon allow them to reopen.

President Edgar Lungu on Dec. 30 directed the military to help to fight the spread of the waterborne disease.

Cholera causes acute watery diarrhea. It can be treated with oral hydration solutions and antibiotics but spreads rapidly and can kill within hours if not treated. (Reporting by Chris Mfula; Editing by Joe Brock and David Goodman)DUBAI, Jan 7 (Reuters) - The party of former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh named a new leader on Sunday after he was killed last month by the Iran-aligned Houthi movement his one-time allies in the country's civil war.

Questions have arisen over where the loyalty of the General People's Congress (GPC) fighters lay after Saleh was killed in a roadside attack after switching sides, abandoning the Houthis in favour of a Saudi-led coalition.

Sunday's announcement condemned the Saudi "aggression" and said the party would keep resisting, but did not mention the Houthis. It said Sadeq Amin Abou Rass, a former agriculture minister, had succeeded Saleh.

Saleh's exiled son Ahmed Ali Saleh, had vowed to lead a campaign against the Houthi movement after his was killed, but the statement on Sunday did not mention his name either.

Yemens war, pitting the Houthis who control the capital Sanaa against the Saudi-led military alliance backing a different government based in the south, has resulted in what the United Nations calls the worlds worst humanitarian crisis.

"What happened (Saleh's killing) will not prompt us to make peace with the aggressors against the sovereignty, the dignity and the freedom of our great Yemeni people," the statement said.

It also called for releasing all the party's prisoners, including Saleh's family members and employees of his TV channel Yemen al-Yawm, detained by the Houthis - held after Saleh switched sides.

The statement said the party remained open to all Yemeni factions and national reconciliation.

The Saudi-led coalition has called on party members to join the internationally recognised government and offered an amnesty to its fighters.

For months, the Houthis have retaliated with attacks on Saudi Arabia from its mountainous strongholds in northern Yemen and has launched around a dozen ballistic missiles at the kingdom, all of which were intercepted. (Reporting by Aziz El Yaakoubi; Editing by Alison Williams)This is about a lifestyle where the Government focuses its scarce resources on necessities like health, education, water and electricity, roads and communication etc

I am hopeful of course, that the Ministry of Finance will work in close consultation and cooperation with the Ministry of Policy Development and Economic Affairs

The role of the Financial Ombudsman in this regard may also require to be studied. Then, the less than aware mantra that the Market Economy has failed will also subside

The country needs to move upward, onward, and forward together. Enough is enough of distractions

The Central Bank has experienced a five-month period of regulating the financial system minus political interference

I was pleased to learn that regulatory authorities such as the CBSL, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Public Utilities Commission, will come under the purview of the office of THE PM

I first published an article with the above-mentioned caption, in the Accountant (now Abacus) the magazine of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka) in February 2009. I had this published in several papers in the print media in subsequent years, during the previous political regime.

The Thought Leadership Forum of 2005 -

An Awareness Building Initiative

My motivation to put pen to paper and to invest time to think creatively, if I may say so, even to decide on the caption, was to generate visual impact on the reader to build awareness on the subject matter, since I firmly believe in A Market Economy but with desirable and effective Regulation.

It has been more than two and a half decades, that I have published my thoughts on this topic and articulated my views thereon, in a column titled The Thought Leadership Forum which I launched in 2005, and also engaged in debates on this topic, with those in the professions and in politics, whether they were green, blue, red or saffron.



CBSL, Regulatory Forbearance, Political Interference-

The trigger to write again

The press conference of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) on January 2, 2018, the press releases and media publicity over the last few days, including the Governors Statements in the presentation of the Road Map, which I read in the media, prompted me to reminisce about the relevant issues, the yet unresolved matters, and to invite the media to republish this article. Of course, let me share thoughts on the background first.

What was of particular interest is that the Governor as reported in the print media on January 3rd, 2018, publicly stated that The Central Bank has experienced a five-month period of regulating the financial system minus political interference, and a number of initiatives have been undertaken to improve the Central Banks regulatory capacity.

He explained that the Central Bank had been constantly criticized, specially for its attempts to regulate the financial system, at the sittings of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Management (CCEM) and that he had each time explained that political interferences had resulted in regulatory forbearance.So, they said they would end political interference, Dr. Coomaraswamy had said.



January 2015-Ministerial Portfolio realignment

Reminiscing what motivated me to have this 2009 article republished in January 2015, a few days after the new President and Prime Minister, took office, I observed that I said, I was pleased to learn that regulatory authorities such as the Central Bank, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Public Utilities Commission, will come under the purview of the office of the Honourable Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Ministry of Policy Development and Economic Affairs.



January 2015-My expectation of a Mutually Respectful Partnership

I said further that, I am hopeful of course, that the Ministry of Finance will work in close consultation and cooperation with the Ministry of Policy Development and Economic Affairs, which is under the office of the Prime Minister. I am also hopeful that given that the Prime Minister has many decades of history of not interfering with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, and Dr. Harsha De Silva is an Economist who understands the raison detre of a Central Bank, the independence of this institution will be restored.



Harsha in Siberia but now back in the saddle!

Having written as I did above, in the latter part of 2015, I tried to connect with our now Deputy Minister Harsha, to urge him to be proactively involved with the CBSL and SEC and he replied  I am now in Siberia given his new role in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Of course he engaged successfully in Economic Diplomacy, a necessary pillar of economic policy, which I have myself been advocating, but I am glad he is back and we need him to stay put.



A Robust Regulator, an Independent Guide requires, well-wishers

When Governor Mahendran was replaced with Governor Coomaraswamy, I said publicly that I was hopeful that all within and outside the wonderful institution that the Central Bank is, will extend to him, their fullest co-operation. Regardless of which religion, which faith, which political party, which faction of the coalition of national unity, which profession, business, or occupation, or which whatsap or viber group of mobile and social media arm chair critics, (and there are many good and potent thoughts from a number of them), one belongs to, extending co-operation and wishing him well, will indeed will be the done thing to do. The country needs to move upward, onward, and forward together. Enough is enough of distractions.



The Courage to resist, the need to engage, the responsibility to act

As I said in January 2015, Since the environment for intellectual discourse via print and electronic media and in open fora has been presented with a new lease of life I like to re-present my thoughts titled A Robust Regulator-A fundamental ingredient in a sustainable market economy, since many thoughts here may be of relevance today.



In the interest of space and time I will reproduce only selected paragraphs, of that 2009 article. I hope it conveys the thought that there are lessons to learn from, a need, not only to have the intellectual capacity to recognize lapses of corporates but also the courage to take regulatory decisions  even a delayed decision is better than no decision at all. There is a need for consistency between political platform speeches and delivery once in the saddle. There is also a need for professionals to realize that perseverance pays.



source The Accountant 2009!

A ROBUST REGULATOR

- A FUNDAMENTAL INGREDIENT IN A SUSTAINABLE MARKET ECONOMY-

By Ranel T. Wijesinha FCA, MBA



The sub prime crisis (The Global Financial Crisis-the GFC), has engaged our minds for well over a year and a half now and throughout this period I often reflected on the East Asian Financial Crisis of 1998- a crisis, which is now 10 years old. The devastation it caused to a large region of the world, several economies and people, continues to be etched in the minds of many. I yet remember visiting many ASEAN cities in 1998 & 1999 while on work and pausing to devote time to gain first hand insight into the causes and consequences of this sad event. I was particularly pleased to see the region bounce back before long.



Have we learned any Lessons?

There were many similarities between asset quality of the Banks in East Asia in 1998 and those in some of the Bank Crises in the USA last year and it is now established that risk identification, management and mitigation at corporate governance level was weak while the oversight and effectiveness at the national or sectoral, regulatory level was inadequate. This was an enabler of the sub prime crisis. While much has been written on the East Asian Financial Crisis and many diagnostic studies and debates undertaken; many conferences held; many technical assistance programmes rolled out by the IMF, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and many other bi-lateral Development Partners, the question yet remains whether the banking and financial services sector, the housing sector, or the regulators of particularly the western world - whether in Europe or North America - have actually learned from these lessons adequately?



APB Annual Sessions-2000 & the Korean Chaebols

At a presentation I made to the Association of Professional Bankers in Sri-Lanka in the year 2000, at its Annual Sessions under the theme Towards a Safer Banking System, I introduced a special segment on Learning from the Lessons of the East Asian Financial Crisis. I quoted, Arthur Levitt, Chairman of the US Securities and Exchange Commission as follows: -

The significance of transparent, timely and reliable financial statements and its importance to investor protection has never been more apparent. The current financial situation in Asia and Russia (1998) are stark examples of this new reality. These markets are learning a painful lesson taught many times before: investors panic as a result of unexpected or unquantifiable bad news.

Quoting from my research of an UNCTAD study, which had surveyed a few companies affected by the crisis, I conveyed that: The Chaebols dominated the economy of the Republic of Korea. These Conglomerates often engage in related party lending and borrowing.None of the sample companies disclosed the amount of related party lending and borrowing; Less than one-half of the sample companies made reference to the existence of related party lending and borrowing but without disclosure of the amount; None disclosed the amount of foreign debt in the currency of repayment, and not a single corporation or bank followed IASsin accounting and reporting for foreign currency translation gains and losses



This was only of a sample taken and prior to 1998! But yet recent enough. I also referred to the President of the World Bank, when he referred to South Korea as follows: The culture of the region has not been one of disclosure. If you go back further it was a culture of a smallish number of wealthy people. It was an agrarian society with a lot of people in the country and significant factors of power. It is reflected in the Chaebols. It is reflected in the groups that come together. There were centres of power. There was little disclosure.

I wonder what Arthur Levitt & Australian born, Jim Wolfensohn, who was Chairman of the International Advisory Board of Citigroup after his ten year stint at the World Bank, had to say for themselves in 2001/2002 after Enron and WorldCom collapsed, and more recently after the US inflicted on itself, the 2008 sub prime crisis which then exported itself from the Land of the Brave and the Home of the Free to all of us in the rest of the world.



Interestingly, in my capacity of President of the Confederation of Asian and Pacific Accountants ( CAPA- a 23 nation body) in a message to the CAPA chronicle, the monthly newsletter of the Confederation of Asian & Pacific Accountants in 2002, I said: In the aftermath of the East Asian Financial Crisis, Western nations in particular and corporate leaders, regulators, scholars and authors of the West, were critical of the East and South East Asian nations, their statutory and regulatory systems, the auditing profession in these countries, accounting and auditing standards and compliance therewith. Their criticism was liberal and in many respects justified. But what is more important I think is whether regulators, professions and corporate Boards of even the developed nations in the West, are yet as vigilant as the global society inherently expects them to be.Source: February 2002 Chronicle (The CAPA Newsletter)



Sri-Lankan Chaebols?

In Sri-Lanka, over the last few months, I have been witnessing with considerable sadness the plight of many, after the collapse of Finance Companies here-particularly, Golden Key. While there may be a number of large depositors, I more recently came to learn that this was also the investment vehicle of several simple, hardworking, wholesome people, some of whom had deposited their only cash assets and lived ordinary lives in their homeland in order to educate their children overseas. My mind went back to the following sentiment I expressed in 2002 to the Confederation of Asian & Pacific Accountants, which may provide any reader with a heart and mind driven rationale for strengthening professionalism and governance:



The collapse of the economies of nations - such as what happened 4 years ago in East and South East Asia, or the collapse of corporates - such as what happened in none other than North America, a few months ago, can be disruptive. It can devastate what otherwise could have been only a continuation of a simple and less than extravagant life style for many who are less privileged than those at the higher levels of governance who are typically better cushioned to absorb the shock and disruptions these events bring. It is this segment of society that I particularly wish to identify and empathize with, since it is only through them that we realize the gravity of the implications of sub par professionalism or poor governance.Source: February 2002 Chronicle (The CAPA Newsletter).

Surveillance of Financial Conglomerates

It is in this context that I wish to quote from the Central Banks current (March 2009) website in its webpage on Financial System Stability and under the subsection Surveillance of Financial Conglomerates. The site refers to an initial report of a Working Group of Regulators for Financial Conglomerates to be completed in early 2007. The full extract of the relevant section is as follows:

Surveillance of Financial Conglomerates: -

The existence of large financial conglomerates, especially those that have banks as part of the conglomerate, is another area that has attracted increased supervisory concern in recent times. The regulation and supervision of such financial conglomerates is becoming increasingly more important and complex, due to the potential systemic risk that could arise from the interrelated nature of their activities.

Large numbers of cross shareholdings, common directors and inter company transactions are areas that are of key interest in this regard, as it could result in conflicts of interests and abuse of power, which would not augur well for the stability of the financial system. Since there are multiple regulators in the financial system, the supervision of conglomerates often falls under the purview of several regulators, requiring close co-operation and supervision.

Therefore, a Working Group of Regulators for Financial Conglomerates comprising of the Central Bank, the Insurance Board of Sri Lanka, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka, the Accounting and Auditing Standards Monitoring Board and the Department of Registrar of Companies has been established to monitor the systemic risk of conglomerates. The mandate of this working group includes identifying and defining financial conglomerates; identifying the functions of the separate regulators; assessing the systemic risk of such conglomerates by sharing necessary information among regulators, recommending a course of action for regulation and supervision of the respective institutions in a consolidated manner; and proposing necessary legal reforms to address the existing limitations relating to regulation and supervision of financial conglomerates. The initial report of the Working Group will be completed in early 2007. (Extract of current Central Bank Website- March 2009)

It is now a national imperative that the outcomes of this Working Group (if it had been completed) are critically reviewed to determine where it is incomplete in relation to the Central Banks regulatory oversight and effectiveness. Perhaps we could have saved the moneys of depositors and the public moneys that would now go towards bailouts and stimulus packages if greater attention was paid to surveillance of Financial Conglomerates.



Regulatory Oversight (Scope) & Effectiveness Audits

Now is the time! to get back to the drawing Board regarding this matter. I raised this issue at a Transparency International Round Table Discussion in February/March 2009. My recommendation was that the Regulatory Oversight (Scope) & Effectiveness of all regulators, in the Financial Sector, in particular, must be subjected to a rigorous review.

Not only the Central Bank but also institutions such as the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka, the Accounting and Auditing Standards Monitoring Board and the Insurance Board of Sri-Lanka, should subject themselves to this review. I am pleased that this recommendation was accepted and is embodied in a letter the Executive Director of TISL, J C Weliamuna, has written to the President of the country.

Enabling statues will also have to be studied to determine whether the desirable scope and regulatory coverage or oversight of these institutions is not constrained by inadequate statutory provisions. Risk Mitigating or Minimizing measures such as Deposit Insurance, which has been tossed around for over a decade and half or more in this country, must now be identified and implemented.



The Market Economy and Sustainability of Political Parties

Once the above is done, a key consideration will be to then determine institutional capacity inadequacies (human/technical) and to design and implement capacity building initiatives. The jurisdiction or remedy the Consumer Protection provisions of the Consumer Affairs Authority Act have over Banking, Leasing, Finance & related firms, their products and services should also be reviewed. The role of the Financial Ombudsman in this regard may also require to be studied. Then, the less than aware mantra that the Market Economy has failed will also subside.

A Market Economy is not one where there is freedom of the wild entrepreneur or philanthropy without conscience or responsibility to the source of money that enables it, but one driven by an economic strategy, with desirable and effective regulation. While recognizing that I may be swimming against a global tide, whether catalyzed by Sarkozy in France, Chavez in Venezuela or even by pockets in America, let alone in Sri-Lanka, may I make bold to submit that the concept of a Market Economy with Regulation, has been tried and tested, is sustainable and is indeed, here to stay.

Sustainability of political parties on the other hand, can well be made the outcome of all this, since, aware, fair, objective and timely regulation, will endear people  the depositor, the investor, the consumer, the voter, to the political party that facilitates it rather than one which stifles it, thus enabling the voter to enjoy a more affordable and comfortable lifestyle.

This is about a lifestyle where the Government focuses its scarce resources on necessities like health, education, water and electricity, roads and communication etc. and ensures the robust regulation of all of it rather than a contrary strategy-one where Government focuses on intervention and ownership of banks and businesses, which in an yet emerging economy such as ours, can well be, at the expense of a better lifestyle for the less than privileged.  End of Article-The Accountant 2009 About the Author:

Ranel T. Wijesinha, FCA, MBA,a Chartered Accountant and Independent Management Consultant, has engaged in policy dialogue for more than two decades in Sri Lanka. A Past President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka and Past President of the 23 nation strong, Confederation of Asian and Pacific Accountants (CAPA).

He has contributed to the Public Sector in Sri Lanka as a Member, Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri-Lanka; Member of the first Consumer Affairs Council under the Consumer Affairs Authority Act; Member of the Accounting and Auditing Standards Monitoring Board; Chairman of the Monitoring and Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Power & Energy; Member, Governing Council, National Institute of Business Management and Member, Board of Management, the Post Graduate Institute of Management.Adult use marijuana laws are not associated with an uptick overall criminal activity"There is evidence in this table that the legalization of recreational cannabis enacted in Washington caused a decrease in crime rates. The point estimates for rape, assault, robbery, burglary and theft are all negative. This conclusion is reinforced by the statistical significance of the drop in rapes and thefts. ... Our estimates reveal that the legalization decreased ... both ordinary alcohol and binge alcohol. ... These effects on consumption suggest that one of the mechanisms underlying the reduction in crime may be a substitution away from other drugs ... such as alcohol, which makes consumers more aggressive than if consuming cannabis."RNG said: Heaven forbid that people actually think about what a total ass the Republican President is. Click to expand...

He has accomplished quite a bit so far, while being constantly under attack from all the media outlets, the "Deep State", Hollywoods talking heads and self-righteous bimbos, including you.-_- He may be a pompous ass, but he is fulfilling his campaign promises, and his Administration is transparent and honest, unlike Obimbo's was, and crooked Hillarie's would have been!-_-Mattu Gulla had become a Geographical Indication (GI) tagged vegetable and a patented one in 2011 and now the growers had started the process of grading, labelling and processing it for exports too after getting a licence. (Photo: DC)

There are native wonders and wonders which have remained undiscovered for centuries with painstaking efforts by scientists and farmers helping unravel their magical worth and make people realise why they earned the admiration and awe of bygone generations. The Mattu Gulla, a variety of brinjal, is one such wonder, grow in Mattu village of Udupi district and adored and admired by people of the region for its unique taste. Gururaj A. Paniyadi traces the evolution of Mattu Gulla into a much sought after vegetable with the vegan preferring it to the hybrid wonders flooding our markets.

For Vasudeva of Shivalli village, Mattu Gulla is no strange commodity for he has been consuming it for years. But this time, at the vegetable shop, as he picked it up, he felt it had changed. The size and colour were the same but every brinjal had a yellow sticker on it which said, 'Mattu Gulla Belegarara Sangha,' and carried the photo of Sri Vadiraja Swamiji.

It had finally happened. Mattu Gulla had a sticker of authenticity like the Hallmark for gold, after being grown for four and a half centuries. It had become a Geographical Indication (GI) tagged vegetable and a patented one in 2011 and now the growers had started the process of grading, labelling and processing it for exports too after getting a licence.

Mattu is a small village on the seashore near Katpady in Udupi. Some believe the green brinjal came to be called Gulla because if its spherical shape. Gulla enjoyed great support from growers in Mattu till a few decades ago when output started diminishing. The growers then came together and formed a sangha (association) and over the years, production too has gradually increased. Its a classical example of co-operative production with a corporate touch!

About two months ago, we started the sticker process. The sticker was designed by the Horticulture department and has the photo of Sri Vadiraja Swamiji and the name of our Sangha. It was released by Sode Mutt Swamiji in November and is a mark of authenticity. Only first grade Mattu Gulla can have this sticker and so, no one can cheat now.

 Laxman, Mattu Gulla Belegarara Sangha, Secretary

Mattu Gulla is grown in Mattu and parts of nearby Kaipunjal village. It is believed that Sri Vadiraja Swamiji of Sode Mutt (Sonda Mutt) with the blessings of Lord Sri Hayagriva, gave the seed of the brinjal to people of Mattu and asked them to grow it. This is a rare example of a vegetable which has acquired fame with religious patronage.

"Growers bring the first crop to our Mutt in Udupi and also at Sode. Sambar prepared using Mattu Gulla is considered very special at the Udupi Krishna Mutt. The growers have a very close connection with our Mutt too," says Sode Mutt Divana Sri Madhwesha Tantri.

"In any Paryaya celebration at Udupi, the sambar prepared from Matti Gulla is a must. Sambar of any other vegetable can be skipped, but not the sambar of Matti Gulla which has to be prepared and served to people during the lunch at the Paryaya celebration," he says.

"My father, grandfather and our ancestors used to grow Mattu Gulla and I am continuing the tradition. This is a crop which we people of Mattu village have been growing for centuries. Though the cultivation was unorganized earlier, now we have united growers under the aegis of Mattu Gulla Belegarara Sangha," says Sangha secretary Laxman.

"Earlier, a single grower would produce 90 kgs per day. But today, this is the total output of all growers put together. The number of growers has decreased over the years and people were facing problems. It was at that juncture that we decided to form an association," explains Laxman. The Sangha now has 160 members. Before securing the GI tag, the farmers had to fight another battle-against attempts to mark Mattu Gulla as a BT variety. "In 2011, we got the Global Indication (GI) tag for Mattu Gulla followed by the patent. Now no company can take us for a ride," Laxman adds.

There are vegans who look for only Mattu Gulla among the mindboggling variety of brinjals in the market because of its unique taste. There are Mattu Gulla loyalists not only in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts but also in other places like Bengaluru and Mumbai.

But one nagging problem growers are facing is that of adulteration if one may call it that. Considering the enormous demand for the vegetable, middlemen or shopkeepers have started mixing other varieties of brinjal while selling it, taking gullible buyers for a ride. There are brinjal varieties like 'Perampalli Badane' and 'Bantwal Badane' which can be easily mixed with Mattu Gulla.

To tackle this, the association came up with stickers for the original Mattu Gulla which is probably the only vegetable to be labelled with a sticker. Every grower brings his Gulla crop to the society where each Gulla is carefully examined and graded before a sticker is pasted on it. The sticker cannot be misused as it is available only with the association.

"About two months ago, we started the sticker process. The sticker was designed by the Horticulture department and has the photo of Sri Vadiraja Swamiji and the name of our Sangha. It was released by Sode Mutt Swamiji in November and is a mark of authenticity. Only first grade Mattu Gulla can have this sticker and so, no one can cheat now," says Laxman.

The association fixes prices for different grades based on the demand and supply every Saturday. Last Saturday the price of Gulla was Rs 40 per kg of which about Rs 10 goes to the association as it has to bear the cost of grading, stickering and other expenses. At present the daily production is about 1.75 tons. The prices of the second and third grade Gulla are around Rs 20 and Rs 15 respectively. Stickering has helped customers get quality vegetables and the growers are assured a good price. "Its really a good move by the growers. It helps both growers and customers," says Mr K Shivaraya Shenoy, owner of Katteyangadi shop in Mangaluru.

Enthused by the response, many growers are planning exports. "We are working on getting a license. Once we complete the process, Mattu Gulla will be available even abroad including the Gulf countries," Laxman adds.

The success story of Mattu Gulla can easily be replicated for other crops provided a careful effort is made to identify and select vegetables which are intrinsically native but can have a universal appeal too. In a country and an economy vastly dominated by agriculture, thats perhaps where the recipe for success lies- reforming our ancient agrarian practices in tune with modern trends and showing the world that we have the best crops, best fruits and vegetables too. So that the world flocks to our markets and not the other way round!Defending Rahul Gandhi over his tweet against Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, the Congress on Saturday said if it attracted a privilege notice, then the BJP should be held guilty on many such counts. (Photo: PTI/File)

New Delhi: Defending Rahul Gandhi over his tweet against Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, the Congress on Saturday said if it attracted a privilege notice, then the BJP should be held guilty on many such counts.

Hitting back at the ruling party, senior Congress leader Anand Sharma cited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks against his predecessor Manmohan Singh and Vice President Hamid Ansari during the recent Gujarat polls.

His response came after Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu sent a privilege notice against the Congress president moved by BJP Rajya Sabha member Bhupinder Yadav to Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan for further action.

"If it comes to privilege, ministers in the government have made many such comments which will attract privilege notices. The prime minister made inappropriate remarks against people who held constitutional posts. Later finance minister said the prime minister did not mean what he said. If political comments and tweets have to become privilege matters then the ruling party stands exposed and shall invite many breach of privilege notices," Sharma told reporters.

Naidu had sent the privilege notice against Gandhi to Mahajan while holding that "prima facie there is an issue of privilege," according to sources.

Gandhi had tweeted: "Dear Mr Jaitlie - thank you for reminding India that our PM never means what he says or says what he means #BJPLies."Adityanath, who arrived in Bengaluru on Saturday night, earlier in the day also met Nirmalananda Swami in Adichunchanagiri Math. (Photo: PTI | File)

Bengaluru: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched a scathing attack on Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Congress party in view of the upcoming Assembly election in the state.

The chief minister said that Siddaramaiah is following the footsteps of Congress president Rahul Gandhi who used to visit temples and talk about Hindutva ahead of the Gujarat Assembly polls.

Addressing a BJP rally in Bengaluru, Adityanath said, "I saw a news report wherein chief minister Siddaramaih was saying that he was a Hindu. After seeing your strength he is now talking about Hindutva in the same manner as Rahul Gandhi was visiting temples in Gujarat."

He further questioned Siddaramaiah as to why he advocates for beef eaters if he was a Hindu.

"Hindutva is a method of living. It should not be linked with religion, caste, belief or prayer. Hindutva does not advocate eating beef. I want to ask the chief minister that if he was a Hindu and supports Hindutva then is it right to endorse beef eating?" Adityanath asked.

"When BJP government was in power in Karnataka we introduced a bill to impose a complete ban on killing of cows but Congress didn't allow to pass it," he added.

Accusing Congress of dividing people in the name of religion, the chief minister said, that the party has become a burden on the nation because of its corruption and divisive policies.

"During elections, Congress tries to divide you in the name of religion. Karnataka should have become a developed state by now, but the Congress has pushed it in backward direction in the last five years. BJP needs to come to power in Karnataka to develop the state and help the youth and farmers. Congress has nothing to do with development," he said.

Citing example of Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat Assembly elections, where the BJP stood victorious, Adiyantah said that the Congress has been uprooted from several states.

Adityanath, who arrived in Bengaluru on Saturday night, earlier in the day also met Nirmalananda Swami in Adichunchanagiri Math.

He is also scheduled to take part in 'parivartan yatra' of BJP which was flagged off by party chief Amit Shah in November in the run-up to the Assembly poll.Singh said Pakistan's encouragement to the separatist anti-India sentiment in Jammu and Kashmir often led to law and order problems. (Photo: PTI/File)

Tekanpur: Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said terror infrastructure in Pakistan continued to exist and the neighbouring country was leaving no stone unturned to instigate the youth of Jammu and Kashmir against India.

He also asked India's top police brass to take strong action in cases of riots and desecration of religious places.

Addressing the annual conference of the DGPs and IGPs in Tekanpur, Singh said terror infrastructure in the form of training camps, launch pads and communication stations continued to exist in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK).

He said the neighbouring country was leaving no stone unturned to provide all help, including financial, to terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and that youth of the state were being instigated against India, sources privy to the home minister's speech said.

Singh said Pakistan's encouragement to the separatist anti-India sentiment in Jammu and Kashmir often led to law and order problems.

Highlighting the appointment of a representative for initiating dialogue in Jammu and Kashmir, he said it was a matter of satisfaction that security forces were successful in tackling the situation in the state to a great extent.

The home minister said the violence perpetrated by Naxals had come down to a great extent and assured that the government would encourage surrender policy for Naxals in the coming days.

Referring to the north-east, Singh said insurgency had come down in the region but camps and hideouts of underground outfits in Myanmar was a matter of concern.

The home minister said there was a slight increase in communal violence in the country and asked the top police officers to take strong action wherever such incidents and desecration of religious sites take place.

Singh also talked about growing incidents of cyber crime, use of Internet and social media by anti-social elements to create tension in the society and asked police officers to be vigilant.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the three-day conference on Sunday.

A tweet by the Home Minister's Office said three police stations were awarded by Singh at the conference. These were RS Puram Police Station (Coimbatore City), Panjagutta Police Station (Hyderabad) and Gudamba Police Station (Lucknow).

The conference of the DGPs and IGPs is an annual affair, where senior police officers of the states and Centre meet and discuss issues.

The Narendra Modi-led government has been organising the conference outside the national capital since it came to power in 2014. The last three conferences were held in Guwahati, Rann of Kutch and Hyderabad.Chennai: With over 31 lakh adventure tourists visiting the country  though a minuscule constitute to those visiting Tamil Nadu, the numbers of adventure seeking tourists, nevertheless, are on the rise.

States like TN, whose presence in the adventure tourism map of India, is rather low, are likely to find opportunities for growth when the Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI) spearheads initiatives this year aiming to double the adventure travel in the country in the next two years. The Ministry of Tourism (MoT) has announced 2018 as "The Year of Adventure Tourism."

As per a comprehensive market survey on adventure tourism in India, by the Ministry, the adventure tour operators in India had provided their services and conducted adventure tourism activity bookings for around 27.47 lakhs adventure tourists in 2015. The estimated number of adventure tourist visits in India is around 31 lakhs.

Trekking, camping and wildlife safaris were the most practiced land based adventure activity in the north zone States of Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan while trekking and wildlife tours were the most practiced land based adventure activity in the south, west and east & north zones.

A majority of domestic adventure tourists in north and east & north-east zone States spent around Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 per head per trip for adventure packages while those in south zone and west zone States spent around Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 per person per trip for adventure packages. Foreign adventure tourists spent less than US $ 4,000 per head per trip for adventure packages.

Websites Internet and friends & relatives are the major source of information about adventure tourism activities and destinations, though in the north previous visit inspired the visitors to take the trip again.THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: M.M. Hassan will continue as KPCC president. In a press release issued by AICC in New Delhi, it states that all the PCC presidents and DCC presidents will continue in their posts after the organisational election also unless some decision in taken to replace them.

Just when several senior Congress leaders in the state were lobbying to become the party president, Mr Hassan has got a life yet again.

Initially, Mr Hassan was given only the charge of PCC president when V.M. Sudheeran had stepped down citing health issues. Later, the AICC gave him the post of PCC chief. On Saturday, AICC general secretary Janardhan Dwivedi had come out with a one liner statement that the Congress president Rahul Gandhi has taken a decision that the presidents of all PCCs, regional Congress Committees and Territorial Congress Committees will continue in their posts after the organisational election also unless some decision is taken to replace them.

Mr Hassan told DC that he heard from the AICC headquarters while he was attending the INTUC national working committee meeting held at Kochi. He expressed happiness over the partys decision to allow all the PCC presidents to continue.

I have been sincerely executing the duties bestowed on me as KPCC president. My objective is to steer the party towards victory in the imminent Lok Sabha elections and now with this decision, I am getting a newfound vigour, said Mr Hassan.India has effectively entered into a General election year, a year where decibel levels, rhetoric, hyperbole would reach a crescendo and invective would fall to a new nadir and governance would be an obvious collateral casualty. A critical aspect that would get further neglected amid this din is the continued isolation of India in its neighbourhood. A remoteness that has been steadily creeping on us since 2014 threatens to overwhelm us now. How did we come to this pass? Can certain correctives be applied before the situation reaches a point of no return? The jury is out on this.

The worst casualty has been our relationship with China. There is an unprecedented Chinese build up taking place in Doklam. Far from the standoff being resolved, it is getting perpetuated. Permanent facilities, new supply routes, heavy weaponry and state-of-the-art communications infrastructure has been put in place just hundreds of metres short of the flashpoint. Nothing has come out of the latest round of border talks between the two NSAs held in December 2017. On the Belt and Road initiative, the distance between both the countries has widened since India boycotted the Bejing conference earlier this year. It was only three years back that the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi-Jingping were swinging together in Ahmedabad.

The only silver lining to this otherwise grim scenario is that the bilateral trade between the two countries has been growing. Today, China is Indias largest trading partner, with a bilateral trade upwards of $71.5 billion. The total imports from China during the last fiscal stood at $61.3 billion against Indias export to China worth $10.2 billion. But the trade deficit which stood at $37.2 billion a few years ago stands at a whopping $51.1 billion today. India must put this relationship back on the track.

Closer home, the relationship with Nepal has not recovered from the economic blockade of 2015. The NDA government at the Centre may argue that this was not the first time that the government of India had resorted to this tactic. An earlier government had done the same thing in 1989. However, the difference between the two is the times we live in. South Asia in the late 1980s and the region now are vastly different. The physiological blow, thanks to mobile telephony, Internet and the social media, to the people of Nepal because of the blockade has been far greater this time than ever before.

Bhutan has been a trusted friend over the decades. It is the only country in the neighbourhood that stood with India when we boycotted the Belt and Road Forum held in Bejing in May 2017. The relationship with Sri Lanka isnt good either. The Chinese presence in that country is underpinned by huge infrastructure development projects in the form of ports and waterfronts. China is constructing the Port in Hamabantota and an entire new port city on the waterfront in Colombo. It is expected to attract investment worth $13 billion over the next 30 years. The Hamabantota Port was formally handed over on a 99 year lease to China in the December of 2017. The implications of having the Chinese sitting on the head of the Indian Ocean, a short distance away from the Indian shores will have portentous consequences.

A little to the South East lie the coral islands of Maldives. India, over the decades, has nurtured a very special relationship with this breathtaking archipelago. Back in November 1988, India had sent its special forces to ward of a coup attempt against the then President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. Operation Cactus was a smashing success. From there we have reached a pass where three local Maldivian Councillors were suspended for as much as meeting the Indian Ambassador. Far more galling for India is the fact that Maldives has signed a Free Trade Agreement with China completely ignoring Indias sensitivities on the issue. It is the second country in South Asia in addition to Pakistan that has signed such an agreement.

Moreover, Maldives has reportedly signed 12 more agreements with China, including a pact to jointly promote the One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative. The agreements with the Maldives are part of Beijings persistent exertions to persuade South Asian countries to embrace the OBOR initiative, and confer infrastructure construction projects on Chinese companies. Earlier, Maldives had allowed three Chinese warships to dock in Male, a first for the island nation.

Finally, moving to Pakistan. There has been a lot of exultation and self-congratulatory backslapping in India over a 4.42 am tweet by the US President Donald Trump on the first day of 2018 that skewered Pakistan. It would be appropriate to reproduce the tweet in full The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than $33 billion in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies and deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more! The irony is that there is no mention of India in this tweet.

This is notwithstanding the fact that Pakistan-sponsored terrorism roughly coincides with Pakistan becoming a frontline ally of the US in the Afghan Jihad in the early 1980s to free Afghanistan from the Soviet Invasion of December 1979. In fact, it was the wash of weapons into the region to overpower the Soviet that were used by Pakistan to arm semi-state terrorists that have been wrecking mayhem in India since 1980. Mr Trumps diatribe would push Pakistan into the welcoming embrace of China while Russia would be all too happy that a nation that bled them during the Afghan occupation bled the US equally through its chicanery and double dealing. This takedown of Pakistan should be off no strategic consequence to India, as it does not better Indias influence in the neighbourhood. For serious students of Indias strategic interests, the question is how did we skid down this un-slippery slope so rapidly?With the bill against instant triple talaq getting stalled in the Winter Session of Parliament, minority affairs minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi speaks with Yojna Gusai about how the Narendra Modi government will make all efforts to get the legislation passed in the Budget Session and assured the Muslim women that der hai par andher nahin (there could be a delay but no injustice).

The bill against triple talaq got stalled in Parliament. Your comments.

It is very unfortunate that the Congress-led Opposition was more interested in sending this bill to the select committee than getting this reformative bill to pass. We used to think that the Congress would want to rectify the historic blunder it made in the Shah Bano case, the sin it committed then. But the Congress repeated its mistake. This bill (against instant triple talaq) has nothing to do with religion or prestige. This bill is to provide justice and equality to women, which is provided by the Indian Constitution. But they (the Opposition) took a position against the rights of Muslim women, against what the Constitution of the country has provided them (Muslim women). The Congress will bear repercussions for playing vote-bank politics with this reformative issue.

But what about the changes which the Congress and other Opposition parties want in the bill? The government blamed the Congress double standards for the bill getting stalled.

We have been saying that the government is ready for discussion, deliberation and welcomes suggestions, and discuss any amendment on the bill. But what were the amendments they (Opposition) want? They want the penal clause in the bill to be removed and there contention is that if a husband goes to jail then who will pay for the maintenance of the woman. But let me ask them, why in the first place a husband do something which is illegal and unconstitutional and he has to go to jail? Then the Opposition said why is there a need for the law when it is illegal? Is murder not illegal and unconstitutional, is robbery not illegal and unconstitutional, is Naxalism not illegal and unconstitutional? Are there no laws against them? Their (Opposition) logic is contradictory. The Congress had no problem when the bill was taken up in the Lok Sabha, but vehemently demanded that it should be sent to a select committee when it came up in the Rajya Sabha. This is called a double standard. The Congress different stands in the two Houses show that supporting the bill in the Lok Sabha was their majboori (helplessness).

Why do you think the Congress felt helpless?

Because it was under pressure from few fanatic forces who bring religion in every issue. Religion and faith was brought in when Sati practice was being abolished, even then some people wrote to the British Parliament against banning the practice citing religion and faith. The same excuse was used when child marriages were banned. Religion and faith has been brought in again when the Modi government wants Muslim women to enjoy the rights provided by the Constitution. The Congress again played vote-bank politics but ended up hurting the sentiments of the Muslim community.

How?

It is only some Muslim fanatics; the Congress and few other parties who are opposing it fearing that the government or the BJP will score points if this bill is passed. But this is not a political issue. If you remember, there were massive protests and agitations by some Muslim organisations during the Shah Bano case, forcing the then Congress government to bring a legislation reversing the Supreme Court verdict on the maintenance issue which was in the favour of divorced Muslim women. It was done by the then government for sheer vote-bank politics. But did we see those kinds of protests now (against the instant triple talaq bill)? No. Only few Muslim fanatics tried to link the issue with religion and faith to prove that they have power and authority over issues related to the community. By and large, the Muslim community is in favour of this bill, they support it. The mindset of the community has changed in these years and they have realised that some political parties will only play politics, while they suffer.

So you are saying that the Muslim community is in favour of this bill?

If there is a referendum on this bill, Muslims will definitely find the Congress stand wrong. So many Islamic countries have banned the practice of instant triple talaq. In Islam, there is a provision that if any husband commits this, he should be whiplashed, which is the highest form of punishment and they (Opposition) wants that there should be no punishment for the husband who commits this illegal practice. India runs as per the Constitution not any religious law. Our Constitution is our holy book and our holy book has provided equal rights for men and women.

But Opposition parties claimed that the bill was drafted without consulting or taking views of the community members?

This issue was in the court for many years where different stakeholders placed their views. Even Kapil Sibal (senior Congress leader and a prominent lawyer) placed his views in the case. The government has been saying that it is ready to discuss and debate everything. The Congress and Opposition parties had an opportunity to place their views and also of those who were claiming that they were not consulted. But the Congress was more interested in sending the bill to the select committee and discuss it behind close doors than to place their views and suggestions at a platform (Parliament) where others could also see.

Do you think the government will be able to get it pass in the next session?

The Indian Constitution has provided equal rights to every citizen of the country. The Modi government is committed that this bill gets passed and our Muslim sisters are saved from this illegal practice. The Congress might have managed to stall the bill this time but we are sure that it will be passed in the next session. But the Congress should know that its stand has angered Muslim women as it (Congress) tried to play politics over a social issue.The Modi sarkar had promised to wage a war against corruption when it came to power in 2014. It has a mixed record so far to show for its efforts.

The Modi sarkar had promised to wage a war against corruption when it came to power in 2014. It has a mixed record so far to show for its efforts. While it has dismissed 357 babus, including 24 Indian Administrative Service officers, for non-performance it has punished only 12 IAS officers for corruption. There are more than 5,000 serving IAS officers. Sources say that the slow progress in taking action against All-India Service officers  the highest rung of the bureaucracy  is stymied by the tedious investigation procedures, which apparently take an average of eight years to be completed. Regulations, however, require the inquiries to be completed in less than two years.

Some in Dilli feel that this is another reason to expedite the implementation of the Lokpal and Lokayukta Act, which aims to investigate and prosecute corrupt babus at the upper echelons of the executive. Though the law was enacted and notified in January 2014 under the Congress-led government, more than three years after the BJP-led government took power, it has not been implemented. The Lokpals position, in fact, has not been filled.

J&K babus refuse to return:

It appears that Indian Administrative Service officers of the Jammu and Kashmir cadre are working outside the state. Even as the state has sought repatriation of four senior IAS officers, the department of personnel and training (DoPT) has been approached by five senior IAS babus of the state cadre requesting for Central deputation. However, as there are a number of IAS officers from Jammu and Kashmir already on Central postings, the DoPT does not seem to be in a hurry to consider these new requests.

Curiously, sources say that the babus from Jammu and Kashmir cadre, who were on Central deputation and whose repatriation has been sought by the state government officially, are reluctant to return, with some even citing work culture in the state as one of the reasons for their preference of a Central posting. Apparently, Union minister of state DoPT, Jitendra Singh is aware of the situation, but has no explanation for why cadre officers refuse to return to their states.

Strong warning for filing IPRs:

Ensuring that all Indian Administrative Service officers submit details of their assets has not been easy for the Centre, with several babus refusing to toe the line. But the government is now planning to get firm with the recalcitrant ones. The additional secretary of department of personnel and training (DoPT), P.K. Tripathi, has written to all Central government departments, states and Union territories asking them to ensure submission of immovable property returns (IPRs) by IAS officers working with them by January 31, 2018. This is a routine missive. But the memo adds that failure of babus to do so would lead to denial of vigilance clearances needed for promotions and foreign postings. Mr Tripathi reportedly wrote: In view of the DoPTs instructions dated April 4, 2011, it is reiterated that failure to ensure timely submission of IPR would result in denial of vigilance clearance.

Sources say that the DopT has designed an online module for the purpose of filing of the IPR. Officers have the option of uploading the hard copy of the IPR by January 31 in the online module. Will the babus heed this warning? Watch this space for updates.Like our former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, former US President Barack Obama is an intellectual the world respects. It doesnt matter that a few people think that the two of them are failed leaders, either because they lacked charisma and personal power, like Dr Singh, or because they came from a racial minority, like Mr Obama. They are brilliant individuals and though they speak not as often as other leaders, it is inevitably rewarding to listen to them when they speak.

A few days ago Mr Obama gave a wonderful interview to Britains Prince Harry. In this he spoke about social media and some aspects of its affect on the modern world.

Mr Obama accepted that social media was a really powerful tool for people of common interests to convene and get to know each other and connect. Having said this, he added: But then its important for them to get offline, meet in a pub, meet at a place of worship, meet in a neighbourhood and get to know each other. And the reason he said this was because the truth is that on the Internet, everything is simplified and when you meet people face-to-face it turns out theyre complicated. One of the dangers of the Internet is that people can have entirely different realities. They can be cocooned in information that reinforces their current biases. I think Mr Obama has captured something essential about the way we use the Internet. I am personally not on social media because I find it too distracting. However when I sometimes go through the comments sections of online articles I get depressed. The amount of anger and viciousness and intemperate language is enough to put off anyone.

However, the truth is that this level of nastiness is not observable in our everyday lives. Arguments about politics and religion do not end in name-calling and abuse when they happen face to face. It is the anonymity of the Internet that somehow gives us the confidence to say strong things. In person we are more balanced because we are aware we are being observed.

And of course the other great point that Mr Obama makes is that on the Internet we are not exposed to the other persons point of view unless we specifically choose to seek her or him out. In real life, when we engage with someone we must also listen to them and this makes our certitude and our prejudices less assertive. There are some takeaways from this insight that Mr Obama has given us. First, that it is important particularly for people like activists and politicians, who seek change through their work, to meet and engage with people outside the Internet.

A few weeks ago Jignesh Mewani came to the place I work and spoke about his perspective and his ambitions. Asked about electoral politics he said that it was not a short-term goal but winning was something he saw happening a decade or 15 years down the line. I am not sure even he knew that only in a few days later he would easily win as an independent in the most divided state of India. How did his happen, particularly in a two-party state where he did not have the advantage of an election symbol and had to rely on his own credibility? I suspect it happened in large part because Mr Mewani, who is a smart and persuasive speaker, engaged with thousands and thousands of people in person.

Similarly for a human rights activist like me, it is vital that there be maximum physical engagement in the flesh with people. I am saying this specifically because in the world of activism the focus is on social media because it is the most efficient way of reaching large numbers of people. But it is also, as Mr Obama has observed, polarised in an artificial way. If one is working on the rights of marginalised groups like Muslims or dalits or adivasis or Kashmiris or the people of the Northeast, the knee jerk response is to uphold the rights of the Army and of the state over the rights of citizens. This false binary is perpetuated more easily on the Internet. It is not as easy to dismiss the concerns of another human being in person. And finally, Mr Obamas insight tells us that we should not allow ourselves, as I do so often, to lose hope about the way things are.

We will close by noticing that Mr Obama did not mean to say that social media was all bad. The question has to do with how do we harness this technology in a way that allows a multiplicity of voices, allows a diversity of views, but doesnt lead to a Balkanisation of society and allows ways of finding common ground, he said. Terrific words which we should remember in 2018, a crucial year for India.Donald Trump asserted that everything he has done is 100 per cent 'proper' and there has been no collusion between between him and Russia in the 2016 presidential elections. (Photo: File)

Washington: US President Donald Trump asserted on Saturday that everything he has done is 100 per cent "proper" and there has been no collusion between between him and Russia in the 2016 presidential elections.

Trump told reporters that a new report in The New York Times that he directed the White House Counsel to lobby Attorney General Jess Sessions not to rescue himself from the Russian investigation was way off.

"Everything I have done is 100 per cent proper. That is what I do, is I do things proper," Trump told reporters at a press conference in the Camp David, a picturesque presidential retreat of Maryland, where he is holding meetings with his Republican leaders in the Congress.

"Everything that I've done was 100 percent proper. The story, by the way, in The Times was way off, or at least off," Trump said in response to a question.

Trump reiterated that there has been no collusion between him, his campaign and the alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential elections.

"I guess the collusion now is dead. There's been no collusion between us and the Russians. Now, there has been collusion between Hillary Clinton, the (Democratic National Committee) and the Russians. Unfortunately, you people don't cover that very much. But the only collusion is between Hillary and the Russians and the DNC," he said.

"You will find out," he said when asked how The New York Times story was way off. Trump said that he stands with his Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

Trump also said he is not under investigation, "maybe" his presidential opponent Hillary Clinton is.

"Just so you understand, there's been no collusion. There's been no crime. And in theory, everybody tells me I'm not under investigation. Maybe Hillary is, I don't know, but I'm not," he said.China-Pakistan relationship is already very strong and appeared unconcerned over reports that the US decision to freeze approximately USD 2 billion in security assistance to Pakistan would push Islamabad towards Beijing. (Photo: File)

Washington: China shares some of the concerns of the US, about the terrorism problem in Pakistan and Washington is seeking to work with Beijing and other regional players to convince Islamabad, about the need to crackdown on terror safe havens, a senior White House official has said.

As Trump Administration is determined to eliminate terrorist safe havens in Pakistan, which is key to bring stability in Afghanistan and in the region, the official hoped that China will play a helpful role in convincing Pakistan that it is in its own national interest to crackdown on these sanctuaries.

Pakistan already has deep historical ties going back to many years and they have close military ties, the official said, adding that the economic relationship is also growing with the China Pakistan Economic Corridor.

"But, China shares some of the concerns of the US about the terrorism problem. The US is seeking to work with other regional players and China would be one of the main ones to deal with this issue. It won't serve China's interests to have terrorist sanctuaries in Pakistan," the senior administration official said on condition of anonymity.

The official was quick to point out that China has been playing a more helpful role in terms of encouraging better relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

It is taking a more active role in that regard.

"So, I would disagree with the assertion that China will not play a helpful role in convincing Pakistan it's in its own interests to crack down on the sanctuaries," the official told a group of reporters on Friday.

"Ultimately, China is also working toward a stable Afghanistan. That's going to take them back to the same issue which are the sanctuaries in Pakistan," the official said.

China-Pakistan relationship is already very strong and appeared unconcerned over reports that the US decision to freeze approximately USD 2 billion in security assistance to Pakistan would push Islamabad towards Beijing, the official added.

"That relationship is already very very strong. But what we have seen is an interest by Pakistan in having a strong relationship with both the US and China. So that's one issue. And the second issue is that China is also concerned about terrorism and extremism in South Asia," the official said.

Noting that China has taken a more active role in trying to help stabilise Afghanistan, trying to improve relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, the official said the US believed that the Chinese are also interested in stability in Pakistan and also for the China Pakistan Economic Corridor.

"Ultimately if they want to see stability in the region, and I think they do, they also will have an interest in seeing Pakistan crack down on the Haqqani and Taliban network," the senior administration official said.Stockholm: One person died and another was slightly hurt Sunday in a blast outside a metro station in a Stockholm suburb, police said.

A man in his 60s died after succumbing to injuries sustained when according to witnesses he picked up an object off the ground which promptly exploded, police spokesman Sven-Erik Olsson said he died in hospital, police said on their website.

A woman aged 45 was also hurt, suffering facial injuries, police said.

The blast occurred mid-morning at the Varby gard station in Huddinge, a southern suburb of the Swedish capital.

Police cordoned off the station and the square where the blast happened as the bomb squad moved in to investigate.

The Expressen and Aftonbladet newspapers said the device was a hand grenade. It is too early to say. Technicians are still working on it. Nothing indicates that the (inju-red) couple were targeted, said Olsson, adding there was nothing to suggest terrorism.The contentious issue of minority religion status to the Veerashaiva- Lingayat faith in Karnataka is unlikely to reach a conclusion before the Assembly elections due in a few months.



A 7-member expert committee constituted by the state government, which met for the first time on Saturday, decided to seek six months time to submit its report. The panel was originally given four weeks.



This comes in the backdrop of stiff opposition from the powerful All India Veerashaiva Mahasabha and several Veerashaiva mutts, who threatened to launch a dharma yuddha if the committee was not disbanded. The Karnataka High Court, too, has issued a rider that whatever decision the committee takes would be subject to the outcome of a petition it is hearing.



Four weeks is not enough, given the seriousness and importance of the subject we are dealing with here. This is an unprecedented development in India. Theres a huge responsibility on the committee and we want to do a proper, scientific job. So, the committee has decided to seek six months time from the government to submit our report, retired Karnataka High Court Justice H N Nagmohan Das, who chairs the committee, told a press conference here.



The Veerashaiva and Lingayat camps, comprising religious leaders as well as members of the ruling Congress, have been at loggerheads over the issue. The Veerashaiva group holds that Veerashaiva and Lingayat are the same and that the separate religion should be christened Veerashaiva-Lingayat. The Lingayat camp argues that Veerashaiva and Lingayat are radically different, and the religion must be called Lingayat.



Justice Das said the committee is looking into 36 representations from organisations, mutts and individuals seeking to declare minority religion status on Veerashaiva and Lingayat faiths.



The committee also decided to give the public an opportunity to be heard. Any interested party can submit a representation to us with documents before January 25, Justice Das said. The committee will also urge the government to appoint a woman in the committee.



At present, the committee comprises Kannada Development Authority chairman S G Siddaramaiah; Jawaharlal Nehru University Kannada Language chair Purushothama Bilimale; University of Mysore political science professor Muzaffar Assadi; former backward classes commission chairman C S Dwarakanath; journalist Sarjoo Katkar and litterateur Ramakrishna Marathe. While Assadi was overseas for a lecture, other members attended the meeting.



The panels first meeting lasted under an hour and members were given specific topics to research.The Delhi High Court has set aside the censor board's decision of refusing public viewing of a documentary "Battle for Banaras" chronicling the high-voltage 2014 campaign for the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat involving Narendra Modi, Arvind Kejriwal and Congress candidate Ajay Rai, saying it does not have hate speeches.



Modi won the elections comfortably.

The court said that while viewing "Battle for Banaras", one does not get an impression that the documentary film tries to divide people on caste or communal lines.

"After having viewed the film, I am of the view that the broad general finding rendered by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) as well as Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) that the film is full of hate speech and inflammatory speeches is not sustainable.

"The film merely reproduces the speeches made by various leaders and party candidates at the time of the general elections. It is not the case of the board or the FCAT that what the petitioner has sought to project is an incorrect depiction or portrayal of what has transpired," Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva said.

The court further said it was not the case of the board that what the petitioner, the documentary's producers, projected is not extract of the speeches of the candidates.

It said that the petitioner has tried to project through the film the views and extracts of speeches of various candidates, workers or leaders of different parties.

It added that though some words used or some portion of the film may be in conflict with the guidelines framed by the central government in terms of the Cinematograph Act, neither the board nor the FCAT has clearly spelt as to which part or dialogue of the film would violate the guidelines.

The court sent the matter back to the FCAT to re-examine the film and pass a speaking order within four weeks.

It asked FCAT to pin point the scenes or dialogues which may be in conflict with the guidelines for film certification framed under the Act.

The court quashed the 2015 and 2016 orders of the board and the FCAT saying they are not sustainable.

It said that a viewing of the film, which is unpartisan, and a reading of its script clearly showed that there is no language or scene that is either defamatory, derogatory, abusive or likely to offend or affect public order, decency or morality or the sovereignty or integrity of India.

The petition had sought quashing of the April 4 order of the FCAT and the October 16, 2015 decision of the CBFC refusing to certify the documentary "Battle for Banaras", saying no reasons were given for rejecting their plea for certification.

The petition alleged that the censor board and FCAT orders contained no mention of what parts of the film were objectionable and violated the guidelines of film certification issued under the Cinematograph Act.The country's judge-population ratio has gone up marginally in the past three years against the backdrop of increased sanctioned strength, latest data from the law ministry says.



Based on the 2011 census and sanctioned strength of judges of the Supreme Court, the 24 high courts and numerous subordinate courts, the ratio stands at 19.66 judges per million (10 lakh) people.

The ratio was 17.48 judges per million in 2014, according to ministry figures put in public domain.

The Supreme Court with a sanctioned strength of 31 is functioning with 25 judges, figures put out by the department of justice in the ministry said.

The 24 high courts have a sanctioned strength of 1,079 judges, but with 395 vacancies they are functioning with 684 judges. The sanctioned strength was 906 in June 2014. While the sanctioned strength has gone up, the working or actual strength has not gone up considerably.

But in cases of the lower courts, the sanctioned strength of judicial officers has gone up and the vacancies have gone down since 2014. In 2014, the sanctioned strength of the lower courts was 20,214 judicial officers/judges.

In 2017, it rose to 22,677. The working strength in 2017 was registered at 16,693, whereas, in 2014, it was 15,634.

At the end of 2017, the subordinate courts had 5,984 vacancies.

The issue of judge-population ratio came to the fore in April, 2016 when then Chief Justice of India T S Thakur lamented the executive's inaction in at least doubling the number of judges to handle the "avalanche" of litigations, prompting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to assure him of the government's resolve in finding a solution jointly with the judiciary.

"... It is not only in the name of a litigant or people languishing in jails but also in the name of development of the country, its progress that I beseech you to rise to the occasion and realise that it is not enough to criticise. You cannot shift the entire burden on the judiciary," the Chief Justice of India had said in a choking voice while addressing the inaugural session of a joint conference of chief ministers and chief justices of high courts.Goa is likely to face a shortage of beef for the next couple of days as slaughterhouses in neighbouring Karnataka have refused to supply meat till the government takes steps to stop harassment by cow vigilante groups, an official said today.



The coastal state is facing a beef shortage with traders suspending import of meat from Karnataka alleging harassment by cow vigilantes.

An association of traders earlier said its members have stopped procuring beef from Belagavi in Karnataka.

All Goa Qureshi Meat Traders Association president Manna Bepari told PTI that Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar yesterday assured them to discuss the issue with the police.

However, he said the chief minister is currently out of the station and is expected to return only after two days.

"The suppliers from Karnataka have categorically said they will not resume supplies till action is taken against the so-called cow vigilantes," he said.

Bepari said they can expect some action only after the chief minister returns to the state, "so until then the supplies will not resume."

He said around 25 tonnes of beef is brought from Belagavi every day.

Cow protection groups, including the Gau Raksha Abhiyaan, have alleged beef in Goa is brought from illegal slaughterhouses in Karnataka, a charge denied by Bepari.

He said non-availability of beef has resulted in a rise in the prices of mutton and chicken in the state.

Gau Raksha Abhiyaan leader Hanumant Parab earlier claimed cattle were being slaughtered in abattoirs across the border without approval from authorities.

"Due to this we have undertaken stringent checks (on the Goa-Karnataka border) along with police," he said.

Bepari said traders want immediate intervention by the state government in the matter. Till then, they will not buy beef from the neighbouring state.

Beef sale has been banned in Maharashtra, which also borders Goa."People who are inhuman kill others. They are enemies of humanity. No one must provoke people to kill each other," warned Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.



The CM was reacting to the murder of BJP activist Deepak Rao who was hacked to death on January 3, and a similar attack on Ahmed Basheer--in retaliation to Deepak's murder-- on the same day.

Basheer who was in M J Hospital's ICU after being operated on several times, succumbed to injuries on Sunday morning.

He was speaking after inaugurating various development works in Belthangdi, Dakshina Kannada district, on Sunday.

"It is wrong to play politics on the bodies of dead people. Public should maintain peace," Siddaramaiah remarked.

The Parivatana Yatre rally at Belthangdi, began as per the chief minister's request, after observing a minute of silence for the two departed individuals.

Pratap Simha's reaction

Reacting to Ahmed Basheer's demise on Sunday, Mysuru MP Pratap Simha has tweeted that:

"They say an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.

Killing Basheer is not the answer for Deepak Rao's murder.

It's time to hold a peace meeting between Hindus and Muslims; as the Congress government has not bothered to bring peace and tranquility in the state."

Basheer to be laid to rest

Meanwhile, Ahmed Basheer will be laid to rest at the Kulooru Masjid burial ground on Sunday evening when his second son is expected to come from Abu Dhabi according to Basheer's brother Hakeem.

As news of Basheed's death spread, hundreds gathered at M J Hospital for viewing the body. Hakeem requested the people gathered there to maintain peace, law and order.

Hakeem informed the media that Basheer's body would be taken home to Akash Bhavan for the women of the family to view it and later to the Kuloor masjid for public viewing and burial.

Amidst tight police security all last rites will be performed.

ADGP Kamal Kanth visited the hospital.

MLA Moiuddin Bava was at the spot.

There was no procession held for the body.

Minister U T Khader who visited the spot announced a relief of Rs 10 lakh for the family and appealed to people to maintain peace.Convicts undergoing life imprisonment at the Puzhal Central Prison here are giving a fresh lease of life to demonetised currency, converting the shredded notes into customised stationery.



A senior official said the stationery is being used in state government departments and their agencies.

Everyday, a specially-trained team of about 25-30 convicts undergoing life imprisonment at the Puzhal Central Prison here make stationery called "file-pads," at the niche hand-made stationery making unit. "While the Reserve Bank of India has offered 70 tons of shredded notes to us, Puzhal jail officials have so far taken delivery of nine tons...We will bring the rest of it in a phased manner," DIG (in charge), A Murugesan said. So far about 1.5 tons of banned currency has been used to make the file-pads, he said. Using the demonetised currency about 1,000 file-pads are made everyday at Puzhal.

Shredded notes are first made into pulp, then solidified by pouring it into a die-mould and eventually the notes are made hard pads, all in a manual process. Besides using the banned notes, file-pads are also made using specially procured hard pads from Khadi, the official said.

While the convicts get 25 days of file pad making work in a month, they get wages ranging between Rs 160 to Rs 200 (for eight hours a day) depending upon whether they are skilled, semi-skilled or skilled. There is a proposal to upgrade the hand-made stationery making unit at Puzhal into a semi-automated facility which will enhance the productivity, the official said.Expressing solidarity with jailed RJD chief Lalu Prasad, Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav said today that the "BJP did injustice" to him.



"The BJP did injustice to him," he said when reporters asked him about Prasad's sentence in the fodder scam.

SP national general-secretary Ramashankar Vidyarthi said in Ballia that Prasad was facing consequences for not joining the BJP bandwagon.

"He is being trapped in a conspiracy by the BJP. Had he joined the BJP, he would not have to suffer jail sentence," he said, adding, "I am sure he will get justice from High Court".

He said it was the need of the hour that all opposition parties unite to defeat the BJP.

Prasad was yesterday sentenced to three-and-a-half years in jail and fined Rs 10 lakh by a special CBI court in Ranchi in a fodder scam case relating to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from the Deoghar treasury 21 years ago.

The punishment was handed down to Prasad, 69, by CBI court judge Shiv Pal Singh through videoconferencing, since the RJD leader was lodged in Birsa Munda Central Jail after being convicted in the case on December 23, CBI counsel Rakesh Prasad said.In a decision that triggered strong reactions from religious leaders, Uttar Pradesh government would remove loudspeakers which have been installed without permission at worship places.



The decision follows a directive from the Allahabad high court in this regard, according to the official sources here on Sunday.

The court has directed that the authorities' permission will be required for using loudspeakers at religious places on special occasions.

The existing rules do not permit the use of loudspeakers between ten in the night to six in the morning. The court has directed to strictly implement the rule.

The district police officials have been directed to check religious places to ascertain if the loudspeakers installed there had the necessary permission.

A senior police official here said that all unauthorized loudspeakers at places of worship would be removed immediately.

The government directive evoked a sharp reaction from the religious leaders, who urged for reconsidering the decision.

''There are many other reasons for sound pollution...the government should not remove loudspeakers from places of worship....it is akin to interferring with our religious affairs,'' said Amar Nath Mishra, the president of a saffron outfit.

Muslim cleric Maulana Mohammed Mushtaq also said that loudspeakers were required for informing the people about religious programs. ''There is nothing wrong in it,'' he added.

The government, however, made it clear that it would implement the court's directive in letter and spirit.Over 4,000 Tamil Nadu fishermen were chased away by the Sri Lankan Navy which also snapped the fishing nets of 100 boats for allegedly fishing in their territorial waters off Katchatheevu islet.



Fishermen from Rameswaram and Mandapam had ventured into sea on Saturday and were fishing near Katchatheevu islet when the Lankan Navy arrived and told them to leave, Rameswaram Fishermen Association President P Sesuraja said.

They also snapped fishing nets of 100 boats before chasing them away, he alleged and sought the Centre's intervention in resolving the contentious fishermen issue.

All the fishermen returned to the shore this morning.

The mid-sea incident comes after a spate of detentions of the fishermen this month on charges of fishing in their territorial waters.

On January 4, as many as 13 fishermen from Thangachimadam near here were arrested by the island nation authorities for allegedly fishing in their waters off Katchatheevu islet.

Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam met a team of fishermen in Rameswaram on Saturday and assured them that the state government would take up with the Centre their grievances, including arrests by the Sri Lankan Navy.The colour saffron appears to be gradually spreading across Uttar Pradesh, with parts of a nearly 80-year-old police station in the state capital being given a splash of the colour, days after the Haj office here was painted orange.



Ever since Yogi Adityanath took over as the chief minister of UP, the colour seems to have become a defining feature of the state.

The police station was built in 1939 and had the traditional colours of a police station - yellow and red. But this time round some pillars and certain parts of the building have acquired a bright saffron hue against a light cream background.

"The renovation had started almost two-and-a-half months back as part of an annual programme," Inspector in-charge D K Upadhyaya said. The renovation work is incomplete as the labourers have recently stopped coming because of the intense cold, he said. The Lal Bahadur Shastri Bhawan, which houses the chief minister's office, was painted saffron in October last year. The facade of the state secretariat was given a saffron hue months after Adityanath took over the reins of the state.

Adityanath loves to see a saffron towel on his seat in his office. Recently, the chief minister flagged off a fleet of 50 saffron-coloured buses.

Interestingly, after the bright saffron shade on the Haj office boundary wall attracted criticism from the Opposition and flak from Muslim bodies, it was given a cream coat by the Estates department recently. The boundary wall originally was green and white. The Haj office colour prompted opposition Samajwadi Party to accuse the government of "blatant saffronisation" after a series of steps were perceived by it as "anti-minority".To provide an opportunity for growers and consumers to make a direct transaction, a Raitha Santhe will come into force at the APMC yard near the KSRTC depot in Madikeri from January 12.



The Raitha Santhe has come up on a two-acre land belonging to the APMC. Toilet and drinking water facilities have also been provided. The APMC yard has enough parking space as well.

Also, the Raitha Santhe will be held on every Friday. The farmers will be allowed to sell not only farm produce, but also cattle, fowls, pigs, goats and fish. They will be permitted to carry out their business without any fee.

So far, a shandy market was held every Friday at Mahadevapete, where farmers were forced to sell their products in a congested area, said APMC members.In a major policy move, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) will sponsor India-wide excursion tours for senior citizens living in the border areas of Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh to build strong ties with the people in these areas.



The people of the areas were described by Home Minister Rajnath Singh as "strategic assets".

The paramilitary force has also decided to almost double, to a dozen in a year, the number of such regular educational tours for children living in border areas.

The steps are understood to be undertaken in the backdrop of India's strategy to enhance security on its borders.

Official sources said the move to take elderly citizens on excursion tours to mainland India, including New Delhi, was planned after Singh recently told the ITBP that they should always keep in mind that the border population living along the Sino-India border were the country's "strategic assets".

Addressing the troops at their camp in Uttarakhand's Joshimath in September after a forward area tour, Singh had them ensure that this population is taken care of, as their migration would put India's security at risk.

According to a blueprint prepared by the force, it is "proposed for the first time that apart from schoolchildren, elderly inhabitants, including senior citizens of the border population, will be the part of future excursion tours by the force."

The force has also decided to earmark fresh funds from its Civic Action Programme (CAP) budget to ensure air tickets for these guests.

CAP funds are otherwise given by the home ministry to the forces to undertake outreach initiatives for locals in their area of deployment.

Funds for air tickets are required, officials sources said, as many border villages are located in remote locations and journey by air will cut down the overall travel time.

"With such initiatives, the force has been eyeing to win the hearts and minds of the remote population and to provide them an opportunity to experience the rich social, cultural and historical heritage of the nation," the blueprint said.The Centre has lifted the age-old restriction on differently-abled Muslims from embarking on the annual pilgrimage to Makkah and Medina in Saudi Arabia.

The Union Minority Affairs Ministry has ordered the Haj Committee of India to align its 2018-2022 guidelines with the provisions of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016 to also consider the applications of people with disabilities for Haj.

This comes after a delegation from the National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled (NPRD) met the minister of minority affairs, seeking change in Haj rules for the differently-abled Muslims.

"We have lifted the restriction," Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told DH when contacted.

The Haj Committee's guidelines stipulate that any Indian citizen who is a Muslim can apply for the annual pilgrimage, "except for those who do not have the mental or physical health to perform the pilgrimage, persons whose legs are amputated, who are crippled, handicapped, lunatic, or otherwise physically or mentally incapacitated."

The NPRD in its request to the ministry for amending the rules noted that the Haj guidelines barring a Muslim from undertaking the annual pilgrimage in case of the one suffering from some mental or physical health problem can be "arbitrarily used to stop anybody" from going for Haj.

It also took exception to the use of words for the differently-abled persons in the Haj guidelines like amputated, crippled, handicapped, lunatic, describing them abusive and derogatory."

"All these provisions are in violation of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 which has equality and non-discrimination as its guiding principle," the NPRD said, citing other stipulations made in the Haj guidelines.

The ministry recently lifted a ban on Muslim women going for Haj without "Mahram (a male companion)" following an instruction from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

After receiving hundreds of applications from the Muslim women willing to undertake Haj without a "Mahram," the ministry later extended the last date for submission of the online applications twice and fixed January 20 as the deadline for it earlier this week.

Tour operators can submit printed copies of the online applications to the Haj committee till January 24, according to a government notification issued on January 4.The Congress on Sunday attacked the Centre after the UIDAI filed an FIR with Delhi Police over a newspaper report on the breach of details of more than one billion Aadhaar cards, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being "evasive" and shooting the messenger, instead of probing the leak.



Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said: "every Indian must condemn this mindless act" of the government.

Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) deputy director B M Patnaik has informed the police that an input was received from The Tribune newspaper that it had purchased a service being offered by anonymous sellers on WhatsApp that provided unrestricted access to any of the more than one billion Aadhaar numbers.

The FIR mentions the names of the journalist and the people the reporter reached out to purchase the Aadhaar data, but they have not been shown as accused, the police said.

The Congress also raised questions on the Modi government's "intentions" on privacy issues as it referred to former attorney general Mukul Rohatgi reportedly saying last year that "no citizen can have an absolute right over his/her body". It charged the government with being "dismissive and oppressive" instead of being "responsive" to the issues flagged.

"Intent, & 'Intentions' of Modi Govt on Privacy were thoroughly exposed when it had proclaimed that 'no citizen can have an absolute right over his/her body'," Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said in another tweet.

"In SC, Modi Govt had accepted Aadhaar data leak! Now instead of investigating, an evasive Modi ji shoots the messenger!" he said.

'Dictatorial mindset'

Addressing a press conference here, party spokesperson Shobha Oza said the UIDAI filing the FIR in connection with the report showed the government's "dictatorial mindset".

She said "from time to time" there have been reports about Aadhaar data leakage and referred to a study by the Bengaluru-based organisation - Centre for Internet and Society - which in May last year claimed that information about 130 million card holders had been leaked from four government websites.

She said that personal information of India's citizens were exposed to hackers every day and the right to privacy was being "mocked and flouted with impunity".

"But the Modi government remains immune... the government itself has accepted that there is a leakage. But still the government is being adamant, which is a matter of concern," Shobha said.

UIDAI reacts

Under fire for filing the FIR, the UIDAI said it respects free speech, including freedom of the press, and its police complaint should not be viewed as "shooting the messenger".

In a statement, it said that its act should not be viewed as one targeting the media or a whistleblower.BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa on Sunday accused the ruling Congress in the state of enrolling illegal immigrants from Bangladesh in the electoral rolls of Bengaluru for the sake of votes.



Speaking at the party's Navakarnataka Nirmana Parivarthana rally in Vijayanagar, Yeddyurappa even accused the government of providing the illegal immigrants fake identity cards to help them get enrolled in the voters' list, especially in pockets in Bengaluru where the Congress is weak.

He charged that Bengaluru Development Minister K J George and KR Puram MLA Byrathi Basavaraj have been given the responsibility of monitoring the process.

"My information is that already two lakh immigrants have been enrolled in the voters' list illegally," he said.

He said All India Congress Committe (AICC) president Rahul Gandhi was repeatedly visiting Karnataka as he had lost his "address" in his home state of Uttar Pradesh.

"The Congress won only two seats from Uttar Pradesh in the Lok Sabha elections - Amethi (represented by Rahul Gandhi) and Rae Bareli (represented by Sonia Gandhi). In the recent local body elections in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress suffered a rout in these two constituencies. The party has totally lost its base there. Perhaps, Rahul Gandhi is thinking of contesting from Karnataka," Yeddyurappa said.

Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council K S Eshwarappa dared the government to ban the RSS.

"The government says if SDPI and PFI are to be banned, then RSS too will have to be banned. Let them do it and see the consequences," he dared.Captive breeding of chiru is not a feasible idea because the animal doesn't thrive in captivity, the Union environment and forest ministry has informed a panel of parliamentarians.



Chiru is an endangered species of Tibetan antelope found in the upper reaches of the Himalayas in Ladakh.

The green ministry was responding to a House panel's earlier recommendation of breeding the antelope for a regular supply of their under-fur, the shahtoosh, to the weavers in Kashmir to make shawls of very high quality.

"Captive rearing of the chiru antelope will neither serve the purpose of conservation nor can it provide raw material to the weavers as these animals cannot be bred in captivity. The animals have to be killed to collect their wool to make the shawls," the ministry said in its report to the Standing Committee on Science, Technology, Environment and Forest, which had made the recommendation.

Chiru have long been hunted for shahtoosh, which is renowned for its quality and has traditionally been transported to Srinagar, where it is woven into an extremely fine fabric used to make shawls.

It takes 3-5 hides to make a single shawl. Since the wool can't be sheared or combed, the animals have to be killed to collect the fur.

Trade in shahtoosh shawls was banned by the government to save chiru.

Since there is a demand from weavers and traders to lift the ban in order to save the shahtoosh shawl industry, MPs had proposed the breeding of these animals as an alternative.

The MPs asked the ministry to consider how China and Mongolia had apparently succeeded in the captive breeding of the antelopes.

The ministry, however, claimed that China failed to keep chiru in captivity due to its poor survival rates.

Chiru inhabit the high-altitude Tibetan Plateau and require a large expanse of land for its movement, feeding and breeding.

The quality of wool depends on the cold and harsh climatic factors operating at high altitudes.

Any attempt to do a conservationist breeding of chiru at the very high-altitude regions of Ladakh is neither economical nor feasible as humans cannot be posted there continuously for more than 2-3 months to manage the resources, due to the high rate of casualties, the ministry said.

"And it may not serve the purpose if the animal is kept in captivity below this altitude," the ministry noted.

The animal belongs to the 'near-threatened' category of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.With medical colleges facing a huge faculty shortage, lawmakers have asked the Medical Council of India (MCI) and the Health Ministry to allow "renowned doctors" to teach in the medical colleges.





Shortage of faculty in most of the Indian medical colleges is a well recognisedfact even though there is no centralised database because individual states are responsible to keep a tab on the vacant posts in the colleges and fill them up.





But what may be an indicator, a premiAre centre like the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi had vacancy in 232 posts as on April 14, 2016, out of which 66 positions were for professors, 10 for additional professors, 23 for associate professors and 131 for assistant professors.





"Renowned medical specialists with academic background in cities can be given the status of visiting faculty to teach UG/PG students as students generally love to have famous doctors of city teaching them the art of medical practice. It will also increase the pool of medical faculty," the Committee on Estimates stated in its report tabled in the Parliament.





The MCI had received such a proposal, but it is yet to take a decision. Also no decision has been taken to increase the teaching age of the faculty up to 75 years.





At present, there are 479 medical colleges that offer 57,138 MBBS seats and 25,850 post graduate positions every year. Out of these 479 medical colleges, 227 are in government colleges and the remaining 252 are privately owned.





In the last few years, the norms for PG medical faculty were changed allowing professors to take more students. Now one professor can take two PG students and one Associate Professor can taken one PG student. The MCI has also agreed that each Assistant Professor can also take one PG student.





The MCI has also recommended that in five disciplines a medical oncology, surgical oncology, psychiatry, forensic medicine andradio therapy a one professor can take up to three students instead of two.





The health ministry is in talks with the MCI to extend the opportunity in other post graduate disciplines in order to quickly fill up the shortage of specialists.





The MCI has been to look at the existing norms to find out if new medical colleges can be permitted with existing busy hospitals with adequate well trained teaching faculty so that PG courses right away without waiting for starting graduate courses first.





"Out of box solutions in line with international practices are required to tide over the shortage of faculty," the Committee on Estimates, chaired by BJP veteran Murli Manohar Joshi, said in its report.







The Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) is set to discuss a long-standing demand for extending the scope of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act to pre-primary and secondary level at its meeting scheduled to be held here this month.



Most of the members of a sub-committee of the CABE, set up to examine the issue and suggest measures, have favoured bringing education at pre-primary and secondary level under the ambit of RTE Act.

The committee, headed by Minister of State for Human Resource Development (HRD) Satya Pal Singh since October 3, 2017, is likely to hold its last meeting later this week to finalise its report.

The panel, which was reconstituted several times since 2011, will submit its report during a two-day CABE committee beginning here on January 15. HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar will preside over the meeting.

"Most of us have favoured the extension of RTE to pre-primary and secondary level. The report will be placed before the CABE at its upcoming meeting for its decision," one of the members of the committee told DH.

The RTE Act currently provides for free and compulsory education of only children in the age group of 6-14 years.

The 23-member committee was first set up by the CABE at its 58th meeting on June 7, 2011, by the UPA government. The then minister of state for HRD Purandeshwari was made its chairperson.





"The committee was set up after it was felt at the CABE meeting that every child in the country, irrespective of gender, caste, class or community, must have the right to at least 10 years of formal schooling," an official said.

However, the committee under Purandeshwari could not finalise its report.

The CABE in its 63rd meeting held on August 19, 2015, decided to reconstitute the panel on the subject. Accordingly, the subcommittee was reconstituted on April 4, 2016, under the chairmanship of the then MoS HRD Ram Shankar Katheria.

As Katheria was later removed from the ministry and Satya Pal Singh, former Mumbai top cop, took over last year, the ministry had to reconstitute the committee to appoint Singh as its chairperson.

The CABE, headed by the Union HRD minister, is the highest advisory body on education with all state education ministers and representatives from various government departments, non-government organisations, academicians and other eminent persons as its members.Bengaluru Development Minister K J George on Sunday ordered a probe on the death of three sanitary workers while cleaning a sewage treatment plant at an apartment in Somasundarapalya.



"I have directed the authority concerned to inquire and book those responsible for the incident and take necessary action," the minister said after visiting the place. The victims were not qualified people to enter the manhole," George added.

BBMP Mayor R Sampath Raj announced ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the dead sanitary workers. Raj visited the apartment and accused the owners of negligence.

"This is clearly a violation of human rights," he said, vowing serious action after the probe. "It's unfortunate that people continue to use manual labourers despite the availability of equipment to clean the sewage," he said.

Such deaths are not new to the city.

On March 7, 2017, three persons died while cleaning a manhole at Kaggadasapura near C V Raman Nagar.

The Baiyappanahalli police had then arrested three persons in connection with the deaths and a case was filed under IPC Section 304 (culpable homicide, not amounting to murder) and Section 8 of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Rehabilitation Act, 2013.

Police officials said the case has been stayed by the high court and the three accused are out on bail.A headless, bodiless State Human Rights Commission is urging people to file a complaint against the government over the death of three manual scavengers.



For months now, the SHRC is without a chairman, and the last of its members has checked out sometime ago. The panel, therefore, is left paralysed and is unable to take suo motu action in the case.

"We need approval of the chairman or the members to take suo motu cognizance of a case. Right now, the panel is left with a motley group of staff like a registrar, secretary, deputy secretary and police officials, who have no powers to act," a senior SHRC official told DH.

Even if a concerned citizen decides to file a complaint, they can only call the SHRC during office hours, as the toll free number listed on its website goes unanswered after 6 pm. "They'll have to make sure they file the complaint during office hours. That's the scene here," regretted the official.

Retired Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court Justice Dhirendra H Waghela was recently appointed as chairman of the SHRC. But the officials at the panel are unsure as to when Waghela or the members would take charge.The police are looked upon as guardians of the law. The Indian Penal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code give them enormous powers to deal with the criminals and other law-breakers and provide a sense of security to law-abiding citizens. The Constitution, and the rule of law, has imposed enough checks and balances to ensure that there is a well-established hierarchy to maintain discipline among policemen, and those who violate it are severely and immediately punished. But, a few recent instances in Bengaluru of policemen turning rogues in uniform and the failure of their superiors to treat such incidents with the seriousness they deserve, are certainly a cause for concern. They also raise doubts about the commitment of the political establishment which exercises overall control.



Consider the case of an assistant sub-inspector and a head constable posted to guard a VVIP staying in a five-star hotel in Bengaluru. When the guest checked out and headed to the airport, he found that one of his bags containing Rs 50,000 in cash, a camera and some other valuables had gone missing. He registered a complaint with the police and left. On checking the footage from CCTV cameras, the hotel management found that the two cops had stolen the bag and walked away with it. On receiving the complaint, the jurisdictional police managed to recover the loot from the policemen concerned, but they claimed that they had taken the bag accidentally, and shockingly, they were let off without punishment. In another instance, an assistant commissioner of police (ACP) accompanied by a constable barged into a restaurant around midnight and beat up the owner mercilessly, with absolutely no provocation. A restaurant that does not serve liquor is legally permitted to be open till 1 am as per the government's rules. The obvious surmise is that the ACP's unprovoked attack on the hotelier must have had other extraneous reasons. When the police brutality on the hapless individual captured on CCTV camera went viral, City Police Commissioner T Suneel Kumar ordered an enquiry. The enquiry officer found the ACP guilty of misconduct, but a month later, instead of being prosecuted, the ACP was let off with a mere transfer.

What these incidents show is that the police top brass and those in positions of power in Karnataka have given too much leeway to the lawbreakers in uniform, which does not augur well for the society. Service rules provide for severe punishment in cases of police misconduct and if they are not invoked even in extreme cases, it is an invitation for disaster.Three people died due to suffocation while cleaning a blocked Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) at N D Sepal apartment at Somasundarapalya in HSR Layout, Bengaluru, on Sunday.



The trio was hired to clean the STP at this apartment complex for several months, a resident told DH.

The incident has once again brought to light the scourge of manual scavenging, which is banned.

The victims have been identified as Srinivas (55), a resident of Bandepalya, Narayanaswamy (38) a resident of Kaikondrahalli, and Madegowda (40), a resident of Somasundrapalya.

Narayanaswamy was employed as maintenance staff at the apartment while Madegowda was working as an electrician at a garment factory.

During their weekly offs, Narayanaswamy used to take Madegowda and Srinivas, a painter, to clean the water tanks and STP at the apartment.

A senior police officer said that around 10.45 am, the three men, along with a colleague, Manjunath, went to clean the STP.

Madegowda first went inside the STP and began pouring out waste water. Soon he started screaming and fell unconscious.

The STPs contain highly toxic gases which could prove fatal if inhaled.

On hearing the screams, Srinivas and Narayanaswamy went to rescue Madegowda, but they, too, fell unconscious.

Manjunath, who was standing nearby, raised an alarm.

The residents then informed the police, and fire and emergency service personnel, who took an hour to reach the spot.

It also took them an hour to retrieve the bodies of Madegowda and Narayanaswamy.

Srinivas, who was still breathing, was taken to a hospital. But doctors declared him brought dead.

The bodies of Madegowda and Narayanaswamy have been shifted to St John's Hospital.

Norms violated

DCP (southeast) M B Boralingaiah said a case of death due to negligence has been registered against N D Sepal Resident Welfare Association.

The association had assigned the work with no supervisor and also did not provide the victims with any safety gear.

The police said Kumar, the apartment manager, said that Narayanaswamy was given the contract by the association to clean the STP.

Narayanaswamy was charging Rs 21,000 for monthly maintenance.

The trio was cleaning the STP every two months.

A resident on condition of anonymity confirmed to DH that the workers were not provided with any safety gear, and also that no experienced person was monitoring the work.

The victims were also cleaning the STP manually.

Chief Fire Officer Basavanna C said the victims were not supposed to clean the STP and should have asked for civic agencies to help them instead.

The association members have been summoned for questioning and necessary action will be initiated against them, Boralingaiah said.

The police confirmed that three office-bearers are being interrogated.

An officer from the fire and emergency service department said that a colleague fainted during the rescue operation.

The officer was given first aid and is normal now.

He also said that the STP, which is eight feet deep and 12x12 feet wide, was completely blocked.

The association could have hired a machine to pump out the water, the officer added.

After the incident, most residents did not come out of their flats and even refused to speak with the police and emergency service personnel, a senior fire official said.

Families of the deceased alleged that the residents did not help the victims and held them responsible for their death.

The families are planning to stage a protest at the apartment complex after completing the last rites.Sunday began as usual for Manjula, wife of Madegowda, one of three labourers who died cleaning the sewage line at ND Sepal apartment in Somasundarapalya.



Everyone was at home and Manjula was preparing upma for her 14-year-old son Appu, a Class VIII student, and 17-year-old daughter Jamuna, a PU student. At 9 am, Madegowda went with two of his friends. Manjula had no idea where he was going. The homemaker was left in shock when informed two hours later that her husband died of asphyxiation while cleaning the sewage treatment plant (STP).

She was baffled as to why Madegowda had to clean sewage when he actually worked as an electrician at a garment factory. In the past, Manjula had also worked with a garment maker. She suspects someone had forced Madegowda to do the cleaning work and wants that person to be brought to book. Madegowda hails from Singasandra village in Tumakuru district.

Radhamma, wife of Narayanaswamy, who also perished in the tragic incident, said he was doing some maintenance work at the apartment, besides being an electrician there. Like Manjula, she claimed no knowledge that Narayanaswamy had taken a contract to clean the STP.

She said Narayanaswamy, who usually stays home on Sundays, left at 7.30 am without eating breakfast.

When the police informed Radhamma of his death hours later, she did not believe it and immediately rushed to the hospital. Hailing from Kolar, the family had been residing at Kaikondanahalli for the past two years. Their six-year-old son, Dharshan, was playing even as his father's body was cooling in the mortuary at St John's Hospital.

Vijay, son of Srinivas, was left shaken when informed of his father's death. He also professed ignorance over the nature of his father's assignment on Sunday morning. Srinivas worked as a painter, while his wife Lakshmi is a housekeeper at a private company.

Having recently got a job as an office boy, Vijay, who was attached to his father, had asked Srinivas not to work anymore. But Srinivas was too eager to build a house for his son and was willing to take all odd jobs for additional money, his friend Nagesh said.Engineering students out in New York have been given a guided tour of some of America's finest and most complex military hardware.

Housed inside a giant aircraft carrier moored on the banks of the Hudson River, the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum gives visitors a close look at fighter jets, spacecraft and marine vessels.

It is the sort of big-scale engineering which most inspires the De Montfort University students, out in New York on the universitys huge #DMUglobal trip.

Those on both the Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science courses got a close-up view of legendary craft like the Lockheed stealth jets, Space Shuttle Enterprise, F-14 Tomcat, Harrier Jump Jet and more  all arranged on the top deck of the Intrepid carrier itself, in the belly of which the main museum is displayed.

With a knowledgeable tour guide, the students were led through the huge vessel, hearing how it had served in two world wars and Vietnam, saw the numbers of Japanese planes it had destroyed in the Pacific and how the craft was designed.

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They saw the history of military technology laid out in front of them in creative displays and were able to walk in the shadow of the mighty Enterprise, housed in a special pavilion on the top deck of the craft.

Tanvir Choudhury, studying Mechanical Engineering, said: I wasnt really sure what was expecting but when I got here I saw the technology the military had in the 1960s and 1970s and was impressed by how much it has developed since then.

The museum tour felt like reading a whole book, it was so well explained.

Speaking on the observation deck of the Intrepid, overlooking the Hudson River, which had frozen over in the sub-zero January temperatures, Computer Science student David Dallamore said he had been impressed with the size of the museum.

He said: Seeing the space shuttles was amazing. Theres so much programming in them. It just shows applications of how computers are literally everywhere.

The museum is giant  it shows so many redundant systems which are fascinating. It is an extreme application in the real world of what we are studying on our course.

Vijay Pakka, senior lecturer in Engineering at DMU, said the visit gave students real inspiration to take home.

He said: The students are studying dynamics and control systems in theory and a place like Intrepid will give them the opportunities to see all those theories being applied, like aerodynamics and how a space shuttle will be controlled.Country

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Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine 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No reason to settle for crooked GOP-lite candidates in primaries when you have solid progressives like Laura Oatman and Kaniela Ing running



Many of the people who have ever even heard of Doug Chin just know him from the Rachel Maddow show where she celebrates anyone who hates Trump without ever giving any context. In Chins case she could have mentioned he was a conservative corporate lobbyist who was appointed-- not even properly vetted for or elected as-- Attorney General. That was common knowledge and Maddows researchers should have caught it. What was less easy to find was that he claimed there was an oversight after he was exposed for not reporting (hiding) money paid for lobbying for the private prison industry, which is very controversial in Hawaii. Most people who have followed Chins career know he kept that information private deliberately to prevent the state Senate from knowing that they were confirming a private prison lobbyist to be the Attorney General.





This has become an issue because Chin has repaid CCA, who paid him a great deal of money (over $100,000), by blocking release to the public of information on problems at the private prison . None of the money he accepted from CCA was disclosed before he was appointed and confirmed as Attorney General in January, 2015. He-- and his clients-- clearly broke state ethics rules by withholding reports of at least 4 payments until after he was confirmed. The shady lobbyist payments were the only amendments to his state filing. Last week a complaint was filed with the Hawaii State Ethics Commission.





Chin-- an opportunist and make-believe Democrat-- is now running for Congress and has said all along, quite adamantly just this week in fact, that he would not resign as Attorney General during the campaign. He seems to have changed his mind about that since the ethics complaint was filed.





Another crappy establishment candidate, this one in Orange County, California, is Hans Keirstead, even sillier to think of in Congress than Doug Chin. Hans was recruited by one faction of the clownish DCCC while another faction was recruiting Harley Rouda. Then both were recognized as conservatives by the New Dems, which endorsed them both. The DCCC was then left with 2 lousy candidates from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party running for Dana Rohrabachers seat. Fortunately, theres a progressive in the race as well-- being studiously ignored by the DC Dems-- Laura Oatman. When the DCCC had their Candidates Week to introduce their pathetic conservative candidates to lobbyists, they sent invitations to Harley and Hans and thought no one would notice they had excluded Laura. I noticed-- but when I complained, the only answer I could get was that everyone is invited, typical of the DCCC as a lamer than lame excuse for sending two formal invitations and then claiming the third candidate was welcome if she found out about it and wanted to crash their little boys club.





Yes, Ive told that story before but theres a new aspect that I just read about. Keirstead, easily the lesser of the 2 New Dems, tried pulling the wool over CA-48 voters eyes by making up a cocknbull story that Steny Hoyer had promised him a committee chairmanship, an absurdity on its face, although well never know what Hoyer actually told this fool. Keirstead keeps yapping like a dog about how hes a scientist and how science needs a voice in Congress. How about we just pick honest scientists instead-- and not liars and manipulators trying to turn scientists into another lame identity group?

Democratic candidate Hans Keirstead faced a familiar question at a local party meeting [in Seal Beach] in November: What kind of committees could you sit on, and how would that benefit the district?



But his answer has caused some confusion.



The prominent cancer researcher and political newcomer said House Minority Whip Steny H. Hoyer, a top member of leadership, told him he would like to give Keirstead an early appointment on the influential Appropriations Committee, and that leaders wanted to make him chairman of the Science, Space and Technology Committee.



It turns out that wasnt the case. [Hans was lying his ass off to the people he expected to help make him a congressman.]



Hoyers office denied that the whip made such assertions.



No, neither of those statements is remotely true, the Maryland Democrats spokeswoman Katie Grant said in a statement .The idea that Mr. Hoyer would promise a candidate either a chairmanship or a seat on Appropriations is preposterous.



Its not inspiring for me to become a freshman congressman and to be pushed around and told what to vote on by my party and have no power or control, he said in a video recording of the meeting.



He described meeting with dozens of members of Congress, including top leaders like Hoyer.



I have been honored, I have been just humbled by the fact that they want me to chair the Science Committee, which is actually no great compliment because its an embarrassment, Keirstead said.



So in a meeting that I had with Steny Hoyer, he said, We would like to put you as chairman of the Science Committee, rejigger that thing, get it, get it working and get it up to scruff. But thats not going to do you any favors in the short term. Id also like to give you an early appointment onto Appropriations, Keirstead said.



The House Democratic Caucus relies heavily on seniority when selecting committee chairmen. The Science, Space and Technology Committee, which has jurisdiction over research and development projects, has 16 Democrats on the panel, and most would be senior to Keirstead if he is elected.



Committee assignments are determined by the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee at the beginning of each Congress. Lawmakers can lobby for spots on desired panels, but determinations involve an array of factors including seniority, available openings, regional balance, and a lawmakers applicability to the committees issues.



The Appropriations Committee is one of the most powerful panels in Congress since it oversees government spending. It is also an exclusive committee for Democrats, meaning members on Appropriations do not serve on other panels.



Keirstead said at the November meeting that a seat on the committee would give him considerable sway over health care issues.



I will be one of the most influential people in science, medicine and health care in this nation, he said.



Keirstead also said the prospect of having influence, even as a first-term lawmaker, is one of the reasons he decided to run for Congress.

Roll Call made one error in reporting. The writer reported that the Science Committee has 16 Democrats on the panel, and most would be senior to Keirstead if he is elected. Actually, every single one of them would be senior to Keirstead. The two most senior Democrats, chairwomen Eddie Bernie Johnson, and Zoe Lofgren, have no intention of giving up years of seniority so Hans can waltz into the chairmanship. I talked to another member (on condition of anonymity) who told me that Hans sounds like a prima dona [with] an inflated vision of his capacity I wish guys like him would start on the town council or the state legislature and figure out how governing works [and] how to work and play well with others How do you think Johnson feels about that report in the press? If hes even elected, Im sure Don Beyer will teach him how to behave when EB puts him on the oversight subcommittee. He shouldnt expect anything more relevant until hes put in some service beyond self-service.





And, yes, theres an even worse candidate running in Rohrabachers district, another self funder from another district, Omar Siddiqui who was a Republican and now calls himself (openly) a Reagan Democrat. He lives in CA-39 but doesnt want to run against Ed Royce because he likes him too much. Blue America is enthusiastic about Laura Oatman and if youd like to help make sure that neither Hans nor Omar gets into Congress as Democrats, please consider clicking on the ActBlue California thermometer on the right and contributing what you can to Lauras grassroots campaign. The fact that the DCCC is ignoring her efforts makes her an even more attractive candidate. Her Bernie-oriented platform is far more in line with what energized voters in Orange County are looking for than a plateful of GOP-lite garbage. Hans website is all about Hans-- not about Orange County voters and not about any issues at all. The guys a joker, a product of typical DCCC incompetence. One thing everyone can agree on-- DC has enough unethical players already without adding more sleaze bags like Doug Chin and Hans Keistead.

Heres the truculent crackpot, caught live on CNN, who Laura Oatman will have to work to replace in November after she beats the conservative Democrats in the primary:

UPDATE: Corrupt AG Steps Down



Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue has just issued the Decision approving the scheme on restructuring Vinachem in the 2017-2020 period with the objectives of ensuring Vinachems proper structure and improving the groups capability, business and production efficiency and competitiveness.

According to the scheme, Vinachem's main business lines include producing and trading basic chemicals; exploiting and processing minerals as raw materials for fertilizer and chemical production; producing and trading pesticides and fertilizers containing phosphorus.

Vinachems charter capital is estimated about VND20 trillion (US$882 million) by 2020. The group has made the plan and roadmap for equitization in the period of 2018-2019. After equitization, the State holds between over 50 per cent and less than 65 per cent of Vinachems charter capital.

Regarding the scheme on restructuring Vinachem's member companies in the period of 2017-2020, the Group will divest from the Vietnam Institute of Industrial Chemistry and restructure the College of Chemical Industry simply and effectively.

Vinachem will withdraw all its capital from companies such as Ha Bac Nitrogenous Fertilizer and Chemical JSC, DAP-Vinachem JSC, DAP No. 2  Vinachem JSC and Ninh Binh Nitrogenous Fertilizer and Chemical Co., Ltd in case these companies do business profitably and effectively.

The Group has also divested from Vietnam Apatit Co., Ltd. in the 2017-2018 period with a shareholding of over 65 per cent.

In addition, Vinachem will hold from over 50 per cent to less than 65 per cent of charter capital of seven companies including the Industrial Gases and Welding Electrode JSC, Viet Tri Chemicals JSC, the Southern Basic Chemicals JSC, Lam Thao Fertilizers and Chemicals JSC, Van Dien Fused Magnesium Phosphate JSC, Ninh Binh Phosphate Fertilizer JSC and Vietnam Pesticide JSC.

Vinachem will hold less than 50 per cent of charter capital in nine companies, namely Southern Rubber Industry JSC, Da Nang Rubber JSC, Sao Vang Rubber JSC, Binh Dien Fertilizers JSC, Can Tho Fertilizers and Chemicals JSC, the Southern Fertilizers JSC, NET Detergent JSC, LIX Detergent JSC and Dry Cell and Storage Battery JSC.

Vinachem will withdraw its entire capital from the following 15 companies,namely Hanoi Soap JSC, Vinh Phu Battery JSC, Tia Sang Battery JSC, Inoue Rubber Vietnam Co., Ltd, TPC VINA Plastic and Chemical Co., Ltd, South Chemicals Import  Export JSC, Hanoi Synthetic Paint JSC, Duc Giang Chemicals and Detergent Powder JSC, Hanoi Batteries JSC, Viet Nam Chemical Import & Export JSC, Ninh Binh Fertilizer Port JSC, Tay Ninh Chemical Industry JSC, Da Nang Chemicals Industry JSC, Mine Construction and Investment Consultancy JSC and Chemical Engineering Joint Stock Corporation.The most important trade deal is on our doorstep

My regular column is available to subscribers on www.thesundaytimes.co.uk This is an excerpt.

I always try to start a new year in a mood of good cheer, and it is only in the past few days that I have come to realise the comic possibilities of Brexit. While some would call it a black comedy, who could fail to have been amused by David Daviss dog ate my homework embarrassment a few weeks ago when the 58 detailed sectoral Brexit studies he had boasted about turned out to be nothing of the sort.

Then there was Theresa Mays dawn dash to Brussels in December to secure an agreement, days after the Democratic Unionist Party had scuppered a deal to move on to the second phase of Brexit negotiations. There will no doubt be more such dashes; not so much shuttle as shuttlecock diplomacy.

Many people have also seen the comedy in the activities of Liam Air Miles Fox, the international trade secretary, who is reported to have travelled 219,000 miles in the 18 months since he took on the job. He provoked mirth by holding out the possibility of Britain joining the successor to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the trade grouping apparently fatally wounded by Donald Trumps withdrawal.

With America out, the grouping consists of Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. Though Britain is not committed to replacing America in a new pacific partnership, Fox has not ruled it out and his ministerial colleagues say geography is no barrier to Britains participation.

The cue for the mirth is that this is happening as Britain is leaving a perfectly good trade arrangement with the European Union, an export market more than five times the size of the 11 TPP signatories. It is also that, whatever ministers may say about geography, it matters hugely for trade and, Brexit or not, Britain is not about to be towed into the Pacific.

I am no cheerleader for Fox but the barbs seem a little harsh. Travelling around the world is exactly what a trade secretary should be doing. The international trade department, started from scratch in the wake of the Brexit referendum, and having to cope with a gap of more than 40 years since Whitehall last had expertise in trade negotiations, has gone about its task in a sensible way.

In contrast to Daviss Brexit department, known as DEXEU, where staff turnover is running at 9% a quarter and where the top civil servant, Oliver Robbins, was moved to the cabinet office in September to co-ordinate negotiations for the prime minister, the trade department is quietly getting on with it.

Trade negotiators have been recruited, and more are being sought. And, while Britain lacks firepower and expertise compared with the EU, America, and many other countries, the lost ground is being gradually made up.

There is nothing wrong, either, in an ambitious approach to future trade deals. Most of the supposed freedoms gained from leaving the EU are illusory but the freedom to negotiate trade deals, assuming there is no U-turn on belonging to the customs union or its equivalent, is one of them. Britain belonging to a pacific partnership may seem ludicrous but there is no harm in trying, and there may be goodwill as well as trade to be gained.

Britain runs an overall trade surplus, in goods and services, with the non-EU world, in contrast to the deficit with the EU. The three big prizes for post-EU trade deals, which will be the worlds big three economies by the middle of the century, are China, America and India. All three will be problematical, with conditions we may well not like. But they will need to be done, even of they take a very long time.

That is why there are two important provisos. The first priority for Britains future trading arrangements, which has to come before any new deals, is to roll over or grandfather the existing trade agreements the EU has with more than 60 other countries.

This will not be easy, as a new paper from the UK Trade Policy Observatory points out, and it may be necessary to prioritise some of these agreements. Agreement has to be reached by March 2019 and will involve trilateral negotiations between the EU, Britain and the third countries concerned. One difficulty that may arise is over definitions of the domestic content in exports once Britain leaves the EU. Another will be over regulatory divergence. I shall return to this.

The second proviso is that far-flung trade deals will be of little use if not accompanied by a comprehensive trade agreement with the EU that is as close to single market membership as possible. The EU is Britains biggest trading partner and, for reasons of both geography and history, will be for the foreseeable future.

Though the EUs share of Britains exports has declined in recent years, thanks to the financial and eurozone crises and the rise of emerging economies, the EU share of Britains imports has been broadly stable. The export share, moreover, is now showing signs of increasing, reflecting the strong recovery EU economies are now achieving. The share of Britains goods exports going to the rest of the EU rose from 48% in 2015 to 48.2% in 2016 and 48.6% in the first 10 months of 2017.

This will be the year when the government has to move from vague generalities about Britains future trading arrangements to the specifics of at least achieving an outline deal by the time of Brexit, with the details then to be negotiated. The prime minister will find that she can no longer keep winging it in the hope of keeping her cabinet together. We are approaching cards on the table time.

There is nothing wrong, meanwhile, with the trade secretary travelling the world and talking potential trade deals with other countries. But this can never be an either-or. The most important trade deal to be negotiated is on our doorstep.

(Photo: REUTERS / Larry Downing)The Washington National Cathedral and five Muslim groups hold the first celebration of Muslim Friday Prayers, Jumaa, in the Cathedral's North Transept in Washington, November 14, 2014.

Washington National Cathedral recently became a "place of prayer for all people" as it opened its doors for a Muslim worship service on one day, which was interrupted by a heckler.

On November 14, the iconic Christian sanctuary was filled with sounds of Muslim prayers as American Muslims led their traditional Jummah prayer.

The carefully scripted ceremony was interrupted once when a well-dressed, middle-age woman in the audience suddenly rose and began shouting.

"America was founded on Christian principles. Why can't you worship in your mosque and leave our church alone!" she shouted, was ushered out by security aides, and the service continued, The Washington Post reported.

Canon Gina Gilland Campbell of the Washington National Cathedral told the Huffington Post that the incident "did not dampen the day" as everyone was captured by the beauty of the moment.

The prayers were followed by a sermon delivered by South African Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool.

"We come to this cathedral with sensitivity and humility but keenly aware that it is not a time for platitudes, because mischief is threatening the world," Rasool said.

"The challenge for us today is to reconstitute a middle ground of good people . . . whose very existence threatens extremism."

He praised religious freedom in the United States and criticized religious extremism, mentioning Islamic militants who have attacked Christians in the Middle East.

He then called on Muslims, Christians, and others to fight against extremism.

The idea for the service came after Campbell and Rasool organized an interfaith memorial service for the late Nelson Mandela last year.

The Jummah prayer was held with the support of Muslim leaders from the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS), Masjid Muhammad (the Nation's Mosque), the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), and the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC).

The service was for invited guests, but was also livestreamed at the Cathedral's website.

In an interview with Voice of America, Rasool said he hopes the day will come when non-Muslims will be allowed to pray according to their own traditions even in mosques in Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam.

"I think that we must return to the Muslim prophetic tradition in which the Prophet...invited Christians to his own mosque that he established in Medina - and to say to them, you can pray here."

Franklin Graham, son of evangelical leader Billy Graham, however, wrote on his Facebook page: "It's sad to see a church open its doors to the worship of anything other than the One True God of the Bible."Latest News

New course: Amity introduces MTech in Defence Technology to meet increasing demands The programme will produce postgraduates with necessary skills in Defence technologies to carry out research,

Central Universities to work on mission-mode to fill-up the 6,000 vacant posts by October 2021 Education minister appealed that universities should popularise and promote learning in Indian languages &

CBSE releases sample papers for class X and XII board exams The sample papers have been released for the exams scheduled between November and DecemberSearch All categories Advertising General Aerospace General Agriculture General Airlines General America - Post 9/11 General Apparel General Apple Products General Architectural General Architecture Architecture Art & Entertainments Books Celebrities Country Music Dance Magazines Movies Museums Music Music Downloads News & Talk Shows Performing Arts Photography Television Web Sites Arts/Culture General Auction General Automotive Aftermarket Classic Autos Consumer Publications General Motorcycle & Bike Racing Recreational Vehicle Repair & Service Trade Publications Blogging & Social Media Blogging & Social Media Business Advertising / Marketing Books Consumer Research Direct Marketing e-Commerce Entrepreneurs Finance Franchise Human Resources Insurance Investment Management Markets Network Marketing Online Marketing / SEO Payday Loans 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Personal Growth Self-Help / Personal Growth Shipbuilding General Society African American Interests Asian Interests Childrens Issues Disabled Issues / Disabilities Gay / Lesbian Hispanic Mens Interests Native American Senior Citizens Social Services Teen Issues/Interests Womens Interest Software General Sports Baseball Basketball Bicycling Boating / Maritime Bowling Boxing Fishing Football Golf Hockey Hunting Martial Arts Outdoors Rugby Soccer Tennis Water Winter/Snow Sports/Fitness General Stocks General Supermarkets General Technology Biotechnology Computer Electronics Enterprise Software Games Graphics/Printing/CAD Hardware / Peripherals Industrial Information Internet Multimedia Networking Public Sector/Government Robotics Semiconductor Software Telecommunications Webmasters Telecom General Wireless Television General Tobacco General Trade General Transportation General Travel General Utilities General Volunteer Volunteer Weather WeatherEnforcing new house rules isn't the only thing that Kim Kardashian is doing in 2018. The Keeping Up With the Kardashians star is also working on improving her skin.

Kardashian took to her Instagram to share all of her new skin-care products as well the regimen that will follow. The socialite shared that the routine will take up 30 days to complete and it's going to require four new products. While she will only be using four products, the total comes close to $2,000. That's right! To get beautiful flawless skin like Kim K., it's going to cost exactly $1,850.

In the Instagram story, the soon to-be mother of three could be seen scanning her four new French cosmetics products on her bathroom vanity.

"I can't wait to try all of this," Kardashian said.

Guerlain Skin-Care Products

Everyone is probably wondering what would make someone spend almost $2,000 on skin-care products, but Guerlain promises incredible flawless skin. Guerlain is a French skin-care brand that repairs, hydrates, and nourishes skin. The products are also committed to preserving the skins natural glow and softness.

Although the products cost a pretty penny, each of the four bottles features roman numbers to represent each week and phase.

The first week will "Resurface" the skin and also features an anti-aging formula that is said to reduce wrinkles and fine lines. The second week will "Illuminate," in other words, this will help to achieve a "natural glow."

The third week will "Redefine," which will increase firmness. The final week will "Plump" and help the skin to appear more full. All of these products help to complete the Orchidee Imperiale Black Treatment.

While, this might be Kardashians first time doing the 30-day routine, the reality star is not new to Guerlain products. Fans of Kardashian might remember that she posted about the brand's products before.

In 2015, during a masterclass with her long-time makeup artist, Mario Dedivanovic, the beauty mogul admitted that the products are always on her wishlist.

"Guerlain moisture is my favorite - it's really heavy, which I like, but it's so expensive, so I ask for it for my birthday and Christmas." Kardashian stated.

Get Kim Kardashians Flawless Skin With These Products

Along with the Orchidee Imperiale Black Treatment, Kardashian will also be using these products:

L'Or Radiance Concentrate

L'or is a makeup base that features pre 24-carat gold flakes. Skin will feel soft and smooth after applying this product and will be perfect and ready for long-lasting makeup.

Orchidee Imperiale Eye and Lip Cream

Orchidee Imperiale Eye and Lip Cream provides a fresh and soothing age-defying treatment. This product will also help to brighten, smoothen, and redefine the contours of the eyes and lips.

Meteorites Primer

This anti-dullness texture makeup primer features rosy pearls to give skin a plumpy finish while a combination of absorbent powders helps to conceal blemishes for a long-lasting matte complexion.Scott Disick and Sofia Richie have been dating for just months, but already, they've faced numerous rumors of jealousy and fights.

In the latest report, Disick, 34, is accused of going "ballistic" after catching his much younger 19-year-old girlfriend having an intimate conversation with Formula One race car driver Lewis Hamilton, who has been linked to a number of famous faces in past years.

On Jan. 4, Page Six claimed Disick and Richie were involved in a jealousy-fueled fight as they watched Hamilton play a $100K game of pool with Greasy Bear oil heir Brandon Davis in Aspen, Colorado. According to the report, Disick completely lost his cool when he saw that Richie and Hamilton were talking to each another during the poker match and demanded they leave the event right away.

Disick, Richie, and their friends were reportedly party hopping throughout the New Year's weekend, and when they arrived to the party where Hamilton and Davis were playing poker, Disick was said to have been in the dark about who would be in attendance. So he was reportedly caught completely off-guard when he saw his leading lady chatting with the driver.

Sofia started talking to Lewis during the [pool] game, a source explained. When Scott saw them talking, he went ballistic, crazy. He was very jealous. He insisted they leave the party immediately.

In response to the allegations, however, an attorney for Hamilton said that his client was not involved in any dispute with Disick and Richie and simply had a friendly conversation with the young model.

Although Mr. Hamilton was in Aspen for the holiday, there was no jealousy, no fight, and no issue; rather, as Ms. Richie has herself confirmed, there was a perfectly friendly, polite exchange and any claim to the contrary is simply false, the lawyer explained.

While Hamilton's attorney said that his client's encounter with Richie was nothing to write home about, the two celebrities were actually linked for several months in early 2017, prior to Richie's relationship debut with Disick months later.

According to Page Six, Disick and Richie also engaged in a public dispute last month while attending Art Basel in Miami. As an insider said at the time, Disick and Richie were arguing and definitely in a fight during one of the events, and when Disick attempted to kiss Richie, she "wasn't having it."At the age of 4, he'd only just be starting in the maternelle here in France. There's a reasonable chance that at least one of the maternelle teachers speaks a bit of English - enough to help him through the first weeks and months anyhow. But at that age, he's probably going to pick up the language like a little sponge just by being around and playing with the other kids.



I'm not certain what you're hoping to accomplish with a private English speaking teacher for support. At that age, school isn't all that "competitive" - the maternelle does plenty of "reading readiness" and "writing readiness" in French, which will probably work just fine for him. When he hits age 6, which is normally when school attendance becomes mandatory, you can see how comfortable he is with French by then and decide what (if anything) more he needs in terms of language support.

Cheers,

BevAfter a deputy-involved shooting last month left a 6-year-old boy and an unarmed felon dead, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said his office will review its training policies to see if any protocols need to be changed.

Salazar said its still too soon to say if training was an issue in last months shooting but that its important for the department to continually re-evaluate its training and policies.

I would say every officer-involved shooting that happens, every situation that happens on the street, if you dont take something from that situation and try to replicate that situation in training ... youre missing the boat, Salazar said. As we wrap up the case and we figure out what happened exactly, we will be incorporating some lessons from that shooting and from every other shooting that weve been in.

Even before last months shooting, Salazar had begun reviewing the departments use-of-force and officer-involved shooting policies. He said the departments general manual is wordy and confusing  a culmination of several sheriffs making their marks over the years.

When you start getting into ambiguities in your policy, I think youre asking for trouble, Salazar said.

He said he hopes to revise those policies quickly. Hes also willing to make additional changes, if need be, after the investigation into last months shooting is complete.

Within two years, he hopes to finalize a completely overhauled general manual.

Policy is a living document, Salazar said. Youve got to evolve.

Since he took office a year ago, Salazar has continually emphasized the need to improve training policies at the Sheriffs Office.

During his first months in office, Salazar lengthened the course to become a detention officer from seven weeks to 10 weeks. And starting Monday, a new class of detention cadets will go through training with one more week added, for a total of 11 weeks.

Late last year, Salazar revised the departments pursuit policy, restricting officers from chasing suspects for nonmoving violations. The policy also places a greater onus on supervisors to communicate with deputies about vehicle pursuits.

As a supervisor in Bexar County, you could be 50 miles away from where this pursuit is going and youve got to be asking the right questions of that deputy, Salazar said.

Asking those questions helps supervisors make an educated decision of whether to allow the pursuit to continue, he said.

In-service training is also expanding. State law mandates that peace officers receive 40 hours of training every two years. Starting this year, Salazar will require deputies and detention officers to receive 40 hours of in-service training every year  matching the training the San Antonio Police Department provides officers.

Training differs slightly for deputies and detention officers, but it will focus on patrol tactics, de-escalation training, legal updates, officer safety and survival, community policing and customer service.

Supervisors, meanwhile, will go through an additional eight hours of training, something Salazar believes is unique for law enforcement agencies to require.

Our training for the law enforcement side really needs to encompass everything from rural to suburban-type training, Salazar said. We need to be prepared to handle everything from a loose cattle car out in the middle of unincorporated Bexar County to a family disturbance in downtown San Antonio.

eeaton@express-news.netAUSTIN  Despite pleas for more diversity and less of a big-money presence, Gov. Greg Abbott's appointments to state boards and commissions remain mostly Anglo, largely male and liberally sprinkled with donors to a giant campaign war chest years in the making, a San Antonio Express-News analysis shows.

Since taking office as governor in January 2015, Abbott has appointed 889 people to boards or elevated them to chairmanships.

Two hundred fifty-nine of those picks  and their spouses in some cases  have donated roughly a combined $14.2 million to Abbotts campaigns since June 2001, according to an Express-News analysis of documents from the governors office and Texas Ethics Commission.

That was when Abbott left the Texas Supreme Court and successfully ran for attorney general, a move that put him on the path to becoming governor.

About 29 percent of the Republican governors appointees are donors, with their contributions ranging from $25 to more than $1 million. Their tally is part of more than $130 million in donations from 2001 through last October.

The Express-News in its analysis included contributions from appointees spouses if the appointees and spouses also had given jointly to Abbott.

Geographically, San Antonio yielded the third-largest number of picks, at 54, following Austin (152) and Houston (102).

Looking at the gender and ethnicity of Abbotts appointees, nearly 72 percent are Anglo and more than 63 percent are men - and more than 45 percent are both Anglo and male. About 16.4 percent of his appointees are Hispanic, 6.6 percent African-American and 3.3 percent Asian-American.

By contrast, Hispanics make up about 39 percent of the Texas population, while African-Americans account for 12.6 percent of the population. Women make up just more than half of the Texas population. Minorities make up the majority of the population in every major Texas city, except Austin.

This appointment pattern didnt start with Abbott.

Governors before him appointed a significant percentage of Anglo men and picked supporters for key posts  although the late Democratic former Gov. Ann Richards more than two decades ago appointed a larger percentage of women, African-Americans and Hispanics than the Republicans who followed her.

Abbotts staff said he looks for the best-qualified individuals, never takes contributions into account in making appointments and pushes for diversity.

His appointees typically appear qualified for their posts and include people with track records of noteworthy business success. Some draw broad praise, while others have stirred opposition in some quarters due to their records or views, or because of a desire for more diverse representation in key spots.

Several African-American and Hispanic Democratic senators raised the diversity issue in the 2017 regular legislative session, when no African-Americans were named to the plum spot of University of Texas System regent.

The House, meanwhile, approved a bill by a Republican lawmaker to curtail the appointment of large donors. The measure died in the Senate in the regular session.

Abbotts spokeswoman, Ciara Matthews, emphasized that most of those appointed by Abbott arent donors and said his office has ongoing efforts to recruit appointees who represent the states gender, racial and geographic diversity.

The governor and his office are constantly encouraging qualified individuals of diverse backgrounds to get involved in the appointment process and that process is yielding results, she said.

Abbott and his team did a presentation on appointments at a Hispanic leadership conference that Abbott hosted in San Antonio in October and encouraged people to apply.

One factor never considered is whether a potential appointee has contributed to the governors campaign. Proof of that is that more than 70 percent of Gov. Abbotts appointees have never contributed to him. To suggest otherwise would be false and a disservice to the character and quality of the individuals who are appointed to selflessly serve the state without compensation, Matthews said.

Matthews said Abbott has more than 66,000 individual donors and less than 1 percent of those donors have been appointed to positions of service.

Seeking more diversity

Abbotts record has come under increasing scrutiny as he heads toward his re-election contest, an effort in which he has an advantage as a Republican incumbent with a campaign piggybank that topped $40 million at last count.

His cash on hand is expected to increase substantially with the finance report thats due Jan. 15.

The senators who pushed for more diversity in early 2017 didnt take issue with the quality of the people chosen by Abbott for the UT board. But the governors choices left the oversight panel without an African-American, as it has been since 2013.

That prompted Democratic Sens. Royce West of Dallas and Borris Miles of Houston to abstain from voting in 2017 on the confirmation of former board vice chairwoman Janiece Longoria of Houston, former Sen. Kevin Eltife of Tyler and Rad Weaver of San Antonio, chief executive officer of McCombs Partners.

Longoria is Hispanic, while Eltife and Weaver are Anglo  and all are donors. All are well-regarded, but the senators said their concerns went beyond the individuals at hand.

The only thing that we can do right now as an African-American is stand in the room, ask to speak when appropriate, but we cant be involved in the deliberation process. Think about that, West said before the nominees were confirmed 29-0 by the Senate.

West in a December interview said that hed had a conversation with the governors office and would work with Abbotts team to help diversify appointments to key boards.

I have the offices pledge to do that, West said, adding that he would recommend qualified people to be considered.

Suffice it to say that Im a Democrat and hes a Republican. Im not going to have a bunch of Republican names that Ill be able to give him for consideration, West said, but Im going to do my best to give him quality persons regardless of their political affiliation for consideration.

Sen. Jose Menendez, D-San Antonio, also spoke in the Senate that day and added in a December interview that a better effort can be made to have more balance.

The diversity of our state is what makes us strong. Adding more diversity to the gubernatorial appointees would make us stronger, said Menendez, who added that diverse appointees by the governor would serve as a sign to agency heads that their teams also should be diverse.

At the same time, Menendez pointed to Weaver as a regent appointee whose background has prepared him to be receptive to students needs.

Weaver has recounted that after his father died when he was 16, he applied to a Ford scholarship program in an effort to help his mother with expenses. He came to the attention of auto magnate Red McCombs, who offered him a job washing cars and became a mentor and more to him.

Menendez said Weavers experience will allow him to empathize with the struggles of students.

Abbotts other UT regent appointees also have won praise. In 2015, his first UT nominees were widely seen as calming animosity directed at the flagship campus in Austin over issues including admissions. They did, however, draw concern from some tea party and grassroots conservatives who wanted more of a probe of campus practices.

Pay to play bill dies

There has been other criticism as well.

When Abbott appointed energy billionaire Kelcy Warren to the Parks and Wildlife Commission, environmental advocates protested because of controversies over the Tran-Pecos and Dakota Access pipelines built by his company.

Similarly, Abbotts appointment of pension-reform advocate Josh McGee to lead the Pension Review board was likened by Texas AFL-CIO spokesman Ed Sills in 2016 to appointing Godzilla to guard Tokyo.

More than a year later, AFL-CIO President Rick Levy said McGee hasnt torn the town apart, although he still thinks McGee would like to do so. McGee in the past has said workers should get the pensions theyve been promised and emphasized that the state board doesnt have the authority to make plan changes.

Levy had praise, however, for Julian Alvarez II, a chamber of commerce president whom Abbott named to a Texas Workforce Commission spot designated for a labor representative.

The AFL-CIO initially criticized the appointment because of his background, and Levy said he still believes Alvarezs experience wasnt appropriate for the position.

But Levy said Alvarez has worked really hard. He has reached out to us  I will certainly give him credit for working to basically serve working people.

Neither Alvarez or McGee is listed as an Abbott donor.

Senate Nominations Committee Chairman Brian Birdwell, a Granbury Republican whose panel is a crucial stop for appointees facing Senate confirmation, said Abbott and his team have clearly worked hard to nominate some of the best and brightest Texans  a fact evidenced by the overwhelming support these men and women have seen through the rigorous Senate confirmation process.

The appointment of donors has been spotlighted in part because they show up on the choicest boards, including top university boards of regents and the Parks and Wildlife Commission.

Rep. Lyle Larson, R-San Antonio, won House approval of a bill that would have barred the appointment of gubernatorial campaign donors if they had given more than $2,500 in the previous year.

It also would have prohibited appointees from giving more than $2,500 annually while serving.

Theres no such bar on contributions now. As one example, two Abbott appointees who have given Abbott more than $1 million apiece overall  energy executives Warren and Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board appointee Javaid Anwar - each gave $250,000 to him this year alone.

The so-called pay-to-play legislation died in the Senate, and Larson blamed Abbotts displeasure with the measure for the governors decision to veto a number of his bills. Abbott since has had turnover in staff, and Larson professed hope for the future.

Larson said he will look forward to working with the governors new staff to see if we can find a way to fix an issue that goes back several decades and multiple administrations next session.

The lawmaker repeatedly has said that his measure wasnt aimed at Abbott, but at the long-standing practice by governors of appointing donors.

Perrys appointment of donors was quantified in a 2014 analysis compiled by Texans for Public Justice for the Austin American-Statesman, which found nearly one-fourth of those named by Perry gave money to his campaign either before or after their appointment.

The appointment of Anglos and of men also isnt so different from previous governors, especially Abbotts Republican predecessors, George W. Bush and Rick Perry.

Abbott so far has appointed a larger percentage of Hispanics and Asian-Americans, and a smaller percentage of African-Americans, than Bush or Perry, the states longest-serving governor.

Abbott has appointed a smaller percentage of Anglos than both Bush, who named 77 percent, and Perry, 75 percent.

But Richards, the last Democrat to serve as governor, appointed a larger percentage of Hispanics and African-Americans.

Richards, who made it her avowed mission to open the doors of government to a wider variety of people, appointed 59 percent men and 67 percent Anglos during her 1991-94 term.

Thirteen percent of her appointees were African-American and 18 percent Hispanic. There were no Asian-Americans listed on a Richards tally previously provided by the governors office, but her other category was 2 percent, compared with 1 percent for Perry and Bush, and 1.6 percent for Abbott.

Will it change?

Craig McDonald of Texans for Public Justice, which tracks money in politics, didnt hold out much hope for change with regard to appointment of donors.

Campaign contributions buy a lot of things. And appointments, just by looking at the numbers, seem to be one of them, McDonald said. We think its a motivation for donors who want something out of government, who want to buy not just access to a politician, but a prestigious spot in Texas government.

But Eltife, who has contributed nearly $70,000 to Abbott, mostly through his campaign account, said he didnt give campaign donations with the expectation of getting an appointment.

I give to a lot of Republican candidates in the state of Texas, so its not just limited to someone who can appoint me, Eltife said, adding that he also has fundraisers for a variety of candidates at his Tyler home. I did that when I was in the Senate, when I couldnt get an appointment. I never expected an appointment out of any of my donations. I just want good people to serve in office.

Eltife also said that from his perspective as a senator under Perry and Abbott, I thought they both have done a good job of finding qualified people to serve.

At the same time, Eltife said, he understands the concerns voiced by senators ahead of his own confirmation.

I fully understand their position, Eltife said. Their concern is to make sure we have proper minority representation on our boards in the state, and I fully support their position  You want a broad range of views. Its in the best interest of the boards that were serving on to have those broad range of views. Its healthy for our state, its healthy for the agency or institutions we serve.

Peggy Fikac is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of her stories here. | pfikac@express-news.net | @pfikac

Methodology: Data for this story was collected via Texas Public Information Act requests. One dataset contained roughly 16 years of information  including names, professions and city and state of residence  on those who have donated to Abbotts campaigns. The other dataset contained the name, race, gender and appointment of nearly 900 of his appointees. The two datasets were meticulously compared, but analyzing records in this way leaves a small room for error, and the Express-News was conservative in its analysis where necessary. Questions about the analysis for this story can be sent to datateam@express-news.net.



Famed astronaut John Young  the first man to make six trips to space and the ninth to walk the moon  died Friday night from complications from pneumonia. He was 87.

Colleagues and experts called Young a legend, pioneer and role model for the astronauts who followed in his footsteps.

He was a true believer, said Andrew Chaikin, a space historian and science journalist. He was not just a fighter jock who wanted to go higher and faster. He really believed that space exploration in general was vital to our survival as a species.

Young was one of the nations longest-serving astronauts, spending 47 years leading missions in the Gemini, Apollo and space shuttle programs.

Astronaut John Youngs storied career spanned three generations of spaceflight; we will stand on his shoulders as we look toward the next human frontier, NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot said. John was one of that group of early space pioneers whose bravery and commitment sparked our nations first great achievements in space.

Strong engineer

Young developed his interest in aeronautics growing up in San Francisco, where he built model airplanes and learned how to read from his grandfather, according to a statement from NASA.

The boy also looked up to his father, a civil engineer. Young would continue down his fathers path, graduating from Georgia Tech in 1952 with a degree in aeronautical engineering.

His strong engineering skills were one of his qualities most admired by colleagues, said Chaikin, who interviewed Young for two books he authored including A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts.

John Young was always on the lookout for where we needed to be smarter to do this job and where we needed to fix something that didnt measure up, Chaikin said.

Charles Justiz, a retired research pilot with the Johnson Space Center, spent 30 years alongside Young. His brain was always working in places that none of us were thinking, said Justiz He was the guy with the what if that none of us thought of.

Young served in the U.S. Navy for 25 years, retiring as a captain in 1976. The pilot joined NASA in 1962 in the second astronaut class, known as the New Nine. His decision to join NASA was inspired by President John F. Kennedys 1961 call to land a man on the moon.

I thought returning safely to Earth sounded like a good idea, said Young, according to a NASA statement.

List of achievements

Lightfoot noted that Young commanded the Gemini 10; orbited the moon in Apollo 10; landed on the moon as commander of the Apollo 16 mission; and, on his final mission, landed the STS-9 with a fire in the space shuttles back end. One of his most notable career achievements came in April 1981 when he commanded Space Shuttle Columbia, the first shuttle to reach space.

Young would eventually become chief in 1973 of the Space Shuttle Branch of the Astronaut Office at Johnson Space Center. He was appointed chief of the Astronaut Office the next year and kept the position until May 1987.

Astronaut Mark Kelly was saddened Saturday by the loss of his friend.

As the commander of the first flight of the space shuttle, John Young, along with his pilot Robert Crippen, boldly launched into space on the previously untested space spacecraft. Something that had never been done before and hasnt been done since, wrote Kelly in a statement. His bravery broadened our horizons, his decades of dedication transformed our space program, and his legacy as one of Americas first space pioneers will forever inspire future generations of explorers, as he inspired me.

During his decades, Young received a Congressional Space Medal of Honor, three NASA Distinguished Service Medals, the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, two Navy Distinguished Service Medal and dozens of other awards, including four honorary doctorate degrees. He was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1988.

Young, who lived in El Lago near Clear Lake, retired in 2004 after logging 835 hours in space.

Around his retirement, Young recounted his first trip to the moon on Apollo 10 in an interview with the Houston Chronicle. The impressive thing about the back side of the moon is how many darn craters it has, he said. If the back side of the moon was facing us, I think human beings would be far more adaptive, far more educated, about (asteroid or comet) impacts on planet Earth.

Many others joined in on Saturday sharing grief and condolences about their beloved friend and colleague.

Former President George H. W. Bush said in a statement that Young was a good friend and also a fearless patriot whose courage and commitment to duty helped our Nation push back the horizon of discovery at a critical time.

Former NASA astronaut Terry Virts shared his sadness about Youngs death, tweeting on Saturday: You were one of my heroes as an astronaut and explorer and your passion for space will be missed.

Despite his running list of achievements, Young remained humble and didnt brag about his accomplishments.

It was always about the mission and always about the people, Justiz said.

brooke.lewis@chron.comThe shackles around Bobby Gills ankles slowed his stride as he walked across the courtroom. He wore a blue jail jumpsuit and orange shower clogs, and with his head bowed and wrists bound by handcuffs, he resembled less a man than a weary apparition.

He stopped when he reached a lectern at the rooms center and stood beside his attorney. U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez looked down at him from the bench. Gill stared at the floor except when responding to the judges questions, his voice hollow.

I apologize to my family for the pain and disappointment Ive caused them, he said.

At the end of the hearing in October, Rodriguez sentenced him to five years in prison, with credit for time served since February. Gill, 68, had pleaded guilty to charges related to his arrest Feb. 2, when authorities found him in possession of more than 2 pounds of cocaine they alleged he intended to sell.

The crime turned him into a national news item for setting fire to his chance at redemption.

The San Antonio native had served 25 years behind bars when he returned home in 2015. Former President Barack Obama commuted his life sentence under a clemency initiative that freed 1,715 federal inmates as part of a broader campaign of criminal justice reform.

Twenty-one months later, Gills arrest made him the second member of that fraternity to reoffend, and he appears to be one of only four to land back in federal prison.

Obamas program sought to bring relief to nonviolent drug felons punished in the 1980s and 90s during the dawn of mass incarceration in the United States.

Most of the men and women who received clemency had faced sentencing under mandatory minimum guidelines established three decades ago. Those standards dictated longer sentences for federal crimes until 2013, when the Obama administration eased charging policies for low-level drug offenses.

In 1990, authorities arrested Gill for possession of less than an ounce of heroin at Stinson Municipal Airport, his third nonviolent, drug-related felony since 1978. Prosecutors later linked him and three co-defendants to a conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, and a federal judge sentenced him to life without parole.

Obamas act of mercy arrived a few years after Gill had exhausted his appeals. As one of more than 33,000 inmates who filed petitions, he had won a kind of clemency lottery. He remained in a state of relieved wonder when the San Antonio Express-News profiled him two years ago.

One minute you didnt know if you were ever going to get out of prison, he said. And then in the next minute youre being told youre going back to free society.

Around the time of that story, eight months after his release and 362 days before his arrest, Gill moved into an apartment in Ingram Hills and found work at a law firm. He had reunited with his three adult children and met his grandchildren for the first time. He felt at once grateful for and worthy of his freedom.

Should a person who has committed three mistakes be subjected to life without parole and not be considered for a second chance? he said. This is a new awakening.

Federal prosecutors cast his arrest early last year as proof he never deserved clemency. Advocates of sentencing reform counter that locking up nonviolent criminals for decades and a lack of rehabilitative services leave them ill-prepared to readapt to the outside and susceptible to reverting to past habits.

Mark Osler directs a federal commutations clinic at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis that aided several inmates in gaining their release through Obamas program. He described the primary problem that ex-convicts confront.

In prison, you dont have to make decisions. Everyone is telling you what to do every hour of the day, he said. The biggest difference is now making choices for yourself, and it starts with the most basic tasks like, I need food. Where am I going to go? If youve been in prison a long time, the feeling can be overwhelming.

Gills job and apartment, along with the steady support of two siblings, provided him with a level of stability that can elude former inmates for years. He appeared to navigate civilian life with an awareness of what he stood to lose. And then, by degrees, he became unmoored.

The unwinding

Yolanda Gill-Walker entered the visitation center at the federal detention center on Laredo Street. Her older brother, his face drawn, spoke before she could ask what happened.

Im sorry, Bobby told her. I cant believe I did this. I f----d up.

Yolandas voice tightened with anger and disbelief. How could you? How could you do this again?

He replied with silence, his eyes cast downward.

He just had a glazed look, said Yolanda, 63, recalling their conversation from last February. She and a younger brother, Eddie, had shepherded Bobby through the early months of his transition after prison. He didnt have any answers for me.

Court records show Gills arrest occurred two weeks after federal agents with Homeland Security Investigations received word that he wanted to obtain cocaine to sell.

The documents detail his meeting with an unidentified woman in the parking lot of a La Fiesta grocery market near Ingram and Callaghan roads, three blocks from his apartment. She gave him a kilogram of cocaine inside a black backpack that he placed in his car.

County sheriffs officers watched the exchange and trailed Gill as he drove out of the lot. Noticing the flashing lights in his rearview mirror, he led authorities on a chase that ended minutes later when he struck another car at the intersection of Callaghan and Bandera roads.

Gill discussed the chase and his arrest during a recent interview at a federal detention center in Karnes City. He was sent there after his sentencing to await transfer to a Fort Worth facility that houses inmates with special health needs.

His dark hair had gathered more gray in the almost two years since he invited a reporter to his apartment, where he had sat in his kitchen and talked about feeling resurrected after a quarter-century in prison. Now he sat behind bulletproof glass on the other side of a cinder-block wall that separates inmates from visitors.

When I saw the cops, it was like your whole life flashes before you. You see everything youve had, everything youre about to lose, Gill said. His head dropped. In a fraction of a second, its gone.

The prelude to that fateful moment traced back to a year earlier. Soon after moving into his apartment and buying a car, he started dating a woman in her mid-20s.

Yolanda and Eddie were the only two of Gills dozen siblings who stayed in touch with him during his decades away. They worried that his new girlfriend, whose behavior they characterized as erratic and toxic, would pull him off the path to reclaiming his future.

In their accounts, she subjected Gill to unrelenting verbal abuse and frequent physical attacks that, on at least one occasion, required him to seek medical care. Yet he ignored their advice to stop seeing her, and as the months passed, he spent less time with his brothers and sisters, children and grandchildren.

Theres only so much you can do, said Eddie, 62, the youngest Gill sibling. I think pride made it hard for him to realize he was making a mistake.

Gill refused to answer questions on the record about the woman apart from admitting they had a turbulent relationship. She could not be reached for comment.

He showed less reticence about another aspect of his unwinding. By late 2016, as he withdrew further from his loved ones, he had relapsed into drug use.

I started using cocaine again. I thought, This time, I can control it, he said. I let myself get sucked back into the life.

A golden chance

Army records confirm Gill deployed twice to Vietnam in the late 1960s. His first tour saddled him with post-traumatic stress disorder, the fallout from the death he inflicted and witnessed as a helicopter door gunner. He returned from his second deployment addicted to heroin, another casualty of the abundant illicit drugs available to troops during the war.

He plunged into the drug trade in San Antonio after his discharge in 1972. As much as the money, Gill craved the adrenaline high of dealing, even after repeated stints in jail and prison that cost him two marriages and alienated him from his children and most of his siblings.

His life sentence imposed sobriety on him, and as a condition of his supervised release three years ago, he attended substance abuse counseling for a time and submitted to sporadic drug testing. He also sought treatment for PTSD at the citys Veterans Affairs hospital.

But cocaine and his troubled personal life eclipsed the promise of what he had called his new awakening. He failed a drug test not long before his arrest last February. Eddie and Yolanda felt impotent as he strayed from the message of hope contained in Obamas signed letter that had notified Gill of his commutation.

I am granting your application because you have demonstrated the potential to turn your life around, the former president wrote. Now it is up to you to make the most of this opportunity.

The majority of the court files in Gills latest case remain sealed, obscuring the details of the federal investigation into his activities. The kilo of cocaine in his possession had an estimated street value of $26,000, and in the criminal complaint against him, authorities alleged that he related that he was going to sell the cocaine to make money.

Gill told the Express-News in vague terms that the drug deal had a purpose other than personal profit and alluded to working on behalf of a non-criminal organization. His attorney, Guillermo Lara, investigated his claims and deemed them largely credible, and he presented his findings to the court under seal.

Lara believes the information  coupled with Gills drug addiction, the lingering effects of his combat trauma and his age  influenced the judges decision to sentence him to the minimum of five years for his crimes.

Bobby has made some wrong choices, and he bears responsibility for those, Lara said. But there has to be consideration of his experiences in war and of the impact of addiction on his behavior.

Osler, a law professor and former federal prosecutor, explained that authorities will ask a judge to seal documents in criminal cases to conceal the identity of informants or the scope of an ongoing investigation, among other common reasons. He further described how a civilian involved in an undercover operation risks arrest if he breaches the limits of his role by, for example, selling drugs on the side.

In the prison visitors room, Gill pressed a hand against the bulletproof glass, reflecting on his short-lived freedom. He sounded remorseful yet struggled with the idea of his culpability. He saw clemency as both gift and burden.

People think it was a golden chance  and it was, in a sense, he said. But theres more to readjusting to life than getting out.

Inmate No. 24434-149

Eddie Gill sells used restaurant equipment out of a small warehouse on the South Side. Bobby moved into a bedroom that adjoins Eddies office two months after his homecoming in 2015 and lived there until finding his apartment that December.

Eddie furnished the coral-red room with a double bed and flat-screen TV. His brother, who had slept in prison cells for 25 years, referred to the modest space as the penthouse suite.

When he was with me, he was doing well. He had boundaries and people around him, Eddie said, sitting beside a desk buried under invoices and other paperwork. Once he got on his own  got his own place, got a car  he didnt have anyone checking on him as much. Thats when he ran into trouble.

Hes 68, Eddie added, but hes got the mind of a 30-year-old. He sort of lives in a fantasyland that way.

Gills spiral paralleled the trajectory of three other nonviolent drug offenders granted clemency by Obama who later ended up in federal custody. Each of the trio, including a Texas City woman released in 2016 after serving 10 years of a life sentence, relapsed into drug use, behavior that contributed to subsequent crimes.

The U.S. Sentencing Commission has reported that half of all federal inmates released from prison reoffend within eight years.

Advocates of criminal justice reform regard the low recidivism rate among those freed under Obamas clemency initiative as evidence of the programs success. At the same time, they argue that the overall rate exposes how decades-long sentences for nonviolent federal offenders stymie their rehabilitation.

Prison infantilizes people, said Mary Price, general counsel for Families Against Mandatory Minimums, a nonprofit advocacy group based in Washington. Theyre told when to get up, when to go to bed and everything in between. Doing that for 25 years doesnt do a good job of preparing people to come back to the community.

San Antonio attorney Neil Calfas hired Gill at his law firm six months after the ex-lifers release. Gill had picked up an extensive legal education in prison libraries, and he steered clients to the practice through contacts he made at the halfway house where he first lived after returning to the city.

Calfas recalled that, several months into the job, Gill asked him to file a request in federal court to waive the rest of his five-year probation. The lawyer held off over concerns that Gill needed more time to acclimate to the outside.

Bobby was institutionalized to a degree, and being locked up for so long can hurt peoples ability to make good choices, said Calfas, who praised the quality of Gills work for the firm. Thats what happened with him. He turned out to be his own worst enemy. He hurt himself more than anyone else.

The United States makes up about 5 percent of the worlds population while accounting for almost a quarter of its inmate population. The prospects for federal sentencing reform that could reduce prison overcrowding  a priority for Obama in his second term  have receded under President Donald Trump.

Earlier this year, Attorney General Jeff Sessions reversed Obamas policy changes on drug sentencing, ordering federal prosecutors to once more charge and pursue the most serious, readily provable offense against defendants.

Bettina Richardson, the assistant U.S. attorney who prosecuted Gills case, pushed for a 10-year sentence. She argued in court that he had violated the governments trust, and in an interview, she criticized the decision to grant him clemency.

The original sentence he received  life in prison  was clearly an appropriate sentence, she said. The whole purpose of a life sentence is to protect the community.

Judge Xavier Rodriguez, in giving Gill five years, recommended that he participate in 500 hours of intensive drug counseling and receive mental health therapy while incarcerated.

The dual treatment plan could prove crucial in helping Gill leave prison behind for good, provided he outlives his sentence, which will expire in 2021 if he gains time off for good behavior. He would be 73 years old.

Eddie and Yolanda intend to welcome him home despite the distress he has sown within the family. Eddie vowed they would keep a tighter rein on him. Yolanda will insist he attend counseling and take medication to subdue his worst impulses. They pray that age finally slows him down.

I dont condone what Bobby did, said Yolanda, who receives multiple calls a day from him. He was moved to a facility in Oklahoma late last month pending his transfer to the federal medical prison in Fort Worth. But at the same time, hes still my brother. Nobodys perfect. People make more than one mistake in life.

Beyond their guarded hope persists the question of whether a man who has spent almost half his 68 years locked up will overcome his history and himself.

Two years ago, federal inmate No. 24434-149 walked out of a penitentiary wearing black trousers and a white button-down shirt. On a recent weekday, back behind bars, he wore an orange sweatshirt beneath his blue jail jumpsuit.

His inmate number had stayed the same. It was as if prison had been waiting for him.

mkuz@express-news.net | Twitter: @MartinKuzAUSTIN  Texas' fledgling medicinal marijuana program is pushing ahead, despite a recent policy reversal from Washington that could open the door to federal crackdowns in states that have legalized pot.

Two of the three dispensaries licensed in Texas plan to soon start selling cannabidoil, or CBD oil, to approved epilepsy patients, representatives said Friday.

We are still chugging along in Texas and excited to dispense very soon, said Scott Klenet, a spokesman for Knox Medical, registered with the state as Cansortium Texas.

Still, uncertainly remains about how the policy change  announced this week by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions  might affect Texas.

The Texas Department of Public Safety, which oversees the dispensaries, has yet to receive any official guidance from federal partners, the agency said Friday.

However, as always, we will review any changes in federal policy to determine the impact, if any, on our departments program, a DPS spokesman said.

Texas has among the most narrow medicinal cannabis programs in the country, open only to people who suffer uncontrollable epileptic seizures and who have prescriptions from certified epileptologists or neurologists. Even then, patients can only use cannabidoil with low levels of THC, the component that gives pot users a high.

From our perspective in Texas, the (U.S. Department of Justices) action is likely to be focused on states with more liberal legalization laws, said Morris Denton, CEO of Compassionate Cultivation, an Austin-area dispensary. Were not Colorado, and were not California. Were Texas. Were conservative, and were set on doing this right.

At least 29 states allow marijuana as medicine, while seven states permit pot for recreational use, according to Governing Magazine. Still, the drug remains illegal under federal law. Sessions decision rolls back an Obama-era policy that discouraged federal law enforcement from going after cannabis industries in states that allow them.

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Texas, which includes San Antonio, said the office will utilize the long-established prosecutorial principles to carry out the shared commitment with the Justice Department to combat violent crime and the scourge of drug offenses plaguing our community.

A Congressional amendment that shields state medicinal marijuana programs from federal enforcement is set to expire Jan. 19, unless it is renewed in the next government spending bill, according to The Atlantic.

Were hopeful Texas doesnt come under fire from federal interference, but theres no way to know at this point, said Heather Fazio, Texas political director for the Marijuana Policy Project.

Texas lawmakers approved the use of cannabidoil in 2015, but the so-called Compassionate Use Program is only coming online now.

At least seven physicians have registered to prescribe the drug.

Knox Medical has product available at its dispensary in Schulenburg and is waiting for patient orders, Klenet said. Compassionate Cultivation expects to harvest plants in two weeks, with medicine available by early February, Denton said.

Surterra, the third dispensary to get licensed by the state in mid-December, did not respond to a request for comment.Until now, voters in Virginia, New Jersey and Alabama have had all the fun with big elections that gripped the nation, altered the U.S. Senate and provided an appetizer for what many expect to be a tumultuous 2018 election cycle nationwide.

But now its the Lone Star States turn to join the mix with the earliest primary elections in the nation  and with plenty at stake.

On March 6, Texas voters will decide who will carry the Democratic partys mantle into the battle for governor and a slew of other statewide offices in the nations biggest GOP stronghold, remake the states congressional delegation with eight new members likely determined during the primary in heavily gerrymandered districts, and test U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in his first re-election since his stunning victory in 2012.

What the turnout looks like in the Texas primary will tell a lot about what lies ahead for Republicans and Democrats in 2018, said Cal Jillson, political science professor at Southern Methodist University. If there is big minority voter turnout  traditionally low in gubernatorial cycles in Texas  it could signal that the higher-than-expected turnout in last months Senate race in Alabama is a developing trend nationally that could have lasting impact. Similarly, what turnout looks like for suburban white women who helped elect Donald Trump in 2016 will tell Republicans a lot. If they come out in the GOP primaries, they could again help Republicans comfortably carry the day.

But theres not much time for any of it. Early voting starts Feb. 20  six weeks from Tuesday. And for thousands of Texans in the military and overseas, they could be filling out ballots in as little as two weeks to make their choices. Military and overseas ballots must be out by Jan. 20, according to the Texas Secretary of States office.

In 30 of the nations 50 states, primaries are from June to September. Texas is one of only two states that have March primaries. Illinois holds its primaries on March 20.

It makes it difficult for voters, Jillson said. Youve just come out of the holidays and you look up and you are just a few months before Election Day.

That has campaign teams in Texas working at warp speed trying to gain name identification at a time many Texans are still taking down Christmas decorations.

Everything is happening now, said Donna Stanart, campaign manager for David Balat, one of nine Republicans running in the 2nd Congressional District, which runs from west Houston and wraps around to Atascocita and Humble in northeast Harris County.

Adding to the pressure is the fact that in some Republican primary races, nearly half the votes will be cast during early voting. That means really seven weeks for candidates to find a way to stand out.

Jillson said the early primary benefits incumbents because they are typically better known and have more money. But in crowded fields with mostly unknown candidates, the next nine weeks is an exercise in branding and building name recognition through any means possible.

Somehow you have to embed your name in peoples minds, Jillson said.

March 6 isnt likely to be the end of the primary for many races. In contests with a lot of candidates and no clear favorite, a run-off election becomes increasingly likely. If no candidate gets above 50 percent, a runoff election is set for May 22.

Perhaps the most notable race is for governor. Texas has 10 Democrats running to determine which will take on Gov. Greg Abbott, who himself faces minor opposition from two Republicans in the GOP primary. Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez and Andrew White, the son of former Gov. Mark White, are two of the best-known names in the race for Democrats.

But this election year will bring big changes in Congress for Texas.

Statewide, eight congressional races are open seats, meaning there is no incumbent seeking re-election, after an usually high amount of retirements. Texas has not lost more than eight sitting congressman in one year since 1996, when nine incumbents retired or were defeated for re-election.

In San Antonio, U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith is retiring after 30 years in Congress, creating a competitive race for the first time in memory in District 21, a district that stretches from San Antonio to Austin. Eighteen Republicans and four Democrats have filed to run for Smiths seat.

One of the most watched races in Texas will be for the U.S. Senate where Cruz, finishing his first term, faces four lesser-known Republicans in a primary. On the Democratic side, El Paso Democrat Beto ORourke first needs to get through a primary with two other Democrats to get to the highly anticipated battle with Cruz.Dan Naranjos work as a mediator has focused on getting two disparate parties to put themselves in each others shoes to resolve a conflict.

In the legal system, mediation has been highly successful. Naranjo says people at great odds finally see theres more to gain from letting go of their intransigence. Compromise, ultimately, can be cheaper, too.

Washington probably isnt the place to expect such behavior. Its where the center remains a lonely expanse, and tribalism and Tweeting have stood in for leadership and policy-making.

That has been especially true in Washingtons view of the 700,000 lives impacted by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Young immigrants who came to the United States as children, who are essentially American in all but on paper, could face deportation if Congress doesnt find a way to ensure they can stay.

If trying to see the oppositions side on this issue is too hard, as Naranjo counsels clients, perhaps its better to ask Democrats and Republicans not to stand in each others shoes but in those of someone like Emmanuel Quiroz.

The 23-year-old senior at UTSA is grappling to understand whats going on in Washington while wrapping up a bachelors degree in communications. Hes also working and hopeful about a full-time job after graduation.

Quirozs is an interesting story. It may lack the drama of other immigrant journeys filled with harrowing violence. But his is nonetheless frightful for a familys deep poverty and distress.

One domino fell, and then all the others did: His father lost a job, rent couldnt be paid on the familys home, where Emmanuels mother ran a beauty shop. Four people needed to be fed, a third child was on the way.

Everything fell apart, Quiroz said. Mexico couldnt provide a future.

So, his father did what migrants the world over do  what our own ancestors did, even when Texas was Mexico and immigrants from Tennessee arrived here to forge futures.

His father found work in this southern state, mostly in construction, one of many U.S. industries that depend on immigrant labor.

A year later, the rest of the family followed but landed in Houston, where a relative offered lodging.

It was tough, Quiroz said over and over about those days. His mother worked in a restaurant, then as a housekeeper.

When the family was reunited, his fathers alcoholism posed additional challenges on top of the academic ones he was facing.

Still, Quiroz overcame naysayers  among them teachers  to become a first-generation college student. He learned English quickly, he says, but kicks himself for not finishing high school with a better GPA. He ranked 61 out of 529.

He counts his blessings, though. His father is sober now. His little sister has started college. Im very excited for her, he says. His parents, They have my back.

And he has DACA protections until October and an internship in digital media. I love my major, he adds.

He came to San Antonio to go to UTSA but fell in love with the city first. Its so open and friendly, he says, and he has made amazing friends.

Come May, hell be among the first-generation Roadrunners wholl wear special orange stoles showing that proud designation. Hell try to celebrate as his life remains in limbo.

He knows of Dreamers who decided not to stay in college, working full time instead to prepare for the possibility of deportation.

Quiroz decided to plow through toward his diploma. In between studying and working, hes trying to keep up with Washington and with Trumps tweets. He doesnt care which party comes through for Dreamers, just that one or both do.

Naranjo hopes that the once-fair judicial mind of one U.S. senator from Texas, John Cornyn, comes through for Dreamers. That hell work to keep them from being deported to countries in which they will be strangers.

But a young San Antonio man, educated and promising, who sees so much hope in his country, is a realist.

And he has come to the realization that deportation may become his reality.If you think Bexar County is big now, consider that it once stretched across half of Texas and extended all the way to Wyoming.

The area now within the county limits was once home to 125 small, independent bands of Native American hunter-gatherers collectively called Coahuiltecans, according to the Bexar County website. During the late period of Mexican rule from 1821-1836, Texas was divided into four departments, with the region of Bexar stretching west to the Rio Grande.

After independence from Mexico was secured at the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836, the new Republic of Texas government formed the county of Bexar, with San Antonio as its seat of government, as one of 23 original counties. It took in most of Texas to the north and west, as well as parts of what now are New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma and Kansas, with an elongated strip of land reaching due north into Wyoming. The Congress of Texas claimed that, based on the Treaty of Velasco signed by Santa Anna, the republics western boundary ran the entire length of the Rio Grande to Colorado, then north to the 42nd parallel in Wyoming.

Bexar County originally stretched from what we know today all the way out to El Paso and into the Panhandle, said James Harkins, director of public services for the General Land Offices Archives & Records division. It was the largest county and largest land district. It made up half of the state. Thats because San Antonio was the westernmost major city for most of the 19th century.

More Information Changing boundaries This interactive map created by the Newberry Library lets you select a date and shows you where the Bexar County boundaries were then: http://publications.newberry.org/ahcbp/map/map.html#TX. Here are some Bexar County changes: The first apparent change for Bexar County was on Dec. 12, 1837, in the Mina/Bastrop County area. The next was on Nov. 28, 1839 in north Texas, where the Fannin land district is. In January of 1842, a minor change was made in the Guadalupe County area. On March 24, 1846, Comal County was formed, and slight changes were made to Bexar County. On May 12, 1846, the largest change was made in the Bexar County boundary in the Milam County area, but Bexar was still pretty much intact. On Jan. 28, 1848, Webb County was created in South Texas. On Feb. 12, 1848, Medina County was created. It was the first to be created not adjoined to an already established county boundary. Feb. 23, 1848, Gillespie County was created. March 15, 1848, Santa Fe County was created. This was a huge part of Bexar County, and this county no longer exists. After 1848, there was rapid development of counties being carved out of Bexar County and Santa Fe County with border changes. See More Collapse

Bexar County retained its sprawling configuration when Texas was annexed as the 28th U.S. state in 1845. Survey jurisdictions known as land districts were formed for the Land Office by an 1846 state law that defined the limits of the counties to help administer land grants. There were 35 original land districts, including Bexar, with one surveyor in each district functioning under the Land Office.

These are the earliest counties, essentially, Harkins said.

But after the Mexican War of 1846-1848, Texas and U.S. officials differed on the location of the states north and western boundaries. Hostilities nearly erupted between federal troops and Texas militias over a portion of the Bexar territory that now is New Mexico. The U.S. Congress considered proposals to divide Texas into two or three states.

Finally, under an agreement known as the Compromise of 1850, the federal government offered Texas $10 million in exchange for the disputed land to the north and west. It was approved by Congress and passed by Texans in a special election by a 3-1 margin. Bexar County was downsized as well, as the expansive jurisdiction was divided into 128 counties between 1845 and 1876.

And so as different population centers started building up throughout western Texas, they would start carving out counties from the Bexar Land District and Bexar County, Harkins said.

As large counties created before annexation were divided into smaller units, the Legislature added more counties in the decades after U.S. annexation. Kenedy County, the last of the 254 Texas counties to be created, was formed in 1921.

Today, Bexar County encompasses 1,256 square miles  slightly bigger than Rhode Island  and has more than 1.8 million residents.

Scott Huddleston is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of his stories here. | shuddleston@express-news.net | @shuddlestonSABRIDGEPORT  Its been a year of Barnum-filled news, and Kathleen Maher wants to keep it going. But it is going to take a lot of money.

With the end of the Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey Circus and the release of a film based on the life of P.T. Barnum in recent months, Maher, director of Bridgeports Barnum Museum, said she and her creative team want to ride a wave of momentum in 2018 with their plans to modernize the historic Main Street building. All it will cost is $50 million.

As renovations to fix damage from a 2010 tornado continue, Maher said she and her team are putting the finishing touches on a master plan that will transform the design and experience of the museum when it fully reopens.

That was quite a time for the museum to really kind of step back and determine what that means as we move forward, and truthfully what was revealed rather quickly was that the museum was more important now than ever, she said. Were part of the state of Connecticuts narrative and people are expecting great things to be happening in the next few years, and we are tooled up and set to keep up with that enormous momentum behind us.

Pending a final report outlining the economic impact an improved museum would have on the city and region, Maher said the final piece of the puzzle would be to raise funds to make it happen. She said the museum is looking at a variety of sources, including tax credit programs, angel investors, corporate investors and anyone looking to become a stakeholder in the redevelopment of the museum.

Were hoping to build a large group of people to come in and have a voice in the future of the Barnum Museum, she said.

Taking point on the redesign is Los Angeles-based BRC Imagination Art, which worked on the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Illinois.

(The Barnum Museum) had a series of catastrophes and, in true Barnum fashion, (Kathy) didnt want to let a disaster go to waste, so she thought this was a great time to reinvent the Barnum Museum and was looking for something outside of the traditional museum exhibition design world, said creative director Matt Solari.

According to Solari, he and his team are hoping to honor the historic showmans legacy in Bridgeport.

Our job is to create a magical world that you step into, Solari said.

The museum has raised about $6 million over the last few years, with a large portion coming from the State Historic Preservation Office, Maher said. Most of that went toward repairs, with the remainder going to the restoration of damaged artifacts and planning the future designs of the museum.

Phase 1 of construction, which focused on reinforcing the portion of the roof and the attic closest to Peoples United Bank, is complete, according to historic restoration engineer Jim Norden.

That was the first area of concern and it was to get it in a stable position, and then in a normal way go to the interior of the building and plan to do whatever is needed to support the functions of the future museum building, Norden said, adding that he and his team are preparing for Phase 2, which will stabilize the large dome on top of the historic building.

Pending approval from the state and getting bids during the winter, Norden said construction could start in the spring.The race is on to expand high-speed internet service across the country.

Stamford-based Charter Communications has emerged as a leader in the broadband industry, as it has connected millions of customers across the country in recent months to super-fast gigabit service. In Connecticut, public officials are also pushing ahead with a number of rapid-connection initiatives, which they argue are engines of economic growth. But these programs must tackle significant challenges  including recent regulatory changes  to fulfill their potential.

Gigabit is the future, said Sudip Bhattacharjee, a professor in the University of Connecticuts business school and chief of U.S. Census Bureaus Center for Big Data Research. Any business that needs extremely fast internet connections will benefit. And it will be a huge asset for any cities or towns here in Connecticut.

Embracing gigabit

Last month, Charter announced it had added 1 gigabit per second connections with its Spectrum Internet Gig service to seven markets covering about 8.8 million people.

The term gig refers to internet speeds of 1 gigabit per second. One gigabit equals 1,000 megabits. Nationally, internet speeds average about 9 megabits per second, by some measures

Charter officials said the service would help customers to quickly stream video, play online games, download music and do other activities on multiple devices without sacrificing broadband quality.

The company declined to comment for this article.

The new markets  Austin, Texas; Charlotte, North Carolina; Cincinnati; Kansas City, Missouri; New York City; Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina; and San Antonio  join Oahu, Hawaii, its first gigabit market, which launched in late November.

In 2018, Internet Gig is set to launch in additional cities across Charters 41-state footprint. The company has not disclosed those planned locations.

I think that they want to basically provide this service in high-concentration cities, where they may consider this to be economically viable, said Ramesh Subramanian, a professor of information systems at Quinnipiac University.

Going high speed in the Nutmeg State

In Connecticut, some 72 percent of internet connections ran at speeds of more than 10 MBPS in the first quarter of 2017, ranking 10th among the states, according to a report by technology firm Akamai. The rate represented a 10-point improvement over the rate from one year earlier.

But many want to further develop fiber-optic systems that support high-speed connections, to encourage more private-sector competition and fill in gaps in communities underserved by broadband providers.

Launched in 2014, the CT Gig Project comprises a coalition of local and state public officials and other interested parties who want to bring high-speed, low-cost internet to residents and businesses throughout the state.

CT Gig does not provide funding for municipalities to develop their internet infrastructure, but it represents an important advocate and source of expertise and contact for communities looking to upgrade their broadband systems. The states Office of Consumer Counsel oversees the initiative.

We want to have the best infrastructure and best available technology, said Elin Swanson Katz, the states consumer counsel. Right now, we dont have ubiquitous fiber-optic-to-the-home access in any community. But we have the intellectual capital, and we have demand for it.

More than 100 towns and cities have expressed interest in creating open-access gigabit service, according to Katzs office.

Stamford has emerged as one of the states leading cities for high-speed internet access. Companies based in the city have cumulatively invested millions of dollars to connect their buildings to gigabit fiber lines.

City officials, meanwhile, have been working with several internet service providers  including Frontier Communications and Altice  to expand the areas gigabit infrastructure. Among key initiatives, the city plans to install public gigabit Wi-Fi connections within a half-mile of the downtown Metro-North station by the end of June.

Some $360,000 in Innovation Places funds that Stamford has received from the CTNext economic development agency will support the project. The nonprofit Stamford Partnership is also supporting the endeavor.

Stamfords gigabit broadband infrastructure, with its faster speeds, reliable service and low latency is our central platform to help spur innovation, said Thomas Madden, the citys economic development director. With the ability for talent and capital to flow throughout the world, it is important that we continue to look toward the future and invest in our innovation infrastructure.

Equal access for all?

Amid the push by the likes of Charter to expand gigabit access, high-speed internet service still languishes as a faint hope for many residents and businesses in low-income urban neighborhoods and rural areas in Connecticut and across the U.S.

The U.S. ranked 10th worldwide in average megabit speeds, at 18.7, compared with No. 1 South Korea, whose speeds average 28.6, according to the Akamai report.

The large and populous cities will definitely benefit in the short run, Subramanian said of gigabit expansion. But it would still likely leave small and less populous rural areas out in the cold. ... They may not even get the basic minimum speeds to qualify as broadband. Unless the companies are able to show a long-term strategy or proposal for expanding gigabit networks, these localized gigabit networks will not help large segments of the country.

The Federal Communications Commissions repeal last month of net neutrality rules that had regulated how broadband providers deliver and charge for content has further heightened concerns about access.

Net neutrality supporters argue the regulations were needed to ensure large internet service providers would treat all web traffic equally and protect free speech. Among other arguments, they said many firms could risk facing content slowdowns or additional charges for unobstructed broadband access.

If companies like Charter create a road tax to use the internet highway, then that is going to cause an issue with innovation, said UConns Bhattacharjee. If it costs too much for me to hop onto the high-speed internet, a lot of people will be negatively affected by it.

Charter and Norwalk-based Frontier backed the elimination of net neutrality. Officials at both companies said they would not hit customers with new charges or restrict access.

pschott@scni.com; 203-964-2236; Twitter: @paulschottGREENWICH  Missy Wolfe spent six years in the archives researching the men and woman who built the town during its early days as a farming community, developing a new respect and admiration for those flinty New Englanders.

Her new book on the earliest days of Greenwich, Hidden History of Colonial Greenwich, is being published this month.

Far from being the quiet, worshipful and civil people that dwell in the popular imagination, Wolfe found that the early residents of Greenwich were a cantankerous and tough bunch  men and women alike.

It was an incredibly arduous life, a very hard life  and lots of drama, the historian said. You would think life was hard enough, but these people fought all the time. They were just a fighting people.

Wolfe, spent six years in the archives at Greenwich Town Hall, and in New York City and Hartford, charting the growth of the little seaside colony through volumes of old maps and land records. She creates a portrait of a living, breathing place in her new book, and the people inhabiting it emerge from obscurity through her assiduous research.

Wolfe even found out who the first schoolmaster was in Greenwich, Thomas Pent, and the circumstances of his hiring in 1695.

Its a lost history, of how the town began, and how it was planned, in a very considered manner. And the incredible agricultural nature of it: foxes and wolves and wild horses and oxen teams, Wolfe said.

The early residents, too, made themselves known through numerous accounts of power-struggles among themselves and outsiders. They were called strivers. A very tough bunch, said Wolfe.

They were not the caricatures of the Puritans. They were practically like cowboys and cowgirls. They would ride and break wild horses, said Wolfe.

As she writes in the book about the early inhabitants: Ornery and outspoken, they stood their ground with grit in many a town meeting. Driven and sometimes daunted by Greenwich geography, they reordered the landscape to solve their problems pragmatically.

Wolfes earlier work of history, Insubordinate Spirit: A True Story of Life and Loss in Earliest America, examined the first European founders of Greenwich. Her latest work takes the town chronology into the mid-1700s.

There were seemingly endless feuds, particularly over land, but also over money, religion and livestock. Quakers were at odds with Puritans, and the Quakers ended up being driven away from the main community settlement to the Byram area. Various colonial factions vied for dominance, and the hostilities between the English and the Dutch were a constant source of turbulence.

Above all, there was a struggle for survival against hardships and what it took to make it through the long, cold New England winter. There are descriptions of wolf hunts and the bounty to be paid for ears of slain wolves.

Its so earthy, said the historian, You forget how animal-oriented the place was.

Every town in the region had a brand on its domestic animals, and Greenwich used a capital E to mark cattle and other livestock. The early town leaders, she found, were primarily agricultural managers. What to do with wild horses was a major concern among town officials, and the biggest infrastructure project was a long livestock fence that ran all the way from the Byram River to the Mianus River. Tanneries were a major industry.

Putting together all those pieces of historical data into a coherent work of popular history took hundreds of hours, much of it in the vault in the basement at Town Hall  a true vault with steel doors.

Wolfe eventually learned to master the archaic syntax, grammar and punctuation that were used by the 17th century town scribes, penned with bird feathers.

Some of the pages were written in the middle English style that Henry VIII wrote in, the author said. Its hard to read. But when you get in the groove, its becomes very familiar. You get used to it.

More puzzling were the archaic place names that the early town records referred to  nothing like the place names on contemporary maps.

Finding the obsolete place names: what are they talking about? Wolfe recalled. She had to create her own mental geography and discern where Rockie Neck, Cauks Purchase and the Pipen Point lay on the present-day map of Greenwich. Fortunately Wolfe has a particular aptitude for maps and cartography, and the book is full of maps that show the town borders as they were plotted and re-drawn through the 1600s and 1700s.

The study of Greenwichs early farming days ends on something of a dispiriting note. The towns great achievement  its long running wooden fence  was destroyed during the Revolutionary War, used as firewood by both armies. The towns supply of livestock was similarly plundered. All that incredible work, for a hundred years, all destroyed, says Wolfe.

The archives are full of tribulations and travail, but bringing them to life was rewarding to Wolfe, who said she hopes that future researchers and genealogists will take advantage of her research. In addition to numbering the documents and placing them in a rough chronological order, she will be digitizing the records for public use.

Its one of the richest archives of early town development Ive ever seen, she said. Great detail.

The book, published by The History Press, will be available Jan. 15 from online retailers.GREENWICH  Town planners worry that Greenwich may lose its future by refusing to give up its past.

Greenwich officials are set to tackle a new version of the towns Plan of Conservation and Development  its blueprint of economic and commercial growth that is supposed to help craft a better town. The last time the plan was updated was 2009. The next version will be released in 2019.

To put future Greenwich in context, town planning officials invited a planning consultant and officials from its border cities  Port Chester, N.Y., and Stamford  to sit down and compare notes.

I think the changes to downtown Port Chester and the South End in Stamford are mind-boggling, said Greenwich Planning Commission Secretary Margarita Alban. What should the three communities offer so we are not cannibalizing each other?

Greenwichs planners see a need for improvement all over town  from empty storefronts to a lack of affordable housing to stringent parking regulations that keep businesses from moving in and leave residents struggling for spots all over town.

But residents and officials also dont want to see unregulated growth or the destruction of the old simply to replace it with the new, they said.

One thing challenging about the community, said Planning Director Katie DeLuca, we know we want diversity in housing but we don't want things to change... We don't want high rises but if we don't do anything now, we could have a real problem.

We don't want to grow, she said, but we know we cant not change.

More for you News 2017 Year-in-review of Greenwich business news

Historically, towns that dont plan for change find themselves with increasingly limited options, said John Houseal, founder of the Chicago-based Houseal Lavigne Associates consulting firm.

The biggest misnomer and where communities go off the rails is: You cant stay the same by doing nothing, he said.

If you don't, he said, you will be left behind and... (catching up) once the train has left the station is really hard. Most people don't change because theyre fearful of something.

Stamford City Principal Planner David Woods said history could be a strong focus for Greenwich.

What does Greenwich have different from Stamford and Port Chester? he said. Youll be able to save and protect historic preservation significantly more than Stamford ever will.

Port Chester Planner Eric Zamft suggested more collaboration on the borders between Greenwich and his village.

Where we are this restaurant mecca, we dont have a lot of residential, we don't have a lot of office spaces within our community and we have a waterfront that is not activated  which is really our shared space with the town (of Greenwich), he said.

We could come up with some cool strategies to come together to tie these two communities together, he said.

Finding the right mix in Greenwich is a constant struggle, DeLuca said. There are currently at least 20 empty stores on Greenwich Avenue and residents and potential merchants complain that the town makes it too hard for new businesses by requiring a certain number of parking spaces based on a businesss type or floor space.

Officials looked at Byram for fun a few years ago: if everybody had the parking regulations we required, how much would there be? And it was three times more than we have there, DeLuca said.

Which is good because you don't want a sea of parking, she said. Its clear when we go back through our old POCDs the sentiments are the same as they are today  but also we want to have a healthy and robust community.

We spent decades saying, Nope, Nope, not that, Nope, that one is too big, said Alban. And all of a sudden we are saying now we need to go forward and grab (those opportunities), and that's a huge mental shift for us.

Within Greenwich, suggestions for changes without loosening current restrictions varied from turning the movie theater at the bottom of The Avenue into a destination spot  by serving dinner and cocktails with the movies  to using larger backcountry homes that have depreciated in value for elder housing.

You really have a lot of aging in place, Woods said. People really want to age in place. They move to Florida, they get bored down there. People want to downsize but stay local.

First Selectman Peter Tesei said that improving the Greenwich train station was on his to-do list.

The transit center, Tesei said, the Greenwich train station. We know current owners are looking to make a significant capital investment... We have to do something. When you come into Greenwich from New York, that's the first thing you see.

More incentives in the works for developers and property owners to protect historical buildings also have been suggested, Greenwich planners said.

Greenwich town officials now are looking for resident input for what theyd like to see in terms of future growth.

The first public meeting to discuss the Greenwich 2019 Plan of Conservation and Development will be at 7 p.m. Jan. 17 at the Cole Auditorium in the Greenwich Library, 101 W. Putnam Ave. The meeting is open to the public.

In addition, Houseal Lavigne has a set of interactive surveys and maps through a link on the top right corner of the Planning and Zoning section of the town website.

Email Jennifer Turiano at jturiano@greenwichtime.com and follow her on Twitter: @jturianoGT and Instagram: @greenwichgreen.The transition from Greenwich hedge fund mogul to running with the herd of Republican candidates for governor hasnt been so smooth for David Stemerman, who for the second time in as many months is expected to skip a GOP debate next week.

Three months after registering as a candidate and wiring his campaign $1.8 million in personal funds, the Conatus Capital Management founder has not told party leadership if he will participate in the Jan. 10 forum in Hebron way up in Tolland County.

I do not think so, said J.R. Romano, chairman of the Connecticut Republicans. I have not heard.

The GOP has scheduled debates in each of the states five congressional districts. So far, only eight of 11 Republicans are slated to take the stage Wednesday.

Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, who skipped the first debate in December, will attend. Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti and one-time UBS and General Electric executive Bob Stefanowski, of Madison, have not committed. A spokesman for Stemermans campaign told Hearst Connecticut Media that Stemerman will not attend.

Stemermans snub has rankled some Republicans in the crowded field, who say that the self-funder isnt willing to roll up his sleeves to earn the partys nomination. Former Trumbull First Selectman Tim Herbst, who plans to attend the debate, said not showing up is cheating the public.

These debates are job interviews, Herbst said. Any person who doesnt participate in these debates denies Republican primary voters the opportunity to make that assessment.

Herbst said Stemerman has been a no-show at Republican Town Committee meetings since his appearance at the state GOPs annual Prescott Bush Awards dinner in late September.

Patrick Sweeney, Stemermans campaign spokesman, said the candidate is preparing for the launch of his campaign.

David recently finished the process of winding down his business, Sweeney said. He is focused now on studying state issues and meeting with party leaders and activists. He will be launching his campaign with a major speech in February.

Lauretti , who is actively campaigning, having visited town committess across the state and made regular public appearances, missed the first debate to attend a brownfield cleanup conference in Pittsburgh.

I just dont understand the value of it at this point in time, Lauretti said. Youre going to be up on stage with so many people. Theres a lot of town committee meetings that night.

Lauretti questioned the timing and need for the debates, noting that Democrats arent doing them.

My barometer on these things is when you see the Democrats doing them, then you should take note, Lauretti said. Because theyre pretty good at politics.

Lauretti said he wouldnt hold it against Stemerman bypassing the debates.

Hes probably going be a petition candidate and run his campaign with the general public, which is not a bad strategy, Lauretti said. Believe me, Ive contemplated the same thing.

Unlike Lauretti and Herbst, Stemerman and Stefanowski are forgoing public campaign financing.

I would submit to you that people like Mr. Stemerman and Mr. Stefanowski and a few others are not participating in (the Citizens Election Program) because they do not have a base of support, Herbst said.

Qualifying candidates for governor who raise $250,000 from at least 2,500 donors can get $1.4 million for the primary and $6.5 million for the general election as their partys nominee under the program, which is intended to limit special interest money in state races.

Asking our hard-working taxpayers for $1.4 million to fund a political campaign in a state with a $3.5 billion deficit is nothing to brag about, Stefanowski said. With 20 candidates, the (program) could cost Connecticut over $25 million just for the office of governor.

http://twitter.com/gettinviggy; nvigdor@hearstmediact.com; 203-625-4436One hundred years ago this year the world was in the grips of the worst killer influenza pandemic ever known in modern history. It was a very democratic affliction in that it didnt care if you were Christian, Jew or Buddhist, Chinese, German or American and it was estimated to have killed between 50 to 100 million people worldwide between 1918 and 1919.

The label of Spanish Flu came from the fact that King Alfonso XII of Spain was one of the estimated 500 million people that came down with the illness. Researchers now believe the origins of this strain of flu were located in China and that it mutated after crossing over from birds and then perhaps to pigs and from there on to humans. More American soldiers would die from the Spanish Flu (43,000) then those unfortunate souls who lost their lives from hostile action. Even President Woodrow Wilson fell victim to this dreaded illness in 1919 while he was at the Versailles Peace Conference in France.

In the United States, the first outbreak of Spanish flu was traced to Haskell County, Kansas, in January of 1918. A local doctor warned the U.S. Public Health Service but they took no action. Then on March 4, 1918, a cook at Fort Riley, Kansas, reported sick and by March 11 over 100 soldiers were in the hospital and within a very short period of time 522 soldiers in Fort Riley were in their hospital. The failure to contain the flu when it was still small and still controllable would open Pandoras Box. Soldiers living in cramped barracks often slept no more than three feet from their neighbors which made an ideal setting to spread the illness.

Minnesota wasnt spared the ravages of it either with over 10,000 reported deaths between 1918 and 1919. Faribault County had the very dubious honor of having the first confirmed death in the state. Wells, Minnesota, has been traced to the genus of Spanish flu for both the county and the State of Minnesota.

The Typhoid Mary of the outbreak was a 17-year-old boy named Raymond Paulson. Raymond had enlisted on May of 1918 in the Army and was serving as a musician at Fort Riley, Camp Hancock, and Fort Oglethorpe. When the influenza struck hundreds of recruits the military concluded it was a new form of pneumonia but soon this was proven incorrect. The base commander decided to press the regimental band into becoming health workers because the medical staff were completely overwhelmed. There was a much greater need of hospital orderlies than musicians so the regimental band came to a temporary end. Raymond would never play another musical note in an army uniform.

It was Sept. 18, 1918, when Pvt. Raymond Paulson stepped off the train in his hometown of Wells, Minnesota. He wasnt feeling all that great but he didnt give it much thought. This was his first furlough home since he transferred to duty in the hospital at Camp Oglethorpe, Georgia. He got this time home to recover from appendicitis and the subsequent operation.

Soon after getting to his parents house a telegram came from the Navy. The telegram said Raymonds 22-year-old brother Walter had died from a strange form of pneumonia and his body would be shipped forth with. The day after Walters funeral, Raymond died and the day after that his sister Anna died and sadly, Pastor C.W. Gilman, who conducted Raymonds funeral, was to see the same fate.

The State Public Health Service quickly marshaled its forces and started to generate regulations in an effort to lessen the spread of the flu. They closed all schools, banned public gatherings, required health workers and people exposed to the flu to wear cloth masks. Spitting in public was forbidden. They even went so far as to order that coffins should be closed at funerals. Since streetcars were the way people in Minneapolis and St. Paul got to work, they required the staggering of business hours to avoid packed streetcars. Some of the rather unusual ideas they deployed were banning the sale of ice cream and beverages at soda fountains, plus the shutting down of elevators in buildings of six or fewer stories.

The death records in the Faribault County Recorder Office reveal that 101 deaths were recorded listing Spanish flu as the primary or secondary cause of death during the years of 1918 and 1919. Also, individuals who were under the age of 40 made up the vast majority of those that died. People who died and were over 40 years of age often had some other health problems that compromised their ability to fight off the flu. It is thought that many of the over 40 age group had been exposed to a strain of flu back in the late 1890s and thus obtained some immunity. It was very common for multiple deaths in the same families and for young mothers to lose their life and the newborn infants within hours of each other. When you consider how overworked doctors would have been you would have thought they would have been victims of the flu, but no deaths are recorded in the death records. Schoolteachers didnt fair well, and even the mailman wasnt spared or the butcher in the meat market.

When the 101 deaths are plotted on a map of Faribault County using the home address, it shows that having access to railroads played an important role in the spread of the flu. There are no deaths recorded in Foster Township and Walnut Lake Township and one in Dunbar Township. None of these townships has easy access to railroad travel. The largest clusters of reported deaths were located in Wells, then Blue Earth and, thirdly, Winnebago. All three of these communities had rail service. Wells had both north-south and east-west rail connections, as did Winnebago and Blue Earth.

A.B. Russ is a

representative of

the Faribault County Historical Society.The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you, we are excited to offer 4 weeks FREE Digital & Print access to all subscribers new and returning alike.

We are dedicated to continuing providing reliable, high quality journalism. This is possible with the trust and support of our subscribers in the community we are proud to serve.It is not a bad thing for us, that the route known as the Goldene Strae or the Golden Road as we will get to know it- has escaped the attention of so many. It has been spared being overrun by hordes of tourists and as you will discoverNEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / January 6, 2018 / Delivering a personalized approach to customers has long become a necessity for building long-lasting business relationships, and has been proven to improve conversion rates, client satisfaction and prolong retention. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems enable businesses to reach out directly to prospects while amassing crucial customer journey data. Ram Chada, a seasoned software management technology expert and the managing director of Bridgetown Consulting Group, a global management consulting company, explains the benefits of integrating a website with a CRM solution and its impact on marketing and sales.

CRM software is a system that can track the nature and result of every potential and existing customer interaction, facilitating lead nurturing, communication, deal negotiations, potential upselling and customer support by giving access to invaluable data sources including referrals, past purchases, phone or internet calls, website analytics and social media activities. When developing a marketing campaign, knowing how customers find you makes a great deal of difference. Unsurprisingly, a significant portion of customer acquisition in Business to Business (B2B) happens via referrals - Facebook ads, emails, organic Instagram posts, etc. This piece of data allows to identify the best performing channels and tweak your strategy accordingly. Gathering information on past purchases opens up opportunities to create personalized content for each client and craft offers that are perfectly suited for their specific case. By keeping track of every touchpoint and updating logs with each consecutive activity for all prospects, sales associates create a history of interactions that can hint how likely a given prospect's conversion is, based on previous communications.

As noted by Ram Chada, website analytics tools are becoming more sophisticated with each passing year, offering insights into every corner of your website's performance. Keeping track of this data allows to capitalize on the strengths and perfect the flaws. Customers often post their thoughts, wishes and purchasing habits on social media, making it a crucial source of information. CRM enables to seamlessly access and store this data, and use it to create highly competitive and personalized offers. 'CRM can become an invaluable addition to your marketing and sales teams' arsenal, however, it needs to be used in a disciplined manner' says Ram Chadha, 'CRM is only as good as the information it's loaded with, which makes it critical to create an organized, aligned and cross-communicated action plan for every prospect's case.'

Ram Chada is the managing director of Bridgetown Consulting Group, a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. He received his Master of Science degree from University of Detroit Mercy in 2001. Throughout his career, Chada occupied senior positions at Hospira pharmaceuticals, West-Ward Pharmaceuticals, TPG Global, a leading global alternative asset firm and Guthy-Renker, one of the world's largest direct marketing companies. With over 15 years of software management technology experience behind his belt, Ram helps his customers gain a competitive edge and improve their sales and marketing performance.

Ram Chada - Managing Director of Bridgetown Consulting Group: http://ramchadanews.com

Ram Chada - Bridgetown Consulting Group - Features Latest Technology in BCG E-Commerce Solution: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ram-chada-bridgetown-consulting-group-031500640.html

Ram Chada - Professional Profile - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ram-chada-381603a

Contact Information:

RamChadaNews.com

contact@ramchadanews.com

http://ramchadanews.com

SOURCE: Bridgetown Consulting GroupThe move to end extension of H-1B visas would be 'bad policy' and is contrary to the goals of a merit-based immigration system, the US Chamber of Commerce said on Saturday over the Trump administration's reported plan that could result in self-deportation of around 700,000 Indians.

The move to end extension of H-1B visas would be "bad policy" and is contrary to the goals of a merit-based immigration system, the US Chamber of Commerce said on Saturday over the Trump administration's reported plan that could result in self-deportation of around 700,000 Indians.

The H-1B programme offers temporary US visas that allow companies to hire highly skilled foreign professionals working in areas with shortages of qualified American workers. But since taking office last January, President Donald Trump has been cracking down on the scheme.

The proposal to curb H-1B visa extensions which was part of Trump's 'Buy American, Hire American' initiative that he vowed to launch during his election campaign trail, is being drafted by the Department of Homeland Security, reports said.

"It would be tremendously bad policy to tell highly skilled individuals who are applying for permanent residency and have been working in the US for several years that they are no longer welcome," a US Chambers of Commerce spokesperson said.

"This policy would harm American business, our economy, and the country. Further, it is inconsistent with the goals of a more merit-based immigration system," the spokesperson said.

He was responding to reports that the administration is discussing a move to curb extensions to H-1B visa holders who have completed their two-three years of H-1B visa terms and have been receiving extensions because of their pending Green Card application status.

Such a move would impact some 500,000 to 750,000 highly skilled Indian technology professionals, academicians and research scholars in the US and result in their moving back to India.

Indian American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi hoped the administration "immediately rejects" the proposal.

"I fully support efforts to reform the H-1B system, and while our priority must continue to be improving advanced training for our domestic workforce, ending H-1B visa extensions would kneecap our economy and encourage companies to further offshore jobs, instead of making those investments here. It would also tear families apart and hurt businesses here. I hope the administration immediately rejects this proposal," he said.

The US is currently facing a skills gap of over six million jobs, and companies are struggling to find talent to fill these open positions, Krishnamoorthi said.

"Educators and employers need to be working together to ensure that we are developing the skills at home in America to fill the job openings domestically, both today and in the coming years. My bill to reauthorise career and technical education programmes would help to close this skills gap, and the Senate needs to take up this bill that passed the House unanimously last June," he said.While there will be the formidable duo of Juhi Chaturvedi-Shoojit Sircar in October, there will also be Ritesh Shah coming up with Raid.

Aaron Sorkin, legendary screenwriter and script guru, has made a winning debut as director with Mollys Game. Adapted from a book with the same title, the film chronicles the stranger than fiction life of Molly Bloom, a bright young woman who ran one of a high stakes poker game in Los Angeles and New York City with power brokers and millions on the table.

With his signature treatment of wordy, verbose conversations, monologues and sharp repartee, Sorkin has mounted a critical success and a potential awards favorite on a lavish budget of 30 million USD. For a writer, Sorkin sure has come a long way in Hollywood. But that is not unusual in the West. Here in India, in the massive Hindi film industry, scriptwriters and screenwriters still do not have it easy. Work is slow, the pay often inadequate and recognition almost non-existent.

However, a few writers and writer-director duos are slowly but surely making impact with their signature voices. Their names bring promise to a film, beyond stars and size of production. Here are some whose writing and collaborations are worth asking the why and how of their stories in 2018.

Saiwyn Quadras  Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran

Saiwyn Quadras has found a balance in merging real stories with cinematic narrative as he did with Neerja and Mary Kom. He has co written Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran with director Abhishek Sarma. Co-produced by John Abraham, who also stars in the film, Parmanu focuses on the historic Pokhran 2 nuclear tests where a team of home grown scientists led by former president APJ Abdul Kalam tested a nuclear weapon in the '90s.

"We have approached the film like a thriller. The story is about how we (Indians) managed to execute the idea (of a nuclear test) in the '90s. Its about the journey, with fictional characters who make this happen. Its an important moment in the Indian history that needs to be remembered and we have kept that in mind," Quadras said. Will we see key figures fictionalized in the film given that is Quadras proven expertise?

Juhi Chaturvedi-Shoojit Sircar  October

Filmmaker Shoojit Sircar and writer Juhi Chaturvedi have delivered the nuanced and entertaining narratives of Piku and Vicky Donor. They bring their first love story, October, with Varun Dhawan in the lead. The plot of October has been kept under wraps so far. Chaturvedi explains the process of making this film.

I feel there are some stories that look straight in your eye and ask, 'are you ready for me?' and you reply, 'Could you please give me some time to answer that?' October was one such thought that demanded a commitment like never before," she says. It came with pre-requisite Dos and Donts like Shoojit and my creative vision couldnt have been two separate entities. Our emotional calibration had to be exact. Our understanding of a certain aspect of life had to be at a similar depth. More importantly, it needed an assurance that at no point will we compromise on the simplicity and the purity of this thought. Shoojit was aware that he had to give me enough time and space to write this one and I was committed to give him a draft worth his patience. And with this clarity, we knew we were ready to work together for October," says Juhi.

Ritesh Shah  Raid

An experienced screenwriter, Ritesh Shahs biggest successes so far have been adaptation of realistic characters, contexts and events to dramatic cinematic effect. Airlift, Kahaani, Kahaani 2 and Pink give him solid pedigree. Shah teams up with Rajkumar Gupta, a director who writes his own films, for Raid, a film about income tax officials with Ajay Devgn in the lead. Shah has focused on his signature almost-like-real-life approach with this film.

Rajkumar and I have known each other for a long time, and weve wanted to collaborate for 18 years. In this case, he had liked the idea of the film and we worked ahead from a 20-page treatment. I call it (my scripts) quasi realistic by trying to mirror the seeming quality of life onscreen. Some films in the '70s would still do it with songs and dance. Raid is completely shot on location in Lucknow and Delhi, there are no sets.

Having written films for Akshay Kumar, Vidya Balan and Amitabh Bachchan, Shahs experience of working with stars has been positive. I have worked with senior actors. When they read the subject matter, they instinctively come into the space. Rather than me preparing them, often they have helped me make a scene or character more easy to communicate. In Airlift, Akshay Kumar preferred to keep his natural look salt and pepper, without coloring his hair or beard.

Luv Ranjan  Sonu Ki Titu Ki Sweety

Distinct, desi and somewhat effortless  Luv Ranjan is the dark horse in the hit director race. He collaborates with writers for dialogue and additional screenplay but his signature sustains. Like it or leave it, Ranjan has cracked the all boys locker room comedy with panache and without stars.

Ask him about the tongue twister Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety and he explains, I try to write that which the characters are thinking. As a society, we often think something else and say something else. That is how we have been trained. I approach writing (a film) as what if people started saying what they are thinking. Wouldnt it become a lot more interesting? You also see a strong north Indian influence as I have grown up and studied in Delhi. It has a certain linguistic flavor which is not intentional but natural. Reiterating that he is not averse to working with big stars, he is not stuck up on casting. He works with Ajay Devgn for his next, also releasing this year. I am focused on telling stories from perspectives that havent been used. I have no aversion to stars but it must fit in with the story. My film with Ajay Devgn is about a character who is a certain age.

In the big muscle, big budget space, Abhijat Joshi and filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani will bring the untitled Dutt biopic with Ranbir Kapoor; there is Sharat Katariya, writing and also directing Sui Dhaaga with Anushka Sharma and Varun Dhawan; and the perfectly synced duo of writer Hemanshu Sharma and director Aanand L Rai delivering Zero with Shah Rukh Khan. So this year, on Fridays, do look out for the writers labour of love on celluloid for the pen remains mightier that a lot of stuff.From Agnyaathavaasi to Saaho, theres every reason to be jubilant about some of the biggest Telugu films releasing in 2018.

Telugu cinema soared to new heights in 2017 and the worldwide success of SS Rajamoulis Baahubali: The Conclusion (Baahubali 2) was a watershed moment for the industry. Last year, theaters across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana registered record footfalls with plenty of films drawing huge crowds, and theres every reason to believe that this sense of euphoria will prevail in 2018 as well. And the first film thats set to get the ball rolling is Pawan Kalyan, Trivikram Srinivas Agnyaathavaasi which is due for release on 10 January. Meanwhile, megastar Chiranjeevis much-awaited Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy is still in its initial stages of production and buzz is that it might be ready for release only in 2019 given the extensive CGI and post-production the film requires to bring the 19th century imagery alive on big screen. But we couldn't be more excited about the line up of Telugu films in 2018.

Agnyaathavaasi

Five years after the blockbuster success of Atharintiki Daredhi, Pawan Kalyan and Trivikram Srinivas are back once again with a new family drama titled Agnyaathavaasi. The films has already piqued everyones curiosity with its pre-release hype and it also marks music director Anirudh Ravichanders foray into Tollywood. Incidentally, rumors are rife that the film is inspired from a 2008 French film Largo Winch, and the makers have remained tight-lipped about it so far. Whatever it is, Agnyaathavaasi is expected to take an gargantuan opening at the box-office when it hits the screens on 10 January. With Pawan Kalyan promising to entertain the audience throughout the film, along with Keerthy Suresh, Anu Emmanuel, Boman Irani, Kushboo, Rao Ramesh and Murali Sharma, we expect nothing short of a blockbuster from this dream team.

Saaho

Post the worldwide success of Baahubali 2, which has been a defining moment in Prabhas career, the buzz surrounding his upcoming trilingual film Saaho is palpable. Directed by Sujeeth, the action thriller will reportedly have stunt sequences, which have never been seen before in Indian cinema. With acclaimed action choreographer Kenny Bates on-board to supervise the action sequences, Saaho might very well encapsulate the adrenaline rush we hope to see from this Prabhas, Shraddha Kapoor and Neil Nitin Mukesh starrer. The film will soon be shot in Dubai, and the team is aiming to release the film in the second half of 2018.

Rangasthalam

Sukumars upcoming film Rangasthalam, starring Ram Charan and Samantha, is the dark horse among all the biggies lined up for release this year. Sukumars penchant to delve into complex narratives, so far, has been in stark contrast with what the filmography of Ram Charan. And considering that the film is set in the 80s, in the hinterlands of Andhra Pradesh, it makes us wonder how these two, who hail from different schools of thought, managed to find a common ground. Throughout the films shoot in recent times, Ram Charan has been sharing pictures of the village set and long-forgotten performing arts. Its going to be a trip down the memory lane without a shadow of doubt.

Naa Peru Surya



Allu Arjuns makeover for Vakkantham Vamsis Naa Peru Surya was just the tip of the iceberg. The actor has donned the avatar of a soldier, who has anger issues, in this action drama and it has already become one of the most discussed films in recent times. Post the success of DJ and Sarrainodu, Allu Arjun seems to have shifted gears effortlessly to take us all by surprise. What exactly has Allu Arjun done in the film? Well find out in April.

Bharath Ane Nenu

Mahesh Babu starrer Bharath Ane Nenu, directed by Koratala Siva, has all the trappings of an intense political drama, which will reportedly highlight issues that people face and how the government functions. With Mahesh Babu himself playing the role of a states Chief Minister, we cant help but wonder if its going to be Telugu cinemas answer to Shankars Mudhalvan. Kiara Advani is making her debut as a lead actress in Telugu with this film.

Mahanati

The life of legendary actress Savitri has been the subject of intense discussion among several scholars, writers, and movie buffs over the past few decades. Now, Nag Ashwin, who had earlier made Yevade Subramanyam, is bringing alive the story of the Mahanati in Telugu and Tamil. With actors like Mohan Babu, Dulquer Salmaan, Samantha, Prakash Raj, Vijay Devarakonda, Malavika Nair, and Shalini Pandey playing some of the most important characters in the film, Mahanati has all the star-power, but its Keerthy Sureshs transformation as Savitri that has already become the films USP.

NTR-Trivikrams Film

NTR Jr and Trivikram Srinivas have been planning to collaborate for a while now, and its finally going to shape up in 2018. The film is expected to go on floors shortly and it could release in the last quarter of the year. While both NTR and Trivikram have been mum about what they are going to work on, all we know for now is that NTR Jr will be sporting a brand new look.

Balakrishna-Tejas Film

2018 will see plenty of biopics on a wide range of subjects; however, no other film has garnered as much attention as the untitled Balakrishnas film in Tejas direction. The film is going to bring alive the story of Balakrishnas father - Telugu cinema icon and former CM NT Rama Rao. With Balakrishna himself playing the lead character as NTR, the film is expected to add more fuel to the politically charged climate just ahead of the elections in Andhra Pradesh. Considering that its been one of Balakrishnas dream projects over the years, the actor will go all guns blazing to glorify the life of his father even more.

2 Point O

Post Baahubali 2, the only other film thats expected to be an unstoppable force at the box-office, across the nation, is Rajinikanth-Shankars 2 Point O. The sci-fi action drama, which also stars Amy Jackson and Akshay Kumar, is expected to have one of the biggest release ever for an Indian film. Rajinikanth will return to play two different roles including that of Chitti, a robot, and Akshay Kumar will be seen as his arch nemesis. Touted as the most expensive film ever in Indian cinema, 2 Point O has been made with a budget of over Rs 400 crores, and its slated for release in summer in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi. It will also be dubbed in several other foreign languages.

RGV-Nagarjunas Film

Ram Gopal Varma and Nagarjuna, who collaborated back in late 80s and 90s for films like Shiva, Antham and Govinda Govinda, are back once again for an action thriller which will see Nagarjuna playing an investigative cop. With Nagarjuna all excited about RGVs script, this cop drama could be the change that all RGVs fans have been desperately hoping for.

Honourable Mentions

Apart from the biggies, there are plenty of other films that are expected to make a mark in 2018. One such film is Prashanth Varmas Awe!, starring Nithya Menen, Kajal Aggarwal, Regina, Srinivas Avasarala among several others. With Nani and Ravi Teja giving voice-overs as a fish and bonsai tree respectively, the promises to be an unique experience.

Then, theres Tamannaah starrer Queen; Kalyanram-Tamannaah-Jayendra-PC Sreerams romantic action thriller that could change Kalyanrams onscreen image; Vijay Devarakondas film in Parasurams direction; Anushkas thriller Bhaagmathie; Nanis Krishnarjuna Yuddham in which hes playing dual roles; Naga Chaitanya, Madhavan starrer Savyasachi to name a few. And we cant wait to see Samantha playing an investigative journalist in Pawan Kumars supernatural thriller, a remake of acclaimed Kannada film U Turn. Another film that could spring a surprise is Mahi V Raghavs next film, which is said to be inspired from the life of former CM Rajasekhar Reddy.

2017 taught us that you never know who might surprise you with their stories. And if the line-up for 2018 is anything to go by, we cant wait to see what else is in store for us.PETA India urged fans of megastar Rajinikanth to avoid sacrificing goats.

Animal rights organisation People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) on Friday urged fans of megastar Rajinikanth to avoid sacrificing goats at the Alagarkoil temple here to celebrate the actors entry into politics.

Rajinikanth's fans will reportedly do a puja at the temple on Sunday.

"The power you already hold can help make a positive difference to the lives of all living beings and we are therefore writing to respectfully request that you use it now to stop the planned slaughter of goats in your name," PETA's Lead - Public Policy Nikunj Sharma said in a statement.

"The plan of your fans to kill goats in a temple is cruel and an apparent violation of Indian laws. Goats who are killed are usually transported and handled roughly and hacked at with dull knives in full view of their terrified companions," Sharma added.

In response to PETA India's statement, Madurai Rajini fans' association said, "We are not planning to slaughter the goats or sacrifice them. We are going to purchase meat from meat shops to cook and serve food to the people. We won't be performing any ritual."

On December 31, 2017, Rajinikanth had announced his plans to float a political party, and has launched his website, called the Rajinikanth Rasigar Mandram, where people can register themselves as members of the party.The Editors Guild of India condemned the FIR filed by UIDAI against the Tribune journalist who reported on the reported Aadhar data breach

The Editors Guild of India on Sunday issued a press release condemning the FIR filed by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) against The Tribune newspaper and its journalist who reported on the alleged Aadhaar data breach.

The Editors Guild said it was "deeply concerned" over reports that the Deputy Director of the UIDAI registered an FIR against The Tribune and its reporter Rachna Khaira in the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police.

"The Guild condemns UIDAIs action to have The Tribune reporter booked by the police as it is clearly meant to browbeat a journalist whose investigation on the matter was of great public interest," the editors guild said.

The release also noted that the journalist was booked under Indian Penal Code Sections 419 (punishment for cheating under impersonation), 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery), 471 (using a forged document) and also under sections of the Information Technology Act and the Aadhaar Act.

"It is unfair, unjustified and a direct attack on the freedom of the press. Instead of penalising the reporter, UIDAI should have ordered a thorough internal investigation into the alleged breach and made its findings public," the statement added. The guild also demanded the withdrawal of the case and urged the concerned Union ministry to intervene in the matter.

The UIDAI responded to the charges in a series of tweets:

In the recent case of The Tribunes report in which an FIR is filed, an impression is being created in media that UIDAI is targeting the media or whistleblowers or shooting the messenger. This is not at all true. 1/n@timesofindia @DeccanHerald @DeccanChronicle @IndianExpress  Aadhaar (@UIDAI) January 7, 2018

This is a case in which even though there was no breach of Aadhaar biometric database, it is for the act of unauthorized access, criminal proceedings have been initiated. 2/n @htTweets @FinancialXpress @TheQuint @EconomicTimes @ndtv @aajtak @CNBCTV18News  Aadhaar (@UIDAI) January 7, 2018

We respect Free Speech including the Freedom of Press and Media. However, our act of filing an FIR with full details of the incident should not be viewed as targeting the media or the whistle-blowers or shooting the messenger. 3/n@ETNOWlive @abpnewstv @TimesNow  Aadhaar (@UIDAI) January 7, 2018

In the 3 January report, Khaira claimed that access to any Aadhaar holder's details could be gained, through a mere payment of Rs 500, via an anonymous service on WhatsApp. As per the report, the payment allowed the person to be designated as an 'agent', which in turn granted him access to the grievance redressal system.

UIDAI denied breach or leak of Aadhaar data. "The Aadhaar data, including biometric information, is fully safe and secure," the authority said in a statement, calling the report in The Tribune "a case of misreporting". "UIDAI assures that there has not been any Aadhaar data breach," the statement said, adding that the data was secure with a "robust uncompromised security".

The authority said it had given search facility for the purpose of grievance redressal to designated personnel and state government officials to help residents only by entering their 12-digit Aadhaar numbers. The grievance redressal search facility, the statement said, "gives only limited access to the name and other details and has no access to biometric details". It said the authority maintains complete log and traceability of its search facility and any misuse was traceable.

However, when The Tribune had contacted the Additional Director-General, UIDAI Regional Centre, Chandigarh, Sanjay Jindal for a response, he reportedly expressed concern. Jindal said, "Except the Director-General and I, no third person in Punjab should have a login access to our official portal. Anyone else having access is illegal, and is a major national security breach.

With inputs from agenciesVarious press bodies including the Press Club of India, the Editors Guild, Indian Women's Press Corps, Press Association and the Mumbai Press Club condemned the lodging of FIR against The Tribune reporter who exposed the vulnerability of the Aadhaar data

New Delhi/Mumbai: Various press bodies including the Press Club of India, the Editors Guild, Indian Women's Press Corps, Press Association and the Mumbai Press Club on Sunday condemned the lodging of FIR against The Tribune reporter who exposed the vulnerability of the Aadhaar data.

The press clubs and journalists' associations dubbed the FIR as "a direct attack on the freedom of the press" and demanded an immediate withdrawal of the case.

"The Press Club of India, Indian Women's Press Corps (IWPC) and Press Association express their strong objection and condemnation at the registration of an FIR against a reporter of The Tribune by an officer of the Unique Identification Authority of India for writing a story exposing alleged loopholes in the system," a joint statement by the three bodies said.

After a 3 January news report by The Tribune newspaper over the breach in Aadhaar data with a headline "Rs 500, 10 minutes, and you have access to billion Aadhaar details", the UIDAI has registered an FIR against the newspaper and reporter Rachna Khaira.

The FIR, lodged with the Cyber Cell of the Crime Branch, invokes serious charges under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), IT Act and Aadhaar Act.

The UIDAI on 4 January said its search facility for grievance redressal may have been "misused" but denied any breach or leak of Aadhaar data.

"If there is no breach, what is the offence they have supposed to have committed? Rather than addressing the loopholes which would actually ensure safety and security of the data and allay the general concerns about this, the UIDAI has chosen to persecute those whose actions appear to have been only in public interest, that is, drawing attention to the possibility of data insecurity before someone with ulterior motives is able to exploit them," the statement said.

"We find the UIDAI's move extremely intimidatory, obstructionist and inimical to the pursuit of free, fair and independent journalism. We demand that the complaint and the proceedings related to it should be withdrawn forthwith," it said.

The Editors Guild of India, in a separate statement, said that is "deeply concerned" over reports that UIDAI had registered an FIR against the reporter of The Tribune who has been booked under IPC sections 419 (cheating under impersonation), 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery), 471 (using a forged document) and also under sections of the IT Act and the Aadhar Act.

"The Guild condemns UIDAI's action to have the Tribune reporter booked by police as it is clearly meant to browbeat a journalist whose investigation on the matter was of great public interest. It is unfair, unjustified and a direct attack on the freedom of the press," it said, demanding the withdrawal of the police case and an "impartial investigation" into the matter.

The Mumbai Press Club too condemned the "unilateral action of the UIDAI for lodging an FIR" and underlined that the action "will be treated as nothing short of an attack on the privileges and rights of a free press".

It also advised the "administration" to avoid a "clash with the Fourth Estate".

"Mumbai Press Club demands an impartial inquiry on the Aadhaar data sale and take action against those involved in the data breach instead of taking action against the journalist who exposed it," it said.Abdul Basheer, who was brutally attacked as 'retaliation' for the murder of Bajarang Dal activist Deepak Rao, succumbed to injuries at a private hospital in Mangaluru on Sunday

Abdul Basheer, who was attacked as "retaliation" for the murder of Bajarang Dal activist and BJP worker Deepak Rao, succumbed to injuries at a private hospital in Mangaluru, Basheer's cousin Hakeem confirmed.

According to the New Indian Express, Hakeem said that the 47-year-old died at 8.10 am on Sunday. The report adds that the accused in the attack, who were later arrested, claimed to be associated with a right-wing Hindu outfit.

The Times of India reports that four persons attacked Basheer, a hotelier, to "avenge" the death of Deepak Rao. Hours after Rao was attacked on 3 January, the miscreants attacked Basheer on his way home after closing his eatery at Kottara Chowki.

Basheer's family members decided not to take out a funeral procession and opted to bury him in the premises of a local mosque. Close relatives were allowed to visit Basheer's home to view the body and the public to pay last respects during the funeral at the mosque, police said. Additional DGP (Law and Order) Kamal Pant visited the hospital where Basheer died.

ANI reports that Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the family of Basheer.

Mangaluru City police chief TR Suresh announced the arrests on Saturday named the accused as Shrijith PK (25) and Sandesh Kotyan (21) of Uppala, Manjeshwar in Kasaragod district and two brothers  Dhanush Poojary (22) and Kishan Poojary (21) of Padil, Mangaluru. The four friends had allegedly congregated for a religious event at Kankanady Garodi and decided to avenge Rao's death by "targeting a person from the other community" and they chose Basheer as a random target, Suresh said.

Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police SK Reddy said that the accused in Rao's murder were also arrested. They were arrested while trying to escape in a car after attacking Rao when they were chased and nabbed on the outskirts of Suratkal, Reddy said. The four arrested were identified as Mulky Naushad, Rizwan, Pinky Nawaz and Nirshan.

Security was stepped up and additional forces were deployed in the town to prevent any untoward incident during the funeral procession and last rites of Rao on Thursday. A day-long shutdown was also observed at Mangaluru and Surathkal in protest against Rao's murder in response to a call by the BJP and Bajrang Dal.

Regarding the attacks, the BJP has been accusing the Congress of adopting "a soft approach" towards "jihadi forces", a charge dismissed by the Siddaramaiah government, which has accused the saffron party of trying to polarise the situation.

With inputs from agenciesAs many as 900 fowls were culled after the H5N1 bird flu virus was detected in a dead bird in Bengaluru

As many as 900 fowls were culled after the H5N1 avian influenza virus was detected in a dead bird in Bengaluru, civic officials said.

The Karnataka health and family welfare department has also begun an awareness campaign to put in place measures against suspected bird flu cases, reported The Economic Times.

"A chicken was found dead on 29 December at a chicken shop in (suburban) Dasarahalli area and it was confirmed after lab tests that the bird was infected with the H5N1 avian influenza virus," Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Joint Commissioner S Nagaraju told IANS.

Samples from the dead bird were sent to the National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal and had tested positive, he said.

"On orders from the Animal Husbandry Department, we have culled a total of 900 birds so far within the region where the infected bird was found," he said.

H5N1 virus-infected birds spread the virus through their saliva, mucus, and faeces. Although the virus does not usually infect people, it can cause fever, diarrhoea and respiratory illnesses in some affected people.

The Animal Husbandry Department had on Tuesday declared an area of one-kilometre radius from where the bird was found dead as the "infected zone" and an area of 10-kilometre radius as the "surveillance" zone. It also ordered meat shops in the infected region to be shut down.

"Meat-selling outlets within the one-kilometre radius from the site where the infected bird was found have all been sealed and we are also inspecting the area in the 10-kilometre radius for any possible virus-infected birds," Principal Secretary, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries, Rajkumar Khatri told IANS.

The department has also started sanitation measures at Dasarahalli, according to The Hindu. Senior officials said sodium hypochlorite is being sprayed in a one-kilometre radius of the shop where the chicken was tested positive for the flu.

Authorities have also put a check on the sale of eggs in Dasarahalli to prevent the spread of the virus.

"We are following all the government procedures while culling (requiring the fowls to be culled in the same region where the infection was detected) to make sure there is no spreading of the virus," Khatri said.

The civic officials have also issued an advisory to Bengaluru citizens to avoid consuming uncooked chicken and eggs as a precautionary measure.

"We will be following up and holding inspections until we are 100 percent sure that we have eliminated the virus completely," said Khatri.

In an official statement, the Union agriculture ministry said a central team comprising two experts has been deputed to Bengaluru for overseeing the operation and to assist the state government. It further said that the situation is fully under control.

The team visited the local primary healthcare centre and had a detailed discussion with the medical officers and paramedical staff regarding preventive measures taken and surveillance to be continued, reported ANI. The measures taken by the state government have been approved to be satisfactory so far, the report added.

With inputs from agenciesAt least one person has been confirmed dead in Saturday night's fire at Cinevista studio in Mumbai's eastern suburb of Kanjurmarg, reports said.

At least one person has been confirmed dead in Saturday night's fire at Cinevista studio in Mumbai's eastern suburb of Kanjurmarg, reports said.

According to a CNN-News18, the fire department found the charred body of Gopi Verma, a sound engineer with a television show, during an early morning search operation at the location.

Earlier reports had said that there were no reports of anyone getting injured.

Fire fighting operations underway in #Mumbai's Kanjurmarg where fire broke out in Cinevista studio. No casualties or injuries reported. pic.twitter.com/UUfVGTU8q1  ANI (@ANI) January 6, 2018

Fire fighting operations underway in Kanjurmarg's Cinevista studio. 7 fire tenders at the spot. #Mumbai pic.twitter.com/mg5hcQntB0  ANI (@ANI) January 6, 2018

According to fire brigade officials, shooting of two TV serials was going on at the studio which is located along the Central Railway line.

The fire broke out at around 8 pm, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 7) Akhilesh Singh had said. By 10 pm it had been brought under control, he added. At least seven fire engines and six water tankers were pressed into service to put out the flames.

Over 100 shooting crew were evacuated from the studio after the fire broke. Electrical wiring inside the studio caught fire first, fire brigade officials said.

With inputs from PTIAshok Gehlot on Sunday demanded that the Rajasthan government should announce relief for farmers in Karauli, Sawaimadhopur and Dholpur districts of the state.

Jaipur: Senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Sunday demanded that the Rajasthan government should announce relief for farmers in Karauli, Sawaimadhopur and Dholpur districts of the state.

He said these districts are drought affected and farmers need urgent assistances.

"Drought has affected 60-70 per cent farms lands and adequate irrigation is not available there. The government should provide immediate relief to the farmers," he said in a statement.Calling the FIR against The Tribune as 'unfortunate', Congress on Sunday said that the Aadhaar programme has been destroyed by the NDA government.

The Congress on Sunday accused the NDA government of destroying the Aadhaar programme and called the FIR against The Tribune and its reporter "unfortunate".

Alleging that the government had "dictatorial" tenancies, Congress said that the NDA has been silencing every voice of dissent.

"It is acting like a dictatorship. Whenever intellectuals and the media tries to point out problems, the government files FIRs against them. This is the parochial mindset of government," Congress spokesperson Shobha Oza said.

Slamming the Narendra Modi government, Oza said,"Instead of helping the poor, it has become a tool of spying and surveillance."

"It was created to help the poor enjoy benefits of various government schemes," Oza said while criticising the present dispensation for trying to link everything to the Aadhaar programme.

The Congress also took potshots at the prime minister for changing his stance on the programme, digging out a 2014 tweet in which he brought up possible security issues with the biometric programme when Manmohan Singh was prime minister.

On Aadhaar, neither the Team that I met nor PM could answer my Qs on security threat it can pose. There is no vision, only political gimmick

 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 8, 2014

"Four years later, he wants to link everything to Aadhaar. So there no security issues now?' Oza asked.

Claiming the government did not respect the privacy of Indians as it fought against making privacy a fundamental right, Congress also stressed privacy concerns surrounding Aadhaar.

"Privacy is an important issue. We have seen it on 4 May, 2017, when the Modi government had, on record, accepted data breach in the Aadhaar scheme. The Attorney-General, while defending the move to make Aadhaar mandatory for PAN cards, told the apex court that one cannot have an absolute right over his or her body. This uncovers the intent, intentions and intentionality of the Modi government with respect to sensitive issues like privacy," Congress said in a statement.

A senior official of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) earlier filed an FIR against The Tribune and its reporter Rachna Khaira for an article which reportedly exposed the ease with which anybody can steal Aadhaar-related data.

The accused were booked under Indian Penal Code Sections 419 (punishment for cheating by impersonation), 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery) and 471 (using as genuine a forged document). Charges were been registered under Section 66 of the Information Technology Act and Section 36/37 of the Aadhaar Act.

The Tribune investigation

The 3 January report claimed that it took just Rs 500 and 10 minutes for the newspaper to get an access through an "agent" to every detail of any individual submitted to the UIDAI, including name, address, postal code (PIN), photo, phone number and email.

The newspaper said it had paid another Rs 300 to an "agent", who provided "software" to facilitate the printing of the Aadhaar card after entering the Aadhaar number of any individual.

The Tribune also claimed to have found in its investigation that the racket may have started around six months ago when some anonymous groups were created on WhatsApp.

These groups targeted over three lakh village-level enterprise operators hired by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology under the Common Service Centres Scheme (CSCS) across India, offering them access to UIDAI data.

CSCS operators were initially entrusted with the task of making Aadhaar cards across the country but were withdrawn later. The service was restricted to post offices and designated banks to avoid any security breach in November last year.

UIDAI slams The Tribune for misreporting

A day after the report was published, the UIDAI issued a statement denying any breach or leak of Aadhaar data. "The Aadhaar data, including biometric information, is fully safe and secure," the authority said in a statement, calling the report in The Tribune "a case of misreporting".

"UIDAI assures that there has not been any Aadhaar data breach," the statement said, adding that the data was secure with a "robust uncompromised security".

The authority said it had given search facility for the purpose of grievance redressal to designated personnel and state government officials to help residents only by entering their 12-digit Aadhaar numbers.

The grievance redressal search facility, the statement said, "gives only limited access to name and other details and has no access to biometric details". It said the authority maintains complete log and traceability of its search facility and any misuse was traceable.

With inputs from IANSA Defence Innovation Centre would be set up by industry body CODISSIA to assist small industries in manufacturing components for the defence sector, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Sunday.

Coimbatore: A Defence Innovation Centre would be set up by industry body CODISSIA to assist small industries in manufacturing components for the defence sector, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Sunday.

The Defence Ministry would release Rs 20 crore as an initial funding to the Coimbatore District Small Industries Association (CODISSIA) to set up the innovation centre, she told reporters here after discussions with the association office-bearers.

"Ministry of Defence has recognised CODISSIA as an innovation centre required for defence production," she said adding the association had earlier submitted a proposal in this regard.

Sitharaman said small and micro units as well as startups, that can manufacture components required for the defence production, would be identified by the association.

"They can design or test their products at the centre," she said adding the association had earlier submitted a proposal in this regard.

The Minister said the decision to set up the innovation centre was taken in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Make in India" programme and his dream of making India a defence manufacturing hub.

Defence ministry had identified many micro, small and medium enterprises, which can meet the huge requirements of the sector, she said adding that being an industrial hub Coimbatore had the potential to supply components to defence production.

CODISSIA President V Sundaram said the city would have an exclusive defence park within three years.

To a question on Ockhi cyclone and missing fishermen, Sitharaman said the government had taken all possible steps to rescue the fishermen from 30 November last year. Updates on the search operations which continued till 27 December had been posted by her every day on twitter.

On fishermen still missing, the Minister said the government was aware of it and she will hold discussions with the Union home ministry on sorting out the issue.

Earlier, Tamil Nadu Municipal Administration Minister S P Velumani submitted a memorandum seeking to set up a defence park to manufacture and supply components to the sector to Sitharaman at the airport on her arrival here.Around 900 flights from the Indira Gandhi International (IGIA) airport in Delhi are expected to be either cancelled or re-scheduled from 18-26 January due to the Republic Day and its rehearsals

New Delhi: Around 900 flights from the Indira Gandhi International (IGIA) airport in Delhi are expected to be either cancelled or re-scheduled from 18-26 January due to the Republic Day and its rehearsals, officials said.

According to airport sources, landing and take-off will not be allowed from 10.35 am. to 12.15 pm during 18-26 January.

"A NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) has been issued regarding the operational restrictions from 18-26 January . The issuance of NOTAM for the period leading up to Republic Day is a routine process which happens every year," a source said.

"The international carriers will be requested to reschedule their flight operations. However, domestic flights will be cancelled due to capacity constraints."All railway stations  nearly 8,500 across the country, including those in rural and remote areas  will be equipped with Wi-Fi facilities at an estimated cost of Rs 700 crore

New Delhi: All railway stations  nearly 8,500 across the country, including those in rural and remote areas  will be equipped with Wi-Fi facilities at an estimated cost of Rs 700 crore ($110 million).

As part of the government's ambitious Digital India initiative, the national transporter has currently commissioned Wi-Fi services at 216 major stations enabling about seven million rail passengers to log on to the free Internet facility.

"Internet access has now become an important requirement in day-to-day working and we shall be providing this facility at all railway stations in the country," a senior railway ministry official said.

As per the plan finalised at a recent meeting, while 1,200 stations have been identified for this facility to primarily cater to rail passengers, about 7,300 stations have been earmarked to not only serve passengers but also local people in rural and remote areas.

The Wi-FI facility at these stations in rural and remote areas will be offered to the local population as part of the digital makeover of rural India to promote e-governance.

Railway stations in rural areas will have kiosks with Wi-FI that will become digital hot spots offering services like digital banking, Aadhaar generation, issuing government certificates, including birth and death certificates, and filing taxes and paying bills, among others.

The kiosks will also enable the local populace to order and receive goods from e-commerce portals.

"These kiosks will be operated at stations with private participation for the local population," said the official, adding, "The modalities of setting up such digital hot spots are being worked out with the telecom ministry."

As per the timeline, while 600 stations are targeted to be provided with the Wi-FI facility by March 2018, the Railways aim to cover all 8,500 stations by March 2019.

Our aim is to ensure that more and more people get connected to the rail Wi-FI system as the Wi-Fi broadband access to these rail users will aid in implementing the government's Digital India initiative, he said.A Mumbai court on Sunday sent Mojo's Bistro owner Yug Pathak to police custody until 12 January inrelation to the 29 Dec fire in Kamala Mills

Mojo's Bistro owner Yug Pathak was sent to police custody till 12 January by a Mumbai court, according to several media reports.

#KamalaMillsFire : Yug Pathak, one of the owners of Mojo's Bistro sent to police custody till January 12 by Bhoiwada court #Mumbai  ANI (@ANI) January 7, 2018

This comes two days after a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) report revealed that the fire that killed 14 and injured 55 originated at the pub. CNN-News18 reported that the prosecution demanded maximum police custody for Pathak on Sunday, adding that four owners of Mojo's Bistro and adjacent pub 1Above are still at large.

#BREAKING -- Mojo Bistro co-owner Yug Pathak sent to police custody till January 12. #KamalaMillsFire | @c_mangure with more details pic.twitter.com/WO7mtnkphL  News18 (@CNNnews18) January 7, 2018

On Saturday, the police booked the owners of Mojo's Bistro for culpable homicide not amounting to murder in connection with the massive fire that took place on 29 December, 2017, and arrested Pathak later in the day.

On Friday, a report by the Mumbai fire department stated that flying embers from illegal hookah being served at Mojo's Bistro was the probable cause of the blaze.

"On the basis of the report by the fire bridge, we have booked owners of Mojo's Bistro pub for culpable homicide," Deputy Commissioner of Police and spokesperson of Mumbai Police Sachin Patil said.

Earlier, the police booked 1Above owners Hitesh Sanghvi and Jigar Sanghvi, and co-owner Abhijeet Manka and others on various charges, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder under sections 304, 337, 338, 34 of the Indian Penal Code. The case was registered against the three at the NM Joshi Marg police station.

On Friday, the police announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for providing information about the three owners of 1Above who are reportedly absconding.

With inputs from PTIGoa chief minister Manohar Parrikar is visiting the assembly constituencies in phases in a bid to understand the issues faced by the people and resolve them

Panaji: Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar is visiting the assembly constituencies in phases in a bid to understand the issues faced by the people and resolve them, a BJP leader said on Sunday.

To start with, Parrikar visited Sankhalim in North Goa last month and would continue his scheduled tours of other

assembly segments from 13 January he said. The coastal state has 40 assembly constituencies.

"The aim is to provide on-the-spot solutions for the problems faced by the people in those constituencies. Parrikar would be accompanied by government officers and legislators from the respective constituencies," Goa BJP president Vinay Tendulkar told PTI.

The chief minister would be meeting the public and the party cadres to understand their issues in their respective

constituencies, he said.

"At least three to four constituencies would be covered every month," said Tendulkar.

He said Parrikar would be covering at least 10 constituencies in the next two months, including those represented by legislators from the opposition parties.

In the 40-member Goa assembly, the BJP has 14 seats, and its allies the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and the Goa Forward Party have three seats each.

The opposition Congress and the NCP have 16 seats and one seat, respectively, while there are three independents.In an offshoot of the Bofors guns purchase case, two executives of a private company on Sunday have been convicted by a Special CBI court in Mumbai for criminal conspiracy and cheating the Swedish company.

New Delhi: In an offshoot of the Bofors guns purchase case, two executives of a private company have been convicted by a Special CBI court in Mumbai for criminal conspiracy and cheating the Swedish company.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Laxmi Kant Bidwai has convicted Abhay V Udeshi, director of Jayant Oil Mills, and Harish Pandya, an employee of the company, for criminal conspiracy and cheating and sentenced them to two years of imprisonment.

In a recent order, Bidwai said it was a case of cheating to cause "damage or harm" to the reputation of the Indian government in the international market.

"This is not only an attempt to commit cheating but it is a complete act of cheating," he said.

India had inked a deal with Swedish company Bofors for the supply of 400 155-mm Howitzer guns for the Indian Army worth Rs 1,437 crore in 1986 through a counter trade agreement.

One of the conditions of the agreement was that in return of the sale of guns, Bofors would import from India bcommodities such as coffee and castor oil and its byproducts.

The Indian government had nominated the State Trading Corporation (STC) as the nodal agency to monitor the import of castor oil and other commodities by Bofors from India.

Similarly, Bofors had nominated London-based Alexander Crichton Associates Limited to import various commodities from India on its behalf under counter trade obligation.

Jayant Oil Mills agreed to export castor oil and its byproducts to Bofors through the London-based company. As part of the trade, Jayant Oil Mills had to pay 0.5 percent of the Free On Board value of the export to the STC as a service charge.

In 198990, Abhay V Udeshi and Vithaldas G Udeshi  both directors of Jayant Mills  along with Harish K Pandya, an employee of the company, entered into a criminal conspiracy to cheat the STC.

Pandya dishonestly prepared false export shipmentdocuments along with a cheque favouring STC as a service without exporting 56 MT Hydroxy Stearic Acid to Hamburg, West Germany.

The trio also submitted the forged documents to Alexander Crichton Associates Ltd which forwarded those documents to STC, without the actual export of a goods consignment.

The STC officials noticed the fraud and informed the CBI which started the investigation in 1992.

The CBI did not find any evidence against two STC officials and a private person, named in the FIR, during its probe. The agency dropped the charges against them.

In 2004, charges were framed against Abhay Udeshi, Vithaldas G Udeshi and Pandya. During the trial Vithaldas died, so the proceedings against him were dropped.

While pronouncing Udhesi and Pandya guilty, ACMM Bidwai said it was clear that the accused hatched a criminal conspiracy to cheat the STC.

Bidwai pointed out that the accused had deceived the STC to presume and accept that they had exported 56 MT Hydroxy Stearic Acid by virtue of an invoice and a bill of lading. In the event of giving approval to it, there was the likelihood of the STC's reputation being harmed.

"Thus, even though here is no case of delivery or retention of any property by deception but as contemplated in Section 415 of the Indian Penal Code, there was likelihood of damage to the reputation of STC and equally to the foreign trade policy of Government of India. Thus, it was a cheating, to cause damage or harm to the reputation of Government of India," Bidwai said while convicting the accused.

He said even though there was no loss of money to any person in this case, there was every likelihood of loss of reputation of Government of India in the eyes of the international trading market which could not be calculated in the terms of money.

"Even the act of accused is an attack on the Foreign Trade Policy of Government of India. They have tried to kick the Foreign Trade Policy of Government of India," Bidwai said, but adopted a lenient approach in sentencing the accused considering that the trial had run on for 23 years, the age of the accused and that there was no monetary loss to anyone.Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived on Sunday to address a conference of top police officers from various states.

Gwalior: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived on Sunday to address a conference of top police officers from various states.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar, MP ministers Narottam Mishra, Jaibhan Singh Pawaiya and Maya Singh, and city Mayor Vivek Shejwalkar welcomed the prime minister at the airport.

Modi will address the two-day annual conference at the Border Security Force's Academy at Tekanpur in the district.

Top police officers share and discuss security-related issues at the conference of the directors general of police (DGPs) and the inspectors general of police (IGPs) of various states.

The prime minister had earlier addressed the conferences at Guwahati in 2014, Dhordo in Gujarat's Rann of Kutch in 2015 and at the National Police Academy in Hyderabad in 2016.

The event was postponed from its December schedule last year due to administrative issues and tight work schedule of the prime minister and the home minister, official sources had earlier said.

"At the last meeting, issues such as cross-border terrorism and radicalisation were discussed in detail. The prime minister had emphasised the importance of leadership, soft skills and collective training. He specifically mentioned the importance of technology and human interface for the police force," a release said.Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Gwalior on Sunday to attend a two-day top-level police conference at the Border Security Force (BSF) Academy at Tekanpur

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Gwalior on Sunday to attend a two-day top-level police conference, starting today, at the Border Security Force (BSF) Academy at Tekanpur, according to media reports.

Modi later tweeted about his arrival at the annual conference of DGPs and IGPs across the country.

Reached Madhya Pradesh. Will join the Annual Conference of DGPs and IGPs at the BSF Academy, Tekanpur. Top police officials from all over India will attend this two day conference in which key security issues will be discussed. pic.twitter.com/yH9pAEk6S9  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 7, 2018

An official release said that the "Annual Conference of Director General of Police and Inspector General of Police of states" is an event where top police officers share and discuss security related issues.

The prime minister had earlier addressed the conference in Guwahati in 2014, Gujarat's Rann of Kutch in 2015 and at the National Police Academy in Hyderabad in 2016.

"During the last meeting, issues such as cross-border terrorism and radicalisation were discussed in detail. The prime minister emphasised the importance of leadership, soft skills and collective training. He specifically mentioned the importance of technology and human interface for the police force," the release stated.

Union home minister Rajnath Singh, who arrived in Gwalior on Saturday, will also take part in the annual conference. The conference will end on 8 January.

With inputs from PTIPrime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday held 'focused discussions' with top police officers on the security situation in the country and how to further tighten the security apparatus.

Tekanpur (MP): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday held "focused discussions" with top police officers on the security situation in the country and how to further tighten the security apparatus.

Modi had day-long deliberations with the top security brass of the country at the annual DGPs and IGPs conference being held at the BSF Academy.

"Had focussed discussions with groups of officers on specific areas of policing and security," he tweeted.

The prime minister said that at the conference, there were "insightful presentations and fruitful discussions on aspects relating to our security apparatus". "There was also a presentation on the implementation status of decisions taken during the last three years," he tweeted.

Officials privy to the closed-door meeting said the prime minister stressed the need for further tightening country's security apparatus, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir, the Northeast and the Naxal-affected areas.

Around 250 top officers from the state police forces and central police organisations are taking part in the three-day meet.

On Saturday, Home Minister Rajnath Singh had said terror infrastructure in Pakistan continues to exist and the neighbouring country was leaving no stone unturned to instigate the youths of Jammu and Kashmir against India. Singh had also asked the police officers to take strong action against riots and desecration of religious places.

The conference of the DGPs and IGPs is an annual affair, where senior police officers of the states and Centre meet and discuss issues.

Following a directive of Modi, the home ministry has been organising the conference outside the national capital since it came to power in 2014. The last three conferences were held in Guwahati, Rann of Kutch and Hyderabad.

During the last meeting in Hyderabad, issues such as cross-border terrorism and radicalisation were discussed in detail.

As desired by the prime minister, the home ministry this year announced the names of 10 best-performing police stations in the country.

While addressing the the DGPs conference in Gujarat's Rann of Kutch, Modi had said the police officers should devise a parameter to identify the best police stations in the country.

Accordingly, RS Puram police station in Coimbatore followed by Hyderabad's Panjagutta were named as the top two best-performing police stations in the country on different parameters, including crime control and serving the people.At least nine restaurants in central Delhi's Connaught Place may lose their licence for violation of fire safety norms

New Delhi: At least nine restaurants in central Delhi's Connaught Place may lose their licence for violation of fire safety norms, with the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) issuing show-cause notices to them.

The move comes following a fire in a Mumbai pub on 29 December that claimed 14 lives, sparking off safety concerns at eateries and restaurants in the national capital, as just 400 of them have an no objection certificate (NOC) from the Delhi Fire Service.

"We had conducted inspection of all restaurants in Connaught Place and identified nine of them which have been violating fire safety norms.

"Show cause notices have been issued to them and they may lose their licence if norms are not complied with," a senior NDMC official told PTI.

The official, however, did not reveal the names of the restaurants, saying, "We are not making their names public at this stage, till we receive their replies."

The civic body had last week warned traders associations in its area to ensure that restaurants operating in its area abide by trade licence conditions, fire safety norms and comply with sitting capacity conditions or face cancellation of their permits and sealing of their premises.

"All trade associations were requested to kindly impress upon their members/restaurants operating in respective areas to strictly abide by trade license conditions. There should not be any laxity on the fire safety measures and sitting capacity sanctioned in each restaurant is strictly complied with," the official said.

The two major markets in NDMC area which are flooded with restaurants are Khan Market and Connaught Place.

According to norms, eateries with a seating capacity of less than 50 do not need an NOC from police and fire departments.Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday called on Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at Bodh Gaya near Gaya and also released a book with him.

Gaya (Bihar): Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday called on Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at Bodh Gaya near Gaya and also released a book with him.

The Dalai Lama, who has been at Bodh Gaya since 2 January, received the chief minister at the Kalachakra Maidan and presented him with a picture of the Buddha and an "Angavastram" (traditional men's attire) as tokens of blessing.

Later, they jointly released "Science and Philosophy in the Indian Buddhist Classics" - the first part of a multi-volume edition which explores scientific observations about the material world and the mind found in classical Buddhist treatise.

Speaking on the occasion, Nitish lauded the spiritual leader for "introducing Indian youth to the Buddha's scientific thoughts" and said it is a matter of pride for every resident of Bihar that they belong to the land where the Buddha, whose thought has inspired people across the world, had attained enlightenment.

Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment at Bodh Gaya more than 2,000 years ago.

"I feel delighted whenever the Dalai Lama visits Bodh Gaya. His discourses have inspired and transformed a countless number of people. I am hopeful that this new book, which has been compiled under his supervision, will serve as an inspiration for promoting peace in the world," Kumar said.

The Bihar chief minister also said his government's motto of "nyay ke saath vikas" (progress with justice) was a development model in which equal attention was paid to the needs of humans as well as the ecosystem.

Later, Kumar visited the Maha Bodhi temple, built at the very spot where the Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment, and inaugurated a newly-constructed boundary wall of the complex.

Kumar also prayed at the temple and the Bodhi tree, where Buddha is said to have meditated.

He also asked the district administration and the Maha Bodhi Temple Management Committee to take steps for the beautification of the surrounding area.An over-ground worker of the LeT has been arrested in north Kashmir's Bandipora district and some arms and ammunition were seized from his possession

Srinagar: An over-ground worker (OGW) of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) has been arrested in north Kashmir's Bandipora district and some arms and ammunition were seized from his possession, police said on Sunday.

Acting on a specific information, a police party, along with Marine Commandos (MARCOS), launched a cordon and search operation on the intervening night of 6 and 7 January in the fringes of the Wular lake in Banyari area of Bandipora, a police spokesperson said.

During the wee hours, the police noticed a suspicious person and challenged him to stop, he said.

When the person found himself encircled by the forces, he surrendered, the spokesperson said.

During preliminary investigation, the spokesperson said the identity of the accused has been ascertained as Idress Ahmad Baba, a resident of Asham.

It also came to fore that he was working with banned terrorist outfit the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the spokesperson said.

He said on search a pistol, a pistol magazine, four pistol rounds, an AK 47 magazine, 30 AK rounds, two UBGL grenades and a Chinese hand grenade were seized from his possession.

A case has been registered and further investigation is underway, the spokesperson said.Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said terror infrastructure in Pakistan continued to exist and the neighbouring country was leaving no stone unturned to instigate the youths of Jammu and Kashmir against India

Tekanpur: Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said terror infrastructure in Pakistan continued to exist and the neighbouring country was leaving no stone unturned to instigate the youths of Jammu and Kashmir against India.

He also asked India's top police brass to take strong action in cases of riots and desecration of religious places.

Addressing the annual conference of the DGPs and IGPs in Tekanpur, Singh said terror infrastructure in the form of training camps, launch pads and communication stations continued to exist in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK).

He said the neighbouring country was leaving no stone unturned to provide all help, including financial, to terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and that youths of the state were being instigated against India, sources privy to the home minister's speech said.

Singh said Pakistan's encouragement to the separatist anti-India sentiment in Jammu and Kashmir often led to law and order problems.

Highlighting the appointment of a representative for initiating dialogue in Jammu and Kashmir, he said it was a matter of satisfaction that security forces were successful in tackling the situation in the state to a great extent.

The home minister said the violence perpetrated by Naxals had come down to a great extent and assured that the government would encourage surrender policy for Naxals in the coming days.

Referring to the north-east, Singh said insurgency had come down in the region but camps and hideouts of underground outfits in Myanmar was a matter of concern. The home minister said there was a slight increase in communal violence in the country and asked the top police officers to take strong action wherever such incidents and desecration of religious sites take place.

Singh also talked about growing incidents of cyber crime, use of Internet and social media by anti-social elements to create tension in the society and asked police officers to be vigilant.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the three-day conference on Sunday.

A tweet by the Home Minister's Office said three police stations were awarded by Singh at the conference. These were RS Puram Police Station (Coimbatore City), Panjagutta Police Station (Hyderabad) and Gudamba Police Station (Lucknow).

The conference of the DGPs and IGPs is an annual affair, where senior police officers of the states and Centre meet and discuss issues.

The Narendra Modi-led government has been organising the conference outsidethe national capital since it came to power in 2014. The last three conferences were held in Guwahati, Rann of Kutchand Hyderabad.Palestine has reinstated its ambassador to Pakistan Walid Abu Ali just days after he was recalled following India's objection to his presence at a rally with 26/11 Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, according to media reports.

Palestine has reinstated its ambassador to Pakistan Walid Abu Ali just days after he was recalled following India's objection to his presence at a rally with 26/11 Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, according to media reports.

Palestine has reinstated its ambassador to Pakistan after he was recalled for attending a rally organised by the Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC) to protest the US decision on Jerusalem: Pakistan media  ANI (@ANI) January 7, 2018

Geo News quoted Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) chairman Maulana Tahir Ashrafi as saying that he had requested Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and the country's Chief Justice to reinstate Walid Abu Ali in view of the ambassador's services rendered to Pakistan.

He further told Geo News that Wajid Abu Ali will return to Pakistan on Wednesday to resume his duties.

However, Palestinian foreign ministry has denied these reports. It stated that its Pakistan ambassador is in Palestine and its position was declared by an official statement published last week. Palestine's embassy in Delhi also told ANI that its ambassador to Pakistan "is very much in Palestine as of now."

We deny this information. Our ambassador in Pakistan is in Palestine and our position was declared by our official statement which we have published last week: Palestinian Foreign Ministry on Pakistan media's reports that Palestine reinstated its ambassador to Pakistan  ANI (@ANI) January 7, 2018

The envoy was asked to report back to Ramallah after the Indian government denounced his attendance at a rally with Saeed as 'unacceptable.' He had reportedly attended a rally organised by the Difah-e-Pakistan Council, an association of religious and extremist groups led by Saeed in Rawalpindi.

The meeting generated sharp reactions from the foreign ministry, saying that it would take up the matter "strongly".

"Government of India has strongly conveyed to the Palestinian side that the Palestinian Ambassador in Pakistan's association with terrorist Hafiz Saeed, who is proscribed by the United Nations. The concerns were conveyed both in New Delhi to the Palestinian Ambassador and in Ramallah to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, State of Palestine", the MEA press release read.

The Palestinian side too had conveyed "deep regrets" and recalled Walid Abu Ali.

With inputs from agenciesA Parliamentary panel has expressed its 'strong displeasure' to govt for not providing details of the expenditure incurred on the salaries and allowances of IAS, IPS and other officers

New Delhi: A Parliamentary panel has expressed its "strong displeasure" to the government for not providing details of the expenditure incurred on the salaries and allowances of IAS, IPS and other officers.

The Committee on Estimates, in a recent report, suggested an effective mechanism to assess the contribution of officers from the all-India services  the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Forest Service (IFS)  to national growth.

"The Committee express their strong displeasure (to the government) for not providing the details of total expenditure incurred on salary and allowances of the officers of all India services in states and the Centre," said the report of the panel, headed by senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi.

It desired that the government furnish year-wise data to the panel within three months on the expenditure incurred on officers by the Centre and state governments.

The committee was "dismayed" to note that no efforts had been made by the government to assess the contribution of these services.

"Not only that, no study in regard has ever been made even by some outside agency," reads the report on "Estimates and performance review of all India services".

The panel noted that there was no mechanism to assess the expenditure made on IAS, IPS and IFS officers by the Centre and state governments and their contribution towards the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in relation to the cost incurred on their functioning.

"The Committee are of the strong view that the officers of all India services should be fully committed to the citizens' concern and public good and reflect the hopes and aspirations of the public they serve and as such they should be held accountable for accomplishment of the projects/programmes/policy issues being handled as per their specific assignments particularly when they are being paid from the exchequer's money," the report said.

The panel emphasised the need for evolving an effective mechanism with various parameters that are primarily outcome-oriented and citizen-centric so as to assess the contribution of the services to national growth, it said in the report submitted to the Lok Sabha recently.

"They (committee members) also recommend that, if need be, experts from premier institutions like IIMs, IITs, etc. may either be involved or outsourced to carry out such assessment for evolving an effective mechanism in this regard. The concrete action on the suggested lines should be taken and the Committee (be) apprise(d) accordingly," the report said.

The Ministry of Personnel was not able to furnish specific data with regard to expenditure met on salary, allowances, pension, perks as well as cost incurred on creating infrastructure such as offices and furniture for the civil servants, it noted.

The government, however, furnished scattered data of salary and allowances of these officers in respect of some of the ministries as well as the percentage share of emoluments of government employees at the Centre and in the states in the GDP at current prices, the panel said. According to the data, the share, which was 7.97 percent during 2011, increased to 8.15 percent in 2014-15, it added.

"From the overall position of expenditure met on government employees, it can be stated that a huge expenditure is met on wages of all India services officers besides the expenditure ... on other infrastructure like offices etc. for bureaucracy," the report said.

The total authorised cadre strength of the IAS in 1951 was 1,232 and grew to 4,599 during 1981. In 2016, the sanctioned strength rose to 6,396.

The total authorised strength of the IPS and IFS was 4,863 and 3,152 respectively, as on 1 January, 2017.A senior leader of the ruling PDP on Saturday stoked a controversy by saying there was 'no bar' in condoling the killing of local militants in Kashmir.

Srinagar: A senior leader of the ruling PDP on Saturday stoked a controversy by saying there was "no bar" in condoling the killing of local militants in Kashmir.

"Whether it is a CRPF man... or a local militant, there is no bar on offering condolences. However, it depends on the security situation, sometimes we can go and sometimes not," PDP chief spokesperson, Rafi Ahmad Mir, told reporters in Srinagar.

Even before coming to power, the party had a policy of visiting the families of local militants who were killed in counter-insurgency operations by security forces, he said.

"The PDP had a policy. Whenever a militant was killed, I used to visit (the family) to offer condolences, and at that time the PDP president would also visit," Mir said, adding that "whoever becomes a martyr is before God and I think we should not talk about that".

Referring to Saturday's IED blast in Sopore in which four police personnel were killed, the PDP chief spokesman said that whether a policeman gets killed or a local militant, "it is very unfortunate and we condemn it".

"It was a heart-wrenching incident. We were hopeful and thinking that the situation was getting better, but got this shock. It is very unfortunate. They were our own sons," he said.

"Whoever gets killed, be it (from) the police force or militants, it is very unfortunate and we condemn it. We hope this does not recur," Mir said.

The PDP had to shelve its election agenda to form government with the BJP, "otherwise, the state would have incurred losses as it needed Delhi's assistance in running the government in the state", he said.

"Unfortunately, what happened is that we had to shelve our election agenda. We won around 28 seats. In Jammu, the BJP got the highest share of probably 26 seats.

"We needed the assistance of Delhi here (Srinagar). We took a decision, a very harsh decision, a bitter decision (of forming government in an alliance with BJP)," Mir said.

There was resentment in our voters also. There is no doubt about it, the chief spokesperson said.The Centre has suspended an American adoption agency for 'negligence' in its assessment of adoptive parents of three-year-old India-born Sherin Mathews who died in the US

New Delhi: The Centre has suspended an American adoption agency for "negligence" in its assessment of adoptive parents of three-year-old India-born Sherin Mathews who died in the US, government sources said.

Sherin, who was adopted by an Indian-American couple in 2016, died in October last year allegedly from choking after her adoptive father "physically assisted" her with drinking milk.

Both the adoptive parents are in jail. An autopsy report recently ruled that Mathews died because of "homicidal violence".

Women and Child Development minister Maneka Gandhi took the decision to suspend the Authorised Foreign Adoption Agency (AFAA), Holt International, government sources said.

They added, that the government has written to the Indian Embassy in the US, the Central Authority (CA), which is the nodal body for adoptions in the US, and Holt International, informing them about the decision.

"We have suspended the operations of Holt International because we found it negligent in the assessment of the adoptive parents and also in the post placement assessment of the family," CEO, CARA (Child Adoption Resource Authority), Lieutenant Colonel Deepak Kumar, said.

He added that a decision on cancelling the AFAA's authorisation will be taken after detailed reports from the Indian Embassy as well as the CA.

While the death of Sherin came to light in October, the government delayed acting against the AFAA because of Ivanka Trump's visit to India in November, it is reliably learnt from different government officials.

A top government official said that India was treading cautiously because it did not want the ties between the two countries to be impacted.

Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj had also sought a probe into the "adoption process" of Sherin in October.

A grand jury this month is expected to review charges filed against the girl's adoptive parents.

The father, Wesley Mathews, is under arrest on the charge of injury to a child, punishable up to life in prison.

The adoptive mother, Sini Mathews, has been charged with child endangerment or abandonment relating to the death punishable by up to two years in jail.

Following the incident, India's nodal body for adoption CARA (Child Adoption Resource Authority), has made mental well-being of overseas applicants seeking to adopt a child an important criterion for determining their eligibility.Modi has set an ambitious target of nearly tripling the countrys total renewable energy capacity to 175 gigawatt (GW) by 2022

Solar modules worth more than $150 million are stuck at various Indian ports due to a dispute over their classification and the import tax applicable to them, sources said, which could delay Prime Minister Narendra Modis clean energy goals.

Modi has set an ambitious target of nearly tripling the countrys total renewable energy capacity to 175 gigawatt (GW) by 2022, spurring global firms including Japans SoftBank and Goldman Sachs to invest in solar projects in the country.

Most of the solar modules come from China, but several consignments are now held up because customs officials have demanded that some of them be classified as electric motors and generators, attracting a 7.5 percent duty, not as diodes, transistors and similar semiconductor devices with no duty.

Two customs officials in the southern port of Chennai confirmed the issue regarding the classification.

C. Narasimhan, president of the Indian Solar Association, said that up to 2,000 solar module containers are now stranded at four major ports. Port disruptions like this will hamper the countrys progress towards achieving the target of 100 GW in installed solar capacity by 2022, said Narasimhan, a former lawmaker.

The Indian unit of Germanys Enerparc had 30 of its containers stuck at Chennai for three weeks as it finished some paperwork and paid a demurrage - a charge for failing to discharge the ship on time  of about 7 million rupees ($110,471), its Managing Director Santosh Khatelsal said.

The renewable energy ministry has already asked the finance ministry to resolve the matter without disrupting business, said a government official with direct knowledge of the matter. Any duty is bad news for project developers such as SoftBank-backed SB Energy but good for local solar component makers such as Indosolar and Moser Baer.

Indian manufacturers have struggled to compete with Chinese companies such as Trina Solar and Yingli and have sought anti-dumping duties as well as long-term safeguards. The interests of domestic manufacturers and developers should be protected with least harm, said the government official, who declined to be named.

The dispute has the potential to disrupt deployment by increasing the cost of projects but at the same time might protect the domestic manufacturers. The finance ministry is examining a proposal from the renewable ministry to exempt projects bid earlier from paying the duty, the official said.

Spokesmen for the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of New and Renewable Energy declined to comment. Raj Kumar Singh, the minister for power and renewable energy, recently told parliament that the government was working on remedying the problem.The UIDAI has registered an FIR against The Tribune and its reporter Rachna Khiara for publishing a news report claiming a breach in Aadhaar data

After a 3 January news report by The Tribune claimed a breach in Aadhaar data, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has registered an FIR against the news daily and journalist Rachna Khaira, reports said on Sunday.

The Tribune report had claimed that it took just Rs 500 and 10 minutes for the newspaper to get an access through an "agent" to every detail of any individual submitted to the UIDAI, including name, address, postal code (PIN), photo, phone number and email.

According to The Indian Express report, an unnamed deputy director has filed an FIR under Indian Penal Code Sections 419 (punishment for cheating by impersonation), 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery) and 471 (using as genuine a forged document) against the accused.

Section 66 of the IT Act and Section 36/37 of the Aadhaar Act have also been applied against the accused. The FIR has also named Anil Kumar, Sunil Kumar, and Raj, three people who were supposedly contacted for the story by Khira.

The Chandigarh-based publication has not yet reacted to the UIDAI registering an FIR for publishing the report, The Indian Express reported.

The latest development comes after the UIDAI on Thursday denied breach or leak of Aadhaar data.

"The Aadhaar data, including biometric information, is fully safe and secure," the authority had said in a statement, calling the report in The Tribune "a case of misreporting".

"UIDAI assures that there has not been any Aadhaar data breach," the statement had said, adding that the data was secure with a "robust uncompromised security".

UIDAI had said that it had given search facility for the purpose of grievance redressal to designated personnel and state government officials to help residents by entering their 12-digit Aadhaar numbers. The grievance redressal search facility, the statement had said, "gives only limited access to the name and other details and has no access to biometric details".

The Tribune report, which was widely shared on social media sites, also claimed that the newspaper said it paid another Rs 300, for which the "agent" provided "software" to facilitate the printing of the Aadhaar card after entering the Aadhaar number of any individual.

The Tribune also claimed to have found in its investigation that the racket may have started around six months ago when some anonymous groups were created on WhatsApp.

These groups targeted over three lakh village-level enterprise operators hired by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) under the Common Service Centres Scheme (CSCS) across India, offering them access to UIDAI data.

CSCS operators were initially entrusted with the task of making Aadhaar cards across the country but were withdrawn later. The service was restricted to post offices and designated banks to avoid any security breach in November last year.

With inputs from IANSAfter receiving flak from the Allahabad High Court over noise pollution in Uttar Pradesh, the government on Sunday issued detailed directives on the use of permanently installed loudspeakers at public places in the state.

Lucknow: After receiving flak from the Allahabad High Court over noise pollution in Uttar Pradesh, the government on Sunday issued detailed directives on the use of permanently installed loudspeakers at public places in the state.

The Allahabad High Court last month had asked the Uttar Pradesh government whether the loudspeakers or public address systems installed at mosques, temples, churches, gurdwaras etc. were installed after obtaining a written permission from the authorities concerned.

Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar said, "On the directions of the court regarding ensuring implementation of noise pollution control rules, a government order giving detailed instructions has been issued".

This practically implies that sound should not go beyond the periphery of the public or private place, Kumar said.

The 10-page-order requires survey of loudspeakers permanently installed and issuance of show cause notice to those using it without requisite permission.

A format for applying for permission, issuance of permission and action against those who neither apply for permission nor comply with terms and conditions of permission has also been issued.

It also requires DMs to categorise areas into industrial, commercial, residential and silence zones. Each area has separate maximum limits for permissible sound levels.

The loudspeakers installed in public places can not have sound level more than 10 dB above ambient noise level at the periphery of a public place and 5 dB above ambient noise level at the periphery of a private place, Kumar said.

The Lucknow bench of the high court had on December 20 sought to know as to what action has been taken against such unauthorised installations and also against the officers who failed to ensure mandatory requirement of obtaining written permission in their area.

It directed the principal secretary (home) and the chairman of Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board to file their personal affidavits along with the aforesaid information on 1 February.

The division bench of justice Vikram Nath and justice Abdul Moin issued the directions on a PIL moved by lawyer Moti Lal Yadav, seeking strict compliance of the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules that had been framed in 2000.

Reiterating that right to live in freedom from noise pollution and right to sleep being a facet of Article 21 of the Constitution, the bench cautioned the officials to appear in person before it, if their personal affidavits were not filed till the next hearing.Expressing solidarity with jailed RJD chief Lalu Prasad, Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav said on Sunday that the 'BJP did injustice' to him.

Lucknow: Expressing solidarity with jailed RJD chief Lalu Prasad, Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav said on Sunday that the "BJP did injustice" to him.

"The BJP did injustice to him," he said when reporters asked him about Prasad's sentence in the fodder scam.

SP national general-secretary Ramashankar Vidyarthi said in Ballia that Prasad was facing consequences for not joining the BJP bandwagon.

"He is being trapped in a conspiracy by the BJP. Had he joined the BJP, he would not have to suffer jail sentence," he said, adding, "I am sure he will get justice from high court".

He said it was the need of the hour that all opposition parties unite to defeat the BJP.

Prasad was on Saturday sentenced to three-and-a-half years in jail and fined Rs 10 lakh by a special CBI court in Ranchi in a fodder scam case relating to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from the Deoghar treasury 21 years ago.

The punishment was handed down to Prasad, 69, by CBI court judge Shiv Pal Singh through videoconferencing, since the RJD leader was lodged in Birsa Munda Central Jail after being convicted in the case on 23 December, CBI counsel Rakesh Prasad said.BJP president Amit Shah said a regime change in Left-ruled Tripura had become inevitable as the incumbent government had failed on many fronts, including combating the crimes against women and unemployment

Kulai (Tripura): BJP president Amit Shah on Sunday said a regime change in Left-ruled Tripura had become inevitable as the incumbent government had failed on many fronts, including combating the crimes against women and unemployment.

Addressing a public rally in Kulai in the poll-bound state, Shah said he had seen a lack of development and instances of corruption in the states ruled by the Congress or Communists and claimed that the BJP-ruled states were ahead of those states in terms of development and being corruption-free.

"The BJP does not want a change for the sake of it...it wants a change to bring about a qualitative change in governance so that the condition of the lives of people improve," he said.

The BJP chief is on a two-day visit to Tripura, where the Assembly polls are due as the term of the current House is scheduled to come to an end on 6 March.

"Seeing the huge gathering here, I can realise that the change has become inevitable in this state. The rate of crimes against women is very high, the rule of law does not exist. Crime has become synonymous with the CPM rule," he said.

Shah claimed that in a small state like Tripura, which has a population of a little over 36 lakh, seven lakh youths were unemployed.

"Those in the CPM say, (Tripura) chief minister Manik Sarkar is a good man. We know that the unemployment problem is acute here, but they say Manik babu is a good man. What I want to know is, if he is good, why is the condition of the people of the state not so good," he said.

The BJP chief added that unless the Left Front government was changed in the northeastern state, it would be reduced to a backward state in terms of protection of women, unemployment and economic development of the poor and the working class.Yogi Adityanath, who is visiting Karnataka for the second time after the launch of BJPs Parivartan Yatra, has become the face of the partys election campaigning.

Hinduism is a lifeline and a rich tradition that cannot flow in the veins of those who justify killing cows and eat beef. Thus began UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanaths address to a crowd of over 4,000 people in a packed outdoor venue at Vijayanagar in Bangalore on Sunday.

Adityanath, who is visiting the state for the second time after the launch of BJPs 75-day Parivartan Yatra on 2 November, has become the face of the partys election campaigning after its successful run at the recent Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh elections.

Dressed in his usual saffron robes, Adityanath took a jibe at Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiahs remark in a speech on Saturday that he is a Hindu and Hindutva is not (just) BJPs asset. Adityanath broke into laughter, and said, Seeing the power of Hinduism and our power, others have been forced to declare the same.

He had previously addressed a crowd at Hubballi on 20 December, which also saw state BJP chief BS Yeddyurappa raking up the Mahadayi river dispute. A bandh was called by farmer groups in the districts of North Karnataka a week later.

Sundays event won over the crowd with its details: the playing of shlokas when Adityanath entered, pictures of a flooded Bangalore, of garbage strewn on roads, and a collage of Siddaramaiah sleeping at various events, all splashed over the screen on stage. The sequence reflected their focus on an urban vote bank.

Look at the change Yogi brought in UP, says BS Yeddyurappa

It was hard to miss the importance given to the saffron-clad chief minister during the rally. At one point, the crowd, consisting of traders and many BJP youth members, chanted the name of Yogi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi alternatively. Sometimes, both sounded the name.

BJP leaders on the dais included former Karnataka chief ministers BS Yeddyurappa and Sadananda Gowda, and HRD minister Prakash Javadekar.

While the crowd cheered and clapped for Yogi Adityanath, Yeddyurappa clearly did not get the same welcome. The bigwigs not only remembered Modi in their speeches, but also sang praises of Adityanaths 10-month tenure in Uttar Pradesh.

Yeddyurappa himself chose to throw light on the UP chief minister's achievements and refrained from talking of his own work in Karnataka. He said that Uttar Pradesh had been turned from an unsafe state to a state where cows, youngsters and women  all feel safe. Adityanath has brought in legislations that save cows from cow-killers and beef-eaters, built teams to protect women from roadside romeos and is ensuring that youngsters get full support to form startups. Has Siddaramaiah done all this? he asked. To which the crowd shouted Modi Modi and Yogi Yogi.

Prakash Javadekar also took potshots at the current chief minister by making the crowd chant - Smart PM - Modi, slow-mo CM - Siddaramaiah.

Yeddyurappa, on the other hand, compared politicians to car gears. He said the top gear was shared by Modi and Yogi, neutral gear by Manmohan Singh, and the reverse gear was controlled by Siddaramaiah. When someone in the crowd chanted Top gear - Yeddyurappa, he was shut down by others who sang Yogi-Modi alternatively.

The crowds impatience to listen to Yogi was recognised when Sadananda Gowda gestured at them, asking them to calm down. Most leaders had to cut short their speeches.

Karnataka an ATM machine no more

While explaining why a BJP government would be better for the state, Adityanath said that Bangalore had achieved the tag of Indias Silicon Valley; but for it to remain one in the coming years, it needed the support of the Centre. It is the Centre that is making the policies which will benefit and give impetus to Digital India. For better growth, we need the same government in the state and the Centre, he said.

Accusing the Congress of only taking from Karnataka and not giving it back, Yogi said, "For the Congress, Karnataka is merely an ATM, and it has been using the state in this manner for many years. Only you can put a stop to this."

The rally saw BJP leaders talking about the party's achievements in other states and the fact that they control most of the state governments in the country.

The sentiment was echoed by those in the crowd. Ram Bopaiah, a shopkeeper from Doddaballapur, who had come with ten others from his village, stated confidently, BJP-rajya nishchita. Ramrajya nischita.

When asked whether they believed the BJP would help their district, his friend Mahesh said, They are everywhere. They have to be here too. Only then will we grow.

For Anneshwari, an ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) worker from Ramnagar taluk, it was Yogis clothes that brought belief. He is like a priest. A priest can never lie,she said. She went on to add that Yogiji is right. Congress does want to divide us on caste, but the BJP wants to bring us all together like the Hindus we are.

While the UP chief minister said he had a connection with Karnataka as it was the birthplace of Hanuman, who helped Lord Ram find Sita and directed him in the right way, he had a special message for Karnataka: Let Hanuman direct you too to walk in the right direction. Do not be sidelined by those who do not follow the path laid by him.

(Nivedita Niranjankumar is a Bangalore based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters.)BJP President Amit Shah on Saturday said that he was confident that the party will overthrow the ruling Congress-led Meghalaya United Alliance government and form the new government in the state after the assembly polls

Shillong: BJP President Amit Shah on Saturday said that he was confident that the party will overthrow the ruling Congress-led Meghalaya United Alliance government and form the new government in the state after the assembly polls slated for later this year

Addressing party workers after kicking off his election campaign in West Garo Hills district, Shah said, "While on my way to Tikrikilla (to address a public rally), I did not have hope but after seeing the response of the people in Tikrikilla, and the anger of the public against (the Mukul) Sangma government, I am convinced that the next government will be of the BJP."

Speaking after inaugurating the newly-constructed party office in Shillong, he charged the ruling Congress with running a most corrupt government.

"In our country, there should not be a competition, which one is the most corrupt government. This is a competition which is not good for the country. But if there is one such, Sangma government certainly is vying for the top spot," he said.

He told that party workers that the party's mission is not to form the government "because we are already in power in 19 states".

"But our mission is to ensure that people get their due and Meghalaya should become a model state instead of vying as the most corrupt state. Meghalaya should become one of the most developed model state," he said.

The BJP chief also questioned the Congress government for its failure to develope Meghalaya despite the central government sanctioning Rs 5,817 crore to Meghalaya under the 13th Finance Commission while under prime minister Narendra Modi, the 14th Finance Commission increased this to Rs 25,413 crore.

"Therefore, the question is where has this money gone. Are you seeing any development, where are development in villages, where are roads, hospitals, doctors? You take all these figures and educate the people and every voter in Meghalaya," he said.

Earlier, launching his election campaign at Tikrikilla, Shah sought the people's support to strengthen Modi and BJP's dream for a developed India.

Union tourism minister KJ Alphons and Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also asked the people not to fall prey to the Congress "misinformation" campaign that BJP is anti-Christian and anti-minority.Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday attacked the Modi government's Kashmir policy, saying its 'hard, muscular, militaristic' approach had failed to end militancy in the troubled state.

New Delhi: Former Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday attacked the Modi government's Kashmir policy, saying its "hard, muscular, militaristic" approach had failed to end militancy in the troubled state.

"It was claimed that the hard, muscular, militaristic approach will put an end to infiltration and militancy. Has it?" the former Home Minister tweeted.

5. It was claimed that the hard, muscular, militaristic approach will put an end to infiltration and militancy. Has it? pic.twitter.com/AkT6ESrbJe  P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) January 7, 2018

Chidambaram quoted statistics to say that the number of civilians and terrorists killed in Jammu and Kashmir had almost doubled from 28 to 57 and from 110 to 218 from 2014 to 2017 respectively. The number of security forces killed had also shot up from 47 to 83 in this period.

9. If you are one of those who had thought that the hard, muscular, militaristic approach of the government should be given a chance, please look at the table once again. You may change your view.  P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) January 7, 2018

The Congress leader said that wisdom lay in actively working towards a political solution to the issues of Jammu and Kashmir, where a separatist campaign raging since 1989 has claimed thousands of lives.

6. Wisdom lies in actively working to find a political solution to the issue of J&K. Both Mr A B Vajpayee and Dr Manmohan Singh will be remembered for their diligent efforts to find a solution to the issue.  P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) January 7, 2018

Another Congress leader and former Central minister, Kapil Sibal, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rhetoric over Jammu and Kashmir had come apart.

Modi's rhetoric has come apart . Soldiers and policemen martyred almost daily . Will Government explain ? When will we stop losing lives ?  Kapil Sibal (@KapilSibal) January 7, 2018

The twin criticism came a day after a militant-triggered explosion killed four policemen in Sopore in Jammu and Kashmir.CPM leader Brinda Karat slammed the BJP for allegedly forging an alliance with Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT), a non-Left tribal party

Sonamura (Tripura): CPM leader Brinda Karat on Sunday slammed the BJP for allegedly forging an alliance with Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT), a non-Left tribal party.

"They had formed an unholy alliance to divide Tripura for narrow electoral politics. Tripura had emerged as a state with extraordinary success in over two decades of Left rule. There is a concerted effort to disrupt peace and tranquillity in the state," she said while addressing a public rally in Sonamura.

The CPM politburo member also alleged that the IPFT had collaborated with insurgents on one hand and the BJP on the other.

Referring to a meeting between an IPFT delegation and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on 5 January, she said the Centre has announced to form modality committee that would examine the feasibility of the separate statehood demand  something that was unheard of in the nations politics.

However, the state BJP refuted Karat's charges and said it was completely against the division of the state.

BJP state President Biplab Deb told reporters that the Centre has agreed to form a committee with the representatives of the state and central government as well as tribal experts to examine the socio-economic and socio-cultural condition of the tribals, who form a third of the state's population.

Karat claimed Tripura had set unparallelled instances in public education, healthcare, infrastructure and several other sectors and said peace was a compulsory pre-requisite of development.

She blamed the IPFT for dividing the state on ethnic lines and disrupting peace.

There were separatist demands in Vidarbha and other parts of the country, but no such committee was formed and added that the BJP completely washed its hands off the Gorkhaland movement in Darjeeling in West Bengal after winning the elections.

She appealed to the poll-bound people of the state to form the 8th Left Front government.

Assembly elections are due in Tripura as the term of the current House is scheduled to come to an end on 6 March, 2018.Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath alleged that the Congress government in Karnataka had pushed the state five years back 'due to corruption, divisive politics and anti-development policies'.

Bengaluru: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath alleged that the Congress government in Karnataka had pushed the state five years back "due to corruption, divisive politics and anti-development policies".

He alleged that as the Assembly elections, due early this year, neared, the Congress had resorted to dividing society on the lines of caste.

"The party has become a burden...a problem for the nation," Adityanath claimed. "Because of corruption, its divisive politics and its anti-development policies, Karnataka has been pushed five

years back. The corrupt Congress is using Karnataka as its ATM," he claimed at a public rally.

The Uttar Pradesh chief minister took a jibe at his Karnataka counterpart, Siddaramaiah, saying he was only now recalling his Hindu roots.

"Siddaramaiah calls himself a Hindu just as Congress president Rahul Gandhi went to temple after temple during the Gujarat election," he claimed.

However, calling himself a Hindu will not suffice till he continues to endorse eating beef, Adityanath claimed.

"When the BJP government was there in Karnataka it had passed an anti-cow slaughter law, but the Congress revoked the it," he added.

Adityanath said development would not gain momentum in Karnataka unless there was synchronicity in the thinking process between the BJP-ruled Centre and the state's chief minister.

He also recalled the connection between Gorakhnath Peeth, the main seat of the Nath tradition, which he heads, Manjunath Swamy temple in Dharmasthala and Adi Chunchunagiri Math in

Karnataka, saying, "These unifying factors of India were always ignored by the Congress."

He hit out at Siddaramaiah for the "deteriorating" law and order situation in the state, claiming that in five years 22 people affiliated to the RSS or the Sangh Parivar were killed.

In contrast, there were no instances of communal violence in 10 months in Uttar Pradesh, since he took over as chief minister, Adityanath claimed.

He blamed the Congress for disrupting Rajya Sabha over the Centre's move to get a bill on triple talaq passed and alleged that the party was "anti-Muslim" and "anti-women".Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath would address a BJP rally in Bengaluru on Sunday in view of the upcoming Assembly election in Karnataka

Bengaluru: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath would address a BJP rally in Bengaluru on Sunday in view of the upcoming Assembly election in Karnataka, a party official said on Saturday.

"Adityanath arrived on Saturday night to participate in our party's rally and address the public on Sunday afternoon," a party spokesman told IANS.

It is the second time Adityanath is participating in the party's rally in the state after one on 21 December at Hubballi in north Karnataka.

The BJP state unit has embarked on a 90-day statewide rally on 2 November from Bengaluru in the run-up to the Assembly poll, due by April, under the banner of "Nava Karnataka Nirmana Parivarthana Yatra", flagged off by party chief Amit Shah.

The party is expecting about 50,000 people to gather at the Vijayanagar public grounds for the rally.

The BJP, which came to power in the state for the first time on its own after the 2008 Assembly election, lost to the Congress in the 2013 poll following a split in its state unit and five years of "misrule" with three chief ministers at the helm of office.

Besides party's state unit president BS Yeddyrappa, central ministers from the state Ananth Kumar and DV Sadananda Gowda and state unit leaders Jagadish Shettar, KS Eshwarappa and AR Ashok will address the gathering.

"Adityanath will also will visit the Adichunchanagiri Mutt to meet its seer Nirmalanandanath Swami and have lunch with him after the yatra event," party leader said.

The popular mutt of the powerful Vokkaliga community has been associated for long with the Gorakhnath Mutt in Uttar Pradesh' Gorkahpur where Adityanath was head priest.IANS

Domestic original equipment manufacturer (OEM) Smartron is set to refresh its budget smartphone line-up with a new device that will be priced at around Rs 10,000.

Industry sources told IANS that the latest device will feature a mammoth 5,000 mAh battery and will be exclusively available on Flipkart.

The device will feature a metal body with 32 GB internal memory (expandable up to 128 GB).

The company last year launched an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered IoT platform called "tronX" which, it said, helps connect a range of devices.

Smartron earlier launched srt.phone (srt is intreprated as Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar) in India for Rs 13,999. It was launched by Tendulkar who is reportedly a strategic investor in the company.

"Billion Capture+," the first smartphone from Flipkart, also houses AI capabilities, courtesy Smartron.

In the next "tronX" update, users will have access to a range of intelligent and personalised experiences and services.

Smartron also aims at partnering other brands across market segments to design and engineer devices.French President Emmanuel Macron laid a wreath in front of the former offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo on Sunday to mark three years since the massacre.

Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron laid a wreath in front of the former offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo on Sunday to mark three years since the massacre of its staff in an Islamist attack.

At a low-key ceremony, in line with requests from the families of the victims for a sober commemoration, Macron was joined by journalists from the magazine, members of his government and the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo.

Two French jihadists who had sworn allegiance to al-Qaeda killed 11 people at Charlie Hebdo's offices in 2015 over the staunchly atheist magazine's satirical coverage of Islam and Prophet Mohammed.

The assault, which saw a policeman executed at pointblank range nearby, profoundly shocked France.

It also marked the beginning of a series of jihadist attacks that have claimed 241 lives in total according to an AFP toll.

Charlie Hebdo, which prides itself on being provocative, returned to the murder of its famed cartoonists and writers in its latest issue.

"The 7th of January 2015 propelled us into a new world of armed police, secure entrances and reinforced doors, of fear and death," wrote contributor Fabrice Nicolino in a column last week.

"And this in the heart of Paris and in conditions which do not honour the French republic. Do we still have a laugh? Yes," he added.

The magazine pays between 1.0-1.5 million euros (USD 1.2 -1.8 million) in security costs annually to protect its offices which are at a secret location, its editor Riss wrote. Sales meanwhile have fallen sharply since a wave of popular support following the bloodshed.

Company revenues fell to 19.4 million euros in 2016, down from more than 60 million in 2015, according to figures first reported by the BFM news channel and confirmed to AFP by the magazine.

Its journalists and editors still regularly receive death threats and the magazine courted fresh controversy in November with a front-page on the Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan who has been accused of sexually assaulting women.

The Swiss academic, who is widely read and followed in France, was depicted with a huge erection above the line: "I am the sixth pillar of Islam."

The magazine also regularly mocks Christian and Jewish leaders as well as politicians of all stripes.

Two days after the Charlie Hebdo attack, another French extremist took hostages at a Jewish supermarket in eastern Paris, killing five people before elite police raided the premises and shot him dead.

Anti-terror magistrates investigating the incidents are expected to finalise their probe in the next few months but have been unable to determine how the Charlie Hebdo killers  Cherif and Said Kouchi  coordinated with the supermarket shooter, Amedy Coulibaly.

They have also failed to track the source of the automatic weapons used by the Kouchi brothers for their killing spree.German chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives and the centre-left Social Democrats are starting talks on forming a new government, attempting to break an impasse more than three months after the country's election.

Berlin: German chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives and the centre-left Social Democrats are starting talks on forming a new government, attempting to break an impasse more than three months after the country's

election.

Merkel's conservative Union bloc and the Social Democrats have run Germany together for the past four years.

But the Social Democrats vowed to go into Opposition after a disastrous election result 24 September, and only reluctantly reconsidered after Merkel's attempt to build a coalition with two smaller parties collapsed in November.

The effort to form a government has already become post- World War II Germany's longest.

Leaders aim to decide by Friday whether there's enough common ground to move on to formal coalition negotiations, which would require approval by a Social Democrat congress.Iran on Sunday urged Muslim nations to forge closer cooperation to counter the US policy of seeking to create division among them.

Tehran: Iran on Sunday urged Muslim nations to forge closer cooperation to counter the US policy of seeking to create division among them.

"The US' dishonest, duplicitous and divisive policy towards Muslim countries, including Iran and Pakistan, requires that they bolster cooperation against the US in addition to maintaining vigilance and taking preventive measures," Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, was quoted by the Press TV as saying.

Shamkhani made the remarks during a meeting with Pakistan's National Security Adviser Nasser Khan Janjua, whose country has recently come under criticism by US President Donald Trump.

"We will not allow some countries to affect relations between the two countries through sending weapons and hiring terrorists to create insecurity on their borders," Shamkhani said.

He also highlighted the need of lifting the Saudi Arabia blockade on Yemen, saying Muslim countries and the international community support political talks among Yemeni groups as a way to end the bombardment and siege of the country by the Saudi-led military coalition.

For his part, Janjua urged Muslim countries to "exercise vigilance" against foreign conspiracies hatched to increase the rift among them.

He emphasised that Islamabad would seek to develop its security and economic cooperation with Tehran.Rohingya rebels on Sunday claimed responsibility for an ambush on Myanmar security forces that left several wounded in northern Rakhine state, the first attack in weeks in a region gutted by violence.

Yangon: Rohingya rebels on Sunday claimed responsibility for an ambush on Myanmar security forces that left several wounded in northern Rakhine state, the first attack in weeks in a region gutted by violence.

Rakhine was plunged into turmoil last August, when a series of insurgent raids prompted a military backlash so brutal the UN says it likely amounts to ethnic cleansing of the Muslim Rohingya minority.

The army campaign sent some 650,000 Rohingya fleeing for Bangladesh, where refugees have given harrowing accounts of rape, murder and arson at the hands of security forces and vigilantes.

Myanmar's military, which tightly controls information about Rakhine, denies any abuses and insists the crackdown was a proportionate response to crush the "terrorist" threat.

The insurgents, known as the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), have launched few attacks in recent months.

But the army reported that "about ten" Rohingya militants ambushed a car with hand-made mines and gunfire on Friday morning, wounding two officers and their driver.

The militants claimed responsibility for the ambush in a rare post from an official Twitter account on Sunday.

"Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) hereby declares that we carried out an ambush against the Burmese terrorist army... at around 10 am on 5 January, 2018," it said.

The statement did not provide any more details about the attack in northern Maungdaw township.

The shadowy, poorly-armed ARSA  whose August raids left at least a dozen dead  says it is fighting for the political rights of the Rohingya, who have have faced systematic oppression in mainly Buddhist Myanmar for years.

Its statement on Sunday added that "Rohingya people must be consulted in all decision-making that affects their humanitarian needs and political future".

ARSA's fighting capacity at this point is unknown.

But a report last month from International Crisis Group said the organisation "appears determined to regroup and remain relevant" and may draw on desperate Rohingya refugees languishing in camps for future operations.

Any uptick in violence in Rakhine will deepen concerns about plans to begin repatriating refugees later this month.

Bangladesh and Myanmar signed an agreement in November allowing for repatriations from 23 January.

But many aid groups and diplomats have expressed doubt that fearful Rohingya will agree to return to country where where they face severe discrimination from other communities and the state.Tripoli: Nigeria is starting flights to evacuate thousands of its citizens from Libya which will continue until all those wanting to return home have done so, its foreign minister said on Saturday.

Nigerians have recently been the largest national group among African migrants travelling to Libya and trying to cross from there to Italy by sea.

Since local armed factions and Libyas coastguard began blocking more migrants from leaving in July 2017, large numbers have been trapped in Libya, where they often face dire conditions and abuse, including forced labour.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has in recent months accelerated a "voluntary returns" programme to repatriate migrants from a number of countries. Nigeria now joins Niger in organising bilateral returns.

"The main objective, and were very focused on that objective, is to get these Nigerian citizens back home as quickly as possible," Nigerian foreign minister Geoffrey Onyema told reporters during a visit to Tripoli.

"Our president has made available all the resources necessary to repatriate all the Nigerians here.

"We have two planes arriving today and God willing we are hoping to evacuate anything up to 800 Nigerians on Saturday."

Nigeria had been expecting to fly back about 5,500 migrants, Onyema said, but the situation on the ground made the actual number hard to ascertain.

"Some of the difficulties with getting precise numbers is that some are within the control of the central government in camps, some are clearly outside the camps, some are also in less accessible areas where there might not be full central government control and authority," he said.

Facilitating voluntary returns could also be complicated by lack of access, Onyema said. Criminals involved in smuggling and trafficking migrants also (have) an interest that a number of them should not be repatriated, because these represent economic assets for them".

Libya has been in turmoil since a 2011 uprising, with rival governments and armed factions vying for power. Onyema was hosted by the internationally recognised government in Tripoli, which has struggled to assert its authority on the ground.

Slightly fewer than half as many migrants reached Europe by sea in 2017 than 2016, the IOM said on Friday, largely due to a drop in numbers crossing from Libya.Pakistan freed 147 Indian fishermen who were imprisoned in Karachi eight months ago for allegedly fishing in its territorial waters, according to a media report.

Islamabad: Pakistan freed 147 Indian fishermen who were imprisoned in Karachi eight months ago for allegedly fishing in its territorial waters, according to a media report.

Their release follows a December announcement by Pakistan foreign office spokesman Mohammad Faisal that nearly 300 Indian fishermen would be freed in two phases till 8 January.

On December 28, Pakistan had released the first batch of 145 Indian fishermen, who were held there on similar charges.

The process for returning the 147 fishermen has been initiated, as they were set to travel to Lahore this afternoon on the Allama Iqbal Express from the Karachi Cantonment railway station, the Dawn reported.

From Lahore, the fishermen will cross the Wagah border and return home, the report quoted Karachi's Malir jail officials as saying.

They said the travel expenses of the fishermen were being borne by the Edhi Foundation, a Pakistan-based not-for-profit welfare organisation.

"Some 262 Indian fishermen remain imprisoned at Malir jail still," jail superintendent Hassan Sehto said.

Fishermen from Pakistan and India are frequently detained for illegally fishing in each other's territorial waters since the Arabian Sea does not have a clearly defined marine border and the wooden boats lack the technology to avoid drifting away.

Owing to prolonged bureaucratic and legal procedures, the fishermen usually languish in jail for several months.

A number of non-governmental organisations in both India and Pakistan have raised the issue, pressing their governments to release arrested fishermen without much delay.The leaders of Turkey and Bulgaria are due to reopen the Bulgarian St Stephen's Church on Sunday in Istanbul after seven years of restoration, in a gesture of harmony in an often turbulent relationship between the two neighbours.

Istanbul: The leaders of Turkey and Bulgaria are due to reopen the Bulgarian St Stephen's Church on Sunday in Istanbul after seven years of restoration, in a gesture of harmony in an often turbulent relationship between the two neighbours.

The Bulgarian Orthodox church in Balat, a historic Istanbul neighbourhood on the shores of the Golden Horn traditionally home to Christians and Jews, was built in 1898 after its original wooden structure was destroyed in a fire.

Made out of cast iron, the iconic ornate building has been dubbed the "Iron Church".

For President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who hosts Bulgaria's conservative Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, the ceremony will be a riposte to charges that Turkey's Islamic-rooted government does not do enough to protect the rights of Christian minorities and their heritage.

It is also seen as a sign of appeasement after a spat erupted in spring in the run-up to Bulgarian elections, and a Turkish referendum on expanding Erdogan's power.

Bulgaria, which holds the rotating EU presidency for the next six months, shares a 270-kilometre border with Turkey.

Turkey is home to more than 2,00,000 ethnic Turks with Bulgarian passports who left Bulgaria during the communist era.

Around a third of them regularly turn out for Bulgarian elections, with the last ballot taking place on 26 March.

Bulgaria, meanwhile, is home to a 7,00,000-strong ethnic Turkish minority, a legacy of the Ottoman empire.

Sofia had accused Ankara of meddling in its March polls, summoning Turkey's ambassador and recalling its own envoy from Turkey for consultations.

Meanwhile, the main party representing the Turkish minority in Bulgaria had denounced Turkey's April vote on granting Erdogan sweeping powers as "madness".

But in a show of cooperation, Bulgaria and Turkey co-funded St Stephen's restoration, one of the world's oldest prefabricated cast iron churches.

The iron elements were produced in Austria in the 19th century and shipped to Istanbul through the Danube and the Black Sea.

Vasil Liaze, president of a foundation overseeing the church, told Turkish media that the church had been restored under so-called rules of reciprocity.

This means that Sofia has given the green light for the Cuma (Friday) Mosque in Bulgaria's second city of Plovdiv to be restored in return.

In a key trip to neighbouring Greece in December, Erdogan said the rights of Turkish-speaking Muslim minorities should be safeguarded.

Istanbul also insists it has passed reforms to improve minorities' rights including legislation allowing minority groups to buy and renovate their properties.

In June 2014, when he was prime minister, Erdogan said that the government had returned to minority foundations their confiscated assets worth over $2 billion.

But opponents say Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party have done little to expand rights for minorities, and showed intolerance for dissenting voices.If you're like most workers, there may come a point in your career where you find yourself wondering whether you've actually chosen the right field. In fact, a good 58% of U.S. workers are looking to switch careers, according to a University of Phoenix study. The problem? They're facing barriers they're struggling to overcome.

What's stopping us from changing careers?

It's never easy to leave your job and bounce over to a completely new field. But according to the aforementioned data, here's why most Americans are staying put rather than follow their passion:

29% can't afford to start over in a new career.

24% don't know exactly what they want to do.

24% lack the experience or knowledge needed to switch careers.

Of course, these are some pretty compelling arguments. But if you're really unhappy in your current field, you should know that there are ways to get past these obstacles and land a job that brings you much more satisfaction.

Planning financially for a career change

Nearly one-third of workers interested in a career switch say they're staying put because they can't afford the pay cut. But if you plan for that move accordingly, you'll have more flexibility to manage what will probably be just a temporary drop in income. For example, if you approach that career change with a healthy level of savings, you'll have cash reserves to dip into should your income fail to cover your bills for a year or two.

Imagine you're currently bringing home $4,000 a month but expect that figure to drop by $1,000 once you start over in your new field. If you spend the next year saving aggressively so that you have that much extra in the bank, you'll have the option to absorb that pay cut without having to drastically slash expenses.

Will you end up having to cut expenses eventually? It depends on how long it takes to work your way back up to your former earnings level. But considering that most of us spend the bulk of our waking hours on the job, it's a sacrifice well worth making for a more fulfilling career.

Finding your path

Maybe you know you're dissatisfied in your current field, but aren't really sure of what you want to do. If that's the case, it's time to consider a career counselor. Career counselors aren't therapists; their job isn't to listen to you complain about work, but rather to discover what makes you tick and what you're good at so they can help you enter the most suitable field.

Another option? If you can swing it financially, take a little time out of the workforce and spend it shadowing people in other industries. If you have a friend, for example, who runs an IT company, and you're thinking of getting into that line of work, go through the motions of addressing network outages and software issues, and see whether troubleshooting computer problems is really how you want to spend your days.

Boosting your skill set

If you've held off on switching careers thus far because you feel you lack the skills to move over, it's time to consider investing in your success and happiness. Sometimes, all it takes is the right course or certification to give you the knowledge you need to get into a new line of work, albeit on the ground floor. Furthermore, you should know that there are certain skills out there that make you a strong candidate for any job. For example, if you can prove that you're a strong communicator, a solid team player, and a time management wizard, you might land a job in a field you've never so much as dabbled in before by virtue of those qualities.

Though switching careers is a daunting prospect, it's also an exciting one -- so don't let the above barriers, or any other obstacles, hold you back. You deserve to be happy with what you do, and if that means embracing a major change, so be it.

The $16,122 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known "Social Security secrets" could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. For example: one easy trick could pay you as much as $16,122 more... each year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we're all after. Simply click here to discover how to learn more about these strategies.

The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.Whether or not you got a raise going into the new year, one thing's for sure: Most of us could just plain use more money. If you're looking to boost your income and gain the flexibility that comes with it, here are a few ways to accomplish that goal.

1. Get a side hustle

When you spend the bulk of your waking hours working, the last thing you want to do is go back to work at night or on weekends. But if you're intent on increasing your income this year, taking on a second job is a guaranteed way to do it. And if you play your cards right, you may end up making more than you'd think. Of the 44 million Americans who currently hold down a side hustle, 36% bring home over $500 a month extra as a result. And that can go a long way toward accomplishing goals like building savings, paying down debt, or saving for a home, car, or vacation.

If you are going to go the side hustle route, be sure not to push yourself so hard that you burn out or compromise your primary gig. Start by taking on a few shifts at a local restaurant or shop, or by taking on a few freelance assignments, and work your way up over time. And if you find that you're perpetually frazzled and stressed because you're just plain working constantly, don't hesitate to scale back. Taking on a secondary gig is great income-boosting strategy, but it shouldn't come at the cost of your health or well-being.

2. Monetize a hobby

Maybe you have a knack for knitting or enjoy concocting homemade treats in your kitchen. No matter how you choose to spend your downtime, if you're looking to boost your income this year, you might consider turning your favorite hobby into an income source. This might require an initial investment, whether it's obtaining a business license or setting up a marketing website, but if you're willing to put in the time, you stand to come out way ahead, money-wise.

3. Rent out your home

If you live in a cramped studio apartment, then finding a tenant isn't exactly an avenue you can explore. But if you're sitting on a larger home or have an unused room in an urban loft, then it pays to become a landlord, even if temporarily, and take in that extra cash. You're more likely to be successful in renting your space if you live in an appealing or convenient area, such as a city center or college town, but that doesn't mean you should give up on the idea if you're deep in suburbia, either. You never know who might be looking for a place to live, and how much one might be willing to pay for it.

Don't like the idea of a full-time tenant? Then try renting out your home seasonally. This works if you live near a ski area, beach, or even a fun city with nightlife. Another option is to rent out your space only when you're vacating it yourself, such as for periods when you happen to be traveling. And if you limit yourself so you're only renting out your home for 14 days (or less) within the same year, you can avoid paying taxes on the income you generate.

4. Buy dividend stocks

They say that it takes money to make money, and that's certainly true of investing. But if you're willing to sink a little money into the stock market, you might end up reaping a very generous reward -- especially if you invest in dividend stocks.

Dividend stocks are a great way to generate a reasonably predictable stream of quarterly income. In this regard, they're similar to interest-paying bonds, only they tend to offer a greater upside. That's because if those stocks gain value over time, you'll have an opportunity to cash them out (eventually) and collect your gains. Granted, you can do the same thing with bonds, but the stock market tends to be more lucrative on a whole. If you like the idea of collecting dividends but aren't sure where to start, check out these top dividend stocks that my colleagues currently recommend.

It never hurts to have extra money at your disposal. Follow these tips, and with any luck, you'll be well on your way to a wealthier 2018.

The $16,122 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known "Social Security secrets" could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. For example: one easy trick could pay you as much as $16,122 more... each year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we're all after. Simply click here to discover how to learn more about these strategies.

The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.A U.S. judge who declared a mistrial last month could end the much-watched criminal prosecution of a Nevada rancher accused of leading an armed uprising against federal authorities.

Chief U.S. District Judge Gloria Navarro's decision on Monday is sure to echo among states' rights advocates in Western states where the federal government controls vast expanses that some people want to remain protected and others want open for grazing, mining and oil and gas drilling.

"To the Bundys, it's really more a political trial than a criminal trial," said Ian Bartrum, a University of Nevada, Las Vegas law professor.

"They're trying to get a particular message out about federal government overreach in the West, and Nevada in particular, and that states should have more local control," Bartrum said of 71-year-old family patriarch Cliven Bundy and his co-defendant sons, Ryan and Ammon Bundy.

"For the government, this is a criminal trial," Bartrum said. "They say, 'You can't have people show up with automatic weapons and defy federal officers.'"

Indeed, Steven Myhre, the first assistant U.S. attorney in Nevada, has cast the Bundys and co-defendant Montana militia leader Ryan Payne as leaders of a conspiracy that enlisted protesters and gunmen to "do whatever it takes" to stop federal Bureau of Land Management agents from seizing Bundy cattle in a decades-long grazing dispute.

The April 2014 standoff 80 miles (129 kilometers) northeast of Las Vegas pitted about three dozen heavily armed federal agents guarding corrals in a dry riverbed against hundreds of flag-waving men, women and children calling for the release of some 400 cows. The cattle had been rounded up from public land where Bundy let his herd graze for 20 years without paying government fees.

Several gunmen among the protesters had assault-style rifles and staked out commanding positions on a freeway overpass. Most of them were acquitted of criminal charges in two trials last year.

Ryan and Ammon Bundy also were acquitted of federal criminal charges in Oregon after leading an armed takeover in early 2016 of a national wildlife refuge to demand the government turn over public land to local control.

In the Nevada standoff, near Bunkerville, no shots were fired before outnumbered and outgunned U.S. Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service agents withdrew.

"They got what they wanted that day," Myhre said during Nov. 14 trial openings. "They got it at the end of a gun."

Trouble with the case was evident from the start, and Myhre lost a last-minute bid for a postponement. Proceedings were interrupted several times for closed-door hearings and sealed document filings before Navarro declared a mistrial Dec. 20.

The judge signaled she might dismiss the case outright and severely criticized prosecutors for "willful" violations of constitutional due process, including failing to turn over some evidence to defense teams.

"The defense is supposed to be able to see whatever evidence the government has gathered," Bartrum said. "The way it works is the defense sees if it's relevant and the judge decides if it's relevant enough to come in at trial."

"The government is saying there was no bad faith, just a regrettable oversight," Bartrum added. "But harmless is not for the prosecution to decide."

Cliven Bundy's lawyer, Bret Whipple, said Friday he was optimistic his client will be exonerated and freed.

"The court laid the foundation when she granted the mistrial," the attorney said.

Bundy is the only one of the four defendants still jailed after refusing the judge's offer of house arrest.

"He feels that to accept conditions for his release would be to acknowledge he did something wrong," Whipple said. "He wants to walk out a free man."

Gregg Cawley, a University of Wyoming professor who writes about land protests in the West, said a collapse of the case would be seen by many as a victory for states' rights.

"But it would not actually be a clean victory," Cawley said. "Conspiracy is very hard to prove. The Bundys got acquitted in Oregon. But if charges in Nevada are dropped, there's no resolution to the question.

"It could be seen as criminals going free on a technicality, rather than an actual vindication."House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy slammed colleague and fellow California Rep. Nancy Pelosi on Sunday, saying she is the only lawmaker trying to shut down the government.

Shes pressuring them [Democrats], trying to get them to shut down, to blame President Trump when President Trump is the individual working to build the military and find a solution to our border and to all those dealing with DACA, McCarthy, R-Calif., told Maria Bartiromo on Sunday Morning Futures.

The looming shutdown, which happens Jan. 19 if Republicans and Democrats do not reach an agreement, stems from a disagreement over whats included in the funding bill -- defense and non-defense spending. While Republicans are focusing on defense spending, Democrats on the other hand are pushing for the legislation to include disaster aid, extension of the Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and continued protection for young, undocumented immigrants -- originally granted under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which was signed into law by former President Barack Obama in 2012.

Ultimately the budget agreement must lift spending caps with parity between defense and urgent domestic priorities, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Thursday while speaking on the Senate floor. Parity is a term we use around here. Id rather call it defending middle-class America. And just as it is important  to defend America from foreign enemies  we have to defend America here.

While McCarthy concurs that a budget agreement must be reached in order to fund the military, the California Republican said the money must go toward upgrading Americas armed forces, which was discussed with President Trump, some members of his Cabinet and Republican lawmakers this weekend at Camp David.

In funding that military, we have to rebuild it. And thats really how we started our second day  We had [the] Secretary of Defense Gen. [Jim] Mattis laying out the threats around the world and what they need to make sure the world stays safe, and America, most importantly, stays safe. And that is why were working on getting that budget agreement to be able to plus-up the military, McCarthy said.

Aside from the focus on government funding, defense spending and immigration in 2018, McCarthy explained that he and fellow lawmakers are looking to fix infrastructure, remedy the opioid crisis and boosting the nations workforce.

After passing tax reform, that was the beginning of Americas comeback, he said. Now in 2018 we want to complete Americas comeback  modernize, we have so many bridges falling apart  youve got an opioid epidemic thats going across this country  to be able to deal with that as well  Were gonna have to be able to get a stronger workforce, a better trained [workforce].NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

A handful of people were in the kitchen at Trump Tower when Donald Trump found out that he was going to be president of the United States. Among them were Donald Trumps family, Hope Hicks, Kellyanne Conway, Stephen Miller, Dan Scavino, and Keith Schiller.

Michael Wolff was not there. Steve Bannon was not there. But I spoke to some of the individuals who were in that small kitchen for my book, The New American Revolution.

The accounts of those who were actually in the room with the soon-to-be-president expose the wildly off base if not outright fraudulent work of Michael Wolff, a journalist who self-proclaims as unreliable.

Wolff describes Trumps reaction to becoming president this way, purportedly revealed to him by Steve Bannon: a befuddled Trump morphing into a disbelieving Trump and then into a horrified Trump.

But, as I mentioned, neither Wolff nor Bannon were in the room with Trump during that key moment. Ivanka Trump was, and heres what she told me as recounted in my book:

When we realized my father would be president, all attention turned to what to communicate for the first time, Ivanka added. The Trump campaign had prepared two speeches, an A version and B version, one a victory speech and the other a concession. This was widely reported that evening, but here is what was not reported.

As the President-elect reflected on his first words to an attentive nation, he took notice of the images that came across his TV screen: half images of crying Clinton supporters contrasted with images of jubilant Trump voters. Reflecting on the sight of Clinton voters, Trump picked up the previously planned victory speech and ripped it up. The speech hit the elites and the establishment. It just wasnt right for the moment. I want to bring the people together. I want to speak to those people too, Ivanka Trump remembered her father saying as he watched the distraught Clinton crowd and set the torn paper aside. I see their pain.

Far from ringing in truth, the phony election night account provided by Michael Wolff is more suited for the fiction section  if not even better suited for the sleazy tabloids in the supermarket.

Not exactly the actions of a man who is befuddled or horrified, right? No, these are the actions of a leader intent on speaking to the entirety of a country whose wellbeing he was now responsible for.

Wolff goes on to make the false claim that the Trump team did not think they would win coupled with the ludicrous claim that they had no desire to. He writes this of the Trump family and campaigns mood leading up to polls closing: Their unexpected adventure would soon be over. Not only would Trump not be president, almost everyone in the campaign agreed, he should probably not be The candidate and his top lieutenants believed they could get all the benefits of almost becoming president without having to change their behavior or their worldview one whit.

Wrong again. My conversations with Lara Trump, Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and top campaign operatives Michael Glassner and Bill Stepien expose the inanity of Wolffs claim.

For starters, the Trump family was cautiously optimistic of a Trump victory. We all felt it, Lara Trump told me, though the constant media narrative saying otherwise caused some nervousness. As I write in my book, Jared Kushner revealed that his data team predicted early that afternoon that Trump was going to win. It was going to be a Rust Belt Brexit, he told me. When exit polls reflected a Trump loss, Bill Stepien, then-campaign national field director, assured Jared that the campaigns data would be more reflective of the actual results.

Echoing Jared Kushners confidence, Michael Glassner, then-Deputy Campaign Manager, told me, The mind-set of the status quo political class was that Trump would never win. That was not the sense among his loyalists in the War Room that night.

In short, those closest to Donald Trump did not expect to lose, as Wolff claims; rather, they were indeed optimistic. And their nervousness amid a slew of negative media predictions that Trump would lose reflects a campaign team that, of course, wanted to win.

Far from ringing in truth, the phony election night account provided by Michael Wolff is more suited for the fiction section  if not even better suited for the sleazy tabloids in the supermarket.NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

In 1998, Forbes magazine discovered that a writer at The New Republic had fictionalized his reporting to improve upon reality. Ultimately, Stephen Glass became forever known as a Fabulist for having made up scores of stories for a myriad of major magazines.

Shamed and fired, he retreated from the literary world. A few years later, Jayson Blair, a reporter at the New York Times, was fired when it was discovered he fabricated and plagiarized multiple stories. In the aftermath, the managing and executor editors at the Times resigned.

Both scandals rocked the news and journalism communities, yet what a difference 15 years and a threat to the political status quo make, as Michael Wolff becomes the new international darling of fabulist reportage with Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House.

The story is meant to be an expose of a chaotic Trump White House, filled with whiney, gossipy aides who think the president dumb and churlish. Even Ivanka Trump is a turncoat, but a dumb one (of course). The books ends up as graffiti, paying homage to every fabulous fantasy of a cosmopolitan smart-set drowning in their fear and loathing of the president.

Rushed to publication after its target complained it was chock-full of falsehoods and untruths, we learn on page 10 of the prologue that  its chock-full of not the truth. Mr. Wolff admits in this note hes not sure whats true and what isnt. He explains, being generous, that hes leaving it to the reader to decide. He also confesses he, settled on a version of events I believe to be true.

Mr. Farhi relays a story from 2004, wherein a writer at the New Republic explains, Much to the annoyance of Wolffs critics, the scenes in his columns arent recreated so much as created  springing from Wolffs imagination rather than from actual knowledge of events

He reiterated his version of the truth on Meet the Press Sunday. Asked if he regretted the errors, he didnt answer and instead insisted people should, Read the book, see if you dont feel like you are with me on that couch in the White House, and see if you dont feel alarmed. The facts and truth dont matter, we are essentially told. Trust the fabulist to make you feel alarmed, because feelings are whats important. Just dont ask if anything is real.

Mssrs. Glass and Blair would be proud. And Brian Williams perhaps should feel equally vindicated, as he truly believed he was shot at in Iraq and a dead body floated by him in New Orleans. My, how history could change.

Jennifer Rubins column at the Washington Post provides a Trump-hater primer on why Wolffs book is important, even if it is false. Because, you see, it has the power to change others behavior and perception of the president and the White House First, Trump is going to be doubly suspicious of even his closest allies. Ivanka Trump mocking his hair? Jared Kushner trying to grab credit? He was paranoid before; now one should expect him to trust virtually no one in the White House.

Ms. Rubin then giddily imagines how no one of quality will want to work in the White House, and can barely contain her excitement about how this book will negatively affect the presidents relationships with our allies. Not because anything is true, but simply because the claims are in a book.

What prompts Ms. Rubins approach of fake but important is possibly Mr. Wolffs admitted reputation for having a difficult relationship with the truth. In a story about the book, Paul Farhi of the Washington Post provides an audit of Mr. Wolffs questionable journalistic ethics over the years. Among his examples, Mr. Farhi relays a story from 2004, wherein a writer at the New Republic explains, Much to the annoyance of Wolffs critics, the scenes in his columns arent recreated so much as created  springing from Wolffs imagination rather than from actual knowledge of events

The willingness of Trump-haters to believe anything negative about the president bodes well for Trump fabulists, and has taken on pathological proportions. Consider the Gorilla Channel hoax. An obviously satirical story on Twitter presented as an excerpt of the Wolff book went viral as many verified smart-set liberals and Trump-haters swallowed it whole. The premise? It described how the president, on his first night in office, had complained that White House televisions did not carry "the gorilla channel" and that Trump spent hours a day watching gorilla programming his staff subsequently produced to satisfy his simian appetite, reported Politico. For 17 hours a day, no less.

Those caught blushed sheepishly and made excuses. Having learned nothing, they then went right back at it, lauding and contemplating the importance of Mr. Wolffs Trump expose.

In an interview with CNN, Maggie Haberman, a columnist and White House reporter for the New York Times, pulled out her most gentle euphemisms about Mr. Wolff and his flight of fancy, [H]e believes in larger truths and narratives. So he creates a narrative that is notionally true, that's conceptually true. The details are often wrong. it's more than -- it's more than not 100 percent true. It's a lot false.

Mr. Wolff and his book are important, but not for the reasons liberals think. Fire and Fury isnt about the truth of whats transpiring inside the White House or about Donald or any other Trump. The book itself and the ensuing coverage are confessions that liberals and their media have abandoned reality for a fantasyland of fear, madness and victimhood because, pathetically, it makes them feel better.

In Stephen Glass fictionalized memoir The Fabulist, when asked why he did it, his protagonist responds, I lied because I wanted people to love me. Mr. Wolff must be quite pleased; he is no doubt loved, by everyone who hates the president.NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

Director Stephen Chboskys Wonder  this holiday seasons feel-good movie  unfolds the plight of August, a precocious, witty and bullied middle schooler with a congenital facial deformity. This exceptional movie is based on R.J. Palacios well-crafted 2012 novel by the same name.

Chbosky and Palacio bring us memorable characters and a timeless story that should make Wonder a holiday classic. And they did their homework when it comes to what really ends bullying.

Bullying is the leading form of child abuse in the nation. Wonder shows us the predatory and entitled mindset that motivates many adolescent bullies  the same mindset and soul sickness that fuels adult sexual harassers.

August, like millions of real-life targets of bullying today, cannot escape bullying on his own, since he is socially and physically underpowered. He needs what a 10-year, landmark study by the Department of Health and Human Services revealed is necessary: positive peer pressure.

That means that August needs classmates with good hearts, strong values and a courageous form of kindness to stand up for him. They eventually do, which liberates August and makes his liberators stronger as well.

As August says toward the conclusion of the novel: And now that theyd protected me, I was different to them. It was like I was one of them. They all called me little dude now  even the jocks.

Yet unlike many targets who are marginalized by their peers (and some teachers), Auggie is exceptionally fortunate. Hes enveloped by supreme love, wisdom, empathy and humor. These are blessings that are denied for many real-life targets.

Up to 70 percent of the victims of bullying never tell anyone, suffering in brutal silence. People like Michael Goodman, who has the same deformity and whose story went viral, after sharing how he attempted suicide twice as a senior in high school. Even now, as an adult pediatrician, Dr. Goodman has had parents refuse to let him treat their children due to his deformity.

Julian, Auggies cruel antagonist, like many real-life serial bullies is beset by cupiditas, or sin of the wolf. This is where others are only valuable in as much as they can be consumed, exploited and bartered.

With sexual harassers, cupiditas is achieved through power, domination and objectification, which feed the harassers ego and hubris. This sin, for which Dante reserved the lowest level of hell in Inferno, reveals itself in a similar way through adolescent bullying.

Julian tries and succeeds in turning Auggie into a punch line and a running joke in order to gain popularity. Interestingly, a UCLA study asked middle schoolers in more than 1,000 schools to list both the bullies and most popular students. The lists were nearly identical.

Bullying, like sexual harassment, pays  until targets and bystanders find their voice and courage to push back. Were well past-time to start naming names of bullies as well (#iwasbullied).

Julian gives us an unvarnished view into the dark mind of a serial bully. Hes mean, accusatory and defamatory, and we eventually learn where he gets his predatory entitlement: his arrogant, disdainful and entitled mother. She is similar to another cinematic character, Simon (Jason Bateman) in The Gift, another movie that doesnt traffic in the many self-soothing myths about bullying, such as that bullies come from abusive homes. That myth is perpetuated in the film Sing Street.

Many tears, like mine, have been shed while reading and watching Wonder, a gift to our sincere but still disjointed anti-bullying movement in America. But tears without action are wasted sentiment. They are more about our own pain from witnessing torment and injustice than about the wellbeing of the tens of millions of targets of serial bullying each year.

Lets employ this movie to inspire our children to be more like Jack, Summer and other heroes who save Auggie.

Lets inspire more real-life, protective fifth-graders like Jemalle Williams, who recently saw his autistic classmate bullied for chewing on pencils in class. Jemalle chewed on his own pencil in solidarity, and within days nearly his entire class joined him.

With his mothers help, Jemalle wrote a book about his experience called, Different Yet Alike. Proceeds will fund bullying prevention in his school.

Lets redeem our tears in 2018 by creating our own wonder born from courageous expressions of kindness.Former Trump political strategist Steve Bannon on Sunday expressed regret for unflattering comments attributed to him in the recently released Trump White House tell-all Fire and Fury, saying he should have responded sooner and that he continues to support the president.

"My support is also unwavering for the president and his agenda, Bannon said in a statement to Axios.

Fox News later Sunday confirmed the statements with Bannon.

The statements in the book attributed to Bannon, who joined the Trump presidential campaign in the closing months, were most critical of the presidents son Donald Trump Jr., who also was a part of the campaign.

"Donald Trump Jr. is both a patriot and a good man, Bannon also said in the statement. He has been relentless in his advocacy for his father and the agenda that has helped turn our country around."

He also said: "I regret that my delay in responding to the inaccurate reporting regarding Don Jr. has diverted attention from the president's historical accomplishments in the first year of his presidency."

Bannon infuriated Trump with comments he made to author Michael Wolff describing a meeting between Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer as "treasonous" and "unpatriotic."

Trump has, since the book was officially published Friday, repeatedly called Bannon Sloppy Steve and said he cried when the president fired him last year from his White House strategist job.

But Bannon, in the statement, says his description of the meeting was aimed at former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, not Trump's son.

Fox News Serafin Gomez and The Associated Press contributed to this report.Its unclear what the weather forecast holds for January 19 in Washington, D.C.

Run the different forecasting models: European. Pioneer. GFS. Or just peak out the window.

The barometric pressure is dropping. A storm could be coming.

A meteorological bomb cyclone ravaged the East Coast last week. A political bomb cyclone could wreck Washington come January 19. Thats the date Congress has to fund government operations and avoid a government shutdown.

Top congressional leaders from both political parties huddled last Wednesday in the office of House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., with White House budget Director Mick Mulvaney and White House Director of Legislative Affairs Marc Short. Everyone spoke in positive terms following the conclave.

All those talks, I think, are going well, said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. Nobody wants to shut the government down on either side. Were in intense talks about trying to deal with all of these issues.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D.N.Y., and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said in a joint statement following the hour-long session: We had a positive and productive meeting, and all parties have agreed to continue discussing a path forward to quickly resolve all of the issues ahead of us.

There are plenty of areas of disagreement over government funding, bolstering Pentagon dollars and securing what Democrats refer to as parity when it comes to enhancing non-defense spending.

But the biggest issue of all comes down to the construction of a border wall and a fix for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). DACA is a President Barack Obama-era policy that granted some persons the right to remain in the U.S. legally if they arrived as minors with parents.

This is why the bomb cyclone brews, somewhere off the Potomac.

When asked if she was pushing for a DACA fix in bipartisan meeting in Ryans office Wednesday, Pelosi replied always.

President Trump and GOP congressional leaders met at Camp David over the weekend for a policy summit.

Trump signaled his desire for Congress to author a major immigration reform bill that alters chain migration for family members entering the U.S. and eliminates a diversity lottery system.

The president also pushed for his promised border wall. But he appeared to hold out on a final DACA solution unless lawmakers revamped immigration policy.

We all want DACA to happen, he said. But we also want great security for our country.

The president, GOP leaders, key West Wing staff and some Cabinet members covered a lot of ground at Camp David  including talk about health care and the midterm elections, particularly how involved Trump may be in GOP primaries or campaigning for candidates.

But everyone knows what the big subject is.

(A) lot of discussion on DACA, frankly, said White House Chief of Staff John Kelly.

That shouldnt surprise many. McConnell indicated at his year-end press conference that a DACA conversation was imminent.

We have a commitment on a bipartisan basis to address the DACA issue, he said. Well devote floor time to that in January.

But nobody is sure in what form.

On Thursday, the president summoned a small group of Republican senators to the White House to discuss immigration policy and legislative approaches for DACA. Sens. James Lankford, Oklahoma and Thom Tillis, North Carolina, were among the participants. The duo would like to forge an immigration compromise.

Upon returning to the Capitol, Lankford said the challenge on immigration policy is scope. And he said negotiators were trying to narrow the issues. Get it as small as it can be.

Theres no agreement on what should constitute chain migration.

We have to figure out what it means, Lankford said.

In other words, how many relatives, if any, could qualify for admission? Are there certain conditions? What about people coming from certain countries?

Another area may require clarification, too.

Everyone has their own definition of a border wall, Lankford said.

Thats for sure.

Many of Trumps supporters want to see stone masons out in the mountains bordering the Rio Grande River, toiling with trowels. Its unclear what it would entail just to build infrastructure and roads to reach some of these locations.

Border security experts explain that a wall could include drones, vehicular surveillance and an electronic frontier. And the cost?

Mexico will pay, said the president at Camp David. In some form, Mexico will pay for the wall.

OK then. So much for all of those debates over spending on Capitol Hill.

For his part, Tillis returned to the Capitol on Thursday, buoyed about the White House immigration session.

The president showed leadership by wanting to get people in a room, he said.

Was there concern Trump could change his mind about how to approach this nettlesome issue?



No, Tillis responded. He said the plan is to advance an immigration package as a standalone bill and not conflate it with the broader debate of government funding.

If Republicans can successfully erect their own wall to partition the spending battle from DACA and immigration, great.

But its far from certain if Republicans can fund government operations with just GOP votes. There could be too many defections. And thats where the Democrats come in and perhaps demand DACA.

We intend to be reasonable, Schumer said. But we dont intend to abandon our priorities just as our Republican friends dont want to abandon theirs. We have some leverage.

The Senate margin is now 51 Republicans to 49 senators who are either Democrats or caucus with that party. The election last month of Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala., narrowed the partisan breakdown. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., still hasnt returned to Washington from his convalescence. The attendance of Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., has also been scarce due to health concerns.

And those are just the problems for Republicans in the Senate.

In the House, they cannot pass a bill without Democratic support, Schumer recently suggested. They have divisions on the Republican side between the defense hawks. The deficit hawks. The people who want a lot of (disaster) money for Texas and Florida. So that gives the House Democrats leverage.

Remember that Trumps base could erupt if he gives in to Democrats on DACA or immigration policy.

You see why a political bomb cyclone is racing up the coast.

Again, time is short. Can they work this out? If you believe they can, perhaps frozen iguanas will fall from the trees.Part of New York's John F. Kennedy Airport, which has been plagued by delays stranding thousands of passengers since Thursday's "Bomb Cyclone" winter storm, was evacuated Sunday afternoon following a massive water main break.

The water main break led to a temporary shutdown of international flights into Terminal 4. Passengers  many of whom posted photos and video on social media  were urged to contact their airlines for specific flight information, according to a tweet sent by the airport Sunday afternoon.

The cause of the water main break was unclear, but WABC-TV, citing sources, reported the flood was caused by "frozen standpipe main."

Terminal 4 reopened before 8 p.m. on Sunday night, as international arrival "resumed operations." The airport tweeted: "residual delays expected."

Images from inside the terminal earlier Sunday showed how part of the building looked like a lake, as workers could be seen trying to mop up the mess. Other photos showed a sea of unclaimed luggage and packed crowds of frustrated travelers unable to reach their destinations.

The country's fifth busiest airport has suffered from a cascading series of woes since the winter storm's snow and the frigid air that followed led to many flights being grounded, diverted or just canceled.

The problems were worsened when a plane arriving from China clipped the tail end of a Kuwait Airways 777, which damanged both aircraft and caused even more delays.

Some frustrated passengers have been waiting since Friday just to get out of New York City.The "bomb cyclone" that dumped snow across the Northeast may have moved on, but the storm is still impacting one of the nation's largest airports, leaving furious passengers stranded on planes for up to 20 hours without answers.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said in a statement Sunday there were 94 canceled flights on Saturday, after "extreme cold, amid the ongoing recovery from Thursday's storm, created a cascading series of issues for the airlines and terminal operators."

"These challenges left passengers on planes for extensive periods, as the airlines and terminal operators experienced delays in getting aircraft in and out of gates," the statement said. "The FAA, working with the Port Authority, airlines and terminal operators, diverted 17 flights. Terminal 1 was closed to incoming flights at 7 PM.

"Many aircraft experienced long delays in reaching gates, particularly international flights at Terminals 1 and 4. The Port Authority provided buses to bring passengers to the terminal from 25 planes at Terminals 1 and 4," the Port Authority said.

The airport's runways and taxiways are "fully operational" but airlines remain in recovery mode, rebooking passengers from canceled flights and reuniting passengers with their luggage, according to the agency. Ongoing frigid temperatures are causing equipment failures and slower than normal operations.

At least 12 international flights were waiting for a gate at the airport on Saturday, according to flight tracking website Flightradar24. More than 70 planes were parked at the airport at one point, according to the website.

The delays caused passengers on stuck aircraft to unload on social media, with some claiming they were stranded on planes for up to 20 hours without answers.

"Weve been on the plane since 10 am (20 hrs) only ate once, our flight turned back twice & were still waiting inside the plane in jfk," Michelle Lopez wrote on Twitter.

Another person posted "After five hours stranded on Tarmac (following a 14-hour flight from Beijing) passengers were told they could deplane only to be told minutes later that there'd be another hour-long delay."

'BOMB CYCLONE' WINTER STORM HITS US EAST COAST: WHAT IS IT?

Other passengers told CBS New York that being stuck on dark planes on the tarmac was unacceptable.

We were on the plane for a good 20 hours," Michelle Lopez told CBS 2. "They took us out once to eat, and then we went back on the plane."

This is the worst ending to the holiday season here in New York, another man told the television station.

The delays were not the only problem at the airport in the wake of the powerful winter storm. Two jets belonging to overseas airlines clipped wings early Saturday, according to the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association.

The incident happened outside Terminal 4, when the wing tip of a China Southern Airways Boeing 777 struck the tail end of a Kuwait Airways Boeing 777.

Kuwait Airlines said in a tweet the incident affected Flight 118, which was headed from JFK to Kuwait City. The flights passengers have been moved to hotels, the airline said. No injuries were reported in the incident.

Before the collision, passengers aboard Kuwait Airways Flight 117 reported they sat aboard the plane at Kennedy Airport for hours waiting for a gate.

[B]een stuck in the plane for > 4hrs @JFKairport tarmac. Older people, kids in here, passengers with full capacity. Crew saying possibility of another 3hrs. Horrific! Will someone allow us to get out and move on with our lives? Manish Madan posted on Twitter.

The Port Authority said late Saturday it intends to aggressively review with its partners, the terminal operators and airlines, the process to assure that planes and passengers get to their gates during the surge of rescheduled flights that follow a severe weather event.Passengers on a Norwegian Cruise Line ship that sailed through the thick of the bomb cyclone described the nightmare two-day ride that left them traumatized after sailing through 30-feet waves in the Atlantic Ocean to New York City.

The Norwegian Breakaway docked in New York City on Friday after the winter storm system wreaked havoc along the East Coast. Karoline Ross, who was with 20 other family members onboard the cruise to the Bahamas, told CBS New York water was pouring down the stairs in the cruise.

When youre on a boat in the middle of the ocean and water is pouring down the stairs, youre thinking this is not going to end well, Ross said.

Another family member, Del Ross, described water dripping from the ships ceiling, elevator shafts, and at least two inches of water filling her room while showers were exploding.

There were people crying, everyone was throwing up. It was a nightmare, Olivia Ross described to CBS2. It was so tilted I was shaking.

Passenger Emma Franzese said she was completely traumatized by the experience and will never go on any type of boat again. Conor Vogt said he was holding on for dear life, adding, I honestly wasnt sure we were going to make it through the night. The boat was tilted like crazy.

I flew across the room, landed in the bathroom, and then I got up, I got into my bed and said a prayer. Thats how I felt that night, Elizabeth Vogt said, but added that the crew put on a really happy face throughout the ordeal.

Brenda Wriedt said the ships captain provided little information to passengers besides described the sailing conditions as rough seas.

The captain shouldve told us a little more. He kept saying, were in rough seas. Well no crap were in rough seas, she said.

Norwegian said in a statement the ship encountered stronger than forecasted weather conditions due to the bomb cyclone on Wednesday and Thursday and apologized to its passengers.Authorities in Oregon said they successfully detonated a live World War II-style mortar shell uncovered on a womans property.

The military weapon was found Thursday in the shed at a womans home in Gold Hill, the Jackson County Sheriffs Office said in a news release. The release said it had been there for more than 30 years, as long as she'd lived there. But the history of the shell was otherwise murdy.

She reportedly removed it from the spot and put in on the ground in her yard before calling for help.

106-MILE FREEDOM RUCK RAISES AWARENESS FOR NAVY SEALS

Sheriffs deputies blocked off the scene and notified nearby residents while they awaited help from a military Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team from the Oregon State Police Explosives Unit, the statement said.

When team members arrived, they took the mortar shell to a safe spot for detonation and found that it was live, according to the department. No one was reportedly injured during the event.

HOW TO GET YOU HANDS ON A HISTORIC M1911 PISTOL FROM THE US ARMY STOCKPILE

The sheriffs department said military items do turn up occasionally, though usually the item turns out to be an inert shell kept as a souvenir. But this one was different, and the homeowner was unaware of the potential danger, the department said.

Authorities warned that if any kind of suspicious device is found, people should leave the item where it is and call authorities.A couple in Florida in a losing battle with the city over their beachfront treehouse said theyre hoping the U.S. Supreme Court will enter the fray and save their getaway.

The treehouse in Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island belongs to owners Lynn Tran and Richard Hazen and will be torn down unless the nations highest court decides to make a ruling.

A decision on whether it'll take the case could come as early as Monday.

The justices only hear about 80 of the several thousands of cases theyre asked to take each year, according to the Supreme Court FAQ page, so the couples chances seem slim.

1 WINNING TICKET SOLD IN FLORIDA IN $450 MILLION MEGA MILLIONS DRAWING

But their lawyer, David Levin, told The Associated Press that he believes his clients rights were violated when a Florida court rubber stamped a ruling proposed by the city of Holmes Beach without any evidence of independent consideration.

The couple said they built the structure after receiving what turned out to be bad advice from the city in 2011.

They run a rental property on the island with a house and four rental units and said when they decided to build the treehouse, they asked the city if they needed a permit and they were told no.

Six months and $30,000 later, the couple had their structure, complete with two levels, hammocks and a view of the Gulf of Mexico.

But after someone complained, the city found that the couple did actually need a permit to build. And whats more, they wouldnt have been able to build in that location due to a city setback requirement. The couple said they hoped to get around that by having local voters weigh in, but courts told them no.

FISHING TOURNEY IN FLORIDA CANCELED AS ANGLER GOES MISSING

Tran said theyve probably spent five times the cost of the treehouse trying to defend it. Theyre accumulating a $50-per-day fine for not taking it down. To date, that has added up to tens of thousands of dollars.

Part of me still believes theres got to be justice out there and we didnt do anything wrong, she said.

And in retrospect, she said, the couple couldve taken the money, gone somewhere else and built an actual house.

But Holmes Beach Mayor Bob Johnson, who described the legal battle to The AP as a waste of time, said the courts have sided with the city.

For some reason, these people have this fixation on it, he said.

Tran said she's afraid to think about it. Until the high court acts, she's enjoying the treehouse on sunny days, meditating there or napping in a hammock. The couple don't have any children of their own enjoying the treehouse and renters aren't allowed up for liability reasons, but Tran said guests and beachgoers often admire the structure.

"It's kind of fun to have around," she said.

If the treehouse ultimately has to go, there's a lurking irony for the couple. To take down the structure, they'll need the one thing they didn't have before they began putting it up: a city permit.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.A California man was arrested on Friday in the 2015 killing of his housemate, whose remains were found by construction workers in December in the homes backyard, authorities said on Saturday.

Michael Christopher Sager, 22, was arrested and booked on murder charges after construction workers found the human bones in a shallow grave on Dec. 26 while renovating a North Highlands home, about 12 miles northeast of Sacramento, police said in a news release. Dimas Velasquez, the current homeowner, told FOX40 Sager was shocked about the discovery.

"[Sager] was the boyfriend of the daughter who lived there," Velasquez told FOX40. "When I found out, I was shocked. I would have never thought it would have been him."

He added, "No one would ever think they would come across a situation like this.

Investigators believe Sager stabbed his housemate to death in the summer of 2015 after they got into a verbal argument. He then allegedly buried him in the backyard and eventually vacated the home. No one filed a missing person report for the victim, whose name was not released at this time.

Velasquez said workers made the gruesome discovery while clearing out the massive trash in the backyard. The skeleton was found just steps away from the back entrance.

It was so much trash back there and we didn't notice anything until we got most of the trash removed, and a cat was digging at an area, and my friend found [the bones]," Velasquez said.

Velasquez had the house rented out for the last 10 years and evicted the most recent tenants after they failed to pay rent, FOX40 reported. He added that the home was left in deplorable condition.

"It's strange and devastating; obviously, you don't go cleaning up the backyard and find something like that," Velasquez said.

Sager is being held without bail.More than 100 firefighters worked through bitter cold early Sunday to put out a fire in Boston that ended up encased in ice as a deep freeze that's gripped the East Coast since a major winter storm last week is finally set to break.

The Boston Fire Department said the blaze broke out at a three-story home in the Dorchester neighborhood around 10 p.m. Saturday, forcing crews to spend much of the night putting water on the home that quickly turned to ice. One firefighter was injured and brought to a nearby hospital.

"It's a tough night," Boston Mayor Marty Walsh told Boston 25 News. "I've only been here for about 40 minutes and it's freezing. And these guys have ice on them, ya know, they're out there fighting it. God love them. And thank God everyone's safe."

Firefighters remained at the scene for hours putting out hot-spots. Pictures posted by the fire department showed water used to fight the blaze froze power lines, hoses, and the gear on firefighters.

Boston fire officials said there was an estimated $1.5 million worth of damage to the home, but 14 people living in the home at the time made it out safely.

The Boston area saw more than a foot of snow after the "bomb cyclone" slammed the area last week. Fire officials thanked the neighborhood for clearing out their fire hydrants, which allowed them to "quickly" fight the blaze.

The bitter cold that's followed the massive storm is finally expected to lessen this week as temperatures slowly rise above freezing, according to The National Weather Service.

SEE NASA'S INCREDIBLE 'TEMPERATURE ANOMALY' PICTURES OF US DEEP FREEZE

"Another day of records will likely be approached or broken, particularly for the frigid overnight lows," the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center said in its advisory. "However, a warm up is in store for next week with the entire country expecting temperatures anywhere from climatology to around 10 to 20 degree above it."

Sunday afternoon's high temperatures should range from the low- to mid-20s in areas from Philadelphia to Boston, but area expected to reach the 30s and 40s on Monday and Tuesday.

"It is still frigid across the country," Fox News Meteorologist Adam Klotz said Sunday on "FOX & friends Weekend."

As aviation crews at South Carolina's busiest airport, Charleston International Airport, struggled to clear runways of snow and ice so they could be reopened, in New England water main breaks, frozen hydrants and burst pipes created new problems for officials.

Hartford, Connecticut, registered 10 degrees with a wind chill of minus 20 while Burlington, Vermont, was minus 1 degree and had a wind chill of minus 30.

The temperature registered minus 37 Saturday at the Mount Washington Observatory in New Hampshire, one of the coldest places on the planet. The wind chill was minus 93. It tied for second place with Armstrong, Ontario, as the coldest spot in the world.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.A former third-grade teacher from Las Vegas was arrested Thursday, accused of lewd acts with a child, authorities said.

Luis Busso, 38, who taught at Ira J. Earl Elementary School, was booked on charges including five counts of lewdness with a child under 14 and one count of attempted lewdness with a child under 14, FOX5 reported.

He became the third person linked to the school to be arrested in recent months on sexual misconduct charges, and seventh school employee arrested overall, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

Busso was terminated May 25 after the school district conducted an investigation, a district spokeswoman said. The specific reason for his firing was unclear.

Busso is being held without bail at the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas, reports said.An Arkansas woman is on the lookout for a jogger caught on surveillance video last week defecating in her driveway.

Tiffany Mattzela told FOX 16 she was heading out to breakfast on Dec. 30 when she was shocked to find something outside her vehicle.

"I came around to get in the passenger side of the vehicle, and I noticed a huge pile of feces," Mattzela said.

The Little Rock resident thought a big dog and an irresponsible owner were to blame for the mess, but a check of a surveillance camera showed a canine wasn't the perpetrator.

"When we did, we found it was not a dog," she told FOX 16. "It was a person who had been jogging down the street, ran up between our two cars, defecated, and ran away."

The case is similar to that of a jogger in Colorado dubbed the Mad

Pooper, who gained viral fame in September after allegedly defecating on a familys lawn for weeks.

Mattzela went along with her business, but on Wednesday was shocked to find as she reached for the handle of her car door she grabbed onto a very soiled piece of paper towel tucked into it.

POLICE SEEK 'MAD POOPER' WOMAN JOGGER WHO'S DEFECATING SHAMELESSLY ON PEOPLE'S FRONT LAWNS

"I mean, it was vile," she said.

Surveillance footage shows the same jogger defecating again in her driveway, and Mattzela said a number of her neighbors have also reported similar issues.

"The neighborhood's calling him the S--- Bandit," she told FOX 16.

Now stopping the jogger has become her priority, and Mattzela has filed a criminal mischief report with Little Rock Police.

"I hope they find him," she said. "And I hope he finds some help."Hukou Waterfall, a grand fall at the upper reach of the Yellow River, has turned into a world of ice and snow after the first snow recently fell on northwestern Chinas Shaanxi province, chinanews.com reported on Thursday. Water flows over ice covered rocks and froze into icicles, creating a spectacular winter scene.

[ Editor: WPY ]A U.S. Navy plane that crashed in the Philippine Sea in November, killing three sailors, has been located in the Pacific Ocean.

The C-2A Greyhound aircraft, which was carrying 11 sailors from Japan to the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan before crashing on Nov. 22, now rests at a depth of about 18,500 feet, the Japan-based U.S. 7th Fleet said Saturday.

A contracted salvage vessel located the aircraft using a pinger locator that homed in on the crashed planes emergency signal.

The focus now shifts to salvaging the plane from what would be a record-setting depth for such an effort, the Navy said.

"Despite very challenging conditions, every effort will be made to recover the aircraft and our fallen sailors," the Navy said, adding that poor weather caused the initial mission to be postponed.

In the coming weeks, a recovery team will return to the crash site with a side-scan sonar and remotely operated vehicle to map the debris field as well as rig the aircraft with strong lines to lift it to the ocean's surface, the statement said.

Eight sailors survived the crash. Those killed have been identified as Lt. Steven Combs, originally of Massachusetts, Aviation Boatswains Mate (Equipment) Airman Matthew Chialastri of Louisiana, and Aviation Ordnanceman Airman Apprentice Bryan Grosso of Florida.

Elizabeth Combs has said that her brother was piloting the aircraft and managed to settle it in the sea, allowing for the survivors to be rescued. The Navy called Combs' actions "heroic."

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Earlier this month, the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan joined two other aircraft carriers off the Korean Peninsula for the first time since the late 1960s in a show of force to North Korea. At the time of the plane crash, the carrier's crew was training with the Japanese military.

The crash was the latest accident for the 7th Fleet, following two separate collisions at sea last summer involving the guided-missile destroyers USS Fitzgerald and USS John S. McCain.

Those accidents, which killed a total of 17 sailors, led to the removal of eight top Navy officers from their posts, including the fleet commander.

Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson and the Associated Press contributed to this report.Recreational marijuana sales began Saturday in a city long known for embracing weed, drawing enthusiasts to wait several hours to be the first to legally purchase pot in San Francisco.

Six pot shops in the city began selling recreational marijuana after receiving their state licenses on Friday, lagging five days behind other cities like Oakland and San Jose due to logistical wrinkles, according to KTVU.

It is a historic day, said Dom Rea of San Francisco, who got in line at 4:20 a.m. This is the only time this first day is happening.

One of the pot shops, Apothecarium, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony with local politicians and even offered a 20 percent discount for people who brought their mothers.

It just feels like youre a regular person, not under scrutiny or anything, like you go into a store and buy anything, Rea said. Its awesome.

Eliot Dobris, head of community outreach at Apothecarium, told the Associated Press the business wanted to show that dispensaries are "respectable places that you can be proud to bring your mom to."

While there were celebrations in "The City by the Bay" over the opening of the pot shops, there is also the threat of pushback at the federal level. On Thursday, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions rolled back an Obama-era policy that allowed legal marijuana to flourish without federal intervention.

SESSIONS REVERSES OBAMA-ERA POLICY ON MARIJUANA, UNLEASHES PROSECUTORS

The move effectively unleashes federal prosecutors to consider bringing marijuana cases, while stopping short of ordering them to do so.

Sessions' action was on the mind of Kevin Johnson, director of operations at Grass Roots, which also opened its doors for recreational pot in San Francisco on Saturday.

"It's certainly a concern," Johnson told the AP. "It may be more difficult for us to do proper banking but when we opened up, George W. Bush was president and the DEA was doing raids on dispensaries. We're in this for the long haul."

SESSIONS' PLANNED MARIJUANA CRACKDOWN DRAWS FIRE FROM POLITICIANS, GROWERS

Californias politicians are also vowing to continue the fight if there is a federal crackdown.

He (Sessions) doesnt know what is going to hit him in terms of the bipartisan backlash against his ridiculous announcement the other day, California Sen. Scott Wiener told KTVU. I believe we will be able to preserve access to cannabis in California and other states, and we will effectively tell the federal government to butt out.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.A former charter school teacher based in Washington, D.C., was arrested Friday after being accused of sexual abuse of a child from 2011 to 2013, authorities said.

Robert Leach, a 33-year-old former resident of Silver Spring, Md., fled the United States in 2014 after the alleged abuse was reported, the Washington Post reported.

Leach was detained in Britain and extradited to the U.S. to face charges.

According to police, the alleged abuse occurred at different locations throughout Washington.

A 2011-12 annual report from Meridian Public Charter in Northwest Washington lists a mathematics teacher in the middle school named Robert Leach.A woman in her 70s who was delivering meals to the homeless in Vermont was attacked by a man wielding a machete, police said.

WCAX-TV reports that Abukar Ibrahim, 32, attacked a 73-year-old Meals on Wheels volunteer who was leaving meals at Harbor Place, which serves as a temporary emergency housing facility.

The woman was sent to a hospital with multiple injuries and later released.

The attack happened Friday in Shelburne.

FEMALE COACH OF BOYS TEAM FACES FELONY SEX CHARGES

According to police, Ibrahim barricaded himself in a room for more than two hours after the attack before coming out. He was being held at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility.

It was unclear whether he has an attorney.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.Recently pardoned former president Alberto Fujimori has taken to Twitter to make his first public remarks following his release from a hospital in Peru's capital.

In two posts Saturday, Fujimori said he has spent the first hours of a new life chapter dreaming of a Peru "without bitterness."

He added that Peru will become a country that "regains its security and eliminates violence" if special interests are put aside.

Peru's former president was convicted in 2009 for his role in the killings of 25 people during his decade-long rule.

The pardoning of his 25-year-sentence by President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski sent thousands of Peruvians into the streets in protest and has been condemned by human rights activists.

Fujimori previously issued a statement from the hospital apologizing to those Peruvians he disappointed.next Image 1 of 2

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Thousands of demonstrators led by opposition leader Salvador Nasralla have gathered in Honduras' second-largest city to protest the re-election of President Juan Orlando Hernandez in a vote they say was fraudulent.

"We will not stop until Hernandez says he's leaving," Nasralla told supporters, many of whom chanted "JOH out!" referring to Hernandez.

It was the first such march in San Pedro Sula since the Nov. 26 election, and the losing candidate once again appealed to the Organization of American States and the countries that have recognized Hernandez's victory to listen to the protesters.

According to the official count, Hernandez won with 42.95 percent to 41.42 for Nasralla.

However the OAS called for a repeat of the vote, saying the official version of the count included "extreme statistical improbability."Egypts Coptic Orthodox Christians -- joined by President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi -- packed into the heavily fortified Christs Nativity Cathedral for Christmas Eve Mass Saturday after a violent year in which they were repeatedly targeted by Islamic State militants.

In Cairo and across much of the Muslim majority country, soldiers in full combat gear joined the police in protecting churches, most of which are now equipped with metal detectors. Worshippers undergo body searches before entering and some churches have had their surrounding streets sealed off.

We, with the grace of God, are offering a message of peace and love from here, not just to Egyptians or to the region, but to the entire world, el-Sissi told a jubilant congregation while standing next to Pope Tawadros II, the Coptic pontiff.

I always say this and repeat it: Destruction, ruin and killing will never be able to defeat goodness, construction, love and peace. It's impossible, said el-Sissi, a Muslim. Pay attention, you are our family. You are part of us. We are one and no one will ever drive a wedge between us.

The tight security across Egypt is a precaution against possible attacks by Islamic militants who have specifically targeted Christians since December 2016, staging a series of bombings, killing about 100 people.

CHRISTMAS IN EGYPT THIS YEAR MEANS 230,000 SECURITY FORCES TO PROTECT CHRISTIANS

Orthodox Christians are the overwhelming majority of Egypt's Christians, who account for about 10 percent of the population, or nearly 10 million. They celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7.

The new cathedral, which can house up to 9,000 worshippers, is located in Egypt's new Administrative Capital, a 45-billion-dollar, under-construction project some 28 miles east of Cairo.

El-Sissi arrived shortly after nightfall, as silver lights twinkled on the cathedral's dome, piercing the surrounding darkness. A general-turned-president, el-Sissi is viewed by most of Egypt's Christians as their protector and ally in the face of Islamists. He led the military's 2013 ouster of an Islamist president whose divisive rule alarmed many Christians fearful over their future in the country.

The consecration of the new cathedral attracted the attention of Pope Francis, the head of the Roman catholic Church who visited Egypt last year where he spoke of the need for tolerance between Muslims and Christians.

A CHRISTMAS WISH: CHRISTIANS IN THE MIDDLE EAST NEED SUPPORT TO LIVE FREE FROM PERSECUTION

"I'd like to express in a special way my closeness to Orthodox Coptic Christians, and I cordially greet my brother Tawadros II in the glorious occasion of the consecration of the Cathedral of Cairo," Pope Francis said in remarks to the faithful after celebrating an Epiphany Mass Saturday in St. Peter's Basilica.

But not everyone was as positive about the new cathedral or holding Christmas Mass there.

Ishak Ibrahim, a prominent expert on Christian affairs in Egypt, said in a Facebook post that moving Mass to an "isolated" spot projected a "disappointing" message.

"Christianity never commanded us to build churches so we can boast about their size, beauty or to accord legitimacy to the sultan," he wrote. "Those in the villages , meanwhile, are hurt and see their churches ... shuttered," wrote Ibrahim, alluding to frequent instances of Muslim mobs in rural Egypt reacting violently to the construction or repair of churches, or the use of private Christian homes as places of worship.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.A man died on Sunday after he picked up an object outside a Stockholm subway station that exploded in his hand, killing him and leaving a woman injured, police said.

Police believe the blast wasn't terror-related and launched a murder investigation, Reuters reported.

The man found the explosive device about 11 a.m. local time outside the Varby Gard subway station in Huddinge, a residential district thats part of greater Stockholm, police spokesman Sven-Erik Olsson said. A woman who was standing next to the man received minor injuries to her face and both legs.

Authorities declined to comment on the explosive object, but local newspaper Aftonbladet said the device was believed to be a hand grenade, Reuters reported.

There is obviously something that has exploded strongly ...But we will have to wait for the technical investigation, the Swedish police spokesman said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.Embattled German Chancellor Angela Merkel says shes optimistic about forming a coalition government with the center-left Social Democrats after months of uncertainty following the countrys federal elections.

Talks between the countrys two major political parties -- Merkels Christian Democrat alliance (CDU/CSU) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) -- to form a new ruling coalition restarted in Berlin on Sunday.

I think we can do it. We will work very quickly, very intensively. Thats what we set out to do, Merkel told reporters, according to the BBC.

I am optimistic about these talks, but I also know that there is a lot of work ahead of us in the coming days. We are willing to take on the work, she added.

GERMANY, TURKEY TAKE SMALL STEPS TO RESTORE FRIENDLIER TIES

Merkels attempt to form a ruling three-way coalition with the Free Democrats and the Green Party failed in November -- as the parties seemingly could not agree on issues of immigration, taxes, infrastructure, health care and the future of the European Union.

The Social Democratic Partys poll ratings are down and some critics argue that it has abandoned core principles in a bid for power with Merkel.

"We are willing to take on the work."  German Chancellor Angela Merkel

SDP leader Martin Schulz said on Sunday he wanted to bring Germany up to date in education policy, housing investment and infrastructure.

The foundations had to be laid for years of prosperity so that Germans could live in safety and democracy, Merkel told the BBC.

The German chancellor is facing pressure from conservatives, who claim she has driven voters toward the far-right Alternative for Germany, which is now represented in the countrys parliament for the first time ever.A U.S. Navy reconnaissance plane joined the hunt Sunday for 32 sailors after an Iranian tanker collided with a Chinese freighter off Chinas eastern coast, catching fire and spilling oil into the sea.

The crew  30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis  on the tanker Sanchi was traveling from Iran to South Korea when it crashed into the Hong Kong-registered freighter CF Crystal in East China Sea, 160 miles off the coast of Shanghai, Chinas Ministry of Transport said. All 32 people on the Sanchi were missing as of Sunday, but the 21 crew members of the Crystal  carrying grain brought from the United States  were rescued.

"We have no information on their fate," an official in Irans Oil Ministry told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. "We cannot say all of them have died, because rescue teams are there and providing services."

The U.S. sent a P-8A aircraft which searched nearly 3,600 square nautical miles -- but did not find any of the missing crew, the Navy reported.

The Chinese Ministry of Transportation sent at least four rescue ships and three cleaning boats to the collision scene Sunday morning, according to Reuters. The South Korean Coast Guard also assisted with rescue efforts by sending an airplane and ship for the search.

Sanchi, run by Irans top oil shipping operator, was carrying nearly 1 million barrels of condensate, a type of ultra-light oil, Chinese authorities said. The tanker went ablaze shortly after the collision, sending plumes of black smoke into the air as oil spilled into the sea. Its unclear how much oil was leaked and if it was still pooling out of the tanker as of Sunday.

By comparison, the Exxon Valdez was carrying 1.26 million barrels of crude oil when it spilled 260,000 barrels into Prince William Sound off Alaska in 1989.

An official told the AP the tanker was owned by the National Iranian Tanker Co. and had been rented by a South Korean company, Hanwha Total Co.

Saturdays collision was the first major maritime incident since January 2016, when international sanctions on Iran were lifted, Reuters reported. It was the second one for a ship from the National Iranian Tanker Co. in less than a year and a half.

In August 2016, one of its tankers collided with a Swiss container ship in the Singapore Strait, damaging both ships but causing no injuries or oil spill. No one was killed in the incident.

The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier strike group left San Diego Friday on its way to the western Pacific.

Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.The atmosphere is indeed thin at the pinnacle of fine watchmaking. To secure a place there a watch house must have mastered, on its ownor as it is expressed most often, in-housethe full range of haute horlogeries greatest challenges: perpetual calendars, tourbillons, repeaters, and, of course, chronographs. In Breguets case not only are all these found within its collections, but multiple versions of each so that there is stunning diversity in the different movements which Breguet offers for each of these complications including chronographs1. Not only is the range of Breguets chronographs broad, but nestled within it is the caliber 2320, as it is known internally, or 533.3, as it is known publicly, which for decades has reigned as the most honored haut de gamme chronograph movement in the world (See Issue No. 2 for the history of this caliber and its unprecedented adoption by a wide swath of Switzerlands prestige watch houses).

Logically, Breguet could have rested upon these past achievements and left untouched its collection of chronographs. Instead, the halls of Baselworld 2015 were set abuzz as Breguet debuted its sixth chronograph caliber with the Tradition Independent Chronograph. This new chronograph represents far more than an enrichening and broadening of Breguets chronograph choices, for it presents a construction which has never been seen before and opens a new chapter in the history of chronograph evolution.

A brief tutorial in chronograph basics places this new movement in context. Essentially all of the worlds chronographs incorporate some form of switching mechanism. When the chronograph is started by the owner, universally by pushing a button, the switching mechanism is used to connect the chronograph components to the regular running train of the watch. The reverse is true when the chronograph is stopped at the end of a timing event; the push for stop causes the chronograph components to be disconnected from the running train. Over the past two centuries of chronograph development, watchmakers have developed and perfected a multitude of different switching systems for accomplishing this connection and disconnection. Take for example, the 2320/533.3. It employs a highly evolved column wheel/horizontal clutch system that connects the chronograph to the running movement by pivoting together two finely toothed wheels.

The Tradition Independent Chronograph has no such switching mechanism for connection or disconnection. Indeed, the starting and stopping of the chronograph takes place without any connection/disconnection from the main movement of the watch. Those two sentences, alone, emphatically make the point about just how revolutionary and new this movement is. The undertaking of its creation was the very definition of a white sheet of paper project with no carry over from predecessor chronographs.

Breguet Tradition independent chronograph  Breguet

So if there is no switching mechanism to connect the chronograph to the running train, how can it function? The answer is found in the name, more particularly in the word independent. The chronograph has its own movement separate and independent from the principal movement of the watch. For connoisseurs, the presence of two separate timekeeping elements is seen at once as the Tradition Chronograph is equipped with two balance wheels (one dedicated to the chronograph, the second dedicated to the main movement), symmetrically arrayed adjacent to each other and both visible from the front of the watch. In common with all the non-tourbillon models in the Tradition collection, both balance wheels are fitted with parachute anti-shock systems. Both balance wheels share the same diameter, which bestows a visual coherence to the timepiece.

As novel as it may be to place an independent chronograph with an identically sized balance alongside the main watch, banish all thoughts that the separate chronograph movement has been built in accordance with movement convention, as Breguet has conceived it in an entirely pioneering way. As testament to the inventiveness of this new design, Breguet invested five full years in its development and has filed several patents covering its construction.

Of course, the heart of the chronograph movement is a free sprung balance wheel with a Swiss lever escapement. The balances spiral incorporates an important historical Breguet invention, an overcoil. The overcoil, which consists of a curve at the terminal end of the spiral positioned above the spiral's main body, helps ensure that the spiral will expand and contract more uniformly for better timing performance. Today, the entire industry honors this historical Breguet invention, terming this type of terminal curve a Breguet overcoil . So far, that represents a standard way to approach a movement design, albeit with a healthy dose of Breguets modern research that has led to the development of a balance wheel fashioned in titanium and its Breguet overcoil spiral in silicium, running at, what is for a chronograph, the ideal frequency of 5 Hz, which neatly divides each second into tenths. The remainder of the chronographs construction opens up entirely new frontiers.

So hewn to standard practice that watchmakers consider it universaland it has been thus since the 1500s the component that supplies the energy for mechanical timekeeping mechanisms to run is a barrel fitted with a spiral-formed mainspring. Not surprisingly, the main watch half of the Tradition Independent Chronograph is equipped with just such a barrel/mainspring. The chronograph half, however, has neither a barrel nor a spiral-shaped mainspring. Nor is it equipped with a crown to be wound to store energy. How then is the chronograph powered? With a straight blade spring. When the chronograph reset button is pushed for the return to zero, that action alone loads the spring blade with enough energy to power the chronograph. One of the key benefits wrapped up in this arrangement is instant charging of energy for the chronograph with a single button push. There is never a question of whether a barrel is sufficiently wound; the chronograph is always ready to run the moment that the start button is pushed.

There are two balance wheels; here the titanium balance for the chronograph is ready for assembly  Breguet

Breguet did not leave matters there, however. Any spring system delivering energy to a balance wheel/escapement has a disability. The amount of force varies over the course of time that the spring is transmitting its energy. There is more force when it is fully charged than when it is nearly fully discharged. This is as true of a traditional barrel with a spiral mainspring as it is for a blade spring. To compensate for this characteristic of the spring, Breguet equipped the Independent Chronograph with an innovatively constructed constant force system which is integrated into the mechanism that delivers the energy to the chronograph balance wheel. This novel system is the subject of one patent.

The chronograph is equipped with two buttons, although their placement and functions depart from the usual. The button at the 4 oclock position is used for the start. Stop, however, instead of being associated with the same button (as is the case with most chronographs), is assigned to a button at 8clock. A restart can be commanded by another push of the 4 oclock button. After a stop, a second push of the 8 oclock button returns the chronograph to zero (and remember that it is this push for reset that arms the blade spring). Along with new assignments for the buttons, come creative mechanisms associated with each command. At the center of these new mechanisms is an inspiration from Breguets history, fitting, of course, as this timepiece is, after all, a member of the Tradition collection. Recalling Breguet No. 4009 sold in 1825 to Mr. Whaley (a double seconds stop function pocket watch), the Independent Chronograph is equipped with an anchor shaped chronograph control of similar form. When the start button is pushed, the anchor pivots in order to lift the hammer component that holds the position of the chronograph seconds hand and, simultaneously, frees the chronograph balance wheel. Recall that the blade spring was already armed from a previous push for the return to zero. However, the balance is not allowed to run when the chronograph is stopped as an arm is pressed against its axis, blocking it from swinging. Once that pressure from the arm is released, the balance is able immediately to start. A common behavior with mechanical watches is a delay in the starting of a balance wheel if the watch has been allowed to run down. To ensure that this does not occur with the chronograph balance, Breguet has designed the stop so that there will be tension on the spiral of the balance wheel. Thus, when the stopping arm is lifted an instantaneous start is assured every single time.

A second function of the anchor comes into play when the chronograph is stopped. The anchor is used to accomplish the return to zero of the chronograph seconds hand. A finger attached to the anchor causes a hammer to rotate bringing the hammer in contact with a classic heart-shaped cam attached to the shaft of the chronograph indicators. Chronograph aficionados know that heart-shaped cams universally are used to return hands to the zero position. Owing to their precisely calculated logarithmic shape, when a hammer is pressed anywhere along an exterior edge, that pressure always causes the cam to rotate smartly to a predefined single position, which, of course, is the zero position.

The switching element for the chronograph  Breguet

The chronograph seconds hand reads upon a scale on the exterior dial. Since the chronograph half of the movement oscillates at 5 Hz, each second is perfectly divided into 0.1 second increments and can easily be read on the exterior dial. Echoing the symmetry of the two balance wheels of the same size poised opposite each other, the minute counter scale of one to twenty minutes is set out on an arc that mirrors that of the arc placed opposite it used for the power reserve indication of the main watch.

Generally speaking, throughout the watch industry little is said or published on the subject of chronograph precision. For most chronographs, the connection of the chronograph mechanism to the running train of the watch adds an additional load that affects the running rate of both the main time display and the chronograph itself. This does not, however, apply to the Independent Chronograph since the main watch and chronograph run separately from each other. Thus, Breguet is able to announce the precision for the chronograph. The number is astonishing: +/- .08 seconds over twenty minutes! To put that into perspective, since the chronograph divides each second into tenths of a second, a miniscule possible error of less than .08 seconds is hardly, if at all, readable.

To this point we have focused entirely upon the innovations in the chronograph portion of the watch. A few points concerning the main watch: as mentioned earlier, the main watchs balance wheel is identical in size to that of the chronograph. It is fashioned, though, out of a heavier material, Glucydur, so that it will run at a frequency of 3 Hz. Like the chronograph, it is equipped with a Breguet balance spring in silicium.

The hours and minutes are read upon a solid gold hand guilloche dial, which like other models in the Tradition collection, is placed off center. Manually wound, the main watch achieves a power reserve of 55 hours.

The Independent Chronograph is available in either red gold or white gold, both versions with a case diameter of 44 mm.next Image 1 of 2

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he "completely agrees" with President Donald Trump's critique of the U.N. agency aiding Palestinian refugees.

Netanyahu at his Sunday weekly Cabinet meeting also reiterated support for Trump's threat to cut aid to Palestinians.

The development comes after Israeli media indicated that despite public declarations, Israel is concerned about the ramifications of such a move.

Netanyahu says the organization "perpetuates the Palestinian refugee problem" and the "right of return narrative, in order to eliminate the state of Israel."

The U.S. is the largest donor to UNRWA, the U.N. agency that assists Palestinian refugees. Ending the American aid could precipitate a humanitarian crisis, particularly in the impoverished Gaza Strip, where the majority of residents are eligible for UNRWA's support. Israel could find itself footing the bill.Jordan says it will permit a one-time crane drop of U.N. aid to tens of thousands of displaced Syrians stranded in harsh conditions on its border.

The kingdom sealed its border with Syria in 2016, after Islamic State extremists killed seven Jordanian border guards. The closure ended regular U.N. aid shipments from Jordan to displaced Syrians struggling for survival in a remote stretch of desert.

Jordan alleges that the Rukban border camp has been infiltrated by IS and that cross-border traffic endangers the kingdom. It insists that the U.N. deliver aid from war-ravaged Syria.

Jordan's Foreign Ministry said on Sunday it would permit a one-time crane drop from its soil after the U.N. submitted a plan for aid delivery from Syria.

U.N. refugee agency officials were not available for comment.While the Arab world publicly decried President Donald Trumps decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, new evidence suggests a contrary private opinion in Egypt.

Following Trumps move last month, Capt. Ashraf al-Kholi, an Egyptian intelligence officer, phoned several talk show hosts in the country, in a bid to persuade them to back Trump's plan. Talk shows are highly influential in Egypt.

Kholi said conflict with Israel was not in Egypts best interest, and that Palestinians should recognize Ramallah, a West Bank town that houses the Palestinian Authority, as their capital.

Several talk show hosts privately agreed with his views, as audio recordings of their phone conversations obtained by the New York Times reveal.

The television hosts were reportedly in agreement with Kholi, that focusing on Egypts national security was a higher priority.

Click here for more from the New York Times.The United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) is being accused of allowing biased information, supplied by radical anti-Israeli groups, to include Israels military in a report by the U.N. secretary-general on children and armed conflict. Being placed in that report could lead to tough Security Council sanctions.

According to critics of the upcoming U.N. report, the purpose is to include the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on a blacklist of grave violators of childrens rights. The critique is authored by NGO Monitor, an Israel-based research institute analyzing non-governmental organizations (NGOs) claiming to advance humanitarian agendas.

Titled UNICEF and its NGO Working Group: The Campaign to Blacklist the IDF, it explains that since 2007, UNICEF has led the Working Group on Grave Violations against Children, that monitors and reports grave violations against children in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory as well as 19 other conflict zones.

The UNICEF working group is expected to share its data with the U.N.s special representative for children and armed conflict soon. This information then will be passed onto the U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. NGO Monitor states that, UNICEFs role in this process includes giving legitimacy to false and distorted claims made by the NGOs, which are fed through a UNICEF database to a variety of U.N. publications.

NGO Monitor accuses UNICEFs office in the Palestinian Territories for being politically motivated and, completely inconsistent with its mandate of child protection and from its guidelines for neutrality and impartiality. That office works with NGOs, many of which it says are radically anti-Israel.

Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told Fox News that Israel is a staunch defender of human rights, and warned of financial consequences if there was ever to be a blacklist. For the United Nations to even consider such action following their condemnation of President Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital is further proof of the U.N.s anti-Israel bias.

DeSantis continued, The United States should take any punitive action against Israel into consideration when determining who is deserving of foreign assistance.

NGO Monitor stated, These publications do not note that the accusations originate with unqualified and partial activists, some from groups with alleged ties to terror organizations, or that they were not verified by credible independent bodies. NGO Monitor pointed to a branch of the agency, known as UNICEF OPT (Occupied Palestinian Territory), as being instrumental in this campaign.

In response to the criticism, a spokesperson for UNICEF took issue with NGO Monitors findings, and said that UNICEF is not involved in the listing process.

UNICEF said that it does not make recommendations on countries and entities to be listed in the secretary-generals report and its the secretary-general alone that makes that decision.

The UNICEF spokesperson defended the groups impartial reporting to Fox News: The monitoring and reporting process is led by a working group, which brings together U.N. agencies and international, Israeli and Palestinian NGOs. These organizations are selected based on their ability to regularly provide accurate, reliable, impartial and objective data on children affected by armed conflict.

The spokesperson claims that the information they receive and utilize, follows a stringent verification process whereby data collected and shared by members is triangulated. According to the UNICEF spokesperson, all information is verified, information which is judged inaccurate or biased is not accepted.

Our work on children and armed conflict is known to member states, many of which are also UNICEF donors, and we provide them with regular reports on how we use their respective contributions.

But, NGO Monitor does believe the information is biased; in fact, it claims three of those groups who supply information to the working group have troubling links to a terrorist group, The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). PFLP is on the U.S. State Departments list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations as well as the European Unions, but not the United Nations list.

NGO Monitors analysis states that Addameer is an example of one such group that gives information to UNICEFs working group, calling it an affiliate of the PFLP, which has seen senior members convicted of crimes including its chairperson and co-founder. One of its field workers was imprisoned for trying to assassinate a former chief rabbi of Israel in 2005.

NGO Monitor contends that the Defense for Children International-Palestine (DCI-P) had one board member who was imprisoned by Israel for 17 years for carrying out grenade attacks against Israeli civilians in 1968.

It also claims that the founder and director of the Palestinian Center for Human Rights was imprisoned by Israel for membership in the PFLP, and in 2012 also was denied a visa to the U.S.

Some of the other NGOs listed in the report have links to the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) campaign that has been accused of being anti-Semitic. Others have likened Israel to Nazi Germany and apartheid South Africa.

NGO Monitor is especially concerned with UNICEFs inability to protect children. It quotes one of UNICEFs Children in Armed Conflict bulletins as admitting that the situation in Gaza interferes with UNICEFs ability to document cases of child recruitment and use of children in armed conflict. Something which Hamas and other Gaza based terrorist groups have been shown to do.

If Israel were to be put on the blacklist, they would join ISIS, Al Qaeda and the Taliban. While diplomats at the U.N. believe that is highly unlikely to happen, NGO Monitor wants countries to better understand who they are funding and recommends that UNICEF end cooperation with NGOs with suspected ties to terrorist organization, and publicly retract false information on Israel.A decree issued by President Abdel-Fatah El-Sisi 2 January extending Egypt's nationwide state of emergency for further three months will be discussed and voted on in parliament Monday.

The decree authorises the army and police to undertake all necessary procedures to combat terrorism and preserve the safety of citizens and public properties across the nation.

The decree (No 647/2017) states that "the state of emergency will be imposed for a further three months due to the country's dangerous security conditions."

Article 2 of the decree states that under the state of emergency the army and police will be required to take all the measures necessary to thwart terrorist attacks, block terrorist funding, preserve security and public properties and keep citizens safe.

Article 5 states that the decree will go into effect only after two thirds of MPs approve it in a plenary session. It will go into effect at 1am 13 January.

Article 4 states that in accordance with emergency law (No162/1958) all powers granted to the president will be used by the cabinet to implement the new extension of the state of emergency and send those who might violate the law to prison.

The state of emergency was first imposed in April 2017 after two church bombings killed 47 people. It was then extended in July for another three months.

A new decree was issued last October, re-declaring the imposition of the state of emergency for a new period of three months.

According the Egyptian constitution, a state of emergency cannot exceed six months from its date of declaration and decrees imposing or extending it should be approved by parliament.

Parliament's legislative and constitutional affairs committee will meet Monday morning to discuss El-Sisi's decree and prepare a report on it to be discussed during the House's plenary session. Informed sources said Prime Minister Sherif Ismail or Acting Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli will come to parliament to address MPs on the reasons behind the new extension.

Many MPs said they will vote in favour of the new extension. Mostafa El-Guindi, an independent MP, told Ahram Online that, "The state of emergency remains an effective tool in thwarting terrorist attacks and punishing terrorists."

"Although Egypt was able to fight different waves of terrorist attacks, the country still has a long way to go to fully ridding itself of terrorism," said El-Guindi.

Samir Ghattas, another independent MP, told Ahram Online that, "The re-imposition of the state of emergency does not mean that Egypt has not yet become safe, or that the country is still a fertile ground for terrorists and terrorist attacks."

"This is not correct because Egypt's security conditions have largely improved thanks to emergency law and other factors," said Ghattas, citing the resumption of direct flights between Egypt and Russia and a surge in foreign tourist traffic as clear signals that Egypt has become largely safe.

Mostafa Bakri, another independent MP, also told Ahram Online that, "Egypt is still facing the danger of terrorist groups targeting Christians and places of worship."

"Most of these groups, particularly the ones targeting the army and police forces in North Sinai, still receive funding and media coverage from hostile countries like Qatar and Turkey," said Bakri, adding: "The state of emergency and military trials have proved effective tools in preventing terrorist crimes." "In the first half of the 1990s, the state of emergency was a big success in saving the country from different waves of terrorism," said Bakri.

Bahaaeddin Abu Shoqa, head of parliament's legislative and constitutional affairs committee, told reporters that "the committee's report on the new extension will show whether it was used to detain critics or harass the media and the press."

"What we saw in past months was that the government invoked emergency powers primarily to clamp down on terrorists," said Abu Shoqa.

Short link:

A dead fin whale was found Sunday on Egypt's Alexandria Mediterranean shore, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported.

The 12-metre-long black and white female whale is believed to have been washed ino the Mediterranean shores from its natural habitat at the Atlantic ocean through strait Gibraltar because of a sea storm.

The 7-8-year-old rare fin whale was then pulled to the shore and found at Roshdy beach in Alexandria, Al-Ahram said.

Alexandria security directorate and civil protection forces examined the whale and are set to deliver it to the National Institute for Oceanography and Fisheries.

Fin whales are an endangered species that live in several areas including the Atlantic ocean. Some types reside in Egyptian waters. Unprovoked, fin whales are harmless to humans.

Whales are believed to head to the shore when about to die, though there is no proven explanation for this behavior. Sometimes whales are dragged to shore by sea currents when sick or injured, as they do not have the strength to swim against the current.

Short link:

A new segment of the Grand Parkway is an important piece in the puzzle of League Citys future, and how it affects the citys growth depends on whether the giant loop around Houston is a toll road or not, officials said.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.Team founder Peter Sauber says he does not think the Hinwil based team will become known as 'Alfa Romeo'.

Sauber has done a deal with Fiat president Sergio Marchionne that will see the Italian luxury carmaker Alfa Romeo become the title sponsor.

Asked if that is a 'strange feeling', Sauber founder Peter Sauber told Neuer Zurcher Zeitung newspaper: "It's a very good feeling.

"The team is not changing ownership, Alfa Romeo is simply the title sponsor."

Sauber, 74, is now retired, having completely withdrawn from the team he founded a couple of years ago.

And he says the team's struggle at the back of the grid and for mere financial survival have not been easy to watch from the sidelines.

"It hurt," he admitted. "We should at least be in the midfield and I think that's possible as well."

At the same time, he said he does not even watch all of the races on television, and is glad to no longer be involved.

"It was important for me to get away and it wasn't so hard either, because the two years before that were very demanding," he said.

But Sauber said he is also very proud of what his team has achieved since entering F1 in 1993.

"To survive as a Swiss team for 25 years in formula one is actually an impossible mission," he said.

"Today, Sauber is the fourth oldest team after Ferrari, Williams and McLaren."

And he thinks the Sauber name will now endure, even though in Italy many people are already talking of the Swiss based team as 'Alfa Romeo'.

"I do not believe that," Sauber insisted.

"Maybe it happens in Italy, and that would be fine because Alfa Romeo is a name that arouses passion. But I do not see the Sauber name taking a back seat. I see the addition of Alfa Romeo as a clear appreciation.

"For the team, it is a stroke of luck that the whole thing was orchestrated by Sergio Marchionne, because he has a very successful reputation in the automotive industry," he added.

(GMM)Its invisible, odorless and is responsible for more than 21,000 lung cancer deaths a year. Radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas, is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. Yet people are often unaware its in their homes.

January is National Radon Action Month, and the Connecticut Department of Public Health is urging state residents to test their homes for radon as soon as possible.

Formed from the natural decay of uranium, radon is found in rock, soil and water. While radon in outdoor air poses a relatively low risk to human health, it can enter homes from the surrounding soil and become a health hazard inside buildings.

Because you cant see or smell radon, people are often unaware that this silent killer could be in their homes.

The states Radon Program recommends that all Connecticut homes be tested for radon, especially recommended in the winter months. Connecticut residents may obtain a free radon test kit by completing an online form on the DPH Radon Program website at ct.gov/radon. The online link will be available through Jan. 12 and while supplies last. Local health department/district partners were provided 1700 test kits for distribution in their local communities to support radon awareness. Test kits can also be purchased from the American Lung Association by calling 1-800-LUNG-USA or at your local hardware store.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends that homes with radon levels at or above 4.0 pCi/L be fixed. Homeowners should consider reducing their potential lung cancer risk by fixing homes with radon levels between 2 pCi/L and 4 pCi/L. Smokers exposed to radon have a much higher risk for developing lung cancer.

Radon problems can be corrected by qualified radon contractors, with costs typically ranging between $1,200 and $1,500. A homeowner should hire a qualified radon mitigation (reduction) contractor to decrease airborne radon levels. To learn more about radon and to obtain a list of qualified radon mitigation contractors, visit the DPH Radon Program web site at ct.gov/radon.Justices asked to uphold third Trump immigration order

by Lyle Denniston, National Constitution Center, January 6, 2018

Returning to the Supreme Court with a new appeal on immigration, the Trump Administration on Friday asked the Justices for unchecked power to bar entry to the United States of foreign nationals of six countries with Muslim-majority populations.

This request, in a case from Hawaii, is the first of two that the government is expected to file. The second, in a case from Maryland, will not be made until a federal appeals court decides that case, which is expected soon.

At issue in both cases is the legality of President Trumps third attempt to impose a sweeping restriction on entry of foreign nationals from the six designated countries as a move to deal with potential terrorist threats.

Although the President has been trying since his eighth day in office to impose restrictions on foreign nationals seeking to live or visit this country, the first two such efforts failed  for the most part  in lower courts. The Supreme Court at one point had agreed to hear the Administrations appeal seeking to defend the second version, but that case, too, ended without a decision by the Justices.

The Court from time to time has eased the lower courts orders against enforcement, but the Justices have never issued a direct ruling on whether the President has the authority  under his own constitutional powers or under powers handed him by Congress  to put such broad restrictions in place.

Getting such a direct decision, now that the third order has gone through lower court tests, is the aim of the Administrations latest appeal. In that Hawaii lawsuit, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that the third order went beyond the Presidents own constitutional authority and beyond immigration-control laws passed by Congress.

It is unclear whether the Supreme Court will speed up the normal schedule for review of this controversy, so that it could be heard and decided during the current Term, which is expected to run until late June. As of now, the first reply to the new appeal by the Hawaii challengers of the presidents executive order is not due at the Court until February 5. And the case from Maryland, of course, has not even reached the Justices yet.

While the Court has the option of putting the dispute on a fast track, the Administration actually has no real need for that because, in an order on December 4, the Justices allowed federal officials to put the restrictions fully into effect, and they are in place now.

While this version of the restrictions is aimed at eight countries, the challengers in both the Hawaii and Maryland cases sued to block the presidential order only as it applied to the six nations with majority populations of Muslims: Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen. The lawsuits did not contest the restrictions as to North Korea and to specific individuals in Venezuela, and those are no longer at issue in the cases.

The restrictions are not uniform in detail as to all six of the Muslim nations, but the limits they impose are intended to be permanent  unlike the temporary nature of the first two Trump orders.

In taking the Hawaii case to the Supreme Court, Administration lawyers argued that the Ninth Circuit Courts decision, if allowed to stand, would raise grave constitutional problems dealing with separate tasks that the Constitution assigns to the three branches of the national government.

But, the document added, there is no need for the Court even to examine the scope of the Presidents own constitutional authority, since, it argues, the Ninth Circuit Court was wrong in finding violations of immigration laws and federal court procedure law.

Beyond its point-by-point challenge to the Ninth Circuit Courts ruling, the new appeal document urged the Court  as an initial matter  to declare that the third presidential order is not even subject to any challenge in the courts. (The Ninth Circuit Court ruled that it was open to challenge.)

Congress, the new filing contended, has made clear that the President may block entrants of foreign nationals any time the Chief Executive decides that is necessary to protect national interests, and has specified that such decisions cannot be challenged in the courts.

If the Justices were to agree on that basic point, the case would be ended without a ruling on whether the presidential order is legally or constitutionally valid. The order would remain in full effect.

The Administration appeal argued that, even if the Court were to uphold the Ninth Circuit Courts order against enforcement of the third order, that bar to enforcement should be limited only to the individuals and entities that had sued, not the whole world, as the Circuit Court order encompasses.

While the Ninth Circuit Court said the full sweep of the third order could not be enforced around the world, it did allow the government to forbid entry to any foreign nationals from the six specified nations if those individuals at present had no family or institutional ties to the United States.

The Administration protested the Ninth Circuits order even as narrowed by that court, saying that the government would be forbidden to keep out of the country the vast majority of those seeking to travel to the U.S. to live or to engage here temporarily in business, education or tourism.

---30---

BIN: University of Hawaii to set national immigration policy for the entire country based on its urgent need for Syrian grad studentsA COMMEMORATIVE portrait of Henleys Leander Club on finals day at last years royal regatta has been commissioned to mark the clubs 200th anniversary this year.

The artwork, painted in oil on canvas by Timothy Easton, shows Leanders quadruple sculls A crew returning to the pontoon after beating the clubs B crew in the Prince of Wales Challenge Cup.

Club president Jeremy Randall is depicted waiting to greet them with a bottle of champagne and European champion and Olympic silver medallist Vicky Thornley is shown departing for her race in the Princess Royal Challenge Cup for womens single sculls.

Mr Easton, who lives in Suffolk, set up his easel on the riverbank in Thames Side opposite the club and a short distance downstream from Red Lion Lawn.

He made a series of pencil sketches as the scene unfolded across the water.

He also painted several studies of the surrounding landscape in the days after the regatta before creating the final painting at home.

Mr Easton said: We were lucky not to have rotten weather on finals day because everything on the water looks so much better on those marvellous, bright summers days. It was quite an unusual scene because you had two Leander crews racing against each other so you can see both of them.

Vicky Thornley is there as well so women are represented.

It was great fun to do. I enjoyed it very much.

The picture was formally unveiled at the clubs annual dinner in November and now hangs in the bar area. A limited run of 200 prints, each signed by the artist, has been produced for sale at 55 apiece.

Mr Easton has been exhibiting in the regattas stewards enclosure since the late Eighties and previously painted the GB coxless four that won gold at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, which included Leanders James Cracknell, Matthew Pinsent and Steve Redgrave.

Leander president Jeremy Randall said: Were all very pleased with it as Timothy has perfectly captured the excitement of Leander Club on finals day.

By focusing on the racing rather than just the spectators drinking champagne, he has created a very poignant image for those of us who are interested in the sporting side of things.

Leander Club was founded in 1818 and moved from the Tideway in London to Henley in 1897.

It opened its doors to women in 1998 and elected Debbie Flood as its first female captain in 2013.

It is the most successful rowing club in the world, with 127 Olympic and Paralympic medals to its name.A news story earlier this week of a mother and daughter involved in a murder-suicide is just one more painful reminder of the prevalence of suicide in our communities and the need for intervention when possible.

Although the story probably touched all of our hearts, it seems to be one that is repeated more and more often. In a Nov. 30 article in The Salt Lake Tribune, author Luke Ramseth cites a report indicating that youth suicide in Utah has increased each year nearly four times faster than the national average.

Ramseth also defers to Taryn Aiken Hiatt, regional director for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, who challenged Utahns to show up and participate in suicide prevention training and awareness efforts.

Dr. Greg Hudnall is the founder and executive director of HOPE4UTAH. He has championed suicide prevention and has been continuously showing up in Utah schools and communities for more than 20 years as a strong advocate for suicide prevention. His expertise is not only sought after locally, but also nationally at the highest levels of government.

Hudnall, along with two other presenters, will be showing up at ScenicView Academy on Feb. 16 to present their program Ethics and Suicide Prevention. Hudnall will be joined by Dr. Kris Doty, former professor of behavioral sciences at Utah Valley University, and Dr. Elijah Nelson, professor of behavioral sciences at UVU and an attorney.

This event is open to anyone who has an interest in this important topic but conintuing education units will also be available. The event, which is broken down into two sessions, runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The first session, includes three ethics CEUs and will be presented by Dr. Kris Doty & Dr. Elijah Nielson from 9 a.m. to noon. The second session, Suicide prevention, includes two CEUs and will be presented by Dr. Greg Hudnall from 1 to 3 p.m. For registration and more information, visit www.svacademy.org

Suicide impacts all of us in one way or another. It is not something that we can ignore or hope will go away, especially given the increase occurrences in our community. In the above referenced Tribune article, Hiatt also encouraged people to be nosy and ask questions when they see someone is suffering. Becoming more educated in the clues and questions to ask can be one of our first steps in changing these alarming statistics.

Our brains get sick, Hiatt said. But heres the beautiful part: They can also get better.

Anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts is asked to call the 24-Hour National Suicide Prevention Hotline, 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Utah also has crisis lines statewide.South Korea and the US announced a suspension of joint military drills until after the Paralympic Games in South Korea's Pyeongchang.

Chinese experts said this is another positive step to easing strained tensions on the Korean Peninsula, but they also warned all parties not to be too optimistic.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang told a daily briefing on Friday that China welcomed the positive moves made by North Korea and South Korea to improve ties.

"We hope the international community could give support [to these moves], make joint efforts in finding an effective way to ease tensions, enhance mutual trust and restore dialogue," Geng said.

Chinese assistant foreign minister Kong Xuanyou said on Friday that he welcomed "positive" developments on the Korean Peninsula after the two Koreas agreed to hold talks next week to discuss the North's possible participation in the Winter Olympic Games.

"Currently, some positive things are unfolding with regard to the situation on the Korean Peninsula, though there are still complicated challenges," Kong said, the Yonhap News Agency reported on Friday.

Kong made the remarks at the start of a meeting with his South Korean counterpart Lee Do-hoon.

He arrived in Seoul earlier on Friday for a two-day visit, during which he is to meet South Korean officials for discussions on North Korea and issues of mutual concern.

Kong also said that he hoped Seoul and Beijing will strengthen strategic communication and advance mutual trust based on agreements their leaders reached during a December summit in Beijing.

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Thursday played down a delay in US-South Korean military exercises, saying they would resume after the conclusion of the March 9 to 18 Paralympic Games, Reuters reported.

Mattis said the decision to delay the drills until after the Olympic and Paralympic Games was due to logistical concerns, since many South Korean security forces would be occupied with the country's biggest sporting and tourist event of the year.

US President Donald Trump and his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in announced late on Thursday that annual large-scale military drills usually held in spring would now take place after the Winter Olympic Games scheduled for February in Pyeongchang.

The Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercises are drills conducted regularly to maintain readiness on the peninsula, according to a statement from US Forces Korea.

The South Korean and US militaries usually hold the exercises every spring, which can involve as many as 17,000 US troops and more than 300,000 South Korean counterparts.

Trump on Thursday also called potential talks between North and South Korea "a good thing" and took credit for any dialogue.

South Korea's unification ministry said North Korea had sent its consent in a statement for the talks to be held on January 9.

The last time the two Koreas engaged in official talks was in December 2015, Yonhap reported on Friday.

Chinese experts said that the recent positive signals sent by all parties could help ease the strained tensions on the Korean Peninsula but all parties should not be too optimistic since they will still face many challenges before denuclearization of the peninsula is achieved.

The Xinhua News Agency released a commentary on Friday, saying that it is "apparently a constructive gesture" for Seoul and Washington to agree to suspend military drills in line with the international call for stability and peace in the region.

"However, considering the unprecedented level of tensions there and the aggravated mutual rancor between Pyongyang and Washington, more reconciliatory efforts are needed to change the overall bleak mood in the region," the article said.

Japan's defense minister on Friday sounded a note of caution about the talks, saying North Korea would continue developing its weapons program and Tokyo would remain vigilant, Yonhap reported.1 / 2 Adriana Cohen 2 / 2 FILE - In this Friday, Sept. 15, 2017, file photo, a man watches a TV screen showing a file footage of North Korea's missile launch and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea. Ahn Young-joon, Associated Press  

Talk is cheap, especially in matters of foreign policy.

Over the past decade, weve learned that words  soft or tough  wont abolish the North Korean nuclear threat; only action will. To our detriment, both the current president and past presidents have proved this fact  in spades.

Take former President Barack Obama. Eight years of strategic patience and politically correct responses delivered in a diplomatic fashion did nothing to stop the pariah state from advancing its nuclear weapons program. To the contrary, Kim Jong Un knew that the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize who campaigned on ending wars  not commencing them  would avoid a military conflict with Pyongyang at all costs. That accurate political assessment was exploited by the dictator, and the rogue regime continues to put the world on edge with its continual missile launches and nuclear arsenal  which can now reach major U.S. cities, not to mention our allies.

Evidence that politically correct words, delivered politely and cautiously a la Obama, fail miserably.

Enter Donald Trump, a brash, tough-talking New Yorker who prides himself on not being PC. He has also failed to get North Korea to stand down. Lets look at the timeline.

After a series of missiles launches by North Korea throughout the first half of 2017, President Trump said on Aug. 8: North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States. They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen.

That bombastic rhetoric drew vast criticism from Democrats and some conservatives alike, but more importantly, did this tough talk work? Far from it. On Aug. 26, North Korea fired three short-range missiles. A couple of days later, it fired a missile over Japan  the first in eight years. On Sept. 3, Kim continued to kick sand in our faces by testing a hydrogen bomb so powerful it triggered an artificial earthquake. That major provocation was followed by a Sept. 15 missile launch from Sunan, which flew over northern Japan before landing in the Pacific Ocean. And then there was the intercontinental ballistic missile launch on Nov. 29.

On top of all that, the belligerent dictator delivered a televised threat to the United States on New Years Day, saying, It should properly know that the whole territory of the U.S. is within the range of our nuclear strike and a nuclear button is always on the desk of my office, and this is just a reality, not a threat. Trump responded by tweeting that his nuclear button is bigger than his rivals and that it works.

If history is the best teacher, the war of words between the two nuclear powers wont yield world peace any time soon.

All the more reason President Trump should heed Theodore Roosevelts foreign policy doctrine: Speak softly and carry a big stick. Holding China and other nations that violate international trade sanctions accountable while suspending provocative U.S. military exercises in the region would go further toward getting North Korea to back down than another tweet.

Thats for sure.Four people, including a minor girl, died on Sunday when a closed coal mine caved in Madhya Pradeshs Betul district, nearly 178 kilometers south-east of Bhopal, superintendent of police said.

Betuls sub-divisional magistrate, SK Bhandari, told Hindustan Times over phone that some local women were illegally extracting coal from Satpuda 2 coal mine of Western Coalfields Ltd (WCL) in Pathakheda area when the mine caved in.

This accident spot is actually the area where the coal was dumped. The women were extracting coal illegally from the aggregate when it caved in, he said.

Policemen from Pathakheda and Sarinee along with locals rescued those trapped under the debris. Search is on to check whether more people were still trapped under the debris.

Those killed in the incident include Seelu Chorsey, 45, Meena Borsey 35, Nani Bai, 30 and Payal, 11, all residents of Kalimai area, said local district authorities.

Betul collector Shashank Mishra and superintendent of police rushed to the spot to oversee the rescue operation.

Superintendent of police DR Teniwar said an investigation was underway.

This is not the first such incident in the state. In 2012, six people were killed when an illegal coal mine caved in at Bargawan area in Singrauli district. In 2016, two people died in a coal mine roof collapse in Umaria district. In 2016, around one acre land of a closed mine coal mine in Shahdol district caved in but there was no casualty.A gang of electricians who have allegedly been restoring connections cut off by the state power department is creating nightmares for the authorities in Morena district.

The Madhya Pradesh Madhya Kshetra Vidyut Vitaran Company Limited (MKVVCL) suspects the involvement of former staff and contractual employees in the gang.

So far, the gang has allegedly resumed power connections of hundreds of consumers which were disconnected for being illegal or over non-payment of bills.

Members of the gang reportedly follow personnel of the MKVVCL and whenever they disconnect supply, the gang offers restoration for a fee.

The matter came to light after the MKVVCL started cutting connections under a new campaign it launched to bring down losses due to illegal connections.

They were surprised to find that many customers did not turn up to pay their bills.

A check by the agency stunned officials when they saw that consumers were enjoying power supply. The gang charges 100- 1,000 per connection for restoring power, said a customer.

Requesting anonymity, a consumer, against whom a case has been registered for unauthorized reconnection, said, There are many people who are facing hardships because of spiked power bills... We cannot afford to pay the bill... They didnt take any payment from poor people ...

As the company is outsourcing many services including power connections, there are chances former employees of these companies, are now being used against the company, said an officer of the company.

MKVVCL, deputy general manager, operation and management, Shishir Gupta agreed. This gang is being operated under the expertise of former employees or contractual employees of the company. We have registered 52 cases ...for unauthorised reconnections. We are gathering proof against the gang so that we can register a criminal case against them.

The Power department in Madhya Pradeshs Morena district is facing an unusual problem for the past three months. A parallel gang of electricians are resuming the power connections of hundreds of consumers, disconnected for non-payment of power bills and illegal connections.

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Kshetra Vidyut Vitaran Company Limited (MKVVCL), Morena had launched a campaign to decrease the losses incurred to the company because of illegal connections and non-payment of bills.

After snapping the connections of many consumers, the power officials were expecting these consumers to come running to the department to get their connection restored.

However, when only a handful turned up to pay, the officials realized that something was amiss. A reality check stunned the officials as they saw that the consumers were enjoying power supply.

Apparently, a gang of electricians follows the power department personnel and whenever the latter disconnect power connections the gang members offer resumption of power supply.

The gang charges Rs 100 to Rs 1000 per connection but they are doing it free of cost too for poor people.

Requesting anonymity, a consumer, against whom a case has been registered by the company for unauthorized reconnection, said, There are many people who are facing hardships because of spiked power bills. In the company nobody pays attention to our problem. We are very poor to pay the bill in thousands. The gang has helped many poor people. They didnt take any payment from poor people while charged up to Rs 1000 from those who can afford to pay.

The company is suspecting that former employees and contractual employees are involved in the gang. Climbing a pole to resume the connections cant be done by a general electrician. As the company is outsourcing many services including the power connections so there are chances that former employees of these outsourced companies, are now being used against the company, said an officer of the company, who did not give his name as he is not authorised to comment.

MKVVCL, deputy general manager, operation and management, Shishir Gupta agrees, This gang is being operated under the expertise of former employees or contractual employees of the company. We have registered 52 cases under section 138 of Indian Electricity Act for unauthorised reconnection of the bills, We are gathering proofs against the gang so that we can register a criminal case against them.National School Drama alumnus and actor Shri Vallabh Vyas died at the age of 60 in Jaipur on Sunday. He breathed his last at 9.30 am and the last rites took place in the evening, claim sources.

Vyas featured in as many as 60 films and a number of television shows. His memorable work includes the role of Ishwar in Ashutosh Gowarikers Lagaan (2001) and Jinaah in Sardar (1993). Some of his other noted films included Sarfarosh (1999), Shool (1999) and Dil Bole Hadippa (2009) among others.

Shri Vallabh Vyas played Ishwar in the film.

In 2008, the actor suffered a brain stroke followed by a paralytic attack while shooting for a film in Gujarat. He fell in the toilet in the middle of the night and was found the next morning in a pool of blood. He was later operated on and was paralysed since then. As his family couldnt afford his treatment, they relocated from Mumbai to Jaisalmer and later Jaipur for treatment.

When the actors wife, Shobha, approached the Cine and TV Artists Association (CINTAA) for financial help, as the association has a trust for the actors, she was disappointed with the paltry sum doled out. CINTAA member and actor Arun Bali offered Rs 10,000 when he heard about Vyass condition, while the then vice-president of CINTAA actor Gajendra Chauhan, offered Rs 50,000 as per rules of the trust and the case in point. The family refused both. They were glad when Vyass co-actors Irrfan Khan, Manoj Bajpayee and Aamir Khan came forward to help them with Vyas treatment.

He is survived by his wife, Shobha Vyas and two daughters.

Follow @htshowbiz for moreTwo people have been acquitted of the charge of trying to kill a policeman by firing at him with a Delhi court saying the evidence led by the prosecution was iffy and uncertain.

The court absolved the accused of the offences of attempt to murder and assault on public servant to deter him from discharge of duty under the IPC and provisions of the Arms Act, noting that the fired bullet could not be recovered which was a serious flaw on the part of the prosecution.

The fired lead could not be recovered. This is a serious flaw on the part of the prosecution as the same would have proved that it was fired from the pistol allegedly recovered from possession of the accused, which also casts doubt on the prosecution story as a whole, Additional Sessions Judge Sanjeev Aggarwal said.

The court also observed that location of the crime could not be proved despite availability of mobile phones, which could have helped establish it.

In the present case, the incident is of the year 2012. At that time, mobile phones were freely available and were possessed by all common people including police officials.

In the present case, the best way for the prosecution to prove the location of crime was to prove the CDRs (call detail record) of all members of the police party at the relevant time to show their location at the place of the incident which could have clearly proved their presence at the spot and would have duly corroborated the prosecution story regarding the time, place and manner of incident, it said.

The accused persons cannot be convicted in a case, where the evidence lead by the prosecution is of uncertain or iffy nature, the court said.

It further noted that no scientific investigations have been carried out by the Investigating Officer for reasons best known to him despite the availability of scientific evidence in the shape of gunshot residue test, finger prints and evidence that the fired lead was discharged from the weapon found in the possession of accused.

According to the prosecution, a team of police officials had gathered to arrest the accused in a separate robbery case of January 20, 2012 when one of the accused fired gunshots at one policeman, injuring him while the other accused allegedly tried to attack a cop with a knife.

The two men were arrested by the police under various provisions of the IPC and Arms Act.

Denying the allegations levelled against them, the accused claimed they were falsely implicated by the police.

The court while acquitting them said, The prosecution evidence as a whole is not trustworthy, therefore, it is not safe to convict the accused persons on such kind of evidence.A day after a bomb blast in Europe, a teacher at a popular Noida school read out headlines to her Class 6 students. A student loudly called out the name of the only Muslim boy in class. Saad*! Yeh kya kar diya tumne?, he asked. The teacher heard the alleged exchange, but did not say a single word.

In the last two decades, frequent terror attacks by terrorists who were Muslims and Americas wars in West Asia have fuelled a global backlash against ordinary Muslims. Closer home, religious clashes, the Ramjanambhoomi-Babri Masjid feud, Mumbai riots, several terror attacks, and divisive politics have strengthened biases against the community.

Schools have not remained untouched by this rhetoric, despite textbooks stressing on Indias unity in diversity. But even as adults find it tough to wrestle with Islamophobia, how do you raise a Muslim child in this environment?

Writer Nazia Erums new book, Mothering a Muslim, explores this dilemma of growing up as a religious minority in India, where children as young as five find themselves targeted for their identity.

Nazia set out to write the book after her daughter Myra was born in 2014, when India was in the middle of what she says was a high-decibel, polarised election campaign. She was looking for some reassurance from other mothers like her.

But when she started collecting testimonies, a pattern started emerging.

Baghdadi, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Osama, ISIS. Being asked, do your parents make bombswill your father kill me with a gun? were just some of the taunts Muslim children faced at school, according to the book.

This is not about kids  the children only mirror what we have done to ourselves. This is not even about Muslim kids  its about all kids. This behaviour is not harmful only for the tormented, but also for the tormentor, says Nazia.

Being bullied for ones religion is not a phenomenon limited to Delhi schools. American schools have been grappling with the problem on an aggravated scale.

A March 2017 poll by US-based Institute for Social Policy and Understanding cites 42% of Muslim respondents saying their kids were bullied because of religion, either through insults or physical assault. One in four parents said the bullying involved teachers or school administration.

In October 2017, the Council on American Islamic Relations report on school bullying found that incidents of harassment were on the rise. Thirty-six per cent respondents said they had their hijabs tugged, while 57% said their peers posted offensive remarks about their religion online. Advocates linked the rise in bullying incidents to Donald Trumps full-throttle election campaign, in which the US president made several remarks equating all Muslims with terrorists. To Fox News in December 2015, discussing his ban on Muslims, Trump referred to them as a sick people.

If cases of religion bullying are not isolated, then what really is happening within schools in Indian cities?

The genesis of hate

Ayesha*(17), shifted to one of central Delhis renowned schools in Class 9 in 2015. She was in-charge of decorating a school board on the 1965 Indo-Pak war and was cutting a Pakistani flag, when a classmate strolled up to her and said, Oh, cutting the flag of your country?

I didnt understand at first... So I asked him why he said it. He told me, you know why, says the teenager, now in Class 11.

The upset teenager talked to her mother, 50-year-old business consultant Nazreen*, who despite being distraught, tried to reassure Ayesha that while what was said to her was unacceptable, such things would soon pass.

Of course, I was concerned. I grew up in the 70s and 80s in eastern India, before attending college in Delhi. I was never made to feel that this is not my country, or that I dont belong here, she said.

Was such bullying unheard of before or did it pass under the radar?

Janaki Rajan, a professor at Jamia Millia Islamia, who has been working with school children for over 30 years now, said an anti-Muslim sentiment had been simmering since Partition. The generation that saw the brutality of the communal violence at the time is still alive. They may have passed it on to next generation, she says.

Nazreen said such incidents rise when communal tensions flare up. In the aftermath of the 1992 Mumbai riots, her niece, who was four at the time, was burned with sparklers by a neighbours child of the same age.

Parents Hindustan Times spoke to cite several reasons for the rise in such bullying  children exposed to sensationalised 24X7 news, unfiltered videos and posts on social media and the profusion of popular culture with West Asian terrorists as villains.

According to Annie Koshi, the principal of St Marys School in Safdarjung Enclave, children are only reflecting what they see and hear perfectly respectable adults do and say in society.

The news today is about skirmishes on the India-Pakistan borders, about cow vigilantes, about Triple Talaq. The predominant narrative is that the Muslim is the other, and that if you are Muslim, you must be Pakistani, she said. We get to hear of such incidents in our school too, but then it is up to us to build an alternative narrative, she said.

Rajan said endemic discrimination and bullying was almost commonplace now.

At (a private school in Delhi), I was told that when a teacher got stuck on what the flag of Pakistan looks like, she turned to the Muslim child in class for confirmation... And we cant expect teachers to do much either, as they may also have similar prejudices and biases, she explained.

Speak up, discuss

Schools do take action when such incidents come to light. However, not many students come forward with complaints.

At Sahils* convent school in South Delhi, mulla or terrorist is casually hurled during lunch breaks or on the playground. But most children never complain. Snitching is looked down upon, explains the Class 12 student. Besides, its just words. Sometimes we sort it out among ourselves with a fight.

Saad didnt want to approach the school, said his mother, Azaad*, who runs a non-profit organisation. Azaad explained to her son that while Muslims have been involved in terror attacks, Islam doesnt condone violence.

But when one of his friends repeatedly called him Baghdadi, Azaad spoke to the other childs mother. I spoke to the kids mother, who countered with how my son had called her son motu. Is calling someone Baghdadi the same as calling someone fat? .

Muslim mothers say they experience another fear too. What if a remark escalates into a physical fight or something worse? Azaad sees off her older son, a first-year law student at a Noida university, with the same hidayat, or advice every morning: Dont discuss politics or religion.

This act of self-censorship extends to other areas as well. For Nazia, it meant giving Myra a name that would unburden her from her Muslim identity.

What can schools do to build a more inclusive environment?

Whenever such incidents happen, you need to speak about it, dissect it and see where the child got it from. We need to have discussions with children about these issues to get them to think critically about it. If you let it go, the thought puts down its roots, and then takes over, said Koshi, who added that teachers need to be trained and sensitised too.

Annie Namala, the director of the Centre for Social Equity and Inclusion, who has served as a member of the National Advisory Council during the implementation of the Right to Education law in 2010, stresses the need for teacher training. Without training, even those who wish to make a difference will not have the tools and techniques to address the issue, she said.

The other hope is the kids themselves.

When Ayesha told her friends about the incident, some of them confronted the boy. They debated the incident among themselves and the boy apologised.

Sahil too says he hasnt heard offensive slurs like mulla or terrorist since he came into senior school.

I think its about maturity; they realise the folly when they understand the meaning of their words better. Whether someone is Muslim or not, we should treat everyone equally and not comment on religion, culture, caste or colour, he said.

(* Names changed to protect identity)Thousands of Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) were given clearances to provide critical training under the Skill India programme despite having inadequate infrastructure and facilities, a parliamentary panel on labour noted in its report.

The panel found a slew of irregularities  from two ITIs operating from the same address to institutes without finished buildings to deficiencies in machinery and equipment  that were bypassed to allow these institutes to get funds for training.

The trainees from these institutes with poor level of skills are not as per the industry standards, the House panel on labour said in its January 4 report, a copy of which was accessed by Hindustan Times.

There are 13,353 ITIs in India -- 2,152 government and 11,201 private  with a total capacity of training 21.94 lakh students.

The parliamentary panel also pulled up the Quality Council of India (QCI), a non-profit autonomous society set up by the Centre for industrial accreditation. The QCI has not followed the process in right earnest and these derelictions were found during inspection, the panel said, taking exception to serious lapses committed by the QCI and seeking corrective measures.

QCI had accredited about 6,729 ITIs. The Committee is concerned to note that, while on one hand during the period 1950-2012, 6624 ITIs were set up, the QCI in four years between 2012 and 2016 accredited 6,729 ITIs. But these could not function in the desired manner, the panel said.

This is not the first time the QCI has been criticised. A study report by the Indian Institute of Public Administration that pointed out the QCIs alleged was sent last October to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion for appropriate action against the body.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the Skill India scheme in June 2015 with an aim to tap into Indias demographic dividend and combat rising unemployment.

Since then, the government has merged the vocational training programmes with schemes such as MGNREGA and the construction of roads and houses. The government has also linked entrepreneurship to the Skill India scheme, named after Sangh ideologue Deen Dayal Upadhyay.

The government had arranged an interest-free loan of Rs 2.50 crore per ITI in public private partnership scheme and so far released Rs 2,313.74 of it. In the 2017-18 budget, the Centre had allocated Rs 3,016 crore for skill schemes.

The skill development ministry informed the parliamentary panel that it was reviewing existing civil infrastructure norms and affiliation procedures for setting up new ITIs in the future..City hospitals have seen an increase in the number of residents complaining of a mix of flu-related and respiratory complications over the past fortnight, since the chill started settling in the countrys Northern plains. The weather whammy on residents health was accentuated by poor air quality.

For the past week, the minimum temperature has been hovering around 6 Celsius. On Sunday, the minimum temperature was 6 Celsius, 1.2 Celsius lower than Saturdays, shows data by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Officials at the Met department said the cold spell is going to continue till the end of this month as the region will continue to be under the influence of the Western Disturbances.

Parallelly, the city has seen its air quality fall as well.

The air quality index was 330 on Sunday, 355 on Saturday and 345 on Friday, as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data.

The cold and bad air quality are collectively taking a toll on the health of residents, especially children. Of all the patients who visit the citys Civil Hospital, 80% complain of fever, cold and respiratory issues; most of these patients are children and the elderly, doctors said.

Children suffer more from respiratory illness and cold as their lungs are not fully developed to tackle polluted air. During winter, pollutants fails to get dispersed in the atmosphere because of low wind movement. As a result, particulate matter get trapped in the atmosphere and air becomes polluted. Lungs have to work extra hard to purify air, and this is when those with weak or underdeveloped lungs fall sick, chief medical officer of the Civil Hospital, Gurgaon, BK Rajora, said.

Read I At 1.7C, Gurgaon sees coldest day this winter

Residents who visited the hospital with their sick children said that their children have been falling sick quite frequently despite taking precautions.

My four-year-old son has been battling breathing difficulties for the last two weeks. He is unable to sleep because of the cold. Last week, I gave him medicines and he was doing fine, but as the temperature dipped further he started exhibiting the same symptoms, Rani Devi, a resident of Jharsa, said.

Resident of Sector 46 Param Singh said, We are not sending our kids to play outside because of the cold and pollution.Former Gurgaon deputy mayor and BJP leader Parminder Kataria was acquitted by court in a rape case registered against him in 2015. A 36-year-old woman had accused Kataria of raping her on the pretext of marriage.

Additional sessions Judge Rajni Yadav, in an order delivered on December 22, acquitted Kataria, giving him the benefit of doubt. The judge also stated that the complainant was unable to produce convincing evidence to support the allegation.

The court also observed that there was no evidence to suggest that the accused had made any promise to marry her or he was available for marriage.

Giving the benefit of doubt, accused Parminder Kataria is hereby acquitted of the charges levied against him, the court order stated.

Read I Gurgaon police arrest four in Mandpura gang-rape case

Kataria said that he had full faith in the judiciary and knew that truth will prevail.

A case of rape was registered against Kataria in October 2015 after the woman accused her of rape on the pretext of marriage and getting her a job in the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG).

A case under sections 376 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code was registered against him at the women police station in Sector 51.Russia's Supreme Court has upheld a ruling barring opposition leader Alexei Navalny from running in the March presidential election. The high court upheld the Central Election Commission's decision banning Navalny from running because of his conviction on criminal charges.

Navalny and his followers say those charges were politically motivated. Navalny has called for demonstrations across Russia on Jan. 28 to protest the country's upcoming presidential vote.

Polls say that incumbent President Vladimir Putin will likely win another six-year term when the election is held on March 18.

A decision on selecting one of the two proposed routes for the Metro in Gurgaon would be taken in the first meeting of Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) on January 20. The meeting, where a list of developmental projects are expected to be deliberated upon, will be chaired by chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who is also the GMDA head.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) had suggested two routes for a Metro in Gurgaonone between Huda City Centre (HCC) and Dwarka Sector 21, and the other between HCC and Gurgaon railway station. A public feedback-taking exercise was also conducted by the GMDA on behalf of the state government to gauge public opinion in the matter.

V Umashankar, CEO of the GMDA, said that no decision has been taken by the state government on route finalization. The GMDA, on its part, has forwarded the public feedback to the state government for its perusal, he said.

The Metro is one of the projects that will come up for discussion and the meeting (on January 20) will determine the next course of action, another GMDA official said.

The reassurance comes at a time when unsubstantiated reports of the state government approving the HCC-Gurgaon railway station route, the less popular among the two routes, has led to resentment among residents.

There have been reports indicating that the state government has approved the HCC-Gurgaon railway station route despite the popular vote going to the HCC-Dwarka Sector 21 route. If it is true, then the government would have completely ignored the publics say in the matter. I find this step absurd and a waste of public time and money, Nilesh Dayal, a resident of Nirvana Country, said.

Public feedback on the GMDA survey shows that 85% residents prefer a Metro line between HCC and Dwarka Sector 21, the state government is said to be in favour of the HCC-Gurgaon railway station route because of reservations about land jurisdiction, and the cost involved.

A section of the HCC-Dwarka Sector 21 Metro line, between Chauma railway crossing in Sector 111 and Bijwasan border, falls in the jurisdiction of the Northern Railways. The GMDA, in its report to the state government, had pointed out that this could become a hurdle in timely completion of the project as getting permission from the Railways would take time.

However, the GMDA report also offered a solution. It suggested a diversion in the route from Sector 23 towards Palam-Bijwasan road and subsequently towards Dwarka. This would allow the GMDA complete autonomy over the route in Gurgaon.

The catch could be in the cost.

Building the 12-km HCC-Gurgaon railway station line, which covers Subhash Chowk, Rajiv Chowk and New Colony Mor, is estimated to cost Rs2,751 crore (with tax). This is almost half of the estimated cost of the 27.5-km Dwarka Sector 21 route at Rs5,491 crore (with tax).

The project is likely to be completed under a public-private partnership model.

Significantly, the state government officials have been raising questions about the ridership on HCC-Dwarka Sector 21 route. They say the commuter traffic may not be high enough since the diplomatic enclave in Dwarka is yet to come up.

But, the DMRC feasibility report states that by 2021, the HCC-Gurgaon railway station Metro line would have an expected daily ridership of around 86,000 passengers, with maximum people (approximately 20,000) boarding from Subhash Chowk.

In contrast, the HCC-Dwarka Sector 21 line is expected to have a daily ridership of 2.87 lakh passengers by 2021this is almost three times that of the first line.Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday accused the ruling BJP in Uttar Pradesh of befooling people and said instead of wasting time, the party should demand big from the Centre in its budget.

He said in the coming days he would try to establish SP as a national party and would also take out a rath yatra, when needed, to strengthen the party.

The BJP government is only befooling people. Instead of wasting time, the party should demand big from the Centre for the state in its annual budget, Yadav said, suggesting launch of a bullet train service to Lucknow.

The same (bullet train) can be run alongside Agra-Lucknow expressway, he told reporters here.

Asked about his meeting with like-minded opposition parties on Friday to discuss the EVM issue, Yadav said, We demand that before the Lok Sabha polls, two bye-elections of Gorakhpur and Phulpur be held using ballot papers.

On possibilities of coalition and alliance with other parties in the days to come, he said the matter would be discussed with other parties.

On his father Mulayam Singh Yadav announcing his decision to contest from Mainpuri seat, presently held by his kin Tej Pratap Yadav, the SP chief said: The party is behind him. He can contest from wherever he wants. I know from where Tej Pratap is to be asked to contest.

The former UP chief minister expressed solidarity with jailed RJD chief Lalu Prasad, saying the BJP did injustice to him.

Prasad was on Saturday sentenced to three-and-a-half years in jail and fined Rs 10 lakh by a special CBI court in Ranchi in a fodder scam case relating to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from the Deoghar treasury 21 years ago.

SP national general-secretary Ramashankar Vidyarthi said in Ballia that Prasad was facing consequences for not joining the BJP bandwagon.

He is being trapped in a conspiracy by the BJP. Had he joined the BJP, he would not have to suffer jail sentence, he said, adding, I am sure he will get justice from High Court.

He said it was the need of the hour that all opposition parties unite to defeat the BJP.The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its political protege BJP were blindsided by the events that led to the caste violence in Maharastras Bhima-Koregaon, and steps must be taken to check its recurrence.

This was the conclusion after a series of meetings, where decision makers in the Sangh Parivar confabulated on combating the growing unrest among Dalits.

People aware of the developments said the RSS, which blames communists and those who sympathise with the ultra-Left for stoking caste clashes, has decided to redouble its efforts to reach out to Dalits and stop the caste fault lines from widening.

On the agenda are protracted interactions with Dalit communities, distributing speeches of former Sangh chiefs with specific references to their call for abolition of caste discrimination and giving salience to Sanghs perspective on caste. Cadre has also been instructed to sniff out incipient caste friction in their areas.

The Sangh has underlined that superficial segregation on the basis of caste is against the formation of a Hindu Samaj, which cannot be complete without Muslims and Christians. This wave of friction between Hindus (Dalits and so-called upper castes) is the handiwork of parties whose base is shrinking, said a senior Sangh functionary.

The BJP, too, has been advised to counter the communal forces by aggressively pushing the development for all agenda.

After the unrest that was set off by Dalit scholar Rohith Vemulas suicide, followed by the clashes between Thakurs and Dalits in UPs Saharanpur and the flogging of a Dalit family in Gujarat, RSS and BJP drafted an outreach to quell growing caste friction.

The RSS carried out meetings with Dalit representatives to buttress the need for unity in Hindu society. In the run-up to polls in UP and Gujarat, RSS cautioned against caste-based polarisation and explained how conflict between communities would affect Indias politics. It also impressed upon BJP the need for building bridges with the Dalits and OBCs to ensure its support is not eroded, the functionary said.

Even as the RSS has periodically come out with statements castigating atrocities against Dalits, many within the community are circumspect. Dalit ideologue Chandrabhan Prasad said the saffron group was uncomfortable with Dalits asserting their identities. Scholar Anand Teltumbde also questioned the RSSs assertion that Dalits were part of the Hindu society.Lucknows Gudamba and Delhis Kirti Nagar are among the top ten performing police stations in the country, a survey conducted by the Intelligence Bureau found.

The three top police stations in the list were RS Puram Police Station (Coimbatore), Panjagutta Police Station (Hyderabad) and Gudamba Police Station (Lucknow). Kirti Nagar ranked 10th in the list.

Union home minister Rajnath Singh made the announcement on Twitter on Saturday after attending the inaugural session of the Director Generals Conference 2017 at Border Security Force (BSF) Academy in Tekanpur near Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh..

Well-maintained records, clean premises, courteous staff and good police response time were parameters that helped Gudamba police station bag a spot. I still cannot believe that our police station has been ranked among top three police stations of the country. It is a matter of pride that our hard work is being recognised at the national level, said Ram Surat Sonker, inspector of Gudamba police station.

The Kirti Nagar police station in-charge, Anil Sharma, also expressed happiness over the achievement: It is a proud moment for all of us. The idea is not just to increase the competitiveness among police stations but also to improve policing, he told HT.

The survey conducted by Intelligence Bureau through Quality Council of India team identified 10 best police stations across the country during an eight-month long exercise evaluating police stations on about 80 parameters regarding performance, infrastructure and amenities.

After the 2017 conference, the home minister had entrusted security managers to identify ten best police stations in the country after which Quality Council of India was roped in as a third party to judge and pick best police stations.

Heres the full list:

S Puram ,Coimbatore (1)

Panjagutta , Hyderabad (2)

Gudamba, Lucknow (3)

Dhupguri, Jalpaiguri (4)

K4 PS, Anna Nagar, Chennai (5)

Banbhoolpara, Nainital (6)

Ghiror, Mainpuri (7)

Rishikesh, Dehradun (8)

Valapattanam, Kannur (9)

Kirti Nagar, New Delhi (10)Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday accused the Congress of using Karnataka as an ATM to fund its activities while stalling development in the state.

Asking people to vote for BJP in Karnataka, Adityanath said to get the benefit of central schemes, we need the same party in the state and the Centre.

Accusing the Congress of being disconnected from development, he said: This state is nothing more than an ATM for the Congress and it will use the state in this way.

The UP CM was speaking at the Bengaluru leg of Parivartana Yatra rally, his second within three weeks. Planned by state BJP president and former Karnataka chief minister, B S Yeddyurappa, the rally aims to reach out to people in all the 224 constituencies of the state ahead of the assembly elections in May.

Karnataka state BJP president and for chief minister, B S Yeddyurappa (C) with Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath (R) and Union minister Sadanand Gowda during Parivartana rally in Bengaluru on Sunday. (Arijit Sen/HT Photo)

According to Adityanath, Karnataka, which was a model for development, has been held back by the Congress over the past five years.

Under the leadership of [Prime Minister] Narendra Modi, the BJP has decided to develop the country. And, for schemes of development to reach the youth, farmers, and a city like Bengaluru, it is necessary to have a BJP government here.

In the whole country, people are voting the Congress out, like in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat. If BJP has formed a government for the sixth time in Gujarat, its development is becoming a benchmark for India, Adityanath said.

Targeting Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiahs recent assertions of his Hindu identity and attacks against BJP for trying to claim Hinduism as its, Adityanath said, [Siddaramaiah] has seen your strength and remembered Hindutva, like [Congress president] Rahul Gandhi remembered temples in Gujarat.

As a Hindu, is it correct for you to promote beef eating? Adityanath asks Siddaramaiah

The head of the Gorakhnath Math also held forth on the characteristics of Hindutva, calling it the way of life of India.

Hindutva is not specific to any caste or religion. It means living life in sync with India, he said. However, it does not promote the consumption of beef. I want to ask [Siddaramaiah], if you too are Hindu, then how correct is it for you to promote the consumption of beef?

He accused the Congress of scuttling the previous BJP governments efforts to introduce an anti-cow slaughter bill.

Adityanath also warned the people of Karnataka that as elections near, the Congress would divide you on the basis of caste.

Karnataka state president of BJP, B S Yeddyurappa (C) with Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath (2R) , Union minister Ananth Kumar (R), Sadanand Gowda (L) during Parivartana rally in Bengaluru on Sunday. (Arijit Sen/HT Photo)

The UP chief minister said when Lord Ram was searching for Sita after she was kidnapped, he was roaming in forests without any hope. It was Karnatakas Hanuman who showed him the way. This is the land that has always shown the way, he said.

Citing the alleged killings of 22 Hindutva workers, Adityanath said the law and order situation in the state had worsened and compared it to the situation in UP before the BJP formed the government in 2017.

Daughters were not safe, crime was increasing; there used to be riots every other day. Now, under the BJP there are no riots, and the UP is racing ahead in terms of development, he said.

The UP CM also accused the Congress of blocking the passage of important legislations like the bill against instant triple talaq. You would have seen how the triple talaq bill was obstructed by the Congress. We must decide if we will go with vikas or fatwas, he said, and asked the people of the state to vote for the BJP in the assembly elections.Lalu Prasad was a victim of conspiracy by the BJP and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar for his uncompromising stance against communal and fascist forces, his family said after the Rashtriya Janata Dal chief was jailed in a fodder scam case. The BJP and Bihars ruling Janata Dal (United) said the law was equal for all, and the sentence was a message to anyone who robs the country of its wealth.

Lalu Prasads younger son and Bihars leader of opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav called it a conspiracy, but added that they respected the verdict.

This will not affect our party. Lalu ji is considered a mass leader and the people are with us. The Centre has misused the central agency. This is a conspiracy to break the RJD, but we will give a befitting reply at the right time. It is a challenging time for us, but we will fight back, Tejashwi said.

Taking a dig at the chief minister, he posted on Twitter, Thank you very much Nitish Kumar, while Lalu Prasad wrote, Rather than practising BJPs Simple Rule - Follow us or We will Fix you. I will die happily fixing myself for Social justice, harmony & equality.

A special CBI court in Ranchi on Saturday sentenced Lalu Prasad to three-and-a-half years in jail and imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on him in the fodder scam case relating to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from the Deoghar treasury 21 years ago. On December 3, the court had convicted Lalu Prasad and 14 others in the case, and acquitted seven, including former chief minister Jagannath Mishra.

Tejashwis elder brother Tej Pratap rubbished suggestions that the party would split in the RJD chiefs absence.

Lalu Prasad, in a letter addressed to the people, recalled how he, as a champion of social justice, learnt to face false cases and harassment.

Yes, Lalu is at fault for not compromising with the RSS, which promotes casteist and fascist forces. Why is that only backward and the deprived, are sent to jail? he asked.

His wife, former chief minister Rabri Devi, also hit out at chief minister Nitish Kumar for hatching a conspiracy to defame her family and rob the peoples mandate by realigning with the BJP.

Congress leader and former law minister Ashwani Kumar said the court verdict was not the final decision. The verdict of the trial court is not the final decision on the alleged culpability of Lalu Prasad whose long record of public service cannot be discounted while respecting the judicial process, he said.

The BJP said the corrupt people had to face consequences of law.

Public money was looted from the government treasury. These are out and out black and white cases of corruption. No amount of press conference is going to help the RJD politically, BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao said.

What is important to this country is that politicans who have indulged in brazen acts of corruption actually face consequences of law for their corrupt deeds.

Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi tweeted, saying said the BJPs charges against Lalu Prasad were vindicated by the court, and refuted charges that the RJD chief was targeted by the BJP.

BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain said the verdict shows that the law was equal for all.

The court has done its job, and this is a message that if anyone robs the country of its wealth, however important, then the law is equal for all. This is justice for the people of Bihar because it was their money that was looted, Hussain told reporters.

Janata Dal (United) secretary general KC Tyagi said a new political chapter has begun with the courts decision and it means politicians will be afraid of committing any such wrongdoing.

It will now be difficult to keep the RJD together and people in politics will be fearful. This is the end of a chapter that started with Lalujis leadership, where there was politics of corruption, nepotism and non-governance, Tyagi told reporters.

Congress leader RPN Singh said the Bihar government should also show urgency in the Srijan scam, in which leaders of the ruling BJP are also allegedly involved.

A big issue also arises that the Rs 2,000 crore Srijan scam and other scams happened in Bihar in which involvement of ruling party leaders has come to the fore. The government should also show the same urgency like fodder scam in probing those scams also, he said.RJD chief Lalu Prasad, sentenced to three and a half rites years in jail in fodder scam, would seek a parole for the funeral rites of his elder sister, Gangotri Devi, who died on Sunday, his son Tejashwi said.

While the cremation of 75-year-old Devi, who died of a massive heart attack, would be held on Monday, the Rashtriya Janata Dal chief was expected to attend the teharvin, or the 13th day ceremony, sources said.

A CBI court had on Saturday ordered Prasad in jail almost two weeks after finding him guilty of cheating and conspiracy in a fodder scam case involving fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from a government treasury 21 years ago.

We are going to move an application soon, Prasads son and former deputy chief minister of Bihar Tejashwi said when asked if the RJD chief would seek parole for sisters funeral.

Prasad is lodged in neighbouring Jharkhands Birsa Munda Central Jail in the state capital Ranchi.

A widow, Devi would be cremated at her husbands native village of Chakrapan in Gopalganj district, sources said. She is survived by three children and

Tejashwi, his mother, Rabri Devi, and elder brother Tej Pratap rushed to Devis home in Patna. It was a big personal loss for the family, Tejashwi said.

She died of severe aortic stenosis (constriction of the heart valve, which led to frequent breathlessness), acute myocardial infarction (heart attack) and left ventricle dysfunction, one of the doctors attending on Devi said.

She was advised to go for a valve replacement but she was reluctant due to her advanced age, the doctor said on condition of anonymity.

RJD source claimed she had been fasting and praying for her brother before she took ill.Negotiations with a South Korean shipyard for new minesweeper vessels have collapsed at the final stage, delivering a blow to the Indian Navys efforts to shore up its mine-warfare capability, a top government official involved in the project said on Sunday.

The Rs 32,640-crore programme for 12 new mine counter-measure vessels (MCMVs), to be built at Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) in collaboration with a Busan-based yard, Kangnam Corporation, was pegged as one of the costliest Make in India initiatives.

But the failed talks with the Korean yard over pricing have left the government with no choice but to begin a fresh global hunt for minesweepers. We were unable to resolve commercial complications despite our best efforts. This particular deal with the Koreans is off, GSL chairman Rear Admiral Shekhar Mital (retd) told Hindustan Times.

Minesweepers are deployed to secure harbours by locating and destroying mines. The Indian Navy has been struggling to scale up its mine-warfare capability. Its current mine counter-measure force consists of six vessels bought from the erstwhile Soviet Union in the late 1970s while experts say the navy requires at least 24 minesweepers to secure major harbours in the country.

The situation is likely to worsen as the existing minesweeper fleet is to be decommissioned between 2018 and 2020.

Mital said a fresh request for proposal (RFP) will be issued to foreign military contractors for the technology transfer for the MCMV project.

This will be Indias third attempt in a decade to build MCMVs locally.

In 2014, the government had scrapped a contract to build minesweepers in India in partnership with Kangnam Corporation amid allegations that the Korean firm had hired middlemen to swing the deal in its favour.

HT had reported on November 19, 2017 that India and South Korea were struggling to hammer out the MCMV deal due to commercial complications.

A March 2017 parliamentary report on the declining levels of naval force had warned that India would be without a single minesweeper in 2021 even if the Korean deal went through. The latest setback means that there may be no minesweepers even beyond 2021.

The construction of the first vessel was supposed to begin in April 2018, and deliveries of all 12 MCMVs were to be completed between 2021 and 2026. The timeline will have to be revised. This has certainly upset our calculations, said an officer familiar with the forces modernisation programme.

Mital admitted that the project would be delayed but stressed that GSL had finalised all intricate technical details and specifications for the vessels during the last two years. The vessels are expected to have 60% indigenous content.

The decision to issue a fresh RFP by the defence minister is in line with numerous clearances accorded to pending acquisition cases, he said.

Kangnam Corporation and Italian firm Intermarine could bid for Indias latest tender, experts said.It is a little after 11 pm on New Years Eve when Anisha Savale gets off the tempo with her husband and three children. She has travelled for more than 400 kilometers in a packed vehicle, but as she rushes into a sea of humanity, her youngest in her arms, there is little sign of fatigue. Darkness hang over the fields on either bank of the Bhima river, save for a small clump of land dappled in light and the chatter of tens of thousands of people celebrating the bicentenary of the Bhima Koregaon war in a remote village in Maharashtra, roughly 40 kilometers from Pune.

The nine-acre plot is awash in blue flags and cries of Jai Bhim rent the air as Savale pushes herself to the head of the queue  she wants to get her youngest to the 60-feet victory pillar, decked in yellow and orange garlands, before midnight. I couldnt come last year but couldnt miss it this time. I have to show my children what their culture is and what they have to fight for, says the 34-year-old.

Her son, dressed smartly in a white shirt and blue jeans with a prominent Jai Bhim wristband on his right arm, tugs at her saree impatiently. He wants to get a tattoo of Babasaheb, she explains, but adds that she hasnt made her mind up about it.

Around her, members of the Samata Sainik Dal, a volunteer organisation set up by BR Ambedkar in 1926, march up and down, readying themselves for a midnight tribute.

We are not cowards, we dont flee a battlefieldWhen our Babasaheb picked up the pen, look at the power he put in the Constitution, the announcer from the stage booms to cheers.

A hush suddenly falls five minutes before the New Year as Buddhist monks serenely walk up to the makeshift enclosure around the ranstambh and begin chanting hymns  invoking Ambedkars conversion to Buddhism in 1956 to fight caste.

Savale stands on one of the makeshift bamboo-and-plywood bridges erected for the celebrations and mouths the words silently, her palms clasped in prayer.

Her son is looking at the plumage of fireworks that light up the winter sky to usher in the New Year, and pushes his way forward for a selfie with the plaque that commemorates the martyrs of the 1818 war on the British side. There are names of 22 Mahar soldiers, whose legendary tales of bravery now form the fount of Dalit pride today.

Next to him is 79-year-old Shanta Kamble, holding on to a handrail. She says she comes to the pillar every year, for at least 10 years. Why, I ask. She looks at me with pity. You are young, you wont understand. Do you think we would exist without this battle? We are here because of this. How can I not come?

She spends the night in a tent, one of scores erected around the ground for people streaming in from across the country. There is excited chatter and songs sung in praise of Ambedkar, Jyotiba Phule and Shivaji. It is like a pilgrimage for me but without religion, without garlands and worship. I cannot explain, Savale says.

Members of the Samata Sainik Dal, set up by BR Ambedkar in 1926, march past the Bhima Koregaon obelisk on January 1. (Rahul Raut/HT Photo)

The celebrations go on through the night  people march in from faraway Karnataka, dressed in the elaborate yellow headgear that they believe the Mahar soldiers wore in the battle of 1818.

As the sun rises over the Bhima, people make a beeline for the freezing waters but only the bravest take the plunge. By 7am, the trickle of people turns into a flood and tempos, trucks, trawlers, and cars  all with blue flags fluttering  jostle for space. The SSD struggles to contain the swelling crowd that moves in great waves from the pillar to the shops behind that sell everything from anti-caste literature and pocket books on the Constitution and Buddhism, to sweatshirts with Ambedkars insignia, wristbands, busts and blue flags. In one corner of the middle lane is the tattoo stall.

We have been coming here for 20 years. We sell books priced between 50 and 300 rupees, says Sahebrao Patekar. The most popular of his wares are the books in Marathi detailing Ambedkars writings.

THE HISTORY

Bhima Koregaon grabbed the public imagination in 1927, when BR Ambedkar visited the spot and exhorted the Dalit population to remember their valiant history of defeating the Peshwa.

Indias first law minister described in great detail the oppressive practices instituted by Brahmin rulers that forced every lower-caste person to carry a spittoon on their neck and a broom on the back, so that even their dust couldnt pollute the dominant castes. Punishment for lower castes was often disproportionate and harsher than the upper castes, and Mahars, a caste Ambedkar belonged to, would ritually be sacrificed and buried to make the foundation of a building strong, explains Shradhha Kumbhojkar, a historian at Pune University.

Phule and Ambedkar chronicled this and every conscious Dalit person has read them. The history of slavery, of oppression and ruthless death penalties has built this resistance, she told me.

Recorded history of Bhima Koregoan is patchy, stitched together by historians from the correspondence of Captain FF Staunton with the East India Company and local oral histories.

But this much is certain: That Peshwa Bajirao II was already on the back foot on January 1, 1818. He had lost his seat of government in Punes Shaniwar Wada, from where the British flag had been unfurled in November 1817. With 20,000 infantry and 8,000 cavalry, the Peshwas army vastly outnumbered Stauntons 800-odd men, around 500 of who were Mahars. Both armies comprised a mix of soldiers from different castes and religions, and in the Peshwas case, 2,000-3,000 Arab mercenaries.

From here, the narratives diverge. Stauntons journal records that the British forces took in heavy fire and attacks throughout the day on January 1, with one of their two guns exposed to the Peshwas army. There is no record of the losses on the Peshwas side but Staunton writes about a hurried dispatch to his superiors for more forces, while chronicling the poor state of his forces, the hunger and the fatigue.

But by afternoon of the second day, the Peshwas forces withdrew, allowing Staunton to pick up his wounded and return to the nearest camp.

For the British, this was a big victory. The myth of dogged resistance started building in the first report sent to the East India Company, says Kumbhojkar, quoting from records of the British Parliament and letters by then governor Mountstuart Elphinstone.

In the next six months, the Peshwa was vanquished, and banished to faraway Kanpur. The company showered accolades on Staunton and the other soldiers and in 1819 commissioned the memorial to the forces that accomplished one of the proudest triumphs of the British army in the East.

A midnight ceremony celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Bhima Koregaon.

The Mahars too prospered, using the armys patronage to escape the back-breaking violence and discrimination of the countryside, but not for long. The recruitment of lower castes stopped in 1892 after they were declared a non-martial race. This fomented a movement among the community that petitioned the British repeatedly. It is during this time, in 1910, that a British officer RA Lamb stumbled across the obelisk and told the Mahars that they could use the history of the Bhima Koregaon battle to win back favour with the British.

The role of the military in the empowering of Mahars is great. Many of them tasted a better life working not just as soldiers but as butlers and tailors in the army. For the first time, they were addressed as human beings, explains Kumbhojkar. Calling for the re-entry of Mahars in the army became a rallying point, and one of the leaders of that movement was Ambedkars father.

BR Ambedkars visit to Bhima Koregaon on January 1, 1927 was a watershed moment that pushed the then-forgotten war back into popular consciousness. He appealed to the British to reinstate the Mahars  which they briefly did during World War I  and even wrote a short treatise during the first Round Table Conference. The Mahar regiment was eventually raised in 1941, with Ambedkar a member of the Viceroys defence council.

Not everyone agrees. A section of Marathi literature throughout the 1960s and 70s showed the Peshwa as the winner, most notably in the novel Mantravegla by Nagnath Inamdar (one of his books was adapted into the Bollywood film Bajirao Mastani).

It is also important to note that the Peshwas army contained many different castes, and only a few Brahmins. The fight was not against Brahmins, it was against a regional power. The British created this other narrative for their advantage, said Nand Kumar Nikam, former principal of the local Shirur College.

He finds echo in Anand Dave of the Akhil Bharatiya Brahmin Mahasangh, who says the battle was neither a caste fight nor were the Mahars victors. The British wanted to defeat Hindu kings. What did the British give the Mahars afterwards? The bicentennial is a mark of anti-Brahmin sentiment.

Kumbhojkar agrees there is a degree of myth involved but doesnt see the harm, or the reason for outrage. Every identity or community has its own myths. Dalits were creating an alternative to Hinduism through culture and Bhima Koregaon became a rallying point. There are layers of memories associated with the place.

Conversations with Dalit leaders and organisers also dispel the notion that they are unaware of the contradictions in the narrative. We know that the Mahars didnt fight alone. But in defeating the Peshwa, the non-Brahmins won. We are told our history isnt glorious but these soldiers are symbols of the first fight against anti-caste, they are a symbol for future generations, says Keshav Waghmare, a Pune-based activist and one of the organisers of the bicentennial celebrations.

THE UNREST

Trouble started brewing on December 29 when unidentified men desecrated a little-known cemetery in Vadhu Budruk, less than five kilometers from Bhima Koregaon.

The cemetery was of a 17th century peasant from the Mahar caste, Govind Ganapat Gaikwad, who gave a funeral to Shivajis son Shambhaji, who was killed by Aurangzeb in 1689. Many historians believe that at a time when the local population was terrified of the Mughals and refused to cremate Shambhaji, Gaikwad stitched together his remains and gave him an honourable funeral.

This is an important moment in the anti-caste history because many thinkers believe Shivaji was a Shudra king who was opposed to Brahmins, though, his ashtapradhan (council of eight most important ministers) comprised mostly of Brahmins. In Bhima Koregaon itself, for example, a statue of Ambedkar faces another of Shivaji.

Statutes of Shivaji and Ambedkar at the victory pillar in Bhima Koregaon. (Rahul Raut/HT Photo)

But a competing narrative is also afoot, helmed by hardline Hindu leaders such as Sambhaji Bhide and Milind Ekbote who are both accused of fomenting the violence near Bhima Koregaon that killed one person.

Sachin Garud, a professor at Islampur College in Sangli district, told me both these leaders work mainly in that district to peddle a narrative directly contrary to the version Dalit and Bahujan thinkers hold. They say that Shivaji was a protector of Brahmins and that he was the raja of all Hindus. They say Shivaji was a proponent of caste and varnashrama, he says.

In this backdrop, when Gaikwads memorial was damaged, it triggered tensions in the area, and resulted in an FIR against 49 villagers, including the chief, under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Prevention of Atrocities Act. It is from Vadhu Budruk again that the violence on January 1 began.

This cycle of violence might have opened a chasm between Dalits and a section of the Maratha caste that Shailendra Kharat, a professor of Political Science at Pune University, believes must be seen in light of growing right-wing influence in the state.

The Marathas and upper castes first clashed with Dalits in 1978, during a movement to change the name of Marathwada University in Aurangabad to BR Ambedkar University. The icons name was added after 16 years of protests that saw numerous atrocities on Dalits.

Simmering tensions between the two communities spilled out onto the streets last year after a gang-rape case in Kopardi, where Dalit men raped a Maratha woman. The case triggered a huge churning as hundreds of thousands of Marathas took out silent marches across Maharashtra. In September, three Dalit men were sentenced to death.

But another murder, that of a 17-year-old Dalit man for allegedly falling in love with an upper-caste woman, in Ahmednagar district, remained under the radar. In November, all accused in the case were acquitted for want of evidence.

This generated tremendous anger among Dalits across Maharashtra. Not only was the boy killed but the killers let off. This sent out a message that Dalits couldnt even fall in love, said Sudhir Dhawale, an activist.

Kharat believes the root of these tensions lies in a persistent agrarian crisis and falling rural wages among the Marathas that have been aggravated by fragmentation of land holdings.

The ascendance of Dalits, especially neo-Buddhists and Mahars, and their material dominance was met with hostility, especially as the material dominance of the Marathas waned in the 90s, argued Pune-based political scientist Rajeshwari Deshpande.

These shifting dynamics have also undermined another 100-year-old movement, called Brahmantar, that sought to bring all non-Brahmin castes under one broad Bahujan fold, says academic Suhas Palshikar. The 2014 elections was the loss of hegemony of Marathas as the Brahmins felt more encouraged by the current dispensation, he told me. At the same time, many Maratha groups have backed the Dalit protests across the state and local Marathas in Bhima Koregaon have come together with Dalit people to protest against the January 1 violence.

A girl flips through a book at one of the many stalls in Bhima Koregaon. Scores of shops sell anti-caste literature in pocket-sized books, often in Marathi. (Rahul Raut/HT Photo)

THE FUTURE

In the chaos of the past week, the one clear narrative was that of the educated Dalit person mobile, articulate and proud of their ancestry and history. In the shadow of the obelisk on January 1 stood a group of seven young men who had spent New Years Eve in a bus from Belgaum in Karnataka, and raised slogans in praise of Buddhism, Phule and Ambedkar.

All were Dalit and said they were facing pervasive but intangible discrimination in their university  and were at Bhima Koregaon to gain strength for a fight that was to last for the rest of their academic careers. The groups leader, a 23-year-old man in a suit named Yuvaraj Byale, appeared determined for a struggle.

His resolve found echo in the local village chiefs husband, Babusaheb Bhalerao. We get strength from this monument  that everyone comes here, he tells me. The event itself is funded by the community and is hosted by a committee of local villagers.

A little distance away in the rank and files of the SSD stood a 70-year-old woman, Nanda Kamble, and a 10-year-old boy, Adish Ingle. When asked why they joined an organisation that needs them to stand in the sun for long hours, manage crowds and take orders, their answers were almost identical: We heard of Babasaheb and want to follow in his path.

By now it is almost noon and time for Savale to leave but her son is still adamant about that tattoo. In her admonishment, she holds out a promise. Read the books I have bought you about Babasaheb. I will quiz you and if you pass, next year I may let you get a tattoo, she tells him. He seems content with the challenge as they climb into their tempo.The head of the committee that framed a new Haj policy has said the government should allow women below 45 years of age to go on Haj without a Mehram.

Afzal Amanullah said it had suggested to the government that the age limit on women travelling without Mehram -- a term for a close male relative a woman cannot marry, such as her father, brother or son -- be removed.

If a male major can go alone for Haj, why not a woman, Amanullah said in an interview to PTI Bhasha.

The Centre has for the first time decided to allow women pilgrims over the age of 45 to undertake the pilgrimage in groups of at least four sans Mehram. Till now, women pilgrims would be required to be accompanied by their husbands or Mehrams during the annual pilgrimage.

Amanullah, the former Consul General of India, Jeddah, said no restrictions on age and Mehram had been imposed by Saudi Arabias government and the conditions had been set by India.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his Mann Ki Baat radio address recently, had said the policy of allowing Muslim women to perform Haj only in the company of a male guardian was unjust and discriminatory and his government had removed the restriction following which hundreds of women had applied to travel without male guardians for the pilgrimage.

Modis claims were met with criticism from some leaders such as All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi.

Owaisi had dismissed Modis claim that it was his government which had enabled Muslim women to perform Haj without being accompanied by male guardians.

This regulation was passed by the Saudi Haj authorities many years ago, the Hyderabad MP had said.

However, Amanullah, a retired IAS officer, said the restriction regarding Mehram was imposed by the Indian government and not Saudi Arabia.

The Indian government has now removed the restriction. I consider it a very important step, said Amanullah, who was the convener of the committee on preparing the new Haj policy for 2018-2022.

It was on the basis of the report submitted by this committee that the government decided to do away with certain restrictions regarding Mehram.

I fail to understand why such a restriction was imposed by the Indian government for so many years. When we contacted the Saudi administration in the course of preparing the draft of the new Haj policy, we came to know that there was no such restriction from them, Amanullah said.

More than 1,300 women from across the country have applied to go for Haj without Mehram and will be exempted from the computerised lottery system which shortlists pilgrims every year.The nomination of AAPs Rajya Sabha candidate, Narain Dass Gupta, was held back by the returning officer after the Congress filed a complaint against him, alleging Gupta held an office of profit.

The AAP dismissed the charge, saying the Congress was trying to gain cheap publicity and said the law doesnt bar trustees from contesting.

The objection was filed by Congresss Delhi chief, Ajay Maken, with the returning officer (district magistrate, central) claimed that Gupta was ineligible for candidature as he holds the office of a trustee of the government-owned National Pension System Trust.

AAP claimed Gupta had resigned from the post before filing his nomination.

He (Narain Dass Gupta) was appointed as a trustee of government-owned 1.75 lakh crore National Pension Scheme Trust. He still holds this office of profit as on date and is ineligible to contest, Maken said in the complaint filed on the day of scrutiny of the Rajya Sabha candidates.

Returning officer Nidhi-Srivastava said the matter has been deferred till Monday.

Gupta, along with Sanjay Singh and Sushil Gupta, two other Rajya Sabha candidates of AAP, had filed nomination papers for the Upper house on January 4. Maken said Guptas nomination was liable to be rejected under Section 36 of Representation of Peoples Act, 1951, read with Article 102 of the Constitution.

The elections for three Rajya Sabha members from Delhi are scheduled on January 16 as terms of the incumbent members, Dr Karan Singh, Janardan Dwivedi and Parvez Hashmi  all from Congress  expire on January 27.

In his response, Gupta said he has resigned from the trust last year. Soon after the response, Congress filed a supplementary complaint in which it alleged that Gupta held the office of the chairman of the Audit Committee of the National Pension System Trust having a corpus of 1.75 crore.

The returning officer has issued a fresh notice to ND Gupta seeking as to why his nomination shouldnt be cancelled, said Aman Panwar of Delhi Congress legal cell. In case the nomination is cancelled, there will be a by-election in a months time.

AAP spokesperson Raghav Chadha rejected Makens allegation accusing Congress of trying to gain cheap publicity through frivolous objections as the law exempts trustees in the office of the profit category bar. Section 3, clause (L) of Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Act, 1959, gives exemption to trustee from disqualification under office of profit, Chadha tweeted.

Constitutional expert Subhash C Kashyap said the onus was on the AAP now. There is a list of cases which are exempted from office of the profit as mentioned in Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Act, 1959. If AAP can prove that the trustee is exempted, the objections stands rejected, said Kashyap, the former secretary general of Lok Sabha.The partial publication of the updated National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam has made neighbouring Northeastern states wary of those likely to be identified as non-Indians sneaking into their territories.

The NRC is being updated for the first time since 1951, and those under the scanner are Bangladeshi nationals who entered the state after March 25, 1971. Illegal migrants will be identified and deported in accordance with the Assam Accord of 1985.

The first draft published at the stroke of midnight on December 31 established 19 million people out of 32.9 million as legal residents. Officials have promised that those left out will be included in the next list  expected by July  after their documents are verified.

Hanging in balance is the fate of 1.14 million people, whose documents and parental linkages have been found to be suspicious. These include 2,900,000 married women who submitted certificates from gram panchayat secretaries. Assams neighbours fear that even if a fraction of those with problematic papers are declared as non-citizens, they might sneak into their territories to eke out a living.

The superintendents of police of all border districts have been alerted and told to liaise with their Assam counterparts in connection with the NRC, said Arunachal Pradesh director general of police Sandeep Goel. Chief minister Pema Khandu had met him on January 4 to seek an update on the vigil being maintained along the Assam border to prevent a possible spillover of illegal migrants.

In Meghalaya, the Khasi Students Union and youth wings of regional political parties  such as the Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement  sought the state governments intervention to ensure the safety of the indigenous population after the final NRC is published in Assam. They also wanted additional forces to be stationed at vulnerable points along the Assam-Meghalaya border.

Nagaland has also stepped up measures to prevent an invasion of Bangladeshi migrants. The TR Zeliang government wants inner-line permits (ILP)  a documentary requirement for outsiders  to be made mandatory in Dimapur, as has already been done everywhere else in the state. The ILP is deemed a necessity in Dimapur because it has been alleged that illegal migrants sneak into Nagaland through the city, state home minister Kuzholuzo Nienu said last week. Many organisations, including the Naga Students Federation (NSF) and Survival Nagaland, have also sought stricter implantation of the ILP.

The NSF had launched a campaign to flush out illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in February 2015.Pakistan today freed 147 Indian fishermen who were imprisoned in Karachi eight months ago for allegedly fishing in its territorial waters, according to a media report.

Police in Islamabad confirmed that the fishermen were released in Karachi in a goodwill gesture. They will be taken to Lahore and handed over to Indian officials tomorrow at the Wagah border, a senior police official said.

Their release follows a December announcement by Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal that nearly 300 Indian fishermen would be freed in two phases till January 8. On December 28, Pakistan had released the first batch of 145 Indian fishermen, who were held there on similar charges.

The process for returning the 147 fishermen has been initiated, as they were set to travel to Lahore this afternoon on the Allama Iqbal Express from the Karachi Cantonment railway station, the Dawn reported.

From Lahore, the fishermen will cross the Wagah border and return home, the report quoted Karachis Malir jail officials as saying.

They said the travel expenses of the fishermen were being borne by the Edhi Foundation, a Pakistan-based not-for-profit welfare organisation.

Some 262 Indian fishermen remain imprisoned at Malir jail still, jail superintendent Hassan Sehto said.

Fishermen from Pakistan and India are frequently detained for illegally fishing in each others territorial waters since the Arabian Sea does not have a clearly defined marine border and the wooden boats lack the technology to avoid being drifting away.

Owing to prolonged bureaucratic and legal procedures, the fishermen usually languish in jail for several months.

A number of non-governmental organisations in both India and Pakistan have raised the issue, pressing their governments to release arrested fishermen without much delay.One direct phone call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Saudi King in 2015 turned out to be a decisive game changer and facilitated a massive evacuation of Indians and foreigners stranded in war-torn Yemen, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said on Sunday.

Operation Rahat was launched by Indian Armed Forces to evacuate more than 4,000 Indian citizens and other foreign nationals from Yemen during the 2015 military intervention by Saudi Arabia and its allies. The 11-day evacuation by sea started on April 1, 2015 from Aden port.

Addressing the Indian diaspora at the ASEAN-India Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) here, Swaraj said that relentless Saudi bombing of Yemenese locations had made evacuation of Indian civilians next to impossible.

She gave a blow-by-blow account of how the Operation Rahaat in Yemen was successfully carried out.

Swaraj said that she approached Modi and suggested that the excellent rapport he enjoyed with Saudi King (Salman) be put to good use.

Modi then made a direct phone call to the King in Riyadh, requesting a safe passage for Indian nationals and evacuation efforts and sought a halt in bombings for a week, she said.

According to Swaraj, the Saudi King replied that Indias request was too important to be ignored but also expressed his inability in bringing about a total halt to the bombings.

The Saudi King, due to the friendship with Modi, agreed to halt bombings between 9 AM and 11 AM daily for a week, the minister said.

Seizing the opportunity, Swaraj claimed that she requested the Yemenese authorities to open their Aden port and airport in Sanaa, so that civilians could be evacuated to Djibouti with alacrity for two hours daily for a week.

Yemenese told me they will do anything for the Indians, Swaraj said, addressing the gathering of over 3000 people, mostly belonging to the Indian diaspora, in the presence of Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean.

This coordination set in motion a critical evacuation exercise of not only 4,800 Indians but also 1,972 people from other countries in Operation Rahat which was led from the front by Minister of State for External Affairs and former army chief General (retired) VK Singh, she added. PTI GS CPSA 17-year-old student has come forward to help Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) in its fight against dengue that has claimed lives in the town in the past couple of years.

A drone made by Rajiv Ghosh, the only son of a tea seller, will be pressed into service in north Bengals biggest town to take pictures of stagnant water on terraces of buildings if test runs are satisfactory. Rajivs father Ranjit (56) sells tea at Siliguri railway station. Soon we will have test flights of the drone and will look into the quality of the images, said SMC mayor and MLA Asok Bhattacharya.

The Class 11 student of arts of Margaret High School in Pradhan Nagar has already held a round of meetings with the mayor and SMC officials.

Ironically, the boy has interest in science but was not eligible for the science stream in the +2 level as his Class 10 marks fell short of the requirements. But it did not deter him from pursuing his interest and he worked for seven months to make the drone and fit it with a high resolution camera.

The project,however, was easier said than done. Ghosh had to convince his parents. My parents borrowed some money after they got convinced. A few of my neighbours, too, helped with funds. I have spent 1.5 lakh to make the drone, Ghosh told HT.

He took seven months to finish the work. The boy purchased parts from the US and China and worked on the drone alone.

While the boy began putting the drone together, he heard the Siliguri mayor saying that he is toying with the idea of deploying drones to check dengue. That led him to think how it can be put to that use.

According to him, his drone can rise to a of 1,800 metres, but due to security reasons its height will be restricted to 200 metres.

The trials will be conducted for about a month, said Nurul Islam, the councillor of ward number 45 where Rajiv resides.

I have tested it extensively and I am satisfied, said Ghosh.

The Siliguri mayor said he would utilise the drone to fight the menace of dengue in the city if the pictures are satisfactory.

Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has used drones to detect stagnant water and garbage in high rises in and around South City Mall in Kolkata and associated residential towers that are more than 30 stories high.

In 2017, though none died of dengue in Siliguri, unofficially the number of deaths in the mosquito-borne disease stood at four.Increasing bilateral trade to $10 billion from the current $4 billion, providing more play for Israeli start-ups in India, technologies aimed at increasing agricultural productivity, and portable desalination plants for use in parched areas  these are likely to be the focus areas of talks during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus five-day visit to India.

Meanwhile, the two countries are working out the way forward on a cancelled $500 million order for Spike anti-tank missiles. The missiles were to be made by a joint venture between Israeli Rafael Systems, Bharat Dynamics Limited and Kalyani Systems, but Indias defence ministry cancelled the order.

According to Israeli and Indian diplomats familiar with the matter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will receive Netanyahu on January 14 at New Delhi, and possibly host a private dinner hosted at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg for the visiting dignitary. The official meetings and the India-Israeli CEOs forum, which will be attended by top defence equipment manufacturers from Israel, including Rafael, Elbit and IAI systems is scheduled for January 15. The Israeli Prime Minister and his wife Sara are to visit the Taj Mahal on January 16 and also tour some historical monuments in Delhi. Netanyahu is to visit Gujarat on January 17 along with Prime Minister Modi and pay a visit to Gandhi Ashram, Icreate Technologies (built on the Israeli innovation concept) and the Agriculture Centre for Excellence. Netanyahu will fly out of Mumbai on January 18 after a trade-oriented business meeting in Mumbai.

The visit of Netanyahu is part of Indias aim to mainstream the bilateral relationship between the two countries as Israel is key to all of West Asia. The first words spoken to Prime Minister Modi by his Israeli counterpart when the former landed in Israel in 2016 was, What took you so long? While the defence hardware relationship will continue discreetly on the side, the focus will be on using the Israeli start-up concept to create more jobs, and on technologies to increase agriculture productivity and address growing drinking water requirements in India, said an Indian top diplomat.

A free trade agreement and a direct Air India flight to Tel Aviv are also likely to be discussed as are global issues  from the Shia-Sunni divide in Middle-East to the nuclear threat posed by countries like North Korea, according to the diplomats. The two countries will also discuss sharing of intelligence on terrorist groups targeting both India and Israel.

The Israeli Prime Minister is also keen to use his India trip to bolster his countrys relations with other countries in South Asia. Israel is already keen to establish diplomatic ties with Bhutan..An FIR has been lodged against The Tribune newspaper and a journalist over a report on anonymous sellers allegedly selling Aadhaar numbers through Whatsapp, an Indian Express report has said.

The FIR filed by Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) deputy director BM Patnaik named reporter Rachna Khaira and three other people contacted for the article. They were identified as Anil Kumar, Sunil Kumar and Raj.

Joint commissioner of police (crime branch) Alok Kumar said an investigation has already been launched into the matter. The FIR was registered under sections 419 (punishment for cheating by impersonation), 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery) and 471 (using as genuine a forged document) of the IPC, besides section 66 of the IT Act and section 36/37 of the Aadhaar Act.

The Tribune report, dated January 3, had stated that it cost the reporter just Rs 500 (and ten minutes) to get an agent to create a gateway and provide her with a login ID and password. Lo and behold, you could enter any Aadhaar number into the portal, and instantly get all the particulars that an individual may have submitted to the UIDAI, including name, address, postal code, photo, phone number and email, it alleged.

The FIR accused The Tribune of purchasing a service being offered by anonymous sellers to gain unrestricted access to details of over a billion Aadhaar numbers. The above-mentioned persons have unauthorisedly accessed the Aadhaar ecosystem in connivance of the criminal conspiracy The act of the aforesaid involved persons is in violation of (the various sections mentioned in the FIR) Hence, an FIR needs to be filed at the cyber cell for the said violation, it added.

Harish Khare, editor-in-chief of The Tribune, rejected the Indian Express request for a comment on the FIR. The UIDAI did not respond to calls and texts made by the newspaper either.

The UIDAI had denied any Aadhaar data breach after the report first appeared in The Tribune, and went on to clarify that a mere display of demographic information cannot be misused without biometrics.Three persons were arrested on Saturday in connection with the Delhi Public School (DPS) bus accident, which claimed the lives of four children and its driver.

Senior Indore police officials said they arrested DPS transport manager Chaitanya Kumawat, Suvidha Auto Gas director Neeraj Agnihotri and employee Jalaj Meshram.

Suvidha Auto is the company that had supplied and fitted the speed governor in the ill-fated bus.

Police also sealed two offices of Suvidha Auto Gas and seized some documents from the transport office of the school late in the night.

Four children and the driver of the bus died after it hit a truck on Indore bypass road on Friday afternoon.

An inquiry ordered by the Madhya Pradesh government found that the bus was travelling at around 80 km per hour, which would not have been possible had the speed governor  which is mandatory in school buses  been functioning.

The report held the school management accountable for the accident as they did nothing despite being informed of a technical problem in the bus.

The four children  Shruti Ludhyanvi of class 1, Harmit Kaur of class 3, Swastik Pandya of class 6 and Kruti Agrawal of class 8  were cremated at Indore on Saturday while the drivers last rites were held at his village in Kanadia.

The parents of three of the children  Swastik, Shruti and Kruti  donated their cornea and skin, according to officials of Indore Society for Organ Donation.A double murder of a widow and her 12-year-old son by a Muslim man in Sirohi district has become a flashpoint with Hindutva forces giving it a communal angle and holding a protest on Thursday demanding justice for the victims.

Scores of Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal workers and villagers gathered in Sirohi and held a protest claiming that the alleged murderer was sexually exploiting the victim and trying to convert her to Islam.

The widow, Vimla Devi, 33, and her son Akash, residents of Jawal village, were murdered by Hakim Khan who was arrested by police on January 3. Three persons, including the main accused Hakim Khan have been arrested, and were sent to seven-day police remand on Thursday.

Vimla Devi had made Khan her brother. But he forced her into a relationship. He was trying to convert her to Islam but when she refused, he murdered her and her son, Indrajit Singh of the VHP claimed.

VHP activists and some villagers from Jawal, 20 km from Sirohi, held a demonstration in Sirohi demanding that the case be handed over to a fast-track court and relatives of Vimla Devi be given Rs50 lakh compensation and a government job.

Sirohi SP Om Prakash, however, denied this. Vimla Devi and Khan were in a relationship for eight years and she was pressurizing him to give her money, which led to fights, and he decided to get rid of her.

Khan, 50 is a resident of Udd village, neighbouring Jawal. He is married and has two sons. He had rented a room in Vimlas house where he used to wad quilts with cotton.

Barloot police station SHO Babulal said Khan purchased a new mobile and SIM on December 20 and took Vimla and her son for a day out to Sirohi on December 21. There he laced their ice creams with poison. When they fell unconscious, he took the bodies to the house of his friend Janaram Bhil in Padiv village. Then Khan, Bhil and his wife Sita Devi disposed Vimlas body in Tharad village in Banaskantha district of Gujarat and Akashs body in Mandwa near Udaipur.

Babulal said the matter came to light when Akashs teacher came to his relatives house to ask about his whereabouts as he had not appeared for the exams.

The relatives then filed a missing person complaint on December 28 and we got the call details of Vimla from which we traced Khans number. We confronted him and he confessed to his crime, said Babulal.

Khan has been booked for murder while Bhil and his wife have been booked for aiding and abetting the murder.The Pink City Pan Merchant Sanstha on Saturday urged chief minister Vasundhara Raje to withdraw the state governments circular prohibiting sale of non-tobacco products by them. Protesting the circular, the members of Santha took out a rally at Civil Lines and submitted a memorandum addressed to Raje to an official at chief ministers residence.

The Department of Local Bodies on Thursday issued order that shops authorised to sell tobacco products cannot sell non-tobacco products such as toffees, biscuits, wafer, chips, candies, or soft drinks. According to the circular, sale of tobacco products without license will also be considered a crime. Similarly, those selling biscuits, cold drinks, wafers, chips, or toffees cannot sell tobacco products, the circular stated.

The Pink City Pan Merchant Sanstha represents more than 2.5 lakh traders, retailers and panwallahs, selling tobacco products across Rajasthan.

Sanstha director Gulab Chand Khoda said if this circular was not withdrawn then small retailers would be forced to resort to illegal activities to survive. This move is against the governments promise of Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas and will have a destructive effect on livelihood of many, he added.

Sansthas general secretary Avind said that it was unfortunate that the state government did not consult the retailers. If this circular is not withdrawn, then government should give permanent jobs to us and our family members.

The officials said that the members of Sanstha come from the poorest sections of the society and their livelihood depends equally on selling of tobacco products and non-tobacco items of everyday use such as bread, eggs, juices, soft drinks, and wafers.

They said the vendors sell tobacco products only to adults.

The Union health ministry had last year in September asked the state governments to develop a mechanism so that non-tobacco products such as wafers, bread, eggs and biscuits were not sold at retail shops that sell tobacco. The move, the ministry had said, would prevent children from exposure to tobacco products.

Giving or selling tobacco to a child attracts up to seven years of rigorous imprisonment under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.

According to a government-approved survey, every fifth adult in India is addicted to gutkha and khaini, while 100 million people smoke cigarettes and bidis.29,682 new COVID cases in Kerala; Night curfew, Sunday lockdown to continue

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that there has not been a big COVID spike after the Onam holiday as earlier feared. The State is expected to receive 9,97,570 more vaccine doses on Sunday.Realising that liquor and drug abuse was hurting the already impoverished Sahariya tribal population further, some people of the community have taken the onus of creating awareness against the social evil on themselves.

The group of Saharia people recently organised a meeting in Bhanwargarh region of Baran district, around 350 km from Jaipur, where they tried to impress upon the community tribals to denounce liquor abuse.

Liquor abuse has ruined families of tribals, as the community men waste earned money on liquor abuse, while the women and kids suffer due to money crunch, said Gyarsi Bai Sahariya (50), a social activist associated with Sahariya Jagrit Mahila Sangathan, an NGO, which organised the meeting.

Gyarsi Bai said that the community members of around 84 villages of Sahariya inhabited blocks of Kishanganj and Shahabad have taken a lead in mobilising the community against the misuse of liquor or marijuana by organising regular awareness meetings in the Sahariya dominated Kasbathana, Shahabad and Kishanganj tehsils of Baran district for the last three-four months.

Dayalu Ram Sahariya (40), a school teacher in Kasbathana, said that a committee, comprising local Sahariyas as its members, is being formed in every Sahariya inhabited area of the district. A fine of 1,100 to 5,100 is being imposed on the community people involved in liquor or drug abuse, which differs from locality to locality, he said. So far, 8,400 fine has been recovered in Kasbathana from four defaulters, while 11,000 has been recovered from a person in Sanwada panchayat in the region, he said.

Those violating the norms on liquor and marijuana and involved in gambling will be ostracised from the community and not be allowed to enter Sahariya basti, he said. The frequent violators will be garlanded with shoes and bashed, he added.

The ward panch of Kasbathana, Kamlesh Sahariya said that an award of 200 to 500 is being given to the people tipping off about the violators. Committees have also deputed some of its members near wine shops to keep an eye on the liquor abusers among the community, he added.

Dayalu Ram said that the amount collected through fines is deposited in a bank account. The amount is being used for the community welfare including education of tribal kids, weddings of the poor tribal girls and treatment of needy tribals, he said.

Maniram Sahariya (26), an office-bearer of the Sahariya committee, said, Monthly meeting of the committee would be organised to discuss about the collected fine and its utilisation. He said they were inspired by a tribal community in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh.

Firoz Khan, another social activist, said that other backward communities including Bheels and Jatavs have also started organising such meetings to check liquor abuse by the community members.Three people died of suffocation while cleaning sewage treatment plant at an apartment complex in Bengaluru on Sunday.

Madegowda, Narayanaswamy and Srinivas were hired to clear a blockage in the STP at the ND Sepal Apartment at Somasundarapalya in HSR Layout area around 10.40am.

KB Obalesh, a member of the Karnataka State Manual Scavenging Monitoring Committee, said Narayanaswamy and Srinivas first went into the 20-foot-deep STP. When they did not return, Madegowda followed.

Apartment supervisor Manjunath raised an alarm when all the three didnt come out.

Obalesh said the apartment had given the work to Narayanaswamy, an electrician. Neither any safety gear was provided to them nor were they informed about the dimensions of the STP, Obalesh said.

The bodies were sent to St Johns Medical College for post-mortem. A senior police officer, on the condition of anonymity, said a case of negligence would be lodged against the apartment association.Recalling his Kranti Rath Yatra that led to his becoming chief minister of Uttar Pradesh in 2012, Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav said he will make SP a national party and may take out a yatra across the country to achieve the objective.

Addressing a press conference on Sunday, Akhilesh referred to the Noida jinx and hinted that both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath will not return to power as they went there to re-inaugurate the Noida leg of Delhi Metro which he had already inaugurated.

Noida jinx is the superstition prevalent among political parties and chief ministers in UP that a person who goes to Noida during his or her chief ministership loses the next elections. Adityanath, despite the jinx, went to Noida recently for the inauguration.

Read: What Noida jinx, Modi asks as he praises Yogi Adityanath

Akhilesh also asked Adityanath to call a cabinet meet on Monday and re-introduce Samajwadi Party Pension Yojana so that women could buy sweaters for their school-going children to whom the government could not provide school uniform sweaters.

What can one expect from the government that failed to provide even sweaters to children? The BJP is the biggest party in the country with crores of members. Had each member of the party either weaved or provided a sweater each, then none of the children would have been without sweaters, he said.

The BJP and the SP had engaged in a war of words over the state governments delay in distributing pullovers to 1.54 crore students of state-run primary and upper primary schools (up to class 8). Leaders of both parties targeted children and parents of their opponents.

Akhilesh had jibed in a tweet that the BJP would complete the tender process for sweaters in May-June, the peak of summer.

 -                     .                      - -  .  Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) December 26, 2017

On potato throwing by distressed farmers outside CMs home and the state Assembly, Akhilesh said: The government took action against cops on being negligent on duty that led to potato throwing without a check. But the government is not looking at its own negligence that forced the farmers to do what they did.

Referring at Adityanaths Himanchal Pradesh polls rallies, he said: He had announced there that government made arrangements for better prices to potato farmers. What happened to that?

On the issue of saffron paint on UP Haj Committee offices boundary wall in Lucknow, the SP leader took a dig at the BJP, saying they turned jittery and overnight restored the original cream colour.

The government should concentrate on changing the heart of people by doing development and welfare works than changing the colours of buildings, he said.

When asked to respond on SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadavs comment that he will contest Lok Sabha polls from his original Mainpuri seat, Akhilesh said: He will contest the polls from whichever seat he wishes to. Entire party and I will rally behind him and for him to win.

Mulayam had contested Mainpuri and Azamgarh seats in 2014 Lok Sabha polls. He won both, but vacated Mainpuri to let his grand-nephew Tej Pratap Singh Yadav contest and win it.

I know from where Tej Pratap will contest in that case, he said.The Vanrai police have arrested an 18-year-old fast-food stall employee for attempting to kill his colleague after the two got into a fight over money he had stolen from the stall.

Jagat Vishtakarte and Ashok Sarki both work at a Chinese food stall in Goregaon (East). Vishtakarte allegedly stole Rs200 from the stalls cash counter while he was on duty and hid the money. Vishkarte later told Sarki about the theft and offered to share the amount with him.

However, after Sarki refused and threatened to inform their employer, the two got into a fight. According to Jyotsna Rasam, senior inspector at Dindoshi police station, Vishtakarte attacked Sarki with a sharp weapon.

Sarki, who sustained severe injuries on his neck, is undergoing treatment at a hospital.Ten medical associations and 453 doctors have appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi against the Karnataka high court (HC) order to repeal the rule stating that 85% of tobacco product packaging should contain pictorial warning. The rule has been in effect for almost two years and has proved to be very effective, said doctors.

According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2017, about 38-62.1% cigarette smokers, 29.3- 54% bidi smokers and 34-46% tobacco users considered quitting due to the warnings. Indian oncologists claim if the move is implemented, Indias will drop down to the 146th position in the ranking of countries with anti-tobacco norms.

As doctors who see cancer cases on a daily basis, we are horrified that the Karnataka high court has used this view to strike down such an effective rule. Tobacco is a product that is producing millions of widows, orphans and bereaved parents. While India is celebrating the New Year, lakhs of families will be affected by this, reads the letter.

Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi, Professor, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai said, Photographs on tobacco packets correctly represent the disease caused by tobacco. In fact, many patients come to us with even more horrible diseases than the ones shown on the tobacco packets. We see dozens of such patients every day. Most of these patients die within three to six months. Needless to say, 80 to 90% mouth cancers are related to tobacco use. In India, 1 lakh people are diagnosed with oral cancer every year and 50% of them die within 12 months of diagnosis, he added.

Karnataka HC in the order, passed on December 15, said there is no universal acceptance of the theory that the use or consumption of tobacco and its products causes cancer. Doctors said that tobacco is the most preventable cause of death. One-third of the 26.7 crore tobacco users in India are likely to die. Over 5500 children in India start using tobacco every day.

Dinesh Trivedi, Member of Parliament and Former Minister of Health, said, The Karnataka High Court judgement has reversed an effective policy. I hope the Government will take appropriate steps to rectify this.

Pradeep Mathur, Sambandh Health Foundation, said, India witnesses 10 lakh deaths every year. In a country where people use several languages and dialects, the pictorial warnings transcend the languages and the illiteracy barrier. These 85% graphic warnings were appreciated globally, and their success has been proven by research. India must continue with 85% pictorial warnings for a progressive public health.The NRI police have registered an FIR against the companies that had undertaken a hill blasting operation at the upcoming airport site near Ulwe after five engineers and a geologist suffered injuries due to a landslide caused by the operation on Saturday.

We have registered an FIR against two companies for their negligence. We are now investigating the matter and those who were responsible for this accident will be arrested soon, said Smita Jadhav, senior police inspector, NRI police station.

The companies have been charged under sections 286 (negligent conduct with respect to explosive substance), 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), and 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees or upwards) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Of the six injured, four are still undergoing treatment in Apollo Hospital in Belapur. The surgeries were conducted on Saturday and they were shifted to the ICU. They are doing fine now, said Satish Manjunath, spokesperson of the hospital.

Two engineers who suffered minor injuries will be discharged soon, he said further.

Generally, engineers and other officials are not allowed to go close to the blasting site. We will soon determine what caused the accident, a senior Cidco employee said.

Nilesh Patil, 34, a resident of Varcha Owale village said, We have been facing a lot of problems because of the operation. The impact of the blast is such that some of houses have developed cracks and some villagers complained that their window panes have shattered.

The authorities concerned are not taking enough precautionary measures for safety of their own officials. How will they think about the residents of the nearby areas? he said.The body of a 20-year-old man was recovered on Sunday from the rubble at the Cinevista film studio, where a fire broke out on Saturday evening, the police said.

The fire at the studio in suburban Kanjurmarg broke out around 8pm on Saturday. By 10pm, it was brought under control.

The deceased, identified as Gopi Verma, used to work for a television serial production unit, senior inspector, Park Site police station, Vilas Jadhav, said.

Verma was reported to be missing by his family members after the fire broke out at the studio, where the shooting for two TV serials was on at the time of the incident.

His body was found in the rubble this morning, Jadhav said, adding that it was sent for a post-mortem.

#WATCH: Fire broke out in #Mumbai's Cinevista studio in Kanjurmarg. 7 fire tenders at the spot. pic.twitter.com/MV6OZz2YSH  ANI (@ANI) January 6, 2018

Over 100 TV crew members were evacuated from the studio after the blaze.

The blaze had started from the electric wires in the studio and spread to the other areas, fire brigade officials said.

This was the third major fire incident in the city in the last 10 days.

Fourteen persons were killed in a fire at an upscale pub in the Kamala Mills compound on December 29. Besides, four persons, including two children, had died and five were seriously injured after an upper floor of a residential building in suburban Marol caught fire on January 4.The co-owner of Mojo Bistro Yug Pathak was remanded in police custody till January 12 in connection with the Kamala Mills fire in which 14 people were killed on December 29.

He was arrested on Saturday after a preliminary report by the fire department revealed that the blaze started from Mojo Bistro, not its neighbouring 1Above. Pathak and his partner Yug Tulli, who is on the run, were booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

The fire department did not specify the reason behind the fire, officials said it started because of flying embers from a hookah at Mojo Bistro.

Pathak, who is son of former IPS officer KK Pathak, was produced before the Bhoiwada Court on Sunday by the NM Joshi Marg police.

He was arrested hours after the NM Joshi Marg police added his name to the existing FIR against 1Above owners Kripesh Sanghvi, Jigar Sanghvi and their partner Abhijit Mankar, who are absconding.

Requesting for custody, the NM Joshi Marg police said, Pathak is the owner of Mojo Bistro, a prime accused, and his custody is required. We need to interrogate him to get information about the absconding accused. Its a serious case in which 14 people have died and we need the maximum days of police custody.

The defence lawyer, however, claimed that Pathak was not present on the day of accident and the Bistro staff escorted the 35 customers to safe place. No injuries were reported from Mojo Bistro. Pathak has co-operated in the investigation and recorded his statement twice. He was available for investigation whenever needed, said the defence lawyer.

The lawyer further said he had submitted all necessary documents to help in the investigation. He is being made an accused based on a preliminary fire brigade report. Pathak doesnt know anything about the absconding accused, he said.

The officers from N M Joshi Marg police said they needed custody as other accused were yet to be arrested.

In their remand copy, the police have maintained that the 1Above owners were more responsible for the accident as the 14 victims were trapped there owing to fare safety violations.

The police have so far arrested two managers of 1Above and three relatives of its absconding owners. They on Friday announced a reward of Rs1 lakh for those who share information on the three owners.Against the backdrop of social fissures and an agrarian crisis, the state government on Saturday unveiled its plans to launch the first edition of its global investors summit in February, titled Magnetic Maharashtra : Conversion 2018.

The three-day summit, to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 18, is the states big economic push after it hosted the PMs Make in India initiative in 2016. The summit, the tagline of which reads MadeForBusiness will focus on future industries, infrastructure, employment and sustainability. The state plans to invite global political leaders and CEOs of multinationals to participate in the event.

The state gets 50% of the countrys foreign direct investment and has 50% of all big-ticket infrastructure. The summit will strengthen our position as the gateway for all industrial investments in India. It will be the convergence of ideas, leaders and businesses, said chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.

At the curtain raiser function for the summit at Trident Hotel in Nariman Point, he said that if the state continues to grow at the rate of more than 10% a year, it can become a trillion-dollar economy in the next seven to eight years..

Fadnavis also brushed aside concerns that recent incidents of social tension and violence would hamper businesses. Maharashtra has had a good law and order scenario in the past three years. Businesses will vouch for this. Our people are our strength, he added.The sessions court in Dindoshi, last month, acquitted a man, and two others, who were accused of murder as the prosecution was not able to prove the identity of the deceased. The court noted that no complete chain of circumstantial evidence had been established.

Shambahadur Yadav, 34, Mohankumar Kurai, 22, and Pramodkumar Verma, 31 had been charged with the murder of Ghanshyam Vishwakarma. The prosecutor alleged that Shambahadur killed Vishwakarma by choking him and threw his body in a nalla with the help of Kurai and Verma.

The case dates back to September 20, 2012, when a body was recovered from the nalla at Bhajiwadi, Poisar by the Samta Nagar police. It was identified as that of Vishwakarma owing to a tattoo, which according to the police read GMV, on the right wrist. Investigation revealed that Vishwakarmas wife Rekha on September 19 had filed a missing complaint which referred to the tattoo on the right wrist.

The post-mortem suggested that the death was caused by strangulation.

According to the Investigating Officer, Shambahadur was in a relationship with Vishwakarmas wife Rekha. He used to give tuition classes to Rekhas sisters and their neighbours children.

The prosecutor claimed that Shambahadur sought revenge as Vishwakarma had scolded him. The prosecutor further claimed that Rekha had borrowed money from Shambahadur, and hence he was coercing her into a sexual relationship.

During the trial, the defence brought into question the identity of the body. Rekha, in her deposition, stated that during the identification of the body, she did not have the chance to look at the tattoo. Those who conducted the post-mortem had also denied that there had been any identifiable scars on the body. Vishwakarmas son Vinay, in his deposition, had said that his father was not bald unlike the body. Moreover, no DNA test had been conducted to definitively prove the identity of the deceased.

The son Vinay has categorically deposed that his father was not bald. There are discrepancies regarding the tattoo and no DNA test was conducted. No evidence has been produced to prove that Ghansham returned back to the house till date, the court observed.Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar, on Sunday, blamed outsiders for the violence that ensued at Bhima-Koregaon on January 1 where thousands had gathered to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the battle between the British and Peshwas.

Pawar, while speaking on the sidelines of a programme at Akluj town in Solapur district, said it was the responsibility of the government to probe who these outsiders involved in the violence were.

Both sides, including followers of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and local villagers, have blamed outsiders for the violence. It is now up to the government to probe who these outsiders were, said Pawar.

The NCP president also added that the atmosphere which led to the violence was not created in a day at Bhima-Koregaon . It must have been brewing for two to three months before the incident happened, he said. Earlier, Pawar had blamed Hindutva forces for the violence.

One person died while four others were injured during the clashes at Bhima-Koregaon recently, which also led to around 40 vehicles being burnt. The immediate spark for the violence flare-up, according to police sources, was the contentious board at the samadhi (memorial) of Govind Mahar Gaikwad.

On December 29, a contentious board was found put up near a structure believed to be the tomb of Govind Gopal Mahar in Vadhu Budruk village.

The board said that Mahars had defied the orders of Mughal king Aurangzeb and performed the last rites of Maratha king Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj after he was killed by Aurangzeb in 1689. Mahar is a Dalit community. Local villagers, who believed that it was their ancestors who had performed the last rites of Sambhaji Maharaj, tried to remove the board, leading to dispute, which resulted in a police case. This case against 49 people is believed to be what triggered the violence at Bhima-Koregaon and its surrounding villages on January 1.The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) is all set to launch two path-breaking big data analytics-related apps (bio-informatics apps) called GAMUT and LAMBA on the occasion of a three-day international symposium on January 9.

These big data apps will be useful to end users like universities, hospitals and research laboratories for advancement of research in healthcare, agriculture, live stock and environment.

Titled Accelerating Biology - 2018: Digitising Life, the symposium will be held at the CV Raman Auditorium at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER).

Addressing a press conference, C-DAC director general and executive director Hemant Darbari said that the event will propel C-DAC into the next stage of achieving proficiency in providing cutting edge solutions to the different problems faced by citizens ranging from health, agriculture , pharmaceuticals and a plethora of other sectors.

 C-DAC is focusing on developing high performance computing power related to big data and analytic tools in line with the National Supercomputing Mission. The biggest challenge before us is the handling of very high volumes of data, which needs very effective tools and strong computing power, for carrying out analysis by developing cutting edge apps , he said.

The symposium is being organised by the HPSC Medical and Bioinformatics Applications (HPC-M and BA ) Group of C-DAC which organises the Accelerating Biology event every year. The event brings together all the top scientists and researchers from the world to discuss the current challenges in biology research and the need for computing and tool development.

Symposium convenor, associate director and head of department, HPC: Medical and Bioinformatics Applications, Rajendra Joshi, said that the symposium focuses on areas such as bio-molecular simulations and intelligence, algorithms and analytics in genomics, next generation sequencing applications, metabolic circuits and systems biology, big data and deep learning.

Eminent scientist Vijay Bhatkar will be the chief guest of the function which will be attended by other top scientists.If the auto-rickshaw drivers and owners fail to get their police verification done by January 20, then the vehicle will be impounded, said Chandigarh traffic police.

The police verification is a mandatory exercise in the city to ply auto-rickshaws. Not just this, it would be mandatory to paste laminated information behind the drivers seat displaying the name of the owner of the vehicle, the drivers name, mobile number and photos of both.

The move aims to establish the identity of the auto driver so that a passenger can note down the number and name of the auto driver. In case this is not done the traffic wing will start impounding the vehicles which are without this information.

As per the law, if they dont possess all the documents their autos can be impounded if they dont comply, said Shashank Anand, SSP (traffic and security), Chandigarh.

The police verification of auto-rickshaw drivers as well as owners came into spotlight following the gangrape of 21-year-old woman on Novermber 17.

The victim, who hails from Dehradun, had boarded the shared auto in the evening, after attending her first class of stenography in Sector 37, for Mohali. There were two men already sitting in the three-wheeler. She was dumped in Sector 53, by the auto driver and two others.

In the aftermath of the crime, it had come to the fore that around 6,000 auto-rickshaws in the city are plying without registration. Investigations revealed most of the 6,000 autos run on fake addresses and forged documents.

The committee on traffic management had recommended strict enforcement of dress code and badges for the auto rickshaw drivers in the city. There is already a dress code put in place by the state transport authority.

Strap Keeping a tab Owners and drivers name, mobile number and photos also needs to be pasted on the back of drivers seatA Delhi-based woman who had duped 35 bachelors from Haryana on the pretext of finding them beautiful brides for marriage has surrendered in a Sonepat court.

The accused, Anita of Narela in Delhi, has been sent to five-day police remand to recover around Rs 30 lakh collected from the men.

Anita had pulled a painful stunt to make quick buck by targeting bachelors wanting to get married. She, along with her aides, had promised 35 men across Haryana to get them brides to marry in a mass-wedding function on December 27.

For the same, she had collected Rs 45,000 to Rs 60,000 from each man.

The bachelors were asked to assemble at Kharkhoda town in Sonepat, from where they were told a bus would take them to their wedding destination.

However, when all the men had gathered at Kharkhoda on December 27, they were shocked to find that Anita had run away with their money.

The men and their family members had then lodged a case against Anita. She and two others were booked under Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating and fraud) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).Three days on, police on Saturday arrested the former wife of 30-year-old man found murdered near Hussainpur village in Kharar for the crime.

The accused, Sabana, told police that Abdul forced her sister Shabnam and her into prostitution and was blackmailing her to finance his drug addiction. The two have four children.

Police have also arrested Shabnam and her friend Mohammad Gulzar for conspiring to kill Abdul on January 3.

Abdul had divorced Sabana three months back, but was not letting her live independently, said a senior district police officer. He would often ask her to continue earning for him through prostitution for his drug addiction.

He was also threatening to expose her before her family and relatives, said the cop. This prompted her and her sister to take the extreme step.

The duo had married in 2005 in Delhi, where he forced her into prostitution as he could not earn much as a rickshaw-puller. They shifted to Chandigarh four years back and he convinced her to bring her sister too.

Sabana was angry as Abdul also made her sister join prostitution and was not letting them live independently with her four children, said police. Abdul had in fact bought two cars from the sisters earnings.

Were trying to flee

Police said Sabana confessed to the crime after sustained questioning.

Abdul had met with an accident while travelling with the Sabana and their kids in Sector 43. They returned home in a cab around 4am after getting treatment at hospital.

After returning home, Sabana and Shabnam called Gulzar. The two women carried Abdul out of the house around 4:30am and made him sit on the rear seat of the bike, said superintendent of police (investigation) Harbir Singh Atwal.

They took the man to a secluded area, where Gulzar bludgeoned him to death with a sharp-edged weapon and an iron rod.

The trio was arrested near Balongi while trying to flee.From the oldest civilization in America, to the largest and most powerful empire of the southern continent, Ancient Peru conserves the architectural and artistic vestiges of fascinating cultures. Discovering them is a breathtaking experience. A single trip is not enough to discover all the wonders of Peru. Here we highlight just a few magical places and experiences that must be lived and appreciated when you visit this country.

Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu is an Incan city surrounded by temples, terraces and water channels, built on a mountaintop. It was built with huge blocks of stone joined to each other without any mortar. Today it has been designated cultural heritage of humanity in recognition of its political, religious and administrative importance during the age of the Incas.

Chavin de Huantar

An impressive archaeological complex from the Chavin culture, with 3000 year old temples and sculptures made from stone. Chavin was one of the most important cultures of the pre-Inca era. Its principal temple, located in the department of Ancash, was one of the main oracles of Peru. People came to this center to consult the oracle and to make offerings to the gods.

Chavin de Huantar. (Travel Ink Peru/Instagram)

A visit to the complex includes a tour through some of its passages and plazas. The exterior walls are decorated with a series of important heads: zoomorphic faces carved in stone that guard the temple. Other highlights of the complex include the Tello Pyramid, the Circular Plaza, the Rectangular Plaza, the North and South North Platforms, the New Temple and the Old Temple.

Chan Chan

Chan Chan is the biggest mud-brick settlement in pre-Hispanic America, with its pyramid-shaped temples, plazas and palace. One of the most significant archaeological sites in Peru, Chan Chan is well worth a visit. The centre of the city is a series of 10 walled citadels. One of the outstanding details of the citadels are its decorative walls in high relief with motifs including geometrical patterns, fish and birds, among others.

Chan chan. (Carolinara16/Instagram)

Caral

The oldest sacred city in America and, at over 5000 years old, is the cradle of one of the worlds first civilizations. The Sacred City of Caral represents the origin of Andean culture, and it is the most ancient civilization in the Americas, with historical roots reaching back more than 5,000 years.

The Caral complex boasts a variety of structures, most notably the six pyramids with their circular plazas. Based on archaeological findings such as tools and artifacts, it has been established that its inhabitants supported themselves by fishing and farming. Among the more important discoveries are the oldest quipu (an instrument used to record data) and 32 flautas (flutes) made from condor and pelican bones.

The Sacred City of Caral represents the origin of Andean culture, and it is the most ancient civilization in the Americas. (Enigma Peru/Instagram)

Nazca lines and geoglyphs

On the vast pampas of Nazca Jumana, mysterious lines and geoglyphs form geometric patterns as well the figures of animals, anthropomorphic beings, and plants, among others. But their outlines can only be recognised clearly from the sky aboard small airplanes. Despite numerous studies, the lines are an enduring 2,000-year-old mystery that neither time, nor the regions powerful winds, nor any other natural adversaries have been able to erase. Among the best-known figures are the hummingbird, the condor, and the monkey. There are more than 800 images outlined in the desert. The best way to view the extensive tracings is by flyover in the light aircraft that take off from the Nazca airport.

Kuelap

At the crest of the Amazonian Andes of northern Peru, is the imposing Fortress of Kuelap, built by the Chachapoyas, a pre-Inca culture that developed between 800 and 1470 AD. By its location and construction, the complex was designed to defend against other people; nevertheless the Chachapoyas were conquered by the Incas. Amidst the green mountains, visitors can view the great, 20-meter (66 feet) high stone wall that protects the city and that begrudges only three entrances, in the form of narrow, walled alleys. In the interior of Kuelap, visitors may admire up to 420 circular stone houses with zigzag and rhomboid ornaments. From above, the green landscape shows how nature protected this site. Reaching the archaeological complex is in itself an adventure that is well worth undertaking.

Follow @htlifeandstyle for moreSan Franciscos Chinatown is a unique cultural adventure one will never forget. It is the oldest and second largest Chinatown in North America with the following must visit places:

DRAGONS GATE

It is the landmark gateway arch marking the entrance to the citys iconic Chinatown neighbourhood. Initially it was built in 1970 to anchor the neighbourhoods southern entrance. This unique Dragons Gate was constructed in the proper Chinese style: out of stone, not wood. Both it and the golden dragon streetlights beyond draw visitors up to Grant Avenues shops.

GREAT EASTERN RESTAURANT

Here you will find rolling carts of Shu-mai almost everywhere filling your sense and streets with delicious aromas. But while you are on your visit to this place do try their authentic dim sum at Great Eastern Restaurant. The restaurant is known for its affordable menu. They offer variety of dumplings and buns also which definitely fills your belly without burning a hole in your pocket.

CHINESE CULTURE CENTRE

The Chinese Culture Center is a major community-based, non-profit organization established in 1965 as the operations center of the Chinese Culture Foundation. What makes it an element of surprise is how Chinatown for past 50 years has been documenting the artistic endeavors of the immigrant populations whove made their lives there. Located on the third floor of the Hilton, the CCCs visual exhibitions run the gamut from street art to avant-garde photography, and admission is free.

HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA

This museum accounts the experiences of Chinese immigrant in U.S. through photos and artefacts. Housed in a Julia Morgan-designed landmark building, the Chinese Historical Society of America charges patrons a mere USD five to learn about Chinese-American contributions to culture and history beyond San Francisco, and you may see a wedding tea ceremony if you stop in on a weekend. Pro-tip: CHSA offers tours not only of the museum but of the larger neighbourhood.

CHINATOWN KITE SHOP

Grant Avenue is lined with herbal shops and trinket stores of all kinds, but the Chinatown Kite Shop stands out. This Colorful landmark shop carries a range of kites, feng shui items and decorations in a festive setting. Yes, its the best place for dragon kites and handmade treasures, but you can also find iPad cases and random oddities. And theyre open until 8:30pm daily, so you can browse late.

This unique Dragons Gate was constructed in the proper Chinese style: out of stone, not wood. (Shutterstock)

GOLDEN GATE FORTUNE COOKIE FACTORY

Landmark bakery prepares homemade fortune cookies in a tiny open kitchen, with free tours available. This cookie factory is situated on a small narrow side street in Chinatown with no close parking. Smells wonderful inside when they are baking. So small that more than 10 people would jam the inside.

Even locals who sneer at touristy activities confess to loving the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company, which has been cranking out these takeout staples since 1962. Take a tour, buy a bag to go, and satisfy your curiosity about how exactly they get those fortunes in there before the dough hardens.

R & G LOUNGE

This celebrated Cantonese grub, dished out in a basic downstairs space and more formal upstairs room. As some of Chinatowns grander banquet halls have shuttered, the three floors, 225-seat R&G Lounge chugs forward, serving lychee martinis and salt-and-pepper crab to the clamoring hordes. Hip but not slavishly trendy, R&G balances elaborate, traditional dishes with the cravings of even the most Americanized palates.

LI PO COCKTAIL LOUNGE

This is a 77-year-old watering hole named for an ancient poet is famous for its Chinese Mai Tai and for the golden Buddha behind the wraparound bar. Yes, its Orientalist kitsch, but also an institution that consistently ranks among San Francisco top dives.

YUET LEE

This late-night Cantonese seafood restaurant (open until 3am five nights a week) might be Chinatowns nocturnal capital. Full of aunties and uncles by day, it transitions to a hangout for club kids and other night owls sharing a last Tsingtao over a plate of spare ribs. The green interior adds to the nourish thrill.

So do stop by San Franciscos famous Chinatown and reward your curious soul with lip smacking dishes and great sightseeing.

Follow @htlifeandstyle for moreHollywood star Brad Pitt offered to pay $120,000 to watch an episode of Game of Thrones with Emilia Clarke.

The 54-year-old actor, however, was outbid during a silent auction at Sean Penns annual gala for Haiti, held at Milk Studios in California, reported Variety.

During the charity gala, the auctioneer announced the opportunity to watch an episode with Clarke, who was in attendance at the event, along with her Game of Thrones co- star Kit Harington.

Emilia Clarke attends the 7th Annual Sean Penn & Friends. (AFP)

The auction to watch the episode with Clarke started at $20,000.

Pitt bid $80,000 to watch an episode of the epic fantasy drama with Clarke. Then he outbid himself to $90,000. When Harington offered to also sit in on the episode viewing, Pitt raised his own bid to $120,000.

Kit Harington attends the 7th Annual Sean Penn & Friends. (AFP)

The actor was outbid by a gala-goer who ended the auction at $160,000.

The charity event to benefit the J/P HRO & Disaster Relief Organizations, hosted by Penn, CAAs Bryan Lourd and Sean and Alexandra Parker, also honoured Leonardo DiCaprio for his work combating climate change.

Follow @htshowbiz for moreThe first trailer for Our Cartoon President, a new animated series skewering the presidency of Donald Trump, was unveiled during a panel at the ongoing Television Critics Association press tour and subsequently posted online.

The series was created by Stephen Colbert and based off of a recurring segment from his late night talk show the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The 2-minute trailer introduces the cast of characters - from Trumps cabinet (Woo Hoo) to his sons (Remember when everyone said you were the dumbest person in the world and then we showed up on TV) and his wife Melania (Why are you looking at me, there is a TV in the room) to Ted Cruz (Im Ted Cruz!).

Asked about whether audiences were growing tired of Trump, Colbert said, He is president of the United States. There is no escaping it. Its like having oxygen fatigue.

Colbert has vaulted to the top of the late-night ratings with sharp, topical humour focused on the president. Showtime will stream an episode that features the cartoon Trump preparing to deliver his State of the Union address on January 28. The 10-episode series debuts on the television network on February 11.

(With agency inputs)

Follow @htshowbiz for moreChina is planning to build an offshore naval base near Pakistans Gwadar on the Arabian Sea, media reports said, a year after Beijing opened its first such faculty at the Horn of Africa in Djibouti.

Pakistan has consistently denied reports that any Chinese military facilities were planned or being built on its soil. An official, when contacted on Sunday, again denied any such possibility. But speculation remains of a Chinese military presence off the Pakistani coast.

The South China Morning Post, quoting Beijing-based military analyst Zhou Chenming, reported the base near the Gwadar would be used to dock and maintain naval vessels as well as provide other logistical support services. China needs to set up another base in Gwadar for its warships because Gwadar is now a civilian port, Zhou said.

The SCMP report quoted analyst Zhou as saying that it was common practice to have separate facilities for warships and merchant vessels because of their different operations. Merchant ships need a bigger port with a lot of space for warehouses and containers, but warships need a full range of maintenance and logistical support services.

Another source close to the Peoples Liberation Army confirmed that the navy would set up a base near Gwadar similar to the one already up and running in Djibouti. Gwadar Port cant provide specific services for warships ... Public order there is in a mess. It is not a good place to carry out military logistical support, the source said.

The SCMP report follows another report this week on Washington-based website The Daily Caller, in which retired US Army Reserve Col Lawrence Sellin said meetings between high-ranking Chinese and Pakistani military officers indicated Beijing would build a military base on the Jiwani peninsula near Gwadar and close to the Iranian border.

Sellin said the plan would include a naval base and an expansion of the existing airport on the peninsula, both requiring the establishment of a security zone and the forced relocation of long-time residents. He also said the Jiwani base could be signs of Chinese militarisation of Pakistan in particular, and in the Indian Ocean.

Gwadar Port is a key part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a centrepiece of Chinese President Xi Jinpings broader Belt and Road Initiative to link China to Africa, Europe and beyond through trade and infrastructure. The corridor is a multibillion-dollar set of infrastructure projects linking China and Pakistan, and includes a series of road and transport links.

Chinese military observers have said Gwadar had great geostrategic and military importance to Beijing, but it was not about to militarise Pakistan.

Zhou said China  largely limited to the Strait of Malacca in Southeast Asia  wants better access to the Indian Ocean and the Gwadar Port could be a transit hub for sea and land routes once the CPECs railway was up and running, helping improve and cut the cost of logistics for China.

The Chinese naval flotilla patrolling in the Gulf of Aden and other warships escorting Chinese oil tankers in the Indian Ocean need a naval base for maintenance as well as logistical supplies because they cant buy much of what they need in Pakistan, Zhou said.

Rajeev Ranjan Chaturvedy, a research associate at the Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore, said India was well aware of Chinas plans in Pakistan.

China finds it very useful to use Pakistan against India and ignore Indias concerns, particularly on terrorism issues. That has created a lot of stress in the relationship between Beijing and Delhi, he said.

(But) Indian naval capabilities and experience in the Indian Ocean region are fairly good. Much better than Pakistan and China.

Swaran Singh, a professor at the school of international studies at JNU, New Delhi, said neither Gwadar nor Jiwani would be a wise choice for a naval base because of its proximity to Chabahar Port in Iran, in which India has a big stake  it has invested more than $100 million for two berths in the port on a 10-year lease as a way to promote trade with Afghanistan and Central Asia, bypassing Pakistan.

Potentially both (Gwadar and Jiwani) can become vulnerable to any stand-off ... between Pakistan and Iran but also China in Pakistan and India which is present in Chabahar, Singh said.Depending on who you ask in Europe, Chinas colossal East-West infrastructure programme is either an opportunity or a threat -- and when French President Emmanuel Macron visits next week, Beijing will be watching to see how keen he is to jump on board.

Since China launched the New Silk Road plan in 2013, the hugely ambitious initiative to connect Asia and Europe by road, rail and sea has elicited both enormous interest and considerable anxiety.

Its the most important issue in international relations for the years to come, and will be the most important point during Emmanuel Macrons visit, said Barthelemy Courmont, a China expert at French think-tank Iris.

The $1 trillion project is billed as a modern revival of the ancient Silk Road that once carried fabric, spices, and a wealth of other goods in both directions.

Known in China as One Belt One Road, the plans would see gleaming new road and rail networks built through Central Asia and beyond, and new maritime routes stretching through the Indian Ocean and Red Sea.

Beijing would develop roads, ports and rail lines through 65 countries representing an estimate 60 percent of the worlds population and a third of its economic output.

Macron, who heads to China for a three-day state visit on Sunday, will notably be accompanied by some 50 company chiefs keen to do business with the Asian powerhouse.

So far France has been cautious on the Silk Road plan, but Courmont said Chinese leaders were waiting for a clear position from Macron at a time when they view the young leader as an engine for growth in Europe.

If Macron takes a decision on how to tackle the Chinese initiative, all of Europe will follow, Courmont predicted.

But, as Courmont acknowledges, Europe is divided on what to make of Chinas ambitions.

The continent could potentially benefit handsomely from increased trade over the coming decades, but in some corners there is suspicion that it masks an attempted Beijing influence grab.

They are notably asking themselves about the geopolitical consequences of this project in the long-term, Alice Ekman, who covers China at the French Institute of International Relations, said of France and Germany.

Win-win?

In Central and Eastern Europe the programme has been met with altogether more enthusiasm, given the huge infrastructure investment that China could bring to the poorer end of the continent.

Some consider the awakening of China and Asia as a threat, Hungarys Prime Minister Viktor Orban told a summit in Budapest in November which gathered China with 16 Central and Eastern European countries.

For us, its a huge opportunity, he said, with Beijing using the summit to announce three billion euros of investment in projects including a Belgrade-Budapest railway line.

Bogdan Goralczyk, director of the Centre for Europe at the University of Warsaw, noted there were divisions even within eastern Europe, with Poland hesitant due to its right-wing governments strong anti-communist stance.

Others to the west have made little effort to hide their concern.

Former Danish premier Anders Fogh Rasmussen fretted in a column for Germanys Zeit newspaper that Europe will wake up only when its too late, and when swathes of central and eastern Europes infrastructure are dependent on China.

The former NATO chief noted that Greece -- a major recipient of Chinese largesse -- had in June blocked an EU declaration condemning Chinese rights abuses.

It came just months after Athens Piraeus port, one of the biggest in the world, passed under Chinese control.

Germany, Europes biggest economy, is favourable to Chinese investment, but has reservations.

If we do not develop a strategy in the face of China, it will succeed in dividing Europe, Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel warned in August.

France is meanwhile seeking to rebalance relations with China during Macrons trip, according to his office -- eyeing a trade deficit of 30 billion euros, its biggest with any partner.

Our Chinese partners would prefer a win-win situation. Why not? On the condition that its not the same party that wins twice, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Thursday.

It is not Frances intention to block China, he said. But we should establish a partnership based on reciprocity when it comes to the opening of markets.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called for the closure of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, days after US President Donald Trump threatened to cut Palestinian aid.

Israel has long viewed the UN agency, known as UNRWA, as biased against it, an allegation the agency strongly denies, saying it is only providing necessary services to Palestinians.

Israeli officials also criticise the agencys method of classifying refugees, with descendants also eligible to register.

UNRWA is an organisation that perpetuates the Palestinian refugee problem, Netanyahu said at the beginning of his weekly cabinet meeting.

He said that while millions of other refugees around the world were cared for by the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Palestinians have their own body which also treats great-grandchildren of refugees -- who arent refugees.

This absurd situation must be ended, Netanyahu said.

In June, Netanyahu said he had raised the issue with Washingtons UN envoy Nikki Haley.

On Wednesday, Trump threatened to cut aid worth more than $300 million annually to the Palestinians in a bid to force them to negotiate.

The United States has long provided the Palestinian Authority with much-needed budgetary support and security assistance, as well as an additional $304 million for UN programmes in the West Bank and Gaza.

A Friday report on Israeli Channel 10 television said the US had frozen a payment due to UNRWA, but a spokesman for the UN organisation said on Saturday that they have not been informed directly of a formal decision either way by the US administration.

UNRWA runs hundreds of schools for Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip, the occupied West Bank, Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.

It also distributes aid and provides teacher training centres, health clinics and social services.

Many analysts, including Israelis, warn that closing the agency without having an effective replacement could lead to further poverty and perhaps violence.

While UNRWA is far from perfect, the Israeli defence establishment, and the Israeli government as a whole, have over the years come to the understanding that all the alternatives are worse for Israel, Peter Lerner, a former spokesman for the Israeli military, wrote in an opinion piece in Haaretz newspaper last week.

In an extreme situation, the administration of those refugees could fall on Israels shoulders.Palestine on Sunday dismissed reports that its ambassador to Pakistan Walid Abu Ali, who was recalled after he was seen sharing the stage with Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, has been reinstated.

Alis move had also triggered a strong reaction from India, which strongly protested his presence with Saeed  a UN designated terrorist  at an anti-US and anti-Israel rally organised by organised by the Difa-e-Pakistan Council in Rawalpindi on December 29.

The former ambassador to Pakistan is in Palestine and our position was declared by our official statement issued last week. We dont want Palestine to be used as an issue between India and Pakistan, a Palestinian official told HT.

When contacted, the Pakistan Foreign Office said that they were not aware of any such move by the Palestinian authorities.

Reports of Ali being allegedly reinstated emerged after Pakistan Ulema Council chairperson Maulana Tahir Ashrafi told Karachi-based Geo News that he had requested Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to reinstate Ali in view of the ambassadors services rendered to Pakistan. He had further claimed that Abbas had agreed and Ali was to return to Pakistan on Wednesday to resume his duties.

In December, India had issued a strongly worded demarche after photos of Ali sharing the stage with Saeed were circulated on social media.

Barely hours after the Indian statement, a Palestinian official had told Hindustan Times: The ambassador has been recalled from Pakistan and asked to report to Ramallah. Palestine is part of the world community and it is committed to fighting terrorism. This shouldnt have happened.

The Palestinian ambassador to India, Adnan Abu Al Haij, was quoted as saying that his government supported India in its fight against terrorism and had decided to call back its Pakistan envoy.Hindu farmer Surodhon Pal has packed his bags, eager to return to Myanmar after fleeing for Bangladesh during a wave of violence last year, but he is in a tiny minority  most of the refugees are terrified of going home.

Bangladesh wants the more than 655,000 refugees who have flooded into the country since late August to start returning to Myanmar by the end of this month under a controversial agreement between the two nations.

The vast majority are Rohingya Muslims who have faced decades of persecution in Myanmar, which sees them as illegal immigrants, even though many have lived there for generations.

They say they would rather stay in the squalid camps in Bangladesh than return to the scene of violence the US and the United Nations have said amounts to ethnic cleansing.

But a small community of Hindus who lived alongside the Rohingya in Myanmars Rakhine state and were caught up in the turmoil say they do want to return.

We want security and we want food. If the authorities can give us those assurances well happily go back, Pal, 55, told AFP.

The Bangladeshi government and the UN looked after us well, but now we have prepared our bags and are ready to return to our country.

Last month, Dhaka sent a list of 100,000 refugees to Myanmar authorities for repatriation after the two governments signed an agreement in November for the process to begin on January 23.

But rights groups and the United Nations say no one should be repatriated against their will and so far only around 500 Hindu refugees have expressed willingness to go.

Modhuram Pal, a 35-year-old community leader, said nearly 50 Hindus had already returned to Rakhine where they were welcomed by Myanmar security forces.

Hindus who fled the area have told AFP that masked men stormed into their community and hacked victims to death with machetes before dumping them into freshly-dug pits.

Myanmars military alleges the Arakan Rohingya Solidarity Army (ARSA) carried out the massacre on August 25, the same day the rebel group staged deadly raids on police posts that sparked a military backlash. At least 45 bodies have been found in mass graves.

The ARSA has denied the allegations, saying it does not target civilians.

But Pal and his fellow Hindu refugees say they will only go back if they are rehoused away from their former villages in Rakhine.

Monubala, a Hindu woman who like many of the refugees goes by one name, told AFP masked men dressed in black had attacked her village near Kha Maung Seik, where the massacre occurred.

I left my home, including my chickens, ducks, goats and all property, and came to Bangladesh to save my life, she said.

Doctors without Borders estimates that thousands were killed in the violence that hit Rakhine in late August.Rohingya Muslim insurgents said on Sunday they have no option to fight what they called Myanmar state-sponsored terrorism to defend the Rohingya community, and they demanded that the Rohingya be consulted on all decisions affecting their future.

The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) launched raids on the Myanmar security forces on August 25, which sparked sweeping counter-insurgency operations in the Muslim-majority north of Rakhine State that led to widespread violence and arson and an exodus of some 650,000 Rohingya villagers to Bangladesh.

The United Nations condemned the Myanmar military campaign as ethnic cleansing. Buddhist-majority Myanmar rejected that.

But since the August raids, the small insurgent group has launched few if any attacks until Friday, when its fighters ambushed a Myanmar military truck, wounding several members of the security forces.

ARSA has ... no other option but to combat Burmese state-sponsored terrorism against the Rohingya population for the purpose of defending, salvaging and protecting the Rohingya community, the group said in a statement signed by leader Ata Ullah and posted on Twitter.

Rohingya people must be consulted in all decision-making that affects their humanitarian needs and political future.

The ARSA claimed responsibility for the Friday ambush but gave no details of the clash.

A Myanmar government spokesman declined to make any immediate comment saying he had yet to read the statement. A military spokesman declined to make any immediate comment about the security situation in the north of Rakhine State.

The area is largely off-limits to reporters.

Authorities have previously said attacks by the insurgents would be met with force and they ruled out any negotiations with terrorists.

The ARSA dismisses any links to Islamist militant groups and says it is fighting to end the oppression of the Rohingya people.

Rohingya have been denied citizenship, freedom of movement and access to services such as healthcare. Myanmar regards them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Serious communal violence between Rohingya and ethnic Rakhine Buddhists erupted in 2012 and sporadic unrest followed.

The violence that began in August and the refugee crisis it caused has drawn international condemnation and raised doubts about Myanmars transition to democracy after nearly 50 years of military rule.

ARSA did not say where leader Ata Ullah was but Myanmar suspects the insurgents flee into Bangladesh then slip back into Myanmar to launch attacks.

Myanmar and Bangladesh have been discussing a plan to repatriate the refugees but more insecurity in Myanmar is likely to raise even more doubts about how quickly that might happen.

The refugees complain that they have not been consulted about their repatriation.A United Airlines flight from Chicago to Hong Kong had to be diverted on Thursday after an adult male passenger smeared faeces all over the planes bathrooms.

The unidentified man messed up the bathrooms with his own faeces before trying to shove his shirt into one of the toilets, according to reports.

The plane made an unscheduled landing in Alaska, where he was escorted off by police for interrogation, KTVA reported.

After the interviews were done, there were no appropriate charges for anything criminal, Anchorage airport police lieutenant Joe Gamache told The Sky News.

In a press statement to Fox News, the airlines said, United flight 895, traveling from Chicago to Hong Kong, diverted to Anchorage last night due to a disruptive passenger.

Authorities met the aircraft upon its arrival at the gate. We provided hotel accommodations for our customers and are working to get them to their destinations as quickly as possible.

According to officials, the 22 year old man, who was carrying a Vietnamese passport with US residency, was later taken for a mental evaluation.The Donald Trump administration has decided to suspend military aid to Pakistan citing its failure to act against terrorist groups operating from Pakistani soil. Exact details of how much aid would be cut are not yet clear. Whether this move would pressurise the Pakistani regime to withdraw patronage to the terror infrastructure remains to be seen.

However a couple of things stand out if one analyses statistics on US aid to Pakistan since the 1950s. Trump is not the first President to cut aid to Pakistan. His actions are in keeping with the policies of the Obama administration which had started cutting aid to Pakistan in this decade.

Data from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) shows that American aid to Pakistan has seen many ups and downs in the last six decades. In real terms, it peaked in the year 1962 with a value above $3.1 billion. There was a sharp fall after the end of the Cold War. But things changed in a big way after the September 2001 terrorist attack on America, when Pakistan became a front line ally of US in its war against terror. Both economic and military aid started increasing once again and it peaked in 2010, a year before al-Qaeda founder Osama Bin Laden was killed. The US started cutting back on aid to Pakistan after his death in 2011. By 2016, US economic and military aid to Pakistan stood at 26% of its aid in 2010 (See Chart 1).

These statistics suggest American aid policy to Pakistan is more a function of its domestic needs than principled positions on terrorism. Voices within the American policy establishment have argued for long that there has been no improvement in Pakistans conduct in controlling terror. Another question which needs to be asked is how would a severe cut in US aid affect Pakistan. An exact answer would require greater clarity on changes in US policy. But a look at the importance of military spending and US in the Pakistani economy can provide some answers.

World Bank statistics show that Pakistans military spending as a share of its GDP has been coming down since the 1990s.

This decline seems to have accelerated during the post 9/11 phase, which might be a result of greater military aid from the US. The fact that the share of military spending in GDP started increasing after 2010, when US aid started declining, supports this reasoning (See Chart 2).

If there are further cuts in US military aid, Pakistans economy would have to carry the burden of a greater share of the military expenditure. As far as the share of total US bilateral aid in Pakistans GDP is concerned, it is less than 0.5% of its GDP. This used to be more than 5% in the early 1960s. Thus, it is unlikely that even a complete withdrawal of US aid would inflict a big enough pain on Pakistan economy (See Chart 2). Having said this, there is one factor which might not have been very important in determining US-Pakistan relations earlier.

Chinas economic engagement with Pakistan is bound to reach unprecedented levels thanks to its initiatives such as One Belt One Road. Given Pakistans geopolitical importance in Chinas plans to extend its economic influence in the region, China is not very likely to care about Pakistans conduct vis-a-vis controlling terror. This might reduce the need for Pakistan to depend on US aid. If this happens, the US is likely to experience diminishing returns from its aid-diplomacy in Pakistan.Whether the United Kingdom leaves the European Union by March 29, 2019 remains shrouded in a haze of politics and bureaucracy, but a soon-to-be introduced immigration bill will likely benefit Indian students keen to study in the country.

The bill, which will be introduced in the House of Commons later this year, will be the occasion to address a key issue that has bedevilled the discourse of international students. It will likely face an amendment to remove international students from net migration figures, thus making them less likely to face measures to restrict overall migration. In fact, there are already signs of some restrictions on them being eased.

Since the Conservative Party came to power in 2010, its aim has been to cut net migration  Indian and other non-EU students have also been part of this sensitive target.

Considering the student component as migrants and subjecting it to steps to restrict migration has not only led to an around 50% drop of Indian students since 2010, but has also led to the impression that the UK no longer welcomes international students. The drop has also been attributed to the closure of bogus colleges.

Three factors have led to the growing cross-party consensus that non-EU students should not be part of the net migration target  official reports reveal most international students return after studies, the need to project a global outlook post-Brexit, and the Theresa May governments dependence on outside support to remain in office.

A spokesperson for Universities UK, the umbrella organisation for all British universities, told HT: Two official reports published last summer revealed that there is very high visa compliance by international students. The number of students overstaying their visas is a tiny fraction of previous (incorrect) claims.

Polling has shown that the British public does not see international students as long-term migrants, but as valuable, temporary visitors. There is now an opportunity to make sure that a reshaped, post-Brexit immigration system encourages qualified international students to choose the UK.

If the UK wants to remain a top destination for international students and staff, it is more important than ever that we project a welcoming message to talented people from across the world.

Removing non-EU students from the migration target may not immediately bring back the post-study work visa that was abolished in 2012, but some efforts are already on to make it easier for them to find work here after studies.

A visa pilot introduced in July 2016 at four UK universities has now been extended to 23 more universities, allowing their non-EU students more time to find work after studies. It still remains difficult for non-EU students to secure employment and switch visa categories, but the extension is seen as a positive development.

Recent voting in the House of Commons on Brexit-related bills and amendments reflect the May governments lack of majority. Rebel Conservative MPs can join hands with others to inflict defeat on government bills, potentially making it less adamant to resist the amendment on non-EU students.

As home secretary since 2010 and now as prime minister, May has resisted the demand to remove non-EU students from the migration target, but newer realities in parliament and compulsions of Brexit are likely to lead to a reconsideration of the key issue.

Recent research suggests that international students generate more than 25 billion annually for the economy and support over 200,000 jobs in communities across the UK. Many cash-strapped universities depend on high-fee paying non-EU students to meet staff and other costs.In the chaotic early aftershocks of Hurricane Harvey, dozens of seriously mentally ill evacuees at the George R. Brown Convention Center were left under-treated or without proper medication for days because doctors did not have the right kind of psychiatric drugs.

The only medicine immediately available for any mental health patient, including those with severe schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, was Prozac or Zoloft, according to firsthand medical accounts not previously made public. Those drugs typically are used to treat depression, anxiety, panic or obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Health care officials can't say exactly why more drugs for psychiatric and some serious medical conditions were not immediately available at the city's primary shelter. But they know they were lucky to skirt a health care disaster, and they want to be better prepared for the next catastrophe.

The stakes are high, as doctors warn medications for mental health are not interchangeable.

Giving an anti-depressant to someone with another type of severe mental health condition, for example, is not only unauthorized but can actually worsen the disease. It could trigger a manic episode that spirals out of control, said Dr. Asim Shah, chief of psychiatry at Ben Taub Hospital and executive vice chair of Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Baylor College of Medicine.

So some patients with the most critical needs, wedged among the thousands of frantic evacuees in an overflowing shelter, got no medicine.

"It was the same thing with diabetics without insulin," said Dr. David Persse, Public Health Authority for the Houston Health Department.

With medications for a wide range of ailments absent in the early days, Persse recalled that in some cases volunteer medical workers had to depend on donated drugs, some from evacuees who left open, half-empty bottles of prescription pills on a table for others to potentially use.

The city's health department has now put together a draft list of medications to be promptly available, including common antihypertensives, diabetic and psychiatric medications, in the case of future emergencies.

"Our challenge will be funding and a way to ensure the stock is always current, unexpired, and immediately available," Persse said.

"We got lucky that we didn't have somebody completely break down and become violent," he added.

"Very frustrating

Those first nights, teams of mental health workers, American Red Cross nurses and firefighters traversed the rows of cots, looking for people who might be teetering toward crisis. If found, they were quietly escorted to the makeshift mental health clinic.

Once there, however, doctors had to sometimes use over-the-counter Benadryl to help agitated or anxious patients sleep, Shah said.

Treatment was at times also limited to talk therapy and getting patients basic needs such as food and clothing, both designed to help reassure and calm them, he said.

"Mental health providers were among the first responders. We were there," Shah said, praising the work of volunteer doctors and workers who rallied quickly over coming days and weeks. "But it was very frustrating. Without medication you can't do anything. You cannot treat psychosis without proper medication."

It is not as if city officials had not drilled for disaster. They had even occasionally discussed securing some kind of contract with local pharmacies to ensure they could access medication seamlessly.

It does not appear that plan was ever launched, Persse said.

On Sunday morning, Aug. 27, with the water still rising, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner opened the doors of the massive George R. Brown Convention Center to those who had been plucked from the floodwaters, many of whom had fled with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

The city expected 5,000. Nearly 10,000 showed up.

The next day, two psychiatrists from the Baylor College of Medicine arrived and set up a makeshift psychiatric clinic. A handwritten sign was slapped onto a pillar in the center: "Behavioral Health Need to talk? Hall E." Over time the ranks of mental health professionals and social workers from across the city swelled to 60.

Prozac and Zoloft may have been the only medications available because they are common. In those early days dozens of medications for all types of medical needs began showing up on a table of donations at the center. Some medication was still in sealed packaging, possibly samples from doctor offices that were grabbed and brought by medical volunteers.

But there were also bottles of pills with patient names on the labels, some expired, others half-empty.

While the donations were welcomed by those scrambling to help people, Persse said health officials were also wary of the legality or even wisdom of using such medications. A quick call was made to the Texas State Board of Pharmacy. Officials there said it was acceptable to use the donated medication as long as it was checked for expiration date and potency by a licensed pharmacist who could then dispense it.

As it happened, a licensed pharmacist stepped forward from the throngs of evacuees, said Persse.

By Tuesday evening after the storm, some additional psychiatric medicine began to arrive, and the pharmacy was fully operational by Wednesday - four days after the convention center was opened to evacuees.

Shah outlined the difficulties in an article in the January issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry, now online.

Over two weeks, 232 evacuees from age 4 to 89, sought mental health help at the convention center. More than half of those treated had a pre-existing mood disorder. About 6 percent required a trip to the emergency room or psychiatric hospitalization, according to the psychiatric journal article.

That suggests the need to establish triage procedures for those struggling most during and after disasters, Shah said.

Before next disaster

The four most common conditions reported at the convention center were bipolar disorder, depression, schizophrenia and anxiety disorders, the article said.

Shah said he is not casting blame but rather shedding light on a problem that should be addressed before the next large-scale catastrophe.

He is among those who would like to see a list of the 10 psychiatric drugs most often used to treat a range of mental illness be part of any future disaster plan.

Years ago, in the era just after Sept. 11, 2001, Houston had an enormous cache of medications for most every ailment, stockpiled and ready. But over time, the drugs expired, and the federal government did not renew the program that supplied them.

Firefighters and the city's health department have some medications on hand, but they cannot keep a ready supply of maintenance drugs for ongoing conditions.

"We can do better," Persse said.

While important to have a disaster response plan in place, he said, it is equally necessary to have flexibility to find creative solutions when things go wrong - as they will. For example, roads to pharmacies could become impassable.

"You can make a plan," Persse said, "but the disaster doesn't read your play book."Mauro Ferrari, president of the Houston Methodist Hospital Research Institute, recently returned from Italy, where he served on a new council of Pope Francis' Pontifical Academy for Life, which focuses on issues of bioethics and Catholic moral theology. Tapped for a five-year appointment in the fall, Ferrari brings expertise in nanotechnology, the study and application of the ultra-small, things larger than atoms and molecules, but smaller than a bread crumb.

He spoke with the Houston Chronicle about the academy, how his faith shaped his world view and the ethical concerns posed by nanotechnology. Edited excerpts follow.

Q: How was the council? Was this your first meeting with a pope or had you met others before?

A: I've met other popes before but not in any meaningful way. I shook hands with Pope Benedict XVI in an interaction with many people. I've attended Mass at St. Peter's Basilica with 3,000 people. But the notion of being at Vatican City in a small working group reporting to Pope Francis was unique. Hearing him give his address and express his expectations for the council's work gave me a great sense of responsibility.

Q: What led to your appointment?

A: It was a complete surprise, just came out of nowhere. I'm no expert in bioethics, but I've written a few papers on the issues raised by some of the new technologies. Maybe that's where it came from.

Q: What kind of direction did Pope Francis give the academy?

A: The Pope made four fundamental points. First, he asked us to look at humans in a broader context, in the context of nature, creation, animal life, a kind of merging of bioethics and the environment. Second, he wants us to think about the issues to do with reproductive technologies in the context of parents' responsibility of commitment and caring, a mission that can't be reduced to the laboratory. Third is the notion of the central role of women in life, distinct from and complementary with the role of men. And fourth is the notion of accompaniment, (the bedside manner) health-care providers must bring to the vulnerable, the children, the elderly, the terminally sick - being together, sharing the experience, providing relief, providing support. This is a fundamental mission.

Q: Who's on the pontifical academy?

A: One of the big changes Pope Francis has brought is to open it up to non-Catholics. It now includes a rabbi from Israel, a bishop from the Anglican church in England, people from Muslim backgrounds and even people who profess no faith. It's a very broad and diverse group, which I'm very happy about because the fundamental issues of medicine and bioethics are issues that concern all people.

Q: Do most members bring right-to-life or Catholic views?

A: I'd say probably 90 percent of the members are Catholics. But there is a variety of views and perspectives among Catholics. The majority of the people are philosophers, theologians or bioethicists, and quite a few are members of the clergy.

Q: A 2013 Vatican conference on regenerative medicine was slammed by Nature for "shamelessly promoting adult stem cell research." Would anything at this meeting be considered controversial in some circles?

A: There wasn't anything particularly divergent from the teachings of the Catholic Church, I guess, but the tone was moderate, balanced, respectful. These are touchy issues that elicit strong responses from both sides but that's normal. I don't think we should be scared of strong reactions. It would be abnormal if people didn't have strong reactions. Strong reactions are necessary so people can engage in true dialogue and appreciate each other's perspectives.

Q: So you are a strong Catholic who was raised in the faith in Italy, and now you practice in Houston?

A: Well there aren't many choices available in Italy. My mother was very Catholic, my father wasn't interested in religion. I was raised Catholic, have always been fundamentally Catholic and define myself as Catholic, but I'm comfortable with people of any religion. I attended a Lutheran church for years, have attended Methodist churches, worshipped in synagogues and Buddhist temples, you name it - any chance to share the fundamental components of human nature. I'm happy to have that opportunity.

Q: How has your faith shaped you?

A: For me, it helps me put others first. Life is service, life is giving. If you have the notion of God in your heart and soul, it helps you do that, it reminds you to do that, especially when the going gets tough.

Q: You experienced a tough period when your wife died of cancer at age 32. How did that affect you?

A: Yes, that was the transformative event of my life. I was a professor at UC Berkeley working on high-tech and mathematical physics, not medicine. I decided I was going to use everything I know to improve medicine, to try to cure diseases, to give it all I've got. When I'm tired or depressed or everything's going the wrong way, the attempt to turn the pain into good things for other people is what carries me through. That's the fundamental lesson of faith to me.

Q: I've seen statistics on the rarity of faith in scientists, particularly physicists. Do you feel a certain tension or isolation because of your faith?

A: (Laughs.) Yes, that's true - though in some places more than others. Being at Houston Methodist, a faith-based hospital, is a big relief, a heartwarming experience that I've never had before. Here they respect everyone's religion. Academe can be fairly hostile to religion. But I found when you go out and talk openly about your faith - which I do now, I give talks about science and faith - you'd be surprised how many people contact me afterward to say, 'Thanks, I didn't know it was OK to talk about faith as a scientist. Now I'm going to do it too.' So I'm not sure the official statistics people talk about correspond to reality.

Q: Does nanotechnology raise any new ethical concerns?

A: I don't think it brings up any new ones, like those that emerged with, say, the genetic revolution. But existing concerns can be heightened because nanotechnology is such a powerful technique - drug side effects that could unintentionally hurt people. That's true for all drug classes, but what if a drug being developed turns out to be a platform for biological weapons? That probably couldn't happen with certain types of drugs, but it's more of a possibility with nanotechnology or virus technology.It is not unusual for gay couples who ask churches to perform marriage ceremonies to be turned away because of doctrines that reject same-sex unions.

For these couples the pain of rejection could have been avoided if the church had been clearer from the outset about its positions on gay and lesbian rights.

George Mekhail, director of innovation and strategic partnerships at The Riverside Church in New York, said when it comes to lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer inclusion an important concern is ambiguity.

"Churches talk around the issue," Mekhail said. "Some do a bait and switch and don't tell the truth about what their policies are."

To address the ambiguity problem, Mekhail cofounded Church Clarity with megachurch marketing specialist Tim Schraeder and freelance writer Sarah Ngu. Their website, churchclarity.org, launched in October.

Their mission is to rate churches based on the transparency of their LGBTQ policies. After the current phase, they hope to expand their church ratings to include additional issues such as women's equality in the church and racial injustice.

When someone submits a church to be rated, Ngu oversees a rigorous vetting process. Several ratings are available - including "actively discerning" and "undisclosed" - and there's a survey that churches can fill out if they want to participate in the process.

As of this writing, more than 1,100 churches have been submitted, and more than 450 of those have been rated and published.

Of the 450 churches rated, nine are in the Houston area. Of those nine, seven have been rated "unclear: non-affirming," including Second Baptist and Lakewood Church. This rating means that statements, sermons or links on the church website may suggest a non-affirming policy on LGBTQ inclusion, but this stance has not been verified yet.

Second Baptist declined to comment for this article. Lakewood Church did not respond in time for publication.

The remaining two Houston churches on the list were scored as "clear," meaning their LGBTQ inclusion policies were found to be transparent and verifiable. One of those is Houston's First Baptist Church, rated "clear: non-affirming." First Baptist did not respond for comment by presstime.

The other is A Community of the Servant-Savior Presbyterian Church, rated "clear: affirming." Its pastor, the Rev. Kathleen Kendall Davies, said she completed a Church Clarity questionnaire to achieve the rating and that she believes in the mission of transparency. "So many churches act like they're welcoming," Davies said, "but you go in and they're not."

Davies said it was a natural fit for her church to participate in Church Clarity's rating, as they were already involved in the Believe Out Loud network, an online community empowering LGBTQ Christians. Moreover, the Presbyterian Church's national governing body voted in 2011 to allow the ordination of openly gay ministers and in 2014 to allow same-gender marriage.

People around the country have been submitting LGBTQ-affirming churches, Ngu said, as the Church Clarity team expected. They were surprised, however, that some also have been submitting "churches that they've been burned by." Mekhail knows that experience. Before he joined Riverside Church and co-founded Church Clarity, he was executive pastor at an evangelical megachurch near Seattle.

In 2015, he made a public statement for full inclusion of the LGBTQ community, and he saw a backlash immediately. People left or threatened to leave his church. Several pastors reached out quietly, Mekhail said, to offer their private support. He said they told him: "We agree with you but we can't do what you did. You almost lost your church, along with millions of dollars and thousands of people."

This crisis opened Mekhail's eyes to the behind-the-scenes dynamic in the church world. He saw many Christian leaders who hedge publicly on LGBTQ issues and avoid the conversation.

The experience gave Mekhail a new appreciation for conviction. "The most frustrating people to talk to are the ones who dance around this," he said. "They say, 'We totally love gay people! Everyone's welcome!' But then they say, 'No, you're not welcome'" - when it comes to leadership in the church, communion or marriage for LGBTQ individuals.

Schraeder has seen this dance of denial during his 15 years doing marketing for megachurches.

"They like to bill themselves as welcoming, gay-friendly, inclusive," he said. "Churches don't want to appear unwelcoming.

"But honestly," Schraeder added, "it's false advertising. Some have their heart in the right place, and others do a bait and switch - thinking they'll attract gay people who will then see the error of their lifestyle."

Mekhail worried that churches have succumbed to market forces instead of claiming their role as witness for their convictions. A June 2017 Pew Forum survey showed growing support for same-sex marriage among evangelicals - especially younger ones. Many surveys have showed the rise of the so-called "nones," Americans with no religious affiliation, to nearly a quarter of the population.

Pastors realize times are changing, Ngu said, but they are adapting not their theology but their packaging.

For example, Ngu added, you'll see young pastors using Instagram, preaching about Black Lives Matter and other edgy topics. "People think they must be progressive theologically," Ngu said. " 'Hip churches' can seem inclusive even if they have a conservative policy."

Rev. Jon Page, of First Congregational Church in Houston, has seen this demographic-driven dynamic, too. "So much of the pressure is to grow churches," he said, "and they won't talk about LGBTQ issues because it will alienate one group or another."

Page is openly gay and leads a LGBTQ-affirming church. The United Church of Christ, the national denomination of which Page's church is a member, declared its openness to LGBTQ individuals in 1997.

Because many churches remain vague about where they stand, Page welcomed Church Clarity's call for transparency. But in addition to their criteria of inclusion - church leadership and ritual, namely - Page said churches which consider themselves LGBTQ-affirming should be challenged to take that affirmation into the public square through advocacy for LGBTQ rights.

"There are plenty of churches that are LGBTQ-affirming," Page said, "but they wouldn't march in a PRIDE parade or fight SB6 [the Texas "Bathroom Bill"] publicly."

Church Clarity founders did not describe it as an advocacy tool, and they acknowledged the many organizations pushing for LGBTQ inclusion in churches, such as The Reformation Project.

"We're not trying to replace or replicate their advocacy work," Schraeder said. "We want clarity on church policies."

Other church rating systems, like gaychurch.org, tend to focus only on LGBTQ-friendly congregations. Church Clarity rates churches no matter where they stand on the affirming spectrum.

"A lot of communities think they're welcoming and open to LGBTQ people, until they're put to the test," said Rev. Troy Treash, senior pastor of Resurrection Metropolitan Community Church in Houston. That test can come in the form of performing a same-sex marriage, baptizing a child of gay parents, or hiring a gay Sunday school teacher.

"Sometimes," Treash added, churches "will welcome people into attendance and tithing, but not leadership or public blessing."

Church Clarity's mission struck Treash as valuable for would-be congregants and for churches. Treash said that University of Houston professor Brene Brown's latest book, "Braving the Wilderness," talks about how "currently in our country we've lost the ability to be civil and say who we are at the same time."

In that spirit, he said, perhaps Church Clarity can help churches be less evasive about where they stand on LGBTQ inclusion.

For Mekhail, that call to clarity is a guiding principle. He said his "appreciation for conviction" extends to those who are willing to say they do not affirm LGBTQ inclusion in their church. Treash, who is gay and leads a church whose denomination was founded as a haven for gay people rejected from other churches, shares Mekhail's preference for clarity.

"I would certainly rather have transparency," Treash said. "I know what to expect from people when it's clear they're not supportive of my family. Then I can be prepared. It's the ones who smile and then hurt you while they hug you that are devastating. They even cause more harm up close."President Donald Trump huddled with congressional Republican leaders this weekend at Camp David, hoping to plot out the year ahead to give the GOP some momentum as it heads into the winds of a midterm elections.

For some, that means swinging for the fences with another attempt to fully replace the Affordable Care Act or a dramatic rewrite of entitlement laws. But any sober analysis will lead the group to conclude that, once Congress cleans up some important must-pass items over the next eight weeks, it should be a relatively quiet legislative year.

That's because the political dynamics on Capitol Hill are set against some overly ambitious House Republicans and more reality-driven Republicans in both chambers. Given how aggressive Republicans were in 2017, failing on health-care and narrowly passing a tax overhaul, this is not the time for big initiatives that could blow up in their faces.

Republicans notched one big agenda item, and veteran lawmakers believe now is the time to sell those tax cuts rather than launch another high-risk bid.

"Have to be careful, you know that," Sen. Richard C. Shelby, R-Ala., first elected in 1986, said, summing up the 2018 agenda.

These longtime congressmen want to sell the Republican tax plan as part of a broad story about an improving economy, which includes the rising stock market and continued job growth.

"That's the big story, and I would say that we've set the stage for that with our regulatory reform and with our tax bill," Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said.

Cassidy, elected to the Senate two years ago after spending six years in the House, is temperamentally still more in line with the aggressive approach usually favored by House Republicans. He appreciates their urgency, including at times Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., in wanting to use the tax momentum to move straight into another big effort like welfare reform.

"Nothing is ever accomplished by a reasonable man," Cassidy said, ascribing the George Bernard Shaw saying to rabble rousers in the House. "So sometimes the House takes on something which may seem unreasonable, but the importance they give it, and the vitality they give it, gives it a chance."

That said, Cassidy knows the Senate is going to be deadlocked by early spring, not a place where they will be cutting Medicare or reshaping food stamp programs.

"That's probably not going to happen on the Senate side," he said.

There's no rule against passing major legislation in an election year. Some of the most important laws of the last 25 years - the tax overhaul of 1986, welfare overhaul of 1996, the ACA of 2010 - came in heated election years.

But those laws all had been worked on heavily in the preceding year, and in the case of the 1986 tax law, it began four years earlier. Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., have done next to nothing to prepare for anything as ambitious as rewriting welfare laws.

They would have to start from scratch, and that would require passing another budget resolution to give them fast-track power to move legislation on a simple majority in the Senate. And the chances of McConnell moving a budget through the Senate are very slim.

That was already a difficult task in last year's chamber, where he had 52 votes and could afford to lose two while still approving a budget. Now, with Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala., sworn into office, McConnell can lose just one vote, and he has close to a handful of GOP senators who would be leery of launching an ambitious rewrite of welfare laws.

In the last four election years, McConnell and his Democratic predecessor, Harry Reid of Nevada, have skipped trying to pass budgets, knowing it is not usually a year for big new agenda items.

Yet Ryan, in an interview last month with local Wisconsin radio, seemed to signal a new push to rein in Medicare and Medicaid. "Frankly, it's the health-care entitlements that are the big drivers of our debt, so we spend more time on the health-care entitlements - because that's really where the problem lies," he said.

Those words cheered on staunch conservatives in the House Freedom Caucus. It sounded as if Ryan was returning to his more ideological past as the budget chairman, when he crafted conservative documents that called for turning Medicare into a federal premium support system with seniors buying private plans.

Such a bold plan might make sense, especially if Ryan were considering departing next year, and this would give him a big legacy capstone.

But Ryan, well into his third year as speaker, is now a more hardened political realist than those younger days. He knows there is little point in forcing his troops into another politically brutal legislative fight when the Senate has no intent of taking up arms.

Some smart Republicans read Ryan's comments closely and saw he never fully committed what his top legislative priorities were for 2018.

His "spend some time" frame sounded a lot more like a leader hoping to lay some groundwork in committees on an issue that Republicans might tackle down the road, should they retain their majorities next year.

This likely means that the focal point of this weekend's summit was averting the biggest land mines of items that need to pass in the next few weeks: a spending increase for defense and domestic agencies, a resolution for handling the roughly 1 million undocumented immigrants brought here as children, a disaster-relief bill and a couple health bills.

And each of these items are not protected by budget rules and therefore require bipartisan support to avoid a Democratic filibuster in the Senate. "They need Democratic votes to pass anything," Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters Thursday.

That's why the senior Republicans, those who have lived long stretches in the majority and minority, are warning everyone that they need to just get through these critical items and then campaign hard on cutting taxes.

"The big legislative achievement for this session will be the tax bill," Shelby said. "It was monumental, it was huge. It took a lot to get it done."It's been a long, hard slog for Bill Merrell since he first proposed the concept of an "Ike Dike" nine years ago. At times, the Texas A&M oceanographer probably could have used his own dike of sorts to keep all the dismissiveness at bay.

Merrell's fight isn't over just because political leaders in the weeks after Harvey are calling for action on his concept, but he says it's heartening to finally see progress. His plan, a "coastal spine" composed of a system of floating gates, is intended to protect Galveston Bay and much of the Houston region from a killer wall of water known as a surge that could accompany a direct-hit monster storm.

"The parade is forming," the 74-year-old professor said in an interview last week as he sat in a maroon swivel chair in his office overlooking the Galveston channel.

"I learned a long time ago," he said, referring to his time as a Reagan appointee to the National Science Foundation, "if you're going to be a hammer, you've got to be an anvil, too. People are going to hit back and you can't take anything personally. Just keep working."

Early skepticism is perhaps best summed up in a colorful rant by Harris County Commissioner Steve Radack reported by the Chronicle in 2010, when he suggested the closest we'd get to the Ike Dike in his lifetime might be people lining up their cars along the beach.

"Who knows what it's going to be? Train a bunch of dinosaurs to stand up at a given time?" Radack went on. "Do I believe that man can stop a category 4 or 5 hurricane? The answer is, 'I don't believe man can stop a (category) 4 or 5 hurricane unless they pray a lot.'"

Radack wasn't alone in his resignation about Houston's vulnerability. Merrell says he once held a similar view himself - that an engineering solution to prevent death and destruction might be well impossible for an area prone to powerful hurricanes. Then came Ike.

Merrell remembers hunkering down with his wife, daughter and grandson for the 2008 hurricane on the second floor of a sturdy 1870 brick-and-iron building he owns on The Strand in Galveston. He recalls the helpless feeling as he listened to the 100-mph winds howl, as he watched the streets turn into rivers. The next morning, as he surveyed the destruction around him, he heard about an old friend, a World War II veteran who had lost one hand in combat, who had tied himself to a signpost to avoid being swept out to sea during the storm. When rescuers got to him, he vowed never to weather another hurricane.

A policy 'of failure'

He was one of the many people Merrell knew, most elderly and poor, who would leave the island and never return. There had to be another way, Merrell thought. He questioned the wisdom of focusing all efforts on recovery and nearly none on prevention.

"Our national policy is one of failure," he says. "We don't prevent. We let them hit us in the nose, and we fix it. And we let them do it again. Think about it. If we were doing that for terrorism, we'd throw every damn politician out."

He says even if a storm is "equal opportunity" in its aim, the poor and elderly - the people lacking in money, insurance and energy - are always the hardest hit. They may escape with their breath, but their lives as they knew them are often wiped out.

"You're bused up to Dallas or Austin. Your possessions are bulldozed. You only have what you can carry in a sack," Merrell says. "That's not how you should treat people."

Merrell says Ike left him with an "epiphany" that an engineering solution was possible. He sat down and began sketching out an idea for a coastal barrier in Galveston Bay, similar to one he'd seen in the Netherlands.

"The Dutch wouldn't put up with this," Merrell says.

It's become a familiar refrain that poses a provocative question: Why do Texans?

Merrell, a native Texan raised in Bellaire who has lived in Galveston since the 1980s, knows part of the answer: our rugged, risk-taking culture.

"Texans are a pretty resilient lot, but we're kind of cowboys, too," he says. "I wish we'd accept the fact that we could reduce risk, rather than just live with risk."

That's at the heart of Merrell's argument - prevention is not only possible, it's smarter and more cost-effective than simply spending billions of dollars to rebuild things the way they were and expecting different results.

Last week, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner led a bipartisan group of local officials to demand a "coastal spine" project be federally funded as part of any Harvey recovery package. The estimated cost cited at Turner's press conference was up to $14 billion, but Merrell believes it's not more than $8 billion.

Regardless, he says, "it's going to be cost effective at any cost," if one accounts for lives and property saved, and the nation's largest petrochemical complex protected. "Prevention is expensive, but usually, you only do it once."

He acknowledges the millions of dollars in maintenance costs, which would likely be paid by local or state governments. And he knows there's plenty of skepticism about whether Congress, outside of the Texas delegation, has the political will to fund the massive project.

Fighting for his idea

Bob Stokes, president of the Galveston Bay Foundation, wrote in an op-ed published in the Chronicle last week that leaders should consider a less expensive option. Others agree, including environmental lawyer Jim Blackburn, who is also concerned about the environmental impact of Merrell's concept.

"Bill's done some beautiful work. I think his initial conceptualization was great," said Blackburn, who is also co-director of the SSPEED Center at Rice University. It stands for the Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disaster Center. "I just think we should have more detail on it than we do. And I don't think it's the best alternative for the money."

Merrell acknowledges his concept is just that, albeit a concept heavily studied and already tested in other places. He's not an engineer, and Merrell notes that neither the state nor the federal government has funded a design phase anyway.

He's simply an academic who, rather than publish an idea and let it wither in the literature, decided to fight for it. He spent years, and plenty of weekends, raising money for research, educating local government leaders over coffee, cheerleading to congressional members, and organizing trips to the Netherlands to observe a real gated barrier system that has worked more than two dozen times.

Merrell says he shares Blackburn's environmental concerns, but he believes engineering can address those, as well as aesthetics. "Nobody wants to go down and look at a concrete wall and somebody tells you the ocean is on the other side."

At this point, he and his colleagues have turned over everything they've learned to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Merrell says. The agency, which would be tasked with building such a structure, has a broad study going on coastal resiliency.

Merrell credits any progress he has made on the Ike Dike to the colleagues who have helped him and to his own hard-headedness - a characteristic he shares with the man whose endowed chair he holds at A&M: George Mitchell, the late Texas billionaire shale pioneer known as "the father of fracking."

"He used to say it's OK to be stubborn if you think you're right," Merrell says.

'Hard decisions'

Of course, it's not enough to think you're right. You actually have to be right. Merrell is convinced that he is, and he has persuaded leaders across the region.

Now we need details and careful study to be sure. We need a member of Congress to call on the Corps of Engineers to draft a design.

As Harris County Judge Ed Emmett told me Friday, we need action.

Merrell points to Emmett's tone these days as proof of how far the Ike Dike has come. He says Emmett is among the elected leaders who initially laughed at the idea. Emmett says he didn't laugh, only cautioned that there was no way the Obama administration was going to foot the bill.

"I don't know anyone who ever thought it was a ridiculous idea," Emmett said. "But it's time to quit having press conferences and saying, 'Yeah, we want a coastal barrier,' and get on with designing it and making the hard decisions."

He's right. Merrell gave us a concept that could help protect our region from the monster storm we all know is coming. Now we need someone just as stubborn to make it a reality.At a Mexican restaurant on Navigation in late December, the plates had just been cleared when a 43-year-old airplane technician reached out and shook the hand of the bespectacled man seated to his right, former Houston Superintendent and U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige.

"I want to say, 'Thank you for changing my life,'" the mechanic, Rosendo Ticas, told Paige.

It was something he had wanted to say for more than 15 years.

Ticas, who fled war-torn El Salvador as a boy and is now a married father of three with a college degree and two licenses to repair airplanes, credits some of his good fortune to the fact that he and his brother used to cut Paige's grass.

The superintendent had offered help, if they ever needed it, with college. One day, Ticas' older brother knocked on Paige's door and explained that Rosendo had tried enrolling, but because of his immigration status, he would be charged out-of-state tuition costs that he could not afford.

Ticas came to the United States legally, but an unexplained delay in processing his visa renewal left him without legal status for a time.

Paige quickly phoned then-state Rep. Rick Noriega and the rest is history. Noriega passed HB 1403, known as the Texas Dream Act, and it was signed by then-Gov. Rick Perry in 2001. It extended in-state tuition to students who spent at least three years in a Texas high school and intended to pursue U.S. citizenship.

The pioneering law, which passed the Texas House overwhelmingly, has survived conservative attacks in recent years, and has helped thousands of Texas students pursue their own American dream.

In a way, Ticas was the first dreamer. He had become friends with Noriega, but had never had a chance to thank Paige for his role.

"Thank God I ran into the right person to help me," he said at the lunch a few weeks ago. "I'd still be doing what I was doing before, cutting grass."

Today, he owns a home and a rental property. And he remarks with some humor that he paid more taxes in the past year than he used to earn in a whole year cutting grass.

Ticas' story is a reminder of what a motivated young person will do with a little opportunity.

And it is a reminder of what is at stake in the Congressional battle over protections for nearly 800,000 young immigrants known as Dreamers. Many had legal status under an Obama-era program called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, which President Donald Trump has since rescinded.

Trump has encouraged congressional leaders to come up with a replacement for the program, but negotiations are inching along as Trump insists that any package include border security provisions, including his long-promised wall at the Mexican border.

Ticas empathizes with the dreamers whose lives will be devastated if Congress doesn't reach a deal. And he also sees the damaging effects on the nation he loves if so many young people are prevented from reaching their potential.

"Those students, they're not bad people," he says. "They just want to have the right to have an education."

Impact on students

Congressional members who slam the door on protections are "closing the door to future doctors and engineers, people this country is going to need in the future," he said.

More immediately, they'd be slamming the door on workers we need now, including thousands of teachers with DACA status who would be forced to leave the classroom if they lost legal status.

"You don't just walk out on the street and replace 20,000 teachers, especially during the test periods," said Paige, who recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to encourage Congressional members and staffers on both sides of the aisle to protect DACA recipients.

Paige, who served as education secretary during the George W. Bush administration, has joined a chorus of education advocates, business leaders and even ex-Homeland Security chiefs urging quick action for Dreamers.

Mike Feinberg, co-founder of KIPP public charter schools, helped lead the D.C. delegation Paige joined in late November.

Feinberg said Congressional members the group talked to seemed to understand that something had to be done, and they seemed particularly moved by the consequences of inaction on education. Feinberg estimates that about a million students nationwide have teachers who are DACA recipients and could lose their jobs.

"That's a million families that are getting a letter in the middle of the school year that, by the way, your teacher is no longer employed," Feinberg said.

He says Americans opposing any protections are in the minority, but they tend to be the loudest, even if their arguments don't add up. It makes no sense, he said, to punish young people for the actions of their parents.

"If parents go rob a bank, the kid in the car doesn't get prosecuted," he said.

And there's no data to back up the claim that DACA or a similar program would encourage immigration. But Feinberg says there's plenty of evidence that rescinding protections will harm not just Dreamers but the country, beyond workforce disruptions.

Return on investment

Consider, he says, that taxpayers spend about $100,000 educating all children, including the undocumented, as the Constitution requires, from kindergarten through high school.

"If we're going to spend that much money for each kid, why wouldn't you want them to work, to pay taxes and to contribute to society?" Feinberg said.

At the same time, nothing will pass without compromise. And Feinberg believes DACA supporters will have to support provisions geared at tightening border security.

"From a pragmatic argument," he says, some ask, " 'How do we know we're not going to have the same problem in 10 years with a new generation of kids?' That's a fair point."

The solution has to show there's an effort to stem illegal immigration, a priority most everybody shares.

But another priority we share is our children. We make a promise to each one that if they go to school, and do their best, opportunities will follow. Dreams will come true.

"I always knew if you had an education, it opened the door to opportunity," Ticas said. "If you don't take the opportunity to better yourself, it seems like you're just wasting time."

He's right. And the same thing can be said for leaders in Washington who foolishly impede the opportunity of hundreds of thousands of young people.

Stop wasting time, Congress. Do your jobs. Do what's best for the country. And just watch. Like Ticas, they will return the favor.After twice closing the 20-story downtown criminal courthouse due to flood damage since it was completed in 2000, Harris County leaders are planning to repair the shuttered building so the next time it floods it can be reopened within days - not months - of the water receding.

The retrofitting is a bitter disappointment to some of the building's most frequent users, mostly defense lawyers and prosecutors, who hoped the year-long closing - the second in the building's 17 years of operation - would convince county leaders to build a new courthouse on higher ground nearby.

The towering building, a block from Buffalo Bayou and home to county offices and more than 40 courtrooms, is completely unusable after Hurricane Harvey. It will remain closed for at least the next six to seven months, with some courts and offices not being able to return to operation until as late as July 2019, officials confirmed.

RELATED: Prosecutors, attorneys cut 'Harvey deals' in jail basement as flood-damaged courthouse is repaired

County properties damaged by Harvey: Consultants hired to look at Harris county properties damaged by Hurricane Harvey: Criminal Courthouse at 1201 Franklin - Pierce Goodwin Alexander & Linville, Inc. Jury Assembly Building at 1201 Congress - Page Southerland Page, Inc. The county's downtown tunnel system running between courthouses -Johnston, LLC Peden Building at 600 N. San Jacinto and Wilson Building at 49 San Jacinto - Kirksey Architecture Cypresswood Annex at 6831 Cypresswood Dr, Spring - Huitt-Zollars, Inc. Former Baldwin Boettcher Branch Library at 22248 Aldine Westfield Rd, Humble - Collaborate Arch, LLC Future Baldwin Boettcher Branch Library, location TBD. Parks Administrative Building in Precinct 3 - BRAVE/Architecture Former Texas AM Agrilife Extension Service, 3033 Bear Creek Dr, Houston - RdlR Architects, Inc. Future Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Location TBD - HDR Architecture, Inc. Former Bear Creek Community Center, 3033 Bear Creek Dr./Future Bear Creek Community Center, location TBD - Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. See More Collapse

The delay means criminal court judges will likely spend a year presiding over dockets in the concrete basement of the county jail and almost all Harris County judges, civil and criminal, will stay doubled up in packed courtrooms in three other courthouses. Grand jurors meet in the historic 1910 courthouse, a blocks away.

Four months after the Hurricane Harvey flooded the lower floors, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett said he does not know yet what is in store for the iconic downtown criminal courts facility. Emmett said he waiting for a recommendation from the county engineer, and the county engineer noted that a squad consultants hired by the county are just beginning their analysis.

The decision to spend what could be another $20 million to fix a $100 million building has critics asking whether the county is throwing good money after bad at the long-troubled skyscraper at 1201 Franklin.

"It's time to scrap it and start over," attorney Chris Tritico said in a widely circulated proposal in October. "There were errors in planning, design and execution. Our Commissioners Court should stop spending money on a building that will never work for the purpose it was intended and spend our money on a permanent fix."

Tritico, a former president of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association, has become the unofficial spokesman for people who want a new building, not renovations.

"I've had judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys and members of the public who have told me they are in favor of this," he said. "I don't think the criminal courthouse, as it's constructed, is ever going to big enough for the number of people who use it every day. It's never going to be big enough."

RELATED: Harris County will not rebuild jury building underground

But Tritico and his supporters say the recent water damage that closed the courthouse, is only the latest setback in a structure that has not lived up to all expectations.

For years, massive crowds have swarmed the building every weekday for 9 a.m. docket calls on the courts in upper floors, while the afternoons saw almost no traffic. The backup of defendants and lawyers trying to squeeze into packed elevators - some of which are frequently out of service - meant long lines of people waiting outside. The entrances to the staircases in the first floor lobby - and on each floor - are usually hidden by forbidding doors that many judges, against fire code, hang signs to prohibit the general public from going through.

A dearth of benches in the hallway outside the courtrooms means that on any given weekday, family of crime victims or suspects are forced to sit on the floor as they wait on court proceedings.

Some of the crush of people has been eased in recent years by staggered docket times and days, but the judges have not adopted a universal plan to coordinate those intervals.

"We're not talking about flooding, we're talking about the people every day who are inconvenienced every day," Tritico said.

He said county officials in a recent meeting told him they are unlikely to support construction of a new courthouse, but he is still pushing the issue.

"I intend to keep working toward what I think is the best interest of the people who use that building," he said.

If he can't persuade officials to build something new, he said, Tritico said he will help to make the renovations as effective as possible. After publicly championing a new courthouse, he was invited to join at least two county committees to look at the issue.

No official decisions, he noted, have yet been made about what will happen next.

In fact, four months after Harvey, the court has not entered into any remodeling contracts and have not set a deadline or timetable for the remediation work that may be expected, officials acknowledged.

County officials say they want to fix up the courthouse then dive deep into what criminal justice, and county population, might look like in 20 to 50 years.

"With the population growing so fast, if we build a building today, are they going to see the same inefficiencies in 20 years," asked County Budget Officer Bill Jackson. "When you build these buildings, you don't build for what you need today, you build for what you're going to need in 20 years."

He noted that the internet has fundamentally changed the way we do business in the past 20 years, and the internet will undoubtedly change criminal justice in ways that should be studied before proposing any major construction. He cited Amazon.com as an example of an innovation that fundamentally changed the way Americans shop.

Jackson estimated that a new courthouse would cost at least $140 to $210 million. In 2016, Los Angeles built a 25 courtroom facility for $340 million. A 22-story courthouse in San Diego opened earlier this year with 70 courts and a jury assembly room at a cost of $555 million.

"Half a billion dollar courthouse and I bet they look at in 20 years and say, 'What were we thinking?' simply because of all the electronics and the way the younger people will do business," he said.

On November 14, County Commissioners hired ten architectural and engineering firms to consult on different county projects, mostly property damaged by Hurricane Harvey, as part of a master plan that includes re-opening the criminal courthouse with improvements to it. No estimate of cost has been released, and is likely still be tabulated by the consultant, Pierce Goodwin Alexander & Linville, Inc.

The county spent almost $100 million on constructing the criminal courthouse building which opened in 2000 and flooded in Tropical Storm Allison 17 months later. Those repairs, along with flood prevention measures and a new elevator, cost $19.6 million and took a year.

After meeting with officials and hearing about the damage, Tritico said he expects the new round of repairs will easily cost as much as the 2001 fixes.

The new fixes would likely include moving HVAC equipment from the basement that was damaged when standing floodwaters seeped through walls. There could also be a push to make the building "floodable" with walls that won't mold after being flooded.

BUYOUTS: County to spend $20 million buying out 200 homes flooded by Harvey

"All the damaged stuff has been pulled out," said Harris County Engineer John Blount. "Now (the consultants) are going through and looking at it because the issue is: How are we going to mitigate it so that if a similar flood happened again we could open the courthouse two days later instead of moving out."

County officials have forecast the building will not be fully operational until at least July 2019, but some courts and divisions may be moving back in sooner. There was extensive damage to courtrooms on the upper floors of the building, due to flooding in the basement that shorted out electronic sensors, triggering the pumps that supply the automatic sprinkler system. False readings caused huge amounts of water to be pumped to upper floors, causing fixtures to burst and sprinkers to activate all over the building, county officials confirmed.

"Based on the previous (flooding) process, we would anticipate moving some courts back in, in a phased-in approach, in six to seven months," Blount said. "But the whole thing is going to be over a year."

He emphasized that there is still no consensus on what to do or how long that work will take.

"It could take a year to 18 months," Blount said. "Everyone asks 'How long is it going to take exactly?' and I say, 'Can you tell me exactly what's wrong and exactly how long it will take to fix it?'"

While the county seems to be moving forward on a plan to re-open the criminal courthouse where it stands, there has been a groundswell among the people who use the building that it may be time to build a new courthouse on higher ground across the street. Thoughtful construction, Tritico has argued, could fix the building's longtime ills like overcrowded elevators, inaccessible staircases and no shelter for long lines of people who have to stand outside in the rain or the heat.

After publishing his plan as a Letter to the Editor in the Houston Chronicle and speaking to Commissioners Court, Tritico was asked to join at least two county committees that were looking at the issue.

Longtime prosecutors and defense attorneys, who spoke on condition of anonymity, envision a mid-rise building with a footprint that takes up the entire city block in the 1100 block of Congress where the old family law center and the permanently closed district attorney's building now stand. They long for a building with 8 or 10 courtrooms on five or six floors so the courtrooms they dart between every morning can be connected by escalators, elevators and stairs. In that plan, the damaged criminal courthouse would be renovated into a county office building.

Other ambitious plans include razing the criminal courthouse and the adjoining old jail at 1301 Franklin to capitalize on a double lot. However, that proposed building would sit less than a block from Buffalo Bayou, the downtown waterway that habitually floods. It would also mean the criminal courts would be displaced for years for razing the buildings and constructing something new where they stand.

The courthouse is where it is because of a masterplan that includes a tunnel and bridge over the Bayou from the Harris County Jail, a complex of buildings that can house 10,000 inmates.

The plan, developed beginning in the 1980's, envisioned a courthouse square that would be compact, cheaper to run and easy to navigate. At the center, would sit an open air plaza with a jury assembly center below ground, so prospective jurors could entered from above and be escorted to different courthouses though air-conditioned tunnels.

That vision came true with the completion of the $13 million jury assembly building. Architects apparently planned for floods, but the properties were still knocked out for a year by the historic rain in Allison and now from Harvey. The jury assembly building, which is only six years old, is expected to be a complete loss.

LATEST: City of Houston rules, confusion block FEMA trailers for Harvey victims

Tritico was also appointed to a committee of the county's Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, who will meet quarterly to try to work through systemic problems. The group includes about 20 criminal justice department heads and officeholders like the sheriff, the district attorney and two commissioners.

That committee is expected to weigh in on a different study by the budget office, engineering and technology departments to "recommend the best use and placement of court facilities throughout Harris County in light of Hurricane Harvey."

County officials, including County Judge Ed Emmett and Precinct 3 Commissioner Steve Radack said they are waiting to see the consultants' reports before deciding what should happen next.

Rodney Ellis, Precinct 1 Commissioner, is also on that committee. By e-mail, he said the county should consider all the options in getting the courthouse up and running.

"All options should be on the table to make sure that we run the most equitable and efficient system of justice possible, which requires us to balance access to the courts, logistics, public safety and cost."

He also said he looks forward to the analysis of what the future may hold for criminal justice.

"We have to make sure that all county residents, regardless of where they live, have access to our court system," he said. "I'm awaiting the result of the study before making any decisions."

***

DEVELOPING STORM: Hurricane Harvey was the most destructive storm in Houston's history. The late-August storm dumped up to 60 inches of rain on southeast Texas, but the resulting damage was multiplied by actions taken  and not taken  during the past 50 years. Our seven-part series explains why the storm's damage was both a natural and man-made disaster.

Part 1: Nature ruled, man reacted. Hurricane Harvey was Houston's reckoning

Part 2: Build, flood, rebuild: flood insurance's expensive cycle

Part 3: What's in Houston's worst flood zones? Development worth $13.5 billion

Part 4: Harvey overwhelmed some levee systems. Future storms could do worse.

Part 5: Officials patched and prayed while pressure built on Houston's dams

Part 6: For buyers within 'flood pools,' no warnings from developers, public officials

Part 7: In Harvey's wake, Dutch have much to teach Houston

Click here to read all of our Harvey coverage.

GET ENGAGED:

 Where do we go from here? Seven Houston-area leaders discussed flooding causes and solutions at a Greater Houston After Harvey forum hosted by the Houston Chronicle in early December. Watch Wednesday night's keynote address by Jim Blackburn, co-director of Rice University's Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters (SSPEED) Center. Read his thoughts on living around water.

 Sign up for our Facebook community to share your Harvey story, engage with other community members and ask our reporters questions.

 Join the discussion on Twitter: #HoustonAfterHarvey.

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The Houston Chronicle is dedicated to serving the public interest with fact-based journalism. That mission has never been more important. Show your support for our journalism at HoustonChronicle.com/subscribe.In her early days as a trial lawyer, Lee Rosenthal contemplated what it took to be a great judge.

You had to be thoughtful, efficient, compassionate, creative, practical and independent. But above all, she's often said, a judge had to be fair to all.

Decades later she taught a class for judges at Duke University with biographies of the greats - Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. and Judge Learned Hand. Now presiding in Houston as chief judge over one of the busiest federal dockets in the country, she often recalls the judges who heard her cases in the late 1970s through the early 1990s - the outstanding ones and those who were flat-out awful.

"I saw how much good a good judge could do and how much worse a bad judge could make any case," said Rosenthal, 65. "I guess I'm grateful to both."

She brought her experience as a lawyer and 25 years on the federal bench to a series of high-profile cases last year that drew national attention.

Her rulings backed disenfranchised citizens and triggered bitter rebukes from local civic leaders in a Voting Rights Act challenge that upended the Pasadena city elections and in a suit that led to sweeping revisions of the Harris County bail system.

Among the dizzying blur of 621 civil and criminal cases before her last year was the indictment of former U.S. Rep. Steve Stockman and two aides on charges they lied in campaign filings and helped Stockman solicit $1.2 million under false pretenses.

And perhaps as significantly, Rosenthal has also made a mark in American law beyond her seat at the Rusk Street courthouse. She has lectured and taught about the justice system in five countries, sat by invitation on six circuit courts and risen to national prominence helping shape the rules by which courts will function in an increasingly technological society. She is considered a pioneering voice on how judges should handle troves of electronic evidence in the digital age.

Appointed in 1992 to the lifetime seat by Republican President George H.W. Bush, she has strived to be impartial and non-ideological, following the law and the facts where they lead, colleagues said.

Lawyers consistently rate her among the top jurists in the Houston Bar Association's annual poll, which grades judges on courtesy, timeliness, impartiality, decisiveness and knowledge of the law. That assessment carries over to appellate court, where official data shows her rulings are reversed at a significantly lower rate than other trial judges.

One high court jurist, Senior Judge Carolyn Dineen King of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, describes Rosenthal's rulings as "first rate" and "put together like a Swiss watch."

"There's no fat on them and there's also not likely to be any mistakes," she said.

Rosenthal declined Chronicle requests for an interview, but confirmed certain information by email. Details of her legal career and early life emerged in interviews with dozens of judges, former clerks, lawyers, academics, friends and family. Peers in the sprawling Southern District of Texas hit on similar themes, calling her rational, patient and impeccably prepared, with exceptional integrity, extraordinary intellect and boundless energy.

Even her harshest critics do not fault her dedication.

C. Robert Heath, the lawyer for Pasadena in the voting rights case, said the judge was attentive, clear and fair, even though he believes she was wrong in ruling against his client.

"People disagree on the law," he said. "She's a good judge."

Attorney John O'Neill, who defended 15 trial court judges in the bail lawsuit, said she is "a very bright and deeply involved jurist."

But that's where the praise stops.

"I also believe that her opinion in the Houston bail case is the most tragic of my 45-year legal career, causing unnecessary carnage in the entire criminal justice system of Harris County, including chaos and a massive increase in both non-appearance rates and crime," O'Neill said, adding that her 193-page ruling was "exhaustive but deeply at war with both the text of the Constitution and many years of Supreme Court precedent."

William Hyman

Becoming a judge

The eldest of three children, Lee Hyman was born in Indiana and grew up moving from one college town to the next as her father pursued jobs in academia. Her mother Ferne was a librarian. Holiday and birthday presents were usually books.

The judge's sister, Ann Root, said Lee was a very studious child, reading storybooks to her younger siblings and spending car trips glued to a book.

"Lee loved her books," Root said. "Often she would be sitting in the middle of all the chaos, I'd be playing with my brother and she would have her nose in a book."

At the dinner table, the family discussed literature and world news. Fairness and kindness were essential.

Rosenthal's father had been a Marine sergeant in Hawaii during World War II and was close enough to see pilots' faces as they dropped bombs on Pearl Harbor. Harold Hyman became a historian, specializing in the Civil War and Reconstruction. He told his children the scariest moment of his life was as a demonstrator crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma with Martin Luther King Jr. because he couldn't tell who his enemies were, Root said.

A job offer at Rice University brought the family to Houston for Lee's senior year at Bellaire High School. Her mother took a position at Rice as research librarian, where she worked for 35 years.

A year after moving to Houston, the Hymans left for a Fulbright stint in Japan and Lee, who graduated at 16, set off for the University of Chicago. She earned her bachelor's in philosophy and a law degree at the university.

She landed a coveted spot after graduation as a clerk for Chief Judge John R. Brown on the Fifth Circuit, who was known for trailblazing rulings during the civil rights era. Brown's willingness to risk vilification or harm in order to do what he believed was right resonated deeply with her. She has said she learned it was vital to be correct on the law and at the same time sensitive to the practical impact of a ruling.

Bill Barnett, a partner at Baker Botts where she landed next, recalled being surprised at the caliber of her work for someone right out of law school. Her analysis and writing were sharp and she was well-prepared, he said.

She tried civil cases and did appellate work for corporate clients in state and federal court. She made partner in 1985 and put her name in for judge in 1991.

By the time she took her oath as a federal judge, she and her husband, Gary Rosenthal, also a lawyer who is now a partner for a private equity firm, had four young daughters. The eldest now lives in Brookwood, a community for adults with functional disabilities that has been a hub for volunteerism among her extended family. The judge's next child served two tours in Afghanistan as an Army intelligence officer with the 82nd Airborne and now attends medical school. As for her twin daughters, one is in Denver working for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, known as AIPAC, and the other is in Boston working on a graduate degree in art history.

From Enron to murder-for-hire

In 25 years of donning a black robe, Rosenthal has heard a broad range of criminal and civil matters of varying complexity and backed out of a few along the way. She was assigned 45 cases involving claims against Enron, but recused herself in 2002 because she had once owned stock in the company. She presided over the murder-for-hire trial of Robert Angleton, a River Oaks bookie acquitted in his wife's slaying.

In 2006, she ruled against the City of Houston and Harris County in an Americans With Disabilities Act lawsuit, ordering them to install sidewalk ramps at 34 intersections in Montrose that had been repaved in a transit project.

Rosenthal also presided over one of the most notorious human smuggling cases in U.S. history.

The case was transferred to Rosenthal from another court. After a trial a circuit court overturned her sentence, and Rosenthal re-sentenced Tyrone Williams, the truck driver involved a smuggling attempt that resulted in the deaths of 19 immigrants. He got 34 years in prison.

And in one of her most cited opinions, Rimkus v. Cammarata, Rosenthal laid a framework for courts to deal with spoliation - the destruction of evidence - in the digital era. She ruled that a person shouldn't be sanctioned for negligently losing data, saying that lawyers had to prove that data were lost or destroyed in bad faith.

In the Harris County bail case, her ruling resulted from a class action by indigent defendants who were held for days on minor charges, including a young mother who couldn't post $2,500 after an arrest for driving with a suspended license. The case created a rift among county officials, with one judge, the sheriff, the district attorney and a county commissioner publicly siding with the indigent defendants.

But the majority on Commissioners Court opposed the suit and spent more than $5 million fighting it. Their lawyers argued the county had reformed its bail protocol and the judges should maintain discretion to set bail rates.

Rosenthal reviewed videos of thousands of bail hearings, and ultimately concluded that the "wealth-based" system discriminated against poor defendants. Harris County's appeal to the 5th Circuit is pending.

In the voting rights case, Rosenthal ruled that Pasadena discriminated against Latinos when it changed the way it elected city council members. After reviewing reams of election data, she found that Latino voters, many of whom lived on the poorly maintained north side of town, did not have an equal chance to elect officials who would represent their needs.

Yi-Chin Lee/Staff

Looking at all sides

As chief judge, Rosenthal is the chief administrative officer of the court, overseeing its operations, the office of the Clerk of Court and serving as the judiciary's liaison to local, state an federal agencies.

Her fellow jurists have high praise.

"She's the judge we all aspire to be and the judge all lawyers aspire to appear in front of," said U.S. District Judge Gray H. Miller, a colleague in Houston.

Another Rusk Street denizen, Magistrate Judge Mary Milloy, noted her voracious appetite for reading and "ardent passion for the law."

"She's like the queen of the nerds when it comes to rules and procedure," she said.

U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison, who appeared before her as a lawyer, noted her fairness.

"You know when you're in Lee's court your client will get an absolutely level playing field - nobody starts with an advantage or a disadvantage," he said.

Beyond the courtroom, Rosenthal has taken on leadership roles in academia and at the prestigious American Law Institute, where she helped draft a model penal code on sexual assault. She was tapped by two chief justices of the Supreme Court, William Rehnquist and John Roberts, to chair advisory committees that craft and revise rules to help federal courts function fairly and efficiently.

"Lee's years in these committees had a permanent mark on how the federal courts around the United States operate," said David G. Campbell, a district court judge in Arizona who served with her on a civil rules committee.

She has demonstrated some of her most stellar work in this capacity, others said.

Attorney David Beck, who served with her on the standing committee overseeing all the federal court rules committees, recalled watching her mind at work during one distilled moment that showed the judge she's come to be.

About 30 of the greatest legal minds Beck ever worked with--judges, lawyers, academics--were having a very heated debate on a rule of civil procedure.

Rosenthal sat back and took it in. She chimed in once or twice to say something.

Then she sensed it was time for a resolution.

"In a very articulate way she laid out the pros and cons articulated by both sides," he said. "And then she said it seems ... that the reasonable position was X. She just laid it out, and that was what we did. There was no further debate."

Gabrielle Banks cover the federal justice beat for the Houston Chronicle. Follow her on Twitter and send her news tips at gabrielle.banks@chron.com.The Barney Fife of voter fraud just lost his federal badge.

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach can claim only nine convictions for voter fraud out of a pool of 1.6 million voters in his state, but he's still preaching that it's a huge problem. Now he's lost his chance to prove himself wrong on the federal level, too. President Trump last week disbanded the "Election Integrity Commission" whose driving force was Kobach.

Good riddance to a bogus body that might as well have been called the Impossible Missions Force, because it was tasked with studying a phenomenon that's almost non-existent. Nonetheless, the nation still needs a serious committee studying genuine problems with our election systems.

The president created this sham commission after a nonsensical Twitter rant claiming that millions of illegal voters cast ballots against him. That's despite the fact that not a single state election official, Republican or Democrat, reported any evidence of widespread illegal voting in 2016. Meanwhile, academic studies and government investigations, many of them conducted under GOP leaders, have repeatedly concluded that illegally cast votes in the 21st century are extremely rare.

Just as Kobach is the Barney Fife of voter fraud, this commission was the gang that couldn't shoot straight. It alarmed and offended election officials from both parties with broad requests for detailed data on individual voters. It was sued by critics claiming it violated the Constitution. It was even sued by one of its own members, a Democratic secretary of state who complained he couldn't get his hands on requested documents and called the commission's claims of bipartisanship a "facade."

When Trump finally pulled the plug on the commission, he recklessly claimed state election officials "refused to hand over data from the 2016 Election  because they know that many people are voting illegally." Trump's bombastic assertions are routinely divorced from reality, but casting false aspersions that sow distrust in America's election system - a system that put him in power, by the way - is especially corrosive.

Although Trump's spurious voter fraud commission has been disbanded, election security is still a crucial issue that deserves sober scrutiny.

The National Security Agency discovered that Russian hackers spent months trying to break into voter databases in at least 39 states and tried to take over computers run by more than 100 local election officials. Meanwhile, many local election systems are run on outdated software systems like Windows XP that are no longer supported by Microsoft.

Now that the president's abortive commission is dead, Congress should pick up the baton and launch a serious investigation into legitimate problems facing the nation's voting systems.The newly ended year provided more evidence that we are changing our planet in dangerous ways. In September, top U.S. scientists confirmed that human activities, such as burning coal, oil and gas, are responsible for the global warming we are experiencing. The United States was 2.6 degrees warmer than normal in 2017. Supercharged by the warming climate, western wildfires destroyed communities and millions of acres of forest, while Hurricane Harvey devastated the Texas coast.

Though the president announced the United States would withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, much of America said, "Not so fast." In many cities and states, the political climate shifted as state and local governments stepped up action. Fifteen governors and 2,500 leaders of cities, counties, corporations and universities - representing more than half of the U.S. economy and population - committed to the Paris Climate Agreement.

In the Northeast, five Republican and four Democratic governors finalized new rules to strengthen the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, making polluters pay and expanding the use of clean energy. California re-authorized its landmark climate protection law, and with bipartisan support. While it was the poor economics of coal and not climate leadership that led to their decision, in another win for the climate, Texas' largest electric generator Luminant announced plans to shut down three of the state's dirtiest coal burning power plants early this year.

RELATED: We need federal leaders who take climate change seriously

Cities and counties took concrete action as well. Mayor Sylvester Turner, co-chair of a group of mayors backing the Paris Agreement, proclaimed that "as the energy capital of the world, it's our responsibility to find sustainable ways to power the future. By investing in green power, improving building efficiency, and revitalizing our green spaces, Houston is proof that large industrial cities can act on climate and maintain a robust, growing economy."

Houston acted on these words earlier this year when the City Council expanded investment in a west Texas solar farm helping power the municipal government. Montgomery County, Md., a D.C. suburb, passed one of the most aggressive pollution reduction targets in the country, and more than 50 cities - including Atlanta, Salt Lake City and St. Louis - have committed to generating 100 percent of their energy from clean sources by 2050. This month, the Austin City Council approved buying electricity from a new solar farm in a deal that may be the cheapest of its kind in the United States. Twelve cities, including Los Angeles, London and Paris, committed to buy only electric buses as of 2025.

RELATED: A warmer planet threatens wetter storms, higher surges and more Harveys

Corporations and universities implemented bold plans in 2017. Google now powers its entire operation with 100 percent renewable energy, and more than 100 corporations have committed to the same goal. Cornell University, Boston University and Colorado State all committed to transitioning entirely to clean energy, joining Southwestern and the University of North Texas, which are already at 100 percent. Soon after 62 percent of its shareholders voted in May for a resolution calling for greater disclosure of the risks of climate change, Exxon announced plans to reduce emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from its oil and gas operations. Seven other oil companies have since joined Exxon in this pledge.

The Trump administration is doing its best to pour gasoline on the fires of climate change by reversing prior administrations' actions. But state, local and corporate initiatives to slow climate change are showing the world that the United States wants to be part of the solution. We've got our work cut out for us, because we don't have the luxury of time.

RELATED: Rural Texas farmers and ranchers need to speak out about climate change

Here in Texas, we've got opportunities this year to do our part. Houston can choose electric when it buys new garbage trucks and buses with help from a new state fund established in a settlement with Volkswagen over its diesel emissions scandal. The University of Texas at Austin, this state's flagship university, should follow Exxon's lead and reduce its climate impact by cutting dangerous methane emissions from oil and gas operations on its West Texas lands. And, as we rebuild post-Harvey, we can work to make our communities more resilient by building with green infrastructure.

Despite the progress we've made, the United States still needs to step up the pace on climate action. As citizens, we need to thank the leaders who have already acted, and call on all those who haven't, in every city and every state, to get a move on.

Metzger is the executive director of Environment Texas, a statewide advocate for clean air, clean water and open spaces. www.EnvironmentTexas.orgIt should not come as a surprise. We certainly have had enough hints that U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions was planning on repealing the Obama administration's 2013 hands-off policy - known as the Cole memo - regarding enforcement of federal marijuana laws in states where recreational use is legal. To date, that includes eight states and the District of Columbia. The most recent convert is California, which legalized recreational marijuana use on Jan. 1.

Here is the bottom line. The criminal justice response to drug use has failed. And Sessions' repeal of the Cole memo is simply another page from that tired old playbook that has no basis in fact.

Sessions has a long history of concerns about marijuana. As attorney general of Alabama in 1996, he supported a mandatory death penalty bill for a second conviction for marijuana trafficking (including marijuana dealing). He has since made no secret that he "is dubious about marijuana," that "good people don't smoke marijuana," and that "it is a very real danger."

RELATED: Plain talk about marijuana

ALSO: The nation's top lawman has it wrong on the war on drugs

Scientific evidence does not appear to be a high priority for Sessions or the Trump administration. That is obvious from their approach to the opioid crisis, from President Donald Trump saying just don't start using and you won't have a problem, to Sessions saying we need to "create a culture that is hostile to drug abuse."

So we either Just Say No or we ramp up the war on drugs. How well have those approaches worked in the past? Not well.

Prior to the announcement about repeal of the Cole memo, the key drug policy initiative has been to require U.S. Attorneys to charge the most serious offense in federal drug cases, with the goal being the maximization of punishment. It is obvious that the only response that the Trump administration has to drug use is punishment. It seems they have not seen the memo that reports that the recidivism rate of drug offenders is 77 percent.

RELATED: Marijuana majority

I want to be clear. I am not a marijuana advocate. I don't really have an opinion about whether someone should use marijuana recreationally, just as I don't have a position on recreational use of alcohol. I would add, however, that there are potential harms associated with any substance use, harms that include abuse, dependence and addiction, and a variety of behavioral and physical health implications.

One issue opponents to marijuana legalization, including Sessions, claim is that marijuana is a gateway drug, meaning it leads to the use of harder drugs such as crack or heroin. The evidence they cite is that among users of harder drugs, the majority used marijuana at some point. What they fail to appreciate is that for the gateway argument to hold, the majority of marijuana users must use harder drugs. But that is not at all the case, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a branch of the National Institutes of Health.

RELATED: Medical-based cannabis merits another hearing

In 2015, there were 1.6 million people arrested on drug charges, and nearly half of those were for possession of marijuana. The war on drugs is alive and well despite the fact that the vast majority of experts and most Americans have concluded it is a dismal failure. In fact, a recent poll from the Pew Research Center indicates that nearly three-quarters believe that the government should provide treatment for people who have drug problems rather than prosecuting people for drug use. Moreover, between 55 percent and 65 percent believe marijuana should be legalized.

Of course, Sessions does have an explanation for why public opinion supports a different course of action for the drug problem - "I do believe  that the public is not properly educated on some of the issues related to marijuana."

RELATED: Prescription painkillers can prove deadly, but alternatives remain illegal in Texas

Simply put, the criminal justice response does not work. Legalization takes the cartels out of the marijuana business (a good thing), provides revenue to states (a good thing) and keeps hundreds of thousands of individuals out of the criminal justice system (a good thing).

If we are concerned about the fact that people use marijuana or that some users will eventually abuse it and thus develop substance use disorders, federal enforcement will help neither of these concerns. Drug abuse is a medical disorder that requires a public health response. Sessions ought to keep that in mind.

Kelly is a professor of sociology at the University of Texas at Austin. His most recent book on criminal justice reform is "From Retribution to Public Safety: Disruptive Innovation of American Criminal Justice" (2017).As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content.

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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.Chairman John Duval said he had concerns about what he saw at the former paper mill but declined to be specific while the town is in legal negotiations with the owners.

Adams Officials Tour Curtis Paper Mill



The mill is behind on taxes and the town's fielded complaints about materials left on the site.

ADAMS, Mass.  The town is currently in legal negotiation with the owners of the former Curtis Paper Mill.

At Wednesday night's Selectmen meeting, Chairman John Duval said he along with the health and building inspectors toured the Howland Avenue mill that the town is currently going through the process of taking for unpaid taxes.

"I don't want to get into too much of this because it's a legal matter, but we went through the whole building  there are negotiations going on in regards to the site but no decision has been made," Duval said. "I have concerns with what I saw that the Dellaghelfas are aware of and further discussion will happen with legal counsel form both sides."

The town officially began the process of taking the property last year and pulled MJD Real Estate's operating permits. Owners Norman Dellaghelfa Jr. and Roberta Dellaghelfa, who used the facility for their trucking business, owe the town more than $450,000 in unpaid real estate and personal property taxes.

Earlier that day, the Board of Health held a meeting during which members voted to close the issue per Health Inspector Thomas Romaniak's recommendation.

"Although the flag was raised and brought to us, what part of this currently falls under our jurisdiction?" board member Bruce Shepley asked. "There is nothing we can really do today, and I have no problem placing this on the back burner and if something comes up we can always start over."

The Board of Health was brought into the process after residents complained of debris and dumpsters on the premises.

Romaniak said much of this has been cleaned up.

"A lot of the outside has been cleaned up and most of the cars are gone," he said. "There are still a few things but a lot of the stuff that was there is gone."

Romaniak added that he still had major concerns about the interior of the building but at this point in time there is little that board has the power to do.

"We went through the building and it is a mess," he said. "It is going to take a lot to get it back up and I think we will need federal or state money."

Romaniak said it will likely be some time before the town can take the property and the town is working to secure the premises.

He agreed that there still appeared to be some sort of activity on the property, however, this does not fall under the board's authority.

"I don't have answers to those questions and I do not completely know the situation," he said. "But that falls under zoning."Imperial Valley News Center

USS Wasp joins 7th Fleet

Pacific Ocean - Wasp departed Norfolk August 30 to replace USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) in Sasebo, Japan as the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship in region.

While still in the initial phase of its transit, the ship diverted to the Caribbean on Sept. 4 to assist the U.S. Virgin Islands and Dominica in the wake of Hurricane Irma and then provided assistance to Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria, a Category 5 storm regarded as the worst natural disaster in the history of the American commonwealth island.



In support of relief efforts, Wasp aircraft flew 108 missions on the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico totaling 385 hours of flight time moving 1,129 total passengers along with 26,720 pounds of equipment and 1,718,200 pounds of various logistical support items, including 328,100 pounds of food and water.



nce detached from relief efforts in late October, Wasp resumed her transit to 7th Fleet, briefly stopping in Rio de Janeiro and then transiting the Strait of Magellan as it crossed from the Atlantic Ocean into the Pacific Ocean. Wasp made a port visit to Joint Naval Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii in time for her crew to bring in the New Year ashore. She departed Jan. 2 to continue the journey toward Sasebo.



During the transit to Japan, Wasp crew have engaged in a near-constant cycle of training to help ensure readiness for the wide-spanning missions of 7th Fleet. The crew has actively completed drills in damage control, combat systems, aviation, and casualty response. This training has been interspersed with professional and personal development such as suicide prevention, cultural appreciation and career management.



Seventh Fleet, which celebrates its 75th year in 2018, spans more than 124 million square kilometers, stretching from the International Date Line to the India/Pakistan border; and from the Kuril Islands in the North to the Antarctic in the South. Seventh Fleet's area of operation encompasses 36 maritime countries and 50% of the world's population with between 5070 U.S. ships and submarines, 140 aircraft, and approximately 20,000 Sailors in the 7th Fleet.Downed C-2A Greyhound located in Philippine Sea

Yokosuka, Japan - U.S. Navy's Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV) deployed the team to Japan in December to embark a contracted salvage vessel and proceed to the crash site at sea. Once on station, highly skilled operators searched for the aircraft's emergency relocation pinger with a U.S. Navy-owned towed pinger locator (TPL-25) system.

The TPL uses passive sensors to "listen" for the pinger's frequency.



Initially delayed by poor weather conditions, the team deployed the TPL to optimal search depths of 3,000 feet above the ocean floor December 29. After marking the aircraft's location, the search team returned to port.



The C-2A rests at a depth of about 18,500 feet, making the salvage phase of this operation the deepest recovery attempt of an aircraft to date. In the coming weeks, the team will return to the site with a side-scan-sonar (SSS) and remote operated vehicle (ROV) to map the debris field and attach heavy lines for lifting the aircraft to the surface. Despite very challenging conditions, every effort will be made to recover the aircraft and our fallen Sailors.



Assigned to Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC 30) forward deployed to Japan, the C-2A aircraft was carrying 11 crew and passengers when it crashed. Eight personnel were recovered immediately by U.S. Navy Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC 12). For the next three days, Ronald Reagan led combined search and rescue for three Sailors with the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF), covering nearly 1,000 square nautical miles before ending the search.Navy's Human Resources Community Recognizes Junior Officers of the Year

Washington, DC - The Chief of Naval Personnel recognized the 2017 active duty and Selected Reserve Human Resources (HR) community junior officers of the year, Friday.

Lt. Cmdr. Scott Bennie is the active duty recipient and Lt. Cmdr. Carl Pearson is the Selected Reserve recipient for the 2017 award.



The award, established in 2010, recognizes a Human Resources community junior officer each year for their significant contributions to the Navy. In 2016, the opportunity for selecting Selected Reserve was made an option for the awards selection board. 2017 is the first year for both categories being awarded.



Bennie, Deputy Director of Officer Accessions and Transformation Officer, Commander, Navy Recruiting Command (CNRC) managed all officer accession programs, both active and Reserve, that led to the most successful officer accession recruiting within the last 10 years. Bennie created an Information Technology system to track transformation efforts that helped save CNRC $1 million in IT infrastructure and startup costs, which also provided production, efficiency and attrition analytics to the Chief of Naval Personnel. His efforts are synched to the Manpower, Personnel, Training and Education lines of effort of manning the Fleet, transformation, and Sailor 2025.



Pearson, Manpower and Personnel Strength Management Officer-in-Charge (OIC), Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) led manpower and staffing initiatives for new and existing mission requirements helping CJTF-HOA's timely response in Somalia. Pearson helped source more than 400 Joint headquarters requirements maintaining a 95 percent fill rate and served as the OIC for the joint reception center, working with the Special Purpose Marine-Air-Ground Task Force. As the Deputy for Personnel Directorate, Pearson led efforts with U.S. Army Africa to de-conflict and expedite leave, and Rest and Recuperation programs.



Rear Adm. Ann Burkhardt, Director, Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, is the Navy's senior HR Officer said this is a significant accomplishment for Bennie and Pearson.



"Bennie and Pearson have demonstrated all the qualities of an outstanding HR officer," said Burkhardt. "Their critical thinking and initiative have resulted in unrivaled contributions that will shape Navy and Joint Human Resources processes for years to come."



The HR community was created in 2001 to recruit, process, and assess Sailors into the Navy. HR officers serve in key positions throughout the Navy and help to improve personnel management and training systems to more effectively recruit, develop, manage, reward, and retain the force of tomorrow.Disney has been accused of browning up dozens of white actors for various Asian roles in their upcoming live-action adaptation of Aladdin.

The Sunday Times published a report claiming the company resorted to darkening white people for roles requiring skills not readily available in the Asian community, listing stuntmen, dancers, and camel handlers as examples.

The movie  directed by Guy Ritchie and based on the Disney animation of the same name  is being filmed at Longcross Studios, Surrey, a 50-minute drive from London where 1.1 million people of Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Arab heritage live.

Responding to the report, Disney said: This is the most diverse cast ever assembled for a Disney live action production. More than 400 of the 500 background performers were Indian, Middle Eastern, African, Mediterranean and Asian.

However, some have accused the company of not doing enough. Kaushal Odedra, who worked as a stand-in for a leading actor, told the publication he saw 20 very fair-skinned actors waiting to have their skin tone changed.

On one set, two palace guards came in and I recognised one as a Caucasian actor, but he was now a darkly tanned Arab, he claimed. I moved inside the marquee where there were 10 extras and two were Caucasian, but they had been heavily tanned to look Middle Eastern.

Bafta-nominated TV director Riaz Meer branded the alleged practice an insult to the whole industry, adding: The talent exists and is accessible and theres no way that Asian extras could not have been hired to meet the needs of the film.

Failing to hire on-screen talent of the right ethnic identity to meet the clear needs of this production is just plain wrong. We expect better from all filmmakers.

Hollywood whitewashing controversies Show all 11 1 /11 Hollywood whitewashing controversies Hollywood whitewashing controversies Scarlett Johansson cast as Motoko Kusanagi in Ghost in the Shell Blonde, white US actress Scarlett Johansson was announced to be playing the clearly Japanese character Motoko Kusanagi in Hollywood's Ghost in the Shell remake, much to the dismay of Asian film fans Hollywood whitewashing controversies Tilda Swinton cast as The Ancient One in Doctor Strange Marvel sparked outrage when Anglo-Scottish actress Tilda Swinton was cast as Tibetan mystic The Ancient One alongside Benedict Cumberbatch in Doctor Strange Hollywood whitewashing controversies Zoe Saldana was criticised for 'blacking up' to play the considerably darker-skinned soul singer Nina Simone in Nina AP Hollywood whitewashing controversies Jake Gyllenhaal stars in Prince of Persia The half Jewish, quarter Swedish actor was cast to play a Middle Eastern Prince in Disney's 2010 film Hollywood whitewashing controversies Rooney Mara as Tiger Lily in forthcoming film Pan Mara was been cast in the role of American Indian Tiger Lily, sparking an online protest from angry film fans Warner Bros Hollywood whitewashing controversies Christian Bale plays Moses in Ridley Scott's Exodus: Gods and Kings Ridley Scott claimed he would never cast 'Mohammed so-and-so from such-and-such a country' in a lead role in his Biblical epic, and went on to cast an entirely white cast instead Hollywood whitewashing controversies Jim Caveziel plays Jesus in Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ Catholic star Mel Gibson chose to cast a Caucasian American actor in the role of Jesus for his controversial film AP Hollywood whitewashing controversies Micky Rooney plays a Japanese neighbour in Breakfast at Tiffany's Who better to play Holly Golightly's Japanese neighbour IY Yunoishi than American actor Mick Rooney. At least Hollywood has come some way since 1961 YouTube Hollywood whitewashing controversies Ben Affleck as Tony Mendez in Argo Ben Affleck became the subject of a few editorials in Latin American newspapers for casting himself (an American with English, Irish, Scottish and Swiss ancestry) as a Mexican CIA operative Hollywood whitewashing controversies Jennifer Connelly plays Alicia Nash in A Beautiful Mind Alicia Lopez-Harrison de Larde was a naturalised US citizen from El Salvador, but was played by an actress of Jewish, Irish and Norwegian descent YouTube Hollywood whitewashing controversies Chinese actresses cast in Memoirs of a Geisha What better way to alienate Japanese cinemagoers than to cast three Chinese actresses in the lead roles in a film about Japanese culture REUTERS

Ritchie has declined to comment on the situation. The Independent has contacted Disney for further comment.

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Disney previously came under fire for creating a whole new role for a white actor in Aladdin. Billy Magnussen has been cast as a character called Prince Anders who did not appear in the original animated movie.

Egyptian-Canadian actor Mena Massoud  best known for roles in Jack Ryan and Open Heart  will play the movies titular character, while Naomi Scott will portray Princess Jasmine. Will Smith has been cast as the Genie, with Marwan Kenzari playing Jafar.

Aladdin reaches cinemas 24 May 2019.Though Donald Trump may have woken up on the wrong side of bed Saturday morning  leading to some already infamous Tweets about being a very stable genius  the President apparently fell asleep Friday night contented.

Thats because Trump had apparently just watched The Greatest Showman, the Hugh Jackman-starring musical about circus promoter P.T. Barnum, with lawmakers at Camp David.

According to Reuters, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly told reporters the President had not gone to bed angry as had spent the evening watching the film.

Other reporters have since added that, while Trump initially thought he would suffer through it, he actually thought the movie was fantastic.

Recently, it as reported the White House had requested copies of The Post, the Steven Spielberg-directed Oscar contender about The Washington Post publishing The Pentagon Papers.

The request has come as a surprise to many as the film features an anti-Fake News narrative and stars two of Hollywoods most vocal Trump critics: Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks.

Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Show all 30 1 /30 Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Threatening to shut down Twitter after being fact-checked After the president tweeted that voting by post would be "substantially fraudulent", Twitter attached a warning label to his tweet and referred readers to a site which explained how the claim was "unsubstantiated". Trump then said Twitter was "stifling free speech" and that he may have to shut it down, something which he would not have the power to do AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Flippantly dismissing a serious allegation of sexual assault When author E Jean Carroll accused Trump of raping her, the president responded: Number one, shes not my type. Number two, it never happened. It never happened, OK?" AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Insulting the Mayor of London as he landed in London Just before touching down at Stansted Airport for his state visit, Trump took time out to @ the London mayor Sadiq Khan on twitter. He said that Khan has done a "terrible job"as mayor and that he is a "stone cold loser" Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Taking plenty of "Executive Time" The president's official schedule sets aside the hours from 8 to 11am daily for "Executive Time". Further intermittent periods of "Executive Time" are scheduled throughout any given day, ranging from 15 minutes to 3 hours. His duties in these hours have not been officially disclosed, though Axios reports that he spends them watching TV, reading the newspapers and tweeting Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Shutdown the government for over a month in an effort to secure funding for his wall With Mexico declining to pay for the wall, the president has faced difficulty in raising the required $5bn at home. Due to his demand that the money for the wall be included in the budget, and Congress's refusal, the government partially shut down on 22 December 2018. It remained shut for over a month, the longest period in history Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Joking about the Nazi occupation of France to President Macron In this tweet from 13 November 2018, the president mocks Emmanuel Macron's suggestion of a "true, European army" by invoking the conflict between France and Germany in the world wars Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Railing against the Mueller investigation The president has repeatedly claimed that the Mueller investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, is a "rigged witch hunt" Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Contradicting a US intelligence report on Russian meddling in the presence of Vladimir Putin In the press conference that followed his landmark meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin, Trump stated that he saw no reason why Russia would have meddled in the 2016 US election. This contradicted a 2017 report by the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence that found evidence of Russian interference in favour of Trump Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Contradicting his contradiction of a US intelligence report on Russian meddling Following furious backlash in the US, the president claimed that he meant to say that he saw no reason why it would not have been Russia who meddled in the 2016 US election. As to why he would have intended to use such bizarre phrasing, he did not comment Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Colouring in the US flag wrong The president coloured in the US flag wrongly during a visit to a children's hospital in Columbus, Ohio. He added a blue stripe where in tradition, and statute, there have been only white and red stripes AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Firing a Secretary of State over Twitter The president announced on Twitter that he was appointing Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State, much to the surprise of then Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Quoting a catchphrase from a reality TV show when discussing police brutality While addressing the issue of black athletes not standing for the national anthem in protest of police brutality, the president made reference to his catchphrase from reality TV show "The Apprentice": you're fired! Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Calling African nations "S***hole Countries" Ever one for diplomacy, the president reportedly referred to African nations as "s***hole countries". Asked to confirm this when meeting with Nigeria's President Buhari, Trump stated that there are "some countries that are in very bad shape". Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Defending Russian President Vladimir Putin Trump appeared to equate US foreign actions to those of Russian president Vladimir Putin, saying: There are a lot of killers. You think our countrys so innocent? Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Asking for people to 'pray' for Arnold Schwarzenegger At the National Prayer Breakfast, Trump couldnt help but to ask for prayers for the ratings on Arnold Schwarzeneggers show to be good. Schwarzenegger took over as host of The Apprentice  which buoyed Trumps celebrity status years ago Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Hanging up on Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull Early in his presidency, Trump reportedly hung up the phone on Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull after the foreign leader angered him over refugee plans. Mr Trump later said that it was the worst call he had had so far Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... The 'Muslim ban' Perhaps one of his most controversial policies while acting as president, Trumps travel ban targeting predominantly Muslim countries has bought him a lot of criticism. The bans were immediately protested, and judges initially blocked their implementation. The Supreme Court later sided with the administrations argument that the ban was developed out of concern for US security Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Praising crowd size while touring Hurricane Harvey damage After Hurricane Harvey ravaged southeastern Texas, Trump paid the area a visit. While his response to the disaster in Houston was generally applauded, the president picked up some flack when he gave a speech outside Houston (he reportedly did not visit disaster zones), and praised the size of the crowds there AP Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... 'Little Rocket Man' During his first-ever speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Trump tried out a new nickname for North Korea leader Kim Jong-un: Rocket Man. He later tweaked it to be little Rocket Man as the two feuded, and threatened each other with nuclear war. During that speech, he also threatened to totally annihilate North Korea Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Attacking Sadiq Khan following London Bridge terror attack After the attack on the London Bridge, Trump lashed out at London Mayor Sadiq Khan, criticising Khan for saying there was no reason to be alarmed after the attack. Trump was taking the comments out of context, as Khan was simply saying that the police had everything under control Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming presenter Mika Brezinkski was 'bleeding from the face' Never one not to mock his enemies, Trump mocked MSNBCs Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski, saying that she and co-host Joe Scarborough had approached him before his inauguration asking to join him. He noted that she was bleeding badly from a face-lift at the time, and that he said no MSNBC Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming the blame for Charlottesville was on 'both sides' Trump refused to condemn far-right extremists involved in violence at 'the march for the right' protests in Charlottesville, even after the murder of counter protester Heather Heyer AP Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Retweeting cartoon of CNN being hit by a 'Trump train' Trump retweeted a cartoon showing a Trump-branded train running over a person whose body and head were replaced by a CNN avatar. He later deleted the retweet Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Tweeting about 'slamming' CNN Trump caught some flack when he tweeted a video showing him wrestling down an individual whose head had been replaced by a CNN avatar. Trump has singled CNN out in particular with his chants of fake news Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Firing head of the FBI, James Comey Trumps firing of former FBI Director James Comey landed him with a federal investigation into Russias meddling in the 2016 election that has caused many a headache for the White House. The White House initially said that the decision was made after consultation from the Justice Department. Then Mr Trump himself said that he had decided to fire him in part because he wanted the Russia investigation Mr Comey was conducting to stop Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Not realising being president would be 'hard' Just three months into his presidency, Trump admitted that being president is harder than he thought it would be. Though Trump insisted on the 2016 campaign trail that doing the job would be easy for him, he admitted in an interview that living in the White House is harder than running a business empire Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Accusing Obama of wiretapping him Trump accused former president Barack Obama of wire tapping him on twitter. The Justice Department later clarified: Obama had not, in fact, done so Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming there had been 3 million 'illegal votes' Trump was never very happy about losing the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by 2.8 million ballots. So, he and White House voter-fraud commissioner Kris Kobach have claimed that anywhere between three and five million people voted illegally during the 2016 election. Conveniently, he says that all of those illegal votes went to Clinton. (There is no evidence to support that level of widespread voter fraud.) Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Leaving Jews out of the Holocaust memorial statement Just days after taking office, Trumps White House issued a statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, but didnt mention jews or even the word jewish in the written statement Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Anger over Inauguration crowd size Trumps inauguration crowd was visibly, and noticeably, smaller than that of his predecessor, Barack Obama. But, he really wanted to have had the largest crowd on record. So, he praised it as the biggest crowd ever. Relatedly, Trump also claimed that it stopped raining in Washington at the moment he was inaugurated. It didnt, the day was very dreary Reuters

A copy of The Post remains at Camp David  it remains to be seen whether Trump will watch the film.Leading high street coffee chains have been urged to come clean about the amount of plastic waste they produce after they refused to release details about the number of throwaway cups sold in their shops.

Campaigners said the UK was in the midst of a coffee cup nightmare and urged major retailers to be upfront about the environmental damage they were doing amid a renewed focus on disposable cups.

The UK throws away 2.5 billion paper coffee cups every year, with just one in 400 estimated to be recycled.

The majority of those are sold by high street coffee chains, yet taxpayers foot the bill for processing 90 per cent of packaging waste.

Coffee cups are particularly hard to recycle because they contain a paper exterior with a plastic lining to keep the cup sealed.

As a result, almost all of them are incinerated, exported or sent to landfill.

Asked by The Independent how many disposable cups were handed out to customers every day in their UK shops, several of the countrys largest chains were unable to provide the figure. Those that were able to only did so after repeated requests for the information.

That response prompted environmental groups to warn of a lack of transparency among high street coffee vendors.

 Sea creatures at bottom of world's deepest point have eaten plastic

The issue of coffee cup waste was highlighted last week by a group of MPs who urged the Government to introduce a 25p charge for disposable cups on top of the price of a coffee.

Some shops give money off the price of a hot drink for customers who use reusable cups, but the committee said uptake of these offers was low at only 1 per cent to 2 per cent of coffee purchases.

Costa, the countrys largest coffee shop chain with more than 2,000 cafes, said it was unable to provide the latest figures for the number of takeaway cups used because it was in a closed trading period.

Pressed to give an estimate, it referred The Independent to a submission to the Environmental Audit Committee from last April that showed it sold 76 million throwaway paper cups each year.

Starbucks, the UKs second biggest coffee chain, said it was aware of the problem and was trialling a 5p charge for throwaway cups in a selection of its London shops  but failed to provide a figure.

Marks & Spencer was also unable to provide the data, but said just 3 per cent of all its hot drinks were sold in throwaway cups.

A spokeswoman for Pret a Manger, which recently introduced a 50p discount for coffee drinkers who bring their own mug, said she was unable to provide a figure but acknowledged it was likely to be a big number.

Julian Kirby, Friends of the Earth waste campaigner, said coffee chains must be upfront and honest about their contributions to the problem, which means disclosing the amount of single-use coffee cups that they are releasing onto our streets every day.

He told The Independent: The last thing these companies want is to confirm what we all know, which is that every day they generate a colossal amount of plastic pollution.

Caffe Nero said it got through 100,000 takeaway cups each day, but when asked how many the chain recycled, a spokeswoman said the vast majority of the cups and lids we issue leave the store and are disposed of away from the original point of purchase.

Sandwich chain Eat said it was unable to provide the figures on cups used, but added that it used compostable cups and was working with a supplier to provide compostable or recyclable lids.

Waitrose, which offers free coffee in its supermarkets for holders of its loyalty card, said it was an industry-wide issue and suggested enquiries be forwarded to the British Retail Consortium.

Fiona Nicholls, oceans campaigner at Greenpeace, said tackling the problem of plastic waste required transparency and cooperation from business.

Taxpayers are paying to clear up a mess made by manufacturers and retailers, with just 10 per cent of the bill for disposing of packaging waste paid by business, and that needs to change, she said.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, chef and environmental campaigner, said the UK was in the midst of a coffee cup nightmare.

He said: Its time to send these hugely profitable companies a clear message: stop making badly designed products and expecting the taxpayer to clean up after you.The skyscraper came late to this city, a shipping and manufacturing hub for much of its existence. The wealthy roosted on the hills and the masses toiled on the flats and the docks. Everyone lived close to the ground in a setting renowned for its natural beauty.

Now the things being shipped are virtual and vast amounts of office space are needed to design, build and market them. Salesforce, a company that did not exist 20 years ago, will take up residence 8 January in the new Salesforce Tower, which at 1,070ft is the tallest office building west of the Mississippi.

In Silicon Valley, the office parks blend into the landscape. They might have made their workers exceedingly rich, they might have changed the world  whether for better or worse is currently up for debate  but there is nothing about them that says: We are a big deal.

Skyscrapers tell a different story. They are the pyramids of our civilization, permanent monuments of our existence. They show who is in charge and what they think about themselves. Salesforce Tower is breaking a San Francisco height record that stood for nearly half a century.

The new high-rise building will break a record that has stood for almost half a century (Alamy)

A ceiling has been breached, says Alison Isenberg, a professor of urban history at Princeton University. Now the discussion becomes: Is this just a building that is taller than the ones we already had, or does it raise new questions about the nature of the city?

Salesforce Tower is visible from just about everywhere. Go to the farthest edges of the city and its 61 stories of tapered steel and glass stick up like a forceful thumb. On the drive north from the airport, the tower is the one building discernible over Potrero Hill. From the distant North Bay, it is the first thing you notice as San Francisco sheds its customary morning fog. The building catches the morning sun, dazzling in a way none of its lesser neighbours do.

The tower is not beautiful but is impossible to ignore. The top floors are set off from the rest, and the crown is flat rather than a spire. It looks as if a rocket were stowed up there, an escape vehicle for the tech overlords when the city is consumed by disaster.

It will have to be a big rocket, because there are so many overlords. While few were looking, tech ate San Francisco, a development encouraged by Mayor Ed Lee, who unexpectedly died this month. There are now 79,129 high-tech jobs in the city, about triple the number a decade ago, according to a new research report from the real estate firm CBRE.

Its 61 storeys of tapered steel and glass stick up like a forceful thumb (Bloomberg/Getty)

Within Salesforce Towers shadow, a more slender, 802ft building is also just coming to completion. It will house thousands of Facebook employees; there are condos for sale as well. The penthouse is available for a reported $42m (31m), offering a well-heeled mogul the chance to make a splashy statement.

San Francisco has always been like this. There were so few skyscrapers in the citys first century that the ones that were built tell a tale of rampant egos and unrestrained power. At the end of the 19th century, the citys newspapers had hubris and wealth to rival todays internet companies. In 1890, the owner of the San Francisco Chronicle, MH de Young, erected a 10-story building worthy of his publication. It was the tallest building on the West Coast.

That irked the new owners of The Call newspaper, the Spreckels family, who in 1895 commissioned a tower of their own, mere feet from the Chronicle building. It would be more than half again as tall  18 stories  and would be, they promised, the finest building ever erected for a newspaper office. It had a 60ft terra cotta Baroque dome, four corner cupolas and spectacular flourishes.

San Francisco has always had conflicting feelings about growth and wealth. It was a gold rush boomtown but in the 1960s was home to the Diggers, a hippie offshoot that dreamed of a society without money. That notion lingers in a thousand communes.

The tower is not beautiful, but with an unusual flat top it's impossible to ignore (Alamy)

The mid-1960s and early 1970s in San Francisco simultaneously saw a downtown building boom and by far the nations strongest anti-skyscraper movement, says Isenberg, author of Designing San Francisco: Art, Land and Urban Renewal in the City by the Bay. They went hand in hand.

At the centre of the conflict was the Transamerica Pyramid, whose plans were unveiled in 1969. An insurance company, Transamerica had deep roots in the city, but many residents thought its location on the edge of the Financial District, near Chinatown and North Beach, would overwhelm the neighbourhood.

The leader of the opposition was Alvin Duskin, a dress manufacturer  he is said to be the first to use the peace sign in fashion  and local agitator. Stop them from burying our city under a skyline of tombstones, one ad urges, while another proclaims: New studies have shown that the more we build high-rise, the more expensive it becomes to live here.

The protests had an effect. The Transamerica Pyramid was shaved down from 1,040ft to 853ft. A proposition in 1971 to limit buildings to six stories did not pass, but it was one of those defeats that is also a bit of a victory. The Transamerica Pyramid remained the tallest in the city until this year.

The Transamerica Pyramid, whose plans were unveiled in 1969, was the tallest building until 2017 (Reuters)

If Salesforce executives ever get too full of themselves, they can seek out the Call building.

In 1938, the dome was removed, and the remains were stripped of all architectural splendour. The building  whose high-tech tenants include a venture capitalist and a DNA sequencing startup  is getting a face-lift, but its past glory is gone for good.

As for The Call itself, the paper disappeared many decades ago, leaving no trace.

 New York TimesAcross the City, the talk is of bargains to be had, of deals to be done at mind-bogglingly low prices.

Im not referring to the January sales in the shops but in the amounts fund managers will be paying in future for analysts research. Under the new MiFID II legislation that came into force on 3 January, asset managers must now pay directly for research rather than have it combined with trading commissions.

The funds have indicated they will pay the so-called unbundled research cost themselves, out of their profit and loss accounts, rather than pass it on to clients. The result has been a price war as the mighty investment banks have scrambled to sign up the funds.

Some extraordinary tales of negotiations and outcomes are being bandied around: the investment bank that used to charge north of $500,000 for its services to one fund, that priced its research at little more than $100,000 in an opening gambit, only to come down still further, to less than $10,000; the massive bank that said an hour with one of its analysts could be worth up to $20,000 (14,759) but is now prepared to charge less than a tenth of that, and in arrears, which presumably means if the research turns out to be rubbish the fund manager can just refuse to pay.

This, though, is research that costs millions of dollars to produce. So why the unbank-like rush of generosity?

The answer, of course, is that the large banks are being far from charitable: theyre keen to build market share, to hog the market, to price out of the industry the smaller players that do not have their vast resources and cannot weather these discounted price levels.

There is irony, too, in the fact the banks have been able to behave in this fashion precisely because the fund managers have determined they will not spread charges for research to customers. Initially, they said they would expect their clients to cough up. Then they changed their minds and said they would pick up the tab. But by saying they will take on the costs themselves theyre keen to keep them down  not more than 3 per cent of pre-tax profit.

Capital Access Group, a firm that advises companies on how they should engage with investors, has said it expects the UKs total fund management budget for research to fall from around 200m to 90m this year. Given the talk in the City that now seems optimistic.

Sensing an opportunity to grow their business, and sniffing blood, the giant banks have moved, slashing their prices to shore up the relationships with the funds and the owning groups, something that can yield all sorts of spin-offs across the investment banking spectrum of activities, and at the same time to drive the competition out of the market.

But this raises an awkward legal question. Offering anything that might be considered an inducement to trade with a particular bank or broker is contrary to the rules. Given the scale of the discounts on offer and the fact theyre heavily subsidised, with little attempt by the bank to even come close to covering its costs, it must be hard to argue this is not a rule-breaking incentive.

Also, it goes against the overall spirit and guiding light of MiFID II, which is all about cleaning up the system, making it less opaque and introducing clear transparency of charges. The price for the research may be declared, but that disclosure is meaningless if it comes on the back of a massive, hidden subsidy and bears no semblance to reality.

So far the response of the regulators has been non-committal. They called in the banks and told them they thought their actions were anti-competitive. Otherwise, though, they are sticking to a line that the investment managers must ensure the strictures on inducements are not being broken, and welcoming the positive consumer outcome that the cost of research is coming down, and how that can only be good news for the end-user, the client.

Well, up to a point. How the rules are not being breached when the price is so low, and so far removed from the amount the research is actually costing the bank to produce, is difficult to fathom.

The end result will be one of damage to the investment industry. The effect, inevitably, of the giant banks aggressive stance will be to cut back on some of the quality and breadth of research they supply. Stocks will not be analysed or if they are, the scrutiny will be done badly. Plus, their fierce price-lowering approach is bound to damage revenues at the smaller firms  the second tier banks, small-cap stockbrokers and independent research houses. That can only result in a reduction to their services or their disappearance completely. That means loss of analysts jobs and less coverage of stocks  something that will only harm the investor.

Presumably that was never the intention of those behind MiFID II. The banks are making a mockery of a genuine, enlightened attempt to reform and to improve an industry that was open to all manner of abuses. A rethink is required before investors suffer.

Chris Blackhurst is a former editor of The Independent, and executive director of C|T|F Partners, a campaigns and strategic communications advisory firmI feel seen for the first time! exalts one viewer. I feel vindicated. I finally understand whats wrong with me, I think Ive had this all my life, says another. A doctor admits, I feel so ashamed.

The film in question is Unrest, a documentary directed by and featuring Jennifer Brea, a former Harvard PHD student who, after developing the disease ME, started filming her experience. For those not directly affected by the illness, their go-to reference may be one of the many stereotypes that have proliferated in the British media: ME is yuppie flu; its an illness of lazy people or type-A personalities, malingerers, hysterical women, militant activists, scroungers, even people who are a bit tired and dont feel like going to work today (according to a Ricky Gervais standup routine). For the first time, a major documentary is speaking back to decades of misinformation and showing what often doctors dont even see: the daily life of sufferers, of whom there are about 260,000 in the UK.

Unrest follows Brea when she first becomes sick after a 40C fever. For the next year, she suffers repeated infections and her health declines dramatically. But doctors do not take her seriously  a state of play recognised by many young women who are dismissed by the medical system. When she finally sees a neurologist, he diagnoses conversion disorder. Hysteria. There must be a trauma that she cant even remember. There is nothing physically wrong with her that could be causing her symptoms. And so, Brea decides to walk the two miles home  what could be the harm after all? When she arrives back, her brain and spinal cord feel like they are on fire. She is bed bound for the next two years and now, several years later, uses a wheelchair.

Recommended Sugary drinks will be banned from hospitals unless NHS reduces sales

After eventually being diagnosed with ME, Brea was able to access some treatments in her native US, but there currently are no cures. Like most patients, an initial flu-like illness triggered the disease. Her symptoms include profound exhaustion (utterly unlike everyday tiredness), extreme pain and a worsening of symptoms after even minimal exertion  a symptom known as post-exertional malaise or PEM. ME, like autoimmune diseases, mainly affects women and is often developed in the prime of life, though children are also affected. Indeed, it is the biggest cause of long-term sickness absence from school. Since 1969, the World Health Organisation has recognised ME as a neurological illness although its precise mechanisms remain unknown.

The film features other stories too. Jessica, a young British woman spent four years from the age of 14 in hospital in a semi-coma because of ME. She improved slightly but was completely bedridden such that her feet didnt touch the ground for years, during which time she grew four inches. Ive never stood up at my full height, she explains matter-of-factly. In contrast, a very severe patient, Whitney, is completely unable to speak. He is so sensitive to stimulation that it is dangerous for others to even be in the same room as him. Fed by a tube in his small intestine, he passes his life in darkness and silence, unable to tolerate light or sound.

Such stories of extreme physical debility are not, however, the most shocking part of the documentary. What has prompted a global justice movement is the fact that many doctors still refuse to accept that ME exists at all.

***

During 1955 in London, there was a cluster outbreak of a mysterious disease among staff at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead. An estimated 292 people were affected, the majority were female nurses. Pathology investigations revealed inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, but the cause remains unknown. It is labelled myalgic encephalomyelitis, ME for short to reflect the severe muscular pains of patients and evidence of damage to the nervous system. In 1970 two psychiatrists, Colin McEvedy and AW Beard, published a paper that was to have a profound influence on the history of ME. The authors declared the illness to be mass hysteria, citing as evidence the fact that many who fell ill were young women. Neither of them had seen a patient.

Jessica Taylor, bedridden with severe ME since she was 15, has her makeup done by her sister (Shella Films)

Compounding this dismissal meant another blow to patients: the coining of a new name. In the US, the term chronic fatigue syndrome or CFS was introduced in 1988, which was later adopted in the UK. Not only did the new name trivialise the disease, it was also too vague to distinguish ME from other fatiguing illnesses, meaning different illnesses causing fatigue were unhelpfully lumped together.

For patients, communicating the seriousness of their illness is often impossible. I had this experience of trying to describe my symptoms in words to my doctors for 18 months as I was getting worse, explains Brea. I would talk about a burning in my brain or my spine or the fact that I would lose the ability to speak or sometimes I would collapse on the floor and I couldnt lift my head. When she later requested her medical records almost all of these serious symptoms were translated into headache pain.

Psychosomatic explanations of the disease were being further developed by a small, but influential, group of psychiatrists in the UK. They developed a theory of ME based on the biopsychosocial model of illness, a framework for illness that has also been adopted by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), first fully embraced by New Labour. The biopsychosocial model states that illnesses are part biological, part mental, part social. This idea seems common sense, but in practice it is often the psychological elements that are emphasised. Thus, the biopsychosocial model of ME is that a patient may have originally had a virus but after that, symptoms are not primarily the result of an ongoing disease process at all. Instead, patients simply have dysfunctional or false illness beliefs and thus adopt the sick role. Spending too much time in bed is the reason they have physical abnormalities, as they become deconditioned due to exercise avoidance, and it is assumed that symptoms are reversible by the patients own efforts.

However, there is growing evidence that such an approach towards ME is not only inaccurate, but dangerous. Keith Geraghty, honorary research fellow at the University of Manchester and an expert in ME/CFS explains: Many medical professionals do not view ME/CFS as a serious medical condition. Psychiatrists in the UK have done great harm to ME/CFS patients by promoting a largely psychological model of the illness that diverted research funding away from investigating the many biological abnormalities in the disease and this model has downplayed the severity of the illness.

The two treatments that arose from this psychiatric model are cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and graded exercise. Currently, they are the only two treatments offered by the NHS for ME. Some psychiatrists take the extreme view that patients  including children  need to be admitted to a psychiatric ward, even if against their will and that of their parents. Unrest features a young, severely ill Danish woman, Karina Hansen, who was forcibly taken from her home by five policemen and admitted to a psychiatric ward. Her family were not told where she was being taken. She wasnt allowed to be seen by any doctors other than psychiatrists. Three years after being taken, she was finally allowed home; she remains ill with ME. In the UK, child-protection powers are sometimes used to enforce psychiatric treatments for children with ME and hundreds of families have faced investigation for child abuse or neglect, though there are no official figures kept by UK health authorities. One charity, Tymes Trust, has advised around 200 families. None of these families were subsequently found to be at fault.

Robert was 12 when he first started graded exercise therapy. His mother, Lorraine, contacted The Independent to explain how the NHS physiotherapy he was asked to do drastically damaged his health. Robert was moderately ill when the physio began but became severely ill and required a wheelchair after a few months. He was given exercises to do in a hydrotherapy pool, some involving swimming. After just a few months, he lost the ability to walk. His legs turned to jelly, he had severe pain, particularly behind his knees and he just couldnt support his weight.

The physiotherapist wouldnt accept they were causing the harm and blamed my son for not trying hard enough, saying he didnt want to get better; they would not accept that there was anything physically wrong with him.

He had a fit in the pool where they were doing the exercises, which the neurologist later said was caused by extreme pain. Eventually, we had to get a charity to intervene so that we could stop the graded exercise. My son is now 21 and is still severely ill and housebound.

Roberts story is one of many, although the NHS does not keep a record of harms caused by graded exercise for ME.

The biopsychosocial model, and the assumption that if people who become disabled from conditions like ME adopted the correct attitudes and behaviours they could recover, seems to appeal to politicians looking to cut the costs of disability payments. Benefits can often make [ME] patients worse claimed psychiatrist Simon Wessely, one of the originators of the biopsychosocial model of ME, in 1993 in a meeting with a minister for the disabled. If giving disability benefits to patients, such as those with ME, may foster a culture of dependency, then cutting these benefits can be presented as a positive intervention. According to a document promoting the biopsychosocial framework circulated by Lord Freud, the former minister for welfare reform, it is important for those with health problems like ME to recognise that the sick role is temporary, in the expectation of recovery and that giving disability benefits to such patients, may foster a culture of dependency.

However, serious problems with the research claiming to show that biopsychosocial approaches to ME can lead to patients recovering have now been identified. In 2011, controversies about these treatments came to a head when the results from a medical trial  known as the PACE trial  were published. The trial cost 5m and was part-funded by the Department of Work and Pensions; it tested graded exercise and cognitive therapy for ME. The researchers claimed it had been a success and that the treatments were moderately effective. However, the trial has faced severe criticism, especially outside the UK, with 100 experts signing an open letter asking for the retraction of one of the trials key papers. Among the criticisms was the fact that the trials definition of recovery was so weak that even if patients reported their health deteriorating on the trials two primary outcomes, they could still be deemed recovered. Objective measures of patients health failed to show a clinically useful improvement, but were often downplayed.

Whitney Dafoe is sensitive to sound and can no longer speak (Shella Films)

After a lengthy legal battle fought by patients, the trial scientists were required to release the raw data from the trial. Reanalysis showed no statistical difference between the different treatments offered: a null result. It also showed that previously reported recovery rates had been inflated fourfold. The trial authors maintain that the trial proves CBT and graded exercise are modestly effective.

As critics are increasingly pointing out, the problems with PACE went beyond bad science. A 2006 report by the parliamentary Group on Scientific Research into Myalgic Encephalomyelitis had already pointed out that there is a vested interest private medical insurance companies have in ensuring CFS/ME remains classified as a psychosocial illness. The report also mentioned cases where advisers to the DWP had also had consultancy roles in such companies. These links were investigated further by the Centre for Welfare Reform who stated in 2016 that: Emphasising the importance of psychosocial factors and classing ME as a mental health problem could bring immediate financial benefits to insurance companies when policies limit payouts for mental health problems.

Unum is the top disability insurer in both the US and UK, and a company which the Centre for Welfare Reform claims is lobbying the Government to promote private health insurance. An internal Unum report on CFS claimed the company could lose millions if we do not move quickly to address this increasing problem. It was argued that CFS claims should be managed more aggressively and in a proactive rather than a reactive fashion while attempting to present ME as neurosis with a new banner. Four of the PACE trial scientists disclosed conflicts of interest with the insurance industry.

Even as the international scientific community expressed concerns about the trial, the British media continued to promote it as a great success. When questionnaire results from PACE participants two years after they had received treatment were released, which showed that those who had received CBT and graded exercise reported being no better than those who did not, this was greeted with a front-page story on The Telegraph declaring that Exercise and positivity can overcome ME. The Countess of Mar has drawn attention to the Science Media Centres promotion of the trial, which led to such headlines, and the fact that Simon Wessely is a board member.

Throughout it all, patients were depicted as dangerous militants in the media for criticising the trial, even though they turned out to be vindicated. The tribunal which ordered the release of the trials data ruled that assessment of activist behaviour was, in our view, grossly exaggerated. The most severely ill (about a quarter of patients are bed or housebound) continued to receive no care at all, with 80 per cent of requests for home visits turned down by the NHS. Added to this, a dearth of social care and difficulty getting benefits meant many patients were left completely desperate and often without any support at all, with even family members often disbelieving their illness. The waste of human potential caused by ME was recently reckoned to cost the UK economy 3.3bn a year in a report by The Optimum Health Clinic Foundation.

***

Across the pond in the US, science is moving on. In 2013 the US government asked the Institute of Medicine to convene an expert committee to examine the evidence base for ME. Two years later, their report Redefining an Illness was published. The report stated ME is an acquired, chronic multi-systemic disease biological in nature symptoms of which include immune, neurological and cognitive impairment. After reviewing thousands of medical papers, the report stresses that this is a medical  not a psychiatric or psychological  illness.

After the report found considerable evidence that exertion of any sort can adversely affect several organ systems and many aspects of patients lives, often seriously and for long periods and the controversy of the PACE trial, US health agencies removed their recommendations for CBT and graded exercise.

Over the past few years, studies have demonstrated that ME patients have metabolic, immune, neurological and other systemic dysfunction. Metabolites and proteins in the blood have been found to be abnormal, showing that the bodies of patients are in a hypometabolic state, causing the body to shut down and their cells become unable to produce energy. Neurological and systemic inflammation (along with a female bias) could point towards ME being an autoimmune disease. Evidence of immunodeficiency has been around since 1990 and more recently numerous studies have shown impaired natural killer cell function; a cell which helps control viral infections. ME science, however, is still in its infancy. More studies are needed to identify a cause and develop treatments.

Professor Ron Davis, one of the most eminent ME scientists in the US, used to work on the human genome. Now he has gathered a group of scientists, including three Nobel laureates, to work on one of the most urgent areas in medicine today. He is also the father of Whitney Dafoe, the severely ill young man featured in Unrest.

A Millions Missing protest in 2016. The protest happened in different cities around the world simultaneously

This is a much more serious disease than many of the other things that people are worried about. Its more common than MS, its more common than Parkinsons disease, its more common than Aids. This is probably the last major disease that we know so little about. And its because of its nature that its been hidden. The severe patients are often just in their home being looked after by someone and no one knows they exist. But it can get very severe, people have tried to make some measures in terms of debilitating illness, its generally viewed as worse than many other diseases that have been ranked in terms of quality of life.

ME patients have always had to fight for their rights, but now with the advent of social media, bed-bound patients are able to connect globally and a social justice movement is flourishing under the twitter hashtag #MillionsMissing.

For Jennifer Brea, ME activists can learn a lot from history. To fight stigma and to force the recognition from the health system, we need a movement for access to treatment, care and research. The HIV/Aids movement allowed extraordinary advancements in the space of a decade. Thats what we need here. It is about reclaiming our bodies and our experience; having a sense of pride in ourselves an in each other.

And the movement is beginning to gather momentum. In the UK, the NHS has announced it will completely rewrite its guidelines for ME, after pressure from patients and concerned scientists. Medical research into biomedical causes is increasing, but remains seriously underfunded globally. Its 30 years wasted, which is a long time in research terms. We could have discovered the cause of ME in that time, laments health researcher, Dr Keith Geraghty.

Historically, people with ME have been excluded from the disability rights movements in the UK and did not have the lobbying power to affect government policy but disability and ME activists alike are starting to come together, uniting under the slogan: Nothing about us without us.

ME activists are so distressed and angry because weve had our reality denied by almost everyone around us, explains Catherine Hale, an ME activist and leader of the Chronic Illness Inclusion Project. The dismissal of our testimony is profoundly distressing, you can develop a PTSD response from it. Its a kind of abuse. A treatment approach that harms people by saying it is our mindset that needs to be changed is a very oppressive experience. As patients, weve all been so isolated and are too ill to go out and protest and thats why the Millions Missing is really in its infancy, because weve come from so far down.

Adam Lowe, an author and journalist with ME is also demanding accountability. One of the most common misconceptions about ME patients is that were anti-psychiatry and resent all treatments that imply even a partially psychological cause for the illness. This is another myth that needs to be challenged. Im a strong believer in adequate mental health provision for everyone as are most ME patients.

We live with this illness in the dark, hidden in our bedrooms, desperate for answers. We cant get proper treatment because they tie up limited national resources in endless, useless studies that conflate long-term fatigue with the very specific neuroimmune illness ME. They continue to harm and insult us, the way the LGBT and civil rights movements were harmed, denigrated and insulted in decades past. They are institutionally ableist in the way the Met was once labelled institutionally racist after the Stephen Lawrence inquiry. The only difference is that we die quietly, in the back rooms of our house, because of lack of proper care or effective treatment. No one sees, so the outrage is confined to those of us who know  those of us who already have this illness, and those who love and care for us.

Eventually, I think, the small cabal of people setting the negative medical and social narratives about ME will have to wake up and apologise for the harms theyve caused to hundreds of thousands of people  just like psychiatrists recently apologised to LGBT people. History will not show them favourably, because I believe that justice will prevail in the end.

Unrest has recently been shortlisted for an Oscar. The power of documentary film is that viewers are confronted by what is unseen  or ignored; it is a medium that conveys something words cannot. Maybe, finally, ME patients are beginning to be seen.

Unrest is being screened in selected cinemas around the UK and is available to watch onlineOne of the BBCs most senior journalists has resigned from her position with an explosive letter accusing the broadcaster of having a secretive and illegal pay culture that discriminates against women.

Carrie Gracie announced she had quit as China editor to speak out over the corporation breaking equality law and resisting pressure for a fair and transparent pay structure.

The journalist, who has worked for the BBC for more than 30 years, said the broadcaster faced a crisis of trust and an exodus of female talent after it was revealed last year that two-thirds of its top-earning staff were men.

Recommended Female BBC presenters demand action on gender pay gap

Her open letter, addressed to the licence-payers and published on her website, called for urgent changes to the BBCs culture, which she said routinely led women to be paid less than their male colleagues.

With great regret, I have left my post as China Editor to speak out publicly on a crisis of trust at the BBC, she wrote

The BBC belongs to you, the licence fee payer. I believe you have a right to know that it is breaking equality law and resisting pressure for a fair and transparent pay structure.

The BBC ordered a review into pay amid widespread criticism after it emerged only a third of its stars earning more than 150,000 salaries were women, while the top seven earners were all men.

More than 40 of the corporations most high-profile female names, including presenters Clare Balding and Victoria Derbyshire, signed a letter calling for immediate change.

The BBC review found the broadcasters gender pay gap was just over 9 per cent  half the national average  and said there was no systemic gender discrimination.

But Ms Gracie said the corporation was not living up to its stated values of trust, honesty and accountability and that the BBCs audit excluded the women with the biggest pay gaps.

She revealed she was leaving her role in Beijing after learning through last years salary disclosures that she earned less than male international editors, despite stressing when she accepted the position that I must be paid equally with my male peers.

She added: I told my bosses the only acceptable resolution would be for all the international editors to be paid the same amount. The right amount would be for them to decide, and I made clear I wasnt seeking a pay rise, just equal pay. Instead the BBC offered me a big pay rise which remained far short of equality.

The journalist said she turned down the rise and was subject to a dismayingly incompetent and undermining grievance process which still has no outcome before deciding enough is enough.

Ms Gracie is returning to her former job in the BBCs TV newsroom, where she said she expects to be paid equally.

Her open letter added: I am not asking for more money. I believe I am very well paid already  especially as someone working for a publicly funded organisation. I simply want the BBC to abide by the law and value men and women equally.

She said up to 200 other female BBC employees had complained to the broadcaster about unequal pay since last years salary disclosures.

The BBC declined to confirm the figure to The Independent, but it is understood to currently be dealing with a number of complaints.

A spokeswoman said: Fairness in pay is vital. A significant number of organisations have now published their gender pay figures showing that we are performing considerably better than many and are well below the national average.

Alongside that, we have already conducted a independent judge led audit of pay for rank and file staff which showed no systemic discrimination against women. A separate report for on air staff will be published in the not too distant future.In the wake of hurricanes, mass shootings and the shadow of a nuclear war, the world's richest man wants you to take heart.

The world, he says, is actually getting better.

In an editorial in Time, Bill Gates notes many trends  ranging from the rates of child mortality to the number of countries now offering protections for gays and lesbians  are heading in a positive direction. We just don't hear much about them, because of the focus on negative news.

"These events  as awful as they are  have happened in the context of a bigger, positive trend," Gates writes. "On the whole, the world is getting better."

Among the developments he points to are:

A drastic decrease in child mortality rates for children under five. They're down by half since 1990, saving the lives of 122 million children.

A dramatic decline in the proportion of the world population that lives in extreme poverty, from more than a third of the population in 1990 to about one-tenth today.

A huge increase in the number of children who attend primary school worldwide; more than 90% now do.

Laws that protect gay people are now in place in 100 countries

A rising number of women worldwide are being elected to public office.

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

Gates blames the media for spreading the widespread feeling of pessimism. People are more likely to read bad news, which encourages news organizations to focus on the negative stuff, he argues.

In addition to having Gates write an editorial, Time asked him to guest edit its latest issue. He used the opportunity to fill the magazine with positive stories. The issue includes essays from some of Gates' friends who also feel optimistic about the future.

In his essay for the magazine, Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett asserts Americans' standard of living will continue to rise "for many generations to come." Biogen vice president Samantha Budd Haeberlein writes in her piece that her company is close to a cure for Alzheimers.

Meanwhile, U2 front man Bono says in his essay he believes more men are starting to understand that they need to join the fight against misogyny and violence against women.

"Men cant step back and leave it to women alone  to the Merkels and Malalas  to clean up the mess weve made and are still making," he says.

Read more:

 May tackles new Brexit Rebellion

 Philip Hammond and Mark Carney are in China to secure 1 billion of trade deals

 Facebook admits that social media can be bad for you

Read the original article on Business Insider UK.  2018. Follow Business Insider UK on Twitter.A volcano in Papua New Guinea that was thought to be dormant has erupted for the first time in known history, spewing ash thousands of feet into the air and forcing the evacuation of hundreds of residents.

The 365m tall volcano on Kadovar Island began erupting on Friday, according to local media reports, and experts now fear it could lead to landslides and tsunamis in the area.

"Due to the steepness of the island, landslides are possible and together with the explosive nature of magma, tsunamis may be generated," the Rabual Volcanological Observatory said in a statement.

"It appears from satellite imagery and aerial photographs that it started with mild vulcanian activity from a vent at the southeast base.

"It appears a fissure may be opening just inside of the western wall of the net's breach descending down to at least sea level."

Cheyne O'Brien, a forecaster at the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre, said that the ash clouds had been thrown up steadily to a height of 2,133m, forming a plume that is travelling west-northwest.

"It's just a continuous emission of volcanic ash at the moment," he added.

Mr O'Brien also said that although the plume does not yet pose a hazard to aircraft, that could change if the wind switched direction towards Papua New Guinea's Wewak airport.

Mount Agung volcano  in pictures Show all 8 1 /8 Mount Agung volcano  in pictures Mount Agung volcano  in pictures The Mount Agung volcano spews hot volcanic ash, as seen from Datah, Karangasem, Bali, Indonesia. According to media reports, the Indonesian national board for disaster management raised the alert for the Mount Agung volcano to the highest status and closed the Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali due to the ash cloud rising from the volcano EPA Mount Agung volcano  in pictures A long exposure photograph shows the Mount Agung volcano spewing hot volcanic ash as seen from Amed, Karangasem regency, Bali, Indonesia. EPA Mount Agung volcano  in pictures A villager walks as Mount Agung volcano erupts in the background in Kubu, Karangasem, Bali, Indonesia Reuters Mount Agung volcano  in pictures Women wait for customers at a market as smoke rises from the Mount Agung volcano AP Mount Agung volcano  in pictures Vegetable sellers wait for customers at a market with Mount Agung erupting in the background AP Mount Agung volcano  in pictures Balinese people ride on an open car past Mount Agung erupting seen from Kubu sub-district in Karangasem Regency AFP/Getty Mount Agung volcano  in pictures Villagers rest at a makeshift tent at an evacuated area in Karangasem AP Mount Agung volcano  in pictures Evacuees stay at an emergency shelter in Klungkung, Bali EPA

More than 500 residents have been evacuated from Kadovar Island with no loss of life, according to US charity Samaritan Aviation, which operates seaplanes to remote areas of Papua New Guinea.

"We do not have any details yet as to where all of the families have gone and hope to have further information in the new future," the charity said in a statement on Facebook.

There are no confirmed records of a previous eruption of Kadovar, said Chris Firth, a vulcanologist at Macquarie University, but scientists speculate it could have been one of two "burning islands" mentioned in the journals of a 17th-century English pirate and maritime adventurer, William Dampier.

Dampier may have recorded the last eruption of Kadovar during a voyage in search of "Terra Australis", the southern continent once thought to be mythical, Firth said.

Vulcanologists are interested to observe its behaviour now.

"It's hard to predict what might happen, as there's nothing to compare it to," Mr Firth added.

Additional reporting by Reuters.London Fire Brigade (LFB) are in the process of buying aerial ladders that may have been able to reach the upper floors of Grenfell Tower.

Appliances currently held as part of the services stock of equipment only reach up to 32m  at least 30m short of the higher floors of the 24-storey block that was ravaged by fire in 2017.

The new higher ladders will allow the service to mitigate a wider operational risk base, according to LFB safety director, Steve Apter, speaking on behalf of fire commissioner Dany Cotton.

Mr Apter said he hoped to procure equipment that could reach up to 22 or 23 floors high.

Only two people from the 23rd storey of the block  the top floor  survived. At least 48 others from floors 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23 died.

Crews efforts to halt the spread of the Kensington blaze, which claimed 71 lives, were reportedly hampered by a series of equipment failings on the night.

A high ladder, which could have reached the 10th floor, was not dispatched until 24 minutes after emergency services arrived on scene, according to an incident mobilisation list seen by the BBC, which experts said could have allowed the service to contain the fire if it had arrived earlier.

LFB confirmed after the tragedy a high ladder will now automatically be sent to a fire in a tower.

Mr Apter said the decision to bring in new equipment was informed by lessons taken from the tragedy and from understanding and knowing risk.

Those extended height appliances have a far wider range of operational use, from rescue platforms to firefighting platforms, observation platforms, they can lift. So its a really wide ranging use of equipment and they would give us a wider resilience for a wider operational risk base, he said at a mayoral budget scrutiny meeting at City Hall.

Some of the ones we are currently looking at can reach up to 22 or 23 floors in a high-rise so they are considerably extended in their capabilities than currently.

Mr Apter said the time frame for the procurement process was still unclear but he hoped to have acquired the new equipment by the end of 2018/19 or early 2019/20.

Grenfell Tower memorial service: in pictures Show all 31 1 /31 Grenfell Tower memorial service: in pictures Grenfell Tower memorial service: in pictures Jeremy Corbyn hugs a woman after the Grenfell Tower National Memorial Service PA Grenfell Tower memorial service: in pictures Prince Harry leaving after the Grenfell Tower National Memorial Service PA Grenfell Tower memorial service: in pictures A woman appears emotional as she leaves the Grenfell Tower National Memorial Service PA Grenfell Tower memorial service: in pictures Jeremy Corbyn consoles a mourner AFP/Getty Images Grenfell Tower memorial service: in pictures Mourners carry pictures of victims of the fire and white roses as they leave St Paul's cathedral AFP/Getty Images Grenfell Tower memorial service: in pictures Mourners carry white roses as they leave St Paul's cathedral after attending a Grenfell Tower National Memorial service AFP/Getty Images Grenfell Tower memorial service: in pictures Jeremy Corbyn consoles a relative of a victim AFP/Getty Images Grenfell Tower memorial service: in pictures Mourners leave after attending the Grenfell Tower National Memorial Service AFP/Getty Images Grenfell Tower memorial service: in pictures Labour opposition party leader Jeremy Corbyn embraces a mourner AFP/Getty Images Grenfell Tower memorial service: in pictures People hold photos and flowers as they leave after the Grenfell Tower National Memorial Service PA Grenfell Tower memorial service: in pictures Mourners hold up photos of victims as they leave St Paul's cathedral after attending a Grenfell Tower National Memorial service AFP/Getty Images Grenfell Tower memorial service: in pictures People hold photos and flowers as they leave after the Grenfell Tower National Memorial Service PA Grenfell Tower memorial service: in pictures Service members carry a Grenfell banner Rex Features Grenfell Tower memorial service: in pictures People at the Grenfell Tower National Memorial Service PA Grenfell Tower memorial service: in pictures Prime Minister Theresa May attends the Grenfell Tower National Memorial Service PA Grenfell Tower memorial service: in pictures Marcus Mumford, Adele and Carey Mulligan attending the Grenfell Tower National Memorial Service PA Grenfell Tower memorial service: in pictures Attendees hold a banner at the Grenfell Tower National Memorial Service AFP/Getty Images Grenfell Tower memorial service: in pictures Prince Harry, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, The Duchess of Cornwall and The Prince of Wales attend the Grenfell Tower National Memorial Service PA Grenfell Tower memorial service: in pictures The Grenfell Tower National Memorial Service PA Grenfell Tower memorial service: in pictures Jeremy Corbyn and Diane Abbott arrive at St Paul's Cathedral REUTERS Grenfell Tower memorial service: in pictures Members of the public gather outside St Paul's Cathedral ahead of the Grenfell Tower national memorial service Getty Images Grenfell Tower memorial service: in pictures Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry attend the Grenfell Tower National Memorial Service Getty Images Grenfell Tower memorial service: in pictures Mourners arrive at St Paul's cathedral for a Grenfell Tower National Memorial service AFP/Getty Images Grenfell Tower memorial service: in pictures Firefighters arriving for the Grenfell Tower National Memorial Service PA Grenfell Tower memorial service: in pictures Mourners arrive at St Paul's cathedral for a Grenfell Tower National Memorial service AFP/Getty Images Grenfell Tower memorial service: in pictures Mourners arrive at St Paul's cathedral for a Grenfell Tower National Memorial service at St Paul's Cathedral PA Grenfell Tower memorial service: in pictures People arrive for the Grenfell Tower Memorial Service Rex Features Grenfell Tower memorial service: in pictures Mourners arrive at St Paul's cathedral for a Grenfell Tower National Memorial service AFP/Getty Images Grenfell Tower memorial service: in pictures Former footballer Les Ferdinand (right) arriving for the Grenfell Tower National Memorial Service at St Paul's Cathedral PA Grenfell Tower memorial service: in pictures Police officers arrive at St Paul's Cathedral for a memorial service in honour of the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire REUTERS Grenfell Tower memorial service: in pictures Mourners arrive at St Paul's cathedral for a Grenfell Tower National Memorial service AFP/Getty Images

The brigade currently uses two main types of aerial appliance: The aerial ladder platform (ALP) and the turntable ladder (TL). The existing operational fleet consists of four TLs and seven ALPs, plus four ALPs used as reserve appliances. Turntable ladders have a reach of 32 metres. Aerial ladder platforms have a reach of 30 metres.

A spokesperson for the service said the plans would see five new appliances added to the brigades stock of 15.

In March 2017 the brigade announced plans to upgrade and replace its existing fleet of 15 aerial appliances. In July, as part of a review into the brigades resources requested by the Mayor, the Commissioner said it would be beneficial to incorporate up to five extended height aerial appliances into that fleet of 15, a spokesperson said.

Exactly which aerial appliance the brigade would benefit from is still being reviewed. The final decision will take into account the range of crucial tasks aerial ladders perform at incidents which include providing high level lighting, for use as observation platforms and as a way of delivering water from height onto a fire. It should be noted that fires in high rise buildings are usually fought internally which is why the buildings fire safety measures are so crucial and why the longest ladders available are rarely the most effective way of responding. Rescues from fires in high rise premises are almost always undertaken by firefighters working within the building.

It comes some weeks after an interim report into fire safety delivered a damning indictment of the UKs building regulations.

Dame Judith Hackitt, the chair of the independent review, said the law was not fit for purpose and allowed contractors to abuse the system.

The causes of the fire in West London will be determined by a public inquiry that is currently underway, but fire safety experts widely condemned the towers single staircase design and the lack of sprinklers in the building in the fires aftermath.

Combustible plastic foam insulation and cut-price aluminium panels with a polyethylene core fitted to the block have also been blamed for the rapid spread of the fire.

The Government said it accepts all of the reports recommendations.More than 1,100 patients have died while waiting to be discharged from hospital since March 2015, new figures show.

Research by Scottish Labour using freedom of information laws revealed that at least 1,152 patients died while waiting to go home between then and November 2017.

The final figure may be higher as NHS Grampian did not respond to the partys request for information.

Delayed discharge occurs when patients are clinically ready to leave hospital but are waiting for the necessary care and accommodation arrangements to be put in place.

Scottish Labour pointed out that in February 2015 Health Secretary Shona Robison pledged to eliminate delayed discharge in Scotlands NHS.

The partys health spokesman Anas Sarwar said: In 2015 the SNP promised to scrap delayed discharge in our hospitals. Instead, thousands of patients have died in hospital waiting to go home.

Our NHS staff are undervalued and overstretched, and they should be supported by a proper system to help patients out of hospital as soon as they are fit to leave.

Further cuts to local councils which provide social care will only add to this, and it shows the complete mismanagement of our health and care services under the SNP.

Fixing delayed discharge will begin to relieve the pressure on our hospitals and NHS staff, allowing for better patient care for everyone  but we can only do that if we invest properly in local services.

That means doing more than tinkering around the edges on tax, it means real and radical change.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures 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 UK news in pictures 5 August 2021 A protester places flowers on a photograph of an executed man during a demonstration organised by supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) to protest against the inauguration of Iran's new president Ebrahim Raisi in central London AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 4 August 2021 England's Joe Root looks on as India's KL Rahul doesn't make it to a catch during day one of Cinch First Test match at Trent Bridge, Nottingham PA UK news in pictures 3 August 2021 Great Britain's Laura Kenny and Jason Kenny with their silver medals for the Women's Team Pursuit and Mens Team Sprint during the Track Cycling at the Izu Velodrome on the eleventh day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan PA UK news in pictures 2 August 2021 Great Britains Charlotte Worthington competes during the Womens BMX Freestyle Final at the Tokyo Olympics PA UK news in pictures 1 August 2021 EPA UK news in pictures 31 July 2021 James Guy, Adam Peaty and Kathleen Dawson celebrate winning the gold medal in the mixed 4x100m medley relay final at the Tokyo Olympics AP UK news in pictures 30 July 2021 Great Britain's Bethany Shriever and Kye Whyte celebrate their Gold and Silver medals respectively for the Cycling BMX Racing at the Ariake Urban Sports Park on the seventh day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan PA UK news in pictures 29 July 2021 Team GB's Mallory Franklin during the Womens Canoe Slalom Final on day six of the Tokyo Olympic Games. She went on to win the silver medal Getty UK news in pictures 28 July 2021 Canoers on Llyn Padarn lake in Snowdonia, Gwynedd. It was announced that the north-west Wales slate landscape has been granted UNESCO World Heritage Status PA UK news in pictures 27 July 2021 A view of one of two areas now being used at a warehouse facility in Dover, Kent, for boats used by people thought to be migrants. PA UK news in pictures 26 July 2021 A woman is helped by Border Force officers as a group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, onboard a Border Force vessel, following a small boat incident in the Channel PA UK news in pictures 25 July 2021 Vehicles drive through deep water on a flooded road in Nine Elms, London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 24 July 2021 Utilities workers inspect a 15x20ft sinkhole on Green Lane, Liverpool, which is suspected to have been caused by ruptured water main PA UK news in pictures 23 July 2021 Children interact with Mega Please Draw Freely by artist Ei Arakawa inside the Turbine Hall at the Tate Modern in London, part of UNIQLO Tate Play the gallery's new free programme of art-inspired activities for families PA UK news in pictures 22 July 2021 Festivalgoers in the campsite at the Latitude festival in Henham Park, Southwold, Suffolk PA UK news in pictures 21 July 2021 A man walks past an artwork by Will Blood on the end of a property in Bedminster, Bristol, as the 75 murals project reaches the halfway point and various graffiti pieces are sprayed onto walls and buildings across the city over the Summer PA UK news in pictures 20 July 2021 People during morning prayer during Eid ul-Adha, or Festival of Sacrifice, in Southall Park, Uxbridge, London PA UK news in pictures 19 July 2021 Commuters, some not wearing facemasks, at Westminster Underground station, at 08:38 in London after the final legal Coronavirus restrictions were lifted in England PA UK news in pictures 18 July 2021 A view of spectators by the 2nd green during day four of The Open at The Royal St George's Golf Club in Sandwich, Kent PA UK news in pictures 17 July 2021 Cyclists ride over the Hammersmith Bridge in London. The bridge was closed last year after cracks in it worsened during a heatwave Getty UK news in pictures 16 July 2021 The sun rises behind the Sefton Park Palm House, in Sefton Park, Liverpool PA UK news in pictures 15 July 2021 Sir Nicholas Serota watches a short film about sea monsters as he opens a 7.6 million, 360 immersive dome at Devonport's Market Hall in Plymouth, which is the first of its type to be built in Europe PA UK news in pictures 14 July 2021 Heidi Street, playing a gothic character, looks at a brain suspended in glass at the worlds first attraction dedicated to the author of Frankenstein inside the Mary Shelleys House of Frankenstein experience, located in a Georgian terraced house in Bath, as it prepares to open to the public on 19 July PA UK news in pictures 13 July 2021 Rehearsals are held in a car park in Glasgow for a parade scene ahead of filming for what is thought to be the new Indiana Jones 5 movie starring Harrison Ford PA

Ms Robison responded: Our policy is clear  when a patient is assessed as requiring care and support on discharge from hospital we expect local health and social care partnerships to ensure appropriate support is provided.

That is why we have invested almost half a billion pounds of additional funds into social care and integration this year, while the health revenue budget will increase by almost 2 billion by 2021.

Our health and social care delivery plan includes our objective to double palliative and end-of-life provision of care in communities by 2021, so that fewer people die in a hospital setting, as well as reducing the overall bed-day usage.

We have seen a significant 11% fall in the overall number of people delayed in the last month, and a 10% decrease in the number of extra days spent in hospital, compared to October 2016  but we want to do more.

Boards are working hard to see that continue and ensure no patient has to spend unnecessary, extra time in hospital.Jobs monitoring dangerous criminals, including murderers and rapists, after they leave prison are being privatised by the Government, The Independent can reveal.

Controversial facilities management contracts are being used to pass some roles currently inside the National Probation Service (NPS) to contractors such as Sodexo and OCS.

They include staff who monitor high-risk convicts overnight at more than 100 hostels across England and Wales.

Recommended Failing privatisation of probation services putting public at risk

Critics argue that employees taken on by private companies do not have the experience and training needed for the vital role.

Id give it a year and something serious will happen with all the new inexperienced staff being taken on, a source told The Independent.

A Ministry of Justice (MoJ) consultation document said double waking night cover roles were being contracted out to standardise practice across the country.

An NPS review concluded that rather than a mixed approach across divisions, one consistent national approach would provide a more consistent, efficient and effective service, it said.

The French outsourcing giant Sodexo is among the companies taking on the roles (Rex Features)

Options for one consistent approach were developed and considered, including contracting out the night residential assistant service, which was agreed would be the best way forward.

Documents seen by The Independent said the new MoJ management contract allows the work to be privatised and transferred to what it calls external service partners.

The consultation is due to run until 15 January, but the jobs are already set to be transferred just seven days later.

Sodexo appears to have prepared for the influx of work by advertising for residential assistant posts at probation hostels in locations including Leicester, Worcester, Manchester, Liverpool and Wrexham.

Recommended Privatisation of probation services branded a failure by two watchdogs

Full-time jobs to start later this month will be paid an annual salary of 19,760, with knowledge of offending, mental health, substance abuse, risk management, probation and the criminal justice system listed as desirable, rather than mandatory.

The description says workers will need to provide 24-hour cover including security and monitoring services, supporting to reduce convicts risk of reoffending, breaching their licence conditions or court orders.

Sodexo says applicants must also assist in the supervision of residents, maintaining discipline, contribute to risk management and work out of hours on waking night duty and the weekends alongside NPS staff.

Ben Priestley, a national officer at Unison, said the union was concerned the change would put residents, staff and communities in danger.

Its a job that requires significant skills and significant training and our members concern is that on the salaries they are willing to pay, private contractors will employ individuals with a low skill set without the commitment to working in this, which is meant to be a therapeutic environment to help these individuals adjust to society after lengthy periods in prison, he told The Independent.

It is not a bog standard security guard role.

Chris Grayling oversaw the controversial privatisation of some probation services as Justice Secretary (Getty)

The location of approved premises are not made public over security concerns but the facilities house more than 2,200 men and women across the country, with a budget of 49.5m for 2017/18.

They are staffed 24 hours a day and enforce controls including curfews, check-ins, drug and alcohol testing and room searching.

Around 90 per cent of residents are judged to pose a high risk of serious harm after serving lengthy jail sentences for crimes including murder, sex offences and terrorism.

Staff are tasked with helping residents re-adjust to society, as well as keeping hostels secure and conducting risk assessments to protect the public.

There have been several murders at the facilities, with a 44-year-old man killed by a fellow resident at a hostel in Derby in August.

Probation officers are concerned that more violence will occur if the standards of current NPS staff are not maintained.

Unison said members in the probation service had already raised concerns about a limited number of contracted night staff when a new push for privatisation was launched in 2014.

The NPS claimed outsourcing had worked but all the evidence from our members is that it wasnt the case, Mr Priestley said.

Members have had real concerns about the quality of staff that have come in when private contractors have been used, the training of those staff, the understanding they have around the sensitivities of working in that environment and just the simple problems of getting staff to turn up and work at the right time on the right shift with the right skills, attitudes and application.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures 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 UK news in pictures 5 August 2021 A protester places flowers on a photograph of an executed man during a demonstration organised by supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) to protest against the inauguration of Iran's new president Ebrahim Raisi in central London AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 4 August 2021 England's Joe Root looks on as India's KL Rahul doesn't make it to a catch during day one of Cinch First Test match at Trent Bridge, Nottingham PA UK news in pictures 3 August 2021 Great Britain's Laura Kenny and Jason Kenny with their silver medals for the Women's Team Pursuit and Mens Team Sprint during the Track Cycling at the Izu Velodrome on the eleventh day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan PA UK news in pictures 2 August 2021 Great Britains Charlotte Worthington competes during the Womens BMX Freestyle Final at the Tokyo Olympics PA UK news in pictures 1 August 2021 EPA UK news in pictures 31 July 2021 James Guy, Adam Peaty and Kathleen Dawson celebrate winning the gold medal in the mixed 4x100m medley relay final at the Tokyo Olympics AP UK news in pictures 30 July 2021 Great Britain's Bethany Shriever and Kye Whyte celebrate their Gold and Silver medals respectively for the Cycling BMX Racing at the Ariake Urban Sports Park on the seventh day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan PA UK news in pictures 29 July 2021 Team GB's Mallory Franklin during the Womens Canoe Slalom Final on day six of the Tokyo Olympic Games. She went on to win the silver medal Getty UK news in pictures 28 July 2021 Canoers on Llyn Padarn lake in Snowdonia, Gwynedd. It was announced that the north-west Wales slate landscape has been granted UNESCO World Heritage Status PA UK news in pictures 27 July 2021 A view of one of two areas now being used at a warehouse facility in Dover, Kent, for boats used by people thought to be migrants. PA UK news in pictures 26 July 2021 A woman is helped by Border Force officers as a group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, onboard a Border Force vessel, following a small boat incident in the Channel PA UK news in pictures 25 July 2021 Vehicles drive through deep water on a flooded road in Nine Elms, London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 24 July 2021 Utilities workers inspect a 15x20ft sinkhole on Green Lane, Liverpool, which is suspected to have been caused by ruptured water main PA UK news in pictures 23 July 2021 Children interact with Mega Please Draw Freely by artist Ei Arakawa inside the Turbine Hall at the Tate Modern in London, part of UNIQLO Tate Play the gallery's new free programme of art-inspired activities for families PA UK news in pictures 22 July 2021 Festivalgoers in the campsite at the Latitude festival in Henham Park, Southwold, Suffolk PA UK news in pictures 21 July 2021 A man walks past an artwork by Will Blood on the end of a property in Bedminster, Bristol, as the 75 murals project reaches the halfway point and various graffiti pieces are sprayed onto walls and buildings across the city over the Summer PA UK news in pictures 20 July 2021 People during morning prayer during Eid ul-Adha, or Festival of Sacrifice, in Southall Park, Uxbridge, London PA UK news in pictures 19 July 2021 Commuters, some not wearing facemasks, at Westminster Underground station, at 08:38 in London after the final legal Coronavirus restrictions were lifted in England PA UK news in pictures 18 July 2021 A view of spectators by the 2nd green during day four of The Open at The Royal St George's Golf Club in Sandwich, Kent PA UK news in pictures 17 July 2021 Cyclists ride over the Hammersmith Bridge in London. The bridge was closed last year after cracks in it worsened during a heatwave Getty UK news in pictures 16 July 2021 The sun rises behind the Sefton Park Palm House, in Sefton Park, Liverpool PA UK news in pictures 15 July 2021 Sir Nicholas Serota watches a short film about sea monsters as he opens a 7.6 million, 360 immersive dome at Devonport's Market Hall in Plymouth, which is the first of its type to be built in Europe PA UK news in pictures 14 July 2021 Heidi Street, playing a gothic character, looks at a brain suspended in glass at the worlds first attraction dedicated to the author of Frankenstein inside the Mary Shelleys House of Frankenstein experience, located in a Georgian terraced house in Bath, as it prepares to open to the public on 19 July PA UK news in pictures 13 July 2021 Rehearsals are held in a car park in Glasgow for a parade scene ahead of filming for what is thought to be the new Indiana Jones 5 movie starring Harrison Ford PA

The debate comes after HM Inspectorate of Probation found the hostels were working well in the current format, before privatisation plans were announced.

Dame Glenys Stacey said they were exceptionally good at protecting the public, returning residents to prison when needed, but that the quality of rehabilitation was mixed.

Her report, released in July, concluded that more probation hostels should be set up to satisfy a shortage of places and ensure more of our most dangerous offenders could be released safely, and change their lives for the better.

Until 2014, local probation trusts ran the hostels but the Governments 2014 transforming rehabilitation policy split management between the public National Probation Service and 21 Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs).

Those firms were found to be putting the public at risk by failing to properly monitor and rehabilitate offenders, HM Inspectorate of Probation found in a separate report released last month.

It warned privatisation had created a two-tier system in the sector, with CRCs originally intended to monitor low and medium-risk convicts becoming dangerously overstretched.

Unison said the privatisation experiment has failed completely and urged the Government to bring all probation services back under public control.

Everyone knows that its been a disaster and that serious remedial work has to be undertaken to put it right, Mr Priestley said.

The fact the NPS is hoping to go ahead with another ill-conceived privatisation round is astonishing.

A spokesperson for the MoJ said: We will be contracting additional trained staff to allow us to provide more support overnight in Approved Premises.

This work has been contracted out to ensure we have the flexibility to provide this additional support in a cost-effective way.

Under the new contract, staff will be safer and offenders will have more support.Sweeping powers to water down human rights and equalities laws would be handed to the Government by Brexit legislation to be debated this week, MPs have been warned.

Ministers are poised to grab the ability to rewrite the likes of the Equality Act and the Modern Slavery Act at the request of a foreign power, bypassing MPs, civil rights group Liberty said.

The Trade Bill presents a significant threat to rights unless the Commons stands firm and requires it to be rewritten, it argued.

It allows them to change laws that originated from the EU without consulting MPs or the public, a spokesman said.

This means they could unilaterally rewrite equalities protections and anti-trafficking laws at the behest of a foreign power who thinks our hard-won rights get in the way of importing and exporting goods.

MPs must remove this power grab from the Bill or risk handing over our rights and our sovereignty to the highest international bidder.

The legislation was the latest attempt by ministers to undermine democracy and bypass parliamentary scrutiny of the Brexit process, after the flagship EU (Withdrawal) Bill contained similar Henry VIII powers, the organisation said.

Brexit: the deciders Show all 8 1 /8 Brexit: the deciders Brexit: the deciders European Union's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier Getty Brexit: the deciders French President Emmanuel Macron Getty Brexit: the deciders German Chancellor Angela Merkel Reuters Brexit: the deciders Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker EPA Brexit: the deciders The European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt Getty Brexit: the deciders Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May Getty Images Brexit: the deciders Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond PA Brexit: the deciders After the first and second appointed Brexit secretaries resigned (David Davis and Dominic Raab respectively), Stephen Barclay is currently heading up the position PA

Labour said it shared Libertys fear, accusing the Government of taking every opportunity to grab powers that should be restored to Parliament as the United Kingdom leaves the EU.

Masquerading as the champion of the people, the Conservatives have tried to erode democracy and to remove any necessary checks and balances on executive power  powers that they intend to use to remove the rights and protections of the very people they claim to represent, said Barry Gardiner, the Shadow Secretary of State for International Trade.

It is appalling, which is why Labour has sought to fight this power grab at every step and will do the same with Tuesdays second reading of the trade bill.

The Trade Bill, to be given its second reading on Tuesday, is one of several controversial further pieces of Brexit legislation in the pipeline.

Meanwhile, the Taxation (Cross-Border) Bill, being debated on Monday, will allow the Government to establish a customs union between the UK and the country or territory  determining the customs arrangement with the EU at the end of the post-Brexit transition period.

This Bill has already caused uproar, because it will force more than 130,000 UK firms to pay VAT upfront on all goods imported from the EU after withdrawal.

Labour and Tory MPs and peers will argue that the only way to avoid the VAT Brexit penalty would be to stay in the customs union, or negotiate to remain in the EU-VAT area.

Ministers say the Trade Bill is required to give the Government maximum flexibility when implementing trade deals but  Liberty has protested  it contains no safeguards to protect rights.

Clause 2 would give ministers unfettered power to amend retained EU law, it said  including the Equality Act and Modern Slavery Act  with limited or no parliamentary oversight, it said.

They would be able to pass regulations they consider appropriate for the purpose of implementing an international trade agreement including modifying primary legislation that is retained EU law.

The Equality Act, passed by Labour in 2010, brought together existing, confusing anti-discrimination laws, to guarantee access to jobs and services regardless of age, gender, disability, race, religion or sexual orientation.

The Modern Slavery Act would ensure prosecution of people involved in this disgusting trade in human beings, the Home Office said, in 2015, when led by Theresa May.

Liberty added: We recognise the importance of the Trade Bill in allowing the UK to shape its own trade and investment agenda once we leave the EU.

However, this must not be undertaken at the expense of parliamentary sovereignty or rights and equality law protections.Jeremy Corbyn has come under fire for refusing to attend a cross-party summit of MPs aimed at keeping the UK in the EU single market.

Political opponents said the Labour leader was utterly pathetic and failing millions of working people by continuing to argue that Britain should quit the trading bloc after Brexit.

The Scottish National Party (SNP) accused Labour of siding with Tory extreme Brexiteers.

It comes as Mr Corbyn faces renewed pressure over his Brexit stance after a new poll revealed 87 per cent of Labour members want the UK to stay in the single market and customs union.

The MPs summit has been arranged by the SNP and is due to take place in the House of Commons on Tuesday. It will be attended by the Westminster leaders of the SNP, Liberal Democrats, Greens and Plaid Cymru and is designed to help coordinate cross-party efforts to keep the UK in the single market and customs union.

Mr Corbyn was invited to attend but declined, telling SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford in a letter that he was wrong to suggest the single market is a membership club.

The Labour leader wrote: Your proposed summit appears to be based on the flawed assumption that the single market is a membership club  it is not.

We have consistently said that we are committed to negotiating to keep the benefits of the single market and securing the best possible deal for the whole of Britain, which protects the economy and the people of this country, whilst at the same time respecting the result of the referendum.

Therefore, Labour will not attend your meeting.

Brexit: the deciders Show all 8 1 /8 Brexit: the deciders Brexit: the deciders European Union's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier Getty Brexit: the deciders French President Emmanuel Macron Getty Brexit: the deciders German Chancellor Angela Merkel Reuters Brexit: the deciders Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker EPA Brexit: the deciders The European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt Getty Brexit: the deciders Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May Getty Images Brexit: the deciders Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond PA Brexit: the deciders After the first and second appointed Brexit secretaries resigned (David Davis and Dominic Raab respectively), Stephen Barclay is currently heading up the position PA

Labour has backed the Governments decision to leave the single market and customs union but says it would negotiate some kind of access to the trading bloc.

In his letter, Mr Corbyn said he shared the SNPs concerns about the Governments shambolic handling of Brexit negotiations and promised Labour will work with other parties in Westminster to hold this Government to account every step of the way.

Mr Blackford criticised the response, saying: It is unbelievable  and frankly, utterly pathetic  that on the single biggest issue facing the country Jeremy Corbyn has failed to show any leadership whatsoever, and is now rejecting this crucial chance to build a cross-party coalition in the national interest.

His absence from this meeting is deeply disappointing but it is not surprising given his absence from the EU referendum campaign and the national debate on Brexit ever since.

This is not the straight talking, honest politics we were promised. Time is running out, and by sitting on the fence the Labour Party is failing millions of working people. Instead of protecting the jobs, incomes and rights that families depend upon, Jeremy Corbyn has chosen to stand by and allow hardline Tory and UKIP Brexiteers to have their way  beckoning the biggest threat to our economy in modern times.

 Labour could negotiate 'new single market relationship' after Brexit

The other parties will leave an empty chair at the meeting for the Labour leader should he come to his senses, Mr Blackford added.

Mr Corbyn has refused to bow to calls from Labour members and MPs to change tack, as he tries to keep his party on side while retaining the support of voters in Northern heartlands.

He has previously said a Labour government would strike a deal with the EU that guarantees unimpeded access to the single market after Brexit.

However, with Brexit negotiations due to enter their second phase in March, the Labour leader is likely to face fresh calls to back full single market membership.

Last week the partys former leader, Tony Blair, warned Labour risks becoming the hand maiden to Brexit unless it adopts a different approach.Justice Secretary David Lidington has ordered a review of how the Parole Board presents its decisions, following the controversial approval of John Worboys release from prison.

Worboys, 60, has served less than nine years of what could have been an indefinite sentence for multiple sexual offences against women.

Mr Lidington said the Government considered it a priority that victims of sexual attacks had full confidence.

He said: John Worboys was convicted of horrific crimes. My thoughts and unreserved sympathy are with his victims for whom news of the Parole Boards decision to order Worboys release must have reawakened the most appalling memories.

It is a priority for this government that victims of rape and sexual assault have full confidence in the criminal justice system. While sentence lengths for these horrific crimes have increased by over 30 per cent since 2010 and more victims are coming forward, there is still more to do.

While it is right that the Parole Board should remain an independent body, I believe that there is a strong case to review how to allow greater openness about the decision-making process.

We also need to make sure arrangements across the criminal justice system ensure victims are both heard and, if they wish, kept informed about their case.

I have talked to the Victims Commissioner, Baroness Newlove, and the Chair of the Parole Board, Nick Hardwick, about what changes we could make to help victims of crime and provide greater transparency about the Boards work.

I want to make sure we consult victims groups and others, and to start this work now so that decisions can be taken before Easter.

The Justice Secretarys intervention follows widespread anger after at least two of Worboys victims found out about his impending release from news reports.

Worboys was given an indefinite term in 2009 and told he must serve a minimum of eight years after he was convicted of 19 charges of drugging and sexually assaulting 12 women and raping one of his victims.

Following his trial  where he pleaded not guilty to all 23 counts against him  police received further reports from 19 women, but none resulted in further prosecutions.

In total, 102 women made allegations against Worboys, whose modus operandi was to claim he had won the lottery and offer his female passengers a glass of champagne which he had laced with sedatives. Many of his victims were left with little memory of what he had done to them.

Labour said the promise by Mr Lidington was insufficient and called for a more wide-ranging end-to-end inquiry into the handling of the case.

Shadow Justice Secretary Richard Burgon said: The case raises so many serious questions that anything less than an independent end-to-end review  examining the handling of the case right from the first reporting of an attack to the police by a victim, through to the parole board hearing  will be letting down both victims and the wider public.

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One of Worboys victims has said she feels shocked, shaken and tearful that he is about to be released, partly because she believes he still poses a danger to women.

The Parole Board announced this week that a panel has approved the release of the prolific sex offender with stringent licence conditions attached.

Officials said regulations prevent them from disclosing the reasoning behind such decisions.

The lawyer acting for several of Worboys alleged victims has said they are seeking fresh prosecutions against him to see him returned to prison.Theresa May has dismissed growing concerns about Donald Trumps mental state, insisting she sees a man making decisions in the best interests of the United States.

Asked if she believed the doubts being raised about the President's fitness for office were serious  following the publication of an explosive book  the Prime Minister replied: No.

I deal with President Trump. What I see is somebody who is committed to ensuring he is taking decisions in the best interests of the United States, Mrs May told the BBCs Andrew Marr Show.

She also confirmed Mr Trump would be visiting Britain, but without revealing when, saying: He will be coming to this country.

Mrs May faced the awkward questions after the book, by journalist Michael Wolff, claimed that White House staff reported having to treat Mr Trump like a child.

What they mean by that, he has a need for immediate gratification. It's all about him. This man does not read, does not listen. He's like a pinball, just shooting off the sides, the author told NBC News.

A clinical professor has briefed members of the US Congress on the potential risks associated with the Presidents behaviour.

Bandy Lee, of the Yale School of Medicine, who has studied how to predict and prevent violence, said she and other psychiatrists felt the danger has become imminent.

During the interview, Mr Marr asked: In the States there are quite serious questions being raised about his mental state. Do you think they are serious?  prompting Mrs May to reply no.

The presenter also asked if the Prime Minister believed Mr Trump was a child or stable genius  a reference to the Presidents much-ridiculed tweets on Saturday.

The President had attempted to assert his mental fitness, claiming: Actually, throughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart. Crooked Hillary Clinton also played these cards very hard and, as everyone knows, went down in flames.

I went from VERY successful businessman, to top T.V. Star to President of the United States (on my first try). I think that would qualify as not smart, but genius and a very stable genius at that.

The 25th amendment of the US constitution provides for the removal of a president deemed unfit, if a majority of the cabinet and the vice-president agree.

Talk that Mr Trump could be removed from power in that way has been sparked by ex-White House strategist Steve Bannon, in Mr Wolffs book, referring to Vice-President Mike Pence as our fallback guy.

Controversially, Mrs May invited the President on a state visit to the UK when she met him at the White House immediately after his inauguration last year.

That visit has now been shelved indefinitely, because of the fear of huge public protests and out of a desire to avoid embarrassing the Royal Family.

However, Mr Trump is expected to undertake a working visit as early as next month, to attend the opening of the lavish new US embassy on the banks of the Thames in London.

He is also believed to hanker after an invitation to the May wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  to Downing Streets discomfort.Theresa May will carry out her long-awaited cabinet reshuffle on Monday, after admitting she will only remain at No 10 as long as people want me to serve.

The Prime Minister appeared to acknowledge her fate is in the hands of Conservative MPs  while again insisting she intended to lead her party into the next general election, not due until 2022.

Im not a quitter. Im in this for the long term, she told the BBCs Andrew Marr Show, in an appearance to kickstart the new political year.

But, pressed on whether she could survive to fight another election, she replied: Obviously, I serve as long as people want me to serve,  the phrase she used when under threat from Tory backbenchers last year.

Ms May will attempt to assert her authority with her first major cabinet reshuffle since the immediate aftermath of last years election debacle, which The Independent has been told will happen on Monday.

However, despite pressure last year to sack both either Chancellor Philip Hammond or Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary  or both  all the most senior ministers are now expected to remain in their posts.

A mooted plan to shift Mr Johnson into a beefed-up business department, with responsibility for Brexit planning, appears to have been dropped after he made clear he would not agree to it. If Mr Johnson has indeed successfully fought off the Prime Ministers attempt to demote him, it will be seized upon as evidence of her continued weakness.

Justine Greening, the Education Secretary, is expected to be the most prominent casualty in the shakeup, amid her apparent unease about much of education policy. A grammar schools sceptic, Ms Greening is seen as too close to the teaching unions and lacking enthusiasm for expanding the free schools programme.

Most controversy centres on whether there will be a promotion for Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, or even for Chris Grayling, the under-fire Transport Secretary.

Ms May needs to replace Damian Green, who was sacked as Cabinet Office minister for lying over the pornography found on his office computer, who chaired multiple, crucial Brexit committees.

Patients groups and health unions are likely to greet moving Mr Hunt into that role  even without the First Secretary of State title enjoyed by Mr Green  with fury, amid the growing winter crisis in the NHS.

Jon Ashworth, Labours Shadow Health Secretary, said: If she promotes this Health Secretary tomorrow, its a betrayal of those 75,000 people in the back of ambulances.

Similarly, Mr Grayling is under fierce pressure over allegations that he has disguised a likely 2bn taxpayer bailout for the private firms which run the East Coast rail line.

As well as Mr Hammond and Mr Johnson, the other two most senior ministers  Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary, and David Davis, the Brexit Secretary  are also expected to remain in place.

Party chairman Patrick McLoughlin, Business Secretary Greg Clark and Andrea Leadsom, the Leader of the Commons, are also tipped for the chop, or to be moved.

On Tuesday, Mrs May will reshuffle her junior ranks, with Anne Milton, a former nurse, immigration minister Brandon Lewis and Justice Minister Dominic Raab among those tipped for promotion.A Texas school which asked for 50 male volunteers to stand in for absent fathers for a Breakfast with Dads event was left astounded after nearly 600 men turned up.

Billy Earl Dade Middle School in the city of Dallas, where 90 per cent of children come from low-income families, put a call-out for around 50 male volunteers to attend in a bid to help those students who did not have a father able to take part.

Around 150 male students who were aged between 11 and 13 signed up for the first ever Breakfast with Dads event and gained an overwhelming positive reaction from the community.

When a young person sees someone other than their teacher take interest in them, it inspires them. Thats what we want to see happen, the Reverend Donald Parish Jr, the pastor of True Lee Missionary Baptist Church who organised the event, told the Dallas Morning News.

Kristina Chaade Dove, who has worked on what is referred to as a site-based decision-making team for the middle school, issued a call-out for volunteers who would take on the role as mentors for students.

Please share! Men needed! On next Thursday, December 14th at 8:30 am at Dr Billy Earle Dade Middle School we will host 'Breakfast with Dads'. The reality of a great event like this is a lot of our kids will not have a dad present, Ms Dove said in early December.

We are need of at least 50 or more additional male mentors who can devote one hour of their Wednesday morning next week to this cause".

In the end, the school was inundated with men wanting to provide support for the boys  some of whom were volunteering for the first time.

Stephanie Drenka, a photographer and blogger based in Dallas who works with Dove at Big Thought, a non-profit organisation that works with partners across the city to deliver creative learning programs for young people, heaped praise on the event which was held in mid December.

She said the unforeseen arrival of volunteers resulted in the event being relocated from the cafe to the gym in order to be able to take on more guests.

Back in December, the team ran into some difficulty when planning their annual 'Breakfast with Dads' event, she said on her website.

Dades community liaison Ellyn Favors mentioned that student participation was low due to young men not having a father/father-figure available to attend the event.

I will never forget witnessing the young students surrounded by supportive community members, she added. There were so many volunteers, that at times I saw young men huddled in the centre of four to five mentors. The look of awe, even disbelief, in students eyes as they made their way through the crowd of 'Dads' was astonishing.

Jamil 'The Tie Man' Tucker led the auditorium in a hands-on icebreaker activity. He spoke of learning how to tie a tie as a rite of passage some young men never experience. Mentors handed out ties to the eager students and helped them perfect their half-Windsor knot. The sight of a necktie may forever bring a tear to my eye."

The middle school has worked hard to improve its academic position and Texas Education Agency test scores demonstrate some academic improvement at the school which is said to be working to get community leaders and organisations involved to also mentor students outside the classroom.Thousands of protesters have staged a massive protest in Honduras second city over the victory of President Juan Orlando Hernandez in an election the opposition claim was fraudulent.

Opposition leader Salvador Nasralla lead the protests in the city of San Pedro Sula.

Addressing the crowd, he said: We will not stop until Hernandez says he's leaving.

It was the first march in the city since the 26 November election, and the losing candidate once again appealed to the Organisation of American States and the countries that have recognised Mr Hernandez's victory to listen to the protesters.

Former President Manuel Zelaya, who was ousted by a military coup in 2009, also joined the protest, Deutsche Welle reported.

Speaking to the crowd Mr Zelaya, who lost an election to Mr Hernandez in 2013, said: We won the presidency and we are demanding the triumph of the people at the polls. We will not stop complaining until the government is handed over to the candidate of the Alliance, president-elect Salvador Nasralla.

According to the official count, Mr Hernandez won with 42.95 percent to 41.42 for Mr Nasralla.

But the OAS called for a repeat of the vote, saying the official version of the count included extreme statistical improbability.

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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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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An early lead by Mr Nasralla disappeared after the public vote count mysteriously stopped for more than a day then restarted.

Mr Hernandez denies the vote was fraudulent and has called on Hondurans to accept his re-election. Some countries, including the US, have recognised his victory.

Street protests in other parts of Honduras left at least 17 dead last month but Saturday's march went without incident.

Mr Hernandez was only able to stand for re-election after a controversial Supreme Court ruling in 2015 which annulled the one-term presidential limit in the Honduran Constitution.

Former President Manuel Zelaya (centre) rides his bike to take part in the protest (Getty Images)

Honduras is one of several Latin America countries where its leaders are trying to amend the constitution to allow them to run for multiple presidential terms.

Following the rise of dictatorships in the 1970s and 1980s many Latin American countries subsequently imposed strict term limits which either ban multiple terms in office outright or only allow presidents to return to office after waiting out at least one term.

Five countries, including Brazil and Argentina, now allow two consecutive terms while seven others allow non-consecutive re-election.

Meanwhile while in Venezuela, where President Nicolas Maduro has become increasingly autocratic as the countrys economic crisis deepens, term limits have been abolished altogether.

Additional reporting by agenciesThe author of the explosive new book on the Trump administration has claimed that the 25th Amendment is a concept that is alive every day in the White House.

Journalist Michael Wolffs searing assessment of Donald Trumps presidency has raised questions about the Presidents fitness to serve, and prompted some to consider a 25th Amendment solution. The amendment allows for the removal of a president if the vice president and a majority of the cabinet deem him physically or mentally unable to perform his duties.

Mr Wolff said members of the Trump White House speak openly about the option, saying things like: Were not at a 25th Amendment level yet, or Ok, this is a little 25th Amendment.

This, is I think, not an exaggeration and its not unreasonable to say: This is 25th Amendment kind of stuff, he told NBCs Chuck Todd.

Mr Wolffs book, Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, paints an unflattering portrait of Mr Trump, claiming the Presidents staff  and even his family members  regard him as like a child.

Asked by Mr Todd if he omitted positive anecdotes about the President from his book, the author replied: If I left out anything, its probably stuff that was even more damning.

Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Show all 30 1 /30 Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Threatening to shut down Twitter after being fact-checked After the president tweeted that voting by post would be "substantially fraudulent", Twitter attached a warning label to his tweet and referred readers to a site which explained how the claim was "unsubstantiated". Trump then said Twitter was "stifling free speech" and that he may have to shut it down, something which he would not have the power to do AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Flippantly dismissing a serious allegation of sexual assault When author E Jean Carroll accused Trump of raping her, the president responded: Number one, shes not my type. Number two, it never happened. It never happened, OK?" AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Insulting the Mayor of London as he landed in London Just before touching down at Stansted Airport for his state visit, Trump took time out to @ the London mayor Sadiq Khan on twitter. He said that Khan has done a "terrible job"as mayor and that he is a "stone cold loser" Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Taking plenty of "Executive Time" The president's official schedule sets aside the hours from 8 to 11am daily for "Executive Time". Further intermittent periods of "Executive Time" are scheduled throughout any given day, ranging from 15 minutes to 3 hours. His duties in these hours have not been officially disclosed, though Axios reports that he spends them watching TV, reading the newspapers and tweeting Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Shutdown the government for over a month in an effort to secure funding for his wall With Mexico declining to pay for the wall, the president has faced difficulty in raising the required $5bn at home. Due to his demand that the money for the wall be included in the budget, and Congress's refusal, the government partially shut down on 22 December 2018. It remained shut for over a month, the longest period in history Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Joking about the Nazi occupation of France to President Macron In this tweet from 13 November 2018, the president mocks Emmanuel Macron's suggestion of a "true, European army" by invoking the conflict between France and Germany in the world wars Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Railing against the Mueller investigation The president has repeatedly claimed that the Mueller investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, is a "rigged witch hunt" Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Contradicting a US intelligence report on Russian meddling in the presence of Vladimir Putin In the press conference that followed his landmark meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin, Trump stated that he saw no reason why Russia would have meddled in the 2016 US election. This contradicted a 2017 report by the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence that found evidence of Russian interference in favour of Trump Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Contradicting his contradiction of a US intelligence report on Russian meddling Following furious backlash in the US, the president claimed that he meant to say that he saw no reason why it would not have been Russia who meddled in the 2016 US election. As to why he would have intended to use such bizarre phrasing, he did not comment Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Colouring in the US flag wrong The president coloured in the US flag wrongly during a visit to a children's hospital in Columbus, Ohio. He added a blue stripe where in tradition, and statute, there have been only white and red stripes AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Firing a Secretary of State over Twitter The president announced on Twitter that he was appointing Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State, much to the surprise of then Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Quoting a catchphrase from a reality TV show when discussing police brutality While addressing the issue of black athletes not standing for the national anthem in protest of police brutality, the president made reference to his catchphrase from reality TV show "The Apprentice": you're fired! Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Calling African nations "S***hole Countries" Ever one for diplomacy, the president reportedly referred to African nations as "s***hole countries". Asked to confirm this when meeting with Nigeria's President Buhari, Trump stated that there are "some countries that are in very bad shape". Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Defending Russian President Vladimir Putin Trump appeared to equate US foreign actions to those of Russian president Vladimir Putin, saying: There are a lot of killers. You think our countrys so innocent? Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Asking for people to 'pray' for Arnold Schwarzenegger At the National Prayer Breakfast, Trump couldnt help but to ask for prayers for the ratings on Arnold Schwarzeneggers show to be good. Schwarzenegger took over as host of The Apprentice  which buoyed Trumps celebrity status years ago Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Hanging up on Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull Early in his presidency, Trump reportedly hung up the phone on Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull after the foreign leader angered him over refugee plans. Mr Trump later said that it was the worst call he had had so far Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... The 'Muslim ban' Perhaps one of his most controversial policies while acting as president, Trumps travel ban targeting predominantly Muslim countries has bought him a lot of criticism. The bans were immediately protested, and judges initially blocked their implementation. The Supreme Court later sided with the administrations argument that the ban was developed out of concern for US security Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Praising crowd size while touring Hurricane Harvey damage After Hurricane Harvey ravaged southeastern Texas, Trump paid the area a visit. While his response to the disaster in Houston was generally applauded, the president picked up some flack when he gave a speech outside Houston (he reportedly did not visit disaster zones), and praised the size of the crowds there AP Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... 'Little Rocket Man' During his first-ever speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Trump tried out a new nickname for North Korea leader Kim Jong-un: Rocket Man. He later tweaked it to be little Rocket Man as the two feuded, and threatened each other with nuclear war. During that speech, he also threatened to totally annihilate North Korea Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Attacking Sadiq Khan following London Bridge terror attack After the attack on the London Bridge, Trump lashed out at London Mayor Sadiq Khan, criticising Khan for saying there was no reason to be alarmed after the attack. Trump was taking the comments out of context, as Khan was simply saying that the police had everything under control Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming presenter Mika Brezinkski was 'bleeding from the face' Never one not to mock his enemies, Trump mocked MSNBCs Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski, saying that she and co-host Joe Scarborough had approached him before his inauguration asking to join him. He noted that she was bleeding badly from a face-lift at the time, and that he said no MSNBC Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming the blame for Charlottesville was on 'both sides' Trump refused to condemn far-right extremists involved in violence at 'the march for the right' protests in Charlottesville, even after the murder of counter protester Heather Heyer AP Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Retweeting cartoon of CNN being hit by a 'Trump train' Trump retweeted a cartoon showing a Trump-branded train running over a person whose body and head were replaced by a CNN avatar. He later deleted the retweet Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Tweeting about 'slamming' CNN Trump caught some flack when he tweeted a video showing him wrestling down an individual whose head had been replaced by a CNN avatar. Trump has singled CNN out in particular with his chants of fake news Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Firing head of the FBI, James Comey Trumps firing of former FBI Director James Comey landed him with a federal investigation into Russias meddling in the 2016 election that has caused many a headache for the White House. The White House initially said that the decision was made after consultation from the Justice Department. Then Mr Trump himself said that he had decided to fire him in part because he wanted the Russia investigation Mr Comey was conducting to stop Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Not realising being president would be 'hard' Just three months into his presidency, Trump admitted that being president is harder than he thought it would be. Though Trump insisted on the 2016 campaign trail that doing the job would be easy for him, he admitted in an interview that living in the White House is harder than running a business empire Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Accusing Obama of wiretapping him Trump accused former president Barack Obama of wire tapping him on twitter. The Justice Department later clarified: Obama had not, in fact, done so Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming there had been 3 million 'illegal votes' Trump was never very happy about losing the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by 2.8 million ballots. So, he and White House voter-fraud commissioner Kris Kobach have claimed that anywhere between three and five million people voted illegally during the 2016 election. Conveniently, he says that all of those illegal votes went to Clinton. (There is no evidence to support that level of widespread voter fraud.) Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Leaving Jews out of the Holocaust memorial statement Just days after taking office, Trumps White House issued a statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, but didnt mention jews or even the word jewish in the written statement Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Anger over Inauguration crowd size Trumps inauguration crowd was visibly, and noticeably, smaller than that of his predecessor, Barack Obama. But, he really wanted to have had the largest crowd on record. So, he praised it as the biggest crowd ever. Relatedly, Trump also claimed that it stopped raining in Washington at the moment he was inaugurated. It didnt, the day was very dreary Reuters

Mr Wolff, however, maintained that it was not his initial intention to write a book critical of Mr Trump.

I would have been delighted to have written a contrarian account here: Donald Trump, this unexpected President is actually going to succeed, Mr Wolff said. Ok, thats not the story. Hes not going to succeed. This is worse than everyone thought.

Mr Wolff says his book is based on more than 200 interviews with the President and his senior staff over an 18-month period. The White House has repeatedly denied this, with press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders claiming the author made up a lot of stories to try to sell books.

Stephen Miller, a White House policy adviser, told CNNs Jake Tapper on Sunday that the President is a political genius.

 Donald Trump says Michael Wolff is a fraud denying the contents of book Fire and Fury

Even Steve Bannon, the former White House strategist who is quoted extensively in the book, walked back his comments calling a Trump campaign meeting with a Russian lawyer unpatriotic and treasonous on Sunday.

My comments were aimed at Paul Manafort, a seasoned campaign professional with experience and knowledge of how the Russians operate, he told Axios, referring to the former Trump campaign manager. He should have known they are duplicitous, cunning and not our friends. To reiterate, those comments were not aimed at Don Jr.

Mr Trump slammed Mr Bannon after his negative comments surfaced last week, claiming the former top aide has lost his mind. He did not respond to Mr Bannons apology on Sunday, but did lash out again at Mr Wolff and his book.

Ive had to put up with the Fake News from the first day I announced that I would be running for President. Now I have to put up with a Fake Book, written by a totally discredited author, he tweeted. Ronald Reagan had the same problem and handled it well. So will I!

Mr Trump previously defended himself on Twitter as a very stable genius and like, really smart.

 The most explosive claims from a new book about Trump's white house

British Prime Minister Theresa May dismissed concerns about Mr Trumps mental state after the books publication, saying the President would still be visiting the UK in the future.

I deal with President Trump. What I see is somebody who is committed to ensuring he is taking decisions in the best interests of the United States, Ms May told BBCs Andrew Marr.

But the conversation around the 25th Amendment has circulated on Capitol Hill even before the books publication. Congress members summoned an Ivy League psychiatrist to Washington to discuss Mr Trumps mental fitness last month, according to Politico. The psychiatrist, Yale University psychiatry professor Bandy X Lee, told legislators that the President is going to unravel, and we are seeing the signs.

Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin has proposed a bill to set up a Congressional body to evaluate the Presidents fitness for office. The bill now has 56 co-sponsors.

After Mr Trump tweeted about having a bigger nuclear button than North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, more than 100 medical professionals signed a letter saying they were deeply concerned about the Presidents psychological aberrations.

We urge that those around him, and our elected representatives in general, take urgent steps to restrain his behaviour and head off the potential nuclear catastrophe that endangers not only Korea and the United States but all of humankind, they wrote.President Donald Trump has said that everything I've done is 100 percent proper regarding the special counsel's investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 election and he insisted that his campaign didn't collude with Moscow or commit any crime.

His team has been open with special counsel Robert Mueller and done nothing wrong, Trump told reporters at Camp David, where he was meeting with Republican congressional leaders and Cabinet members to discuss legislative strategy in the new year.

He bemoaned the unrelenting focus on alleged Russia ties, saying the probe is very, very bad for our country. It's making our country look foolish and this is a country that I don't want looking foolish, and it's not going to look foolish as long as I'm here.

Recommended White House lawyer faces calls for resignation over Russia probe

A number of news outlets, including The Associated Press, have reported that Trump directed his White House counsel to tell Attorney General Jeff Sessions not to withdraw from the Justice Department's investigation into potential ties between Russia and the Trump campaign.

Sessions' decision to step away prompted Mueller's appointment.

Trump told reporters at Camp David that The New York Times story first reporting the request was way off, or at least off,  though he wouldn't say how.

He added: Everything that I've done is 100 percent proper. That's what I do, is I do things properly.

Despite his anger over Sessions' withdrawal from the investigation, Trump said he stands by the embattled Sessions, a vocal and loyal supporter of his election bid.

The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Show all 17 1 /17 The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Paul Manafort Mr Manafort is a Republican strategist and former Trump campaign manager. He resigned from that post over questions about his extensive lobbying overseas, including in Ukraine where he represented pro-Russian interests. Mr Manafort turned himself in at FBI headquarters to special counsel Robert Muellers team on Oct 30, 2017, after he was indicted under seal on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. Getty The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rick Gates Mr Gates joined the Trump team in spring 2016, and served as a top aide until he left to work at the Republican National Committee after the departure of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. Mr Gates' had previously worked on several presidential campaigns, on international political campaigns in Europe and Africa, and had 15 years of political or financial experience with multinational firms, according to his bio. Mr Gates was indicted alongside Mr Manafort by special counsel Robert Mueller's team on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. AP The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation George Papadopoulos George Papadopoulos was a former foreign policy adviser for the Trump campaign, having joined around March 2016. Mr Papadopoulos plead guilty to federal charges for lying to the FBI as a part of a cooperation agreement with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Mr Papadopoulos claimed in an interview with the FBI that he had made contacts with Russian sources before joining the Trump campaign, but he actually began working with them after joining the team. Mr Papadopoulos allegedly took a meeting with a professor in London who reportedly told him that Russians had "dirt" on Hillary Clinton. The professor also allegedly introduced Mr Papadopoulos to a Russian who was said to have close ties to officials at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr Papadopoulos also allegedly was in contact with a woman whom he incorrectly described in one email to others in the campaign as the "niece" to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Twitter The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Donald Trump Jr The President's eldest son met with a Russian lawyer - Natalia Veselnitskaya - on 9 June 2016 at Trump Tower in New York. He said in an initial statement that the meeting was about Russia halting adoptions of its children by US citizens. Then, he said it was regarding the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. In a final statement, Mr Trump Jr released a chain of emails that revealed he took the meeting in hopes of getting information Ms Veselnitskaya had about Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. He and the President called it standard "opposition research" in the course of campaigning and that no information came from the meeting. The meeting was set up by an intermediary, Rob Goldstone. Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort were also at the same meeting. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jared Kushner Mr Kushner is President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a key adviser to the White House. He met with a Russian banker appointed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in December. Mr Kushner has said he did so in his role as an adviser to Mr Trump while the bank says he did so as a private developer. Mr Kushner has also volunteered to testify in the Senate about his role helping to arrange meetings between Trump advisers and Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rob Goldstone Former tabloid journalist and now music publicist Rob Goldstone is a contact of the Trump family through the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant, which took place in Moscow. In June 2016, he wrote to Donald Trump Jr offering a meeting with a Russian lawyer, Natalya Veselnitskaya, who had information about Hillary Clinton. Mr Goldstone was the intermediary for Russian pop star Emin Agalaraov and his father, real estate magnate Aras, who played a role in putting on the 2013 pageant. In an email chain released by Mr Trump Jr, Mr Goldstone seemed to indicate Russian government's support of Donald Trump's campaign. AP images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Aras and Emin Agalarov Aras Agalarov (R) is a wealthy Moscow-based real estate magnate and son Emin (L) is a pop star. Both played a role in putting on the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow. They allegedly had information about Hillary Clinton and offered that information to the Trump campaign through a lawyer with whom they had worked with, Natalia Veselnitskaya, and music publicist Rob Goldstone. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Natalia Veselnitskaya Natalia Veselnitskaya is a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin. She has worked on real estate issues and reportedly counted the FSB as a client in the past. She has ties to a Trump family connection, real estate magnate Aras Agalarov, who had helped set up the Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant which took place in Moscow. Ms Veselnitskaya met with Donald Trump Jr, Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort in Trump Tower on 9 June 2016 but denies the allegation that she went there promising information on Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. She contends that the meeting was about the US adoptions of Russian children being stopped by Moscow as a reaction to the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Mike Flynn Mr Flynn was named as Trump's national security adviser but was forced to resign from his post for inappropriate communication with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. He had misrepresented a conversation he had with Mr Kislyak to Vice President Mike Pence, telling him wrongly that he had not discussed sanctions with the Russian. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sergey Kislyak Mr Kislyak, the former longtime Russian ambassador to the US, is at the centre of the web said to connect President Donald Trump's campaign with Russia. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Roger Stone Mr Stone is a former Trump adviser who worked on the political campaigns of Richard Nixon, George HW Bush, and Ronald Reagan. Mr Stone claimed repeatedly in the final months of the campaign that he had backchannel communications with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and that he knew the group was going to dump damaging documents to the campaign of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton - which did happen. Mr Stone also had contacts with the hacker Guccier 2.0 on Twitter, who claimed to have hacked the DNC and is linked to Russian intelligence services. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeff Sessions The US attorney general was forced to recuse himself from the Trump-Russia investigation after it was learned that he had lied about meeting with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Carter Page Mr Page is a former advisor to the Trump campaign and has a background working as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch. Mr Page met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Mr Page had invested in oil companies connected to Russia and had admitted that US Russia sanctions had hurt his bottom line. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeffrey "JD" Gorden Mr Gordon met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republian National Convention to discuss how the US and Russia could work together to combat Islamist extremism should then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump win the election. The meeting came days before a massive leak of DNC emails that has been connected to Russia. Creative Commons The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation James Comey Mr Comey was fired from his post as head of the FBI by President Donald Trump. The timing of Mr Comey's firing raised questions around whether or not the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign may have played a role in the decision. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Preet Bharara Mr Bahara refused, alongside 46 other US district attorney's across the country, to resign once President Donald Trump took office after previous assurances from Mr Trump that he would keep his job. Mr Bahara had been heading up several investigations including one into one of President Donald Trump's favorite cable television channels Fox News. Several investigations would lead back to that district, too, including those into Mr Trump's campaign ties to Russia, and Mr Trump's assertion that Trump Tower was wiretapped on orders from his predecessor. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sally Yates Ms Yates, a former Deputy Attorney General, was running the Justice Department while President Donald Trump's pick for attorney general awaited confirmation. Ms Yates was later fired by Mr Trump from her temporary post over her refusal to implement Mr Trump's first travel ban. She had also warned the White House about potential ties former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn to Russia after discovering those ties during the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign's connections to Russia. Getty Images

The investigation into possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia already includes a close look at whether Trump's actions as president constitute an effort to impede that investigation. Those actions the firing of FBI Director James Comey, an allegation by Comey that Trump encouraged him to end an investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn and the president's role in drafting an incomplete and potentially misleading statement about a 2016 meeting with Russians.

The latest revelation, that Trump directed White House counsel Don McGahn to tell Sessions not to step aside from the Russia investigation, is known to Mueller's investigators, who have interviewed many current and former executive branch officials.

Three people familiar with the matter confirmed to The Associated Press that McGahn spoke with Sessions just before he announced his recusal to urge him not to do so. One of the people said McGahn contacted Sessions at the president's behest. All three spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid publicly discussing an ongoing investigation.

It remains unclear whether Mueller's team has evidence to establish that the president's collective actions were done with the corrupt intent needed to prove obstruction of justice.

Trump and his lawyers have repeatedly maintained that he did nothing improper and that, as president, he had unequivocal authority to fire Comey and to take other actions. They may also argue that the president was empowered to want the attorney general he appointed to oversee the Justice Department's Russian meddling investigation or, as McGahn contended to Sessions, that there was no basis or reason at that time for the attorney general to recuse himself.

In stepping aside from the probe on March 2, Sessions said it was not appropriate for him to oversee any investigation into a campaign of which he was an active supporter, though the recusal also followed the revelation that he had had two previously undisclosed interactions during the 2016 campaign with the Russian ambassador to the United States. At his January confirmation hearing, he had said he had had no meetings with Russians

Sessions' recusal left Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in charge of the Russia investigation. But once Trump fired Comey two months later, Rosenstein appointed Mueller, the former FBI director, to run the investigation and to report to him.

Four people, including Flynn and Trump's former campaign chairman, have been charged so far in the investigation. Flynn has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, as has a Trump campaign aide. Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign chairman, and an associate have pleaded not guilty ao all charges against them.

Associated PressMillions of people across the US northeast have faced a deep freeze in the wake of the snow brought by winter storm Grayson - with the wind chill around Mount Washington in New Hampshire making it feel like -93 degrees Farenheit (-69 degrees Celsius)

Winds of more than 90 mph swirled Mount Washington, the northeast's highest peak, at a temperature of -37F (-38C) degrees, with the wind chill bringing it to -93F. The peak tied for second place with Armstrong, Ontario, as the coldest spot in the world on Saturday.

Elsewhere, Burlington, Vermont, stood at -1F (-18C) and a wind chill of -30F (-34C), with the Killington ski resort in the state closing for Saturday with wind chill making it feel like -50F (-46C).

Philadelphia, New York and New Jersey faced temperatures of around 8F (-13C) during parts of the day. That temperature was said to be a record low measurement at a weather station at New Yorks John F Kennedy airport for this day of the year.

Right now, the only thing I put on was just some gloves, a couple sweaters of course, like five or six of them, New York resident Zelani Miah told the Associated Press, extolling the virtues of wearing layers in some temperatures.

Temperatures could fall again in areas across the region on Sunday leading to more records potentially being broken, before beginning to rise on Monday.

A number of areas across the region were facing clean-up efforts. A three-foot tidal surge, the highest recorded in nearly a century, meant residents of Boston and its suburbs were clearing flooded streets where the water had also started to freeze. Boston, which was around 11F (-11C) on Saturday was facing a shortage of plumbers to deal with pipes frozen and cracked by the weather, according to Mayor Marty Walsh.

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 areas further south, which had been first hit by Grayson, some areas still remained affected. After shutting down on Tuesday, Charleston International Airport in South Carolina remained closed on Saturday, with runaways still inactive after 5 inches (12.7 cm) of snow.

The East Coast's first snowstorm of 2018 featured gusts of more than 70 miles per hour (113 km per hour), dumping 22 inches (56 cm) of snow in parts of Maine and 17 inches (43 cm) in parts of Massachusetts before ending on Friday, the National Weather Service (NWS) said. The storm was powered by a rapid drop in barometric pressure that was called a bombogenesis, or a bomb cyclone.

Its definitely cold and the type of bone-chilling cold that happens every few years, said Dan Hofmann, a meteorologist with the NWS in Baltimore. He added that the last time such extreme cold occurred was in February 2015.

The cold spell was responsible for at least 18 deaths by Friday. At least four people were killed in car accidents in North Carolina due to the treacherous conditions. In Richmond, Virginia, a girl was struck and killed by a pickup truck while sledding down a driveway.

In Rhode Island, hospitals were treating dozens of storm-related injuries. In Providence - where 14 inches (35cm) of snow fell and Newport, at least 40 people were treated for various weather-related conditions, from heart attacks, snowblower or shoveling injuries, frostbite and more, according to The Providence Journal.

Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this reportRohingya insurgents have said they have no other option but to continue their fight against what they have called Myanmar state-sponsored terrorism to defend their community.

The Rohingya minority has been subjected to what the United Nations has called a textbook example of ethnic cleansing in which thousands have been killed and hundreds of thousands more fled to neighbouring Bangladesh.

The latest wave of violence began on 25 August when the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (Arsa) launched raids on Burmese security forces in Rakhine state in the west of the country.

The attacks sparked a sweeping crackdown on the minority group by the state and members of the ethnic Rakhine majority which has led to widespread violence and arson.

Last month, Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF) reported that 10,000 people had been killed and over 600,000 people have forced to flee.

The Rohingya minority, which is predominantly Muslim, has been the subject of intense persecution for decades in the Buddhist majority country.

The Myanmar government calls the Rohingya Bengalis and claims they are the descendents of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh who migrated to Rakhine during the days of the British Empire but the community can trace its roots back centuries to the ancient Arakan civilisation.

In a statement posted by Arsa leader Ata Ullah on Twitter on Sunday, the group vowed to continue fighting against the Burmese state.

He said: Arsa has ... no other option but to combat Burmese state-sponsored terrorism against the Rohingya population for the purpose of defending, salvaging and protecting the Rohingya community.

Rohingya people must be consulted in all decision-making that affects their humanitarian needs and political future.

Hope in Bangladeshs Rohingya camps Show all 15 1 /15 Hope in Bangladeshs Rohingya camps Hope in Bangladeshs Rohingya camps Badiul Alam, 52, appointed as the manager of one grouping of refugees, shows the rifle-butt injury he sustained during his flight from Myanmar Hope in Bangladeshs Rohingya camps Abdur Rahim, 50, fled Myanmar with his family of seven. It took a month for them to walk to Bangladesh, carrying all their possessions on their shoulders. They havent yet found a place to put down their belongings after a gruelling journey Hope in Bangladeshs Rohingya camps Various refugee camps  Kutupalong, Balukhali and Moinerghona  have merged into one vast sprawl spread over many muddy hills that just a few months ago were a rolling green nature reserve Hope in Bangladeshs Rohingya camps A Red Cross aid-worker supervises an aid distribution point on the edge of the Moinerghona camp, saying they have never known refugees anywhere in the world stand so patiently in line in such heat to be registered and receive aid without any tension or anger Hope in Bangladeshs Rohingya camps Last week the governments of Bangladesh and Myanmar signed a deal to return the Rohingya to Rakhine. But many worry that they will face further reprisals if they return, and there was no mention of what would happen to those who refused to go back Hope in Bangladeshs Rohingya camps A quiet calm pervades the camps. Is it relief at being free from fear, or do feelings about the horrors witnessed remain suppressed? Hope in Bangladeshs Rohingya camps The aid response is focused on providing food, water and shelter for people who fled with nothing Hope in Bangladeshs Rohingya camps The effort is now well-organised and trucks delivering supplies move up and down the main road between Coxs Bazar and Teknaf all day long Hope in Bangladeshs Rohingya camps Only men are in the aid queue, as separate queues are often set up for men and women. Sixty-five-year-old Nur Ahmed wears his ID card which shows he has been formally registered to receive aid Hope in Bangladeshs Rohingya camps Ajmin Ara, 70, wanders around disorientated. She has lost her entire family and fled to Bangladesh alone; she is painfully thin/skeletal and very weak, but is receiving medical care from a small clinic set up to the side of the aid queue Hope in Bangladeshs Rohingya camps Its estimated that 620,000 Rohingya people have fled violence in Myanmars Rakhine State in the last three months. Many say they were doing their morning prayers or cooking food when their villages were attacked and they fled, often with only the clothes they were wearing Hope in Bangladeshs Rohingya camps Nur Asha, 47, sits quietly in the crowd until she can no longer restrain herself and her story comes out in a torrent: how she fled with her son when the military attacked her village but doesnt know where her other relatives are, how throats were slashed, how children were thrown into fires, how rice paddy fields were filled with bodies left for the dogs to eat Hope in Bangladeshs Rohingya camps Mohammed Sayed, 24, fled Myanmar about a month ago with his parents, wife and sister after their home was burnt down and many people in their village were killed Hope in Bangladeshs Rohingya camps Children flock around the queue and one boy has made a hat from an empty medicine package to shield himself from the heat, but other boys playing nearby tease him and knock it off his head and soon it is ripped to pieces Hope in Bangladeshs Rohingya camps Children who have fled with nothing make toy cars from empty bottles and kites from plastic bags. Despite the horrors they will have witnessed, children still laugh and play for the camera

Since the August raids, the small insurgent group has launched few if any attacks until Friday, when its fighters ambushed a Myanmar military truck, wounding several members of the security forces.

A Myanmar government spokesman said the insurgents were trying to delay the repatriation of refugees from Bangladesh under a plan the two governments have been working on.

Arsa aims to frighten those who are considering returning, to show the region doesn't have peace, Zaw Htay said.

But the Rohingya refugees claim they have not been fully consulted on the plan and many questions remain about the terms under which they will return to Rakhine.

A Bangladeshi border guard stands watch at a camp in the no man's land on the border with Myanmar (Getty Images)

For years, the Rohingya have been denied citizenship, freedom of movement and access to services such as healthcare and it is unclear whether they will be granted concessions when they return..

Mr Zaw rejected the Arsa call for the Rohingya to be consulted, saying the government was already negotiating with leaders of both the Buddhist and Muslim communities.

We will not accept terrorism and fight against them until the end, he said, adding that no one should offer any support to the group.

The Arsa has dismissed any links to Islamist militant groups and says it is fighting to end the oppression of the Rohingya people.

Recommended Today marks four months since the start of the Rohingya refugee crisis

A military spokesman declined to make any immediate comment about the security situation in Rakhine State.

The violence that began in August and the refugee crisis it caused has drawn international condemnation and raised doubts about Myanmar's transition to democracy after nearly 50 years of military rule.

Myanmars de facto civilian leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has been heavily criticised by the international community for the silence on the abuses committed by the Rohingya.

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate has seen the revocation of many the humanitarian awards she received while she was under house arrest for her protest against the Myanmar regime such as the Freedoms of the City of Dublin and Oxford.

Additional reporting by agenciesThe entire 32-man crew of an Iranian oil tanker are missing after the ship collided with a freighter off Chinas eastern coast.

Officials said Iranian vessel Sanchi was involved in a crash with the Hong Kong-registered CF Crystal around 160 nautical miles from Shanghai in the East China Sea on Saturday evening.

Chinas Ministry of Transport confirmed the collision caused the tanker to list, throwing the 30 Iranian and two Bangladeshi crew members overboard.

An official in Irans Oil Ministry, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to reporters, said: We have no information on their fate.

We cannot say all of them have did, because rescue teams are there and providing services.

The crash also caused a fire to break out on the ship, which had been carrying around 136,000 tonnes of oil from Iran to South Korea.

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 official said the tanker was owned by the National Iranian Tanker Company and had been rented by a South Korean company, Hanwha Total Co. He said the tanker was on its way to South Korea.

Hanwa Total is a 50-50 partnership between the Seoul-based Hanwha Group and the French oil giant Total.

Chinas Ministry of Transport said the 21 Chinese citizens on board the CF Crystal, transporting food from the US to Guangdong, were able to escape unharmed.

In a statement, the ministry said a search and rescue mission of great importance was underway involving Chinese authorities being aided by the South Korean coastguard.

It added three cleaning ships had also been deployed to clear oil spilt during the collision.

The incident is the second collision involving a ship from the National Iranian Tanker Company in less than a year and a half. In August 2016, one of its tankers collided with a Swiss container ship in the Singapore Strait, damaging both ships but causing no injuries or oil spill.Germany's ruling parties are beefing up legislation to make it easier to deport antisemitic migrants.

The draft bill being proposed by Chancellor Angela Merkel's CDU-CSU conservative alliance calls for the "absolute acceptance of Jewish life" to be considered a "benchmark" for migrants integrating into society.

It also stipulates that "those who refuse Jewish life in Germany or question the right of existence of Israel cannot have a place in our country", according to Die Welt.

The German newspaper also reported that the new rules will be proposed before Holocaust memorial day on 27 January.

Stephan Harbarth, deputy chairman of the CDU-CSU parliamentary group,said: "We must resolutely oppose the antisemitic of migrants with an Arab background and from African countries."

In December, a study commissioned by the American Jewish Committee's Ramer Institute for German-Jewish Relations in Berlin found that antisemitic among Muslim refugees was "rampant" and required urgent attention.

The study, based on interviews with 68 refugees, also found that refugees from persecuted minority communities were more likely to take a stand against antisemitism for Israel, according to The Times of Israel.

While deportation orders will still have to comply with policy set by the German government in 2016, migrants found guilty of antisemitic hate speech would be removed from the country under the new law.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

The new bill comes after German officials reacted with outrage in December when protesters burned Israeli flags to protest the US's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the official capital of Israel.

It was even suggested by interior minister Thomas de Maiziere that Germany should appoint an antisemitism commissioner to counter growing hate speech against Israel and the country's own Jewish community.

"Every criminal act motivated by antisemitism is one too many and a shame for our country", he told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper.

President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he was "shocked and shamed" by the protests, adding that rejection of antisemitism was a "non-negotiable" condition for living in Germany.

And Heiko Maas, the acting justice minister, said antisemitism was an "attack on everyone" and can't be "allowed to have a place [in society] again".

Foreigners with valid resident permits, including those who have been granted asylum, can already be evicted from the country if they commit a serious crime.

For example, in 2017 a man served two-and-a-half years in a juvenile detention centre for causing grievous bodily harm with fatal consequences was deported back to Serbia upon his release.

While the Federal Ministry of Migration and Refugees (BAMF) can issue a "threat of deportation" it is ultimately down to local authorities Germany's 16 federal states to make the final decision.

Local authorities can refuse to carry out a deportation if they think returning a person to their country of origin could put their life lin danger, or because they are too physically or mentally ill to travel.

There were 25,375 deportations from Germany in 2016 which was an increase of 21.5% compared to 2015.

In 2017, Chancellor Merkel unveiled a 16-point plan to speed up deportations ahead of the September election.

Many commentators saw it as an attempt to rally her conservative base behind her in response to the Alternative for Germany (AFD) party's criticisms of the country's asylum seeker and immigration policies.Pope Francis told new mothers they should feel free to breastfeed their babies in the Sistine Chapel if they felt hungry.

The pope baptised 34 infants during in a ceremony that lasted more than two hours at the Vatican on Sunday and told their mothers to feel free to breastfeed.

He told women taking part in the service not to be afraid of breastfeeding their children in the chapel, describing the act as "the language of love".

In an short, improvised homily, the pope said: "If they start performing a concert [by crying], or if they are uncomfortable or too warm or don't feel at ease or are hungry, breastfeed them.

"Don't be afraid, feed them, because this too is the language of love."

During the ceremony that lasted more than two hours, Francis baptised 18 girls and 16 boys, including two pairs of twins.

The Argentine has made similar comments in past ceremonies, including a baptism service in January 2017.

Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: 'Live and let live.' GETTY IMAGES Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: 'Proceed calmly" in life' AFP/Getty Images Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: 'Be giving of yourself to others' AFP/Getty Images Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: 'Even though many parents work long hours, they must set aside time to play with their children' AFP/Getty Images Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: 'Sunday is for family' AFP/Getty Images Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: 'Respect and take care of nature' OSSERVATORE ROMANO/AFP/Getty Images Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: 'Stop being negative' AFP/Getty Images Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: Respect others' beliefs' AFP/Getty Images Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: 'Peace sometimes gives the impression of being quiet, but it is never quiet, peace is always proactive' FP/Getty Images Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness AFP/Getty Images

Television pictures showed at least one mother bottle-feeding her child.

Women still face harassment for breastfeeding in public in some countries.

The papal baptism is a yearly event restricted to children of employees of the Vatican or the diocese of Rome. Francis is also bishop of the Italian capital.

Press AssociationRussian war games held last September simulated a large-scale military attack against Nato, the commander of the Estonian Defence Forces has claimed.

Riho Terras confirmed Natos fears that the Zapad (or West) exercises were used to simulate a conflict with the US-led alliance and show off Russias ability to amass large numbers of troops at extremely short notice in the event of a conflict.

The drills  which were held in Belarus, the Baltic Sea, western Russia and its Kaliningrad outpost between 14 and 20 September last year  depicted a fictional scenario concerned with attacks by militants, according to Russias defence ministry.

 Royal Navy tracks Russian warship through North Sea on Christmas Day

But in an interview with Germanys top-selling newspaper, Bild, Mr Terras said: Let me be clear: with the exercise Zapad 2017, Russia simulated a large-scale military attack against Nato.

It was not targeted towards the Baltic states only, as it was a theatre-wide series of exercises spanning from high North to the Black Sea.

He added: The scale and extent of the entire exercise was far greater than officially stated.

Instead of being a purely defensive exercise, as Russia claimed, Zapad was used to simulate a full-scale conventional war against Nato in Europe, the newspaper previously reported, citing two analysts from a western intelligence service.

The report claimed the drills involved far more troops than the 12,700 that Russias defence ministry claimed took part.

Another 12,000 Russian soldiers took part in exercises in regions near the Estonian borders, and more than 10,000 in the area near the north of Finland and Norway, the sources said.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Under the Vienna document, a Cold War-era treaty that sets out rules for military exercises, war games numbering more than 13,000 troops should be open to observers who can fly over the drills and talk to soldiers. Nato sent one expert to a visitor day in Russia and two to a visitor day in Belarus.

The intelligence analysts also told the paper the drill rehearsed a shock campaign against Nato countries such as Germany and the Netherlands, but also Poland and the non-Nato states of Sweden and Finland.

It practised neutralising or taking under control air fields and harbours in the Baltic states, as well as simulating bombings of critical infrastructure such as air fields, harbours, energy supplies in western Europe.

The number of troops participating in the exercises significantly exceeded the number announced before the exercise  the scenario was a different one and the geographical scope was larger than previously announced, Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said at the time.As in thousands of towns and villages across Spain, the inhabitants of the sleepy Andalusian pueblo of Archidona cheered and clapped as they greeted the three kings in the annual Epiphany procession, while helpers on the kings elaborately designed floats threw out handful after handful of boiled sweets to the watching crowds, and Christmas carols boomed out overhead.

But just a few kilometres away from Archidonas maze of narrow paved streets and beautiful eight-sided, 17th-century town hall square, an as-yet unopened prison, acting as a temporary holding centre for hundreds of migrants, is currently providing a much bleaker welcome for some other, less willing, visitors to the town.

The prison was given its surprising and controversial new role last November, when more than 500 refugees and migrants were intercepted in less than a week on the Mediterranean coast near Murcia. With many of Spains holding centres already overflowing, the judges overseeing the legal processing of the new arrivals ordered them to be taken hundreds of kilometres westwards to central Andalusia, to what court documents euphemistically called an internment centre for foreigners.

For some, the Archidona prison is symptomatic of a deeper crisis in Spains handling of its refugees. According to the latest figures from the UNs International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the number of migrants and refugees reaching Europe by sea has dropped dramatically, from 363,504 in 2016 to 171,409 in 2017. But in Spain, the IOM reports the number of migrants reaching the countrys coastline has nearly tripled, from 8,162 in 2016 to 21,663 in 2017. The situation in holding centres grew so critical in Catalonia that last year, for four days, a dozen underage refugees were given temporary accommodation in a Barcelona court waiting room.

Meanwhile, the solution of using the prison in Archidona, which Spains Ministry of the Interior insists is exceptional and temporary, has now entered its third month. Some Spanish NGOs and opposition parties have pointed out that the use of a prison as a holding centre is illegal and  given it initially lacked running water  woefully inadequate, and the PSOE, Spains Socialist Party, has demanded the Minister of the Interior answer questions in parliament about the prison.

Media reports say around 300 migrants remain there, just over half the original total, but after the death last week of one of them, 36-year-old Algerian Mohamed B, calls for their immediate rehousing have regained in strength.

Citing unnamed sources inside the prison, local newspaper El Sur claimed the migrant died after being involved in a scuffle when various migrants began harming themselves in a bid to be transferred to hospital. A medical check-up at the time reported only slight injuries, but the next morning he was found dead in his cell.

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 Spanish authorities are certain it was suicide. Earlier this week, after an initial autopsy revealed no signs of external violence, a Spanish judge stated there would be no further investigation into the cause of death. The judge also overrode concerns expressed by the Andalusian regional government that if the programme of deportations of other migrants continues, witnesses may no longer be on Spanish soil to testify.

However, the Algerian authorities have now said that they will carry out a full investigation of their own. Mohamed Bs family have also confirmed they will appeal against Spains legal investigation being ended, with their lawyer claiming in El Sur he was kept isolated and unattended in his cell for more than 15 hours.

The unopened prison has itself been the subject of a fair amount of controversy. Falling prison numbers in Spain and the initial absence  only noticed after building work was completed  of a watchtower for its walls meant its inauguration has been repeatedly delayed.

Meanwhile in Archidona, opinions among its 9,000 inhabitants on the conditions in the prison seem to be divided. Ive got friends among the police and the translators up there and they say they [the migrants] have got everything [they need], Rafa Lara, a local bar owner, told The Independent. Its just that some of them, seeing theyre interned there in a prison, arent happy and there are lots of sensationalist press reports. Mr Lara also criticised these little human rights groups and ecologists who are always complaining about everything.

Its not legal, but theyre not prisoners, and they had nowhere else to house these people. I hear, in any case, that in a couple of weeks, itll all be completely empty again.

However, another local resident who did not want to be named told The Independent: Ive heard the place is getting trashed. The local Izquierda Unida (United Left) party, which until recently ran Archidona town council, issued a sternly worded press release last November, pointing out: They are not delinquents, nor have they been condemned for a crime, to be deprived of their freedom in a prison.

Almost the only thing everybody can agree on is that life in Archidona itself has been unaffected, barring a lot of talk and what we see on the telly, says Mr Lara.

Conditions are said to have improved considerably since the prison began housing the migrants. However, the rumours of prisoner protests continue and the case of Mr Bouderbalas death has perhaps yet to be fully resolved.

There is constant humiliation, one migrant in the prison wrote in a letter sent when the prison was first used. However, by the time the letter reached Spanish newspaper El Pais and was partly published, according to one local NGO, he had already been deported.Iran has banned English from being taught in primary schools after the countrys Supreme Leader said learning the language in the early years paved the way for a Western cultural invasion.

A senior education official announced the language had been banned because the Iranian culture of students is established during primary level education.

In Iran, where Persian is the countrys official national language, primary school starts at the age of six and lasts for six years.

While the teaching of English generally starts in middle school in Iran  which students attend around the ages of 12 to 14  some primary schools below that age also have English classes.

Teaching English in government and non-government primary schools in the official curriculum is against laws and regulations, Mehdi Navid-Adham, head of the state run High Education Council, said on state television late on Saturday.

He continued: This is because the assumption is that, in primary education, the groundwork for the Iranian culture of the students is laid.

He said non-curriculum English classes may also be blocked under the new rules.

Irans Shia-Islamist leaders have often issued pleas about the risks posed by a cultural invasion.

In 2016 Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who holds the final say in all state matters, expressed fury about the teaching of the English language spreading to nursery schools.

According to the text of that particular speech to teachers posted on a website run by his office, Khamenei said: That does not mean opposition to learning a foreign language, but [this is the] promotion of a foreign culture in the country and among children, young adults and youths.

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

Western thinkers have time and again said that instead of colonialist expansionism ... the best and the least costly way would have been inculcation of thought and culture to the younger generation of countries.

It is worth noting that the quality of English education in schools has been deemed not satisfactory by many and most of the students are forced to take English courses privately in order to gain a better grip of the language.

Despite the fact there was no specific reference to the announcement coming after more than a week of protests against the clerical establishment and government, Irans Revolutionary Guards have claimed the turmoil was also fuelled by foreign opponents.

Thousands of young and working-class Iranians showed their anger at unemployment and the growing polarisation between the upper echelons of society and those at the bottom living below the poverty line.

After six days of demonstrations, the Revolutionary Guard on Wednesday said it had deployed forces to quash unrest in three provinces where most of the trouble had occurred. This was the clearest indication authorities were taking the protests seriously.

The Revolutionary Guard was instrumental in suppressing an uprising over alleged election fraud in 2009 in which dozens were killed.

Iranian officials said the most recent protests which swept more than 80 cities and rural towns resulted in 22 people being killed and more than 1,000 being arrested.

Additional reporting from agenciesIran's Revolutionary Guard said security forces have ended the unrest linked to anti-government protests which erupted last month.

In a statement on its website, the powerful paramilitary force blamed the unrest on the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia, as parliament and security officials met to discuss the boldest challenge to the clerical establishment since 2009.

The Guard also claimed an exiled opposition group known as the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq and supporters of the monarchy that was overthrown in the 1979 Islamic Revolution were behind the protests.

Recommended Trump administration condemns EU for not supporting Iran protesters

Price hikes sparked demonstrations last month, with the protests spreading to at least 80 cities and towns. At least 21 people were killed in scattered clashes.

The protestors, many of them young and working-class Iranians, vented anger at high unemployment and official corruption. The demonstrations were the largest seen in Iran since the disputed 2009 presidential elections.

Some protesters called for the overthrow of the government. Many also protested against the Revolutionary Guard's huge budget, its costly interventions across the region, and against the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to whom the force is loyal.

More than 1,000 people have been arrested since the protests began. They include around 90 university students, of whom 10 remained unaccounted for, reformist MP Mahmoud Sadeghi told the semi-official ISNA news agency.

Several parliament members and university officials have expressed concern over the fate of students arrested during the protests. Tehran University Vice-President Majid Sarsangi said the university had set up a committee to track them.

Relatives of detainees were reported to have gathered outside prisons seeking information about the fate of their loved ones.

A police spokesman said most of those arrested were "duped" into joining the unrest and had been freed on bail. He added: "But the leaders of the unrest are held by the judiciary in prison."

Residents of several cities confirmed to Reuters that protests had subsided after the government intensified a crackdown by dispatching forces to a number of provinces.

Videos on social media showed a heavy police presence in cities on Saturday night, including Khorramabad in south-western Iran where on Wednesday evening protesters threw stones at riot police.

Iran protests  in pictures Show all 11 1 /11 Iran protests  in pictures Iran protests  in pictures University students at an anti-government protest inside Tehran University, 30 December 2017 AP Iran protests  in pictures A university student at a protest inside Tehran University while a smoke grenade is thrown by anti-riot Iranian police, 30 December 2017 AP Iran protests  in pictures University students at a protest inside Tehran University, 30 December 2017 AP Iran protests  in pictures University students run away from the police during an anti-government protest inside Tehran University, 30 December 2017 AP Iran protests  in pictures An image grab taken from a handout video released by Iran's Mehr News agency reportedly shows a group of men pulling at a fence in a street in Tehran, 30 December 2017 AFP/Getty Iran protests  in pictures Demonstrators gather to protest in Tehran, 30 December 2017 AP Iran protests  in pictures Iranians chant slogans as they march in support of the government near the Imam Khomeini grand mosque in Tehran, 30 December 2017 AFP/Getty Iran protests  in pictures Iranians chant slogans as they march in support of the government near the Imam Khomeini grand mosque in Tehran, December 30 2017 Iran protests  in pictures Iranian clerics take part during a state-organized rally against anti-government protests in the country, in the holy city of Qom, south west Iran, 3 January 2018 EPA Iran protests  in pictures In this photo provided by the Iranian Students' News Agency, a clergyman takes a picture of a pro-government demonstration in the southwestern city of Ahvaz, Iran, 3 January 2018 ISNA via AP Iran protests  in pictures Pro-government demonstrators gather at the Massoumeh shrine in Iran's holy city of Qom, some 130 kilometres south of Tehran, 3 January 2018 AFP/Getty

Iran's parliament held a closed session on Sunday in which senior security officials briefed them on the protests and the conditions of the detainees, the agency reported.

"It was emphasised that foreign elements, and in particular the United States, played a basic role in forming and manipulating the recent unrest," IRNA quoted lawmaker Jalal Mirzaei as saying.

The United States and Israel expressed support for the protests, which began on 28 December in Iran's second largest city, Mashhad, but their governments both denied fomenting them.

As protests ebbed, the government lifted restrictions it imposed on Instagram, one of the social media tools used by protesters to mobilise. But access to a more widely used messaging app, Telegram, was still blocked, suggesting authorities remained uneasy about the possibility of further protests.

Parliament spokesman Behrouz Nemati said MPs and security officials had decided that Telegram restrictions should be lifted only after the app committed to ban "hostile, anti-Iranian channels that promote unrest", state television reported.

Late last month Telegram, which has 40 million users in Iran, shut down a channel that the government had claimed encouraged violence, but declined to block other channels, prompting Tehran to bar access to the app.

Many Iranians access Telegram by using virtual private networks (VPNs) and other tools to bypass government filtering of the Internet.

In recent days, government supporters have held several mass rallies across the country to oppose the unrest.

Thousands staged rallies in a backlash against the anti-government protests, with some demonstrators chanting "death to America", "death to Israel", "death to Britain" and "death to seditionists".

State television showed live pictures of rallies in several cities, including central Shahr-e Kord, where hundreds gathered despite heavy snowfall.Israel has published a list of organisations supporting a boycott campaign against the country, whose activists will be banned from entering the Jewish state.

Members of 20 groups which back the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement will be denied entry visas and residency rights under a controversial law.

Gary Spedding, a British cross-party consultant on Israel and the Palestinian Territories, told The Independent the blacklist was merely an excuse to legally justify barring activists and human rights observers from entering the country.

Israels publishing of a BDS blacklist is the latest example of just how fragile the regime actually is and demonstrates a hypersensitivity to legitimate criticisms made of the states actions and policies vis-a-vis the Palestinians, Mr Spedding, who was refused entry to Israel in 2014, said.

This isnt really about targeting BDS activists. Its about providing an easier legal pathway to justify refusing entry to a wide range of activists and human rights observers  many who may not even support the BDS campaign but are simply supportive of Palestinian liberty and equality.

Activists who are determined to visit Israel and Palestine, in order to bear witness to the reality on the ground and engage with Israelis and Palestinians, should try to ensure their social media presence is minimal and that they have legitimate tourism plans to elaborate on at entry points into Israel.

 Rock star Roger Waters says Radiohead should not be playing in Israel due to the BDS movement

The list primarily includes European and American organisations, and features the UK-based Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) and War on Want, Haaretz reported.

Even those holding no official position within the blacklisted organisations could be denied entry, as well as mayors and politicians who promote boycotts.

We have shifted from defence to offence, said Gilad Erdan, the minister for strategic affairs, according to Haaretz.

The boycott organisations need to know that the state of Israel will act against them and not allow them to enter its territory to harm its citizens.

No country would have allowed critics coming to harm the country to entry it.

Arye Dery, head of the interior ministry which will be responsible for implementing the list, said: These people are trying to exploit the law and our hospitality to act against Israel and to defame the country. I will act against this by every means.

Palestinians clash with Israeli troops during 'Day of Rage' Show all 18 1 /18 Palestinians clash with Israeli troops during 'Day of Rage' Palestinians clash with Israeli troops during 'Day of Rage' Israeli forces scuffle with Palestinians at Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City AFP/Getty Images Palestinians clash with Israeli troops during 'Day of Rage' A Palestinian protester hurls stones as tear gas is fired by Israeli troops Reuters Palestinians clash with Israeli troops during 'Day of Rage' A Palestinian protester runs during clashes with Israeli troops REUTERS Palestinians clash with Israeli troops during 'Day of Rage' Israeli forces scuffle with Palestinians at Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City AFP/Getty Images Palestinians clash with Israeli troops during 'Day of Rage' Palestinian protesters run during clashes REUTERS Palestinians clash with Israeli troops during 'Day of Rage' Israeli border policemen and a Palestinian protesters clash REUTERS Palestinians clash with Israeli troops during 'Day of Rage' Palestinian protesters react to tear gas REUTERS Palestinians clash with Israeli troops during 'Day of Rage' Israeli border policemen hold on to a Palestinian protester REUTERS Palestinians clash with Israeli troops during 'Day of Rage' Palestinian protesters react to tear gas fired by Israeli troops REUTERS Palestinians clash with Israeli troops during 'Day of Rage' Israeli border policemen and Palestinians scuffle after Friday prayers in Jerusalem's Old City REUTERS Palestinians clash with Israeli troops during 'Day of Rage' A Palestinian protester moves a burning tire during clashes with Israeli troops REUTERS Palestinians clash with Israeli troops during 'Day of Rage' Worshippers chant as they hold Palestinian flags after Friday prayers Reuters Palestinians clash with Israeli troops during 'Day of Rage' A Palestinian protester hurls back a tear gas canister fired by Israeli troops REUTERS Palestinians clash with Israeli troops during 'Day of Rage' A wounded Palestinian protester is evacuated during clashes with Israeli troops REUTERS Palestinians clash with Israeli troops during 'Day of Rage' Israeli border policemen and a Palestinian youth scuffle REUTERS Palestinians clash with Israeli troops during 'Day of Rage' Israeli border policemen detain a Palestinian man REUTERS Palestinians clash with Israeli troops during 'Day of Rage' A Palestinian protester uses a sling to hurl stones towards Israeli troops REUTERS Palestinians clash with Israeli troops during 'Day of Rage' Journalists react to tear gas fired by Israeli troops REUTERS

Last year, Hugh Lanning, chair of the PSC, became the first British citizen to be refused entry to Israel under the law, and Professor Kemal Hawwash, a British-Palestinian man, was also forced to fly back to the UK.

In June last year, the PSC and its supporters, including War on Want, brought a legal case against the British Government concerning guidance which restricted local councils from pursuing BDS against Israel through their pension schemes.

Campaigners argued people had a right to decide not to profit from human rights abuses, and the High Court ruled the Government had acted unlawfully by seeking to restrict ethical boycotts of Israel.

Pro-Palestinian BDS movement supporters take part in a rally in central London (PA) (Isabel Infantes/PA)

Israels Strategic Affairs Ministry has been allocated $36m (27m) for a plan to combat the BDS movement.

The plan calls for a not-for-profit organisation to be established to counter pressure the movement places on artists and companies to boycott Israel, the Times of Israel reports.

In a statement, the Israeli embassy in London said: "Like all other democracies, Israel will deny entrance to organisations and individuals working to undermine and harm Israel's national security. The organisations named in the list released yesterday have undertaken ongoing, consistent and significant action to promote and advance a boycott of Israel."

It said the regulation excludes political criticism of Israel as criteria for an organisation appearing on the list, and added that several other counties had taken steps to counter boycotts against Israel.Palestinian Christians on Saturday pummelled the car of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem during a visit to the occupied West Bank in protest against the churchs decision to sell land to Jewish groups.

The Greek Orthodox Church is one of the biggest private landowners in the Holy Land and in recent years has stirred controversy both among Israelis and Palestinians by trying to sell prime assets to private investors.

Hundreds of Palestinians blocked Patriarch Theophilos IIIs convoy as he drove to a church in Bethlehem to attend an Orthodox Christmas mass.

Protestors threw stones and water bottles and pounded his car with their fists, chanting traitor, traitor, before Palestinian security forces pushed them away. Three cars in the convoy, but not the Patriarchs vehicle, had their windows smashed.

Demonstrator Elyeef Sayegh said: What happened today is a message to the Palestinian Authority and to Jordan that we will not allow this traitor to stay in the Church.

Israeli media have reported that the controversial deals include properties in East and West Jerusalem, as well as in the port cities of Caesarea and Jaffa. They identified some Jewish and Israeli investors as potential buyers.

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

Church officials have said they need to sell land in order to pay back debt that has accumulated over the years. Until now the church has been leasing out the land to residents on long-term contracts.

Some Israeli lawmakers are trying to block the deals that they fear could lead to large increases in real estate prices. Palestinians oppose the sale of land to Jewish and Israeli groups and consider it an act of treason.

The demonstrators were Christians from Bethlehem, Nazareth and other cities inside Israel.

ReutersAt least 23 people have been killed and tens more injured in a car bomb blast in the northwestern city of Idlib, a human rights group has said.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the explosion had targeted the headquarters of an opposition faction.

Photos and video from the activist-run Thiqa News Agency and Baladi News Agency show heavy damage along what appears to be a major avenue in the city, with several buildings damaged and vehicles overturned.

First responders, ambulances and fire brigades are also seen arriving at the scene.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing. The city and the province are controlled by several rebel factions and insurgents vying for dominance, the most powerful being an al-Qaida-linked group.

The Syrian Army has been advancing on the region, which is the largest remaining rebel-held area in the north of the country, and recaptured the town of Sinjar, around 12 miles south of Abu Zuhour airbase earlier on Sunday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the gain opens the road for government troops to march on the rebel-held Abu Zuhour airbase about 12 miles to the north.

The military has assigned one of its top commanders to lead the offensive into Idlib, the last major stronghold for rebels in northern Syria.

The UN said more than 2.5 million people are currently living in Idlib, including more than one million displaced by fighting from other parts of Syria.

In pictures: Idlib maternity hospital damaged by air strike Show all 6 1 /6 In pictures: Idlib maternity hospital damaged by air strike In pictures: Idlib maternity hospital damaged by air strike Damage at a Save the Children-supported maternity hospital in Idlib province, Syria, after it was hit by air strikes on 29 July Save the Children In pictures: Idlib maternity hospital damaged by air strike A maternity hospital in Idlib province that was damaged by an air strike on 29 July Save the Children In pictures: Idlib maternity hospital damaged by air strike Damage inside a Save the Children-supported hospital in Idlib province, Syria, after it was hit by air strikes on 29 July Save the Children In pictures: Idlib maternity hospital damaged by air strike A maternity hospital in Idlib province that was damaged by an air strike on 29 July Save the Children In pictures: Idlib maternity hospital damaged by air strike A burned-out car near a maternity hospital in Idlib province after an air strike on 29 July Save the Children In pictures: Idlib maternity hospital damaged by air strike Damage at a maternity hospital in Idlib province after an air strike on 29 July Save the Children

Thousands of civilians have already fled towards the border with Turkey in freezing January temperatures to escape the brutal fighting.

The offensive on the province was expected after Syrian government forces, aided by Russia, defeated Isis in other parts of the country last year.

Conditions on the ground are wretched for the rebels, said an opposition activist.

He said they are stuck in a two-front battle with government forces and remaining pockets of Isis militants, while Russian air strikes have taken a heavy toll.

Opposition activists say the main targets currently appear to be the rebel-held airbase of Abu Zuhour, on the south-eastern edge of the province, as well as securing the Damascus-Aleppo road that cuts through Idlib.

Recommended In 2018 the barbarous wars in Iraq and Syria will come to an end

Another opposition activist, Mohammed al-Ali, said the Russians and the Syrian government are carpet-bombing villages before pushing into them.

The Russian air strikes, weak fortifications and Islamic State attacks in Hama, have all helped government forces, he said.

It is reported to be highly unlikely that government forces would march towards the provincial capital, also named Idlib, as it would set up a costly battle with highly experienced and well-armed al-Qaida-linked insurgents.

The province is dominated by the Levant Liberation Committee, which claims to have severed ties with al-Qaida but is widely believed to still be affiliated with it.

Additional reporting by agenciesThe suspected Badoo kingpin, Abayomi Alaka, on Friday submitted petitions against the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, Mr.Edgal Imohimi.

According to the lawyer, Babatunde Ojehomon, the petition was addressed to the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, the National Assembly and others.

Ojehomon said at his chambers in Ibadan, Oyo State that the sealing of his clients property by the Lagos State Government and polices declaration of Alaka as a wanted individual were actions that trampled on his (Alakas) rights.

According to him, Alaka had already instituted a case against the IG and Imohimi at the Federal High Court, Lagos State Division, adding that the Lagos CP was after Alaka because he had an axe to grind with him.

He said, We affirm that originating processes in the matter have been served on the respondents since August 2017 and this case had come up for hearing once before a vacation judge and twice before Justice Hassan of the Federal High Court, Lagos Division.

The respondents were not only absent on those occasions but have failed, neglected or refused to file any processes in response to our clients case against them.

It is shocking how the respondents have again come to the public declaring our client, who is an applicant before a superior court of record, wanted over the allegation of Badoo cult killings.

Even though we are putting our papers together to seek a legal remedy against the unlawful sealing of our clients property, we have resolved to exhaust all available administrative remedies in the light of the recent events that have concretised our suspicion that Imohimi has a personal axe to grind with our client.

Alakas counsel said that one of the requests in the petitions was to establish an independent investigating team, which would be free from the control and supervision of Imohimi.

According to him, such a team should look into the allegations levelled against his client. He added that there were several issues attached to the case and that would be exposed once an independent body took control.

It would be recalled that the Lagos State Police Command had declared Alaka wanted in connection with series of well-orchestrated killings and nefarious activities of the Badoo cult group two weeks ago.

While he was declared wanted, an event centre and filling station owned by him were shut down by the state government.

Alaka, 51, was alleged to be a prime suspect in killings believed to have been perpetrated by the dreaded Badoo cult in Ikorodu area of Lagos.

The cult was known for its peculiar way of killing by smashing the heads of its victims  whether child, woman or man  with mortars, pestles or large stones.

Such killings gripped the Ikorodu area for many months in 2017 fuelling rumours that the killers sold handkerchiefs used to clean the blood of victims to ritualists.

Source: ( Punch Newspaper )Popular actor, Will Smith has taken to Instagram to celebrate the legendary life of Fela Anikulapo Kuti. The actor shared a throwback picture of himself, his wife, Jada Pinkett with another black power couple, Jay-Z and Beyonce, which was taken in 2010 during a play produced to celebrate the life of the Afrobeat legend.

In his Instagram post, Will Smith wrote about how the play named after FELA which he produced together with his wife and friends got 11 Tony Awards Nominations. He further urged poeple to read about the Afro-Beat legend, FELA while describing his life as Deep.

Here is what he wrote below; May 20, 2010. We all produced a play together on Broadway called FELA. It was about the late Nigerian Artist / Activist Fela Anikulapo Kuti. We were nominated for 11 Tony Awards!!! Look up FELA. His life was DEEP! #tbt

source: InstagramThe Benue State police command on Saturday confirmed that the Fulani herdsmen have killed another 10 persons in the troubled Logo Local Government Area of the State.

The armed herdsmen reportedly attacked the community in the early hours of Saturday and hacked the deceased to death in their homes.

The fresh attack is coming barely six days after the herdsmen attacked five communities in Guma and Logo local government areas of the state and killed over 50 persons.

The latest incident, according to sources, happened at Tombo village in Logo Local Government Area of the state.

An eyewitness told our correspondent that the attackers invaded Ukemberagga/ Tsewarves and Tse Toradi, all in Tombo community in the Mbagber-Gaambe- Tiev district.

Another source claimed that the attackers launched the attack about 11pm on Friday and that it lasted till 5am on Saturday.

It was also gathered that the herdsmen invaded the village and burnt houses and shot sporadically, leading to the death of the victims.

Governor Samuel Ortom, who confirmed the incident through his Chief Press Secretary, CPS, Mr. Terver Akase, called for more deployment of security personnel.

Ortom lamented that the situation was getting out of hand, and urged the Federal Government to arrest the situation.

He said, We restate that the FG must come to our aid by deploying more armed security men in those areas to avert further attacks.

The Benue State Police Command also confirmed that 10 persons were killed in the fresh attack

Speaking through its spokesman, ASP Moses Yamu, in a statement, said that a report was received from the area at about 7.30am on Saturday that suspected herdsmen entered Tse Akombo village in Mbamiage district ward and killed 10 persons.

Yamu gave the names of the dead persons to include Terhile Tyosua (45), Mlahaga Tser (65), Changing Tyozua (40) and one other person yet to be identified, who was said to be a visitor.

Others were Kwaghve Baki (70), Suushater Kwgher (07), Tortue Tsehemem (52), Tsav Zahemen (38), Aondohemba Shaki (25) and Francis (22).

Yamu said mobile police led by the Area Commander, Katsina Ala, have been deployed as reinforcement and have since arrived Logo.

Source: ( Punch Newspaper )The Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, said the days of Boko Haram terrorists are numbered, in spite of occasional attacks of Nigerian targets.

Mr. Buratai gave the assurance while addressing troops of the 8 Division at Monguno, headquarters of Monguno Local Government Area of Borno.

He, therefore, charged the troops to be determined in their efforts to stabilise their area of operation and finally overcome the Boko Haram challenge in the country.

We must remain here to stabilise it.

You all know that we have some few attacks here and there by the same elements  Boko Haram, but I assured you that their days are numbered.

With your efforts, with your determination, we will finally overcome the Boko Haram challenge, he said.

The chief of army staff noted that the creation of the 8 Division was a major strategic decision which had helped in addressing the challenge of Boko Haram terrorism in Borno north.

I want to say that this division has lived up to its expectation of containing the Boko Haram challenge in this part of the country.

What remains is for us to continue to stabilise and continue to operate, to prevent any element that may raise their heads in the future.

This part of the country or this part of the region, especially the Lake Chad region has always been volatile.

That is why members of the Lake Chad Commission created the Multinational Joint Task Force.

So, we will see ourselves performing similar duties even after the final clearance of the Boko Haram terrorists, Mr. Buratai added.

He warned the troops to refrain from all acts of indiscipline as peace was gradually returning to the area and displaced people returning to their communities restart their lives.

The army chief further warned that those caught engaging in trading and extortion would be dealt with according to the law.

Issues of indiscipline must also be checked within the division.

As the people here gradually return to their communities, return to their businesses, they should be allowed to do their businesses free without any interference.

Report of extortion or soldiers engaging themselves in trading activities with the people here must be resisted.

We do not want any distraction. Trading in fish or cattle, if anyone  soldier, is caught, he is going to be dealt with according to the law.

You are here to maintain the peace, you are here to perform your duties as soldiers; you are here not to trade or do any other business.

Very soon, those that are in the IDPs camps will go back to their homes and re-establish themselves and the economic activities will increase.

Do not fall into that temptation to be involved (in trading), he further warned.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the 8 Division was created as a task force in 2016 to boost military operations against the Boko Haram menace, particularly in the Lake Chad region.

But the division will move to Sokoto State in the North-west, where it would be operationalised soon, according to Mr. Buratai.

NAN also reports the army chief visited one of the camps in Monguno, holding 20,000 IDPs and donated some relief materials, including food items, detergents and clothes to them.

He used the opportunity to address the elderly men and women IDPs in the camp, including the 700 recently rescued by troops during operations in the Chad basin.

A total of 2,700 captives were rescued in the last one week.

While 700 were rescued on Tuesday, 2,000 were freed on Thursday morning after intensive artillery and aerial bombardment of the terrorists enclaves in the Lake Chad region.

Source : (NAN)The Nigerian Army announced on Saturday, that more fighter jets had been deployed in Sambisa Forest, and the Lake Chad region of Borno State.

According to reports, the operation, which started on Wednesday saw the deployment of two fighter jets and two attack helicopters. It was jointly coordinated by the Nigerian Air Force and the Nigerian Army.

This is just as the Defence Headquarters, Abuja, has yet to comment on any deployment to tackle the herdsmens killings in Benue State and the reported violence in Adamawa State.

The Director, Army Public Relations, Brig Gen. Sani Usman, when contacted to know why the army had not deployed more troops in Benue, said, I will not tell you. Do I have to tell you why? I am not under any obligation to tell you why.

But the NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Vice Marshal Olatokunbo Adesanya, said, The Air Task Force of Operation Lafiya Dole and the army commenced clearance of discovered Boko Haram terrorist locations in Njimia, in the Sambisa area.

Accordingly, NAF fighter aircraft were detailed to attack the location and each of the aircraft took turns to attack structures occupied by the terrorists. The force also conducted air interdiction on another hideout near Camp Zairo.

Source: ( Punch Newspaper )A factional leader of the militant Boko Haram group, Mamman Nur, has been fatally injured, the Nigerian military said Friday.

A military statement said Mr. Nur, who broke away from the faction led by the better known Abubakar Shekau, was injured during an operation in the northeast.

According to the spokesman of the Operation Dole counterinsurgency force in northeast Nigeria, Onyema Nwachukwu, Mr. Nur was hit during a bombardment of a targeted location believed to be his base.

The statement did not indicate the location where the Boko Haram leader was attacked. It did not also say how he was identified.

Previous claims by the military that Mr. Shekau had been killed or fatally injured turned out to be false.

See the military statement below:

Ongoing artillery and aerial bombardments of Boko Haram enclaves in the Lake Chad region by troops of Operation Lafiya Dole has continued to yield positive results.

Currently an evaluation report of the ongoing operation indicates that a major factional leader of the terrorists group, Mamman Nur has been fatally injured in the bombardment as he and his sub commanders fled from the onslaught.

Several of his foot soldiers have also been killed by troops, while many of the insurgents who escaped are now surrendering to Republic of Niger Defence Forces, following the Amnesty granted the insurgents by the Government of Niger Republic.

Source: ( Premium Times )British-Nigerian actor, John Boyega, who spent the Christmas and New Year holiday in Nigeria, went on twitter on January 3rd to express his sadness at not finding a wife while in Nigeria

Holiday coming to an end and no wife. I really dont get it he tweeted

Some Nigerian ladies have now stormed his page to try their luck. lol! Some of the commenters on his page even suggested some Nolywood actresses as wife for him. See the comments below

Source: Linda Ikejis blogPunch

Soldiers who are reportedly searching for persons who allegedly beheaded their colleague have purportedly burned down over 50 houses in Toru-Ndoro community, Bayelsa State.

Vanguard

Osun State Governor, Mr Rauf Aregbesola has described the Former Deputy Governor of the State and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in the 2014 governorship election, Senator Iyiola Omisore as a shameless liar who cannot be entrusted with position of authorities.

The Sun

The Kogi Government on Sunday confirmed the compulsory retirement of eight permanent secretaries, some directors, and the dismissal of 1, 774 others from the state civil service.

Thisday

In spite of security deployment by the federal government to prevent further attacks by Fulani herdsmen on communities in Benue State, there was a fresh attack yesterday in which several people were killed. The latest attack was reported in Ukemberagya and Tswarev wards, in Gaambe-Tiev Logo Local Government Area of the state.

Daily Times

National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun says the party was not involved in the final compilation of the list of board appointments that contained the names of dead Nigerians.

Guardian

Tribune

AN elder statesman, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai and General Secretary of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Anthony Sani have said it will not be a bad idea if senior citizens intervene to bring an end to violence and the spate of killings in the country.

Leadership

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo of Gombe State achievement is enough to instill confidence in people that he can rule the country come 2019.

The NationThere was panic on the Niger Bridge in Delta State, after a woman who was trying to Lagos, was delivered of a baby in the gridlock at Onitsha, which was caused by the blockage of the Niger Bridge for local government elections in Delta State.

It was gathered that the mother was quickly attended to by women around who rushed her into a nearby car.

The car was quickly cordoned and turned into an emergency labour room, it was learnt, and shortly after, the woman was delivered of a baby amidst jubilation from stranded passengers.

Hundreds of travellers from the South-East and South-South returning home from the Christmas and New Year holidays were stranded, following the closure of the Onitsha end of the bridge.

The Anambra State Government, in anticipation of the gridlock, had on Friday issued a travel advice to returnees to the state seeking to use the bridge after the polls.

A release by the state Commissioner for Information and Communication Strategy, Mr. Tony Nnachetta, read, As a result of local government elections, scheduled to hold Saturday, January 6, 2018 in Delta State, the Delta State government has announced that curfew will be in place in the state effective midnight on Friday.

The curfew will affect movement into and out of Delta State, including its borders and connecting roads with Anambra state.

Ndi Anambra are therefore advised to take note of this development and make adequate travel arrangements to avoid being stranded, as they make plans to return to their various places of residence after the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

As early as 7am, a severe human and vehicular traffic jam constituted of holidaying returnees from the South-East and South-South had formed on the Onitsha axis of the bridge.

Security personnel, who manned the bridge and other borders of the state, gave no one access to the bridge.

Some of the travellers had to alight from their vehicles to return to their states of origin, insisting they would make the journey the next day.

A travellers identified as , Maazi Obi, who spoke to newsmen said, I was going to visit a friend in Agbor, Delta State, who invited me just to know his country home, but with this, I am going back to Awka.

As of 3pm, the number of the vehicles in traffic was still growing, while some motorists who sought to make a U-turn were unable to do so as they had been blocked.

Source: ( Punch Newspaper )Chelseas manager, Antonio Conte has labelled Jose Mourinho a little man as the Chelsea managers feud with the Manchester United boss escalated following his teams FA Cup goalless draw against Norwich on Saturday.

Conte and Mourinho have exchanged increasingly bitter barbs over the course of this season and their rivalry has reached boiling point over the last week.

Responding to Mourinho talking about Conte in relation to a past match-fixing scandal in Italy, the former Juventus boss said: We all know him very well. But its always the same. This is his way. Its not a surprise for me.

I think when you try to hurt a person, especially if you know very well the truth of what happens, the court proved my innocence when you do this it means you are a little man.

But this is the not the first time. He does this in the past and he continues to do this in the present and when you are in this way you will continue to be in this way.

Mourinho had triggered the latest bad blood when he was asked about his recent solemn behaviour on the touchline and responded by saying he no longer acts like a clown in a comment that was perceived as being aimed at Conte and Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

Conte hit back by suggesting that the United manager may be suffering from demenza senile  senile dementia  because he had clearly forgotten his past wild ways on the touchline.

Mourinho didnt take that jibe well and after Uniteds win against Derby on Friday he said: What has never happened to me and will never happen is to be suspended for match-fixing.

The surprising reference to match-fixing drew a follow-up question as to whether it was directly aimed at Conte.

The Chelsea boss was acquitted of sporting fraud charges in 2016. Prosecutors had requested a six-month suspended sentence following accusations he failed to report episodes of match-fixing while in charge at Serie B side Siena in 2011.

The former Italy manager  who has always denied any wrongdoing  served a four-month ban in relation to the affair in 2012.

But when mention was made of the accusations against Conte, Mourinho said: Did he? Not me.

Source: ( AFP )By Patrick Flynn

A group of anti-war protestors marched on Shannon Airport early this morning to show their opposition to the US militarys use of the airport.

The march was led by 82-year-old peace activist Margaretta DArcy who was previously jailed for making an illegal incursion onto the runway at Shannon in 2012.

Shortly before 7am today, Ms DArcy led the group of about 15 women on the 2km walk to the main airport building.

The women had been taking part in a 25-hour peace vigil at a camp at Drumgeely close to the airport.

The 25-hour event was organised by Shannon Airport Women's Peace Camp to mark Nollaig na mBan

A spokeswoman said: "We gathered to draw attention to the use of Shannon Airport as a military base and to demonstrate the revulsion at state-sponsored violence and facilitation of the US military."

Pic: Patrick Flynn.

When the group reached the security checkpoint at the entrance to the airport, they were advised they could march to the terminal but would not be allowed inside.

On reaching the airport building, the women sat and sang peace songs before dispersing again at around 9am and returning to their camp.

Some members of ShannonWatch, a group that monitors US military used of Shannon Airport, also attended and supported the event.As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles.

Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services.

These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience  the local community.

It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times.

CloseBefore former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori, several people convicted of crimes against humanity have been granted early release, from Nazis tried in Nuremberg to Argentinian military officers.

 World War II 

 Walther Funk: The former chief of the German Reichsbank from 1939 to 1945 is sentenced to life in prison at the Nuremberg trials in 1946 for having accepted gold extorted by the SS from deportees to concentration camps. He is freed in 1957 for health reasons.

 Erich Raeder: The commander of the German Navy until 1943 is sentenced at Nuremberg to life in prison, before being freed in 1955 as he approaches 80 for medical reasons.

 Maurice Papon: A senior official under Frances wartime Vichy government, Papon is sentenced to 10 years in jail in 1998 for his role in organising the deportation of 1,690 Jews between 1942 and 1944. Imprisoned in 1999, he is freed in September 2002, aged 92, on medical grounds. He dies on February 17, 2007.

 Erich Priebke: In 1998 the former SS officer is condemned to life in prison by an Italian court for his role in the massacre of 335 people in the Ardeatine complex of caves near Rome in 1944. Due to his age  85  and ill-health he is allowed to serve out his life sentence at the home of his lawyer and dies in 2013.

 The former Yugoslavia 

Several people convicted by the Hague-based International Criminal Court for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) received early release having served two thirds of their sentences.

Some notable examples:

 Biljana Plavsic: The former president of Bosnias Serbs, Plavsic is the only woman tried by the ICTY for genocide, crimes against humanity and warcrimes. In 2003 she is sentenced to 11 years in prison. She is freed in 2009 aged 87 having served two thirds of her sentence. She returns to Belgrade in a private jet and is welcomed by the Prime Minister of Bosnias Serb republic.

 Mirko Norac: The former Croat general, sentenced in Croatia to 15 years in prison for warcrimes committed against Serbs, is granted early release in November 2012.

 Nikola Sainovic: The former Yugoslav deputy prime minister is sentenced to 18 years in prison for warcrimes and crimes against humanity for his role in the Kosovo conflict. Freed in 2015 after serving two thirds of his sentence he is then appointed to a top body of Serbias Socialist Party.

 Fikret Abdi: The Bosnian Muslim militia leader is given a 15-year jail term on appeal for imprisoning some 5,000 people in detention camps, at least three of whom died of maltreatment. He is released in 2012 after serving two-thirds of his sentence.

 Argentinian soldiers 

Around 60 top officials from Argentinas last dictatorship from 1976 to 1983, are convicted then amnestied, before going on trial again and sentenced for crimes against humanity between 2005-2009.

Many of them are allowed to serve their time at home given their age.

Two examples:

 Miguel Etchecolatz: the former Buenos Aires police commissioner is sentenced in 1986 to 23 years in prison for having executed and tortured 91 people. He is granted amnesty then tried and sentenced again in 2006 to life in prison for crimes against humanity. In 2017 he is allowed to serve the rest of his sentence at home due to his age of 88.

 General Antonio Domingo Bussi is sentenced to life in prison in 2008. Due to his advanced age he is allowed to serve out his sentence at home. He died in 2011.GOLD HILL, Ore. -- Jackson County Sheriff's Office deputies are warning people to be wary of old military souvenirs tucked away in storage after a live WWII-style mortar shell was found in a home this week.

On Thursday, January 4, 2018, a Gold Hill woman reported finding a World War II-style mortar shell in a shed on her property in the 400-block of Chavner Street. It had been stored there as long for more than 30 years. She took the mortar out to her yard and set it on the ground before calling dispatch.

Deputies responded and requested assistance from the Oregon State Police Explosives Unit. A military Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit was then sent from the Portland area to collect the device. In the meantime, deputies notified neighbors and blocked off the area. The EOD team took the mortar to a safe location for detonation. Nobody was injured during the incident.

Deputies say these cases happen from time to time; usually the item turns out to be an inert shell kept as a souvenir. In this case, it turned out to be a live device and the homeowner was unaware of the potential danger.

"Unfortuntately it's common. We find a lot of training devices that weren't live. Every once and a while, we find a live device that someone used a souvenir from back in the war. This one had been in the storage shed for over 30 years,"said Sergeant Don Adams with the Jackson County Sheriff's Office.

Sometimes people find these old devices buried on trails. Sgt. Adams said in the last few years, the sheriff's office has come across roughly five.

"Just our area we live in. It used to be an old logging area, an old mining area. So dynamite, the blasting caps, those kinds of things, we come across quite often," Sgt. Adams said.

He added army training base, Camp White also used to be in the area so any of these devices still around could be dangerous.

The training ones look just like the live ones so that's why we take them all seriously as if they were a live device and contact the Oregon State Police Bomb Squad and have them come up and deal with it," Sgt. Adams said.



If you find a suspicious device on your property, military-type or otherwise, please do not handle it or move it to another location. Leave the item in place and call authorities so an expert can examine it safely.WASHINGTON (AP) - Steve Bannon is trying to make amends.

President Donald Trump's former chief strategist has issued a statement to the news site "Axios" reaffirming his support for the president and praising Trump's eldest son.

Bannon says Donald Trump Jr. "is both a patriot and a good man" and has been "relentless in his advocacy for his father."

Bannon infuriated Trump with comments he made to author Michael Wolff describing a meeting between Trump Jr., senior campaign aides and a Russian lawyer as "treasonous" and "unpatriotic."

But Bannon says his description was aimed at former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, not Trump's son.

Bannon says he regrets that his "delay in responding to the inaccurate reporting regarding Don Jr. has diverted attention" from Trump's achievement.

And he says his support for the president is "unwavering."In this photo provided by Korea Coast Guard, the Panama-registered tanker "Sanchi" is seen ablaze after a collision with a Hong Kong-registered freighter off China's eastern coast Sunday, Jan. 7, 2018. The oil tanker collided with a bulk freighter and caught fire off China's eastern coast, leaving its entire crew of 32 missing, most of them Iranians, authorities said. (Korea Coast Guard via AP)A prominent figure in the Canadian theatre world and the company he founded are facing four separate lawsuits alleging sexual assault and harassment. Director Albert Schultz oversees rehearsals for the production of "Spoon River" at the Soulpepper Theatre in Toronto's Young Centre for the Performing Arts on Monday, March 20, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris YoungAsylum seekers line up to enter Olympic Stadium Friday, August 4, 2017 near Montreal, Quebec. The federal government's contingency plans for a new surge of asylum seekers at the border this winter could be put to the test with the pending decision on the fate of 200,000 Salvadorans. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul ChiassonFILE - In this file photo dated Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2017, Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street to attend at Parliament in London. Prime Minister May is reported Sunday Jan. 7, 2018, to have said she will re-jig the government ranks "soon," with the reshuffle of her Cabinet ahead of a crucial new phase in Brexit negotiations. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, FILE)Stephen Colbert, center, executive producer of the Showtime animated series "Our Cartoon President," takes part in a panel discussion on the show with fellow executive producer Chris Licht, left, and showrunner/executive producer/writer R.J. Fried at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018, in Pasadena, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)Children and adults dance the Murinheira, a traditional dance of Celtic origin, in the village of Vale de Salgueiro, northern Portugal, during the local Kings' Feast Friday, Jan. 5, 2018. The village's Epiphany celebrations, called Kings' Feast, feature a tradition that each year causes an outcry among outsiders: parents encourage their children, some as young as 5, to smoke cigarettes. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)FILE -- In this file photo made from the footage taken from Russian Defense Ministry official web site on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015, Russian Tu-22 bombers escorted by the Su-27s fighter jets drop bombs on a target in Syria. Syrian government forces and allied militiamen are advancing on the largest remaining rebel-held territory in the country's north, forcing thousands of civilians to flee toward the border with Turkey amid a crushing offensive just as the cold winter weather sets in. (AP Photo/ Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, File)FILE - In this file photo dated Tuesday, July 14, 2015, a protestors dressed as a fox demonstrates to keep a ban on fox hunting, near to the Houses of Parliament in London. During a TV interview broadcast Sunday Jan. 7, 2018, Prime Minister Theresa May said the British government is scrapping a promise to reconsider the current ban on fox hunting until after the next election, due in 2022, a centuries-old rural tradition contentiously outlawed more than a decade ago. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, FILE)Iranian worshippers burn a representation of U.S. flag, reading "the most deserving flag for burning", during a rally against anti-government protestors after the Friday prayer ceremony in Tehran, Iran, Jan. 5, 2018. A hard-line Iranian cleric has called on Iran to create its own indigenous social media apps, blaming them for the unrest that followed days of protest in the Islamic Republic over its economy. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)Kilkenny had jobs increases last year but the county still had the lowest employment growth nationwide in Enterprise Ireland backed companies.

Enterprise Ireland, the Government agency responsible for developing Irish business globally, reported the creation of 19,332 new jobs by their backed companies in 2017.

In Kilkenny the total jobs in Enterprise Ireland backed companies came to 4,276 last year which was a net gain of 102 on 2016  a 2% increase.

Counties like Tipperary meanwhile had an 8% increase with 427 extra jobs and Carlow was up 5% after the creation of 158 jobs.

A total of 209,338 people are employed in companies supported by EI - the highest total employment achieved in the agencys history.

This represents a net increase of 10,309 jobs nationwide for 2017, taking account of job losses.

Two thirds (64%) of the new jobs created were outside of Dublin. The West, Mid-West and North West saw the largest level of increases at 7% in 2017.

EI attributed this to the continuing growth of an entrepreneurial climate for start-ups, allied to strong jobs growth in the Construction (8% increase), Engineering (8% increase), Lifesciences (8% increase), Digital Technology (6% increase), Electronics (6% increase), Food (4% increase).

EI Chief Executive, Julie Sinnamon, said: Despite the challenge and uncertainty created by Brexit, Irish companies have continued to grow their global exports, supporting strong job creation across all of the regions of Ireland.

Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys, said: Whatever the outcome of the complex Brexit negotiations that lie ahead, it is vital that as a country we are ready, and that the Government continues to take initiatives to bolster the capacity of our enterprise agencies to drive exports and support investment.

As a rural TD from a border area, I am acutely aware of the challenges facing indigenous businesses as a direct result of the UKs decision to leave the European Union.

In recent months, Enterprise Ireland, through funding provided by my Department, has launched new measures to strengthen the rural and regional economy, and to provide quicker access to innovation funding for exporting companies.FILLMORE COUNTY, Minn. - A Wykoff man has died after a single-car accident on Friday.

The Fillmore County Sheriff's Office responded to a report of a single car accident on Friday, Jan. 5 around 7:30 p.m. It happened in the 28000 block of Morgan Road.

Officials say a passerby who lives in the area was traveling south and observed a vehicle off the roadway. That person checked the vehicle, found an injured driver, and called 911.

The vehicle was a 1992 Buick Riviera, traveling southwest on Morgan Road towards Fillmore. The driver was 62-year-old Dale Benike of Wykoff. He was the onle occupant of the car.

Authorities say the vehicle left the roadway and struck a tree. Benike was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Fillmore County Sheriff's Office, Chatfield Police Department, Wykoff Fire, and Chatfield Ambulance all responded to the scene.BEIJING, Jan 7 (Reuters) - The China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) may issue its first U.S. dollar-denominated bond by the end of June this year, according to a state media report on Sunday citing the bank's treasurer Soren Elbech.

The earliest issuance window will be "toward the end of the first half of 2018," to allow time for certain procedures, including the board of governors' approval of AIIB's 2017 financial statements as well as borrowing and swap documentation, Xinhua said citing a statement from Elbech.

Elbech said the minimum size of the bond would be $1 billion, but as demand for the first bond issue from AIIB may be strong, "we anticipate having to issue a larger size."

In terms of bond's maturity, Elbech said the choice would be between three and five years depending on investor demand at the time, Xinhua said.

He said the bank planned to cap its total borrowing volume at $3 billion in 2018.

In November, AIIB Vice President Thierry de Longuemar told Reuters the inaugural U.S. dollar bond would likely be launched in Europe sometime in 2018. The AIIB, which has 80 member countries, was set up by China as its answer to the World Bank to help meet the estimated $26 trillion need for infrastructure spending in Asia through 2030.

(Reporting by Josephine Mason. Editing by Jane Merriman)U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Friday that military action remains an option should diplomatic efforts fail to end North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

In an interview with CNN, the top U.S. diplomat was commenting on President Donald Trump's recent tweet, in which he boasted about having a "nuclear button" that is "much bigger and more powerful" than the one allegedly sitting on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's desk.

"I think the rhetoric that North Korea understands is that while it is our objective, and the president's been very clear, to achieve a denuclearization through diplomatic efforts, those diplomatic efforts are backed by a strong military option if necessary," he said. "That is not the first choice and the president's been clear that's not his first choice, but it is important that North Koreans as well as other regional players understand how high the stakes are, in an effort to ensure our diplomatic efforts are fully supported."

Washington has led a "maximum pressure" campaign of increasing economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation to force Pyongyang to abandon its pursuit of nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles capable of striking anywhere in the U.S.

Last year, the U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted three sets of sanctions aimed at depriving the communist regime of the fuel and revenue to develop its weapons. Tillerson also noted that some countries have imposed unilateral sanctions and scaled back diplomatic ties.

"I think it is a recognition that the president has demonstrated to the world how high the stakes are. That's why we must achieve a diplomatic outcome," he said.

Tillerson warned North Korea against conducting further nuclear and ballistic missile tests.











Kim's overture does not mean he is changing his strategy, experts say



By Kim Jae-kyoung



South Korea should take a careful, measured approach to inter-Korean talks to avoid being pushed around by Pyongyang, and must not repeat a bad engagement practice, according to experts on North Korea.



They stress that Seoul must not agree to any sanctions-breaking actions to help Pyongyang because Kim Jong-un's rare peace overture does not mean he is changing his strategy and goal of making his country a nuclear power.



High-level inter-Korean talks on the North's participation in the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games and restoring strained bilateral relations will take place at the shared border village of Panmunjeom, Tuesday.



"Seoul should apply a principled approach to any talks with North Korea, and not be too eager to please (Pyongyang)," Tara O, an adjunct fellow at the Pacific Forum CSIS, told The Korea Times.



She said there was a precedent  the Sunshine Policy  in which unconditional aid was given to North Korea, only for Pyongyang to prioritize nuclear weapons that threatened South Korea and the international community.



"Thus, there should be no efforts to restart the Sunshine Policy," she said.



The bilateral talks come a week after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un announced in his New Year address that he was willing to send a delegation to the Winter Olympics, and to hold talks.





By Kim Se-jeong



The exposure to air pollutants at the PM 2.5 density level and an insufficient water supply will undermine the quality of lives for Koreans, according to the OECD. In "How's Life 2017?" released by the organization, high household debt and low trust in the national government also affect people's life satisfaction.



The OECD conducts the study every two years using statistical data provided by individual countries and compares these against standard indicators. Seven non-OECD states were also studied for reference purposes.



Regarding exposure to PM 2.5, the average exposure level outdoors was 27.9 micrograms per cubic meter in 2013, double the OECD average at 13.9 micrograms. Korea had the worst exposure among 41 states whose records were compared.



The second worst country was South Africa with 21.6 micrograms while Poland, another non-OCED member state, was third worst with 22.1 micrograms.



The countries with the best air quality were Iceland with 3 micrograms, followed by Finland with 4.6, New Zealand with 4.9 and Australia with 5.2.



The study found Korea's water resources were also a threat to the future quality of life, with 1,500 cubic meters of water available per person. Korea ranked as the second lowest country regarding water resources among the 41 surveyed countries. Israel ranked bottom. The OECD average was 9,100 cubic meters of water per person, while Japan had 3,300 cubic meters and the U.S. 7,700 cubic meters.



International statistics have long designated Korea as a water stressed country, yet the government dismisses this, arguing Korea has a relatively large volume of rain water during the monsoon season and has enough dams and reservoirs to maintain a steady supply.



The study also found Korea's household debt per earnings was 170 percent, the 10th highest, posing a threat to people's life satisfaction. Also notable was that the percentage has worsened over the years _ in 2008, the debt ratio was 143 percent.



The OCED said Korean citizens' trust in its national government is also among the lowest at 26.2 percent. The OECD average was 37.6 percent, while in Switzerland and Luxembourg the rates were 77.9 percent and 67.9 percent, respectively.



However, the report positively noted Korea for improving its voter turnout. It cited last year's presidential election where 77 percent of eligible voters went to polling stations after the outraged public ousted corrupt former President Park Geun-hye.









A high-ranking official of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will visit South Korea this week amid snowballing speculations about bilateral feuds over nuclear cooperation or military ties, informed sources said Sunday.

Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority of Abu Dhabi, is expected to arrive in Seoul on early Monday to discuss pending issues between the two countries, they said.

He is one of the closest aides to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan. He was present at the crown prince's meeting with Korean presidential chief of staff Im Jong-seok in Abu Dhabi early last month.

Al Mubarak's trip comes amid a nagging controversy in South Korea over Im's real mission.

The Korean government only said Im discussed ways to improve bilateral ties. But opposition politicians and media raised suspicions that his trip was to allay the UAE's concerns about the impact President Moon Jae-in's nuclear-free policy will have on deals for South Korea to build and manage nuclear reactors in the Middle East country.

Speculations also emerged that his visit was to address the UAE's grievances over Seoul's alleged attempts to reduce its troop presence in the country or revise "secret" mutual military agreements signed under Moon's predecessors.

Nothing has been known about Al Mubarak's mission during the upcoming visit.

Some sources said he may arrange Moon's possible visit to the UAE. During phone talks in June, Moon told the crown prince that he hoped to attend the ceremony to mark the completion of a nuclear reactor in the country built by South Korea. (Yonhap)By Yi Whan-woo



The top nuclear envoys of China and Japan have been visiting South Korea since last week, ahead of the scheduled high-level talks between Seoul and Pyongyang, Tuesday.

The visits amid speculation that the cross-border dialogue, the first in over two years, are expected to reshape security on the Korean Peninsula and influence its shareholders, including China and Japan.

On Monday, Japan's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau Director General Kenji Kanasugi will come to Seoul and meet with his counterpart Lee Do-hoon.

Kenji's visit will come after Kong Xuanyou, China's assistant minister of foreign affairs and special representative on Korean Peninsula affairs, met Lee here last week.

Kenji and Lee are anticipated to discuss regional security as well as three-way cooperation with the United States on North Korea's nuclear threats.

The high-level talks are aimed at discussing the North's participation in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics after its leader Kim Jong-un expressed a willingness to send a delegation here.

Japan welcomed Pyongyang's move for change but said it will remain unchanged in its sanctions and pressure against the repressive state in line with international efforts.

On Friday, Kong and Lee shared thoughts on measures to be taken over the North's nuclear and ballistic missile program.

Following a meeting with Lee, Kong told reporters that he welcomes North Korea joining the South's first Winter Games, saying "China hopes that they continue to keep in touch even after the Olympics."

He also said the PyeongChang Games "serves as a moment to establish peace on the peninsula."

He assessed that South Korea and the U.S. virtually made a decision in line with China's call when they decided last week to hold off their joint military exercises until after the Olympics.

The timing of the allies' two parallel drills  Key Resolve and Foal Eagle  overlap with that of the PyeongChang Olympics and Paralympic Winter Games, slated for Feb. 9 to 25 and March 9 to 18, respectively.By Kim Se-jeong



This week's hearings in former President Park Geun-hye's trial for corruption and abuse of power is expected to involve owners of big Korean companies testifying against her.



Park is on trial for 20 charges, including pressuring conglomerates to make "donations" to the Mir and K-Sports foundations controlled by her confidant Choi Soon-sil. In return, Park allegedly offered business favors to the companies.



Among the charges, two were added only last week. The prosecution alleged Park received bribes from the National Intelligence Service (NIS), estimated at 3.65 billion won ($3.43), and used it to pay for her medical treatment and to give bonuses to her close aides in Cheong Wa Dae.



Those called in for a hearing Thursday are Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-yeon, LG Group Chairman Ku Bon-moo, GS Group Chairman Huh Chang-soo and Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Yang-ho.



However, Cho submitted a letter stating that he could not attend as will be on an overseas business trip.



All the chairmen gave money to the two foundations, and the prosecution is likely to ask them whether they were made under pressure from Park.



Sohn Kyung-shik, the co-chairman of CJ Group is expected to testify today about Park's influence in limiting CJ's film production.



According to the prosecution, Park stated that CJ Films was left-leaning during a private meeting with Sohn in 2014, and pressured him to take actions to stop this. In response, Sohn allegedly apologized and promised to make changes to please her, the prosecution said.



Also due today is former senior presidential secretary for economic affairs Cho Won-dong who is suspected of enforcing Park's suppression of CJ Group.



Cho is also facing the first hearing today in his trial for abuse of power. The prosecution argues that Cho ordered Sohn to remove Lee Mi-kyung, who was head of CJ Films at the time, from her post. Lee didn't "resign" but abruptly left the country in September 2014. Cho admitted that Park told him to pressure the group, but denied he pushed Sohn to remove Lee.



Park has been tried in absentia since late November. In October, her team of legal representatives resigned to protest a court decision to extend her detention for another six months. Currently, court-appointed lawyers are representing her but she refuses to meet with them.



To deal with the additional charges brought last week Park hired Yoo Young-ha, Saturday, who had defended her until last October.

By Kang Aa-young, Park Si-soo







Unable to get a job because of hair loss? It sounds bizarre and ridiculous, but it happened at a South Korean company.







Thankfully, the state human rights watchdog put a stop to this appalling practice. But the incident revealed how basic human rights can be ignored for nonsensical reasons.







According to the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRC), a man applied for a job with a building management company in August 2015. He passed all the recruiting procedures and received final notice of his employment.







But days after, he was told his employment had been cancelled because, he claimed, he was bald.







The company said the cancellation was due to "critical flaws" found after he received confirmation he had been hired. But the man found hard and circumstantial evidence suggesting his baldness was the sole reason.







He filed a petition with the commission, demanding the company withdraw the cancellation. The human rights advocate verified his claim to be true through a fact-finding investigation and demanded that the company hire the man although it was not legally required to comply.







"Being bald . . . is a natural consequence that can't be reversed by human control. So putting someone at a disadvantage in employment for one's baldness is a discrimination that can't be accepted under any circumstances," said a NHRC official.

By Joseph S. Nye, Jr.





CAMBRIDGE  China has invested billions of dollars to increase its soft power, but it has recently suffered a backlash in democratic countries. A new report by the National Endowment for Democracy argues that we need to rethink soft power, because "the conceptual vocabulary that has been used since the Cold War's end no longer seems adequate to the contemporary situation."







The report describes the new authoritarian influences being felt around the world as "sharp power." A recent cover article in The Economist defines "sharp power" by its reliance on "subversion, bullying and pressure, which combine to promote self-censorship." Whereas soft power harnesses the allure of culture and values to augment a country's strength, sharp power helps authoritarian regimes compel behavior at home and manipulate opinion abroad.







The term "soft power"  the ability to affect others by attraction and persuasion rather than the hard power of coercion and payment  is sometimes used to describe any exercise of power that does not involve the use of force. But that is a mistake. Power sometimes depends on whose army or economy wins, but it can also depend on whose story wins.







A strong narrative is a source of power. China's economic success has generated both hard and soft power, but within limits. A Chinese economic aid package under the Belt and Road Initiative may appear benign and attractive, but not if the terms turn sour, as was recently the case in a Sri Lankan port project.







Likewise, other exercises of economic hard power undercut the soft power of China's narrative. For example, China punished Norway for awarding a Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo. It also threatened to restrict access to the Chinese market for an Australian publisher of a book critical of China.







If we use the term sharp power as shorthand for information warfare, the contrast with soft power becomes plain. Sharp power is a type of hard power. It manipulates information, which is intangible, but intangibility is not the distinguishing characteristic of soft power. Verbal threats, for example, are both intangible and coercive.







When I introduced the concept of soft power in 1990, I wrote that it is characterized by voluntarism and indirection, while hard power rests on threats and inducements. If someone aims a gun at you, demands your money, and takes your wallet, what you think and want is irrelevant. That is hard power. If he persuades you to give him your money, he has changed what you think and want. That is soft power.







Truth and openness create a dividing line between soft and sharp power in public diplomacy. When China's official news agency, Xinhua, broadcasts openly in other countries, it is employing soft-power techniques, and we should accept that. When China Radio International covertly backs 33 radio stations in 14 countries, the boundary of sharp power has been crossed, and we should expose the breach of voluntarism.







Of course, advertising and persuasion always involve some degree of framing, which limits voluntarism, as do structural features of the social environment. But extreme deception in framing can be viewed as coercive; though not violent, it prevents meaningful choice.







Techniques of public diplomacy that are widely viewed as propaganda cannot produce soft power. In an age of information, the scarcest resources are attention and credibility. That is why exchange programs that develop two-way communication and personal relations among students and young leaders are often far more effective generators of soft power than, say, official broadcasting.







The United States has long had programs enabling visits by young foreign leaders, and now China is successfully following suit. That is a smart exercise of soft power. But when visas are manipulated or access is limited to restrain criticism and encourage self-censorship, even such exchange programs can shade into sharp power.







As democracies respond to China's sharp power and information warfare, they have to be careful not to overreact. Much of the soft power democracies wield comes from civil society, which means that openness is a crucial asset. China could generate more soft power if it would relax some of its tight party control over civil society. Similarly, manipulation of media and reliance on covert channels of communication often reduces soft power. Democracies should avoid the temptation to imitate these authoritarian sharp-power tools.







Moreover, shutting down legitimate Chinese soft-power tools can be counter-productive. Soft power is often used for competitive, zero-sum purposes; but it can also have positive sum aspects.







For example, if both China and the U.S. wish to avoid conflict, exchange programs that increase American attraction to China, and vice versa, would benefit both countries. And on transnational issues such as climate change, where both countries can benefit from cooperation, soft power can help build the trust and create the networks that make such cooperation possible.







While it would be a mistake to prohibit Chinese soft-power efforts just because they sometimes shade into sharp power, it is also important to monitor the dividing line carefully. For example, the Hanban, the government agency that manages the 500 Confucius Institutes and 1,000 Confucius classrooms that China supports in universities and schools around the world to teach Chinese language and culture, must resist the temptation to set restrictions that limit academic freedom. Crossing that line has led to the disbanding of some Confucius Institutes.







As such cases show, the best defense against China's use of soft-power programs as sharp-power tools is open exposure of such efforts. And this is where democracies have an advantage.







Joseph Nye is a professor at Harvard and author of "The Future of Power." Copyright belongs to Project Syndicate (

).

By Chang Se-moon





I have been told many times that Koreans outside of Korea worry more about the dangers of war than Koreans in Korea. When I visited Korea in October last year, I had an opportunity to test the hypothesis. This is how I tested the hypothesis.



I have three sisters and one brother living in Seoul. They care about me so much that they mapped out a wonderful schedule for my entire stay there. When I met with them the first day, I said nothing about North Korea. Nor did they. During the second day, I again said nothing about North Korea. Neither did they.



I finally broke my silence during the third day. One of my brothers-in-law then confessed to me that many in Korea set aside cash, and a bag of rice for any emergency. He had a painful expression when he told me that.



One of my sisters added by making suggestions on what they could do if war breaks out, indicating that everything is totally beyond their control. Again, she had a painful expression on her face.



There was no need to say more. I saw pain and helplessness.



By now, I know that the hypothesis that Koreans outside Korea worry more about the dangers of war than Koreans in Korea is completely false.



Clearly, the fear and helpless feeling that my relatives are hiding are not limited to them. I have no doubt that most, if not all, of ordinary Koreans in Korea share exactly the same fear and helpless feeling.



What else can Koreans do if a war breaks out? Streets are overcrowded with vehicles, keeping everyone from fleeing to safer places. The distribution system will be totally paralyzed, making it impossible to obtain minimal requirements for survival.



If they can survive all the nuclear blasts and chemical weapons overhead, radiation contamination will lead to painful and drawn-out deaths for many of them.



This is not an ordinary time in North Korea, either.



We all know that leaders in North Korea are just insane: piling up nuclear and chemical weapons against all known international laws, executing anyone critical of the leadership, herding conscientious men and women to brutal concentration camps, and the list goes on and on.



Even with tight control over the internet and outside contact, there is no way for Kim Jong-un to continue to deny North Koreans access to outside information. They will soon find out that most, if not all, of them carry parasite worms in their stomachs, that North Korean soldiers began to surrender to the South, that many North Koreans are contaminated with nuclear radiation with sick people and abnormal babies overflowing the country soon, and that even their diplomats defect to the South.



Only a select few in the North are undoubtedly stashing away food and money just as those in the South do.



I think implosion of North Korea is not only possible, but highly likely as well. The only problem is that waiting for implosion cannot be a public policy of national security for South Korea.



What will South Korea do, if an assassination of Kim Jong-un is followed by a call for help from the South by new leaders replacing Kim? What will South Korea do, if Kim survives but a defiant segment of the North Korean military requests help from the South?



Importantly, what will South Korea do, if China sends troops to occupy the North during a crisis under the pretense of securing their border or nuclear weapons?



What will happen, if the U.S. bombs key military targets in the North with concurrent declaration that the U.S. will not invade the North? What will South Korea do, if North Korea requests massive assistance of all kinds from the South with no mention of abandoning nuclear weapons?



Questions on dangerous but realistic scenarios see no end.



To be honest, I really do not know what the answers are, although the bottom line may have to be that South Korea must be militarily strong enough not only to defend against any aggression from the North, but, listen to this carefully, also to make China feel threatened if they intervene in Korean affairs.



I want to beg leaders in South Korea to please stop wasting their time on trivial matters and begin to focus on national security. When leaders in South Korea say that Korea has to be militarily strong, it sounds so hollow. I do not think anyone in or outside of Korea believes those words, let alone feeling safer.



If I were one of leaders in South Korea, I do not see how I can sleep. I would spend all my time, thinking about how to secure the long-term safety of my people from the senseless threats from the North. Leaders must realize that this is not an ordinary time, while "candlelight" generations must realize that candlelight can easily be replaced by lights from horrible weapons of the North.



I have no answers, but leaders in Korea better have. Wishing for the best with no preparation is a direct path toward self-destruction.





Chang Se-moon (changsemoon@yahoo.com) is the director of the Gulf Coast Center for Impact Studies.

PRESS RELEASE

National Security Advisor McMaster Stabs Trump in the Back Again, on Russia Policy

Jan. 5, 2018 (EIRNS)During an interview with Voice of America, National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster threatened Russia that it is "going to pay a huge price" for "empowering Iran."

"What we have seen recently is it seems as if Russia will actually act against its interests to spite the United States, the West, our European allies,"

he asserted.

"Every state, every Arab state certainly, should recognize what Russia has been doing, and Russia should pay the price in terms of its reputation, its access to the region for what it is doing to enable Iran and Irans very destructive activities..."

"What was need to do with Russia is confront their destabilizing behavior," and "pull the curtain back on it."

Setting the record straight, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said today that Washington is "looking for reasons" to pressure Iran on its nuclear program, by linking it to the protests. He had earlier warned against interfering in Irans "internal affairs."Dear Liz: Is there a minimum amount of assets required before a revocable living trust is advisable? I am retired but my wife is still working. If we do not include our 401(k) plans, our total liquid assets (my wifes monthly salary, my monthly Social Security benefit and my pension check) are below $100,000. We do not own a house or other real estate and do not have any major outstanding loans. We own our only car, a 2009 non-luxury vehicle.

Assuming we need a trust, do we still need to make out a will? If so, can we use a state-specific form online or just make out a handwritten will? Lastly, can a will be until further notice or do we have to update it each year? It should be obvious that we are trying to save expenses where we can.

Answer: Living trusts allow estates to avoid probate, the court process that otherwise oversees the paying of creditors and distribution of someones assets. (The sources of income you listed arent considered assets, by the way, since those will cease upon your deaths and cant be transferred to other heirs.) Living trusts offer privacy, because probate is a public process, and can make it easier for a designated person to take over for you if you should become incapacitated.

Theres no specific dollar amount of assets for which a living trust becomes a good idea. In many states, probate isnt a big deal, while in others  including California  probate is expensive enough that the cost of setting up a living trust can be worthwhile. Even in California, smaller estates (those under $150,000) can avoid probate or qualify for a streamlined process that can make living trusts unnecessary.

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Those with larger estates may be able to avoid probate using other methods.

The money in your 401(k)s, for example, will pass directly to the beneficiaries you name. In many states, you also can name a beneficiary for a vehicle right on the registration form so your car could avoid probate. Some states also offer this transfer on death option for real estate.

Plan Your Estate, an excellent primer from self-help legal publisher Nolo, details your options.

Living trusts typically replace the need for a will, although a lawyer likely would recommend creating a pour-over will to include any assets accidentally left out of the trust. If you dont have a living trust, youll definitely need wills to outline how you want your property distributed.

You also should create powers of attorney for healthcare and for finances, so that someone you name can make decisions for you should you become incapacitated. These documents are probably more important than a will because they can determine your quality of life at the end of your days rather than just what happens to your stuff when youre beyond caring.

Do-it-yourself options are fine if your estate is small, simple and unlikely to be challenged by contentious heirs. Each state has specific requirements for making a legal will, which will be detailed in the software or online forms you use. You dont have to update a will yearly but its a good idea to at least review your estate documents annually to see if any changes might be needed.

You wont owe gift taxes until youve given away more than $11 million in your lifetime above the $15,000-per-person annual limit. (iStock )

Cash gift to daughter shouldnt trigger fine

Dear Liz: I gave my daughter $30,000 in 2015. I was fined $5,000. Why? I had not talked with another daughter, who does my taxes, so I was not aware that I could give only $14,000. If I had known, I could have given her the money over two years. Why wouldnt they advise me as such?

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Answer: Its not clear whom you mean by they, but you need to have a chat with the daughter who does your taxes, because its extremely unlikely you were fined by the IRS for your gift.

In 2015, you wouldnt owe gift taxes until you had given away more than $5 million in your lifetime above the $14,000-per-person annual limit. (That lifetime limit, by the way, has been raised to over $11 million, and the annual gift exclusion limit is now $15,000.)

If you had to pay an extra $5,000, it was for something else. Lets hope the tax-preparing daughter didnt decide to fine you for favoring your other child.

Liz Weston, certified financial planner, is a personal finance columnist for NerdWallet. Questions may be sent to her at 3940 Laurel Canyon, No. 238, Studio City, CA 91604, or by using the Contact form at asklizweston.com. Distributed by No More Red Inc.This year its black dresses on the Golden Globes red carpet in a statement against sexual harassment and assault. At the 2017 show, Meryl Streep rallied the liberal ranks with her notable skewering of a new president.

Still, the Globes have been known more for snarky jokes and occasionally slurred speeches than for social commentary. Only recently has the ceremony put aside its party shoes and tried sociopolitical awareness on for size.

While the Globes gang was off ordering another round for the table, heres what other shows have tackled over the years:

CMA Awards: Las Vegas massacre

Carrie Underwood sings during the in memoriam segment at the 51st CMA Awards. Rick Diamond / Getty Images

Perhaps the Country Music Assn. Awards make the Globes look perpetually daring, but with 53 country music fans shot dead and more than 500 wounded at the Route 91 Harvest festival in Las Vegas last year, gun violence couldnt help but become part of the show  or at least the pre-show. When organizers tried to forbid red-carpet questions about gun violence, host Brad Paisley was among the artists calling out the CMA out on its mistake. The restriction was rescinded, and the shows in memoriam segment honored the massacre victims along with late musicians including Glen Campbell. Outside the arena on Facebook Live, Sturgill Simpson was busking and answering some hot-button questions to raise money for the ACLU.

Grammy Awards: Marriage equality

Queen Latifah officiated over the marriages of 33 couples in the Grammys audience, both straight and same-sex, during the 2017 show. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, featuring Mary Lambert, performed the LGBTQ-rights anthem "Same Love."

Then, after vows and rings were exchanged, Madonna joined in with a mash-up of her 1986 hit "Open Your Heart." A standing ovation followed.

SAG Awards: Trump travel ban

On the night of the 2017 Screen Actors Guild Awards, President Trump's travel ban was a mere two days old, and the guild's members were not about to let it go. The show started with Kerry Washington talking about how it was important for actors to have political opinions and Ashton Kutcher welcoming the viewing audience as well as "everyone in airports that belong in my America."

They didn't stop there: Julia Louis-Dreyfus told her own family's immigrant story, Sarah Paulson pleaded for donations to the ACLU and Taraji P. Henson talked about coming together as a human race.

Tony Awards: Orlando nightclub shooting

Host James Corden opened the 2016 Tony Awards with a condemnation of the bloodshed that happened the night before at Orlando's Pulse nightclub, a gay dance spot where 49 people were killed and 53 were wounded by a man declaring his allegiance to the Islamic State. "Your tragedy is our tragedy. Theater is a place where every race, creed, sexuality and gender is equal, embraced and loved. Hate will never win," Corden said. While those in attendance wore silver ribbons in memory of the victims, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Frank Langella and Andrew Lloyd Webber spoke on stage about what was at the time the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.

MTV VMAs: Sexual assault

The Beastie Boys at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards. Frank Micelotta Archive / Getty Images

The MTV Video Music Awards have been about more than twerking and big yellow snakes. Saddened by reports of rape and assault at 1999s rebooted Woodstock, the late Adam Yauch took the occasion of a Beastie Boys win for Intergalactic at that years VMAs to ask musicians and promoters to focus on "the safety of all the girls and the women who come to our shows.

One TV reviewer described what was then an unusual moment as Yauch being inspired to climb onto a rambling soapbox and give the creepiest speech in support of protecting women from sexual assault. In a strange twist, now Beastie Boy Adam Horovitz is publicly supporting nine women whove leveled assault allegations against his father, composer Israel Horovitz. Times change.

Emmy Awards: Domestic politics

Sean Spicer at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 17, 2017. Chris Pizzello / Associated Press

With late-night TV fixated on little other than the Trump White House at that point (and still?), it made sense that televisions big night last September would follow suit.

It wasnt technically activism, but it was heavy on commentary, with Alec Baldwin and Kate McKinnon winning for their topical work as Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton on Saturday Night Live. And, of course, former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer made an appearance as Melissa McCarthys podium-pushing version of, well, Sean Spicer.

Hollywood was not entirely pleased about that last bit, calling Spicers actions nothing to joke about. As for activism, well, that came on the red carpet in the form of blue ribbons in support of the ACLU.

Academy Awards: You name it

After rattling off nearly two minutes' worth of thank-yous in 2015, supporting actress winner Patricia Arquette used the end of her Oscars spotlight that year to tackle women's rights. "To every woman who gave birth to every taxpayer and citizen of this nation, we have fought for everybody else's equal rights," she said. "It's our time to have wage equality once and for all and equal rights for women in the United States of America." Backstage, she asked for support from men, gay people and people of color, and brought ageism into her argument.

In 1978, Julia supporting actress Vanessa Redgrave kicked off the acceptance speeches at the Academy Awards by addressing the fight against fascism and alluding to the Jewish Defense League, which had criticized her pro-PLO TV documentary The Palestinian, as a small bunch of Zionist hoodlums. Later in the show, presenter and "Network" writer Paddy Chayefsky fired back with, "I'm sick and tired of people exploiting the occasion of the Academy Awards for the propagation of their own personal political propaganda." She got the boos, he got the applause.

And then there was best actor winner Marlon Brando  or shall we say, Sacheen Littlefeather  in 1973. In what may be The Godfather of all awards-show activism, the actor sent a ceremonially clad Littlefeather to refuse his trophy, bearing a long written statement she said she would share with the press later. Brando, she said, very regretfully cannot accept this very generous award and the reasons for that being the treatment of American Indians today by the film industry . and on television in movie reruns, and also with recent happenings at Wounded Knee. After fielding boos outweighed by applause, the activist said, I beg at this time that I have not intruded upon this evening.

ALSO:Hello! Im Mark Olsen. Welcome to another edition of your regular field guide to a world of Only Good Movies.

This weeks newsletter will be coming out just hours before this years Golden Globes ceremony. The prevailing feeling in Hollywood right now doesnt quite sync up with what it typically thought of as one of the more fun (and, depending how one is feeling, frivolous) evenings of the annual awards circuit.

Amy Kaufman explored the way in which this years Globes will attempt to reflect the moment, beginning with a reconfiguration of the rituals of the red carpet. In a sign of support following the recent announcement of the Times Up initiative to end harassment and foster gender equality, many women are planning to wear black as a way to refocus the conversation on the bigger issues.

As actress Kerry Washington said, We decided we didnt want to boycott, because there were a lot of our peers who were being nominated. We thought it was stronger to participate, but make sure we had a public sign of support.

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Glenn Whipp spoke to Seth Meyers, who will be hosting this years Globes ceremony. Of the challenges of the night, Meyers said, I like that its a small room. Im very good at eye contact. I might just lock in on Helen Mirren all night and shes just going to have to deal with it.

Trevell Anderson went to the Palm Springs International Film Festival awards gala,which has become an unexpectedly important whistle-stop along the awards season campaign trail.

Justin Chang spotlighted a handful of films screening at the fest, including Lucrecia Martels transcendent adventure film Zama.

Over the holiday break we published the last of this years Envelope awards season roundtables. For a conversation on the ins-and-outs of being a supporting actor we had Sam Rockwell for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Richard Jenkins for The Shape of Water, Jim Belushi for Wonder Wheel, Laurence Fishburne for Last Flag Flying and Jason Mitchell for Mudbound.

As Jenkins put it, What you have to do is when the star is talking, you cant roll your eyes. Thats the one thing Ive learned.

And to start the new year off really right, weve got a screening of Paul Thomas Andersons Phantom Thread on Monday followed by a Q&A with actress Vicky Krieps and costume designer Mark Bridges. For updates on future events, go to events.latimes.com.

James Freedson-Jackson in The Strange Ones. (Vertical Entertainment )

The Strange Ones

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In The Strange Ones, two brothers, played by Alex Pettyfer and James Freedson-Jackson, are on a road trip. In the debut feature from writer-directors Lauren Wolkstein and Christopher Radcliff, what the brothers are doing and why they are doing it are carefully parceled out bits of knowledge, turning the film into a somewhat dizzying enigma.

Reviewing the film for The Times, Katie Walsh called it a mysterious puzzle box of a film, before adding, its an artful, boundary-pushing debut from Radcliff and Wolkstein, with breakthrough performances from Freedson-Jackson, and Pettyfer, perhaps signaling a new direction in his career.

At rogerebert.com, Matt Zoller Seitz said, This is a primordial story filled with dreamlike symbols from humanitys past  roads, forests, caves, clouds, the sun  and its characters move through it in the manner of a mid-century American short story, the kind where youre not sure how literally youre supposed to take anything.

In an interview with Vadim Rizov for Filmmaker magazine back when the film first premiered at the 2017 South by Southwest Film Festival, Wolkstein and Radcliff talked about expanding the film into a feature from a short film.

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Owen Campell, from left, Luke Slattery, Nadia Alexander, Sarah Mezzanotte, Tessa Albertson and Quinn Shephard in Blame. (Samuel Goldwyn Films )

Blame

The debut as filmmaker from 22-year-old writer-director-actress Quinn Shephard, Blame is the story of a group of teenagers drawn into staging a school production of The Crucible that draws out the worst in all of them. As the (relative) adults in the room, Chris Messina and Trieste Kelly Dunn also star.

Reviewing the film for The Times, Gary Goldstein called the film a potentially timely and provocative story thats all over the map, never quite building to an effective enough crescendo or catharsis.

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For the Hollywood Reporter, Jon Frosch reviewed the film when it premiered at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, where he said the film is powered by some fine acting, as well as a current of sincere feeling that helps you forgive some of its more conspicuous flaws and limitations.

At rogerebert.com, Tomris Laffly interviewed Shepard, who said, I think the irony of Hollywood is, when youre a young woman trying to make a film, you meet some of that prejudice, of people going, Oh, shes a young woman. She doesnt know what shes doing. Then when you actually do make a film, then people say, Oh yeah, well its because shes a pretty young woman. Of course people want to take meetings with her. Its like you get the double-edged sword. Its like theyre saying you cant do it, and then if you do it, then people get jealous and bitter, and its unbelievable. I think people should just celebrate it.

Rosemary Lane, from left, Gale Page, Priscilla Lane and Lola Lane as the Lemp sisters in 1938s Four Daughters, directed by Michael Curtiz. (UCLA Film & Television Archive )

Michael Curtiz: A Life in Film

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In conjunction with Alan K. Rodes new book of the same name, the UCLA Film and Television Archive is presenting a program titled Michael Curtiz: A Life in Film in celebration of the prolific filmmaker. The series opened this weekend with a screening of the classic Casablanca  I was there and the film has lost none of its heart, verve or luster  but there are lots of great movies still to see, including Mildred Pierce, Four Daughters, The Adventure of Robin Hood and The Sea Wolf.

Kenneth Turan wrote about Curtiz and the program, saying, No one understood studio filmmaking better than Curtiz, and the sheer amount of work he did was staggering . That facility, the ability to bring energy and focus to westerns, horror films, swashbucklers, biblical dramas and musicals starring everyone from Bing Crosby to Elvis is key to why Curtiz isnt celebrated.

The program runs through March 17.

Email me if you have questions, comments or suggestions, and follow me on Twitter @IndieFocusWhen Yesenia Reyes made it to the southern U.S. border in 2000 after fleeing domestic violence in El Salvador, she told immigration agents they would be sentencing her to her death if they sent her back.

The following year, Reyes became one of thousands of Salvadorans to receive temporary legal protection under a program designed to help citizens of countries experiencing armed conflict, environmental disaster or other conditions that prevent them from immediately returning safely.

Now, after 17 years in the U.S., the Bell resident and mother of six worries shell be forced to return to El Salvador. The Trump administration has until Monday to decide the fate of more than 260,000 Salvadorans who live in the United States under temporary protected status.

Salvadorans make up the biggest portion of TPS beneficiaries. And California is home to the most TPS holders from El Salvador  49,100 people, according to a 2017 report from the Center for Migration Studies. Roughly 30,000 of those live in Los Angeles.

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We are in the limbo of not knowing what will happen, Reyes said. Its very hard for us because we dont know what to do, losing sleep, losing our appetite. I feel like Ive gotten sick over this decision.

For months, administration officials have signaled their intention to end special designations that have allowed immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally from El Salvador and nine other troubled nations to stay and work in the U.S. The protections were intended to provide temporary respites for citizens of hard-hit countries, not permanent legal status in the U.S., officials note.

The administration already eliminated TPS for 5,300 Nicaraguans, effective January 2019, and nearly 60,000 Haitians, effective July 2019. At the same time, officials put off making a decision on the fate of 86,000 Hondurans, saying they needed six months to gather information about conditions there.

Officials have repeatedly invited Congress to pass a law that would create a permanent solution for the recipients of temporary status. Congress members have introduced four bills aimed at preserving the program and providing a path to residency for those who currently hold protected status.

Many Salvadorans have lived in the U.S. for more than two decades, having arrived arrived as children and now having U.S. citizen children of their own, according to the Center for Migration Studies. The vast majority are employed and live above the poverty level. A third hold mortgages.

Advocates say that eliminating TPS for Salvadorans would leave employers in a lurch and break apart families with deep roots in the U.S.

Pablo Alvarado, executive director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, said Salvadorans would not voluntarily return to a dangerous, unstable country. But he wonders how long they would be able to remain in the U.S. without legal status, given that the federal government already knows their home addresses and workplaces.

Its a very intense situation, he said. These are well-established people. TPS is actually a program that has facilitated the integration of these immigrants.

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Reyes works 80 hours a week as a housekeeper at two hotels near Los Angeles International Airport. She worries whether she would lose her job if her TPS expires. She said human resources at the hotels check employees legal status every so often.

She wonders what kind of living she could make in El Salvador with a sixth-grade education, how she could pay for her daughters diabetes medication.

Perhaps scariest is the prospect of taking her children to a country ridden with gangs. Her mother told her recently that gang members had recently killed three youths and thrown their bodies into a stream near her home.

Reyes is on the waiting list for a U visa, which are given to victims of crime. Applications have skyrocketed in the last decade and Congress has set a cap of 10,000 visas per year. Meantime, all she can do is maintain hope.

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Im trying to have patience, she said.

Evelyn Hernandez has worked for years to maintain TPS as an organizer with the Central American Resource Center in Los Angeles. Hernandez came to the U.S. from El Salvador in 1992, toward the end of the countrys decade-long civil war.

She watched with horror when the Trump administration ended Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, the program that has shielded from deportation some 800,000 immigrants who came to the U.S. illegally as children.

Our first concern was, if thats going to happen to them, its going to happen to us, she said.

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As the only person in her family to leave El Salvador, Hernandez financially supports her elderly parents who have diabetes and osteoporosis. When Trump won the presidency, she said her father called her crying, wondering what would happen if she were deported.

But Hernandez has three sons in college, and the oldest, who is over age 21, could sponsor her for permanent residency.

I have the opportunity for my kids to petition for me, but other people dont, she said. I am fighting for them, too.

andrea.castillo@latimes.com

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@andreamcastilloA San Diego County jail inmate who was supposed to be in protective custody was intentionally placed into a cell with a general population detainee who later assaulted him, a citizens review board has found.

The inmate said he was targeted by deputies who held a grudge against him, according to a report of the county Citizens Law Enforcement Review Board, which provides oversight of the Sheriffs and Probation departments. It was not clear when the incident occurred.

The complainant said that he was attacked by a mainline inmate and believed it was done on purpose by Deputy 2 and orchestrated by Deputy 4, because he had heard them bad-mouth him in the past, the review said.

Neither the inmate nor the officers involved were identified in the report.

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The Sheriffs Department declined to comment on the finding or the referral to additional investigation in advance of a review board meeting set for Tuesday.

Allegations that the detainee was targeted on purpose were not sustained due to a lack of evidence, but the oversight board found that the inmate was wrongly placed into the general jail population.

The evidence showed that the complainants placement with a mainline inmate was improper and Deputy 4 was in violation of Detention Services Bureau Policy & Procedure and facility Green Sheets supporting the procedures, the report said. The evidence supported the allegation and the act or conduct was not justified.

The review board report does not explain how seriously the inmate was injured or identify the guards who were involved in the complaint. It operates as an independent panel and makes policy and disciplinary recommendations when its volunteers see fit.

Board members said their investigation of the inmates allegations yielded additional information that should be investigated further.

Actions of other sworn personnel not identified by the complainant may have played a contributing role in this situation and were referred back to the department for further review, the review board wrote.

jeff.mcdonald@utsandiego.comIn Boyle Heights last November, a Los Angeles County sheriffs sport-utility vehicle was responding to a radio call of a shooting when it smashed into a car at a busy intersection and jumped the sidewalk, hitting pedestrians and killing two boys.

Since then, questions have lingered about how fast the sheriffs vehicle was going and whether the emergency lights and siren were on at the time.

The investigation into the fatal crash of Nov. 16 is ongoing, but detectives with the Los Angeles Police Departments Multi-Discipline Collision Investigation Team have provided more details about the deadly accident.

LAPD Det. Chris Rodriguez said the sheriffs patrol vehicle was traveling less than 25 mph when it crossed the intersection of Indiana Street and Whittier Boulevard. The vehicle had its lights on but not its siren.

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No audible sounds were made by the emergency equipment of the police car, Rodriguez said.

As it headed south on Indiana Street, the sheriffs patrol vehicle crashed into a 1998 Honda Accord going east on Whittier Boulevard. The impact caused the Accord to hit a 2002 Honda Odyssey van that was carrying two women and five children. The van was stopped at a red light in the northbound lanes of Indiana Street.

Simultaneously, the sheriffs SUV drove up a curb ramp, careened off the wall of a bank building and struck pedestrians on the sidewalk, including a woman and her two sons.

Video footage taken by a security camera at the Green Mill Liquor store showed what happened after the SUV struck the pedestrians. The short clip showed the front of the SUV  with its emergency lights on  hitting a trash can. A person rolled into the frame on the sidewalk.

Seven-year-old Jose Luis Hernandez was pronounced dead at the scene. His older brother, 9-year-old Marcos Antonio Hernandez, was declared dead at L.A. County-USC Medical Center, Rodriguez said.

The mother and relatives of the two boys could not be reached for comment for this story.

Ed Obayashi, a veteran professional standards expert and Inyo County deputy, said that when it comes to new patrol deputies, their training supervisor are responsible for guiding them.

The question is here is what kind of direction did the supervisor give to trainees about the lights and siren? Obayashi said.

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Crashes involving police vehicles happen all the time, but rarely do they result in such serious and fatal injuries, he said.

California laws give officers considerable immunity when it comes to responding to serious crime responses. But in civil lawsuits, departments commonly pay considerable sums to those injured during a response or pursuit, he added.

In a statement placed on the familys page on the GoFund me website, Jessa Ramos said her brothers were eager learners. They loved reading and drawing.

They were both great students and used to fight for who was getting dropped off first at school, she wrote.

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She said the accident had left her mother in critical condition with a broken pelvic bone, head injury, fractured neck, leg and a broken nose.

In all, 17 people were involved in the three-vehicle accident.

At least one woman, who was a month pregnant at the time, was hit by both the Honda Accord and the sheriffs SUV as she was crossing the intersection. Her unborn child was not harmed, Rodriguez said.

Attorneys for some of the victims declined to comment or could not be reached for comment. Relatives of the two boys who were killed also could not be reached for comment.

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Rodriguez said that at the time of the crash, the sheriffs patrol vehicle was being driven by a 30-year-old female trainee deputy, and her 39-year-old field training officer was in the passenger seat.

She was on the job for two or three years and was starting the patrol aspect of her career, he said.

Rodriguez said it would be up to the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department to release the name of the deputies. The agency has not responded to The Times public records request seeking their names.

A day after the fatal crash, the Sheriffs Department released a statement and expressed its condolences to the families of the crash victims.

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The LASD and its personnel are heavily impacted any time an incident involving our response to an emergency, or efforts to help others in need, results in injury or the loss of life, the statement read.

That same day, Julie Valle, 34, a resident of Boyle Heights, told The Times she was standing in the front parking lot of Stevenson Middle School with her two children, her dog and a relative when she saw the sheriffs patrol vehicle speeding south on Indiana Street, with no sirens and no emergency lights.

Valle said she watched as the vehicle approached Whittier Boulevard.

The light was red on their end, she said. They did a California roll and turned on the lights at the intersection and then hit a car.

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The crashed caused a chain reaction, she said. The car heading east on Whittier Boulevard hit a person and a van that was on the northbound Lanes of Indiana Street. Valle said the cruiser lost control and went onto the sidewalk, hitting the wall of the Wells Fargo bank.

She said she ran down from the school to the intersection, where she helped an injured woman.

She was trying to get up, Valle said. I told her dont move, you were just involved in a car accident.

Then Valle said she took in the carnage.

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All I see is little legs, she said. Then I see a boy, and thats when I start to get the full picture.

The mangled body of one boy lay near another. Their mother, she learned, was bleeding from the head.

Hector Lopez also told The Times that day that he was walking out of a store near the intersection when he heard a vehicle speed up. Within seconds he heard the sound of cars colliding and saw something fly through the air, possibly a bumper from one of the vehicles. Lopez said he did not hear any police sirens before the wreck.

Youre supposed to turn on your lights, sirens and check before taking off, Lopez said, adding that the family deserved justice.

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Lopez said he was not interviewed by police investigators.

Rodriguez said the results of the investigation will be submitted to the Los Angeles County district attorneys office, which will determine if criminal charges should be filed.

On a recent Tuesday outside Wells Fargo, a pile of dirty stuffed bears lay next to a bed of dry flowers. A broken statue of Jesus Christ and candles stood nearby. The memorial site, where a vigil was once held for the boys, is a daily reminder about what happened that day.

Leaning against the wall was a poster with a message from students of 32nd Street School-USC magnet school, which one of the Hernandez brothers attended.

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To the families involved, our deepest love and sympathy with you, the note read. May God give you strength and courage to carry on.

ruben.vives@latimes.com

For more Southern California news, follow @latvives on Twitter.Its a common conundrum for cannabis customers in Colorado: Where to light up?

Because state law bans public consumption of any kind  no puffing a joint in the park or bringing your own pot-infused granola bar to a restaurant for dessert  locals are restricted to their homes. And tourists, who also are barred from using marijuana in rental cars or hotel rooms, face a buy-it-dont-use-it paradox.

But that soon could change. Denver officials last month accepted an application from a coffee shop that plans to allow social marijuana use  the first of its kind in the country.

Nationwide, cities in the eight states that have legalized pot are debating whether customers should be allowed to toke up outside of private residences or clubs.

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In Massachusetts, the states Cannabis Control Commission approved a policy in December allowing for pot cafes  establishments where people can buy and use marijuana in public. But legal sales dont take effect there until July. In Nevada, where legal sales began last summer, Las Vegas officials are considering an ordinance that would pave the way for the creation of marijuana-friendly lounges. And several cities in California, including West Hollywood and Oakland, have expressed interest in allowing cannabis social spaces.

The battle in Denver dates back to late 2016, when voters here overwhelmingly passed an ordinance allowing cafes and restaurants to ask for permits to let customers use pot on site. Under the measure, Initiative 300, once a permit is issued, patrons can enjoy weed indoors, as long as they dont smoke it. (Outside smoking areas, however, are OK.) In addition, businesses cannot sell alcohol and, among other things, are not allowed to be within 1,000 feet of schools, drug treatment centers or child-care facilities.

Rita Tsalyuk sits inside the Coffee Joint, her soon-to-open shop that will allow patrons to consume pot edibles and use marijuana vape pens. Next door is her recreational dispensary, 1136 Yuma. (Kurtis Lee / Los Angeles Times )

Because of these tough restrictions, more than a year after the measure passed, no applications had been submitted. But that changed last month, when Rita Tsalyuk applied  the first business owner and, so far, the only to apply for a public-use license. Denver officials expect more applications in the coming months.

On a recent gelid afternoon, Tsalyuk sat at a high-top wooden table inside the Coffee Joint, her soon-to-open shop that will allow patrons to consume pot edibles and use marijuana vape pens. Next door is her recreational dispensary, 1136 Yuma, tucked in an industrial neighborhood lined with lumber and scrap metal yards.

I think this is a natural step in the legalization movement, Tsalyuk said, adding that she has the support of the local neighborhood association. People want to use pot and have a nice social experience.  I want to provide that.

Tsalyuk, who also works in real estate, jumped into the legal marijuana industry last year after seeing its success across much of the state. In 2016, Colorado pot sales and fees produced nearly $200 million in tax revenue. In Denver, the city raked in about $24 million, which, among other things, was used to build a recreation center near downtown.

Clearly this state and city are on the front lines of the movement, said Tsalyuk, undeterred by the Trump administrations recent announcement it would scrap an Obama-era policy offering legal shelter for state-sanctioned marijuana sales. This shop will be a part of the movement.

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But not everyone is onboard.

To Rachel OBryan, who led the campaign against Initiative 300, allowing pot in public places puts people at risk. She said shed like to see more studies of how people respond to marijuana before it is allowed in public.

We really dont know how people are going to react to marijuana use  but now were going to allow it in public? OBryan said. It just seems like this could lead to situations where issues could occur.

While Tsalyuks shop isnt near any homes  a plus  OBryan said she worries that the city will get other applications in more residential areas. She also has concerns about people driving while high.

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The state, however, has embarked on a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign to inform residents about the risks of driving while stoned.

City regulators will hold a public hearing about Tsalyuks application in the weeks ahead, and if approved, she said she hopes to open her shop in the spring.

Outside her dispensary on a recent afternoon, Homer Santos, 21, showed off his recent purchase  a half-ounce of Grape Ape indica. Santos, a waiter who lives a short drive from the dispensary, said he likes to use marijuana with friends and said hed visit the Coffee Joint when it opens.

This way, if my friends and I want to eat a brownie and chill out with a cup of coffee, we can do that, Santos said. Sounds like a nice afternoon.

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The more he thought about the idea, he began to grin, adding: Id be a regular.

kurtis.lee@latimes.com

Twitter: @kurtisalee

ALSO

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This Colorado city declined to allow recreational pot sales. Now its having second thoughts

Las Vegas adds a new lure to its repertoire as Nevada legalizes pot. Here come the touristsThe widow of Pulse nightclub shooter Omar Mateen told authorities that she knew in advance that her husband was going to attack the gay club in Orlando, Fla., but a psychologist is expected to testify in her trial that she was not telling the truth.

Bruce Frumkin, a Miami-based psychologist and expert on false and coerced confessions, was given the go-ahead Friday to testify in the trial of Noor Salman regarding her statements to the FBI in the hours after the shooting on June 12, 2016.

I knew when he left the house he was going to Orlando to attack the Pulse Night Club, Salman said, according to a statement written by an FBI agent and signed by Salman during the 18-hour interview.

U.S. District Judge Paul Byron ruled in the defenses favor Friday to allow Frumkin to testify, Salmans lawyer Charles Swift said. The hearing was closed to the public.

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Swift declined to say what Frumkin will testify about, but in previous hearings defense lawyers argued that Salmans statements to the FBI in the hours after the attack should be excluded from trial. She was in custody and not given proper Miranda warnings, her lawyers said. U.S. attorneys argued that she was not in custody, free to leave at any time, and that all her statements were voluntary.

Salmans statements to law enforcement were recently made public.

I knew on Saturday, when Omar left the house about 5 p.m. that this was the time that he was going to do something bad. I knew this because of the way he left and took the gun and backpack with ammunition, Salman said, according to the statement she signed.

She is charged with providing material support to a terrorist organization and obstruction of justice. She is scheduled to stand trial in March. Lawyers anticipate the trial will last a month.

Mateen, who had declared allegiance to Islamic State, killed 49 people and injured at least 68 others when he opened fire in the nightclub. He was killed in a shootout with Orlando police.

I knew later, when I could not get ahold of him that my fears had come true and he did what he said he was going to do, Salman said. I was in denial and I could not believe that the father of my child was going to hurt other people.

She told investigators Mateen became obsessed with violence in the Middle East and Islamic State recruitment videos in the two years leading up to the shooting. Shortly before the shooting, she said, he started looking at places in the area and making comments about attacking them  including Downtown Disney, now called Disney Springs, and CityPlace in West Palm Beach. The couple, with their young son in the vehicle, drove around Pulse a week before the shooting.

How upset are people going to be when it gets attacked? Mateen said, according to Salmans statement.

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I knew he was talking about himself doing the attack on the Pulse, she said, according to the statement.

Mateen spent thousands of dollars in the weeks before the shooting, including on a rifle, jewelry for his wife and toys for their son, she said. He added Salman as a beneficiary to his checking and savings accounts about two or three weeks before the shooting and said he was doing so in case something happened to him.

Salman said Mateen became angry when she asked him about the rifle and he told her not to say anything to anybody, she said. He then told her it was for his work as a licensed security guard for the private security firm G4S.

Mateen was armed with two guns  a 9-millimeter semiautomatic pistol and a .223-caliber assault rifle  when he attacked the club.

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Torralva writes for the Orlando Sentinel.With President Trump cheering from the sidelines, the White House on Sunday pressed its defense of the presidents fitness to govern, as fired former aide Stephen K. Bannon reversed course and apologized for his role in a new books explosive portrait of Trump.

The presidents critics, meanwhile, said Trumps stream of taunts and insults in response to the book  Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, released last week  served only to underscore the authors unsettling portrayal of Trumps year-old presidency, depicting a leader whose own aides consider him childish, ignorant and dangerously erratic.

The most vehement defense of Trump on Sunday came from senior advisor Stephen Miller, a onetime Bannon acolyte who distanced himself from his former mentor. In a combative appearance Sunday on CNNs State of the Union, Miller called the book grotesque and writer Michael Wolff the garbage author of a garbage book.

In his CNN appearance, Miller called Bannon, who was one of Wolffs principal sources, angry and vindictive. The author quoted Bannon as using the label treasonous for a Trump Tower meeting last year with Kremlin-linked figures, in which Donald Trump Jr. took part.

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The book quoted Bannon as predicting that the younger Trump would cracklike an egg in the face of the Russia investigation being conducted by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III.

On Sunday, however, Bannon  who has faced withering attacks from the president since the books contents were first aired  sought to mend fences, praising Trumps elder son as both a patriot and a good man.

He has been relentless in his advocacy for his father and the agenda that has helped turn our country around, Bannon said in a statement first reported by Axios, which marked a striking reversal of the stance he struck in Wolffs telling.

In addition to Miller, other senior administration officials made the rounds of Sunday news talk shows to decry the books claims. CIA Director Mike Pompeo said Wolffs characterization of Trump as averse to digesting classified briefing material was ludicrous, and the ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, insisted that those around Trump love their country and respect their president.

Trump is known to closely monitor aides televised performances in putting forth his case, and he gleefully weighed in within moments of Millers televised clash with State of the Union host Jake Tapper. CNN has long been a particular target of Trumps ire.

Jake Tapper of Fake News just got destroyed in his interview with Stephen Miller, the president tweeted. Watch the hatred and unfairness of this CNN flunky!

Trumps reaction, however, seemed to bolster Tappers on-air depiction of Miller as using his appearance on the show to play to the president rather than addressing questions put to him. I get it  theres one viewer that you care about, the host said exasperatedly after Miller turned the discussion repeatedly to negative news coverage of the president while deflecting specific queries.

Wolff, interviewed on NBCs Meet the Press, acknowledged some minor errors in the book but said he emphatically stood by its overall thrust, including its portrayal of Trump as uninformed and unstable in the view of his aides.

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This is alarming in every way, he said.

Prior to the abrupt conclusion of the CNN interview, Miller vigorously defended Trumps political acumen, referring indirectly to the presidents description of himself on Saturday as a genius  and a very stable genius at that.

I saw a man who is a political genius, Miller said of the candidate he observed over many months, adding that Trump had tapped into something magical that is happening in the hearts of this country.

Haley, appearing on ABCs This Week, said she had not heard anyone in Trumps circle question his stability. Instead, she credited Trump with pushing back appropriately against bombastic threats by North Koreas leader, Kim Jong Un.

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After Kim said in a New Years message that he had a nuclear button at the ready, Trump retorted that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!

While some of the presidents critics were incredulous over the schoolyard tone of the exchange, Haley defended it.

We want to always remind them, We can destroy you too, so be very careful with your words and what you do, Haley said. She added that a perceived element of unpredictability on the presidents part was not a bad thing, its really not.

One of the presidents most consistent critics, Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank), however, said the Wolff books overall thesis reflected the concerns of many in Congress, whether or not lawmakers were willing to air them publicly.

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I dont think theres anyone in Congress, frankly, of either party, who does not concur at least privately with those observations and concerns about Trumps fitness for office, Schiff said on State of the Union.

To read the article in Spanish, click here

laura.king@latimes.com

@laurakingLATWhen Mt. St. Helens erupted in 1980, killing 57 people, destroying homes, evaporating lakes and rearranging landmarks, Mark Smith and his family were thankful to have survived.

Their lakeside resort did not. The blast blew away the top 1,300 feet of the mountain, burying nearby Spirit Lake Lodge under at least 300 feet of mud and debris.

Smith, who was 20 years old at the time, watched the destruction from afar with his family. It was exciting, he told a reporter back then, before realizing that everything was gone.

He returned to the mountain in 1992 to start a tour company and three years later built the Eco Park Resort on 80 acres in the old blast zone.

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Now the new resort is under threat too.

The problem is Spirit Lake. Buried in the eruption, it reformed 200 feet higher and much larger than before, and without any natural drainage. The lake could push through the ash, rock and soil around it  especially in the event of a major earthquake  threatening highways and bridges and 50,000 residents below with catastrophic flooding, according to a recent report commissioned by the U.S. Forest Service.

(Los Angeles Times )

The 250-page study, conducted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, concluded that the chances of a breach were relatively low but that the potential consequences were so severe that costly protective measures deserved serious consideration.

Far more likely is chronic flooding along the Toutle and Cowlitz rivers caused by a steady flow of sediment, the study found.

The eruption of Mt. St. Helens is best known for its immediate impacts: thousands of trees obliterated; an ash cloud that darkened the skies of 11 states; and tens of thousands of elk, deer, hares and bears killed.

Tall forest, blue lakes, birds and other wildlife have since returned to the mountain, which now stands 8,363 feet above sea level. In 1982, Congress designated the 110,000-acre Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument for research, education and recreation. More than a million people visit each year to see the blast zone, some of them staying at Eco Park, which Smith runs with his wife.

But the rearrangement of the landscape has caused some long-term problems.

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In 1985, the government provided some drainage for Spirit Lake by boring an 11-foot-wide overflow tunnel through 1.6 miles of rock.

A dam more than 180 feet high and 1,800 feet across was built on the north fork of the Toutle River in 1989 to trap sediment washed down from the mountain.

But those attempts to control nature with engineering have their limits.

The tunnel has required millions of dollars in emergency repairs over the last several years to prevent it from collapsing. The sediment dam has been nearing its capacity, allowing more sediment to get through and clog the rivers. The government spends millions of dollars a year dredging the riverbeds to prevent flooding.

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The new $570,000 study was conducted at the request of three lawmakers from Washington state  Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, both Democrats, and Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, a Republican  who wanted a long-term plan that removes the threat of catastrophic failure of the tunnel and takes the unstable nature of the surface geology into account.

A team of engineers and scientists spent 18 months studying the situation and identified a range of potential fixes: building a second tunnel, replacing a pumping station, digging a lengthy drainage ditch or carving out a dry spillway to handle emergency overflows. They also called for replacing the aging sediment dam.

But implementing such projects could be difficult.

No single agency in the region has unilateral authority to make choices and funding decisions about management across the system, the report states. Furthermore, the researchers found a shortage of up-to-date information on groundwater and sediment flows needed to inform decisions of long-term management.

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The legacy of the 1980 eruption and the prospect of future volcanic, seismic and flood events mean that risk management in the Spirit Lake Toutle River system will be challenging for decades to come, the report states.

A Forest Service spokesperson says the agency is studying the findings.

Smith, now 57, has witnessed the problems firsthand  and spent much of the last two decades pushing to fix them.

He has gone to the other Washington to lobby members of Congress, seeking funding for new projects and fighting for more public access to the mountain. He has advocated for National Park status, joined the Mt. St. Helens Citizens Advisory Committee  which was set up by Congress  and made an unsuccessful run for county commissioner.

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Its the right thing to do, Smith said. Growing up in this area, spending time in the backcountry of Mt. St. Helens helps me understand the benefit of public access to nature. I want my grandchildren and future generations to have the same opportunities that I had.

At some point, Mt. St. Helens will erupt again  a spasm of seismic activity has been reported in the vicinity since New Years Day  but scientists say that does not appear imminent. For now, the mountain sends puffs of steam into the sky as it cooks new lava in its two magma chambers.

Anderson is a special correspondentWhen Donald Trump was elected president, I tried to console myself with the idea that at least we were living in interesting times. Things might be discombobulating and, for some, downright terrifying, but they would hardly be boring, right?

The last year has proved me wrong. Weve never lived in less interesting times. In order for something to be interesting it has to be at least marginally graspable. Even if you cant see the big picture, you have to be able to back up and see past your nose. And trying to grasp the full scope of the political climate right now is a bit like trying to view a Hieronymus Bosch triptych thats been hung inside a small, dark closet. We have no idea what were really looking at. All we know is that its overwhelming and often grotesque.

Thats part of the reason I mostly kept my opinions to myself in 2017. My taste for counterintuitive rumination and occasional devils advocacy felt inappropriate to the occasion. I could have spent the year clucking about unhelpful hyperbole and tiresome performative wokeness, about the perils of labeling every political opponent a fascist, and all the ways in which the nasty woman trope was becoming, well, a little trop. But given the magnitude of the political earthquake and the justifiability of peoples outrage, it seemed better to step back and let more visceral responses set the tone.

We pretended that wokeness was an acceptable substitute for an actual personality, not to mention for actual activism.

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Still, as we come up on the anniversary of Trumps inauguration, the awe-inspiring Womens March and the beginning of the mass nervous breakdown among liberals, I cant help but think weve also reached the end of a certain grace period, one in which we pretended that wokeness was an acceptable substitute for an actual personality, not to mention for actual activism.

During this period, virtue signaling has become blue states own sort of opioid addiction. Post something about toxic masculinity, white privilege or, of course, President Trump (whose name is shorthand for both) and the likes and affirmations will mete out just enough dopamine to keep you going until the next fix.

Better yet, if you want to promote your movie, your book, your economic theory or your crowdfunded business venture, wrap it in the cloak of Trump-resistance and you are suddenly part of a mighty and magically unassailable franchise. Approval will be freely bestowed and favors exchanged. Important people are likely to endorse you and important media to cover you. In fact, this might be the only way to get important media coverage because life in the age of Trump is pretty much the only story in the news cycle.

But if you start to feel less than sincere every time you join a #MeToo chorus, you do what humans have done for thousands of years: Get together and admit privately to feeling conflicted.

Such gatherings are now referred to as back channeling. And they dont just happen after a few too many drinks at media industry cocktail parties. They happen when college professors feel they have to whisper their support to colleagues embroiled in campus identity politics scandals. They take the form of direct messages on social media that start with I didnt want to say this in the comment thread, but ... Theyre what we professional opinionators sometimes do after holding forth with righteous certainty: turn to our closest confidants and confess to a level of cognitive dissonance and confusion we fear would alienate our followers and possibly kill our careers if we tried to put it into words.

All this messiness makes back-channel conversations the most interesting ones going on right now. Its time they came out of the shadows.

Bit by bit, its starting to happen. The #MeToo movement is infused with obtuse rhetoric like zero tolerance, but it has also led to a handful of more nuanced analyses about the slippery nature of sexual consent and the dangers of failing (or refusing) to distinguish male clumsiness from dangerous aggression. Sure, some of the woke-iscenti dismissed these articles out of hand. I even saw someone refer to nuance as though it were a form of conservative trolling or rape apology. But I also noted rumblings of relief.

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So with that, Im going to drag myself out of hibernation. I wont be on this page every week, but Im going to check in from time to time with a report from the trenches of a burgeoning movement: #ResistanceToGroupthink. Call me a cognitive dissident. Chances are, youre one, too.

Meghan Daum was a regular Los Angeles Times columnist from late 2004 through 2016. She is a contributing writer to Opinion.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinionand FacebookAt 9 years old, after her family left El Salvador, Karla Alvarado crossed the Rio Grande into Texas in an inner tube with two changes of clothes.

That was 20 years ago. Alvarado has lived in the U.S. ever since, for most of that time under a legal but temporary immigration status.

Today, she has a college degree, a husband, a job as a registered nurse  and an intense fear that shes about to be told she has to return to a country she hasnt seen since childhood.

Since 2001, Alvarado, and about 262,000 other Salvadorans  including nearly 30,000 in Los Angeles  have been allowed to live and work in the U.S. under a program known as Temporary Protected Status.

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The Trump administration appears headed toward decreeing an end to it on Monday.

Its definitely heart-wrenching, Im having anxiety like Ive never had before, said Alvarado, 29, of Norristown in suburban Philadelphia. Ive been here since I was 9, I dont know anything else. I am American and this is my home.

Over the last several months, the administration has moved deliberately to phase out protections for immigrants from other countries, including 59,000 from Haiti and 5,300 Nicaraguans. The TPS program is supposed to provide a temporary haven for victims of natural disasters  not permanent permission to stay in the U.S., administration officials have stressed.

The political decision is clear, said Jill Marie Bussey, director of advocacy for the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, one of many groups advocating for the Salvadorans.

Theyve explained to us that this administration wants to put the T  temporary  back in TPS.

But El Salvador presents a particularly difficult decision. Salvadorans are by far the largest group with protected status. They have held it since two earthquakes struck the Central American country in early 2001, killing more than 1,100 people and leaving 1 million others homeless.

In the nearly 17 years since, the shelter of temporary status has allowed Salvadorans to put down roots and work legally, and they have built careers or businesses, gotten mortgages and given birth to about 200,000 U.S. citizens. Nearly 13% of the 2 million Salvadorans living in the U.S. now hold the protected status.

As the Monday deadline for a decision approaches, U.S. mayors, the Chamber of Commerce and El Salvadors President Salvador Sanchez Ceren have all lobbied the new Homeland Security secretary, Kirstjen Nielsen, trying to convince her to once again extend the protections  or at least to put off the end as long as possible.

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Tyler Houlton, a Homeland Secretary spokesman, said the phone call with Ceren was cordial and productive, but did not say which way Nielsen was leaning.

The secretary has received advice from DHS staff, other federal agencies and interested stakeholders and intends to make a decision prior to Mondays deadline, he said.

Since the original designation, the U.S. has extended the protections 11 times. The last time, in 2016, the Obama administration found that El Salvador was still struggling to recover from the earthquakes, and that the fiscal unemployment and security situations in El Salvador remain poor.

The administrations decision likely will have its greatest impact in Southern California, home to the countrys largest population of Salvadoran immigrants.

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An estimated 49,000 protected Salvadorans live in California, the largest population of any state, according to a study by the Center for Migration Studies. Another study found that 8,700 households of TPS holders in California have mortgages.

Advocates argue that it would be a catastrophe to send long-term residents and their children back to El Salvador, a country struggling with a weak economy and racked by gang violence. El Salvador is one of the violent countries in the world, measured by its murder rate.

Nielsen herself, along with Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions, has spoken in dramatic terms about the threat posed by MS-13, the violent gang with a base in El Salvador.

These savage criminals are in our communities, and they are a deadly consequence of our unsecured borders and our failed immigration policies, she said last month.

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Young Salvadorans are fleeing gang violence at an increasing rate; the countrys education ministry said 39,000 students left school because of gang harassment or threats in 2015.

The fact is, that the conditions that started the TPS in the first place havent changed at all, San Salvador Mayor Nayib Bukele, a candidate for president, said in a telephone interview.

The country is far more violent than it was in 2001 and struggles to provide jobs for its own young people now, let alone any of the U.S. citizens who might have to return to El Salvador with their parents, Bukele said.

Salvadoran officials also worry that ending the protected status would be a major blow to their countrys economy. People living in the U.S. sent more than $4.5 billion back to El Salvador in 2016, the largest amount in the countrys history.

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One in five families in El Salvador receives payments from a person in the U.S., which overall account for 17% of the countrys gross domestic product, according to a recent study.

Elena Aguilar, who came to the U.S. illegally in 1996 with two children, says she sends money back to her mother in El Salvador every month. Since getting protected status, she has bought five rental houses and opened a clothing store.

I have a future here, I work here, said Aguilar, 43, of York, Pa. This is very unfair, after were working for many years, and trying to do the best we can, and now they just want to kick us out, without anything.

Homeland Security officials have said they are sympathetic to long-term residents like Aguilar, but insist that its bad policy to keep issuing temporary extensions. They have called on Congress to craft a permanent solution.

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Several bills have been introduced in Congress to allow long-term residents who have been covered by temporary status to apply to become permanent legal residents.

Advocates say that they dont expect any action, however, from a Congress already consumed with negotiations over other immigration issues, including the fate of nearly 700,000 young people at risk of deportation as a result of President Trumps decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

joseph.tanfani@latimes.com

Twitter: @jtanfaniA new year and a new Republican candidate have cracked open Californias sleepy race for governor, unleashing predictions of a splintered GOP vote that could sink Republicans and lead to a November election between two Democrats.

Former Northern California Rep. Doug Ose jumped into the race Friday, becoming the third major GOP candidate in an already crowded field. His decision comes as front-runner Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom faces an uptick in attacks by the Republicans, who see him as the Democrat headed for the November ballot and hope to paint him as a liberal bogeyman to lure more GOP voters to the polls in the June primary.

But while the Republicans focus their ire on Newsom, Oses entry into the race could scramble the chances of GOP voters uniting behind one candidate, which some argue would benefit Newsoms chief Democratic rival, Antonio Villaraigosa. The former mayor of Los Angeles trails Newsom in the polls but is far ahead of the rest of the field. He only has to finish second in June to advance to the November election.

Republicans already find themselves at a major disadvantage in voter registration, trailing Democrats by nearly 19 percentage points, giving the candidates a smaller pie to split. The party could risk an outcome it has seen before: In Californias 2016 race for U.S. Senate, no one in the crowded field of Republican candidates was able to consolidate the GOP base. As a result, Democrats Kamala Harris and Loretta Sanchez topped the vote in the June primary and, under the states top-two primary system, moved on to the November election.

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I think Doug Oses heart is in the right place  but he further dilutes the field, said Bill Whalen, a fellow at Stanfords Hoover Institution who was a speechwriter for former Republican Gov. Pete Wilson. If all the Republicans stay in, its mutually assured destruction.

Ose, who was a major cheerleader for Donald Trumps presidential campaign, expressed little concern. He said hes heard little about the best-known Republicans in the race: Rancho Santa Fe businessman John Cox and Huntington Beach Assemblyman Travis Allen.

I guess the other two will have to get out, Ose told The Times. I happen to think people are going to respond very positively to my efforts to rebuild the California dream.

A wealthy real estate developer, Ose represented the Sacramento area in Congress from 1999 to 2005. Like his GOP rivals in the race, he is quick to criticize Gov. Jerry Brown and other Sacramento Democrats, saying they have left the state choked by traffic and crumbling roads, poorly performing schools and unaffordable housing.

Ose is testing the waters, and hes going to hear from a lot of people that having a third Republican in the race is a really bad idea in a top-two system, Cox campaign spokesman Matt Shupe said in a statement released Friday. Everyone is going to say, Why didnt he do this a year ago? 

Cox, who has contributed $3 million to his own campaign, is launching a radio ad Monday that takes an unflinching shot at Newsom, the latest GOP effort to nick up the Democrat.

For years, the Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom Democrats have been socking it to middle-class taxpayers and small-business owners. Fueled by the corrupting influence of special interest money, the Sacramento politicians have saddled us with among the highest income, sales and gas taxes in the country, Cox says in the 60-second ad, which will air statewide.

At a GOP debate sponsored by the Redlands Tea Party Patriots on Thursday night, one of the few points of agreement between Cox and Allen was their distaste for Newsom. Allen described the former San Francisco mayor as left of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Cox described him as a pandering shape-shifter.

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On Friday, Newsom headed to the Inland Empire, where he dropped by a union hall in Riverside. His campaign staff collected the contact information of state party delegates, part of an effort to win the California Democratic Partys endorsement at its February convention. After brief remarks, he took several questions from the audience. When his staff repeatedly tried to call for the final question, Newsom kept talking.

Im trying to suck up, he said.

Villaraigosa has been targeting the Inland Empire heavily in his gubernatorial bid. Its the region where he draws the greatest support, faring much better than Newsom and the other top Democrats in the race, state Treasurer John Chiang and former state schools chief Delaine Eastin, according to a recent USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll.

Once GOP strongholds, Riverside and San Bernardino counties have been moving to the left in recent years. Democrats now have an edge in voter registration in both inland counties, and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton carried the region in the 2016 election.

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The Republicans are facing other uncomfortable truths. No GOP candidate has won a statewide election in California since 2006.

And theres the Trump factor. Ose and Allen are ardent supporters of the president. Cox voted for Libertarian Gary Johnson in the November election, but says that was a mistake and that he now backs Trump 100%.

Support for Trump could help the candidates chances in the June primary, when they need all the Republican votes they can muster. But the GOP hopefuls may face consequences for aligning with the president if one of them makes it to the November ballot: In California, Clinton trounced Trump in the 2016 election, beating him by more than 4.2 million votes.

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phil.willon@latimes.com

Twitter: @philwillon

seema.mehta@latimes.com

Twitter: @LATSeema

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Updates on California politics

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Republican candidates for California governor spar over support for Trump in their first debate

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Former GOP Rep. Doug Ose announces he is running for California governor

Antonio Villaraigosa left the mayors office with no job, no house, no car. Heres how he made millions since thenTrump promotes sons Justice with Judge Jeanine interview President Trump promoted via Twitter an interview with his son Eric Trump just before it aired Saturday night on Fox News Justice with Judge Jeanine. Eric Trump on @JudgeJeanine on @FoxNews now!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 21, 2018 Eric Trump called into the show to defend his father from criticism prompted by the first government shutdown in more than four years, as well as a series of Womens March events that saw protesters in dozens of cities take to the streets to oppose the presidents policies. .@EricTrump joined me over the phone from Mar-a-Lago ! pic.twitter.com/Hro3TzUW52  Jeanine Pirro (@JudgeJeanine) January 21, 2018 Speaking to host Jeannine Piro  who is reportedly an old friend of the presidents  Eric Trump offered effusive praise for his father, ticking off glowing statistics to illustrate the strength of the U.S. economy and gains against Islamic State fighters overseas. My fathers working like no ones ever worked before to bring back this country and to fulfill his promise to make America great again, said the executive vice president of the Trump Organization. He also repeated a sentiment recently expressed on Twitter by his father: That Democratic lawmakers forced a government shutdown on the anniversary of the presidents inauguration in a bid to distract from his achievements. You look at this whole government shutdown, and the only reason they want to shut down government is to distract and to stop his momentum, Eric Trump said. I mean, my father has had incredible momentum. Hes gotten more done in one year than arguably any president in history. Facebook

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Trump tweets: a perfect day for all Women to March President Trump hailed the nationwide Womens March gatherings Saturday. On Twitter, the president called it a perfect day for all Women to March, seeming to imply that those taking part were celebrating his administrations accomplishments: Beautiful weather all over our great country, a perfect day for all Women to March. Get out there now to celebrate the historic milestones and unprecedented economic success and wealth creation that has taken place over the last 12 months. Lowest female unemployment in 18 years!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 Participants in the marches across the United States were actually seeking to deliver a powerful rebuke to Trumps policies and mount a crucial mobilization for this years midterm elections. But Trump continued to tout his administrations unprecedented success in tweets sent later in the day: Unprecedented success for our Country, in so many ways, since the Election. Record Stock Market, Strong on Military, Crime, Borders, & ISIS, Judicial Strength & Numbers, Lowest Unemployment for Women & ALL, Massive Tax Cuts, end of Individual Mandate - and so much more. Big 2018!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 The Trump Administration has terminated more UNNECESSARY Regulation, in just twelve months, than any other Administration has terminated during their full term in office, no matter what the length. The good news is, THERE IS MUCH MORE TO COME!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 21, 2018 In addition to the roll call of major American cities where womens marches took place  including New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Dallas, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta  protesters also raised their voices in suburbs and small towns, reflecting the aim of coalescing a broad-based movement on the anniversary of Trumps inauguration to oppose the presidents stance on immigration, healthcare, racial divides and an array of other issues. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Laura King. Facebook

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Trump calls shutdown a present from Democrats By Associated Press President Trump is blaming Democrats for the government shutdown  tweeting that they wanted to give him a nice present to mark the one-year anniversary of his inauguration: This is the One Year Anniversary of my Presidency and the Democrats wanted to give me a nice present. #DemocratShutdown  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 That comes after Senate Democrats late Friday killed a GOP-written House-passed measure that would have kept agencies functioning for four weeks. Democrats were seeking a stopgap bill of just a few days in hopes that would build pressure on Republicans, and they were opposing a three-week alternative offered by GOP leaders. Democrats have insisted they would back legislation reopening the government once theres a bipartisan agreement to preserve protections against deporting about 700,000 immigrants  known as Dreamers  who arrived in the United States illegally as children. Trump on Saturday accused Democrats of holding our Military hostage over their desire to have unchecked illegal immigration: Democrats are holding our Military hostage over their desire to have unchecked illegal immigration. Cant let that happen!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 Democrats are laying fault for the shutdown on Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress and the White House and have struggled with building internal consensus. In a series of tweets hours after the shutdown began, the president tried to make the case for Americans to elect more Republicans to Congress in November in order to power through this mess: Democrats are far more concerned with Illegal Immigrants than they are with our great Military or Safety at our dangerous Southern Border. They could have easily made a deal but decided to play Shutdown politics instead. #WeNeedMoreRepublicansIn18 in order to power through mess!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 He noted that there are 51 Republicans in the 100-member Senate, and it often takes 60 votes to advance legislation: For those asking, the Republicans only have 51 votes in the Senate, and they need 60. That is why we need to win more Republicans in 2018 Election! We can then be even tougher on Crime (and Border), and even better to our Military & Veterans!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 #AMERICA FIRST!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 The stopgap spending measure won 50 votes in the Senate, including five from Democrats. Although the House and Senate were in session Saturday, it was unclear whether lawmakers would take any votes of consequence. Trump had been set to leave Friday afternoon for a fundraiser at his estate in Palm Beach, Fla., where he intended to mark the inauguration anniversary. But he remained in Washington and ended up scrapping his plans to attend the Saturday fundraiser. Read More Facebook

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Trump tweet casts doubt on likelihood of averting shutdown President Trump appeared to cast doubt on the likelihood of reaching a deal to avert a government shutdown Friday night in a tweet. Trump also sought to blame Democrats for what would be the first shutdown since 2013. His message came just hours before the midnight deadline by which lawmakers must pass a measure to fund government agencies, or some operations will cease. Not looking good for our great Military or Safety & Security on the very dangerous Southern Border. Dems want a Shutdown in order to help diminish the great success of the Tax Cuts, and what they are doing for our booming economy.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 Despite last-minute negotiations Friday between Trump and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, Congress remained deadlocked over a spending bill and the federal government was headed toward a shutdown at midnight. Senate Democrats  joined by some GOP deficit hawks and immigration allies  were set to filibuster a stopgap funding bill approved by the House on Thursday. A Senate vote was planned for 10 p.m. Eastern, and even White House officials predicted it would fail. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Lisa Mascaro. Facebook

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Trump signs surveillance law after confusing tweets By Associated Press President Trump on Friday signed a bill into law to renew a foreign intelligence surveillance program, announcing his action in the latest in a series of confusing tweets about the spy program: Just signed 702 Bill to reauthorize foreign intelligence collection. This is NOT the same FISA law that was so wrongly abused during the election. I will always do the right thing for our country and put the safety of the American people first!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 19, 2018 Trumps tweet on Jan. 11 created chaos in the House just before it voted to reauthorize what is known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. He linked the intelligence program to a dossier that alleges his presidential campaign had ties to Russia. That caused people to wonder if he didnt support the program that allows U.S. spy agencies to collect intelligence on foreign targets abroad. Trump and other Republicans have alleged that Obama administration officials improperly shared the identities of Trump presidential transition team members mentioned in intelligence reports. Democrats say there is no evidence that happened. Shortly before the House vote, and after conferring with House Speaker Paul Ryan, Trump did an apparent about-face. This vote is about foreign surveillance of foreign bad guys on foreign land, he tweeted. We need it! Get smart! In his tweet announcing that he had just signed the bill, Trump wrote: This is NOT the same FISA law that was so wrongly abused during the election. I will always do the right thing for our country and put the safety of the American people first! There are no obvious links between the dossier Trump spoke of, which includes salacious but unsubstantiated allegations against him, and the reauthorization of the spying program, or between the program and Trumps oft-repeated claims that the Obama administration conducted surveillance on Trump Tower during the presidential campaign. Facebook

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In tweet, Trump suggests that Pennsylvania trip is a political one The White House press office was once again forced to walk back a tweet from President Trump on Thursday morning after he described a trip to Pennsylvania later in the day as a political one  a statement that would force the Republican Party, not taxpayers, to pay for the journey. The White House had said Trump was going to an industrial equipment company outside of Pittsburgh to highlight the good economy and new tax cuts, making it an official, policy-oriented event. It was widely assumed that the trip had a political cast  the area is holding a special election to fill a congressional seat vacated by a Republican who resigned. Trump, by his tweet, seemed to confirm that politics was the whole purpose: Will be going to Pennsylvania today in order to give my total support to RICK SACCONE, running for Congress in a Special Election (March 13). Rick is a great guy. We need more Republicans to continue our already successful agenda!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 18, 2018 Trump later shared via Twitter a pair of video clips of his speech at H&K Equipment, in which he touted the tax cuts he signed into law just before Christmas and tried to turn the conversation back to his accomplishments after weeks dominated by distractions, including questions about his mental health and comments about immigration that some considered racist: Departing Pittsburgh now, where it was my great honor to stand with our incredible workers, and to show the world that AMERICA is back - and we are coming back bigger and better and stronger than ever before! pic.twitter.com/kWPgylqFzj  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 18, 2018 AMERICA will once again be a NATION that thinks big, dreams bigger, and always reaches for the stars. YOU are the ones who will shape Americas destiny. YOU are the ones who will restore our prosperity. And YOU are the ones who are MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! #MAGA pic.twitter.com/f2abNK47II  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 18, 2018 The Republican National Committee, rather than the White House, is supposed to pay for political travel so that taxpayers are not financing party activities; for trips that combine policy and politics, parties have split the cost under past presidents. Neither the RNC nor the White House responded to emails sent Thursday asking who would pay. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders released a statement later Thursday suggesting that taxpayers would foot the bill. She insisted that Trump would be conducting government business while in Pennsylvania. Read More This post contains reporting from the Associated Press and Times staff writer Noah Bierman. Facebook

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Trump tweets praise of Bob Dole after awarding him Congressional Gold Medal By Associated Press Former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole knew the art of the deal before President Trump published the 1987 book of the same name. The two shared a stage under the Capitol dome Wednesday as Dole, 94, accepted Congress highest civilian honor, the Congressional Gold Medal, for his World War II service and decades of work in the House and Senate. Trump later praised Dole in a tweet, attaching to his message a video composed of clips from the ceremony: Today, we witnessed an incredible moment in history  the presentation of Congress highest civilian honor to our friend, and true AMERICAN HERO, Bob Dole. #CongressionalGoldMedal pic.twitter.com/qNQqDLRmCk  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 17, 2018 At the ceremony, the president saluted Dole as a patriot and gave tribute to Doles struggle as a veteran who worked his way back from a grievous shoulder wound he suffered in Italy. He knows about grit, said Trump. But it was Doles penchant for working across the aisle that earned him his latest award, according to the legislation. Bob Dole was known for his ability to work across the aisle and embrace practical bipartisanship, reads the legislation Trump signed in September. Some of the awards 300 recipients include George Washington and Mother Teresa, according to the Congressional Research Service. Read More Facebook

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Trump touts report that seeks to link terrorism cases with immigration By Joseph Tanfani The Trump administration on Tuesday released a report attempting to link terrorism with migration, arguing that it was evidence of the need to dramatically reshape the nations immigration system. New report from DOJ & DHS shows that nearly 3 in 4 individuals convicted of terrorism-related charges are foreign-born. We have submitted to Congress a list of resources and reforms....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 ....we need to keep America safe, including moving away from a random chain migration and lottery system, to one that is merit-based. https://t.co/7PtoSFK1n2  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 The report, ordered by President Trump in an executive order last year, said that 75% of the 549 people convicted of terrorism charges since 9/11 were born outside the U.S. Administration officials called that a sign that the U.S. needs to scrap its policy of family preferences for visas, which they call chain migration, and a diversity visa lottery program. But the report did not specify how many  if any  of the convicted terrorists entered the country through those means. It also did not detail how many of the convictions were related to attacks or plans in the U.S. versus overseas and how many involved people who went to fight overseas for the Islamic State or another terrorist group. Those details were not available, officials said. The report, due last year, is being released in a highly charged moment in the immigration debate, as Trump and some Republicans in Congress seek tough new border and immigration measures in return for a deal protecting the 690,000 people in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Trump also fired off a pair of tweets on the topic earlier Tuesday: We must have Security at our VERY DANGEROUS SOUTHERN BORDER, and we must have a great WALL to help protect us, and to help stop the massive inflow of drugs pouring into our country!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 The Democrats want to shut down the Government over Amnesty for all and Border Security. The biggest loser will be our rapidly rebuilding Military, at a time we need it more than ever. We need a merit based system of immigration, and we need it now! No more dangerous Lottery.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 The focus of our immigration system should be assimilation, a senior administration official said on Tuesday, speaking on condition that his name not be used. He said the nation should give priority to potential immigrants who speak English, who have an education and those who are committed to supporting our values  not family members of people already here. The official said the timing of the report was coincidental. Read More Facebook

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Trump tweets welcome to president of Kazakhstan By Associated Press President Trump said Tuesday that he and the president of Kazakhstan are united in a shared determination to prevent North Korea from threatening the world with nuclear devastation. Trump and President Nursultan Nazarbayev discussed North Korea along with other issues during meetings at the White House. Today, it was my honor to welcome President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan to the @WhiteHouse! pic.twitter.com/TerYFZViax  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 Trump said Kazakhstan, once part of the Soviet Union, is a valued partner in our efforts to rid the Korean peninsula of nuclear weapons. Together we are determined to prevent the North Korean regime from threatening the world with nuclear devastation, he said, as both presidents addressed journalists between meetings. Nazarbayev noted that his country once had one of the worlds largest nuclear arsenals but voluntarily gave it up after the Soviet Union collapsed. He said his country is in talks with Iran, which was the focus of a global deal that lifted some economic sanctions in exchange for Irans curbing its nuclear program. Trump has sharply criticized the Iran nuclear deal and threatened last week to pull out soon unless other countries fix what he says are terrible flaws. Read More Facebook

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Trump falsely claims his approval rating among black Americans has doubled By Alex Wigglesworth President Trump lashed out at the news media Tuesday morning in a tweet denouncing the special counsel investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and possible collusion among members of his campaign team. Do you notice the Fake News Mainstream Media never likes covering the great and record setting economic news, but rather talks about anything negative or that can be turned into the negative. The Russian Collusion Hoax is dead, except as it pertains to the Dems. Public gets it!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 It wasnt immediately clear exactly what prompted the presidents tweet, but it appeared as though he was watching Fox & Friends. A short time later, Trump tweeted a headline from a report that aired during that mornings episode: 90% of Trump 2017 news coverage was negative -and much of it contrived!@foxandfriends  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 The segment focused on the latest survey results from conservative watchdog Media Research Center, which purportedly analyzed the evening news broadcasts on ABC, CBS and NBC from Jan. 20 to Dec. 31 and found that 90% of the statements made about Trump were negative. Study: 90% of Trump media coverage in 2017 was negative pic.twitter.com/vbrwup4Drg  FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) January 16, 2018 But believe it or not, through all this negative coverage, they did a survey of 600,000 people about how black America views this president, co-host Brian Kilmeade said. His numbers have actually doubled in approval. Trump highlighted the statement in another tweet: Unemployment for Black Americans is the lowest ever recorded. Trump approval ratings with Black Americans has doubled. Thank you, and it will get even (much) better! @FoxNews  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 But its not true. The claim appears to have originated from a misreading of data from the online polling firm SurveyMonkey, according to factcheck.org. The firm polled 600,000 Americans in 2017 and found that Trumps approval rating among blacks actually dropped from 23% early in his presidency to about 17%, as of the week ending Jan. 3. Some conservative outlets, including Breitbart, produced an average from those and other SurveyMonkey figures and compared them to the scores Trump received from black voters in the 2016 exit polls. That methodology is not sound. And since the statistics measure different things, the comparison is misleading. Facebook

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Trump goes after senator who surfaced his immigration remark By Associated Press President Trump turned his Twitter torment Monday on the Democrat in the room where immigration talks with lawmakers took a famously coarse turn, saying Sen. Richard J. Durbin misrepresented what he had said about African nations and Haiti and, in the process, undermined the trust needed to make a deal. Senator Dicky Durbin totally misrepresented what was said at the DACA meeting, Trump tweeted, using a nickname to needle the Illinois senator. Deals cant get made when there is no trust! Durbin blew DACA and is hurting our Military. Senator Dicky Durbin totally misrepresented what was said at the DACA meeting. Deals cant get made when there is no trust! Durbin blew DACA and is hurting our Military.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 15, 2018 Trump was referring to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which protects young people who came to the United States illegally as children. Members of Congress from both parties are trying to strike a deal that Trump would support to extend that protection. Trump also cast doubt on the likelihood of reaching an agreement in tweets sent earlier Monday: Statement by me last night in Florida: Honestly, I dont think the Democrats want to make a deal. They talk about DACA, but they dont want to help..We are ready, willing and able to make a deal but they dont want to. They dont want security at the border, they dont want.....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 15, 2018 ...to stop drugs, they want to take money away from our military which we cannot do. My standard is very simple, AMERICA FIRST & MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 15, 2018 On a day of remembrance for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Trump spent time at his golf course with no public events, bypassing the acts of service that his predecessors staged in honor of the civil rights leader. Instead, Trump dedicated his weekly address to Kings memory, saying Kings dream and Americas are the same: A world where people are judged by who they are, not how they look or where they come from. That message was a distinct counterpoint to words attributed to Trump by Durbin and others at a meeting last week, when the question of where immigrants come from seemed at the forefront of Trumps concerns. Some participants and others familiar with the conversation said Trump challenged immigration from shithole countries of Africa and disparaged Haiti as well. Without explicitly denying using that word, Trump lashed out at the Democratic senator, who said Trump uttered it on several occasions. Read More Facebook

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Trump thanks pundit for laudatory Fox & Friends spot By Alex Wigglesworth President Trump thanked Fox News personality Stuart Varney after Varney praised Trump during an appearance on Fox & Friends. In a pair of tweets early Sunday, Trump quoted from Varneys commentary, in which he argued that Trump deserves more credit for the booming economy. The pundit, who also hosts a show on Fox Business Network, cited moves by some corporations to raise workers minimum wage or pay out one-time bonuses in response to the GOP tax cuts. President Trump is not getting the credit he deserves for the economy. Tax Cut bonuses to more than 2,000,000 workers. Most explosive Stock Market rally that weve seen in modern times. 18,000 to 26,000 from Election, and grounded in profitability and growth. All Trump, not 0...  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2018 ...big unnecessary regulation cuts made it all possible (among many other things). President Trump reversed the policies of President Obama, and reversed our economic decline. Thank you Stuart Varney. @foxandfriends  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2018 Varney was reacting to a quote from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), who on Thursday called the bonuses handed down to workers pathetic in comparison to the gains corporations are expected to see from the tax cuts. In terms of the bonus that corporate America received versus the crumbs that they are giving to workers to kind of put the schmooze on is so pathetic, Pelosi told reporters. Its pathetic. Varney shot back Sunday that the bonuses, along with explosive stock market growth, are enriching all Americans. This is a huge shot in the arm, its the result of this tax cut deal and I think President Trump should get the credit for it, he said. .@Varneyco Sets the economic record straight after Nancy Pelosi calls U.S. mass bonuses crumbs pic.twitter.com/BvjIHGm3HE  FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) January 14, 2018 The sweeping tax plan passed last month lowers the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% and cuts personal income taxes. Analysts say the benefits will largely flow to corporations and the wealthy, as theyre more likely to be in positions to share in corporate profits. For instance, Wells Fargo & Co., which responded to news of the tax overhaul by announcing it will raise workers pay to at least $15 an hour, also reported that it expects to pay an effective tax rate of 19% this year, down from about 31% in previous years. That should amount to tax savings of more than $3 billion annually. On average, middle-class Americans are expected to see a very small tax cut in the near term and a tax increase after 2025, when all of the tax cuts for individuals expire. The tax cuts for corporations, however, are permanent.  This post contains reporting from Times staff writer James Rufus Koren. Facebook

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Trump touts MLK proclamation in tweet, but ceremony is overshadowed by reports of racist remarks By Associated Press President Trump signed a proclamation Friday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, noting the contributions of a great American hero. Today, it was my great honor to proclaim January 15, 2018, as Martin Luther King Jr., Federal Holiday. I encourage all Americans to observe this day with appropriate civic, community, and service activities in honor of Dr. King's life and legacy. pic.twitter.com/samlJsz1Nt  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 12, 2018 Overshadowing the event was mounting backlash from Trumps comments during a private meeting with lawmakers the day before. A short time after the meeting, which was called to discuss a possible immigration deal, reports emerged that Trump had asked participants why the United States should accept immigrants from shithole countries in Africa, Central America and the Caribbean. Illinois Sen. Richard Durbin, the Senates second-ranking Democrat, appeared to confirm those reports on Friday. Trump did not respond Friday to several questions about the incident, including whether he actually used vulgar language to describe African nations, or if he is racist. The president said at the White House that love was central to the slain civil rights leader. Trump said the nation celebrates King for standing up for the self-evident truth Americans hold so dear, that no matter what the color of our skin or place of our birth, we are all created equal by God.  This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Noah Bierman. Facebook

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Trump criticizes Democrats in tweet calling for stricter immigration rules President Trump hit out at Democrats on Thursday night in a tweet calling for stricter immigration rules. Trump wrote that members of the party seem intent on having people and drugs pour into our country from the border with Mexico: The Democrats seem intent on having people and drugs pour into our country from the Southern Border, risking thousands of lives in the process. It is my duty to protect the lives and safety of all Americans. We must build a Great Wall, think Merit and end Lottery & Chain. USA!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 12, 2018 It wasnt immediately clear exactly what prompted the tweet. Earlier Thursday, Trump rejected a bipartisan compromise to resolve the standoff over so-called Dreamers, young immigrants who were brought to the United States illegally as children but have temporary permits to work, attend school or serve in the military. The president drew widespread condemnation after reports emerged that he had asked participants in an Oval Office meeting about the proposal why the United States should accept immigrants from shithole countries in Africa, Central America and the Caribbean. Read More Facebook

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Trump touts bill aimed at improving border screening for fentanyl By Associated Press President Trump signed legislation Wednesday aimed at giving Customs and Border Protection agents additional screening devices and other tools to stop the flow of illicit drugs. Speaking at a surprise bill-signing ceremony while flanked by members of Congress from both parties in the Oval Office, Trump described the bill as a significant step forward in the fight against powerful opioids such as fentanyl, which he called our new big scourge. He echoed that language Thursday in a tweet: Yesterday, I signed the #INTERDICTAct (H.R. 2142) with bipartisan members of Congress to help end the flow of drugs into our country. Together, we are committed to doing everything we can to combat the deadly scourge of drug addiction and overdose in the United States! pic.twitter.com/ELZvFol5Lo  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2018 The legislation will pay for new portable and fixed chemical screening devices to detect and intercept fentanyl at ports of entry and in the mail, along with other laboratory equipment and personnel, including scientists. Trump has made fighting the opioid epidemic a centerpiece of his administration, though critics say he hasnt dedicated nearly enough money or resources to make a difference. Trump suggested during his remarks on Wednesday that hed like to take a more aggressive approach to the drug crisis  but the countrys not ready for what he has in mind. So were going to sign this. And its a step. And it feels like a very giant step, but unfortunately, its not going to be a giant step, because no matter what you do, this is something that keeps pouring in, he said. And were going to find the answer. There is an answer. I think I actually know the answer, but Im not sure the countrys ready for it yet, he added. Does anybody know what I mean? I think so. Facebook

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Trump applauds news that Toyota-Mazda plant is slated for Alabama By Associated Press Japanese automakers Toyota and Mazda on Wednesday announced plans to build a mammoth, $1.6-billion joint-venture plant in Alabama that will eventually employ about 4,000 people. President Trump lauded the news in a tweet: Cutting taxes and simplifying regulations makes America the place to invest! Great news as Toyota and Mazda announce they are bringing 4,000 JOBS and investing $1.6 BILLION in Alabama, helping to further grow our economy! pic.twitter.com/Kcg8IVH6iA  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 Good news: Toyota and Mazda announce giant new Huntsville, Alabama, plant which will produce over 300,000 cars and SUVs a year and employ 4000 people. Companies are coming back to the U.S. in a very big way. Congratulations Alabama!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2018 Several states had competed for the project, which will be able to turn out 300,000 vehicles per year and produce the Toyota Corolla compact car for North America and a new small SUV from Mazda. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and company executives held a news conference to announce that the facility is coming to the Huntsville area not far from the Tennessee line. Production is expected to begin by 2021. The decision to pick Alabama is another example of foreign-based automakers building U.S. factories in the South. To entice manufacturers, Southern states have used a combination of lucrative incentive packages, low-cost labor and a pro-business labor environment, because the United Auto Workers union is stronger in Northern states. Read More Facebook

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Trump highlights call for border wall in tweets on visit with Norways prime minister By Associated Press President Trump praised Norways prime minister in a tweet on Wednesday after Erna Solberg became the first foreign leader to visit with the president in 2018. Today, it was my great honor to welcome Prime Minister Erna Solberg of Norway to the @WhiteHouse - a great friend and ally of the United States! Joint press conference: https://t.co/qWR1BhfQZI pic.twitter.com/PJvwznjRCO  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 Trump also shared via Twitter a video clip of a joint news conference he held with Solberg on Wednesday afternoon. In the clip, Trump responds to a question from a reporter by saying there can be no bipartisan immigration deal absent funding for his long-promised wall along the U.S. border with Mexico. Republican and Democratic lawmakers have been seeking a solution for hundreds of thousands of so-called Dreamers, young people who were brought to the United States as children and are living here illegally. The United States needs the security of the Wall on the Southern Border, which must be part of any DACA approval. The safety and security of our country is #1! pic.twitter.com/4CFzQXb5aS  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 We need the wall for security, we need the wall for safety, we need the wall for stopping the drugs from pouring in, Trump said Wednesday.  Any solution has to include the wall because without the wall, it all doesnt work. On Tuesday, Trump drew widespread attention when he said during a meeting with a bipartisan group of lawmakers that he would be agreeable to signing a stand-alone bill to protect the Dreamers, before moving on to a more comprehensive immigration bill. That contradicted the Republican consensus that Dreamers fate needed to be part of a broader immigration bill that would include some version of Trumps promised border wall and other immigration reforms. Trump backed away from a stand-alone Dreamer bill in subsequent tweets and public comments. Read More This post contains reporting from Los Angeles Times staff writer Noah Bierman. Facebook

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Trump praises Cabinet in tweet touting meeting By Associated Press President Trump promoted a meeting of his Cabinet on Wednesday, sharing via Twitter a link to a video of the session posted on the White House YouTube account. In his tweet, Trump thanked his Cabinet for working tirelessly on behalf of our country and wrote that the last year has been one of monumental achievement. I want to thank my @Cabinet for working tirelessly on behalf of our country. 2017 was a year of monumental achievement and we look forward to the year ahead. Together, we are delivering results and MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! https://t.co/ptXa1hAPwW pic.twitter.com/yv6RALkQf3  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 The former reality television star continued to dispense accolades at the meeting Wednesday, greeting reporters in the Cabinet Room by saying: Welcome back to the studio. Then he proceeded to relive a Cabinet Room session from the prior day, when he had allowed reporters and TV cameras to stick around for much of his meeting with a bipartisan group of legislators on the thorny issue of immigration. It was a tremendous meeting. Actually, it was reported as incredibly good. And my performance  you know, some of them called it a performance  I consider it work, Trump said. Trump went on to say he had received letters from news anchors calling it one of the greatest meetings theyve ever witnessed. He added that the media will ultimately support Trump in the end, because theyre going to say, if Trump doesnt win in three years, theyre all out of business. Asked for examples of letters received from news anchors, the White House said it had received private communications. It also offered a series of positive on-air comments and tweets from journalists about the unusual access to the meeting. During his remarks, Trump swung from praising his own meeting coverage to telling journalists that they were dependent on his presidency for ratings to threatening a strong look at libel laws. Still, Trump thanked the journalists in front of him, joking: Youve gotten very familiar with this room. I appreciate your nice comments yesterday. Facebook

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Trump blasts DACA ruling in tweet calling courts broken and unfair By Lisa Mascaro President Trump denounced the federal courts Wednesday as broken and unfair after a district judge in San Francisco issued a nationwide injunction keeping protections in place for so-called Dreamers. Trump tweeted: It just shows everyone how broken and unfair our Court System is when the opposing side in a case (such as DACA) always runs to the 9th Circuit and almost always wins before being reversed by higher courts.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 On Tuesday night, U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco temporarily blocked the Trump administrations decision to phase out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA, which has protected from deportation some 700,000 people who came to the country illegally as children. Alsup granted a request by the state of California, the University of California and other plaintiffs to stop Trump from ending DACA on March 5. The administrations decision to end DACA, which was announced in September, was based on a flawed legal analysis, Alsup wrote in his decision. Dreamers would be irreparably harmed if their DACA protections, which allow them to live and work legally in the U.S., were stripped away before the courts had a chance to fully consider their claims, he ruled. The action is the mirror image of a ruling in 2015 by a federal judge in Texas who ruled in favor of that state when it sought to block President Obama from expanding DACA to include the parents of Dreamers. Trump administration officials praised that judicial ruling. By contrast, they sharply criticized Alsups decision. Read More Facebook

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Trump thanks lawmakers for productive immigration meeting, says deal must include border wall President Trump thanked a bipartisan group of lawmakers for participating in a meeting on immigration legislation on Tuesday. Much of the discussion involved so-called Dreamers, an estimated 700,000 young people who were brought to the country illegally as children and are now facing deportation. In a tweet, Trump wrote that there was strong agreement to negotiate a bill to protect Dreamers, as well as put into place some of the reforms favored by Republicans. Thanks to all of the Republican and Democratic lawmakers for todays very productive meeting on immigration reform. There was strong agreement to negotiate a bill that deals with border security, chain migration, lottery and DACA. https://t.co/SdqAQ3aL3z pic.twitter.com/8DYHZHspAy  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2018 The most notable exchange of the meeting came when Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the San Francisco Democrat, asked Trump whether he would be agreeable to signing a stand-alone bill to protect the Dreamers, before moving on to a more comprehensive immigration bill. Yeah, I would like to do it, Trump responded. The statement drew widespread attention because it contradicted the Republican consensus that Dreamers fate needed to be part of a broader immigration bill that would include some version of Trumps promised border wall and other immigration reforms. Trump later backed away from a stand-alone Dreamer bill, tweeting that a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico must be part of any deal: As I made very clear today, our country needs the security of the Wall on the Southern Border, which must be part of any DACA approval.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 Pressure has been mounting for Congress to broker an immigration deal by Jan. 19 as part of a must-pass budget package to fund the government. This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Noah Bierman. Facebook

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Trump thanks officers and veterans in tweets President Trump doled out a slew of accolades Tuesday via Twitter. He thanked the nations law enforcement officers, including in his message a hashtag denoting a day of appreciation organized by a national support group for law enforcement families. On behalf of the American people, THANK YOU to our incredible law enforcement officers. As President of the United States - I will fight for you, and I will never, ever let you down. Now, more than ever, we must support the men and women in blue! #LawEnforcementAppreciationDay pic.twitter.com/Qb4uxB4JRm  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2018 Trump later expressed gratitude for federal immigration agents, in particular: .@ICEgov HSI agents and ERO officers, on behalf of an entire Nation, THANK YOU for what you are doing 24/7/365 to keep fellow Americans SAFE. Everyone is so grateful!#LawEnforcementAppreciationDay

President @realDonaldTrump https://t.co/HXCpTlruVo  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 The president thanked veterans as he cited his administrations efforts to curb the number of veteran suicides by improving mental health treatment for the high-risk group: Today, it was my great honor to sign a new Executive Order to ensure Veterans have the resources they need as they transition back to civilian life. We must ensure that our HEROES are given the care and support they so richly deserve! https://t.co/0MdP9DDIAS pic.twitter.com/LP2a8KCBAp  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2018 Trumps tweet included photos of the president signing an executive order Tuesday directing the secretaries of Defense, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs to develop a plan to provide seamless access to mental health and suicide prevention resources for 12 months for members leaving the armed forces. Also on Tuesday, Trump touted a law he signed the day before designating the birthplace of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. a national historic park: It was my great honor to sign H.R. 267, the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park Act, which redesignates the Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site in the State of Georgia as the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park. https://t.co/Qe0b6HBFTY pic.twitter.com/QTgaqTawPT  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2018 And he thanked House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) for sharing a video compilation comprised of clips of politicians and commentators praising the GOPs tax cut bill: Thank you @GOPLeader Kevin McCarthy! Couldnt agree w/you more. TOGETHER, we are #MAGA https://t.co/QaxtqpyXTR  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018  This post contains reporting from the Associated Press and Times staff writer Alex Wigglesworth. Facebook

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Trump hails tax bill in tweets recapping speech to farmers By Associated Press Connecting with rural Americans, President Trump on Monday hailed his tax overhaul as a victory for family farmers. Farm country is Gods country, Trump told the annual convention of the American Farm Bureau Federation. Trump became the first president in a quarter-century to address the federations convention. His Southern swing also included a stop in Atlanta for the national college football championship game. Cant wait to be back in the amazing state of Tennessee to address the 99th American @FarmBureau Federations Annual Convention in Nashville! #AFBF18



On my way now - join me LIVE at 4:00pmE: https://t.co/QaljAqekdD. pic.twitter.com/Wm7Io0hYT8  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 Joined by Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and a group of Tennessee lawmakers, Trump said most of the benefits of the tax legislation are going to working families, small businesses, and who  the family farmer. The package Trump signed into law last month provides generous tax cuts for corporations and the wealthiest Americans, and more modest reductions for middle- and low-income individuals and families. In every decision we make, we are honoring Americas PROUD FARMING LEGACY. Years of crushing taxes, crippling regs, & corrupt politics left our communities hurting, our economy stagnant, & millions of hardworking Americans COMPLETELY FORGOTTEN. But they are not forgotten ANYMORE! pic.twitter.com/MdYS7xnukQ  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 The president vastly inflated the value of the package in his speech, citing a total of $5.5 trillion in tax cuts, with most of those benefits going to working families, small businesses and who? The family farmer. The estimated value of the tax cuts is actually $1.5 trillion for families and businesses because of cuts in deductions and the use of other steps to generate offsetting tax revenue. We have been working every day to DELIVER for Americas Farmers just as they work every day to deliver FOR US. #AFBF18 pic.twitter.com/QDH7fvFkZ7  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 From Nashville, Trump traveled to Atlanta to watch Alabamas Crimson Tide and Georgias Bulldogs face off Monday night in the College Football Playoff National Championship. We are fighting for our farmers, for our country, and for our GREAT AMERICAN FLAG. We want our flag respected - and we want our NATIONAL ANTHEM respected also! pic.twitter.com/16eOLXg6Fi  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 Before departing for the game, Trump referenced his ongoing defense of the American flag and the national anthem, saying there was enough space for people to express their views. We love our flag and we love our anthem, and we want to keep it that way, he said. Facebook

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Trump tweet hails drop in unemployment rate for African Americans By Associated Press President Trump touted a drop in the unemployment rate for African Americans on Monday in a tweet. African American unemployment is the lowest ever recorded in our country. The Hispanic unemployment rate dropped a full point in the last year and is close to the lowest in recorded history. Dems did nothing for you but get your vote! #NeverForget @foxandfriends  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 The rate fell to 6.8% in December, the lowest level since the government began tracking such data in 1972. The reasons range from a greater number of black Americans with college degrees to a growing need for employers in a tight job market to widen the pool of people they hire from. Trump also hailed the development via Twitter on Saturday. His latest tweet on the topic came about an hour after it was discussed during an episode of Fox & Friends, according to Mediaite. Facebook

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Trump talks up the economy and dresses down the media in Sunday tweets With President Trump cheering from the sidelines, the White House on Sunday pressed its defense of the presidents fitness to govern, as fired former aide Stephen K. Bannon reversed course and apologized for his role in a new books explosive portrait of Trump. The presidents critics, meanwhile, said Trumps stream of taunts and insults in response to the book  Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, released last week  served only to underscore the authors unsettling portrayal of Trumps year-old presidency, depicting a leader whose own aides consider him childish, ignorant and dangerously erratic. Trump provided more ammunition Sunday morning, as he continued to attack the book via Twitter while preparing to depart Camp David for the White House: Leaving Camp David for the White House. Great meetings with the Cabinet and Military on many very important subjects including Border Security & the desperately needed Wall, the ever increasing Drug and Opioid Problem, Infrastructure, Military, Budget, Trade and DACA.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018 Ive had to put up with the Fake News from the first day I announced that I would be running for President. Now I have to put up with a Fake Book, written by a totally discredited author. Ronald Reagan had the same problem and handled it well. So will I!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018 The most vehement defense of Trump on Sunday came from senior advisor Stephen Miller, a onetime Bannon acolyte who distanced himself from his former mentor. In a combative appearance Sunday on CNNs State of the Union, Miller called the book grotesque and writer Michael Wolff the garbage author of a garbage book. Trump is known to closely monitor aides televised performances in putting forth his case, and he gleefully weighed in within moments of Millers televised clash with host Jake Tapper. CNN has long been a particular target of Trumps ire. Jake Tapper of Fake News CNN just got destroyed in his interview with Stephen Miller of the Trump Administration. Watch the hatred and unfairness of this CNN flunky!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018 Trumps reaction, however, seemed to bolster Tappers on-air depiction of Miller as using his appearance on the show to play to the president rather than addressing questions put to him. I get it  theres one viewer that you care about, the host said exasperatedly after Miller turned the discussion repeatedly to negative news coverage of the president while deflecting specific queries. Later on Twitter, Trump took up two themes that have been prevalent on his social media feeds recently. The president again went after the news media, tweeting that the recipients of his self-proclaimed most dishonest & corrupt media awards of the year, which he promised earlier in the week to announce on Monday, would actually be revealed the following Wednesday: The Fake News Awards, those going to the most corrupt & biased of the Mainstream Media, will be presented to the losers on Wednesday, January 17th, rather than this coming Monday. The interest in, and importance of, these awards is far greater than anyone could have anticipated!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018 Trump later lauded a New York Post opinion piece that compared him favorably with his predecessor, President Obama, as well as Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. In quoting the op-ed, Trump initally misspelled consequential as consensual, but he deleted those tweets and re-sent the messages. His is turning out to be an enormously consequential presidency. So much so that, despite my own frustration over his missteps, there has never been a day when I wished Hillary Clinton were president. Not one. Indeed, as Trumps accomplishments accumulate, the mere thought of...  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 ...Clinton in the WH, doubling down on Barack Obamas failed policies, washes away any doubts that America made the right choice. This was truly a change election  and the changes Trump is bringing are far-reaching & necessary. Thank you Michael Goodwin! https://t.co/4fHNcx2Ydg  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 Trump also continued talking up the economy, which has been enjoying a period of strong gains. The Stock Market has been creating tremendous benefits for our country in the form of not only Record Setting Stock Prices, but present and future Jobs, Jobs, Jobs. Seven TRILLION dollars of value created since our big election win!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018 In addition to Miller, other senior administration officials made the rounds of Sunday news talk shows to decry the claims made in Wolffs book. CIA Director Mike Pompeo said Wolffs characterization of Trump as averse to digesting classified briefing material was ludicrous, and the ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, insisted that that those around Trump love their country and respect their president. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Laura King. Facebook

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Responding to book that mocks his intelligence, Trump tweets hes like, really smart By Tracy Wilkinson President Trump declared himself a very stable genius on Twitter on Saturday and later in a televised news conference called the author of a book that questioned his mental fitness a fraud. His comments came on a bone-cold day at Camp David during a weekend retreat with top administration officials and Republican congressional leaders strategizing on the years legislative agenda, including matters such as infrastructure, immigration, welfare reform and national security. Now that Russian collusion, after one year of intense study, has proven to be a total hoax on the American public, the Democrats and their lapdogs, the Fake News Mainstream Media, are taking out the old Ronald Reagan playbook and screaming mental stability and intelligence.....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 ....Actually, throughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart. Crooked Hillary Clinton also played these cards very hard and, as everyone knows, went down in flames. I went from VERY successful businessman, to top T.V. Star.....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 ....to President of the United States (on my first try). I think that would qualify as not smart, but genius....and a very stable genius at that!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 Still, Trumps explosive rebuttal to author Michael Wolffs claims not only opened the day, but it also ensured the presidents capability to fill the highest office in the land was a topic that would not go away. In his early-morning tweets, Trump said two of his greatest assets have been mental stability, and being, like, really smart. He noted that his former Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, played these cards [about competence] very hard and, as everyone knows, went down in flames. I went from VERY successful businessman, to top T.V. Star to President of the United States (on my first try). Read More Facebook

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In morning tweets, Trump touts job numbers and takes digs at news media By Associated Press President Trump used Twitter on Saturday morning to tout a drop in the unemployment rate for African Americans. He also used the tweets as an opportunity to take digs at media outlets whose past coverage he has found to be critical. The African American unemployment rate fell to 6.8%, the lowest rate in 45 years. I am so happy about this News! And, in the Washington Post (of all places), headline states, Trumps first year jobs numbers were very, very good.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 The unemployment rate for African Americans fell to 6.8% in December, the lowest level since the government began tracking such data in 1972. The reasons range from a greater number of black Americans with college degrees to a growing need for employers in a tight job market to widen the pool of people they hire from. Still, the rate for black workers remains well above those for whites and some other groups, something experts attribute in large part to decades of discrimination and disadvantages. Robust job creation has lowered unemployment for all Americans. U.S. employers added nearly 2.1 million jobs in 2017  the seventh straight year that hiring has topped 2 million. In his tweet, Trump praised a report that noted the numbers, touting the fact that it appeared in the Washington Post (of all places). Minutes later, Trump renewed his attack on an ABC News reporter who was suspended last month after filing an erroneous report on Michael Flynn, Trumps former national security advisor. Brian Ross, the reporter who made a fraudulent live newscast about me that drove the Stock Market down 350 points (billions of dollars), was suspended for a month but is now back at ABC NEWS in a lower capacity. He is no longer allowed to report on Trump. Should have been fired!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 The reporter, Brian Ross, was reportedly reassigned within ABC News upon returning from his unpaid suspension. But on Saturday, Trump wrote that he should have been fired. Trumps tweets came hours before he was set to host congressional Republicans and administration officials at Camp David. The meeting scheduled to begin at midmorning Saturday was expected to touch on the budget, infrastructure, immigration, welfare reform and the shape of the midterm election this fall. Facebook

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Trump commends Sen. Rand Paul after he proposes eliminating all U.S. aid to Pakistan President Trump commended Sen. Rand Paul after the Kentucky Republican announced plans to introduce legislation that would eliminate all U.S. aid to Pakistan. Trump tweeted Friday night: Good idea Rand! https://t.co/55sqUDiC0s  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 On Thursday, the Trump administration announced it was suspending security assistance to Islamabad until the country moves aggressively against local militants who have attacked U.S. troops in neighboring Afghanistan. Trump has repeatedly expressed frustration at the apparent inability of Pakistani authorities to rein in militants who cross out of the countrys rugged tribal areas to attack U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Tracy Wilkinson. Facebook

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Trump continues to lash out at Sloppy Steve Bannon in tweets on tell-all book By Associated Press President Trump is praising a major Republican donor family for distancing themselves from his former advisor Steve Bannon. Trump tweeted Friday: The Mercer Family recently dumped the leaker known as Sloppy Steve Bannon. Smart!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 Trump has continued to lash out at Bannon over an explosive new book that quoted his former aide as questioning Trumps competence and describing a June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower among Donald Trump Jr., Trump campaign aides and a Russian lawyer as treasonous and unpatriotic. On Thursday, billionaire GOP donor Rebekah Mercer issued a statement distancing her family from Bannon. Mercer is a co-owner of Breitbart, the populist website Bannon helps run. I support President Trump and the platform upon which he was elected, Mercer said. My family and I have not communicated with Steve Bannon in many months and have provided no financial support to his political agenda, nor do we support his recent actions and statements. The book, Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, quickly shot atop Amazons best-seller list, and the publisher moved up its release date by four days, to Friday. Trump took up the topic again on Twitter on Friday night, denouncing both Bannon and the books author, Michael Wolff, in starkly personal terms: Michael Wolff is a total loser who made up stories in order to sell this really boring and untruthful book. He used Sloppy Steve Bannon, who cried when he got fired and begged for his job. Now Sloppy Steve has been dumped like a dog by almost everyone. Too bad! https://t.co/mEeUhk5ZV9  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 Trumps message linked to a meme depicting a parody book cover titled, Liar and Phony, that featured a photo of Wolff and disparaging quotes about the author. In a tweet sent earlier Friday morning, Trump suggested the book was intended to serve as a distraction from the FBIs investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, which Trump wrote is proving to be a total hoax. Well, now that collusion with Russia is proving to be a total hoax and the only collusion is with Hillary Clinton and the FBI/Russia, the Fake News Media (Mainstream) and this phony new book are hitting out at every new front imaginable. They should try winning an election. Sad!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 That came amid reports that Trump directed his White House counsel to tell Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions to not recuse himself from the Justice Departments Russia investigation. Trumps effort to keep Sessions, a vocal and loyal supporter of his election bid, in charge of an investigation into his campaign offers special counsel Robert Mueller yet another avenue to explore as his prosecutors work to untangle potential evidence of obstruction. Read More Facebook

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Trump praises the economy ahead of meetings at Camp David By Associated Press President Trump is praising the strength of the U.S. economy ahead of meetings at Camp David with congressional Republicans. Trump tweeted early Friday: Dow goes from 18,589 on November 9, 2016, to 25,075 today, for a new all-time Record. Jumped 1000 points in last 5 weeks, Record fastest 1000 point move in history. This is all about the Make America Great Again agenda! Jobs, Jobs, Jobs. Six trillion dollars in value created!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 The president also told reporters on the South Lawn that the tax cuts are really kicking in after Congress passed a package of tax cuts at the end of 2017. And the president praised the December jobs report, which found U.S. employers added 148,000 jobs in December and the unemployment rate stayed at 4.1%, the lowest level since 2000. The modest but steady pace of hiring is a reassuring sign for investors who have been buoyed by the just-passed Republican tax plan and have been sending stock market indexes roaring to uncharted heights. The president is meeting with Republican congressional leaders and members of his Cabinet on Friday and Saturday to discuss the 2018 agenda. Read More Facebook

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Trump tweets as Dow crashes through 25,000' By Associated Press President Trump dispatched a congratulatory tweet as the Dow Jones industrial average rose above the 25,000-point mark Thursday, just five weeks after its first close above 24,000. Dow just crashes through 25,000. Congrats! Big cuts in unnecessary regulations continuing.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 After the Dow closed above 25,000, Trump shared a graphic depicting the stock indexs record-setting rise. MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! pic.twitter.com/iONbr1DkVk  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 Later in the day, the president was back on Twitter, complaining that news outlets had barely covered the stock market milestone. He suggested that the strength of the economy would be the biggest story on earth, had it unfolded during the presidency of his predecessor. The Fake News Media barely mentions the fact that the Stock Market just hit another New Record and that business in the U.S. is booming...but the people know! Can you imagine if O was president and had these numbers - would be biggest story on earth! Dow now over 25,000.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 The Dow broke past 1,000-point barriers in 2017 on its way to a 25% gain for the year, as an eight-year rally since the Great Recession continued to confound skeptics. Strong global economic growth and good prospects for higher company earnings have analysts predicting more gains, although the market may not stay as calm as it has been recently. The Dow has made a rapid trip since it reached 24,000 points Nov. 30, partly on enthusiasm over passage of the Republican-backed tax package, which could boost company profits this year with across-the-board cuts to corporate taxes. Read More Facebook

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Trump reacts to Fire and Fury book in tweet lashing out at author and Sloppy Steve President Trump lashed out at the author of a soon-to-be-released book about the chaotic first year of his presidency Thursday night. In a tweet, Trump called Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, a phony book and claimed that hed never spoken to its author, Michael Wolff. Look at this guys past and watch what happens to him and Sloppy Steve! Trump wrote. He appeared to be referring to former White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon, whose stunning criticisms of Trump and his circle figure prominently in the title. I authorized Zero access to White House (actually turned him down many times) for author of phony book! I never spoke to him for book. Full of lies, misrepresentations and sources that dont exist. Look at this guys past and watch what happens to him and Sloppy Steve!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 Trumps tweet came hours after he had his lawyer demand that Henry Holt & Co. and Wolff stop publication the book. Instead, the publisher expedited the books release to Friday, four days before it was slated to hit bookstore shelves, in response to unprecedented demand. Published excerpts on Wednesday and Thursday whetted that appetite and roiled Washington. Bannons comments, including that it was treasonous and unpatriotic for Trumps son Donald Trump Jr., son-in-law Jared Kushner and campaign manager Paul Manafort to have met in 2016 with Russians said to have dirt on Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, prompted Trump on Wednesday to rebuke his former advisor, saying Bannon had lost his mind. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writers Brian Bennett and Alex Wigglesworth. Facebook

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Trump thanks senators who attended meeting on immigration President Trump tweeted thanks to Republican senators who attended a meeting about possible immigration legislation on Thursday. In his message, Trump also listed his top priorities when it comes to any type of overhaul of the nations immigration system. Thank you to the great Republican Senators who showed up to our mtg on immigration reform. We must BUILD THE WALL, stop illegal immigration, end chain migration & cancel the visa lottery. The current system is unsafe & unfair to the great people of our country - time for change!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 Trumps tweet echoed his remarks at the beginning of Thursdays meeting, when he insisted again that constructing a border wall and overhauling two legal immigration programs must be part of any deal with Democrats to protect the so-called Dreamers from deportation. Two-year deportation protections and work permits given under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program begin to expire March 6 under an executive order. Trump announced in September that he was ending the Obama-era program, but told Congress to draft a law to continue protections for people brought to the country illegally as children  a group that has widespread public support. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Brian Bennett. Facebook

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Trump resumes Twitter war against kneeling NFL players President Trump has resumed his Twitter war against NFL players who kneel during the national anthem to protest social injustice and racial inequality. In a tweet early Thursday, Trump replied to a supporter who shared a meme that appears to depict family members lying on the grave of a fallen soldier with the caption: This is why we stand. Show this picture to the NFL players who still kneel! Trump wrote. So beautiful....Show this picture to the NFL players who still kneel! https://t.co/tJLM1tvbvb  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 The president has denounced players who kneel during the anthem in previous tweets. Hes also called for the firing of players who do so. His latest message came amid news that the NFL finished the regular season with TV ratings that fell nearly 10% below the previous season. Analysts attribute the drop to controversies facing the league, as well as changing viewing habits and a possible saturation point in the number of games available. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writers Stephen Battaglio and Alex Wigglesworth. Facebook

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Trump credits himself with facilitating talks between North and South Korea By Associated Press President Trump says his tough stance on nuclear weapons on the Korean peninsula is helping push North Korea and South Korea to talk. Trump tweeted early Thursday: With all of the failed experts weighing in, does anybody really believe that talks and dialogue would be going on between North and South Korea right now if I wasnt firm, strong and willing to commit our total might against the North. Fools, but talks are a good thing!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 That assertion is in conflict with some of the presidents own statements. Last year, he ridiculed Secretary of State Rex Tillerson for talking about negotiations with the North. This week, Trump seemed open to the possibility of an inter-Korean dialogue after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made a rare overture toward South Korea in a New Years Day address. But Trumps ambassador to the United Nations insisted that talks wont be meaningful unless the North is getting rid of its nuclear weapons. The overture about talks came after Trump and Kim traded more bellicose claims about their nuclear weapons. In his New Years Day address, Kim repeated fiery nuclear threats against the United States. Kim said he has a nuclear button on his office desk and warned that the whole territory of the U.S. is within the range of our nuclear strike. Trump mocked that assertion Tuesday evening in a tweet. Facebook

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After disbanding his vote fraud panel, Trump still says voting system is rigged By Brian Bennett One day after disbanding his troubled voter fraud commission without any findings of fraud, President Trump continued to call the U.S. voting system rigged and said states should require that Americans have voter-identification cards. In two tweets on Thursday morning, Trump blamed the commissions failure on the lack of cooperation from mostly Democrat States that refused to hand over voter rolls because they know that many people are voting illegally. However, voting supervisors in Republican-led states refused as well, objecting on privacy and other grounds. Many mostly Democrat States refused to hand over data from the 2016 Election to the Commission On Voter Fraud. They fought hard that the Commission not see their records or methods because they know that many people are voting illegally. System is rigged, must go to Voter I.D.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 As Americans, you need identification, sometimes in a very strong and accurate form, for almost everything you do.....except when it comes to the most important thing, VOTING for the people that run your country. Push hard for Voter Identification!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 Despite Trumps assertions, analysts have not found evidence of widespread voter fraud. Trump created the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity in May after alleging, without proof, that millions of illegal votes were cast for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. Trump was elected after winning a majority in the electoral college, but the nationwide count showed Clinton received nearly 3 million more votes. The commission sought personal data on voters across the country and faced mounting lawsuits in recent months over privacy concerns. Read More Facebook

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Trump touts another good day for stocks, credits tax cut By Associated Press President Trump touted another good day for the stock market Wednesday in a tweet. Stock Market had another good day but, now that the Tax Cut Bill has passed, we have tremendous upward potential. Dow just short of 25,000, a number that few thought would be possible this soon into my administration. Also, unemployment went down to 4.1%. Only getting better!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 Big gains for technology and healthcare stocks helped U.S. indexes set records again Wednesday. Some analysts attributed the surge to investor enthusiasm for Trumps $1.5-trillion tax cut. All told, Wall Street analysts estimate the tax package should boost earnings for companies in the Standard & Poors 500 index by roughly 8% this year. Thats much more generous than the average tax cut of 1.6% that middle-class families will receive, according to the Tax Policy Center. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 The public has been less enthusiastic about the tax law. A Monmouth University poll last month found that nearly half of Americans disapproved of it, with only 26% in support. Still, as Trump also noted on Twitter, some workers have seen a benefit: So far, dozens of companies have announced bonuses and higher minimum wages as a result of the tax cut. AT&T, Comcast, Bank of America, and American Airlines have all pledged to pay $1,000 bonuses to their employees. Some 40 U.S. companies have responded to President Trumps tax cut and reform victory in Congress last year by handing out bonuses up to $2,000, increases in 401k matches and spending on charity, a much higher number than previously known. https://t.co/bmWrwWzxMR  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 Investors also appear less concerned than many politicians about how the additional profits will be used. The Trump administration says it expects companies will plow much of the extra profit back into their businesses, purchasing more software, machinery, and other equipment. Those investments will make workers more productive and provide a key boost to the economys long-run growth. They should also boost wages and salaries for employees. Opponents of the tax law respond that companies are more likely to pass the windfall on to shareholders in the form of higher dividend payments and share buybacks, which raise the price of those shares still in investors hands. Previous cuts in corporate tax rates, in the United States and overseas, havent always led to higher wages. For Wall Street, its all good, at least in the short run. Most analysts take the view that either way, companies and the economy will benefit. Facebook

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Trump reacts to death of Mormon Church president By Associated Press President Trump mourned the death of Mormon Church leader Thomas S. Monson on Wednesday evening. Trump tweeted a link to a statement in which he said that Monson demonstrated wisdom, inspired leadership, and great compassion and delivered a message of optimism, forgiveness, and faith. Melania and I are deeply saddened by the death of Thomas S. Monson, a beloved President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...https://t.co/ETD3fWtfU3  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 A church bishop at the age of 22, Monson became the youngest church apostle ever in 1963 at the age of 36. He served as a counselor for three church presidents before assuming the role of the top leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in February 2008. After a life of church service, Monson died Tuesday at his home in Salt Lake City, according to church spokesman Eric Hawkins. He was 90. Read More Facebook

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Trump tweets that Iranian protesters will see great U.S. support at the appropriate time By Associated Press President Trump continued to express support for Irans anti-government protesters on Wednesday. In a tweet, Trump commended the protesters and pledged that the United States will support them at the appropriate time. Such respect for the people of Iran as they try to take back their corrupt government. You will see great support from the United States at the appropriate time!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018 Trumps tweet Wednesday morning came as Iranian Ambassador Gholamali Khoshroo sent a letter to United Nations officials complaining that Washington was intervening in a grotesque way in Irans internal affairs. The President and Vice-President of the United States, in their numerous absurd tweets, incited Iranians to engage in disruptive acts, the ambassador wrote to the U.N. Security Council president and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The U.S. didnt immediately respond to the letter, which maintains that Washington has crossed every limit in flouting rules and principles of international law governing the civilized conduct of international relations. At least 21 people have been killed and hundreds arrested in Iran during a week of anti-government protests and unrest over economic woes and official corruption. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people took part in counter-demonstrations Wednesday backing the clerically overseen government, which has said enemies of Iran are fomenting the protests. Trump has unleashed a series of tweets in recent days backing the protesters, saying Iran is failing at every level and declaring that it is time for change in the Islamic Republic. Facebook

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Trump congratulates Sen. Orrin Hatch upon news of his retirement By Associated Press President Trump congratulated Sen. Orrin Hatch for an absolutely incredible career upon news of Hatchs impending retirement. In a tweet Tuesday afternoon, Trump called Hatch a tremendous supporter and wrote that he will be greatly missed in the Senate. Congratulations to Senator Orrin Hatch on an absolutely incredible career. He has been a tremendous supporter, and I will never forget the (beyond kind) statements he has made about me as President. He is my friend and he will be greatly missed in the U.S. Senate! pic.twitter.com/0VjzLEeHTl  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 Hatchs decision to retire from the Senate after four decades lets the Utah Republican walk away at the height of his power after helping to push through an overhaul of the tax code and persuading Trump to downsize two national monuments. Retirement also preserves the 83-year-olds legacy by allowing him to avoid a bruising reelection battle that would have broken his promise not to seek an eighth term. Read More Facebook

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Trump tweet exaggerates progress in improving veterans care By Associated Press President Trump played up tremendous progress in improving care for veterans in his first year on Tuesday in a tweet. His message linked to an Instagram video describing eight accomplishments that show Trump is fighting for our veterans. But it overstates the impact of these steps. We will not rest until all of Americas GREAT VETERANS can receive the care they so richly deserve. Tremendous progress has been made in a short period of time. Keep up the great work @SecShulkin @DeptVetAffairs! https://t.co/ir25vW15hx pic.twitter.com/OtuzIgxMn6  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 Of the eight achievements cited, two are ceremonial proclamations recognizing National Veterans and Military Families Month and National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Two are pieces of legislation that extended the troubled Veterans Choice program on a temporary basis. This became necessary because the Trump administration repeatedly miscalculated the amount of taxpayer dollars available to pay for care from private doctors outside the Veterans Affairs system when veterans had to endure long waits for treatment at VA medical centers. The departments poor budget planning caught lawmakers off guard. A fifth claim involves telehealth, a step letting doctors practice medicine across state lines using digital technology. Announced in August, it has yet to take full effect because a proposed VA regulation hasnt been completed. The VA wants authority to practice across state lines to come from legislation, not a regulation. On Wednesday, the Senate approved a telehealth measure that now goes to the House. A sixth claim refers to legislation that streamlines the appeals process for disability compensation claims within the VA. This step has had limited effect so far because it applies to new disability claims, not the 470,000 pending claims. The last two initiatives make it easier for the VA to discipline employees. The department has pointed to more than 1,300 employees who have been fired under Trumps watch. Because their infractions are not detailed in public documents, the effect on veterans care is not fully known. Facebook

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Trump unleashes his first tweetstorm of 2018 By Noah Bierman President Trump clearly didnt resolve to change his Twitter habits this year. With nine disparate tweets over three hours on Tuesday morning, the first working day of 2018, Trump continued to exploit social media to be the most aggressive commentator in chief in American history. For any other president, his posts would have made for a monumental day of (mis-)statements. Yet for Trump, the series  attacks on political foes and media, provocations of foreign leaders and self-praise for events he had nothing to do with  was all but unremarkable. His Twitter barrage  sent between 7:09 a.m. and 10:16 a.m.  reflected a familiar gamut after nearly a year in office: Attacks on political foes: Nearly 14 months after his election, Trump called for the jailing of Huma Abedin, Crooked Hillary Clintons top aid (his misspelling, another occasional feature of Trump tweets). Crooked Hillary Clintons top aid, Huma Abedin, has been accused of disregarding basic security protocols. She put Classified Passwords into the hands of foreign agents. Remember sailors pictures on submarine? Jail! Deep State Justice Dept must finally act? Also on Comey & others  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 In the same tweet, he disparaged the Deep State Justice Dept, headed of course by his appointees, calling on it to act against James B. Comey, the FBI director he fired for investigating the Russia thing. Diplomatic provocations: Trump again called North Korean leader Kim Jong Un Rocket man, ridiculed the volatile nuclear-armed foe for recent military defections and openly speculated about potential talks between North and South Korea. Sanctions and other pressures are beginning to have a big impact on North Korea. Soldiers are dangerously fleeing to South Korea. Rocket man now wants to talk to South Korea for first time. Perhaps that is good news, perhaps not - we will see!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 Perhaps that is good news, perhaps not  we will see! Trump wrote. Later Tuesday, Trump tweeted: North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times. Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018 Also later Tuesday, Trump tweeted an attack on Pakistan, his second in as many days, and added a new one against Palestinians: It's not only Pakistan that we pay billions of dollars to for nothing, but also many other countries, and others. As an example, we pay the Palestinians HUNDRED OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and get no appreciation or respect. They dont even want to negotiate a long overdue...  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 ...peace treaty with Israel. We have taken Jerusalem, the toughest part of the negotiation, off the table, but Israel, for that, would have had to pay more. But with the Palestinians no longer willing to talk peace, why should we make any of these massive future payments to them?  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 Undermining media: Trump offered Congratulations! to A.G. Sulzberger, who took over as publisher of the New York Times this week. The Failing New York Times has a new publisher, A.G. Sulzberger. Congratulations! Here is a last chance for the Times to fulfill the vision of its Founder, Adolph Ochs, to give the news impartially, without fear or FAVOR, regardless of party, sect, or interests involved. Get...  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 ....impartial journalists of a much higher standard, lose all of your phony and non-existent sources, and treat the President of the United States FAIRLY, so that the next time I (and the people) win, you wont have to write an apology to your readers for a job poorly done! GL  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 But the two-part post was really yet another slam against a perceived media foe: Trump said the paper had a last chance to fulfill its journalistic mission, and accused it of relying on phony sources and substandard reporters  just days after he granted another exclusive interview to the paper. As a bonus, the tweet contained a recycled falsehood, that the paper apologized after the election for reporting on him unfairly. It didnt. Trump later said on Twitter that he would soon announce the most dishonest & corrupt media awards of the year. Stay tuned! I will be announcing THE MOST DISHONEST & CORRUPT MEDIA AWARDS OF THE YEAR on Monday at 5:00 oclock. Subjects will cover Dishonesty & Bad Reporting in various categories from the Fake News Media. Stay tuned!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018 The president also tweeted a quote from Fox Business Networks Lou Dobbs Tonight, which aired a segment praising Trumps first-year accomplishments. Dobbs reportedly joined Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday for a gala to celebrate New Years Eve. President Trump has something now he didnt have a year ago, that is a set of accomplishments that nobody can deny. The accomplishments are there, look at his record, he has had a very significant first year. @LouDobbs Show,David Asman & Ed Rollins  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018 Taking credit: Trump congratulated himself for policing the border with Mexico, an area where his policies and anti-immigration rhetoric are believed to have had some effect on reducing illegal crossings. Thank you to Brandon Judd of the National Border Patrol Council for your kind words on how well we are doing at the Border. We will be bringing in more & more of your great folks and will build the desperately needed WALL! @foxandfriends  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 He took credit for employee bonuses by companies after he signed Republican tax cuts into law last month. Companies are giving big bonuses to their workers because of the Tax Cut Bill. Really great!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 But the jaw-dropper was Trump congratulating himself for planes not crashing. Since taking office I have been very strict on Commercial Aviation. Good news - it was just reported that there were Zero deaths in 2017, the best and safest year on record!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 It was the safest year on record worldwide, but the American streak without commercial jet passenger deaths goes back to 2009. Trump, who has promoted deregulation as one of his top accomplishments, has not signed off on any new airline safety regulations. The White House pointed to new security screening of passengers, to electronic devices to prevent terrorist attacks and to Trumps support for privatizing air traffic control  a proposal that has gotten nowhere in Congress. Falsehoods: Trump said President Obama, in brokering the 2015 nuclear arms limitation deal with Iran, foolishly gave money to the brutal and corrupt Iranian regime. He didnt. The people of Iran are finally acting against the brutal and corrupt Iranian regime. All of the money that President Obama so foolishly gave them went into terrorism and into their pockets. The people have little food, big inflation and no human rights. The U.S. is watching!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 The nuclear deal, which included major U.S. allies as signators, released Irans own funds that had long been frozen. Trumps art of the deal: When Trump sees a big deal looming, he often blasts the other side  to gain leverage, as hes written. This week he resumes a showdown with Democratic lawmakers over funding the government and immigration protections for so-called Dreamers, who were brought to the country illegally as children. Democrats are doing nothing for DACA - just interested in politics. DACA activists and Hispanics will go hard against Dems, will start falling in love with Republicans and their President! We are about RESULTS.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 Trump, who in September ordered a gradual end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, sought to shift blame for the resulting controversy, saying Democrats are doing nothing for DACA and are just interested in politics. Trump has insisted that any help for Dreamers be paired with funding for a border wall and a crackdown on legal immigration. Democrats, and some Republicans, are opposed. Read More Facebook

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In tweet, Trump suggests U.S. will withdraw financial assistance to Pakistan By Shashank Bengali Pakistan lashed out Monday after President Trump accused its leaders of lies & deceit and suggested the United States would withdraw financial assistance to the nuclear-armed nation it once saw as a key ally against terrorism. It was the presidents latest broadside against Pakistan after a speech in August in which he demanded its leaders crack down on the safe havens enjoyed by Taliban militants fighting U.S.-backed forces in neighboring Afghanistan. The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 1, 2018 U.S. Ambassador David Hale was summoned to the Foreign Ministry to discuss the presidents statement, U.S. Embassy spokesman Richard Snelsire said. Pakistan lodged a strongly worded protest and asked for clarification about Trumps comments, according to two foreign office officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Pakistans prime minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, called a Cabinet meeting for Tuesday and a meeting of the National Security Committee on Wednesday to discuss Trumps New Years Day tweet. Read More Facebook

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Trump continues to tweet in support of Iranian protesters By Laura King President Trump expressed renewed support Sunday for protesters in Iran, declaring that people are finally getting wise as to how their money and wealth is being stolen and squandered on terrorism. In a tweet from his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, the president said the nationwide economic protests that began on Thursday  and have taken on wider political overtones as they have grown in size  were a signal that Iranians will not take it any longer. Big protests in Iran. The people are finally getting wise as to how their money and wealth is being stolen and squandered on terrorism. Looks like they will not take it any longer. The USA is watching very closely for human rights violations!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2017 Trump has tweeted about the protests for three days straight as Iranians took to the streets despite a heavy police presence, tear gas and scores of arrests. The defiance gained urgency after two people were reported shot to death in the city of Dorud, about 200 miles southwest of Tehran. As the conflict escalated, Iranian authorities on Sunday slapped a temporary ban on Instagram and the messaging app Telegram, which were widely used to fan protest fervor. Iran, the Number One State of Sponsored Terror with numerous violations of Human Rights occurring on an hourly basis, has now closed down the Internet so that peaceful demonstrators cannot communicate. Not good!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2017 Irans leaders already are casting Trumps increasingly effusive expressions of support for the demonstrators as opportunistic meddling and are painting the demonstrators as foreign pawns, adopting a strategy that some analysts say could jeopardize the legitimacy of the nascent antigovernment protests. Read More Facebook

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Trump tweets condolences after Colorado deputies are shot in ambush, one fatally By Associated Press A man fired more than 100 rounds at sheriffs deputies in Colorado early Sunday, killing one and injuring four others, before being fatally shot himself in what authorities called an ambush. Two civilians were also injured. President Trump expressed sorrow, writing on Twitter: My deepest condolences to the victims of the terrible shooting in Douglas County @DCSheriff, and their families. We love our police and law enforcement - God Bless them all! #LESM  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2017 Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock said deputies came under fire almost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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Watch Live: White House holds surprise news briefing amid government shutdown 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Whoever said The more things change, the more they stay the same was not a traveler, based on what youll see in 2018. Here are 18 things on the travel horizon.

1. Your new (maybe) drivers license

Beginning Jan. 22, you can apply for a California drivers license that will be compliant when airplane-boarding ID rules change Oct. 1, 2020.

If you want the new license  and DMV emphasizes you dont need it to drive legally  you will need certain forms of identification that you can find at that prove your identity, your Social Security number and your residence.

Because the list can change, check the CADMVdox page, the DMV notes.

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The license costs $33, the same as a regular license.

2. But do I really need this new license?

You may not.

There is no need to rush into a DMV field office, the Department of Motor Vehicles says on its Real ID webpage. A valid California driver license or ID card can be used to board a commercial flight or enter secure federal facilities until Oct. 1, 2020.

Your license is not your only airplane-boarding ID option, now or after the Oct. 1, 2020, date.

You can use a Trusted Traveler card, which you got when you applied for, say, Global Entry through Customs and Border Protection. Or you can use your passport or passport card. You can find a list of acceptable IDs on the Department of Homeland Security page.

If you have other ID, why bother? Because a drivers license, for most driving adults, requires no extra thought; you most likely have it with you. If you lose it, it costs little to replace.

You can put it off for sure. But, as Mark Twain supposedly said, If you have to eat two frogs, eat the bigger one first. Everything else this year will taste like creme brulee.

3. A new way to track trouble abroad

The State Department is introducing shades of gray into its system that tells you about trouble spots.

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The standard jargon at States website used to be a warning  something serious that would suggest extra caution (and sometimes more) in a country  or an alert, which often was a red flag, sometimes temporary, telling travelers about, say, an election or the aftermath of a natural disaster.

Starting Wednesday or thereabouts, State will use a four-tier advisory system.

Level 1: exercise normal precautions

Level 2: exercise increased caution

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 Level 3: reconsider travel

Level 4 : do not travel

None of these prohibits travel, the State Department is quick to note. North Korea is the only country thats off-limits to Americans.

You can read more or sign up for the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program , or STEP, to receive emails about your destination.

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4. Cuba isnt off-limits, just complicated

The revised rules governing travel to Cuba, issued in November, dont prohibit individual travel to Cuba; they just make it more confusing.

Groups or individuals used to be able to travel under a licensing category called people to people. Groups can still do this, but individuals now must travel under a category defined as support for the Cuban people, which means yours cant be a fun-in-the-sun vacation.

You must have a full itinerary of daily contact. You also should keep detailed records of what you did in Cuba for five years after your trip.

5. Want a nicer car? Rent yours

Lets say youd like a more expensive car than your income can afford. Why not tap into the demand for rental cars?

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Car-sharing rental agency Turo, which has a location at LAX and in more than 5,299 cities in the U.S., Britain and Canada, will let you list your car for rent.

In the L.A. market, spokesman Steve Webb said, the spiffier the car the more often it rents, and many people find that the additional income underwrites fancier wheels.

Info: Turo

6. No vacation? Dont blame us if your pants dont fit

You know why you feel better on vacation?

You probably sleep better and/or more than when youre in the work world.

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Although you cant reclaim lost sleep, the production of cortisol, a stress hormone that rears its ugly head when you dont get enough sleep, may drop.

The elevated hormone level is associated with heart disease and weight gain, among other things, said Dr. Susan Bartell, a New York psychologist specializing in life balance.

If you do take a vacation  and nearly three-quarters of U.S. workers in civilian jobs do get paid time off, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says  make sure its long enough to benefit you.

Resolution for 2018: Take a vacation or be prepared to buy a larger-size wardrobe.

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7. You get sick on vacation? Blame yourself

Its not vacation. Its us and our behaviors.

We are indulging or overindulging in food or drink or both. Were staying up too late or getting poor-quality sleep. (Alcohol, Bartell noted, can disrupt slumber.)

And we are encountering germs in places we usually arent: on airplanes (airline tray tables are the worst, according to a TravelMath study) and in hotel rooms. (Beware the bathroom counter and the remote, TravelMath advises.)

Disinfect those surfaces (antibacterial wipes) if youre going to use them, wash your hands if you touch them or both.

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8. Step away from the buffet

Cruise ships have been in the news because of outbreaks of norovirus, incorrectly called stomach flu, but the percentage of passengers contracting the contagious gastrointestinal virus is less than 1% of all cruisers compared with 8% (and growing) of the general population, News Medical Life Sciences reports.

One key to prevention of this contact-borne illness: hygiene.

This doesnt mean you must shower constantly. It means you must wash your hands almost constantly, especially if youve touched banisters, elevator buttons and the buffet, another reason to stay away from it.

9. At least 365,000 more of you will want insurance

Maybe want is not quite the correct word, but travelers bought nearly a billion dollars more of it in 2016 than in 2012, said Stan Sandberg, co-founder of TravelInsurance.com.

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Some of this you can attribute to uncertainty  geopolitical, climatological, physiological.

But part of this is baby boomers, who are the bulge in the boa constrictor.

The first of the baby boomers turned 65 on Jan. 1, 2011, and each day since then  as of Jan. 7 that is 2,546 days  10,000 boomers turn 65, according to Pew Research.That means 2.54 million more are on the Medicare rolls, which means if they are traveling abroad, they more than likely need health insurance. Medicare generally does not cover you outside the U.S.

Dont leave home without it.

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10. Do leave home without your calculator

You want to keep track of your money, but you shouldnt worry too much about the cost of a road trip.

By late December the national average for a gallon of gas was $2.44. In California, we are once again above average: We pay $3.08 statewide ($3.12 a gallon for regular in the L.A./Long Beach area), according to AAAs Fuel Gauge.

A year ago, that average was $2.69.

If youre driving from Los Angeles to, say, San Francisco, skip two venti (about 24 ounces) toasted white chocolate mochas from Starbucks and youll just about come out even, money-wise. (The 560-calories-per-cup reduction, based on whole milk and whipped cream, is a bonus.)

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When you do the math, youll find your fuel costs are about $11 more if youre driving a vehicle that gets about 30 mpg. Assuming you dont tip your gas station as you would your barista, youll come out about even.

11. Rooms will cost more too

Paris on your horizon? Youll pay more than average for a European hotel in 2018, TravelPort Hotelzon says  about $271 a night.

Youll also pay more for a room in the U.S., according to Business Travel News, which cites CBRE Hotels Americas Research placing the increase at 2.3%.

Translation: A room that cost $125 in 2017 will cost about $3 more per day.

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It adds up, which may mean more skimping on Starbucks.

12. Prepare to play by new rules in Peru

Some places are in danger of being loved to death. Perus Machu Picchu, a UNESCO site, is one.

There are new entrance rules, mostly for crowd control.

Most travelers who wanted to see the Incan complex arrived in the morning, said Angie Clavijo, general manager of the Sumaq Hotel Machu Picchu. But now there are shifts to regulate the flow and distribute the load, she said.

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The first group enters 6 a.m. to noon; the second noon to 5:30 p.m.

Everyone must be accompanied by an officially licensed guide. You may not bring your selfie stick or your tripod, wear high heels, push a stroller, use your drone or tote a backpack larger than about 16 by 14 by 8 inches.

There may not be fewer people, but there will be better crowd control.

For info on guides, rules and hours, click on the British flag for English and go to the FAQs.

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13. Sharing your info can save you money

You may not want to turn over your personal information to another loyalty program, but some aspects of hotel loyalty memberships can cut costs.

Hotels increasingly are offering such perks as free Wi-Fi to those who sign up for their loyalty programs, which are usually free, said Rafat Ali, chief executive and founder of Skift, a travel media company.

Another perk: escaping the harshest penalties for canceling a room reservation at some Hyatt hotels, TravelMole News reports.

Beginning Jan. 1, some Hyatt properties started charging a penalty for canceling a room less than 48 hours ahead of schedule.

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If youre a loyalty member, you can cancel up to 24 hours before without penalty.

Privilege has a price.

14. So does not paying attention to the total price

Hotel resort fees continue to add to the cost of your stay, so do the math before you click, said John Hach, senior industry analyst for TravelClick. Maybe you can live with those fees if youre getting free Wi-Fi, late checkout or free breakfast. Just be aware.

The legacy airlines  those that have been around awhile  are competing with budget airlines by offering their version of low-cost fares called basic economy.

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You will save money, but you also wont be able to make changes to your ticket or perhaps use the overhead bin. Just make sure you know the rules.

15. Sometimes you want to pay more for your ticket

Fliers may want to avoid LAX because it continues to be mired in its $14-billion improvements.

Hello, Ontario airport, now under the control of the city of Ontario after its marriage to Los Angeles World Airports soured.

Our recent analysis of fares showed many at Ontario have dropped and are sometimes the same as those from LAX.

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Thats partly because passenger numbers continue to grow. Through November, Ontario airport recorded 4.1 million passengers, 6.8% more than a year ago.

More airlines  Frontier made its debut in mid-October and China Airlines is expected to begin offering service to Taiwan near the end of March  mean more revenue for the airport.

More revenue means better services. Its not LAX, which will probably have served 70 million passengers by the time all is totaled for 2017. For this we can be thankful.

16. Sometimes a bargain is half the fun

Look for airfare bargains in 2018, said Tom Spagnola, senior vice president of supplier relations for CheapOAir, especially to Asia.

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South Korea, which is hosting the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang from Feb. 9-25, will probably suffer Games syndrome. That means people stay away because theyre worried about Olympic-size crowds and, for these Games, political tensions with North Korea. Look for bargains through March, Spagnola said.

Also look to Asia in general for airfare bargains, which often have a short booking window. Check the Sunday Travel section of the Los Angeles Times for the airfare bargain of the week or go online to latimes.com/travel at 7 a.m. Fridays for the deal.

17. Dont overlook Europe bargains

Basic economy is coming to international fares too. TAP Portugal has deeply discounted fares with fewer frills. Delta also is offering basic economy to North Africa and Europe. (I found a $636 fare to London for a hypothetical late May trip, about $90 less than main cabin service.) United and American also are said to be joining the international fray.

18. And finally, the fear factor

Sometimes even the pros get scared. Janet Moore of Distant Horizons in Long Beach, which specializes in unusual destinations, feels safe in Iran, for instance, but canceled a trip to eastern Turkey.

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Horrifying incidents can happen anywhere  at a country music festival in October in Las Vegas, at the end of an Ariana Grande concert in May in Manchester, England.

It is too easy to sound like a scolding schoolmarm when we wag our finger and say fear should not rob us of opportunities. Thats correct: It should not. But sometimes it does.

Its your vacation. You get to use it as you wish. As long as youre discovering life beyond your world, whether thats 50 or 5,000 miles away, it is time well-spent.

travel@latimes.com

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@latimestravelWhen the Trump administration announced this week it was suspending military aid to Pakistan until the country takes more aggressive action against terrorist organizations that have targeted Americans, one of the groups it named was the Haqqani network.

Compared to other extremist groups, it is unfamiliar to many people in the U.S.

So who is Haqqani? What is the network? And what are its links to Pakistan?

Jalaluddin Haqqani was an Afghan warlord and a leader of the insurgency against Soviet forces in Afghanistan in the 1980s, when he formed his Sunni Islamist militant organization, which the U.S. government did not designate as a foreign terrorist organization until 2012.

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Today the group is based primarily in the North Waziristan region of Pakistan, from which it conducts cross-border operations into eastern Afghanistan and Kabul, according to a counter-terrorism guide published by the U.S. governments National Counterterrorism Center.

It is by far the most lethal group, not just inside Afghanistan, but in South Asia in general, said Ahmad Majidyar, a fellow at the Middle East Institute and an expert on Afghanistan-Pakistan security issues. The group is more like a criminal mafia group rather than an insurgent group.

One of its major goals is to reassert the Talibans control in Afghanistan and reestablish the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, experts said.

Haqqani aligned himself with the Taliban in the mid-1990s and served as its minister of tribal affairs until it was dislodged from power by the U.S. invasion in 2001. He was also a mentor to Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, according to the U.S. counter-terrorism center.

Media reports in 2015 that Haqqani had died have never been confirmed. But at some point, he handed leadership of the network to his son Sirajuddin, who in 2015 was named as a deputy of the Taliban leadership council.

Experts have mixed opinions about the extent of the networks relationship to the Taliban.

The group acts completely independently from the Taliban leadership and over the past decade it has carried out its military operations mostly in eastern Afghanistan, quite independently, Majidyar said.

But Marvin G. Weinbaum, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a former analyst for Pakistan and Afghanistan in the U.S. Department of States Bureau of Intelligence and Research, said: There is very little distance between the Haqqani network and the Taliban. I tend to say they are partnered groups.

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And Bill Roggio, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and editor of its Long War Journal, said it was a complete misnomer to de-link the Haqqani network from the Taliban.

Its like saying the Marines arent part of the U.S. military, he said. Theyre a faction. Theyre a branch of the Taliban ... but they are the Taliban.

The Haqqani networks high-profile attacks target anyone who they deem to be in their way of reestablishing the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and bringing the Taliban back to power, Roggio said. That includes Afghan security forces, government buildings, civilians, and Western forces and interests, including the U.S. embassy and military bases.

Since the 2013 death of Mullah Omar, the former supreme commander and spiritual leader of the Taliban, the younger Haqqani has effectively risen to become one of the major military figures for both movements, Weinbaum said.

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The group is known to maintain close ties to Al Qaeda, the Pakistani Taliban and to the Pakistani military intelligence services, experts said.

It is well respected amongst the jihadist circles, Roggio said. Sirajuddin Haqqani has been used to solve disputes between various factions.

He said that respect comes in large part from the groups support for global jihad  the armed conflict to expand the Islamic world  by providing shelter, training camps and financing in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Experts said its impossible to know the size of the group, but some estimates put its membership at upward of 10,000 people, with many recruits coming from the northern Pakistan region where the group is based.

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The network is believed to be financed by some Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, and by the Pakistani establishment. The elder Haqqani reportedly speaks fluent Arabic and is well connected in the Arab Gulf region. One of his two wives is reportedly from the United Arab Emirates. Money generated through the networks illicit activities, including trafficking in drugs and minerals, also helps fund the group, experts said.

To that end, it aims to create ungovernable areas in eastern Afghanistan where it can safely run its criminal enterprises, Majidyar said.

But its trademark is the sophistication of its assaults. The groups is known to have effective tactical fighters, expertise in car bombs and suicide attacks, and influence in recruiting foreign jihadists, experts said.

What has made the Haqqani network stand out and also become very much famous is its lethality and also its ability to conduct ... attacks in the most secure and most strategic locations across Afghanistan, but most importantly in the capital, Kabul, Majidyar said.

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Notable attacks in recent years include the June 2011 assault on the Kabul Intercontinental Hotel and suicide bombings in 2008 and 2009 against the Indian Embassy in Kabul, according to the counter-terrorism center.

The agency said the Haqqani network also participated in a September 2011 day-long assault against major targets in Kabul, including the U.S. Embassy, International Security Assistance Force headquarters, the Afghan presidential palace, and the Afghan National Directorate of Security headquarters.

ann.simmons@latimes.com

For more on global development news, see our Global Development Watch page, and follow me @AMSimmons1 on TwitterBritish prosecutors were under mounting pressure Saturday to explain why a former London taxi driver suspected of assaulting dozens of women is being freed after less than a decade in prison.

John Worboys was convicted in 2009 of raping or sexually assaulting 12 women he picked up as passengers over an 18-month period.

He attacked women who had been out at London bars and clubs, telling them hed won money on the lottery and inviting them to join him in a celebratory glass of champagne. The drinks were laced with sedatives, and Worboys then assaulted the stupefied victims in the back of his cab.

The cabbie was convicted on charges relating to a fraction of the 102 women who made allegations against him, including 19 who came forward after he was convicted.

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Police chose not to press further charges, but lawyers for some of the women say they were assured that Worboys was likely to spend many years in prison.

Worboys, now 60, was given an indefinite sentence for public protection, and told he would not be let out of prison until he no longer posed a threat to women. Britains Parole Board announced this week that a panel had approved his release.

Officials say regulations prevent them from disclosing the reasoning behind the decision. More than 50 lawmakers have signed a letter urging the Parole Board to reveal whether victims were consulted about it.

Groups that work with sex abuse survivors have condemned the decision. Yvonne Traynor, chief executive of Rape Crisis South London, said Worboys had served a woefully short time in prison.

Kim Harrison of law firm Slater Gordon, which represented several victims, told the BBC that the women felt betrayed and devastated.Gunmen killed at least 13 people Saturday in Senegal who were gathering firewood in the forest, the military said. It was the worst attack in years in the West African nations restive southern region, where a separatist insurgency has dragged on for more than three decades.

The bloodshed sparked fears of renewed unrest in the area, which had been relatively calm for the last several years.

Col. Abdoul Ndiaye said late Saturday that seven others were wounded in the massacre four miles outside of the town of Ziguinchor, and the military stepped up its presence near the town. Casamance is separated from the rest of Senegal by the nation of Gambia.

While no immediate claim of responsibility for the slayings was made, suspicion fell on the separatist group founded in 1982 known as the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance.

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The armed wing of the group had agreed to a cease-fire in 2014, and the last major attack blamed on the group had been in 2013 when rebels took 12 employees of a South African bomb disposal firm hostage. The victims, all Senegalese citizens, were eventually released.

Saturdays deaths came just hours after the release of two prisoners belonging to the separatist group following negotiations that were mediated by the Community of SantEgidio.

The separatists have long argued that their region is culturally distinct from the rest of Senegal, and has suffered from inattentive governments in the countrys capital, Dakar.Jan 6, 2018, 2:01pm ET

Lexus will debut 15 new cars in 2018

The luxury carmaker hopes to reverse its sales slide with a product onslaught.

Lexus is reportedly planning a new vehicle assault in 2018, with as many as 15 debuts this year, all of them for the US market.

According to Japanese media, the lofty number comes from Lexus vice-president Jeff Bracken, who is quoted on January 3 as saying, ""Lexus will announce 15 new cars in the United States in 2018."

The same article, translated, says that Lexus's sales in 2017 totaled 305,132 units, which was down 7.9 percent from 2016 and the second consecutive drop in as many years. The new car push is an attempt to change that trajectory.

To be fair, some of the 15 cars will be concepts and special editions of existing models. However, all-new models are part of the slate, too. The LF-1 Limitless, which Lexus has teased ahead of its Detroit Motor Show debut in one week's time, will lead the offensive and is expected preview a new flagship vehicle for the luxury marque.

The Detroit Motor Show opens January 15, 2018.Lehigh Valley and northwest Jersey residents could win prizes if they make blood donations part of their New Year's resolutions.

The New Jersey Department of Health is encouraging more donors to give blood in the colder months, due to flu season and unpredictable weather conditions resulting in blood drive cancellations. Donations also decline during the busy end-of-year holidays with blood centers and hospital collection sites looking to January to relieve shortages, health officials said.

"National Blood Donor Month is an excellent time to make blood donation a New Year's Resolution," acting health commissioner Christopher Rinn said in a statement. "By rolling up their sleeves and giving blood, donors make a significant difference in people's lives. Every donation is important, and generous blood and platelet donations help ensure lifesaving blood products reach those who need them 365 days of the year."

Among places offering prizes to donors is the Pelican Ski & Snowboard Shop in Readington Township, Hunterdon County, and the Miller-Keystone Blood Center, 1465 Valley Center Parkway, in Hanover Township, Northampton County.

Pelican Ski & Snowboard is offering free daily ski and snowboard rentals from Jan. 1 to Jan. 31 for those who give blood at Hunterdon Medical Center in Raritan Township.

The Miller-Keystone Blood Center and 99.9 The Hawk radio station had partnered up for the "Rock and Roll Up Your Sleeve" drive from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Jan. 23 at the center. The event includes hourly raffle drawings, radio host appearances, breakfast treats, lunch and pizza dinners.

Raffle prizes run the gamut from tickets to Kalahari Water Park or the Craft Beer Fest, tickets to Dennis DeYoung at The Sands Bethlehem Event Center or ChChCH Changes: A Symphonic Tribute to David Bowie at Miller Symphony Hall, Shawnee Mountain or Elk Mountain Ski Passes, Lehigh Valley Phantoms Suite tickets, and more.

The need is great.

Every two seconds someone in the United States needs a blood transfusion due to an illness or to treat an injury, as well as during surgery. A single unit of blood from one donor can save up to three lives, health officials said.

Ways to give

Donors can give blood in various ways.

Whole blood donation -- the most common type of blood donation -- usually takes about an hour, though the actual donation takes about eight to 10 minutes during which about a pint of "whole blood" is given. People are eligible to donate whole blood every 56 days, health officials said.

Another option is donating platelets -- a key clotting component of blood -- often needed by cancer patients, burn victims and bone marrow recipients. Unlike whole blood, which has a shelf life of 42 days, platelets must be transfused within five days of donation, meaning hospitals must have a steady supply on hand. Platelets can be donated every seven days up to 24 times a year, health officials said.

Plasma also is needed and is often used in trauma situations. Plasma is a clear, straw-colored liquid portion of the blood remaining after red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and other cellular components are removed. It is the essential starting material used in the manufacture of therapies helping thousands worldwide with rare, chronic diseases to live healthier, productive lives. Plasma can be donated every 28 days or up to 13 times a year, health officials said.

A fourth donation option is "double red cell" donation, which is similar to whole blood donation except a special machine is used to allow donors to safely donate two units of red blood cells in one donation while receiving back the platelets and plasma. This procedure allows donors to give more of that portion of the blood needed most by patients. Donors are eligible to give every 112 days, health officials said.

Make an appointment

National Blood Donor Month has been observed each January since 1970 to raise awareness about the need for blood during winter and throughout the year. Donors who are 17 years old (age 16 with parental consent), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may donate blood.

To learn more about blood donation and to schedule an appointment to donate, contact one of the following blood centers:

American Red Cross at www.redcrossblood.org

Central Jersey Blood Center at www.cjbcblood.org

New York Blood Center at www.nybloodcenter.org

Community Blood Services at www.communitybloodservices.org

Miller-Keystone Blood Center at www.giveapint.org

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.The ancestral homes of the Lalor family at Tenakill, Raheen, Mountrath has undergone the first phase of its of its conservation and ultimate restoration.

The house was the home of Honest Pat Lalor MP, his sons, James Fintan, Richard MP and Peter, leader of the gold miners at the Eureka Stockade uprising which ultimately led to the independence of Australia. The work, which commenced on October 9, was a timely intervention and it was completed much just before Hurricane Ophelia struck the country with devastating consequences including the loss of three lives and the destruction of property.

Circa 1770 Tenakill House, as it is spelled by the Lalor family who resided there, was constructed, and it saw the emergence of a family, already steeped in history, and witnessed the birth of new members of the family who reached new heights of political involvement in the events of Ireland, Australia, America and Spain. But sin sceal eile.

But it was thanks to a committee, which was established earlier this year, a grant from Laois County Council, under the Structures At Risk designation and matching funding from a private source, that urgent remedial work commenced on Tenakill House, on Monday, October 9, 2017, a week prior to the advent of Hurricane Ophelia.

The committee had retained Richard McLoughlin, a Conservation Architect and Austin Dennany, a Construction Engineer, who had carried out surveys of the house and came up with a programme to secure the structure.

They recommended Smith Demolition Limited, Demolition and Environmental Contractors from Newcastle West, Co. Limerick for the work and it was a week prior to the advent of Hurricane Ophelia that they moved onto the site.

The ivy was cut at the base of the walls, higher up on the walls the ivy growth was trimmed back to the rendering, trees growing inside the structure were cut as were overhanging boughs.

Portions of the walls over the windows and the window lintels had deteriorated and the structure at these locations was in a perilous state.

The windows were stressed with timbers and made safe and Thomas Fleming announced that the house was now structurally safe and secure.

It was welcome news to the committee who had been on site for the duration of the work and were impressed by the knowledge and efficiency of the team from the company. Two previous efforts had been made to restore the house but they came to nought and with the passage of time, the vacating of the house by Richard Lalor-Fitzpatrick, saw it gradually fall into dereliction.

At the time of his marriage Richard was faced with the dilemma of repairing Tenakill House.

However, when he went into the logistics of the situation he found that the cost of repairing the Tenakill House was four times the cost of building a new house. It was a no brainer. The new house was built.

When the Tenakill Lalor House Committee was established representations were made to Laois County Council and meetings were set up.

The then Chairman of Laois County Council, Cllr. Tom Mulhall visited the house on a number occasions and was accompanied by CEO of the Council John Mulholland. The history of the Lalors of Tenakill House is remarkable in that their antecedents were removed from their ancestral territory in Laois and were one of the Seven Septs of Laois who were transported to Tarbert, Co. Kerry. The descendants of those transplanted returned later to Laois and succeeded in leasing lands in the Raheen area and it is from those who returned that the remarkable Lalors of Tenakill emerged.

Four members of that family, Honest Pat Lalor, MP, his sons, James Fintan, Richard, MP and Peter, of Eureka Stockade fame, made an impact on the history of Ireland and Australia.

Earlier Lalors from the same family emigrated to Spain and became generals in the Spanish army and one a mayor of Madrid, while another rose to one of the highest ranks in the British Revenue system.

Other sons of Honest Pat went to America where one of them became a famous doctor and another a general in the American army. Hurricane Ophelia having passed, Kevin and Mary Lalor-Fitzpatrick, the current owners of the house were delighted to see no structural damage had been inflicted on the structure.

Smiths company did a marvellous job, commented Kevin as he viewed the house the morning after the hurricane.

Nothing moved and we were listening to reports on the radio and television of devastation from all over the county. They did a marvellous job, added Kevin.Richard McLoughlin, the Conservation Architect, will now carry out an intimate survey of the building so as to formulate a detailed conservation/restoration programme for Tenakill House.

This survey has been funded by a grant from the National Heritage Council which is chaired by Laoisman, Michael Parsons.

We are currently putting in place a drive to raise funds for the ultimate restoration of the house which, when restored, will prove to be a major tourist attraction for the area and will be a great addition to the Ancient Ireland East tourism drive, added Kevin.

See also: The Mountrath man who became a world handball championIt was a New Year's gift as unwelcome as it was unexpected.

In the early hours of January 2, 1941 as the people of Newbridge slept under the security blanket of Irish neutrality, a Nazi plane droned overhead and unleashed a torrent of bombs to the west of the town. High explosive projectiles plunged earthwards scouring craters in the ground on the edge of the Curragh racecourse and in the fields of Ballymany Stud.

Separately a slew of incendiary bombs lit up the night sky as they fell to the south of the town on to the fields of the Cox farm at Walshestown setting a valuable stock of hay and straw on fire. This New Years present from Hitlers air force could have been a lot worse.

There was no injury to man or animal in the Newbridge area. Had the bombs fallen a mile to the east  just a minutes flying time away  the town could have been all but annihilated. The tragedy of the North Strand bombing in Dublin when bombs dropped on Dublin killed more than thirty, injured scores, and destroyed hundreds of houses, showed the devastation which high explosives could bring to urban streetscapes.

As it was, there was tragedy in a neighbouring county that night. All throughout Leinster errant German bombers had dropped their deadly payloads at random over the countryside. One stick of bombs straddled a farmhouse on the high slopes of the Blackstairs mountains in Co Carlow. Three female members of the Shannon family were killed instantly.

Although the de Valera government had imposed strict war-time censorship the Leinster Leader, datelined January 4, carried graphic details of the incident. The papers Curragh correspondent reported that:   about 6.45 on Thursday morning an unidentified aeroplane approached the Curragh from a north-easterly direction and dropped incendiary bombs at Walshestown, Newbridge and one and a half miles from the Curragh Camp.

The report continued that one of the incendiaries had triggered a fire in a quantity of hay and straw in a haggard adjoining the farmhouse of Mr James Cox.

An eyewitness, Mr Joseph Dunne, an employee of Mr Cox, was quoted as saying that the falling incendiaries resembled shooting stars. Witnesses said that the plane approached from the Naas direction and some said they heard small explosions followed immediately by flashes.

The Army fire brigade from the Camp was summoned and arrived quickly at the scene of the outbreak. They succeeded in confining the conflagration to the haggard but about 200 tons of hay and straw were destroyed. The private fire brigade from the Irish Ropes factory in Newbridge and the towns Air Raid Precautions fire-fighting service also responded to the bombing.

The incendiaries of a type which started terrible fires in the London Blitz  scattered all over Walshestown. Others fell adjacent to the home of Mr Patrick Sheridan but did not material damage.

Of potentially more serious consequence were the eight high explosive bombs which dropped in the Ballymany area. Three fell on the Curragh lands between the racecourse and Ballymany Cross kicking up big craters at least forty feet wide. Five more fell on the lands of the Aga Khans Stud at Ballymany where incendiaries also impacted.

Gardai from Newbridge and members of the Local Security Force combed the district during the Thursday for any further traces of bomb impact. The damage was confined to the torching of the Cox hays-store in addition to the severing of a water pipeline at Ballymany Stud and the gouging of deep craters in the pastures of the stud and the adjacent Curragh plain. But the searchers made a startling discovery. They found that one of the bombs had not detonated and it had embedded itself six feet deep in the Ballymany soil just yards from the house occupied by Mr James Hayde, steward and stud groom to the Aga Khan.

As Thursday wore on the national press sought reports from the site and in the Irish Independent of the Friday morning a column headed Droichead Nua  Fire Bombs dropped by an Irish Independent Special Representative reported that a cordon was thrown around the unexploded bomb, and military experts began digging it out in order to render it ineffective.

The skill and bravery of the Irish Army bomb disposal officers is impressive  approaching a bomb laden with 500kg of explosive, and with German fusing mechanisms that they would not have had the opportunity to practice on, must have required nerves of steel.

They dismantled the bomb without further incident but in the process made a discovery which would have international ramifications in the tense relationships between the neutral Ireland the warring parties  the bomb casing carried inscriptions which appeared to be German markings.

Although there had been a handful of bombing incidents over Ireland since the war had begun  including the destruction of a creamery in the village of Campile near New Ross which claimed the lives of three women workers  there had been no objective proof of the source of the bombs.

The Government of Eamon de Valera was sensitive as regards making allegations as to whether the bombs were British or Germans  although the likelihood was the latter  until forensic proof was found. Now there was literally a cast-iron guarantee of attribution  the markings of the unexploded bomb at Ballymany were clearly German.

And so, a crater blown in the Kildare soil by a bomb dropped by a lost and weary Luftwaffe pilot, was to trigger a diplomatic incident that further complicated Irelands tense neutrality.Now, here's a question for the political pub-quiz: name the TD who served Kildare the longest and yet never lived a day in the county?

The answer: Billy Norton, TD, who although representing Kildare for a record 31 years in Dail Eireann always maintained his residential address in Dublin. Its not the only record that the tenacious Norton garnered  he has also the distinction of being the longest serving leader of the Labour party since its inception heading up the followers of the starry plough for 28 years.

In truth, he did not have great competition for the position as Labour in the mid-20th century was always a struggling party squeezed between the two big beasts of the civil war political jungle  Fianna Fail and Fine Gael. Labour also suffered from the Church-driven paranoia over anything resembling socialism  a paranoia which permeated much of the western world. Nonetheless Norton navigated external pressures and internal rifts as party leader for close to three decades.

Although Kildare in the early years of the State was perceived as a county of big farmer Fine Gaelers and small man Fianna Failers there was always a strong Labour vote in the constituency. The Labour party first took a seat in Kildare in the 1923 General Election through Hugh Colohan of Newbridge, a feat he repeated in the 1927 Election.

Billy Norton had already been electorally blooded when he won a by-election for a Dublin constituency in 1926. He lost the seat in the 1927 General Election but transferred his loyalties to the Kildare Labour organisation in 1932 and from then there was no stopping him. He held the seat over a remarkable winning sequence at subsequent General Elections in 1933, 1937, 1938, 1943, 1944, 1948, 1951, 1954, 1957, and the last before his death, in 1961. His best performance was in 1954 when he headed the poll with 8,501 votes, an impressive 30% share of the vote

Labours access to Government was limited over his long tenure but when opportunities came Norton used them well. He achieved office in two influential ministries during his career  firstly as Minister for Social Welfare in the first Inter-Party Government from 1948 -1951 and then as Minister for Industry and Commerce in the second Inter-Party Government from 1954 to 1957, with the added distinction of being Tanaiste in both Governments.

The sense of shock expressed in the Leinster Leader in December 1961 when news came through of his unexpected death reflected on how he had become part of the political furniture in the county: The sudden death of Mr Norton at his home in Dublin on Wednesday night, has shocked Co. Kildare where he headed the poll at the last General Election. He had been a Deputy for Kildare since 1932.

The writer went on to pay tribute to his roles as a national and a constituency politician: For a man who played so important a role in the Irish Parliament he never neglected the people whom he represented and he travelled throughout the county to Labour Party Branch meetings. He rarely missed a County Council meeting and was present at Mondays meeting.

The report went on to say that Norton had been attending to his parliamentary duties with his usual vigour up to the previous weekend.

Then he felt unwell and decided to rest at his home in Merlyn Park, Ballsbridge.

Although his health had not been too good for some time, his unexpected death on came as a big blow to his family and friends.

His early years were shaped by the capital where was born in 1900, the eldest of a family of eight.

He left the national school in Rathmines before he was thirteen years old and took a job as a telegraph messenger at 3s 6d a week. He progressed, by self-education, through examination to sorting clerk and telegraphist. He had long realised the importance of trade union work and after holding several positions at branch level in the Post Office Workers Union, became General Secretary of the union at the age of 23.

Although a Labour man to the core, he had more than done his bit for the nationalist struggle. Mr. Norton was one of those responsible for the participation of the post office staffs, then under British administration, in the two day strike in April, 1920, as a protest against the executions of IRA men in Mountjoy prison, and also in a further strike in 1921 in sympathy with those on hunger strike in Mountjoy.

He led the Post Office union with great success and within a few years became an executive member of the Irish Trade Union congress. He began to take an active interest in politics and was elected a member of Rathmines Urban District Council.

In 1932, the year he was elected first for Co. Kildare, he became Leader of the Labour Party, a position he was to hold until 1960. He was given credit in many quarters as the principal planner of the first Inter-Party Government in 1948, when under Mr. John A. Costello he was appointed Tanaiste and Minister for Social Welfare. He later became Minister for Local Government temporarily, on the death of Mr. T. J. Murphy, and served for a short time as Minister for Posts and Telegraphs during the illness of Mr. Everett.

He always retained a connection with postal workers and was was President for two years of the International Letter Carriers Association and in that capacity travelled to many parts of the world, including Australia. While serving as Tanaiste he headed the Irish parliamentary delegation to the Council of Europe at Strasbourg . In an early session of the Council he delivered a most eloquent plea for the unity of Ireland. He spoke against Mr. Churchills proposal to set up a European army which in the British plan was to defend peaceful peoples against aggression.

Norton declared that the proposal would be sincere if Britain ended her aggression against Ireland.

However it was on home turf that Norton sustained his electoral longevity and for decades his name was to the forefront of Kildare politics.

And yet, as if to show that public representation has become more parochial rather than less over the years, he managed to hold a seat for thirty years in the constituency without ever having set up house in the county.Rathangan has a lot to be proud of  its thriving community spirit, its enviable location scented by the heather breezes from the peatlands, and its galaxy of native-born patriots and poets.

Now the west Kildare towns repute is reinforced with the publication of a cracking biography of one its sometimes controversial daughters  Maura Laverty  who was a household name in the mid-20th century.

Born Mary Kelly in 1907, she was baptised, and later married, in the old Catholic church in the town where in a gesture of great symbolism her biography was launched 110 ten years later in front of an audience of townspeople, all of whom were aware of the conflicting reactions to her depiction of their town in an earlier generation.

Readers of a certain generation will remember Maura Laverty as a scriptwriter for Tolka Row (1963), Irish televisions first urban soap series and forerunner to the likes of Fair City. Such was her versatility that she was also known in homes throughout the country for her cookery book Full and Plenty, which is still treasured on many a cosy kitchen shelf.

However it was her endeavour as a novelist which brought her into glare of controversy. Three of her four novels written in the 1940s attracted the attention of the Irish censor. And while this may not have been a particularly high bar of notoriety  just about everything with any realism published in Ireland at the time fell foul of the censor  it was on a more local canvas that she was to provoke enduringly controversial reactions among some in Rathangan. Although her writing was fictional, and no names of real people or places were mentioned, locals insisted that two of her books were thinly disguised exposes of life in Rathangan, warts and all, in the 1920s.

The author of the biography, called The Maura Laverty Story  from Rathangan to Tolka Row, is well-qualified to write on the story of this complex and vivacious woman.

Seamus Kelly was, like Maura Laverty (nee Kelly), born in Rathangan, but despite the similarity of the surname is no relation.

He still lives within the boundaries of County Kildare, being a resident of Leixlip for many years. His enthusiasm as a communicator of local history has seen both places benefit. He has published a guide to the Liffeyside town entitled A Walking Tour of Leixlip which complements his popular walking tours during the June festival weekend while A Ramble in Rathangan is a similarly engaging account of the settlement on the banks of the river Slate. It is this familiarity with Rathangan which gives him an invaluable insight into the environment in which Laverty grew up.

However, his interest in her many-faceted personality prompted him to track down sources throughout Ireland and beyond  extending even as far as America to reach out to members of her wider family circle.

The sheer diversity and scale of Maura Lavertys output, across a variety of genres including scripting for the new technology of television, should have brought her to a biographers attention much earlier. It is to the credit of Seamus Kelly, that this notable omission from the biographical shelves of the nation has been rectified. It is clearly a labour of love for him, and his regard for his subject is evident in his introduction: It is my considered view that Maura Laverty was the most versatile Irish writer between 1940 and the mid-1960s.

In a deft turn of phrase he declares: She was a storyteller of note whose own story has not been told. However while his regard for his subject is clear, his training as a historian ensures that his assessment of her life and work remains grounded and balanced. How she was  and is  remembered, both positively and negatively, in her home village of Rathangan, is an important theme that is explored fully and fairly in the book.

While Maura Laverty has been the subject of a number of articles and of some academic attention, this is the first full scale biography.

And as well as dealing comprehensively with her better-known endeavours as an author widely read in Ireland, Seamus Kellys book shines new light on previously un-researched aspects of her life, including her American connections, the international reach of her publications, and of her pioneering role as a female radio scriptwriter, long before Tolka Row brought her notice in the embryonic era of television.

Maura Lavertys family had moved from Kilkenny to Rathangan, and the burden of providing for the household seems to have fallen on her mother, who was a dressmaker. Writing in later years, Maura Laverty recalled that her mothers work was admittedly not haute couture, but it gave full satisfaction to the women of Rathangan.

A surprise discovery made by Seamus Kelly in his research was that, as family means tightened in her Rathangan household Maura was sent to live with a childless couple in Hardwicke Street, Dublin for three years. It was an unhappy time for her.

However brighter skies and opportunities were to open up for her when, at 17, she went to Spain to work as a governess and, later, secretary. Not for the first time, an aspiring Irish writer was to find inspiration and freedom on continental Europe. Her four years in Spain were critical to her development as a writer.

The cover of Seamus Kelly's new book on Maura Laverty

Apart from the essential skill of learning to type, Maura got the start which is the breakthrough moment for all young writers. It came courtesy of a most unlikely outlet for a female writer.

While in Spain she translated 12 stories of Spanish legends and sent them to the editor of Our Boys, a magazine published by the Irish Christian Brothers. It might seem an unusual outlet for female writers, but as Seamus Kelly comments wryly: It says a lot about the very limited opportunities in the 1920s, that they [women writers] had to target Our Boys to get published. She was paid a very respectable nine pounds for her submissions to the magazine. Her initial foray also highlighted a canny streak to her approach to writing. She was no idealist  getting paid for her work was important to her. It is no small tribute to her industry that for the following 30 years she sustained herself  and, in time, her family  from her writing output in a mainly Irish market where paying opportunities for creative writers were very limited.

Her success rate in being published was impressive and by 1928 the Leinster Leader recorded that she had been published in a wide range of national newspapers. Seamus Kelly highlights how she was very much a modern writer, making it into writing for radio (Radio Eireann) which was hitherto alien territory for female writers.

Right through the 1930s, she broadcast on an exceptional variety of subjects including religious, cookery, childrens, folkloric and general interest topics. Her religious programming included a series on the mysteries of the Rosary, programmes on the saints including, appropriately for a Kildare woman, St Brigid, and depictions of famous shrines of Christianity. Again Seamus Kelly unerringly sums up the contradictions in how her work across different genres was received: It is ironic that Catholic Church influences that helped to ban Mauras work in the mid-1940s were very supportive of her and she of them in the 1930s.

Seamus Kelly charts how her work proliferated even into the austere years of the Emergency at the outbreak of what the rest of the globe termed the Second World War. It was during this time that she was at her most creative in literary terms, turning out four novels within the decade.

It was the first two of these that are of most interest to Kildare readers, being based heavily on her recollections of her observations of Rathangan where she grew up and lived, albeit briefly, as a young woman.

As Seamus Kelly notes For better or for worse, thinly veiled references to many local people in Rathangan permeate Never No More and Alone We Embark.

Her first novel was set in a fictional Ballyderrig, which, based on an abundance of clues in the work, is clearly Rathangan. In writing about a local dance hall, she refers to 'The Temple', the true, curiously religious sounding name of Rathangans ballroom of romance.

Her description is evocative: It was a leaky barn  but that night I forgot its damp stained walls, and remembered only the lights and the music and the dancing. I remember it as a bright glamourous place blossoming with romance, I could not remember it otherwise for it was the scene of my first love affair.

But while places are unlikely to take much offence trouble arises when the same full-on descriptive approach is applied to people, real or imaginary. For example she refers to a character she names Roach Doyle who she writes was a truly horrible old man and his equally horrible brother. An unfortunate fictional Mrs Higgins did not fare much better. She was called soot because her complexion supported the popular belief that she washed her face only at Christmas and Easter.

There is a lot more in a similar vein  blunt and often unflattering  and it is not surprising then that Never No More ruffled feathers in Rathangan, and, according to Seamus Kelly, still rankles with a few locals.

He reports that a Rathangan exile wrote to him to suggest that a copy of the book was held in Rathangan library in the 1960s with the offending section torn out.

However, while he says that he encountered some who still expressed resentment for her portrayal of Rathangan, he is also fair to Laverty when he considers the dilemma faced by the writer. How to create a portrayal of a locality which is, at least in the view of the writer, realistic and honest? Every writer must draw from her or his life experience and observations of the world around them.

As Seamus Kelly says: Many writers have to make a call on these matters. What to put in, what not to put in, how to say it and how not to say it. He ponders on whether Laverty could have disguised some of the characters, and notes that had she written the books in Rathangan, rather than from the distance of Dublin, she may have tempered her descriptions. However, she had to follow her own authenticity and portray with conviction her impressions of a small Irish village in the first quarter of the 20th century.

Her rendering of her observations in fictional form gave her a freedom to commit that honesty in print, however uncomfortable it might be for those who claimed they saw a connection with their own neighbours and townspeople. Our knowledge of the past would be all the poorer if writers had to temper their authenticity for fear of irritating local audiences.

In any event, there was no fear of her audiences in Ireland and in other parts of the world making any connection with individuals in Rathangan. To a wider audience, it was a portrayal of life in an Irish town with a rich cast of characters many of whom  despite the local emphasis on the critical characterisations  were portrayed by Laverty in warm and engaging terms.

Local author Seamus Kelly with son, Peter, and daughter, Laura, pictured launching his latest book, The Maura Laverty Story in Rathangan Community Hall on Sunday, November 19. Picture: Tony Keane

As a review in the Irish Press in 1943 noted: It is the story of a little lost village in the Midlands of Ireland and it tells of a life that is gone, a good life, simple, generous and uncomplicated.

Whats more, to contemplate Lavertys legacy solely in terms of her Rathangan references would be to understate the extraordinary breadth of her achievement. In an extraordinarily productive life, she went on to write childrens books, stories and journalism in American magazines, and plays on radio and in the Dublin theatre. Earning a living from writing was always a precarious pursuit, and especially so in the Ireland of the 1940s when the outlets for creative writing were few and invariably conservative. With searing words, she characterised the censoriousness of the time, which she blamed on Mr De Valeras political agenda, as having reduced our Abbey Theatre to the level of village theatricals and which is fast turning this country into a dirty, damp ill-lit nursery.

However, her wells of determination were deep and she broke through barriers that would have deterred a lesser spirit. Seamus Kellys research reminds us of hitherto forgotten gems of her output not least an article she wrote among her regular contributions to a magazine published by the Passionist Order in the United States. It was a portrayal of the county town of Naas in 1954, and her article is as good a characterisation as any of the power structures of an Irish town in that era: Naas has everything that typifies the contentedness of Main Street, Ireland  church, vigilant priest, plain folk, helpful landowners, and Mrs Lawlor.

Certainly, no radical ideas were going to disturb the combined hegemony of church and local interests. She records how some stalwart parishioners reported that they had given the run to a chap distributing 'Communist leaflets' in the public houses of Naas.

She visited the Glennon family of New Row with the magazines photographer, and pondered the future of the younger members against the background of the pull of emigration which permeated town and country. Fortunately, that particular family thrived on home soil  Chris Glennon, retired political editor of the Irish Independent, Mary Glennon, former Naas town council member, and Bill Glennon, who has been practising the shoe repair craft for decades are among its distinguished members.

The foregoing sense of social inquiry, but geared for a Catholic audience, represented one strand of Maura Lavertys multi-faceted output. Childrens literature, cookery books, scripts for radio, theatre, documentary film, and later TV drama are all documented by Seamus Kelly whose research in archives in Ireland, Britain and the United States does full justice to her talent and energy. Perhaps the last word is best left to him: Theres a lot more to Maura Laverty than her comments about Rathangan people.

Maura Laverty encountered joy but also difficulty in her personal life and Seamus Kelly documents her story sympathetically but accurately. She had three children 17 years apart, and eventually seemed to become the principal bread winner, sustaining her family on her writings. Despite her status as a regular contributor to press and broadcasting she was in a lonely place by the time the 1960s came about.

The young Nuala OFaolain, who visited with Mauras daughter Barry wrote: She never spoke about herself, much less uttered any complaint, but I used to feel loneliness coming from her.

However she worked with great industry, perhaps worked too hard, until she died alone in her Rathfarnham home in July 1966. Her death was recorded in obituaries including in the The Times (of London).

The world moves on, and so too has Rathangan. While there may be a trace of residual animosity towards Laverty, the town has for many years embraced her repute as a widely read commentator on the life and times of 20th century Ireland. Plaques and heritage talks have celebrated her memory.

However there will be few expositions as enduring or as comprehensive as Seamus Kellys engagingly written and studiously researched biography of Maura Laverty, whose outstanding place in mid-twentieth century Irish journalism and broadcasting is only now beginning to be understood.

The Maura Laverty Story is available in local bookshops or from Seamus Kelly at 10 Ryemont Abbey, Leixlip, on 087 4345147Naas woman Alannah Beirne wants as many people as possible to vote for her when she takes part in RTEs Dancing With The Stars.

The 24 year old former St. Marys College student is canvassing support for her dance routine with Vitaly Kozmin, who hails from Talinn, the capital of Estonia, which takes place later today (the programme starts at 6.30pm).

Alannah is taking part only because former Miss Ireland Aoife Walsh fractured a toe.

Im really looking forward to it, having gone through the interview. I felt so sorry for Aoife when I heard she couldnt take part and my first dance will be in honour of her. But at the same time Im over the moon and since getting the call to take part, Ive been rehearsing at the Liffey Trust Dance Studios in Dublin."

Alannah and Vitaly will be one of eleven partnerships - from five countries - seeking the ultimate accolade of competition winners when the series concludes on March 25 with the last two partnerships dancing off in the grand finale.

Alannah and Vitaly are rated as third favourites - at least in the eyes of one bookmaker who quoted odds of 5/1 against them winning.

Alannah attended primary school in Rathmore and also attended the Gaelcholaiste Chill Dara in the days before it moved to Naas as well as Leinster Senior College in Newbridge.

She then went on to study at DIT.

More recently Alannah, who works as a model between London and Dublin, participated in the Britains Next top Model, finishing in the last three.

Id like as many people to vote for me and I hope many people around Naas and County Kildare will be looking in and support me."

Shes guaranteed at least the backing of her five biggest fans mum Brenda dad Gerry sisters Caoimhe (19) and Jennifer (28) and brother Tadhg (26).A 39 BEDROOM nursing home in County Limerick has got the go ahead from An Bord Pleanala.

Limerick City and County Council originally granted the planning application for Cappamore by Margaret Flint. This was appealed to the planning board by a third party.

The development on Moore Street in the village includes 33 parking spaces and amenity areas - including two internal courtyards.

The appellant listed a number of grounds of appeal. They include risk of flooding to the their property; the proposed sightline constitutes a traffic hazard; reduction in privacy and safety if large hedges within the appellants boundary were to be removed and adequate storm water proposals have not been submitted.

There was no response from the applicant.

Deputy Niall Collins welcomed An Bord Pleanala's decision to grant planning permission to the nursing home.

This is very good news for the village and surrounding areas. It will bring jobs during the construction stage and full-time permanent jobs when the facility is completed.

Cappamore has an excellent facility for the elderly people in St Michael's Day Care Centre and this new nursing home will complement the services they provide. It is also good news for businesses in the village with increased footfall," said Deputy Collins.

There is a long planning history to the nursing home. Permission was granted in 2005 for a 36 bedroom facility and 20 retirement homes in two storey blocks. In 2015, a 45 bedroom nursing home was refused.

The board granted permission to the most recent application - 39 bedroom nursing home.

It said in its report, It is considered that, subject to compliance with the conditions set out, the proposed development would not seriously injure the amenities or depreciate the value of properties in the vicinity of the site, would be acceptable in terms of traffic safety and convenience, would not be prejudicial to public health and would, therefore, be in accordance with the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.

There are a total of 14 conditions, one of which is; All surface water generated within the site boundaries shall be collected and disposed of within the curtilage of the site. No surface water from roofs, paved areas or otherwise shall discharge onto the public road or adjoining properties

Another is that the works to the existing access onto Moore Street shall be in accordance with the detailed requirements of the planning authority, and details of road signage, warning the public of the entrance and of proposals for traffic management at the site entrance, shall be submitted to and agreed in writing with the planning authority prior to commencement of development.WE NEED to do all we can to welcome migrants, said Bishop Brendan Leahy during his New Years World Day of Peace homily.

Addressing the congregation at Raheen parish in Limerick on Monday morning, Bishop Leahy said that Pope Francis four pronged strategy  welcoming, protecting, promoting and integrating  for addressing the refugee and migrant crisis internationally is equally applicable to us in Ireland.

Migrants need to be allowed to participate fully in Irish society and we need to be particularly vigilant to avoid exploitation of women and children, said Bishop Leahy.

For the past 51 years, the Catholic Church worldwide has celebrated a World Day of Peace on January 1. Pope Francis message this year is Migrants and refugees: Men and women seeking peace.

This year, Pope Francis has chosen a topic very dear to his heart, a topic about which he often speaks and acts  the theme of migrants and refugees. They are constantly, he says, in his prayers. He reminds us there are over 250 million migrants worldwide, of whom 22.5 million are refugees. In Ireland we have a particular sensitivity to the theme of migration, emigration, he said.

We need to do all we can to welcome migrants, Bishop Leahy continued.

We need to be on the look out to make sure migrants, especially women and children, are not exposed to risks or being exploited.

In Ireland we need to support the human development of migrants and refugees, ensuring access to all levels of education for children and young people. This will enable them not only to cultivate and realise their potential, but also equip them better in their turn to go out and encounter others in a spirit of dialogue rather than confrontation.

To welcome migrants means we also need to know how to allow them participate fully in our society. It is to the benefit of us all.

In Limerick, he said, there are a number of excellent vehicles for supporting migrants and refugees but in some respects, not least in terms of living conditions, we are not living up to our obligation to support asylum seekers.

I am pleased the Limerick Social Services Council, set up by the diocese, manages to offer support to migrants. There are others who also do good work, such as Doras.

Our schools do great work in welcoming, protecting, promoting and integrating. But we cant deny there are many migrants and refugees among us looking for homes, friendship, help.

Asylum seekers are living in dire circumstances not far from us. For each of us, personally but also as a parish and as a diocese, Pope Francis message comes as a pressing invitation, concluded the Bishop of Limerick.THE driver of one of two cars that became involved in a high-speed incident on the motorway to Adare in an extended moment of madness appeared at Newcastle West court on a charge of careless driving.

But Owen Grey Parkes, Rooskagh West, Athea, had the charge reduced, on a plea, to the lesser one of driving without due consideration and was fined 500.

The driver of the other car, the court heard, was also being prosecuted.

Garda John Shanahan, outlining the incident to the court, said he was on patrol heading towards Adare last May 29 and driving in the slow lane when he saw two cars overtaking at speed on the motorway. The second car was driven by Grey Parkes.

It was rush hour and he followed both cars, and recorded them speeding at 160kph and forcing other cars off the fast lane into the slow lane.

Both increased speed to 180kph, the garda said.

There was no way I could safely pull in the drivers, he said.

At one stage, the garda explained, Grey Parkes car was only feet away from the car in front.

Pleading for his client, solicitor Rossa McMahon said it could only be described as an extended moment of madness.

His client was 47 and drove that road on a daily basis to and from work, explained the solicitor.

He got stuck behind the other car, tried to overtake but it would not allow him to do so. It spiralled into the mad situation described by Garda Shanahan, Mr McMahon said.

When eventually stopped, Mr Parkes didnt appreciate the level of speed he was doing at the time, he added.

Since then, his client had switched insurance companies and acquired an app which tracks and monitors his driving, Mr McMahon said.

He wanted to do so as a remedial action and the results were very positive. Having driven over 3,900 miles, the stats showed 94% speed compliance.

This was an out of character incident which he very much regrets, the solicitor said.

Describing it as reckless driving, Judge Mary Larkin fined Parkes 500.WEST Limerick activist and one-time Council candidate Christy Kelly is offering to help people on HSE waiting lists to get access to a wide range of treatments in a Belfast hospital.

He has taken the initiative in a bid to enable people to bypass long HSE waiting lists, he told the Limerick Leader this week. And he is particularly anxious to make contact with people in need of cataract treatment.

It is something I have been working on for a while, gathering information on the process involved, Mr Kelly said.

I would like to highlight it and urge people to consider it as an option to get their treatment taken care of quickly.

Mr Kelly believes people can get speedy access to treatment at the Kingsbridge Hospital Belfast under the Cross Border Healthcare Directive.

This directive provides a great opportunity for people on HSE waiting lists to get a multitude of treatments fast-tracked, Mr Kelly claimed.

It is especially suited to those with cataracts, a procedure which only takes 20 minutes.

Payment for any treatment must be made in advance, according to Mr Kelly, but is re-imbursed quickly by the HSE provided the guidelines are met and the hospital takes care of all the necessary paperwork.

He is, he said, prepared to contact the hospital for people if that is what they want, and to get the process moving.

It is a very simple process without any red tape, he pointed out.

So simple it is hard to believe, considering how long some people are on waiting lists down here.

The hospital informed me I could submit lists of people to them and they would contact patients directly to collect relevant details and explain the process involved, Mr Kelly said.

But, he stressed, people can also contact the hospital directly on (048) 90688858.

Unfortunately, he added, not enough people here in the Republic are aware of what they can obtain at the Kingsbridge Hospital where surgical procedures are carried out seven days a week.

Mr Kelly has also been in contact with Cork TD Michael Collins and Kerry TD Danny Healy Rae who are behind an initiative to transport groups of patients to Belfast by bus. He himself is prepared to organise a bus and accommodation for people from Limerick to avail of cataract treatment in Belfast.

I consider it an outright scandal that our government is watching people practically going blind while on long lists waiting for a simple procedure for cataracts to be done, Mr Kelly said.

It is an indictment of our government that over 8,600 people are on waiting lists for cataract procedures alone. As it is mainly elderly people who are affected, it is wrong they are being deprived of proper vision when a simple procedure will sort it out.

People should not have to travel to Belfast or any other place outside of the country to get the procedure done, Mr Kelly said.

It ought to be done locally, but the government is not moving on the issue, he argued, which is why he is now taking the initiative. Christy Kelly can be contacted at 087-6315184.

A spokesperson for the HSE confirmed that in general the Cross Border Directive (CBD) allows a public patient in Ireland to opt to avail of necessary treatment in another EU/EEA country subject to the terms and conditions of the Directive.

The HSE does not have the remit to clarify or otherwise the treatment time frames of hospitals outside the state. The HSE advises any person wishing to avail of the Cross Border Directive to review the information on the scheme on the HSE website or to contact the HSE CBD National Contact Point on 056 7784546 or via email on crossborderdirective@hse.ie to ensure that they are aware of the criteria of the scheme and that they adhere to the requirements for making an application to the HSE Cross Border Directive.

See www.hse.ie/crossborderdirective.A SIGNIFICANT contribution by businessman JP McManus to Limerick Boat Club has enabled the city centre club to commence the replacement of its roof, which was destroyed by Storm Darwin in February 2014.

The roof was ripped off the 144-year-old structure during one of the worst storms Limerick has seen in decades.

The good news of JP McManus contribution was announced by Limerick Boat Club on social media earlier this week.

#raisetheroof We are delighted to announce news of a donation provided by the JP Macmanus fund. This significant contribution means that we can begin works needed to replace our boathouse roof @amreeryan @stack_alan @rosaleen_bolger @LimerickBC @Hannahftweets pic.twitter.com/HTo3YRxq8E  Limerick Boat Club (@LimerickBC) January 3, 2018

We are delighted to announce news of a donation provided by the JP Macmanus fund. This significant contribution means that we can begin works needed to replace our boathouse roof, it said.

This comes one month after the club was informed that they were unsuccessful in their bid for the annual sports capital grant.

It said on social media: This recent grant announcement is utterly devastating. Reading the news about other Limerick clubs receiving funding and thinking about another year, possibly more, operating out of a building as we have, is hard.

In early 2017, the club said that an estimated 100,000 is required to replace the roof.

As part of the clubs Raise the Roof campaign, it will host an art auction next month, with pieces by a number of local, eminent artists going under the hammer.

Artists include John Shinnors, Gillian Kenny, Clare Hartigan, Ken Coleman, Jim Furlong, Olivia Fury, Barry OShea, Eric ONeill, Nancy Lawless, Patrick Stritch and many more.

A venue for the auction on Saturday, February 25, is yet to be confirmed.TWO days to the Epiphany, 2018, and Im in a foul mood. All my New Years resolutions went out the window two days ago before I even had time to challenge myself.

Im suffering from the usual surfeit of festive indulgence on top of the January blues, and now I think Ive developed gout. Despite all the woe, however, Im expected to put on some kind of a show to celebrate Nollaig na mBan.

Im sorry, but such patronising drivel as Nollaig na mBan was never part of my agenda. I dont know who invented it if it wasnt the fairies down on a rare trip from Slieve na mBan. It reminds me too much of tokenism, Christmas left-overs and the day when the presence of women in public houses was only tolerated if they sat in the snug gossiping and sipping sweet sherry, while their men folk deliberated over weightier matters while downing weightier sustenance in the bar.

Im told I must lie back and relax on Saturday while Im served breakfast in bed. Afterwards, I must sit back and put my feet up in anticipation of a slap-up Nollaig na mBan dinner, which I must not, under any circumstances, prepare or cook myself. I must stay out of the kitchen even if I smell a conflagration in the making and feel a pressing need to ring the Fire Brigade. Its Mothers Day in disguise!

But Im not going to put my feet up on Saturday, and thats for sure. Id be afraid the gout would spread to my brain while someone was burning down the house. Im going to honour tradition instead and go to early Mass for the Feast of the Epiphany as I always did. Nobody is going to hi-jack my Little Christmas or dampen my absolute fascination with the three wise men, Melchoir, Casper and Balthazar.

The trouble is somebody has already hi-jacked the feast of the three wise men, presumably because they were men and because if there was a single wise woman in the east at the time who spotted the star, she must have been airbrushed from history. The promoters of Herstory, which started I believe in Dublin a couple of years ago, are using this period of the year when Irish women are told to take it easy, to tell the story of women who have been airbrushed from history. But isnt that what usually happens when you let your guard down and take it easy?

Anyhow, the upshot of the new development is this. Nollaig na mBan is being globalised and will be celebrated joyfully this year in a different context all over the world by latter day feminists hell bent on telling Herstory. Every woman from Countess Markievicz to Queen Maeve of Connacht  who by all accounts was every bit as belligerent in her day as the present Kim Jong Un  will be honoured, while the star is dimmed and Melchoir, Casper and Balthazar will have to take a back seat on the camel.

The Herstory project is slightly disturbing from my point of view  which, as the title of the column indicates, shouldnt be taken too seriously in case I end up like Kevin Myers. The hers whose stories are being told are invariably wealthy women from privileged backgrounds who never had to slave over a pot on Christmas day - although in fairness to the Countess, she did try to help out in the soup kitchen during the Lockout, until Sean OCasey told her she was in the way.

But combined with the concept of Nollaig na mBan, it is downright intimidating. Its all very well for a woman to allow herself to be pampered for one day at the tail-end of the Christmas period after slaving for everyone for the nine days beforehand. She can do it even after making a New Years resolution to cut down on the calories and the demon drink. But how is she going to sit back and let others take the helm while being serenaded with the daring exploits of other women whose lives were too exciting for such indulgence?

Theres a time and a place for everything and the Feast of the Epiphany is not the time to be making either a feminist statement or a token thank you to the woman who cooked the Christmas dinner. The messages are contradictory and confusing, and to be honest, we could all do without the pressure.

Its probably only a matter of time, however, before theyll be selling Nollaig na mBan cards and other merchandise in the shops, and well all have to light up our houses again for a day after throwing out the tree, hoovering the pine needles and stacking the decorations for next year.

As they used to say before we all lost the run of ourselves, a womans work is never done, and Nollaig na mBan will never change that.Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.

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Support our mission and join our community now.#football S. Korea chasing 1st win of final World Cup qualifying round vs. Lebanon There is no time to mope or dwell on what could have been. After a disappointing, scoreless draw against Iraq to open the final Asian qualifying campaign for the 2022 FIFA World Cu...Tehran, Iran

The Iranian parliament will hold a special session as soon as Sunday to look into the causes of anti-government protests that have gripped the country, state-run news agencies said.

The interior minister, the head of intelligence and the security council chief are all expected to attend, the ISNA news agency said.

Hard-liners in Iran have blamed foreign conspirators for the demonstrations, a sentiment echoed by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his reformers, though admitting that not all the demonstrations could be steered from the outside by "Iran's enemies."

Hence the parliament's desire to find "the roots" of the protest. Jailed demonstrators will receive also receive legal assistance.

A special commission has also been set up to track the fates of those arrested in recent demonstrations, especially those of detained students, a spokesman for Tehran University said Saturday, according to ISNA.

While there are no official numbers regarding how many people have been arrested over the past week during anti-government protests that have swept the country, an estimated 1,000 to 1,800 people are being detained nationwide, with about 100 of them said to be students.

Science Minister Mansour Gholami said that about a quarter of the students arrested have since been released, though he did not give exact numbers. The ministry is working to obtain the release of all students, Gholami told the online news portal Etemaadonline.

The fate of those arrested has been the topic of serious concern since Iranian hard-line cleric Ahmad Khatami urged worshippers in a sermon Friday to treat protesters as enemies of Islam, adding that "there should be no mercy for them," particularly flag-burners.

The sentiments of Khatami and other government supporters were heavily criticized by Rouhani and his reformists in the parliament. Rouhani adviser Hamid Abutalebi said some decisions were dangerous and could "not be repaired so easily."

Posts on social media on Saturday supposedly showed demonstrations across the country overnight, though they can't be independently verified. Iran's other media did not report on protests.

The United Nations Security Council held a meeting on Iran Friday that mostly featured criticism of the United States.

Russia's U.N. ambassador, Vasily Nebenzia, said the U.S. move to call the meeting was a "bogus pretext" to include "purely political issues" surrounding Iran on the Security Council agenda and said that outside countries should not interfere with the demonstrations there.

Nebenzia went on to ask mockingly whether the Security Council should have had meetings to discuss internal U.S. issues such as protests in Ferguson, Mo., or the Occupy Wall Street movement.

Iranian U.N. Ambassador Gholamali Khoshroo echoed Nebenzia, saying "one can only gasp at the hypocrisy" of the U.S. accusing Iran of suppressing protests.It sounds like an urban legend: A 60-year-old man bent to pick something up outside a subway station in Stockholm.

It exploded, blowing up his hand and killing him.

But Swedish police say that's exactly what happened Sunday morning outside the Varby Gard subway station in Huddinge, a suburb to the city's south.

Witnesses say the man leaned over to pick something up from the ground. When it exploded, he was rushed to the hospital, where he died.

A woman in her mid-40s was injured in the blast. Police say she suffered minor wounds to the face and legs.

Police can't say for sure what the device was or why it exploded. Rescue official Lars-Ake Stevelind told the Swedish broadcaster SVT that "someone has used some type of explosive material" for the object. The Aftonbladet and Expressen tabloids claimed that it was a hand grenade, but police spokesman Sven-Erik Olsson dismissed that as speculation, according to the Associated Press.

Police say that they don't believe terrorism is to blame or that the victims was targeted. For now, the station is cordoned off, as officials sweep the area for any other possible explosives. They are also carefully reviewing security camera footage.

This is just the latest mysterious explosion in Sweden.

In October, bombs were detonated across the country. Explosions went off in at least two apartment buildings in Malmo. A hand grenade was tossed into a nightclub in Angelholm, which injured at least one person. A powerful blast ripped the entrance off a police station. The doorway was laced with dynamite so powerful that it blew a chunk of rubble more than 250 feet away, into the living room of someone's home. Police attributed the attack to "criminal circles."

Bomb scares and threats are becoming more common, too. In the United States, right-wing outlets such as Infowars and Breitbart have cited the explosions as evidence that President Donald Trump is right in concluding that more open immigration policies mean more crime. But local outlets say there's another explanation.

According to the Local, "Explosives are often used by organized crime rings in Sweden, especially in the south where settling of scores and intimidation are frequent among drug traffickers. Police and judges are also regularly targeted."Four Virginia Democratic voters are appealing a court decision that cleared the way for Republicans to take control of the state House of Delegates.

At issue is whether errors that led some voters in an extremely close Northern Virginia House race to be given the wrong ballots were so significant that Republican Robert Thomas, the victor, should not be seated.

Late Friday, Judge T.S. Ellis III of the Eastern District of Virginia decided they were not.

Now the voters are appealing Ellis' decision to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, hoping to stop Thomas from being seated Wednesday. The formal notice of appeal was filed Sunday.

Should they succeed, this year's legislative session would probably begin with a 49-49 split between Democrats and Republicans in the House, likely forcing a power-sharing agreement.

Thomas defeated Democrat Joshua Cole in Virginia's 28th House District by 73 votes. But at least 86 voters, including some in a heavily Democratic precinct, were mistakenly issued ballots to vote in the neighboring 88th House District, where the Republican won by a wide margin. And 61 voters in the 88th District, which tilts Republican, were mistakenly given ballots to vote in the 28th.

"With the serious errors in this election and a margin this narrow, there is no way to determine the rightful winner of this election," Marc Elias of the law firm Perkins Coie said in a statement Sunday "We can't say in Virginia that every vote counts and then tell 147 people 'except yours.'"

Ellis sided with attorneys for local election officials and the Republican Party of Virginia, who argued that the mistakes were scattershot rather than systemic and affected too small a percentage of voters to warrant a new election.

"These were innocent, human or mechanical errors," Ellis said, "and at most negligence on the part of election officials."

The hearing was on a preliminary injunction, and Ellis suggested a new special election could still be called if he was given more evidence of "broad-based unfairness." But the first day of the legislative session determines political control of the chamber and committees, and the entire session lasts only until mid-March.

Another Democrat, Shelly Simonds, is considering whether to demand a recount in her race against Republican David Yancey, which would prevent him from being seated on Wednesday. State election officials broke a tie in that race by drawing Yancey's name from a bowl.

Should the Fourth Circuit decline to take the case or rule against the Democratic voters, Republicans will maintain control of the House of Delegates as they have for the past 18 years. Republicans have a narrow majority in the State Senate, while Democrats control the three statewide offices of governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general.

Matt Moran, an aide to Virginia House Republican leadership, called the appeal "a last-ditch effort" by Democrats.The beginning of the school year when you got to show off your new duds, new cars, new looks!

Sports! Playing, cheering, watching high school athletics.

The arts: Dramatic arts, musical groups and shows, graphic arts groups, debate, etc.

The prom! No dancing the night away or punch bowl antics.

The daily interactions. Just being with the group, hanging with friends and classmates.

Access to college recruiters and advisors  its harder to line up higher education.

Walking onstage to get a diploma while all the family is watching with everyone elses family.

Vote

View ResultsMumbai: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on last day said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) should not succumb to political pressure while carrying out the demolition of illegal pubs and eateries in the megapolis.

Talking to reporters in Mumbai, Thackeray said his party will be firmly in support of the BMC commissioner. The Shiv Sena is in power in the BMC for the past two decades.

"The civic authorities should first thoroughly confirm that the premises they are going to demolish are not complying with rules and regulations and then take action no matter how influential the owners are. Shiv Sena will be in support of the civic administration," Thackeray said.

"BMC should not succumb to political pressure while carrying out the demolition of illegal pubs and eateries," the Sena President said.SPRINGFIELD - Eight people were displaced by a fire at a residence in Springfield's Memorial Square neighborhood Saturday night, said Dennis Leger, spokesperson for the Springfield Fire Department.

Firefighters were called to the area of 2936 Main Street around 5:36 p.m. where they found the second and third floors of a building in flames, Leger said.

The fire was quickly extinguished and no injuries were suffered as a result of the blaze, but the building suffered around $50,000 in damages.

The eight residents who previously lived at the residence are being assisted with relocation by Red Cross.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the city's Arson & Bomb Squad, Leger said.CHICOPEE - A stubborn water main break in the bitter cold temperatures has left residents in the lower Grattan Street area with little or no water for the past 24 hours and resulted in sewer backups in some homes.

Water Department crews have been searching for the leak for three days. Workers think they have isolated the problem and are hoping to make the repair today, Alan Starzyk, Water Department superintendent said.

"The problem is the water isn't surfacing so it is a difficult to locate," Starzyk said.

After two frustrating days of unsuccessfully trying to locate the leak, the Water Department called in leak detection experts from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority who identified a spot where the leak may be located, he said.

"It is a hidden area. We could be losing 300,000 to 400,000 gallons a day," he said.

The leaking water is somehow getting into the sewer system and overwhelming those pipes and causing a limited amount of sewer backups into homes in that area, he said.

The Water Department has turned down the water leaving some residents with limited water pressure and water. The pipe cannot be completely shut down because some furnaces operate with water and it would mean residents would have no heat. That would leave homes unlivable and susceptible to frozen and broken water pipes, Starzyk.

The weather has also complicated the battle to find the leak because the ground is snow covered and workers must jackhammer through two to three feet of frost to do any excavation, he said.

Crews have been working on the problem all weekend. Sunday they returned but got a slow start because backhoes and other heavy equipment would not start immediately in the below zero temperatures, Starzyk said.

"We hope we have the spot. These people are the best," he said of the authority.

It will take three to four hours to excavate through the frost. If the leak is located water may be completely shut off while the pipe is repaired, Starzyk said.

Once the water main is repaired, it will be disinfected to ensure it was not contaminated by the sewer system. It is not certain when the repairs may be completed, he said.

"It hasn't been easy with the wind chill below zero. I have crews out here on a daily basis the guys have stayed and kept working," Starzyk said.A father repeatedly stabbed the family's dog in Falmouth Sunday when the animal attacked his one-year-old daughter biting her in the face, authorities said.

Falmouth police were called to a home on Brick Kiln Road just before 9 a.m. and were told the one-year-old girl had been attacked by the family dog.

"The Falmouth Fire & Rescue Department and the Falmouth Police Department rushed to the residence, and FFRD immediately began treating the child," police said in a news release.

The child was taken to Falmouth Hospital then flown to a Boston hospital for treatment.

A preliminary investigation shows the child was playing in the kitchen with her father nearby when the dog, a pit-bull terrier, attacked the child. The dog bit the one-year-old girl in the face causing what police described as "major trauma."

"The father immediately attempted to separate the dog from the child, but was unable," police said. "He retrieved a pistol from an adjacent room, but when he realized that it was not loaded he grabbed a knife and began stabbing the animal in order to protect the child. The dog was fatally wounded."

The family has owned the dog for five years and the dog didn't have a history of violence or aggression, police said. Investigators believe the attack was unprovoked.

Authorities continue to investigate.NORTHAMPTON - Northampton resident Dave Rothstein is a bigger fan of winter than most people. To prove it, he spent the last several days crafting a gargantuan cat out of snow--an 8-foot-tall tabby which he's dubbed "Feline Groovy."

"Everyone can relate to building a snowman," Rothstein, 49, said in an interview Saturday. "So it's fun for people to see something that's larger than life, that has a little bit more detail than what you'd expect."

An environmental attorney with the U.S. Department of the Interior by day, Rothstein has, for years, spent the winter months delighting his neighbors and other community members with various snowy creations. Two years ago Rothstein created an "igloo-bar" in his backyard, inviting neighbors over for free drinks and company. In the past, he has also participated in national competitions and festivals.

Rothstein said he discovered snow and ice sculpture nearly two decades ago when he attended a festival in Alaska and fell in love with the process. "I just fell in love with the carving process and the wacky little subculture of people who are crazy enough to go out and spend a week doing this," he said.

"Feline Groovy," his latest creation, was fashioned from nearly 3,000 lbs of compressed snow that Rothstein and his friends packed into a large wooden box. The box was then hoisted upright and the box discarded. After that, all that remained was the monolith of snow, which Rothstein then chipped away at with sculpting tools.

"Usually dry, powdery snow is the best," Rothstein said. "It's really, really condensed, usually."

Once finished, the sculptures are unique backyard decorations, though they may not always last very long.

"Sometimes they last for fifteen minutes and then fall over and other times they last for five weeks," he said. The longevity of the sculpture largely depends on the weather and how the sculpture was built.

Creating sculptures like "Feline Groovy" are labors of both anxiety and satisfaction for Rothstein. "There's always an element of fear that drives you and always an element of pleasure that keeps you going," he said.

Despite the occasional stress, it's definitely a long-term passion for Rothstein. "I hope to do it for another two decades," he said.SPRINGFIELD - Springfield firefighters are battling a house fire in the city's Forest Park neighborhood.

Police and fire were called to the area of 21 Blake Hill Street around 6 p.m. Saturday for reports of a fire at that location.

At the scene, dark smoke could be seen pouring out of the 2nd story window of the house in question.

Authorities could not say what caused the fire or whether anyone had been injured by the blaze.

Five or six fire engines had responded to the fire and city police could be seen directing traffic around the area of the blaze.

This post will be updated when more information becomes available.WARREN - Two people have been charged with breaking into a house and stealing a safe while the homeowners were attending a funeral for a family member.

Alyce Davenport and Diron Conyers were arrested Saturday and charged with breaking and entering into a depository, larceny from a building, larceny over $250 and malicious destruction of property, police said.

Officers investigated the crime and identified the suspects as living in a hotel in Sturbridge. They then received a search warrant to enter the property, recovered what is believed to be stolen items and arrested the two, police said.

Officers were assisted by Sturbridge Police and the Massachusetts State Police.

Davenport and Conyers are each being held on $90,000 bail and are scheduled to be arraigned in East Brookfield District Court Monday, police said.GREENFIELD -- A trio of Democrats hoping to unseat a popular Republican governor met on a middle school stage Saturday afternoon as outdoor thermometers registered single-digit readings.

Setti Warren, Jay Gonzales, and Bob Massie each hope to go head-to-head with Gov. Charlie Baker in the 2018 Massachusetts election, set for Nov. 8.

The candidates took swipes at Baker and voiced support for racial and economic justice, progressive taxation, clean energy, public education, reliable transportation, affordable housing, and health care for all.

To pay for it, revenues would need to be raised, in part through the "millionaires' tax" on the 2018 ballot.

"We can't be afraid to tell the truth," said Massie, a Somerville resident. "We're going to have to tell the millionaires, you're going to have to pay a little bit more."

Massie, among other things, has led sustainable investing and corporate social responsibility initiatives. He ran for lieutenant governor in 1994, and in 2012 waged a brief campaign for Senate before Elizabeth Warren declared her candidacy.

Massie spoke passionately about building a clean energy economy to fight climate change, and said Baker "has put fossil fuel advocates into positions of power," making oblique reference to Department of Public Utilities Chairman Angela O'Connor, who is former president of the New England Power Generators Association.

Massie also became animated talking about health care. He said as a child with leg braces and other problems, his parents moved to France so he could get medical care. "I was liberated by single payer," he said. "This commitment has been bred into my bones."

Warren is a two-term mayor of Newton, an Iraq War veteran, and a former staffer to Sen. John Kerry. He said economic inequality "is the defining issue of our time." Working people are crushed by student debt and medical costs, and home ownership is out of reach for many. He said Baker "has set low expectations" and that Massachusetts residents "should not accept the status quo."

Warren said in Newton, he eliminated a $40 million structural budget deficit, stabilized city finances, and laid the groundwork for new school construction.

Gonzales, 46, of Needham, left his post as Gov. Deval Patrick's budget chief in 2013 to become CEO of CeltiCare Health. He spoke of his practical experience in state government and said he's the only candidate with direct health care experience.

"I know our system and I know all the players," he said, opining that health care delivery in the state is complicated, expensive, wasteful and inefficient. He said a single-payer system would be "cheaper and better."

He said "providing a great public education for every child in the commonwealth" would be his top priority.

Each of the three said they oppose the growth of charter schools. The candidates have been touring the state since they each spoke from the stage at the Massachusetts Democratic Convention in Worcester last June.

Saturday's forum in Greenfield was sponsored by Franklin County Continuing the Political Revolution. Rep. Paul Mark, D-Peru, delivered introductory remarks, saying that while Baker may be popular, he is vulnerable. Newly-elected Greenfield City Councilor Sheila Gilmour acted as moderator.In 1977, the cash was flowing into Wyomings coffers from the coal boom in the Powder River Basin.

The future was bright as the state with its mercurial feast-or-famine economy entered another boom.

People flocked to Wyoming for the jobs.

http://trib.com/opinion/columns/barron-wyoming-has-struggled-to-increase-population-since-it-was/article_d556e20d-d925-578f-9a4a-09ace5923595.htmlCancer drug nivolumab has induced synergistic shock and kill mechanisms on HIV infected cells.

A Guihot A, G Marcelin M et al. Drastic Decrease of The HIV Reservoir in a Patient Treated with Nivolumab for Lung Cancer , Annals of Oncology https:doi.org/10.1093/annonc/mdx696

Nivolumab is PD-1 inhibitor, which is used to treat several cancers in their advanced stages, including melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer and kidney cancer. The researchers used it to treat an HIV-infected patient with non-small cell lung cancer after he relapsed following surgery and chemotherapy for his tumour. So far, the 51-year-old man has received 31 injections of nivolumab every 14 days since December 2016. He was diagnosed as HIV-positive in 1995 and the cancer was diagnosed in May 2015.When the researchers first gave nivolumab to the patient, HIV was undetectable in blood samples. It then increased progressively up to day 45 before decreasing again. At the same time T cell activity increased, with a marked increase in the activity of another T cell, CD8, from day 30 to 120. By day 120 the reservoirs of HIV-infected cells "showed a drastic and persistent decrease", report the researchers.Professor Spano said: "In this patient we observed, as expected, both a re-activation of HIV and an increase in CD8 T cell responses against HIV, which resulted in the drastic decrease in the HIV reservoir, thus leading to a sustained reduction of the HIV reservoirs.""This is the first demonstration of this mechanism working in humans. It could have implications for HIV patients, both with and without cancer, as it can work on HIV reservoirs and tumour cells independently. The absence of side effects in this patient is also good news, and suggests this could be an optimum treatment for HIV-infected patients with cancer."However, the researchers are also cautious about their results. Professor Spano continued: "Firstly, this is the first case of such a drastic decrease of the HIV reservoir, and we must remain careful, especially because this is only one case; we have published details of another case where there was no decrease of the HIV reservoir.Secondly, we have to evaluate - in clinical trials and in a group of 50 French patients we are treating currently - the potential toxicities of these drugs in HIV infected people. And finally, we have to identify markers that can predict HIV response to the anti-PD-1 therapy so that treatment can be personalised, especially as we observed one responder and one non-responder."HIV primarily infects CD4 T cells, which are a type of white blood cell that plays an important role in regulating the immune response. When under attack from HIV they not only become infected but also exhausted, meaning they are less able to fight the infection.Professor Spano explained that dormant CD4 T cells infected with HIV are not actively producing HIV: they are latently infected. Latent HIV reservoirs are established during the earliest stage of HIV infection and throughout the course of the disease. When a latently infected cell is reactivated, the cell begins to produce HIV again. However, this re-activation is blocked in most latently-infected cells by cellular molecules called immune check-points. One of these check-points is programmed death-1 (PD-1), which also blocks the functions of CD4 T cells in fighting the virus."Increasingly, researchers have been looking into the use of certain drugs that appear to re-activate the latent HIV-infected cells. This could have the effect of making them visible to the immune system, which could then attack them. Drugs that inhibit immune check-points such as PD-1 are well known in the cancer field as being very efficient at restoring immune defenses by removing the brake, enabling the immune cells to spring into action to reject the cancer cells. It was thought, but until now not demonstrated, that inhibitors of immune check-points could, in a similar way, wake up dormant HIV-infected cells and also the immune defenses against the virus."Fabrice Andre, Professor in the Department of Medical Oncology, Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France, commented: "Although this is a single case study, it is an exciting result. Anti-HIV drugs usually stop virus replication but don't cure the patients who still have reservoirs of the virus. This study generates the hypothesis that drugs that make the virus disappear could, perhaps, cure patients."The patient will be treated with more nivolumab later this month and his cancer will also be assessed then. "For the moment, he is doing quite well and doesn't show any signs of disease, even though the cancer is progressing slowly, which suggests it is not optimally controlled," said Professor Spano.Source: EurekalertAzerbaijan to meet almost 100 percent of Georgias natural gas demand

Azerbaijan will meet 99.65 percent of Georgias natural gas demand in 2018, according to the balance of Georgias natural gas for 2018, approved by the countrys Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development.According to the document, in general, Georgias natural gas demand will stand at more than 2.689 billion cubic meters in 2018.Meanwhile, Georgia plans to obtain 2.679 billion cubic meters (99.65 percent) of gas from Azerbaijan, including 1.866 billion cubic meters from the state oil company SOCAR and 813 million cubic meters, produced as part of development of the Shah Deniz field.The remaining part (9.41 million cubic meters) will be provided thanks to local production.Supplies of gas from Russia to Georgia are not envisaged in 2018.Last week, Twitter cemented an unlikely friendship between comedienne Sarah Silverman and a San Antonio man who trolled her on Twitter.

Now, Silverman has offered to pay for the man's medical treatment and he, in turn, is paying it forward by giving money he'd already raised to others for their own expenses.

It started when Jeremy Jamrozy responded to one of Silverman's tweets by calling her a vulgar term. Rather than angrily responding or ignoring the post, she showed the 32-year-old a kindness that he told mySA.com has inspired him to help others.

READ ALSO: San Antonio's biggest feuds, spats and fights of 2017

During their initial exchange, Jamrozy told Silverman that his troubled past along with back problems have fed his anger. She then reached out to her 12 million Twitter followers, asking them to recommend a doctor who could alleviate his back pain.

The tips poured in and Jamrozy said his new celebrity friend was making sure he followed through with getting his back checked out. He said Silverman has offered to pay for his medical treatment.

After he went in for a consultation on Tuesday, an MRI showed he has five herniated discs.

"Jeremy went for a consult and it's worse than we hoped," Silverman tweeted. "If you're so inclined, help get him on his feet and working again."

RELATED: Comedienne Sarah Silverman befriends San Antonio man who was trolling her online

Jamrozy said Silverman's support has motivated him to pay it forward. He created a GoFundMe page with a $150 goal to pay for his doctor's visit. Thirteen people raised $450. Another man, Chris, from New Jersey, also wrote Jamrozy a $500 check.

He is now planning on donating the money to a couple of other San Antonians who need help.

"I was once a giving and nice person, but too many things destroyed that and I became bitter and hateful," Jamrozy said. "Then Sarah showed me the way. Don't get me wrong, I still got a long way to go, but it's a start."

Madalyn Mendoza is a digital reporter for MySA.com. Read more of her stories here.| mmendoza@mysa.com | Twitter: @MaddySkyeWASHINGTON  Connecticuts 8,000 or so DACA recipients have seen this movie before: The states Democratic delegation pushing with all its limited might to keep legal status for so-called Dreamers, only to run into President Donald Trumps wall  both political and physical.

Trump has dug in on his demand that any consideration for youthful immigrants brought illegally to the U.S. as children be conditioned on building his promised wall across the 2,000-mile length of the U.S. border.

And now he is topping it off with a further demand for ending chain migration  the practice of admitting relatives of foreign-born U.S. citizens or green-card holders.

Democrats are doing nothing for DACA  just interested in politics, Trump tweeted Tuesday. DACA activists and Hispanics will go hard against Dems, will start falling in love with Republicans and their President! We are about RESULTS.

Connecticut Democrats dispute that. At the urging of DACA recipients in the state, both Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy voted against the budget extension deal last month because it did not include language granting a reprieve to the nations 800,000 or so Dreamers.

In September, Trump canceled President Barack Obamas 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals order, which set a deportation clock ticking.

On Wednesday, Senate and House leaders from both parties met with OMB Director Mick Mulvaney in House Speaker Paul Ryans office in an effort to negotiate a compromise.

They are working against the next government-funding deadline Jan. 19, which could result in a government shutdown if a deal is not struck. Whether that deal will include a DACA reprieve is anyones guess.

Some in Connecticut remain hopeful that a deal can indeed be struck.

If 2017 was the year of tax-cut success and Obamacare repeal-and-replace failure, 2018 should be the year of the deal, said Jim Campbell, a Westport real estate executive, former c hairman of the Greenwich Republican Town Committee and Trump supporter.Autumn Driscoll / Quinnipiac University

NORTH HAVEN  William Hennessy of Middlefield, clinical professor of diagnostic imaging at Quinnipiac University, recently received the Josephine M. Picone Lifetime Achievement Award from the Connecticut Society of Radiologic Technologists.

The award is presented annually to an individual who has performed outstanding continuous service within the society for at least 20 years, according to a press release.Donald Trump wrote the book on the art of the deal.

Now he says he wants to cut a deal with the Dreamers.

At issue is the program known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. As usual, Trump made the DACA story all about him when he terminated the program last year. If nothing is done, Dreamers could be deported after the program expires March 5.

Oddly, Trump previously told reporters that he loved the Dreamers and that the high achievers were terrific.

Comments like those help explain why Dreamers have made such a large imprint on the immigration debate. According to polls, most Americans dont think we should punish young people brought here as children for the sins of their parents or uproot them from the only country they know.

This is why liberals want to keep the Dreamers in the mix as part of the larger pool of the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. Its also why conservatives want to peel them off with a special accommodation  which could make it easier to deport the rest.

Meanwhile, Trump claims hell support a bill giving legal protection to Dreamers  especially if, in return, he gets a truckload of goodies from Congress. He wants funding for a proposed wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, and support for his administrations crackdown on so-called sanctuary cities. He also wants a radical revamp of the overall immigration system. The number of legal immigrants admitted to the United States each year would be cut in half. And there would also be an end to the practice that some call chain migration while giving preferential treatment to skilled and educated immigrants.

What Trump is asking for has nothing to do with Dreamers. Its about shaping U.S. immigration policy going forward  which, although Republicans refused to admit it when Barack Obama was in the White House, a president has the right to do.

So if the Dreamers can get Trump and Congress to improve on DACA by giving them permanent legal status, even if it doesnt come with citizenship, theyd be wise to take the deal.

Yet apart from serving the narrow interests of the Dreamers, the proposed bargain would be bad for the country. And the terms are sure to be harmful to the immigration debate. The concern isnt that Trump is asking too much. Its that what hes asking for is impractical. Some of it doesnt make sense. Other parts wont work. And, overall, the items on his wish list would make America weaker.

Take funding for the wall, which is expected to run as high as $25 billion. Forget Democrats. Republican budget hawks will never sign that check, not for a publicity stunt on the border that wont keep out the desperate, destitute and determined.

Or the administrations war on alleged sanctuary cities, those make-believe municipalities where federal immigration law doesnt exist and illegal immigrants live happily ever after. If you want to visit one of these places, follow the signs for Fantasyland.

Then theres the targeting of chain migration, where immigrants bring in family members. What many people are really worried about is changing demographics. But you dont say so because you dont want to be called racist  even though you kind of are.

Finally, theres the offensive idea of making America tougher to get into than the Ivy League  with an elitist point system that would have kept out most of the Italian, Irish and Jewish immigrants who helped build this country. Its absurd.

There is all this loose talk about how the United States should only admit immigrants with high education and valuable skills. Yet the people pushing this idea arent smart enough to understand the value of the skills most immigrants bring to this country  like ambition, perseverance, optimism, ingenuity and work ethic.

Trump probably thinks that by asking for a slew of concessions on immigration, he is showing Americans that hes a tough negotiator. But all the president is demonstrating is that  on this issue  he is in way over his head.

And thats a big deal.

ruben@rubennavarrette.comGRAND RAPIDS, MI - World War II veteran Virgil Westdale has quite a list of accomplishments.

He earned the Congressional Gold Medal and the French Legion of Honor Medal, owns 25 patents, self-published an autobiography and had top-secret clearance for work with NASA at one point.

Westdale, along with members of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, also received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2011.

On Monday, Jan. 8, he will be able to add reaching 100 years old to his lifetime achievements.

Friends and family gathered on Saturday, Jan. 6 at Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum's DeVos Learning Center for "an all-American birthday celebration" of Westdale's life.

One of those gathered for the celebration was retired Army dentist Col. Leon Blum. Blum and his father were liberated by Westdale and American 7th Corps troops 72 years ago from the Dachau, Allach and Muhldorf concentration camps.

At the celebration, Westdale was presented with Army Air Corps Wings by Maj. Gen. Greg Vadnais, 75 years after Westdale's Army Air Corps Flight Instructor status was removed.

Westdale originally enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps and trained to become a pilot. But, because of government policy in World War II that did not allow Americans of Japanese descent to receive their pilot's license, he was later transferred to the 442nd regiment.

The 442nd regiment was an all Japanese-American regiment that fought its way across Italy, France and Germany, becoming the most decorated unit in the history of the U.S. Army.

Following the war, Westdale went to work as a chemical engineer for Burroughs in Detroit and later as principal scientist for AM International in Chicago.

After he retired, he reentered the workforce as a security agent at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport. He retired from the Transportation Security Administration in 2009 at the age of 91.

Over the years, he's taken part in numerous events honoring the service of World War II veterans. In April 2012, Westdale flew to Poland where he and 15 other former U.S. soldiers were honored for their role as liberators of Nazi concentration camps.

In 2010, he released his autobiography "Blue Skies and Thunder." Since its release, he's spoken at least 50 times at libraries and schools about his experience during the war.

Westdale was born in 1918 in Indiana, but his family moved to West Michigan in 1927, according to his autobiography. Westdale graduated from White Pigeon High School in 1936.GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center is returning to Grand Rapids for a January concert at St. Cecilia Music Center.

The concert, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 18, will feature pianist Wu Han, joined by pianist Michael Brown, violinists Chad Hoopes and Paul Huang and cellist Dmitri Atapine.

The world-renowned musicians will perform the works of Brahms and Dvorak at the downtown Grand Rapids organization's Royce Auditorium, at 24 Ransom Ave. NE.

CMS is known for setting the benchmark for chamber music worldwide. Each season, the organization brings together the very best international artists from an ever-expanding roster of more than 150 artists per season.

No other chamber music organization does more to promote, to educate and to foster a love of and appreciation for the art form.

CMS performs at St. Cecilia annually thanks to a longtime relationship between the two organizations.

In the upcoming concert, CMS will perform the music of Johannes Brahms, a German neo-classicist, and Antonin Dvorak, a champion of Czech folk music, who produced classical music's most essential works.

"Brahms and Dvorak were great friends," said Wu Han, in a statement. "Brahms helped bring Dvorak's music to the forefront in 1878. Brahms, who was seven years older than Dvorak, mentored him and helped him to realize financial gain for his artistic works including some of the selections to be performed at the January 18 SCMC concert."

Wu Han, one of the nation's influential classical musicians, is a recipient of Musical America's Musician of the Year award, one of the country's highest music industry honors. She has risen to international prominence through her wide-ranging achievements as a concert performer, recording artist, educator, arts administrator and cultural entrepreneur.

She and Brown will play Dvorak's "Selected Slavonic Dances for Piano, Four Hands" the works that brought Dvorak his first significant sum of money through Brahms' efforts in introducing him to the esteemed Berlin publisher Fritz Simrock.

The musicians will also perform Brahm's "Selected Hungarian Dances for Piano, Four Hands" which was inspired by Brahms' special affection for Gypsy Fiddlers and their music. These selections, as well as the two others to be performed - "Trio in C minor for Piano, Violin, and Cello, Op. 101" by Brahms, and "Trio in C minor for Piano, Violin, and Cello, Op. 101" by Dvorak were incredibly popular during the second half of the 18th century.

The upcoming concert will introduce the audience to the next generation of chamber music stars, says Cathy Holbrook, St. Cecilia's executive director.

"I'm especially looking forward to the pieces for four-hand piano that Wu Han and newcomer Michael Brown will be performing," Holbrook said. "It's not often that you can experience two artists performing on one piano simultaneously in a chamber music performance, which makes this concert very special."

Concert tickets are $38 and $43 and can be purchased by calling 616-459-2224 or online at scmc-online.org.

A pre-concert wine and hors d'oeuvres event begins at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $15, but must be bought made by Jan. 15.

There will also be a pre-concert talk with the musicians in the Royce Auditorium.

A post-concert party is open to all ticket-holders, who will have an opportunity giving to meet the artists and purchase signed CDs of their releases.In just a few weeks, the Santa Claus Girls charity will be closing out its fiscal year, wrapping up its 109th season of bringing Christmas joy to needy families.

But the organization is still a few thousand dollars shy of meeting its annual $200,000 fundraising goal.

The Santa Claus Girls served 5,182 families across Kent County this holiday season, bringing gifts to 12,598 children.

Through a new website at www.santaclausgirls.org, a new marketing plan and a stronger social media presence, the charity reached out to the community in new ways this holiday season. The result was an increase in the number of children registered to receive gifts, up 790 over last year, and an easier, more streamlined donation process.

West Michigan donors have given $182,038.30 so far this season. Those funds will go toward buying gifts for the December 2018 delivery.

"We're not quite to reaching our goal yet. We still have $17,961.70 to go," said Mike Ply, treasurer for Santa Claus Girls and vice president of human resources and benefits administration for MLive and Advance Local Communications. "Our fiscal year ends Jan. 31 of 2018. Every dollar received until then will count toward reaching our goal."

Ply said he has every confidence the donations will come through, as they have each year in the past.

"Since 1908, the financial goal has been achieved every year due to the confidence of the community in the work of the Santa Claus Girls," he said.

More information about the all-volunteer organization is on their Facebook page. Donations can be made online, by credit card at 616-222-1860, or by mailing a check to Santa Claus Girls, c/o The Grand Rapids Press, 3102 Walker Ridge Drive NW, Walker, MI, 49544.GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- The West Michigan Jazz Society has launched a series that features a concert with a West Michigan band.

The goal is to promote an appreciation of jazz music. The group sponsors concerts, festivals and community events.

The upcoming January Gumbo Series will feature the Walt Gutowski & The Bridge Street Band on Jan. 15 at New Holland's The Knickerbocker, at 417 Bridge St NW, on Grand Rapids' west side.

"The West Michigan Jazz Society has a great mission and we are excited to be a part of this series and share our love of music with others," said Walt Gutowski, a guitarist in the Bridge Street Band.

Gutowski is also known for his work as a former 1st Ward City Commissioner and West Side business owner and investor.

In the band, Gutowski shares the stage with JR Simmons (keys), John Gist (sax), Charlie Hoats (bass) and Mark Weymouth (drums), Paul Keen (brass), Michelle Covington (vocals) Jessica Slaydon (vocals), Tori Dale (vocals) and Sam Gutowski (vocals).

Hoats played with Red Hot Chili Peppers when they had a concert in Grand Rapids this past June.

The band likes to play crowd-pleasers from straight ahead to smooth jazz, R&B and maybe even a little Motown, says Gutowski's daughter, Jessica Slaydon.

The concert costs $10, and $5 for Jazz Society members. Gutowski is offering free parking at his business, Swift Printing & Communications, across the street from the brewery.

More information is at wmichjazz.org or bridgestreetlive.com.MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI - A 21-year-old Muskegon man with a history of resisting police will spend more than seven years in federal prison for an incident that even his own attorney said could have resulted in himself or others being killed.

DeAnthony Lyons fled police in Muskegon Heights in July 2017 while in possession of a loaded, stolen handgun, according to U.S. District Court documents. At one point, he was holding the gun when he began to turn toward an officer who was pursuing him.

He later ejected the magazine and tossed the gun aside before being caught, documents indicate. He was found to be in possession of heroin and suboxone and indicated he planned to trade the gun to a drug dealer, documents show.

His defense attorney at least partially attributed Lyons' behavior to neglect and abuse she said he suffered as a child.

Lyons pleaded guilty in September to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

"That volatile situation could have very easily led to the loss of life by the pursuing officers, innocent bystanders, or even the defendant himself," Acting U.S. Attorney Andrew Byerly Birge wrote in a sentencing memorandum.

Lyons previously was convicted of resisting and opposing a police officer causing injury in which he struck an officer twice in the face with his fist and a handcuff. He later assaulted an officer after being subdued following a fight, and also assaulted and robbed an inmate at the Muskegon County Jail, according to Birge's memorandum.

Lyons, in a letter to Chief U.S. District Judge Robert J. Jonker, said he had mental health issues and was "going through a lot" and had recently lost a cousin to gun violence. He expressed a desire to improve himself and start his own clothing line.

Lyons had a rough childhood, suffering abuse and neglect from family members, defense attorney, Anna R. Rapa wrote in a memorandum objecting to sentencing guidelines in the case.

"With such a troubled past, it is not a surprise that he ended up running down a Muskegon street with a gun in his hand, after having been convicted of a felony previously," she wrote.

"What is less expected" is Lyons' pursuit of his GED and participation in a support group while in jail, Rapa wrote.

She also acknowledged that Lyons "could have been killed by police instead of simply arrested and imprisoned."

"That he had a gun in his hand when he was first observed by police and was not standing still created a dangerous scenario for all involved," Rapa wrote.

Birge had sought a 120-month sentence. Jonker sentenced Lyons to 90 months, or 7 1/2 years, as well as three years of probation.

"My office remains committed to combating violence in the Muskegon area," Birge said. "The defendant's sentence sends a clear message that gun violence will not be tolerated, and felons who choose to possess firearms will be severely punished."...peace treaty with Israel. We have taken Jerusalem, the toughest part of the negotiation, off the table, but Israel, for that, would have had to pay more. But with the Palestinians no longer willing to talk peace, why should we make any of these massive future payments to them?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.Agriculture and farming

RN Bhaskar

So it is finally official. The fears that most people had kept suppressed  about India witnessing an economic slowdown  have been realised. The Central Statistical Office (CSO) came out last week with its latest figures, which are the first advance estimate of Gross Value Added (GVA) by economic activity.

Agriculture slips

Overall, GVA slipped from a growth of 6.6% last year to 6.1% this year. Last years growth was itself a climbdown from 7.9% (see chart). But what was most worrisome was that the growth rates in agriculture were hit. Agriculture was meant to be the main focus area for the present government. Hence, when agricultures GVA growth climbed from -0.2% in 2014-15, to 0.7% in 2015-16, everyone expected agriculture to continue doing well. This was confirmed by this growth rate further rising to 4.9% in 2016-17. But in 2017-18 it slipped back to 2.1%. What happened?

There could be three reasons for this.

First, in the cash-based economy, it is possible that demonetisation (actually the withdrawal of high-denomination currency notes of Rs.500 and Rs.1,000) itself was the culprit. It threw sand in the wheels of rural commerce.

The second possibility could be that the law of unexpected consequences was making its relevance felt. The cow slaughter ban, extended to the transportation of buffalo meat, could have hurt agriculture. Remember, the fastest way to rural prosperity is through cattle farming and other kinds of animal husbandry. What might have worked for hardcore Hindutva regions like Uttar Pradesh and Haryana did not work very well for other parts of the country. When a man purchased a cow or a buffalo it was with the clear objective of making money. Thus when a cow or a buffalo stopped procreating, hence lactating, the farmer had no option but to sell off this animal. It often ended up in the slaughterhouse.

The farmer got around Rs.20,000 per cattlehead, which he used to subsidise the purchase of another milch cattle for Rs.50,000 or Rs.60,000. When he could not get this amount, he postponed the purchase of a new animal. This is because he had to contend with the additional expenses for food and medicine for the old cow/buffalo. So was this the cause for the decline?

According to this authors calculations, the loss to the farmer community alone could be around Rs.22,000 crore a year. Assuming that 50% of the cattle was not affected  because states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and those in the Northeast sensibly refused to enforce this ban  the farmers could have collectively lost Rs.11,000 crore. And this does not cover the additional losses on account of food and medicine for the cattle that continue to grow old and could not be disposed of.

Third, there were other losses as well. The above loss does not include the losses suffered by two industries  leather and beef.

Since India accounts for the largest population of cattle in the world, it was obvious that India would also be one of the largest exporters of beef  since the domestic market for beef is limited. The ban relating to cattle slaughter and transportation could have affected at least half this number causing exports to plummet. That could also have affected employment. Do bear in mind that India remains the third largest exporter of beef after Brazil and Australia. In fact, OECD-FAO data, makes special reference to Indias position in the global market for beef and veal (see chart).

The hide of cattle that is slaughtered goes to the leather industry. The losses suffered by this industry cannot be estimated. This is because the domestic industry is largely unorganised and is huge. Moreover, the hide of animals that die because of natural causes can still be used (though it is often of poorer quality because of disease and age). This sector is also one of the largest exporting industries from India. And it employs millions of people. It is possible that the ban on animal slaughter and transport would have affected this sector as well.

Reduced employment would have resulted in lower purchasing power. That could have slowed down the agricultural economy.

There was also the problem with farmer distress. This was caused not only because of unseasonal rains, but also because of reckless imports. Such imports depressed domestic prices  especially for pulses. Someone in the agricultural and commerce ministries had clearly goofed up. The government has yet to come out with the reasons why such imports were resorted to  especially since data on the increased acreage under pulses growth was already available.

The case of mining

Interestingly, the mining sector witnessed an upturn. It had been declining from 11.7% in 2014-15, to 10.5% in 2015-16, to 1.8% in 2016-17. But in 2017-18 it climbed to 2.9%. Something appears to be happening here.

Two explanations are possible. First, the Supreme Courts order demanding that all mines be auctioned did stop a lot of reckless mining, and the export of mining produce from India. But the higher payments for the mines allowed Indian mining products to discover new price levels.

And illegal mining continues unabated (see chart). And Maharashtra tops the list. It is this chart that shows that much of the hue and cry about illegal mining in Karnataka and Goa were not really justified. Maharashtra should have been investigated first. And this continues even after the present government came to power.

How lucrative is illegal mining? Extremely so. It may be worth recalling that when the Saradha chit fund scheme was unravelling, CBI sources revealed that almost Rs.1,000 crore had been invested in illegal mining companies in the North East. Significantly, the data presented before the Lok Sabha (see chart) does not give any data for the North East, which remains the most lucrative area for illegal mining. In fact, recent reports of Naxalites blowing up weigh bridges suggests that it is the illegal miners who goad the Naxalites into blowing up anything that could be a threat to their industry.

Other worrisome signs

As a CARE Ratings report of January 5, 2018 (GDP growth: Advance Estimates FY18) points out, The investment rate measured as the ratio of gross fixed capital formation to GDP at current prices is expected to decline further to 26.4% this fiscal from 27.1% last year and 34.3% in FY12. This indicates that corporates have not been investing in capital creation this year. A pick up private investment is essential for a rise in overall investment rate.

That may be difficult. The investment climate is not very good. Many foreign investors are still chafing over the Indian governments plans to prevent foreign companies (and Indian companies) from going in for international arbitration with a seat overseas. The latest in this battle is Japans Nissan, which wants to challenge the governments decision to tax its profits. It wants to go in for arbitration overseas. The government does not want to permit this. The battle continues (more on this later).

Finally, as the CARE report points out, Only 4 sectors from the services segment are projected to see growth rates above 7% . These are electricity & utility services, trade , hotel ,transport & communication services, Financial, real estate and professional services and social services. These sectors together account for around 57% of the GVA. So, India may have to contend with a hobbled growth in the coming year.

It is quite possible that some of these issues will get sorted out in the forthcoming budget. Meanwhile, political compulsions have already forced the government to ease the slaughter and transportation ban.

It is aware of the Supreme Courts annoyance at the imposition of these bans which interfere with the basic liberty of people to eat what they want or to practice a trade.

But more interestingly, the emergence of the Dalit vote bank as a formidable force across in the country (the recent upheavals in Gujarat and Maharashtra are testimony to this fact), will possibly galvanise them to partner with the Muslims to demand the abolition of the ban that has appealed to the hardcore Hindutva votebank of the government. Developments on this front will be most interesting to watch.The year 2018 started on a bullish note as the Nifty50 hit a fresh record high in the first week of the calendar year. But the rally is not over yet and the index could very well hit 10,600-10,700 in the days to come, suggest experts.

The Nifty50 bounced back after hitting a low of 10,404 to hit a record high of 10,566.10 on Friday. The index closed the week with gains of 0.27 percent.

Going forward, analysts advise investors to stay long with a trailing stop loss placed below 10,500. As long as the Nifty trades above this level, there are higher chances of the index hitting 10,600-10,700 and even 10,800 levels in the current series. However, a fall below 10,350 could negate the pattern.

The market has begun on a positive note for the week to close at an all-time closing high levels. Technically, Nifty has still scope for up move along with Bank Nifty as the RSI on the daily chart is at 63, implying strong momentum, Vaishali Parekh, Head-Technical Desk, Prabhudas Lilladher told Moneycontrol.

Tracking the momentum, the up move the projected target is somewhere closer to 10,700-10,800 in days to come. The view would be negated if Nifty breaks 10350 levels decisively, she said.

Parekh advises traders to remain more stock specific rather than index specific. The stocks with positive bias having favorable risk-reward ratio would be MRPL, HPCL, ITC, Infosys which should give a good return of around 5-10% in one or two months.

The market being at an all-time high, traders should have discipline while trading and should observe a strict stop loss. Technical experts see some bit of profit booking as we approach critical resistance of 10,600.

It has been a good start for Indian markets for the year 2018. But, certainly, there are gaps if one can spot. If we just focus on the index, especially last 10 sessions move, it does not depict the right picture. The index remained in a slender range of 150 points, but the real interest was seen outside the index, Sameet Chavan, Chief Analyst- Technical Derivatives, Angel Broking Pvt Ltd told Moneycontrol.

So many small size midcap counters literally flew in last 3-4 days along with selective F&O stocks. We have been quite vocal about this possibility that one should avoid scratching heads in the index and should rather focus on such pockets, he said.

Going ahead, as far as the index is concerned, Chavan does not expect any major movement as we expect the index to remain lethargic and see some profit booking in the zone of 10,600  10,630. On the flipside, 10,500 followed by 10,400 would be seen as a crucial support zone.

Here is a list of top five stocks which could give up to 17 percent return in the short term:

Analyst: Sameet Chavan, Chief Analyst- Technical Derivatives, Angel Broking Pvt Ltd

Lyka Labs: BUY| Target Rs 87| Stop Loss Rs 64.50| Time 5-10 sessions| Return 15 percent

In the last 3-4 trading sessions, we have witnessed massive buying interest in some of the small-size Midcap counters. This stock was slightly late to realize it and hence, started participating in the last couple of days.

However, the kind of price action that we have seen along with reasonably higher volumes, the optimism is likely to continue. Technically speaking, the stock prices managed to surpass the 14-month resistance zone along with RSI-Smoothened continuing its upward trajectory above the 70 mark.

In addition, the ADX 14 started gaining strength above the 25 mark. Thus, we recommend buying this stock on the minor dip for a target of Rs 87 over the next 5  10 sessions. The stop loss should be fixed at Rs 64.50

Dish TV Ltd: BUY| Target Rs 93| Stop Loss Rs 81| Time 5-10 sessions| Return 10 percent

Recently, this stock managed to come out of its four weeks consolidation zone with sizable volumes; indicating strong buying interest above the breakout point of 82.50.

However, due to lack of follow up buying, the stock prices once again consolidated with a gradual decline for nearly three days. However, the good thing about this minor dip is it has happened on very low volumes and in the process, the stock managed to defend the 200-day SMA successfully.

On Friday, we saw decent recovery from lower levels, hinting towards the resumption of an uptrend as we enter the next trading week. This certainly calls for a good low-risk trade.

The momentum traders can look to place their bets for a short-term target of Rs 93. The stop loss should be fixed at Rs 81.

Voltas: SELL| Target Rs 612| Stop Loss Rs 661| Time 5-10 sessions| Return 5 percent

This stock has been enjoying its stellar run since last twelve months and has clocked new record highs. Undoubtedly, the longer term outlook remains strongly bullish as the overall structure looks quite sturdy.

But, with a near-term view; there are some early signs of exhaustion. Since the last couple of weeks, the stock has been struggling to sustain around 670 and despite market closing at historical highs, the stock remained under pressure.

Technically speaking, we can see a formation of Dark Cloud Cover at recent highs formed during the penultimate week, which got activated due to last weeks decline.

Thus, we continue to recommend selling for a short-term target of Rs 612. The stop loss now should be fixed at Rs 661.

Bharat Financial Inclusion Limited: BUY| Target Rs 1140| Stop Loss Rs 950| Time 1-2 months| Return 10 percent

The stock closed at Rs 1034.90 on 05th January 2018. It made a 52-week low at Rs 610.45 on 09th January 2017 and a 52-week high of Rs 1047 on 16th October 2017. The 200-days Exponential Moving Average (EMA) of the stock on the daily chart is currently at Rs 892.02.

The stock witnessed a sharp up move from Rs 680 to Rs 1045 levels in a single upswing and has now traded sideways in the range of Rs 640 to Rs 1030 levels with a positive bias.

In sideways, it was forming a Continuation Triangle on the weekly charts and has given the breakout of same in the last week.

It also managed to close above the breakout levels, which indicates that buying is aggressive for the stock. Therefore, one can buy in the range of Rs 1010-1015 levels for the upside target of Rs 1110-1140 levels with a stop loss below Rs 950.

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited: BUY| Target Rs 120| Stop Loss Rs 92| Time 1-2 months| Return 17 percent

The stock closed at Rs 102.35 on 05th January 2018. It made a 52-week low at Rs 80.43 on 11th August 2017 and a 52-week high of Rs 121.17 on 25th April 2017. The 200-days Exponential Moving Average (EMA) of the stock on the daily chart is currently at Rs 92.82.

The stock melted down sharply from the yearly high of Rs 121 levels and registered a yearly low of Rs 80 in a single downswing. Then after, it was consolidating in Rs 80-95 levels for six months and formed an Inverted Head and Shoulder pattern on weekly charts, which is bullish in nature.

Last week, the stock has given the neckline breakout of pattern with high volume, so buying momentum is expected to continue in coming days. Therefore, one can buy in the range of Rs 99-100 levels for the upside target of Rs 115-120 levels with a stop loss below Rs 92.Q11. Which company released spectacles that capture 10 seconds video snippets and owns www.spectacles.com? (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Himadri Bora is a 40-year-old homemaker in Central Assam whose failing eyesight would have forced her to discontinue the ages-old household tradition of weaving, werent it for a pair of eyeglasses  a rarity in her part of the world.

For many of us, buying a pair of eyeglasses only boils down to what kind of frame should we buy for the budget that we have. There is a large segment of the population that cannot even afford them, said Parveez Ubed, founder of ERC, which provided the eyeglasses to Himadri at an affordable price.

Ubed is an opthamologist from Jorhat, a town which is a four-hour drive away from Assam. After completing his post graduation from Guwahati in 2007, he was excited to become a doctor, and started his career in a general hospital where he worked for 3 months.

He realised that this was not what he wanted to do and joined an NGO. One year and 10,000 patients later, he moved on to working in the government sector.

It was this experience that crystallised into the single principle on which he would base the operations of ERC.

I realised that the base-level of the pyramid needs to be treated like a market and with dignity. I stress on that part, he said.

Ubed believes that the poor are always at the losing end, as it is not their aspiration to get free eye care, and also not their choice. What they would like is eye care that they can afford. They also want to sit there and ask questions, no one wants to sit there and let someone do whatever they want with their eyes, says Ubed.

So Ubed decided a change was needed. He left his government job and opened up his clinic in 2011. Clients were first treated in his mothers kitchen (Ubed prefers calling his patients clients). Not quite the garage startup of silicon valley, he jokes.

Till 2015, I was the only ophthalmologist. I was also the driver of the van and the doctor. The first few people who joined me, now quite senior people in the organisation, used to sweep the office floors as well, he said.

Today, ERC now has 25 optometrists and 100 people working full-time.

Not everything was a smooth sailing for the team. ERC needed substantial capital to carry out their ambitious plans. They plodded on for a couple of years treating patients. Fortunes changed in 2013 when ERC was nominated for the Sankalp awards.

According to the website, Sankalp is Indias most prestigious Social Enterprise awards, which have facilitated over USD 120 million of equity investments in more than 450 enterprises

At that time we were not even a company. And investors wanted to invest in June 2013, and there was not any way to invest in a sole proprietorship firm, which is why we wanted to incorporate.

Ubed says that the first round of funding put them on the map.

In 2014, ERC got USD 150,000 in their second round of funding. It was a relatively good sum of money back then, ERC opened up their first and subsequently their second and third hospital, and shows no sign of stopping.

Currently, ERC treats 5,000 patients a month. It states that they have treated close to 1.5 lakh patients between 2014 and 2017.

Throughout this journey, Ubed went about with a simple business model he would ask the poorest client what can he pay for the treatment required. Ubed would then take this quote and hand it over to the experts and see whether it was a doable sum.

I have people who have passed out from IIMs who help me build my financial models and good investment bankers from Singapore and India. So if they crunch their numbers and say, Rs 50 as the baseline fees for the medical intervention, they also provide me the numbers that I need to achieve to become EBITDA positive, and we work towards it.

Ubed claims that out of the 100 persons who come to him for eye care, close to 43 of them can be cured with eyeglasses. He says that the system of operations is structured to be simple, intensive and impactful.

A typical day at ERC sees a mobile unit going to the interior places and on an average, close to half of these patients are given eyeglasses on the spot.

If there is a cataract operation, we ensure that they are provided the transport to our hospitals, where they have a meal, pay the fee, carry on with the operation, have another meal and come back at the end of the day, he says.

As qualified doctors are few and far ERC also trains young blood to give out basic eye care.

We search for young men and women who are motivated, and do not know what to do with their lives and sponsor them for their training. We then ask them to serve the people in their community while being paid at par with anywhere in the rest of the country,  says Ubed.

These assistants, known as ERC Vision Assistants, do household surveys, conduct vision camps for detecting basic eye problems and provide eyeglasses for a low cost.

The clients hear of ERC solely through the word of mouth, and through the exposure garnered by household surveys being conducted by the ERC.

"Going forward, we might spend on advertising to build a brand, but not to gather more footfall," says Ubed.

But this is just the beginning of the long road ahead for ERC as it looks to expand across the border as well.

Countries such as Bhutan, Bangladesh, and even Myanmar are geographically nearby. We also share similar cultural roots, making it easier to set up a base and hand out eye care in these regions, he said.

Ubed says that close to 18 percent of the cataract load in India is in the northeast, making it an ideal place to spread out ERCs services in the region.

Ubed has taken the road less travelled but what keeps him motivated?

The happiness of doing this work is what keeps me going every morning.

Money cannot be the carrot at the end of the stick for him and his team at ERC as Ubed humourously notes, "Money in a startup is such a rare commodity."Representative Image.

Hinting that it was averse to the idea of capping airfares, the government on Saturday said if implemented it would result in increased cost of air travel for 99 percent of the passengers.

A report tabled in Parliament recently recommended fixing an upper limit on air tickets as well as levying not more than 50 per of the base fare as cancellation charges.

"Pricing deregulation has allowed competition to bring down prices dramatically in India, making it one of the lowest-fare markets in the world," as per a late-evening statement from the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

According to the government, instances of predatory pricing were far and few between.

"Please note that only between one per cent and two per cent of tickets are transacted at the highest fare basket. A capping of fares could raise prices for the 98-99 percent of the passengers," the statement added.

The ministry said that airlines remain compliant to the regulations as long as the fare charged by them does not exceed the fare structure displayed on their website.

It added that any instance of predatory tariffs can be brought to the attention of the Director General of Civil Aviation as well as Competition Commission of India.

The ministry said that on its grievance redressal portal, AirSewa, it has received less than 10,000 complaints from nearly 12 crore passengers that have flown domestically in 2017.

The ministry also is also working on the air passenger bill of rights which will be inform passengers about their rights and responsibilities.

Urging the government to intervene, a report by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture noted that "airlines are charging more than ten times of the advance booking fare" and that "deregulatory environment does not mean unlimited freedom of exploitation."The Centre's move to recapitalise public sector banks (PSBs) has resulted in a surge in credit growth, a sign of revival of private sector investment in the country, a top finance ministry official said on Saturday.

Financial services Secretary Rajiv Kumar said the banking sector posted a double digit growth on year-on-year basis in December 2017.

"Surge in credit growth: Sustained momentum post PSB recap decision - Banking sector posts double digit (10.7% Y- o-Y) growth in Dec '17, up from (7.2% Y-o-Y) in Oct'17, powered by #services & #retail," Kumar tweeted.

Earlier this week, Parliament gave its approval for issuance of Rs 80,000 crore (rpt) crore recapitalisation bonds to PSBs to improve their balance sheets so that their lending capacity is enhanced.

Besides, the Finance Ministry approved proposal for infusion of Rs 7,577 crore in six weak public sector banks as part of the recapitalisation plan to bolster capital adequacy ratio.

All these banks, which got capital support, are under prompt corrective action of the Reserve Bank of India.

The funding comes under Indradhanus plan of the government which promised Rs 70,000 crore over a period of four years ending March 2019.

Lenders, which will receive capital through preferential issue of shares, include Bank of India, IDBI Bank and UCO Bank. The actual fund infusion will take place in the next few weeks after they get necessary regulatory approval, including nod from shareholders.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in October had announced an unprecedented Rs 2.11 lakh crore two-year road map to strengthen PSBs, reeling under high non performing assets (NPAs) or bad loans. Their NPAs increased to Rs 7.33 lakh crore as of June 2017, from Rs 2.75 lakh crore in March 2015.

The plan includes floating re-capitalisation bonds of Rs 1.35 lakh crore and raising Rs 58,000 crore from the market by diluting government's stake.

In the last three-and-a-half years, the government pumped in Rs 51,858 crore capital in the PSBs.A Public Interest Litigation has been filed in the Bombay High Court seeking revocation of a ban on the import of a book published over five decades ago in Portugal that alleged larger conspiracy behind the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.

The PIL has been filed by city-based researcher and trustee of right wing group Abhinav Bharat, Pankaj Phadnis, seeking the court to quash and set aside a notification dated December 29, 1979, issued by the then Union government banning import of the book 'Who Killed Gandhi', authored by Portugal-based writer Lourenco De Sadvandor.

The government, while banning the import of the book, published in 1963, had claimed it was "poorly researched" and "inflammatory", the PIL said.

The petition, however, claims that the ban was arbitrary, untenable and impeaches upon the fundamental right of speech and thought.

Phadnis had last year approached the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the government to re-investigate the assassination of Gandhi.

The apex court, while appointing a amicus curie (lawyer to assist the court in the matter), had queried if the case can be re-investigated after such a long lapse of time.

The Supreme Court posted the petition for hearing on January 12 this year.

Phadnis, in his petition filed before the high court on January 5 seeking revocation of the ban on the import of the book, claimed the book would help in throwing some light on the issue.

"The issue of reinvestigation of the murder is of greatest significance to the Indian public. The book is possibly the most important resource necessary to conduct the petition filed in the Supreme Court," the petition claimed.

The PIL is likely to be mentioned before a division bench of the high court this week.Prime Minister Narendra Modi today held "focused discussions" with top police officers on the security situation in the country and how to further tighten the security apparatus.

Modi had day-long deliberations with the top security brass of the country at the annual DGPs and IGPs conference being held here at the BSF Academy.

"Had focussed discussions with groups of officers on specific areas of policing and security," he tweeted.

The prime minister said that at the conference, there were "insightful presentations and fruitful discussions on aspects relating to our security apparatus".

"There was also a presentation on the implementation status of decisions taken during the last three years," he tweeted.

Officials privy to the closed-door meeting said the prime minister stressed the need for further tightening country's security apparatus, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir, the Northeast and the Naxal-affected areas.

Around 250 top officers from the state police forces and central police organisations are taking part in the three-day meet.

Yesterday, Home Minister Rajnath Singh had said terror infrastructure in Pakistan continues to exist and the neighbouring country was leaving no stone unturned to instigate the youths of Jammu and Kashmir against India.

Singh had also asked the police officers to take strong action against riots and desecration of religious places.

The conference of the DGPs and IGPs is an annual affair, where senior police officers of the states and Centre meet and discuss issues.

Following a directive of Modi, the home ministry has been organising the conference outside the national capital since it came to power in 2014.

The last three conferences were held in Guwahati, Rann of Kutch and Hyderabad.

During the last meeting in Hyderabad, issues such as cross-border terrorism and radicalisation were discussed in detail.

As desired by the prime minister, the home ministry this year announced the names of 10 best-performing police stations in the country.

While addressing the the DGPs conference in Gujarat's Rann of Kutch, Modi had said the police officers should devise a parameter to identify the best police stations in the country.

Accordingly, R S Puram police station in Coimbatore followed by Hyderabad's Panjagutta were named as the top two best-performing police stations in the country in different parameters, including crime control and serving the people.Major projects entailing an investment of Rs 31,930 crore are in the pipeline to decongest the national capital, including development of the Dwarka Expressway at a cost of Rs 6,000 crore, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said.

The initiatives, some of which are progressing fast, are in line with the Modi government's vision to ensure seamless flow of traffic in the National Capital Region (NCR) besides minimising vehicular pollution, Road Transport and Highways Minister Gadkari told PTI.

"We have undertaken projects worth Rs 31,930 crore to decongest Delhi and the NCR region and minimise vehicular pollution, which has become a major problem," the minister said.

Work on the Rs 12,000 crore Eastern Peripheral Expressway and Rs 6,000 crore Delhi-Meerut Expressway is on full swing and bids have been invited for the Rs 6,000 crore project for development of Dwarka Expressway, he said.

"Work has already been awarded for decongestion of Dhaula Kuan-airport corridor to be executed at a cost of Rs 260 crore besides detailed project report (DPR) is in progress for Rs 5,000 crore new ring road project (UER II) for Delhi," Gadkari said.

Last month, chairing a high-level meeting attended by Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, among others, Gadkari had asked officials to expedite the Urban Extension Road (UER) project. It was also decided that the extra cost of UER II, phase one will be shared by NHAI and DDA on a 50:50 basis.

Master Plan for Delhi has proposed UER II, which connects National Highways 1, 10 and 8. This road was proposed to reduce traffic on the Ring Road and Outer Ring Road.

It was also decided that DDA will hand over encumbrance free land.

Gadkari said apart from UER II, bids have been invited for development of Gurgaon-Sohna road with elevated highway/ six-lane road with service roads. The project will cost Rs 1,500 crore.

Besides these projects, "90 percent progress have been achieved in development of major injunctions on NH 8 in Gurgaon to be executed at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore and construction of a flyover at Hero Honda Chowk entailing Rs 170 crore cost," the minister said.

About Delhi-Meerut Expressway, he said its first leg which includes India's first 14-lane highway and 2.5 metre- wide cycle track, is set to be inaugurated anytime now.

The minister said it is being completed in a record 14 months as against the scheduled 30 months and will reduce the travel time significantly from Delhi to Meerut to just 45 minutes from three-four hours at present.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on December 31, 2015 laid the foundation stone of the expressway.

As far as the Eastern Peripheral Expressway is concerned, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has recently told the Supreme Court that hurdles in its ongoing construction have been resolved in a "satisfactory manner" in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

The 135-km-long expressway envisages signal-free connectivity between Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Gautam Budh Nagar (Greater Noida) and Palwal.Allowed | Activities of marine and inland fisheries. (Image: Moneycontrol)

Over 4,000 Tamil Nadu fishermen were chased away by the Sri Lankan Navy which also snapped the fishing nets of 100 boats for allegedly fishing in their territorial waters off Katchatheevu islet.

Fishermen from Rameswaram and Mandapam had ventured into sea yesterday on 800 boats and were fishing near Katchatheevu islet when the Lankan Navy arrived and told them to leave, Rameswaram Fishermen Association President P Sesuraja said.

They also snapped fishing nets of 100 boats before chasing them away, he alleged and sought the Centre's intervention in resolving the contentious fishermen issue.

All the fishermen returned to the shore this morning.

The mid-sea incident comes after a spate of detentions of the fishermen this month on charges of fishing in their territorial waters.

On January 4, as many as 13 fishermen from Thangachimadam near here were arrested by the island nation authorities for allegedly fishing in their waters off Katchatheevu islet.

Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam met a team of fishermen in Rameswaram yesterday and assured them that the state government would take up with the Centre their grievances, including arrests by the Sri Lankan Navy.Pakistan will continue to have engagement "as far as possible" with the US despite all the "rhetoric" coming out of America, Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua has said.

"We need to continue to have a measured response to all the rhetoric coming out of the US, Janjua said, delivering a lecture on 'Pakistans Foreign Policy Issues at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) in Karachi on Saturday.

"As far as possible Pakistan wants to engage with the US because it is not only a global power but also has its presence in the region, and for us it's almost our neighbour," she was quoted as saying by the Dawn.

In reply to a question, the foreign secretary said President Trumps tweet on January 1 could be well thought out or he was just being his impulsive self, or it could be a result of any other reason such as the fact that the US is not doing well in Afghanistan.

She said Trump's tweet on January 1 came for "many reasons" and Pakistan is trying to analyse why the president's scathing remarks came.

"It could have been some briefing material given to him in the morning...What triggered it? Because we must not forget that the meetings we had with the Americans (General Mattis) before that were positive, yet on January 1 the New Years gift to the world were two tweets: there was one about Pakistan and the other about Iran.

"Why was the president of the US at four oclock in the morning thinking about Pakistan and Iran? In Iran, there was something happening there, but Pakistan, a question mark, she was quoted as saying by the daily.

Trump in a New Year's Day tweet accused Pakistan of giving nothing to the US but "lies and deceit" and providing "safe haven" to terrorists in return for USD 33 billion aid over the last 15 years.

The Trump administration has suspended about USD 2 billion in security aid to Pakistan for failing to clamp down on the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network terror groups and dismantle their safe havens.

She said Pakistan's concerns were highlighted in the cabinets national security committee.

"They were security provider role given to India in our region; border management issues; the US National Security Strategy, 2017, which wasnt positive," she said.

The foreign secretary said one of the reasons for the situation was the rise of China as an economic and military power perceived as the challenger to the US dominance.

She said in Afghanistan the "India-US nexus" was very much there.

"There were ungoverned spaces in Afghanistan, so when they talked about sanctuaries in Pakistan, wed been telling our American friends that as far as Pakistan is concerned there is no organised presence of the Haqqani network. And if you have any information, through intelligence sharing we can address this issue," she said.Saturdays, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Continues through Oct. 30

Downtown St. Louis Downtown St. Louis, St. Louis Central Illinois

Get Tickets $10 children under 12 are free

History, Art & Architecture

Explore the fascinating history, culture and architectural legacy of Downtown St. Louis from the city's founding through its current development. Two regularly scheduled tours are offered on Saturdays at 10 am from June 19 to October 31. Tours are limited to 10 people and last about 2 1/2 hours, covering about two miles at a leisurely pace. Tickets are $10 (children under 12 are free). Purchase tickets in advance at LandmarksTours-STL.org. Take a walk through the history of Downtown St. Louis. Landmarks Association of St. Louis is a nonprofit organization. 314-690-3140Astronaut John Young -- the first man to make six trips to space and the ninth to walk the moon -- died Friday night from complications from pneumonia. He was 87.

Young was one of the nation's longest-serving astronauts, spending 47 years leading missions in the Gemini, Apollo and space shuttle programs.

"Today, NASA and the world have lost a pioneer," NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot said. "Astronaut John Young's storied career spanned three generations of spaceflight; we will stand on his shoulders as we look toward the next human frontier."

Young's bravery and commitment "sparked our nation's first great achievements in space. But, not content with that, his hands-on contributions continued long after the last of his six spaceflights -- a world record at the time of his retirement from the cockpit," Lightfoot said in a prepared statement.

He served in the U.S. Navy for 25 years, retiring as a captain in 1976. The pilot joined NASA in 1962 in the second astronaut class, known as the "New Nine." Young was inspired to join NASA by President John F. Kennedy's 1961 call to land a man on the moon.

"I thought returning safely to Earth sounded like a good idea," said Young, according to a NASA statement.

Lightfoot noted that Young commanded the Gemini 10, the first mission to rendezvous with two separate spacecraft; orbited the moon in Apollo 10; landed on the moon as commander of the Apollo 16 mission; and, on his final mission, landed the STS-9 with a fire in the back end.

In early 1973, Young became chief of the Space Shuttle Branch of the Astronaut Office at Johnson Space Center. The following year, he was named chief of the Astronaut Office, a post he held until May 1987.

During his decades, he received a Congressional Space Medal of Honor, three NASA Distinguished Service Medals, the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, two Navy Distinguished Service Medal and dozens of other awards, including four honorary doctorate degrees.

He was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1988.

Young, who lived in El Lago near Clear Lake, retired in 2004 after logging 835 hours in space.

"I've been very lucky, I think," Young said at his retirement from NASA in 2004. As to which moment was most memorable, he says simply, "I liked them all."

Around his retirement, Young recounted his first trip to the moon on Apollo 10 with the Houston Chronicle. "The impressive thing about the back side of the moon is how many darn craters it has," he said. "If the back side of the moon was facing us, I think human beings would be far more adaptive, far more educated, about (asteroid or comet) impacts on planet Earth."

Former President George H. W. Bush mourned the loss of the astronaut in a statement Saturday, saying that Young was a good friend and also "a fearless patriot whose courage and commitment to duty helped our Nation push back the horizon of discovery at a critical time."

Bush went on to say that Young, "represented the best in the American spirit  always looking forward, always reaching higher" and "leaves a tremendous legacy of accomplishment, in addition to his wonderful family."

Former NASA astronaut Terry Virts shared his sadness about Young's death, tweeting on Saturday: "You were one of my heroes as an astronaut and explorer and your passion for space will be missed."

Retired NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, who spent 340 days on a mission to the International Space Station, called Young "a true legend" and "the astronauts' astronaut," in a statement posted to Facebook Saturday.

"Fair winds and following seas, Captain," he wrote.There will be a public hearing this week to explain seven exemptions Midland ISD seeks as part of the District of Innovation process.

The public hearing is set for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at San Jacinto Junior High, 1400 N. N St.

Following the public hearing, the district will post its DOI plan for three days and notify the states education commissioner of the DOI plan being presented to the board for approval. The district has scheduled Feb. 12 as the date board members will approve the District of Innovation plan. Midland ISD will send its plan to the commissioner of the Texas Education Agency on Feb. 13.

District officials said at a meeting in December that MISD started out with 16 possible exemptions. They trimmed the list from 16 to nine and then decided to move forward with seven. Those exemptions involve state laws having to do with:

-class size,

-minutes of instruction,

-early release/length of school day,

-uniform start date,

-teacher certification,

-90 percent attendance rule and

-campus behavior coordinator.

More than 70 central office employees, principals, teachers, counselors, students and community members were on the committee looking at DOI exemptions. Teachers made up half of the committee. In each case committee members overwhelmingly approved the district seeking exemptions, according to information provided to the Reporter-Telegram by MISD.

The following is a breakdown of waivers Midland ISD seeks, according to information the district provided the Reporter-Telegram at a December meeting.

Class size

State law requires districts to maintain a 22:1 student-to-teacher ratio for kindergarten through fourth-grade. When any class exceeds this size, the district must file a waiver with the TEA. This year, the number of waivers reached 101, which was an increase of 29 compared to last year and an increase of 83 compared to 2014-15.

Midland ISD officials, according to the DOI report, believe the waiver process to be a bureaucratic step unnecessary for the education action of our students. Districts officials also believe an exemption will provide more flexibility in classroom models in how the district will handle cases when class sizes exceed that 22:1 ratio and will allow the district  and not the state  to determine the best learning environment for students.

Should the district obtain this exemption, it plans to develop its own letter to notify parents when classes exceed the locally determined maximum number of students. MISD also reports it will develop assurances for K-4 classroom teachers, in collaboration with principals and teachers, to determine at what point it will be most beneficial to hire new staff members when classes exceed 22:1. Class sizes also will be balanced with the logistics of funding, availability of resources, space and adding staff, according to the district.

Minutes of Instruction

State law requires districts to provide 75,600 minutes of instruction, including intermissions and recess annually. MISD also reports that a day of instruction means 420 minutes (or seven hours).

An exemption, according to the district, will:

- allow for time to complete grade reporting tasks at the end of grading periods;

- decrease student and staff absenteeism due to burnout;

- give teachers more time to analyze and evaluate student work and adapt instruction to meet student need;

- provide teachers more time to collaborate and plan, including before a grading period; and

- cut down on the mental and physical fatigue and stress because of insufficient time to plan and prepare.

District officials also believe an exemption will permit the district to offer alternative programming with fewer minutes that focuses on quality instruction and achieves cost savings. It could also benefit students in non-traditional programs and better meet all students needs.

Sections 25.081 (d)(e) of the Texas Education Code limit the districts ability to provide sufficient time for teachers to plan, collaborate and prepare for innovative and high quality instruction and to provide ongoing, high-quality professional development, according to the MISD report.

Early release/length of school day

State law requires a school day be at least seven hours each day, which the district -- in seeking an exemption -- believes impedes teachers ability to grade more in-depth projects in a timely manner, collaborate with other teachers and prepare for the next instructional unit.

An exemption, according to the district, will help create a greater atmosphere for teacher and student achievement, for similar reasons provided in the Minutes of Instruction passage.

Uniform start date

Texas Education Code 25.0811 states a school district may not begin instruction for students for a school year before the fourth Monday in August.

An exemption here, according to the district, will allow for the possibility of starting school earlier and:

-gives more instructional days in advance of standardized testing;

-provides a more balanced schedule with respect to the Christmas break;

-aligns with college schedules for students to take advantage of summer classes at colleges;

-provides more frequent breaks through the year;

-allows for more intentional teacher professional development throughout the school year;

-provides more time to students to adjust socially and emotionally to new campus environments, especially those students transitioning from elementary to middle school and middle school to high school.

Teacher certification

State law requires a person may not be employed as a teacher unless an appropriate certification or permit is issued by a state agency.

Midland ISD officials believe this prevents the district from hiring people with experience -- and even professional certifications -- and others with experience in foreign language. The exemption, according to the district, will allow for a greater ability to recruit teachers and offer more courses, including those in Career and Technical Education, foreign language and science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) programs.

The district will create a standard in these specific areas to determine qualifications, such as other testing options and/or qualified experiences and work history, according to the MISD report.

90 percent attendance rule

Texas Education Code 25.092 provides conditions for credit or a final grade based on student attendance for at least 90 percent of the days a class is offered.

Currently, if a student received a grade of 75 percent or higher, the number of days a student attends a particular class doesnt matter. The district wants the flexibility to drop the attendance requirement for students who have a mastery of learning outcomes. So those who earn a score, even as low as 70, could receive credit. School officials believe this will help reduce the drop-out rate and raise graduation rates.

MISD believes that a students mastery of a learning outcomes should be the determining factor in earning credit and a grade rather than measures such as seat time that do not consider the real objectives of the educational experience, the MISD report states.

Campus behavior coordinator

State law requires that a person be designated to serve as a campus behavior coordinator, a person primarily responsible for maintaining student discipline.

The district seeks an exemption to give campuses the opportunity to utilize a more collaborative approach. It will allow for campuses to assign a person or persons most knowledgeable about a student to address concerns with the student and family. An exemption, according to the district, should improve communication between the family and schools and should create a more personal and effective approach to student discipline, according to the report.

---

Timeline

Tuesday: District of Innovation presentation/public meeting, 5:30 p.m., San Jacinto Junior High, 1400 N. N St.

Wednesday through Friday: Post District of Innovation plan and notify the education commissioner of DOI plan going to the board for approval

Feb. 12: Board meeting  Board approve District of Innovation plan

Feb. 13: Send District of Innovation plan to Education commissioner.

Committee members

Central office 14

Principals 6

Teachers and counselors 37

Students 6

Community members/parents 11

Exemptions Midland will seek

-Class size

-Minutes of instruction

-Early release/length of school day

-Uniform start date

-Teacher certification

-90 percent attendance rule

-Campus behavior coordinator

Source: Midland ISDA week's worth of a court reporter's transcripts from a 1994 murder trial have been lost over the years, but a state appeals court said a former Tyler millionaire waited far too long to request the records.

Baker Steven Lucas, 58, is serving a 35-year prison term for the 1988 murder of his mother Bette Calvert Lucas, who was bludgeoned and pushed over a railing in the family's Tyler residence.

An initial trial ended in a mistrial, and the second was moved to Dallas because of publicity in Tyler, where the defendant's father, the late Baker Lucas, was a former mayor, city councilman and Realtor, the Tyler Morning Telegraph reported in its Tuesday editions.

The 5th state Court of Appeals in Dallas, in an opinion received Monday by the Smith County district attorney's office, said the defendant failed to request the court reporter's records in a timely manner and did not try to secure them from Court TV, which taped the entire trial, after learning that the court reporter lost her copies.

It was only last year that prosecutors learnbed that a Dallas court attorney had lost four days of records from the 1994 trial.

Lucas' attorney, Troy McKinney of Houston, based much of his argument for a new trial on the lost evidence, but did not proceed with efforts to obtain them from Court TV, the court noted.

A judge previously denied Lucas's claim of indigence, meaning it was solely the defendant's re-sponsibility to obtain the court records. The appeals court said the defendant first asked for the record six years after the deadline for requesting it and three years after the code permitted the court reporter to purge her notes.

The appellate court judges suggested Lucas mistakenly assumed they should have ordered a transcription of the Court TV tapes. The burden was on Lucas to get the tapes transcribed, the court said in its opinion.

According to the appeals court's opinion, "appellant made no attempt to determine whether the tapes even purported to contain missing portions of the proceedings."When the call went out that help was needed with a grain elevator fire in Northrop, Minnesota, over the New Years weekend, fire departments from around Minnesota responded.

In fact, there were 53 fire departments and emergency units that answered the call, including six from Faribault County. The fire departments from Winnebago, Delavan, Easton, Elmore, Minnesota Lake and Blue Earth all sent men and equipment to help out.

We were over there for three days and nights, Blue Earth Fire Department chief Roger Davis says. We had our aerial ladder truck there for 12 hours and Wells had their aerial truck there for a shift, too. We also had three tankers running back and forth. But we always kept one tanker at home, in case it would be needed here.

In all, the Blue Earth Fire Department put in 313 man hours at the fire.

Winnebago Fire Department chief Jesse Haugh says they furnished trucks and manpower, to the tune of many man hours, as well.

I have to give a lot of credit to the people in charge of keeping it all organized, Haugh says. It was a group of fire chiefs from Truman, Fairmont, Northrop, as well as some state fire marshall people, and also Jack Volz, from Minnesota Lake.

Haugh says Volz is a fire and EMS trainer and taught at the Mankato Vocational Training Center. It took a lot of effort to keep everything running smoothly with 53 departments involved.

We just worked eight hour shifts and then had to replace our crews, Davis says. We covered three shifts for three days. The last day we had six guys there and they came home Sunday at noon.

Haugh says the operation also included a huge amount of donated food that was set up to feed all the volunteer firemen and others.

They had like three lines of food in the building, Haugh says. Really, the people in charge of handling this whole operation deserve a lot of credit. They did an incredible job.

Davis says there was over one million gallons of water sprayed on the fire the first day alone.

Im sure there was a couple of million gallons used by the end of it, Davis says. It was a really big deal.

Both men say that one issue was the cold temperatures.

No doubt about it, it was cold, really cold, Haugh says. That is why they were careful to limit the time anyone was outside or the length of time on a shift.

Both Davis and Haugh are also happy that there were no injuries, other than a few minor cases of frostbite.

We had a little damage to some of our equipment and trucks from the cold, Davis says. But nothing major.

The local fire departments were happy to help out as much as they could, while still keeping enough equipment and manpower at home in case there was an emergency here.

Fire departments came from as far away as Hills and Luverne to the west, Garvin and Tracy northwest, Albertville (north of Minneapolis) to the north, Northfield to the northeast, Waseca and Albert Lea to the east and Ringsted, Iowa, to the south.

It was a case of responding to a call for some assistance, in a big way.A night of fashion and music was on display as area David Bowie fans paid tribute to the fallen star in a now annual event.

Limelight on N. St. Mary's St. was the scene and Ziggy Stardust was deal as people came dressed as their favorite Bowie persona to dance, sing and glam with other Bowie devotees.Dead roaches, rodent-like excreta pellets and black mildew posed a problem at San Antonio restaurants after city workers conducted random inspections this week.

Stone Oak-area "breastaurant" Tilted Kilt ranked among the citys dirtiest eateries after an inspector spotted rodent feces near the bar area, gnats and mildew in the ice machine.

The eatery earned a score of 88, but several other restaurants received scores below 85 this week.

To make the Express-News' list of dirtiest restaurants, an establishment must earn a score of 89 or below  or anything less than an "A"  during a random city health inspection.

2017's WORST RESTAURANT VIOLATIONS: San Antonio restaurant inspections: Worst reports from 2017



Express-News Top 100 restaurant Kimura was dinged for bad kitchen practices, a vast amount of dirt/dust build up on non-food contact surfaces and bone broth at the wrong temperature.

Tilted Kilt and Kimura are among 16 dirty restaurants and food marts this week, ranging from downtown to the Stone-Oak area.

See the other restaurants that landed on this week's list of dirtiest restaurants in the slideshow above.

The San Antonio Express-News examines hundreds of restaurant inspections each week conducted by the San Antonio Food and Environmental Health Services division to bring you the eateries with scores of 89 or below.

Restaurants are graded on a 100-point system, where "100" is a perfect score, and demerits are based upon the number of violations found during a regular food establishment inspection. There are three categories of demerits and each are assigned a demerit score of 3, 2 or 1 points, according to the health division.

Scores and demerits listed are only representative of the state of the restaurant at the time of inspection and establishments are surveyed at random.

rsalinas@mysa.com | Twitter: @RebeccaLSalinasTORRINGTON  The Backstage restaurant, a prominent feature on Main Street for almost a decade, is set to close at the end of the day Sunday.

Representatives of the restaurant announced the decision on Facebook Saturday evening, much to the dismay of some local residents.

Albert Corpus said he began to go to Backstage the day it opened, after he used to patronize its predecessor, the Cambridge Brew Pub. He was a regular  he estimated he went there once a week  and the staff became close to him, he said.

I think its sad, said Corpus. Its a big part of Torrington thats going to be missing.

Corpus said he saw signs that business was not as good as it used to be at the restaurant. The reconstruction of sidewalks on Main Street had slowed traffic a few years ago, dealing the owners a blow, and fewer customers were coming in recent days.

But he said he was surprised the development happened so quickly. He was there Saturday, he said  staff were informed of the decision at 4 p.m., and he came in at 5 p.m.

Everybody there was just in shock, said Corpus, noting that he was saddened that staffers would be laid off.

Winsted resident Cory Medlar said he and his wife, Krista, had begun to go to Backstage more than four years ago. It became where they went for a night out on the town, he said. When Kristas father would fly into town from Michigan to visit, they would go there and sit in the same booth, over by the bar.

During the holidays, they enjoyed the decorations and seasonal offerings.

My wife and I are greatly saddened by them closing so unexpectedly, and now we are at a loss to find a new regular spot for (our) date nights out, said Medlar. (Were) totally caught off guard especially since they always were so busy and the food and wait staff were always great.

Medlar said he and his wife would eat there one more time today, and hed try to get the recipe for their meatloaf dinner  the best hes ever had.

Sheila M. Hogan, a Torrington resident for 70 years, said she was sorry to see the restaurant, which she described as a vital part of downtown Torrington, close its doors.

It was always an enjoyable restaurant....food wise, service wise and Torringtonian wise, said Hogan. A great place to connect and meet up with friends and (acquaintances). I think it is going to be sorely missed by many.

Corpus, Medlar, and Hogan all said theyd like to see another restaurant take Backstages place. Corpus suggested that the space be split in two, cutting the cost of overhead for the next owner, who hed prefer be something unique instead of a chain.

In the meantime, hell miss the people he got to know there, he said.

Family  they were family to me, said Corpus. I feel like Im losing family.

The building housing Backstage is owned by the Northwest Connecticut Association for the Arts, as is the neighboring Warner Theater.

Lynn Gelormino, listed as executive director of the group in its 2015 990 filing and the executive director of the Warner, traced the closure of the restaurant to unsuccessful negotiations over lease terms in a statement Sunday afternoon.

After several months of negotiation over lease terms and obligations, unfortunately the parties were unable to reach a resolution. We regret Backstage has decided to close, said Gelormino. The Warner has commenced activities to seek a replacement. Over the years, The Backstage has been a great dining option for our patrons, and it is our intention to build on that experience.

Owner Keith Mahler, also the owner of Waterbury-based Premier Concerts, and Director of Operations Bob DeZinno did not immediately return messages seeking comment Sunday.

We are proud of the restaurant that we created, our commitment to local sourcing and fresh made menu items, Connecticuts best craft beer selection, high standards of cleanliness and food safety, and our generosity to many, many local charities, said representatives of the restaurant on Facebook in announcing its closure. Mostly, we are proud to have worked with the 42 professionals who made their livings here at Backstage. While closing a business is never pleasant and brings its own set of challenges, our major concern at this time is for these great people.

Both the Northwest Connecticut Association for the Arts and Backstage Torrington LLC currently owe property taxes on the space, according to city records. These bills do not become delinquent until Feb. 1.

Mayor Elinor Carbone said that the loss of a Main Street business creates a hole in the heart of the city, and advocated for Torrington residents to support local commercial enterprises.

These businesses are relying on our community to spend our time and our money supporting them. The space that is occupied by Backstage is extraordinary and historic and I have every confidence that it will be turned around very quickly, said Carbone in a statement. I just want to remind our citizens that any failure of a business is as much our failure if we are not doing what we can to support them.

People reacting to the closure on Facebook shared concerns about gift cards Sunday.

DeZinno said late Sunday that those with gift cards in their possession can email managers@backstageeatdrinklive.com to receive instructions on how to get a refund. He did not immediately respond to follow up questions about the restaurants closure.

UPDATE: The original version of this article referred to negotiations between the Northwest Connecticut Asssociation for the Arts and Backstage over the terms of a new lease. These negotiations were over the terms and obligations of an existing lease, Gelormino said Monday.

Reach Ben Lambert at william.lambert@hearstmediact.com.Politicians and reporters often trot out recent college graduates struggling to pay off their student loan debt to illustrate the dangers of runaway college costs. But usually ignored in the outcry over student loan debt - which has doubled since the Great Recession to nearly $1.2 trillion - is that it is disproportionately the result of going to graduate school.

A report released this week by the Urban Institute found that in 2015-2016, graduate students, including those pursuing professional degrees, accounted for 38 percent of federal education loans but just 17 percent of students. What's more, those pursuing advanced degrees borrowed, on average, three times as much as the typical undergraduate - $18,210, compared with $5,460. Perhaps even more worrisome is that the share of advanced-degree recipients borrowing at least $75,000 more than doubled between 2008 and 2012.

Many students pursue a master's degree to further their career prospects, and especially their earnings. But a separate report to be released Sunday by the American Enterprise Institute finds that the payoff from master's degrees varies greatly, based on field of study, and often isn't understood by prospective students who lack salary data typically associated with earning a bachelor's degree over a high school diploma. Using new data from three states - Colorado, Florida and Texas - the study found that master's degree graduates in fields such as philosophy, art and early-childhood education have the lowest median earnings, often less than graduates with bachelor's or even associate degrees, who go into other fields.

"As more and more students pay ever-increasing tuition and borrow more and more money to pay for their studies, it's remarkable how little information we have about the wage outcomes associated with different programs," said Mark Schneider, vice president of the American Institutes for Research and one of the authors of the report. "This kind of information is essential for students to have before they enroll and before they borrow tens of thousands of dollars to pay for a degree that is not highly rewarded in the labor market."

One reason graduate school debt has grown is that students have nearly unlimited borrowing capability from federal programs - with few credit checks or examinations of ability to repay, which are required for most other consumer loans. Knowing that, schools have continued to push their tuition up.

While undergraduates don't need to go through a credit check or supply documentation that they can pay back loans, they do face limits in what they can borrow from the federal government - $57,500 over four years.

The imbalance between graduate and undergraduate debt has given ammunition to critics who argue that the federal government is indirectly causing higher tuition prices by increasing aid each year or not putting caps on it. This theory is known as the "Bennett hypothesis," named after former U.S. education secretary William J. Bennett, who, in a seminal essay in 1987, touched off a firestorm of debate when he suggested that "increases in financial aid in recent years have enabled colleges and universities blithely to raise their tuitions."

His reasoning was that if families didn't have access to financial aid, they would refuse to pay higher prices, in the same way consumers can control prices in other markets. The Bennett hypothesis has been tested by dozens of researchers over the past three decades, with conflicting results.

The theory is perhaps about to get another test on a grand scale. In a bill released last month to renew the federal Higher Education Act, which governs student aid programs, Republicans in the House of Representatives proposed capping the amount of money graduate students could borrow at $28,500 annually, instead of allowing them to borrow whatever schools charge. The bill also would reduce benefits for borrowers in income-based repayment programs and eliminate the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, which zeros out balances for borrowers who work for the government and at many nonprofit organizations after they make 10 years of payments.

If such changes are approved, they are likely to severely depress the market for graduate school, especially among those students who are not subsidized by their institutions because they also teach or do research, or those who continue to work elsewhere while pursuing their degree.

While the master's degree used to be an academic backwater - seen as a rest stop on the way to a PhD or as a consolation prize for those who fell short of a doctorate - since the 1980s, it has grown in popularity as the bachelor's degree has become more ubiquitous in the job market.

The number of master's degrees awarded annually has more than tripled since the mid-1980s, and has grown from some 473,000 to nearly 800,000 since the turn of the century. Part of this has been the result of the proliferation of new programs designed specifically for students who want to get a leg up in the job market but don't want to pursue a doctorate.

The growth in the 1990s and the first decade of the new millennium came as schools offered master's degrees in fields as diverse as computer science, journalism, engineering and sustainability management. As enrollment of full-timers grew, schools created part-time options, which boosted the bottom line by filling classrooms that otherwise sat empty at night, and added online programs.

After the 2008 recession, overall graduate school enrollments increased across the board, as many young professionals went back to school to wait out the economic downturn. After reaching a peak in 2013, enrollment numbers started to flatten, however, and if not for an influx of international students, graduate school enrollments would have fallen in recent years.

Within specific fields, master's degrees remain popular in computer science, engineering and the health sciences, but enrollment numbers have dropped precipitously in education as fewer students pursue teaching careers and more states eliminate automatic pay increases for teachers who acquire additional education.

Even the venerable MBA is falling on hard times. Globally, 43 percent of MBA programs saw their application numbers decline between 2015 and 2017. Full-time MBA programs seem to be in the most trouble, with fewer than half of business schools reporting application growth in 2016. Some business schools have pulled out of the full-time, on-campus MBA market after years of declining applications and enrollment. Last fall, one of the country's oldest business schools, the University of Wisconsin, suggested it might end its full-time program. (It later reversed course).

The declining interest in graduate school goes beyond its cost, however. There is a much bigger change in how students want to learn. The realities of the job market now require workers to continue to get education and training throughout their lives. Many graduate programs are lengthy and require students to take requirements that are not necessary for what they need right now in the job market (requirements that also drive up the cost of the programs).

In recent years, a new set of providers - including "boot camps" that offer courses lasting from a few hours to several weeks and low-cost online courses from top universities - have demonstrated the growing market for "just-in-time" education. Like the students enrolled in the programs, these providers have realized that most graduate programs offer a buffet of options when all students might need is one entree at a particular point in their lives.

As a result, several universities, including name-brand institutions such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Pennsylvania and Boston University, have launched MicroMasters degrees, which are shorter and less expensive than a traditional master's degree and can be combined to earn that degree later on.

More such innovations in the graduate market are going to be needed in the coming years even if the federal government doesn't put limits on graduate borrowing. As enrollment numbers are beginning to show, students seems to be losing their appetite for borrowing at any cost for a graduate degree that might not pay off in the job market.Winnebago Hazel Anne Gilreath, age 96, of Winnebago, peacefully passed into the presence of her Lord surrounded by family on Jan. 2, 2018 at Heartland Parker Oaks. Visitation will be at the Spencer-Owen Funeral Home on Friday, Jan. 12, 2018 from 5-7 p.m. and one hour prior at the church. Funeral service will be on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2018 at 11 a.m. at the First United Methodist Church, 109 Cleveland Ave. W., Winnebago. Interment will follow in Rosehill Cemetery, Winnebago. Spencer-Owen Funeral Home is entrusted with arrangements, www.SpencerOwen.com

Hazel Gilreath was born to Anchor and Anna (Larsen) Hesseldahl on Sept. 24, 1921 in Elmore. They later moved to Winnebago where Hazel attended rural country school. She graduated from Winnebago High School in 1939 then attended beauty school. She worked as a beautician in Winnebago for many years. On Oct. 19, 1941 Hazel was united in marriage to Roy Jacobsen in Paris, Texas. To this union four children were born, Bradley, Janis, Brian and Ann. After Roy returned from his military service they resided in rural Winnebago. Hazel owned and operated Hazels Dress Shop for several years. After Roys death in 1977 Hazel married Donald Gilreath. They farmed for many years until Donalds death. At that time Hazel moved into Winnebago. She loved the Lord and served Him lovingly as an active, lifelong member of the Winnebago Methodist Church. For many years she taught Sunday school, release time classes, VBS and was active in the womens church circles and UMW.

Hazel is survived by her four children, Bradley (Annie) Jacobsen, of Rogue River, Oregon, Jan (Bob) Kaduce, Brian (Carrie) Jacobsen and Ann (David) Krause, all of Winnebago; 11 grandchildren; 25 great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.

Hazel was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Roy of 36 years; husband, Donald; two brothers; one sister and four grandchildren.Two people were hospitalized Sunday morning following a head-on collision on the far Northwest Side after police say a driver was traveling in the wrong direction.

A motorist was traveling east in the westbound lanes of Texas 151 about 3 a.m. when he struck an oncoming vehicle, according to police.TEHRAN, Iran - The Iranian parliament will hold a special session as soon as Sunday to look into the causes of anti-government protests that have gripped the country, state-run news agencies said.

The interior minister, the head of intelligence and the security council chief are all expected to attend, the ISNA news agency said.

Hard-liners in Iran have blamed foreign conspirators for the demonstrations, a sentiment echoed by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his reformers, though admitting that not all the demonstrations could be steered from the outside by "Iran's enemies."

Hence the parliament's desire to find "the roots" of the protest.

'There should be no mercy'

A special commission has also been set up to track the fates of those arrested in recent demonstrations, especially those of detained students, a spokesman for Tehran University said Saturday, according to ISNA. Jailed demonstrators also will receive legal assistance.

While there are no official numbers regarding how many people have been arrested over the past week during anti-government protests that have swept the country, an estimated 1,000 to 1,800 people are being detained nationwide, with about 100 of them said to be students.

Science Minister Mansour Gholami said that about a quarter of the students arrested have since been released, though he did not give exact numbers. The ministry is working to obtain the release of all students, Gholami told the online news portal Etemaadonline.

The fate of those arrested has been the topic of serious concern since Iranian hard-line cleric Ahmad Khatami urged worshippers in a sermon Friday to treat protesters as enemies of Islam, adding that "there should be no mercy for them," particularly flag-burners.

Criticism for the U.S.

The sentiments of Khatami and other government supporters were heavily criticized by Rouhani and his reformists in the parliament. Rouhani adviser Hamid Abutalebi said some decisions were dangerous and could "not be repaired so easily."

Posts on social media on Saturday supposedly showed demonstrations across the country overnight, though they can't be independently verified. Iran's other media did not report on protests.

The United Nations Security Council held a meeting on Iran Friday that mostly featured criticism of the United States.

Russia's U.N. ambassador, Vasily Nebenzia, said the U.S. move to call the meeting was a "bogus pretext" to include "purely political issues" surrounding Iran on the Security Council agenda and said that outside countries should not interfere with the demonstrations there.

Nebenzia went on to ask mockingly whether the Security Council should have had meetings to discuss internal U.S. issues such as protests in Ferguson, Mo., or the Occupy Wall Street movement.

Iranian U.N. Ambassador Gholamali Khoshroo echoed Nebenzia, saying "one can only gasp at the hypocrisy" of the U.S. accusing Iran of suppressing protests.

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's state TV on Saturday showed government supporters rallying a day after the foreign minister said a U.S. move to call an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting to discuss anti-government protests was another Trump administration "blunder."

The state broadcaster showed pro-government rallies in several cities, starting with Amol, in the northern province of Mazandaram, with hundreds of people waving the Iranian flag and chanting slogans against the U.S. and Israel.

State TV described the rally as a "response to rioters and supporters of the riots."

Other pro-government demonstrations were held in Shahin Dezh, in West Azarbaijan province bordering Turkey; the city of Semnan, in the northern Semnan Province; and Shadegan, in the southern Khouzestan Province near Iraq.

On Saturday, Iranians could access the photo-sharing site Instagram again after it was blocked for the past week. The government has suspended access to the messaging app Telegram, which was being used to publicize the protests.Fayaz Wani By

Express News Service

SRINAGAR: In the first Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast in the Valley since 2015, four policemen, including an Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI), were killed in Sopore town of north Kashmirs Baramulla district on Saturday morning.

The Jaish-e-Mohammad claimed responsibility for the attack that came less than a week of a fidayeen attack on a CRPF camp at Lethpora, Pulwama, in which five CRPF men were killed. A spokesman said the Afzal Guru squad of the outfit carried out the attack.

A police officer said that the IED went off when a police party was patrolling the Chota Bazar area of main town Sopore this morning.

Four policemen including an Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) were killed in the powerful blast, he said.

Three of the deceased were identified as ASI Irshad of Doda; Mohammad Amin of Kupwara and Ghulam Nabi of Sopore.

More #visuals from Baramulla where 4 Policemen have lost their lives after an IED blast by terrorists in Sopore #JammuAndKashmir pic.twitter.com/BLybHzhaFl  ANI (@ANI) 6 January 2018

Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Munir Ahmad Khan said the militants planted a powerful IED near a shop in Chota Bazar of Sopore town and detonated it around 10 am when the men of IRP 3rd battalion of the J&K police were deployed in the area for law and order duty.

The slain policemen are ASI Irshad Ahmad, constable Ghulam Nabi, constable Parvaiz Ahmad and constable Mohammad Amin.

There are also some injuries in the blast, the impact of which was felt in the adjoining areas.

At least three shops were also damaged in the blast.

Sources said the IED was planted beneath a shop by the militants and detonated through remote control.

Immediately after the blast, police, CRPF and army men launched combing and search operation in the area to nab the attackers.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti strongly condemned the IED blast.

Pained to hear that four policeman have been killed in an IED explosion in Sopore. My deepest condolences to their families.  Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) January 6, 2018

I am pained to hear that four policemen were killed in IED blast in Sopore. My deepest condolences to their families, Mehbooba tweeted.

The police, CRPF and the army cordoned off the area and launched a combing operation but no arrests were reported. The ADGP said IEDs posed a new challenge to security forces. It is the first IED blast in Kashmir since 2015. The use of IEDs had stopped in the Valley as it used to cause civilian causalities, he said.

Sources said the blast seemed to be the work of an expert in explosive devices. It seems to be the handiwork of a Pakistani militant who might have been trained in handling explosives before his infiltration into the state.

Sopore town was shut today in remembrance of over 50 civilians killed in alleged security forces firing on this day in 1993. The call for the shutdown was given by the separatist leaders to remember the victims.By ANI

COIMBATORE: The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) working president MK Stalin on Sunday urged Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami to initiate talks with transport employees and take suitable actions to end the ongoing strike in the state.

DMK demands that Tamil Nadu CM must immediately initiate talks with the striking transporters and take suitable actions in this regard. The entire opposition of the state wants this, Stalin said addressing the media on the fourth day of the strike by the Transport workers' unions.

Stalin added that he spoke to Palanisamy on phone and stressed his demand of initiating talks.

As the strike by the Transport workers' unions in Tamil Nadu continued for the fourth day, the transport department has roped in temporary drivers to resume services in the state.

Commuters in the state are having trouble reaching their destinations and have to pay double fair.

I am now paying a higher fare to reach my destination each day; I am only a daily wage earner. Government should do something to end the strike, said a commuter.

Speaking on the matter, Senthil Kumar JACTO (joint action committee of teachers and got employees organisation) -GEO Coordinator said , based on the assurance by Tamil Nadu government we withdraw the strike during September 2016, but still the government had not called us for talks, demanding the government to implement our demands today we are staging this protest , we will later decide on a statewide protest soon if our demands are not met.

CLICK BELOW TO WATCH VIDEO:

On its third day, Tamil Nadu Transport Minister MR Vijayabhaskar appealed to bus employees to return to work.

"I appeal to employees to come back for duty, honorable court has also asked them to come back," Vijayabhaskar said addressing media here on the third day of the strike.

Scores of commuters were left stranded in Koyambedu bus terminal of Chennai as an indefinite strike by the transport workers' unions in Tamil Nadu continued.

Drivers and conductors of various state transport corporations are demanding wage hike among other things.

The strike, following the failure of talks on wage revision and clearance of pending dues with Transport Minister MR Vijayabhaskar, was declared on Thursday.

Transport workers have been demanding for a pay revision to Rs 30,000.

However, the authorities have only agreed to pay Rs. 24,400.Sumi Sukanya Dutta By

NEW DELHI: The number of foreign students who sought visa to study in Indian universities saw a decline in 2017 compared to 2016, prompting the authorities in the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development to chalk out ways to attract overseas students.

According to government figures, 36,887 students from abroad were granted student visas in 2017 while 38,947 had been given visas in 2016, marking a decline of about 6 per cent. This decrease is significant considering the fact that there are so few foreign students enrolled in institutes of higher learning in India, a ministry official told The Sunday Standard.

ALSO READ: 74.8 per cent of eligible population still outside colleges, shows government survey

We are planning to launch campaigns in some of the target countries, the official said. Officials said some management institutes, led by IIM-Ahmedabad, had launched a special Study in India campaign which could be emulated at bigger level. We are contemplating to do something similar to tap students in target countries. We have to reconcile to the fact that students from developed countries will not come to India to pursue higher studies, but we can at least emerge as a favourite study destination in the region and in Asia, an official said.

An All India Survey on Higher Education (2016-17), released on Friday puts the total number of foreign students in India slightly higher at 47,575. But, that is due to the fact that many of these students are pursuing three-, four- or five-year academic programmes.

Though the government claims foreign students come from 162 different countries from across the globe, most of them are from SAARC nations and African countries. The survey highlights that the highest share of students come from the neighbouring countries  Nepal (23.65), Afghanistan (95), Bhutan (4.8%). Students from Nigeria and Sudan comprise 4.4% each.

Dhananjay Kumar, who runs a web portal for college students, said, Rise of international students spells multiple advantages for the economy as well as classrooms due to the cultural vibrancy students from other countries bring. But India does not paint a very rosy picture on that front.

Less than one fourth of Indian university hire consultants to build international campaigns to entice foreign prospective students, he pointed out. Rising racial attacks seem to be keeping African students away, he said.

Preeta Arora, an education consultant based in Mumbai said India is not seen as a lucrative destination. Global students are heading to countries like China, Singapore and Hong Kong despite India offering education at lower costs. Asian destinations gain more global talent due to catering to international audiences.Prasanta Mazumdar By

GUWAHATI: The ruling Congress in poll-bound Meghalaya is fighting a twin battle. The recent defections by seven MLAs and the booking of a minister by CBI have left the Congress in a spot of bother ahead of the polls, due in three months.

As if the defections were not bad enough, the CBI on Thursday booked state PWD minister Ampareen Lyngdoh in connection with alleged manipulation of score sheets in the recruitment of teachers in 2008-09.

ALSO READ: BJP will soon rise to power in Meghalaya, says Shah

An FIR was registered under IPC sections related to forgery, criminal conspiracy and criminal breach of trust against

Lyngdoh, who was the education minister when the alleged scam took place. And with defections of some more MLAs looming large, the party will have to set its house in order by quelling dissidence and refurbish its image.

The Congress, which heads the states ruling alliance, has been plagued by a rebellion. The seven MLAs parted ways as they were miffed over alleged corruption in Chief Minister Mukul Sangmas government. Five others, including four independents who were supporting the Congress, resigned over the past few days.

Two parties gaining from the developments are P A Sangma-founded National Peoples Party (NPP), which now his son and Lok Sabha member Conrad Sangma heads, and the BJP. Eight of the 12 MLAs, including three independents, defected to the NPP. BJP got the remaining four.

Some people view the rebellion as the handiwork of the BJP; breaching the unity of a ruling party has become game for the saffron party in the Northeast. The Congress says BJPs hand has been always there, as evident from the MLAs defections to it and its ally NPP.

We are not at all worried, the people of Meghalaya have always been there with the Congress. People are going away from us but people are also coming to us. Soon, you will see fresh blood in two IAS officers and some engineers joining us, Congress MP Vincent H Pala, who was recently appointed working president of Meghalaya PCC, told The Sunday Standard.

He believes Lyngdohs booking will not hurt the Congress. Law will take its own course. She says she has done nothing wrong and now, she has to prove it in court. Her booking doesnt mean her indulgence in wrongdoing, he said.

Pala said even in the 2013 elections, Opposition parties had tried to score brownie points by raking up the alleged scam, but eventually the Congress formed the government.

While the Congress has ruled the politically unstable state for most part, the general perception is that it will be a neck-and-neck fight between the grand old party and the NPP, which is backed by the BJP.

Addressing a rally in Shillong recently, Union minister KJ Alphons said, We will throw out the most corrupt government in Meghalaya. Mr chief minister, your days are numbered. This is just the beginning. Earlier, four MLAs, including a Congress minister, joined the BJP.

The BJP is on song by its poll successes in Assam and Manipur. However, it is different in the Christian-majority state where the BJP is seen as a Hindu party. With no MLA in the 60-member House, the BJP is only trying to grow in the state. The upcoming polls will give it an opportunity to leave an imprint. Aided by the RSS, it is trying to spread its tentacles to pockets.

Congress takes it slow and easy

Barring Meghalaya, the Congress does not appear to be too aggressive in the three north-eastern states that will have polls in March. In Tripura, which has been under CPI-M-led Left Front since 1993, the Congress has revamped a few panels but is hardly a force to reckon with while the BJP is hopeful of making inroads. In Nagaland, a small rejig in the state unit can hardly bring the desired results for the grand old party. CP Joshi, AICC in charge of the north-eastern region said he was hopeful the party would do well in the coming polls.By AFP

PARIS: In Mandarin, Emmanuel Macron's name is rendered "Makelong", or "the horse vanquishes the dragon" -- an encouraging image for the French president as he heads to China on Sunday hoping to forge closer ties with President Xi Jinping.

During the three-day trip which begins Monday, Macron plans to seek a "strategic partnership" with Beijing, notably on terrorism and climate change, an official in the president's office said.

In particular, France is hoping Beijing will join it in playing a decisive role in implementing the Paris accord to fight climate change after the US pullout pledged by President Donald Trump.

Although China is the world's biggest polluter, it is also the biggest investor in clean energy technologies.

Macron also said this week that China had a key leadership role to play in easing the crisis provoked by North Korea's nuclear programme, following Trump's escalating war of words with Kim Jong-Un.

ALSO READ: Democracies must respect rule of law, says French President Macron to Turkish counterpart Erdogan

"The ambition of the Chinese leadership is to persuade the French president to position himself on issues like North Korea as a 'go-between', defending 'dialogue' against the more aggressive posture of the United States, and to implicitly recognise by his choices the pre-eminence of China in the region," analyst Valerie Niquet said.

Macron will also ask Beijing to help support the G5 Sahel force being created with forces from Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso, Niger and Mauritania, tasked with fighting jihadist forces spread across an area of desert the size of Europe.

China has already become a key business partner across Africa, with total investments reaching $31.6 billion in 2016 in projects including railways, highways, ports and power stations.

They are part of the extensive network of transport links Xi is developing as part of his "One Belt, One Road" initiative for increasing trade.

- 'Mutual confidence' -

The state visit will be the first by a European leader since China's Communist Party conference in October, which reinforced Xi's grip on power as he was formally handed a second term.

China has praised Macron's decision to make it the first Asian nation he visits.

ALSO READ: China will have a 'say' on all major international issues, says Xi Jinping

"We hope this visit will reinforce mutual political confidence and strategic communication," China's foreign minister Wang Yi said this week.

Macron will be travelling with a delegation of business executives hoping for a bonanza of contracts, including from AccorHotels, LVMH, Airbus and BNP Paribas.

"We will be signing an exceptional number of strategic deals, about 50," the official said, including sales of Airbus planes and Safran jet engines.

State nuclear giant Areva is also negotiating a contract to build a reprocessing site for radioactive waste.

France is pushing to "rebalance" its trade relations with China. Although China is France's second-biggest supplier of goods, it ranks eighth in terms of the top buyers of French goods.

That leaves France with a Chinese trade deficit of 30 billion euros ($36 billion), its biggest with any trading partner.

"Paris intends to seek a rebalancing and market access, for example in financial services," the official at the Elysee palace said, at a time when major French banks are hoping to tap into the rapidly expanding Chinese market.

The two leaders also plan to announce a French-China investment fund worth 1 billion euros which would help midsize companies, mainly from France, get a foothold in China.

- Museums and a manifesto -

Accompanied by his wife Brigitte, Macron will begin his visit in the northern city of Xi'an, "an important symbol because it is the cradle of Chinese civilisation, and the starting point for the ancient Silk Roads," the Elysee official said.

After visiting the terracotta statues of warriors near the city excavated from the tomb of emperor Qin Shihuangdi, who ruled from 221 to 210 BC, Macron will give a speech on the future of France-China relations.

An agreement is also expected to be finalised for a temporary exhibition in Shanghai by Paris's Pompidou Centre for modern art.

Not least, Macron will also be exporting his "Revolution" -- the campaign manifesto published in 2016 ahead of his sweep to the presidency.

The Chinese edition of the book, in which France's youngest president lays out his vision for France, hits bookstores on Monday.DANBURY  When State Police bloodhound Texas was lost last month during the search for a missing man near the Wooster Mountain State Park, numerous resources were immediately called in to help find the dog, including a helicopter.

But it took several hours for the air support, which can cost as much as $6,000 an hour to operate, to deploy. A drone, on the other hand, could have been available in as little as 15 minutes  and at a lower cost.

That was not an option for Danbury at the time, but it is now.

The Danbury Fire Department received its first drone last week. The device, which cost more than $20,000 and is equipped with a thermal heat-sensing camera, was given to the department by an anonymous donor.

Jamie Gagliardo, the drone program administrator for the department, said his interest in drones, which can carry several cameras at the same time, began several years ago after he was introduced to the machines by Deputy Chief Bernie Meehan.

We soon realized the value that this technology could provide in the field, Gagliardo said. With the drone we can hover over a fire scene providing us with a lot of information, from the location of the firefighters to hotspots inside the fire with the use of the thermal camera. You can set the drone so it will circle over a given point and maintain its camera position on the point of interest.

Additional features can also be added, including a zoom camera that can read a license plate from nearly two miles away and a hazardous materials monitor, Gagliardo said.

With the monitor on the drone, we could send it into a hazmat situation and determine the level of the contaminant before we ever send a firefighter into the scene, he said. That can be extremely valuable.

Unlike Danbury, other towns in the state, including Westport, have drones operated by the police department, not the fire department.

But even as the devices become an increasingly important tool for emergency officials, the drone industry and the rules that govern it are moving slowly.

The state Legislature considered a bill last year backed by Berlin police that would have allowed cops to fly drones equipped with lethal weapons. The proposal snagged national headlines  no other state allows lethal drones  and died in committee.

This was originally a good bill to protect communities from unwarranted police drone surveillance and prevent police from weaponizing drones, said David McGuire, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut, in a May 1 statement. The ACLU (supports) protecting people from unwarranted drone surveillance, but opposes the amendment to allow police to equip drones with lethal and less-lethal weapons.

In the year or so that Westport police have used a drone, its mainly flown at scenes of fatal or serious accidents, said Westport police officer Capt. Ryan Paulsson, a certified drone pilot.

Considering possibilities

Some Connecticut companies are positioning for a drone boom.

We envision a future where every squad car in America has a drone integrated into its computer system, said Paul Ouellette, a spokesman for a West Haven-based distributor Drone USA. At present, the drone industry is in infancy. (Police) departments are just learning how drones can make their work simpler and safer.

This summer, the company flew quadcopter and airplane-type drones in demonstrations to police departments in Trumbull and on Jennings Beach in Fairfield.

Drone USA hopes to get a foothold in the Connecticut and New Jersey markets by selling and servicing drones like the DJI Phantom 4 that Paulsson flies. Stamford police use a slightly older model. They retail for between $800 and $1,400.

The departments we encounter seem to be at different stages of interest, Ouellette said. For example, some departments are experimenting with DJI products; others tend to favor more sophisticated U.S. manufactured products.

Like any novel technology, the drone industry faces a novel set of problems.

In August, the U.S. military stopped using DJI drones, which are made in China, due to concern their data might not be secure. Documents posted online alleged data was shared with the Chinese government, and immigration officials started an investigation.

DJI Ltd. said in a statement that it doesnt look at flight logs, photos or video unless customers actively upload and share them with us, the Associated Press reported in December.

Flying and the Fourth Amendment

Privacy and other civil rights concerns persist.

Federal Aviation Administration rules treat emergency officials just like any other commercial drone operator, and prohibit flights before dawn.

But without additional legislation, theres no definite rule prohibiting police from flying their drone cameras over peoples houses, according to a 2014 study by the Connecticut General Assemblys Legislative Program Review and Investigations Committee.

U.S. courts have never defined exactly how far above the ground private property ends and the so-called public highway of the navigable skies begins. The Supreme Court has yet to take up a drone case.

There is a place for drones in the police department, but they have to be used in accordance with the Fourth Amendment, which protects against unreasonable search and seizure, McGuire said.

In Danbury, Gagliardo has been busy learning more about the technology and earning the certification from the Federal Aviation Administration required to pilot the device.

The city is also in the process, in conjunction with Danbury Municipal Airport, of gaining a certificate of authorization that will allow the fire department to fly the drone in Danbury.

Authorization from the FAA is required to fly any drones in the city because the entire municipality  and parts of Ridgefield  are within the airports five mile approach zone.

All drone activity, even if its just recreational, must be approved by the control tower, said Mike Safranek, the assistant administrator of the airport. There is a misconception that hobbyists can fly wherever they want, but thats simply not true.

The regulations are in place, he said, to protect planes from drone activity, particularly during critical landing maneuvers.

Weve experienced a growing problem with people operating drones near the airport and its getting to the point where we will start calling the police, Safranek said. Its a criminal offense to fly a drone in the airports airspace.

The drone will be made available through mutual aid to other departments in the area, and requests already started coming before the device was even delivered to the city. If other departments call for the drone, Gagliardo will also be on call as its pilot.

We believe this will be a very popular resource, Gagliardo said. As far as I know, we are the only department in the area to have the technology.Built in 1870 as an opera house, Busey's Hall, later the Princess Theater, was made of brick and was the only survivor of an 1871 fire that buColumnist

Tom Kacich is a columnist and the author of Tom's Mailbag at The News-Gazette. His column appears Sundays. His email is tkacich@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@tkacich).New Delhi: Desi cuisine and yoga will mark the start of the five-day annual jamboree of the rich and powerful from across the world in the snow-laden Swiss ski resort town of Davos later this month, where India will be in the spotlight with Prime Minister Narendra Modi expected to be present for the first time.

The Indian presence is set to be the largest-ever with as many as six union ministers, two chief ministers, several top government officials and over 100 CEOs, among others, already figuring among the registered participants.

While there is no official confirmation as yet from the World Economic Forum (WEF) or the government on Modi's presence, sources familiar with the programme planning said he is expected to address a special plenary at the WEF Annual Meeting 2018, which would be attended by over 3,000 top business and political leaders including 50 government or state heads.

A formal programme for the event, starting January 22, will be announced soon by the Geneva-based WEF for its 48th annual meeting whose theme will be creating a shared future in a fractured world.

The welcome reception on the inaugural evening will be hosted by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India), which will showcase "India's exquisite cuisine and age-old yoga heritage as well as the spirit of a young, innovative New India".

While the apex industry body CII will be heading a strong delegation of over 100 industrialists, several government departments, state governments and corporates will run extensive brand promotion activities across this small Alpine resort down during the WEF Annual Meeting, including several outdoor campaigns on facades of buildings and city buses.

The official sessions at WEF will also have special India-focused discussions including one on "India's role in the world", how it is rethinking economics with the use of big data in policy making and the country's role in securing peace and stability in the Asian century.

The registered participants from India include Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Railways Minister Piyush Goyal, Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar and Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region of India Jitendra Singh.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, his Andhra Pradesh counterpart Chandrababu Naidu and Telangana Minister K T Rama Rao are also among the registered government leaders from India, alongside a number of senior government officials including Ramesh Abhishek, Atul Chaturvedi and Amitabh Kant who will participate in a number of panel discussions.

The Indian leaders are also expected to hold a number of bilateral and multilateral meetings on the sidelines.

Those expected to be present at the elite global gathering also include Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi along with a number of his cabinet colleagues, as well as Pakistan People's Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

China is also expected to have a significant presence while its Belt Road Initiative will feature as a key theme in a number of panel discussions including those attended by Pakistani leaders.

Among other world leaders, France's Emmanuel Macron will be there and the entire top government leadership of Switzerland has confirmed its presence while more names are expected to be announced in the coming days.

Goyal will talk on disaster resilience in infrastructure, Abhishek on game-changers in Asia, Singh on upgrade requirements of urban space, Akbar on nuclear threats to international security and Pradhan on unlocking of economic and societal values by the governments and industries.

The Indian presence will also include over 100 CEOs including Mukesh Ambani, Chanda Kochhar and Uday Kotak, as also Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan and top filmmaker Karan Johar, as well as Congress leader Kamal Nath.

Other big names from India and abroad include former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan and IMF chief Christine Lagarde.

Sources said Modi is expected to be there on January 23-24 and may address the first special plenary of the biggest congregation of top global leaders. He may hold a number of bilaterals besides other meetings.

Modi will be the first Indian Prime Minister at the Davos summit since 1997 when the then Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda had attended.

This is one of the few global summits yet to be attended by Modi.

To be attended by over 3,000 global leaders including CEOs, heads of state and government, artists and civil society members, the Davos Annual Meeting of WEF will conclude on January 26.

The registered Indian participants also include CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee, as also Gautam Adani, Swami Agnivesh, Rahul Bajaj, Sanjiv Bajaj, N Chandrasekaran, Sajjan Jindal, Anand Mahindra, Lakshmi Mittal and son Aditya, Sunil Mittal and son Kavin, Nandan Nilekani, Indra Nooyi, Azim Premji, Ajay Piramal, Ajay Singh, Naresh Goyal and Tulsi Tanti.

Mukesh Ambani is expected to be accompanied by wife Nita as also children Akash and Isha.

Indian social entrepreneur and activist Chetna Sinha will be among seven all-women co-chairs for the event.

This will be the first time in WEF's nearly five-decade-old history that its Davos Annual Meeting would have all women co-chairs.

Sinha will be joined by IMF's Christine Lagarde, Norway Prime Minister Erna Solberg, IBM chief Ginni Rometty, ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow, CERN Director-General Fabiola Gianotti and ENGIE CEO Isabelle Kocher.

The WEF, which describes itself as an international organisation for public-private cooperation and was established in 1971 as a not-for-profit foundation, hosts its annual meeting in Davos every year in January.

The WEF, which has been criticised in the past in some quarters for relatively lower presence of women, said these co-chairs represent both the public and private sectors, international organisations, organised labour, academia and science as well as civil society and social entrepreneurship.New Delhi: Baba Ramdev-led Patanjali Ayurved is likely to partner with eight leading etailers and aggregators to give a big push to online sales of its swadeshi range of FMCG products, said a company official.

The Haridwar-based company is expected to enter into agreements this month with major online retailers - Amazon, Flipkart, Paytm Mall, 1MG, bigbasket, grofers, shopclues and snapdeal - a step through which its range of products will be available on various online platforms.

Patanjali is organising a function on January 16 here and representatives of all the online companies are expected to attend it along with Ramdev and its MD Acharya Balkrishna.

"We are now going into massive way. Now, we would have an organised and systematic agreement with the players to place our all product online, so that it could reach to customers to the end point," Patanjali spokesperson S K Tijarawala told PTI.

These partnerships with etailers will be in addition to its own portal patanjaliayurved.net, where the company is selling its products online.

"This would change the scenario of whole FMCG trade through online" he added. Some of Patanajali's products are already available on several online platforms through various other sellers but this would allow the Haridwar-based firm to systematically place its range of products.

"The retailers and aggregators would share the dias... They are coming and make announcement together that they would be working with brand Patanjali," Tijarawala said, adding that through this arrangement Patanjali's product could be served across the globe.

However, he refused to share further details and arrangements with the online retailers. Recently, Patanjali had forayed into kids and adult diapers and affordable sanitary napkins segments. Last month, it had also announced to venturing into solar equipment manufacturing.

Besides FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) segment, Patanjali Ayurved is present in other sectors such as education and healthcare. In 2016-17, it had crossed a turnover of Rs 10,500 crore and aims a two-fold growth this fiscal.New Delhi: Faced with increasing number of complaints under the anti-profiteering rules, the Finance Ministry will soon come out with a standard operating procedure (SOP) for handling grievances relating to over- charging after GST roll out.

As many as 170 complaints have been filed before the standing committee and screening committee by consumers against businesses for not passing on benefits of tax rate reduction since the roll out of Goods and Services Tax (GST) from July 1.

Of this, 50 have been referred to the Directorate General of Safeguards (DGS) for further investigation on profiteering complaint. The probe in five cases has already begun.

According to sources, it may not be feasible for DGS to scrutinise such large number of complaints and give its report to the National Anti-Profiteering Authority within the stipulated three months. It can also seek an extension of another three months for finalising the report.

The Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) being worked out by the Ministry will lay down guidelines for the Standing Committee and the screening committee for handling of consumer complaints.

As per the structure of the anti-profiteering mechanism in the GST regime, complaints of local nature will be first sent to the state-level 'screening committee' while those of national level will be marked for the 'Standing Committee'.

If the complaints have merit, the respective committees would refer the cases for further investigation to the DGS.

"An SoP is being worked out to enable expeditious resolution of consumer complaints. The effort would be to ensure that only complaints which have merit are passed on to the DGS," the source told PTI.

Once the complaints are referred to the DGS, the directorate is required to study balance sheet, profit and loss account, GST returns and details of invoice wise outward taxable supplies made by the company.

It also has to scrutinise the price list prior to and post GST roll out before giving its report to the Anti- Profiteering Authority for further action.

"Scrutinising large number of complaints in a short period of three months is not feasible. Hence the Finance Ministry is contemplating to come out with an SoP so that majority of the complaints are taken care of at the standing or screening committee level," the source added.

The SOP would also lay down the procedure for disposing of the complaints and issuing of warning to businesses or dealers in case it is warranted.

Once DGS submits report, it would be scrutinised by the Anti-Profiteering Authority for further action, which may include fine and extreme penalty like cancellation of registration.Firozabad: In a freak accident, at least 11 people were on Sunday killed after a speeding truck hit a three-wheeler and took a tumble, crushing a car and some passers-by in the city, the police said.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed grief over the loss of lives in the accident and has announced a financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh to the kin of each of the deceased, an official statement said.

According to Firozabad District Magistrate Neha Sharma, those who have lost their lives include, two women, a youth, six men and two children.

The incident took place around 4 pm when the truck, on its way to Kanpur from Agra, lost balance while taking a sharp turn on a busy national highway and hit a three-wheeler, Superintendent of Police Manoj Kumar told PTI.

It then took a tumble, crushing a car and some passers- by, the police official said.

According to the police, a JCB machine was used to remove the debris and pull out the bodies.

"As many as 10 people died on the spot, while a critically injured man succumbed to his injuries on way to Agra," Sharma said.

"Of the deceased, identity of four have been ascertained so far. They are Manoj (35), a resident of Mainpuri, his 12- year-old son Himanshu and nine-year-old son Pranshu. The person who was critically injured and later died, has been identified as Pankaj, also a resident of Mainpuri," the district magistrate said.

The bodies have been sent for post-mortem. The truck driver is absconding and further investigation into the incident is underway, the police said.

In the statement issued by the office of the chief minister in Lucknow, Adityanath expressed his condolence to the bereaved families.New Delhi: Senior Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram launched a 9-tweet attack on the Modi government on Sunday, saying its militaristic approach had failed to end infiltration and militancy in Jammu and Kashmir.

Taking to Twitter on Sunday, Chidambaram referred to the December 31 militant attack on a CRPF camp in the states Pulwama district and questioned the scope of mandate given to the Centres special representative, Dineshwar Sharma.

Sharing numbers of civilian, military and terrorist casualties in the Valley since 2014, Chidambaram said the figures were proof that the Modi governments hard, muscular, militaristic approach had failed to reap results.

The Rajya Sabha MP pitched for a political solution in Kashmir and recalled the diligent efforts of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh in finding a solution.

1.From time to time we are rudely reminded that there is an issue concerning the state of Jammu & Kashmir. P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) January 7, 2018

2. The last reminder came on the night of 30-31 December 2017, when militants attacked the CRPF Training Centre at Lethpora in Pulwama district killing five CRPF personnel and injuring three. P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) January 7, 2018

3. On the eve of the election in Gujarat, the government appointed Mr Dineshwar Sharma as Special Representative (SR), but his mandate was not clear. P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) January 7, 2018

4. Subsequently, it was indicated that the SR will talk to anyone who was willing to meet him, and therein lies the catch. P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) January 7, 2018

5. It was claimed that the hard, muscular, militaristic approach will put an end to infiltration and militancy. Has it? pic.twitter.com/AkT6ESrbJe P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) January 7, 2018

6. Wisdom lies in actively working to find a political solution to the issue of J&K. Both Mr A B Vajpayee and Dr Manmohan Singh will be remembered for their diligent efforts to find a solution to the issue. P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) January 7, 2018

7. The way forward is to invite all stakeholders for talks.Unfortunately, the stakeholders have perceived the appointment of the SR as a pre-election gimmick and have totally rebuffed the good fellow. P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) January 7, 2018

8. Still, all is not lost. I support the idea of interlocutors, but that step has to be part of a set of measures. P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) January 7, 2018

9. If you are one of those who had thought that the hard, muscular, militaristic approach of the government should be given a chance, please look at the table once again. You may change your view. P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) January 7, 2018

Separately, another Congress leader and former Union minister, Kapil Sibal, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rhetoric over Jammu and Kashmir had come apart. "Soldiers and policemen martyred almost daily. Will government explain? When will be stop losing lives?" he asked in a tweet.

The twin criticism came a day after a militant-triggered explosion killed four policemen in Sopore in Jammu and Kashmir.

Hitting back at Chidambaram, BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao said his ideas were a recipe for disaster and accused him of acting like a Pakistani poodle.

Thiru Chidambaram, Your ideas on Kashmir are a recipe for disaster. Our forces are doing a fantastic job. Support them. Stop acting as a Pakistani poodle advancing it's anti-India agenda. Seems you are jealous of Thiru MS Aiyer & trying to challenge him as Pak's "Apologist No. 1", Rao tweeted.

In another tweet, Rao tagged Chidambaram, Congress President Rahul Gandhi and senior leader Kapil Sibal and accused the party of showing fake concern for Indian forces.New Delhi: A bank is entitled to withdraw money from your individual bank account if it has to recover an amount from your joint account.

According to the National Consumer Commission, this would not amount to an unfair trade practice because a banker has a general lien on the amount deposited in his individual account.

A lien is a form of security interest granted over a property to secure repayment of a debt.

Thus, a bank can exercise its right to recover money although the individual bank account may not be the default at all.

The Commissions ruling could mean that if two persons have a joint account and also their separate accounts in the same bank, the banker has the authority to recover money from any of these accounts.

It may also mean that if a company and its promoters or directors have a joint account apart from their individual accounts, any default would entitle the bank to withdraw money from either of the accounts.

It is clear from the above provision that a banker has a general lien on the amount deposited by the complainant in his individual account. The said view has been expressed by the Honble Supreme Court in the case, Syndicate Bank vs. Vijay Kumar & Ors as well. It has also been stated that unless a contract to the contrary is established, the Banks right of lien will have to be accepted, held the Commissions bench, presided by Dr B C Gupta.

The Commissions order came while approving a similar withdrawal by the State Bank of India, Auroville branch, in Tamil Nadu.

In 2004, on a request made by a woman customer, the bank had transferred Rs 2 lakh to her father in Germany. The money was transferred from a joint bank account that she had with one Padmakar Mirajkar. Mirajkar also had an individual account in the same branch.

Due to a technical glitch, the bank, however, transferred Rs 2 lakh twice. It then requested the woman to return the excess money but to no avail and it was later known that she has also gone to Germany.

At this, the bank withdrew this amount from Mirajkars separate account. Mirajkar resisted this step by the bank, and moved the consumer forum contending the bank had no right to recover the money from his individual savings account.

His complaint was allowed by the district forum, which directed the bank to return the money since there was no provision that enabled the bank to take away money from the individual account of the complainant. The state consumer commission also upheld this view.

But on an appeal by the bank, the apex consumer commission has set aside the order of refund, citing the provisions of the Indian Contract Act on banks lien that entitled it to recover money.

The excess money, which is stated to have been sent by the Bank to the father of Ms Elisabeth, is in fact public money and the Bank has every right to recover the same. It was the duty of the complainant, therefore, to ensure that recovery is got made of the excess amount remitted by the bank, it held.Panaji: Goa is likely to face shortage of beef for the next couple of days as slaughter houses in neighbouring Karnataka have refused to supply meat till the government takes steps to stop harassment by cow vigilante groups, an official said on Sunday.

The coastal state is facing a beef shortage with traders suspending import of meat from Karnataka alleging harassment by cow vigilantes.

An association of traders earlier said its members have stopped procuring beef from Belagavi in Karnataka.

All Goa Qureshi Meat Traders Association president Manna Bepari told PTI that Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Saturday assured them to discuss the issue with the police.

However, he said the chief minister is currently out of station and is expected to return only after two days.

"The suppliers from Karnataka have categorically said they will not resume supplies till action is taken against the so-called cow vigilantes," he said.

Bepari said they can expect some action only after the chief minister returns to the state, "so until then the supplies will not resume."

He said around 25 tonnes of beef is brought from Belagavi every day.

Cow protection groups, including the Gau Raksha Abhiyaan, have alleged beef in Goa is brought from illegal slaughter houses in Karnataka, a charge denied by Bepari.

He said non-availability of beef has resulted in a rise in the prices of mutton and chicken in the state.

Gau Raksha Abhiyaan leader Hanumant Parab earlier claimed cattle were being slaughtered in abattoirs across the border without approval from authorities.

"Due to this we have undertaken stringent checks (on the Goa-Karnataka border) along with police," he said.

Bepari said traders want immediate intervention by the state government in the matter. Till then, they will not buy beef from the neighbouring state.

Beef sale has been banned in Maharashtra, which also borders Goa.New Delhi: The head of the committee that framed a new Haj policy has said the government should allow women below 45 years of age to go on Haj without a "Mehram".

Afzal Amanullah said it had suggested to the government that the age limit on women travelling without "Mehram" -- a term for a close male relative a woman cannot marry, such as her father, brother or son -- be removed.

"If a male major can go alone for Haj, why not a woman," Amanullah said in an interview to PTI Bhasha.

The Centre has for the first time decided to allow women pilgrims over the age of 45 to undertake the pilgrimage in groups of at least four sans 'Mehram'. Till now, women pilgrims would be required to be accompanied by their husbands or 'Mehrams' during the annual pilgrimage.

Amanullah, the former Consul General of India, Jeddah, said no restrictions on age and "Mehram" had been imposed by Saudi Arabia's government and the conditions had been set by India.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his 'Mann Ki Baat' radio address recently, had said the policy of allowing Muslim women to perform Haj only in the company of a male guardian was unjust and discriminatory and his government had removed the restriction following which hundreds of women had applied to travel without male guardians for the pilgrimage.

Modi's claims were met with criticism from some leaders such as All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi.

Owaisi had dismissed Modi's claim that it was his government which had enabled Muslim women to perform Haj without being accompanied by male guardians.

"This regulation was passed by the Saudi Haj authorities many years ago," the Hyderabad MP had said.

However, Amanullah, a retired IAS officer, said the restriction regarding "Mehram" was imposed by the Indian government and not Saudi Arabia.

"The Indian government has now removed the restriction. I consider it a very important step," said Amanullah, who was the convener of the committee on preparing the new Haj policy for 2018-2022.

It was on the basis of the report submitted by this committee that the government decided to do away with certain restrictions regarding "Mehram".

"I fail to understand why such a restriction was imposed by the Indian government for so many years. When we contacted the Saudi administration in the course of preparing the draft of the new Haj policy, we came to know that there was no such restriction from them," Amanullah said.

More than 1,300 women from across the country have applied to go for Haj without 'Mehram' and will be exempted from the computerised lottery system which shortlists pilgrims every year.Jammu: The Centre has sanctioned the construction of over 14,000 community and individual bunkers along the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB) for border residents facing Pakistani shelling in Jammu division.

While 7,298 bunkers would be constructed along the LoC in the twin districts of Poonch and Rajouri, 7,162 underground bunkers would be constructed along the IB in Jammu, Kathua and Samba districts. The total cost of the 14,460 bunkers would be Rs 415.73 crore, officials said.

A total of 13,029 individual bunkers and 1431 community bunkers are being constructed, they said, adding that the capacity of the 160 square feet individual bunker will be eight people, and that of the 800 square feet community bunker will be 40 people.

The officials said 4,918 individual and 372 community bunkers would be constructed in Rajouri, and 3,076 individual and 243 community bunkers would come up in Kathua district.

A total of 688 community and 1,320 individual bunkers would be constructed in Poonch, while Jammu would get 1,200 individual and 120 community bunkers. In Samba district, 2,515 individual and eight community bunkers would be constructed, they said.

India shares a 3,323km long border with Pakistan, of which 221km of the IB and 740km of the LoC fall in Jammu and Kashmir.

As many as 35 people - 19 Army personnel, 12 civilians and four BSF personnel - were killed in ceasefire violations by Pakistan last year alone.

Senior BJP leader and MP Jugal Kishore Sharma welcomed the move by the Centre. "It is indeed a matter of joy and satisfaction for the people of border villages that the Centre has sanctioned construction of bunkers and approved relief and compensation for various property and livestock losses due to cross-border firing," Sharma said.

The MP expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh for acceding to the demands of people living in border villages.

(With PTI inputs)New Delhi: Does smoking cause throat cancer? Does tobacco cause mouth cancer?

On Monday, when the Supreme Court takes up the issue of pictorial warnings on cigarette packs and tobacco products, it would also scrutinise whether the textual warning about cancer should be printed or not.

With the central government failing to provide any empirical evidence, the Karnataka High Court has ruled that such textual warnings need not be printed on cigarette packets and on other tobacco products.

Not just this, the alarming images of persons suffering from throat and mouth cancer will also have to go, said the division bench of the high court.

The Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Amendment Rules, 2014 made it mandatory for tobacco manufacturers, sellers and advertisers to have textual warning coupled with images on the packets.

In case of the smoking forms of tobacco, the textual warning was: Smoking causes throat cancer and for smokeless forms of tobacco products, the warning was: Tobacco causes mouth cancer. The pictures had to purportedly show the effects of cigarettes on the throat and that of chewing tobacco in the mouth leading to cancer.

In the high court, tobacco manufacturers questioned why they should be compelled to print such textual warnings along with horrid images when the co-relation between their product and the diseases has not been established. They called it a violation of their right to carry on trade and commerce apart from impinging upon their rights to advertise.

The HC noted that it did not have to give an opinion about the effect of smoking or chewing tobacco in this batch of cases since that was the domain of medical experts. The court said it was concerned only about the validity of the mandate on printing textual warnings and the images.

Referring to a debate yet to be settled about the ill-effects of smoking and tobacco, the court said that the regulation will have to be quashed for the want of realistic proof.

There has been no medical or scientific data or empirical research conducted and data collated with regard to impact of the warnings on package of tobacco and its products on users/consumers or potential users or consumers, which has been placed before this Court by having inputs from behavioural scientists, underscored the bench.

It stated that the government has failed in establishing that the impugned pictorial and textual warnings were in consonance with medical research and therefore, they could not be construed as a form of reasonable restriction on manufacturers rights to trade and to advertise.

In the circumstances, it is held that the content of the specified health warning is arbitrary and it is an unreasonable restriction as they have been arbitrarily selected. Hence, clause (2) of the Schedule to Amendment Rules, 2014 is liable to be quashed and is quashed, held the bench.

The court pointed out that the textual warnings cannot be accepted as true in the face of a serious debate over it, the world over. The pictorial images also would have to be held to be impermissible for the very same reason. This is because there is no universal acceptance of the theory that use or consumption of tobacco and its products causes cancer, said the bench of Justices BS Patil and BV Nagarathna.

It added that the HC would not venture to give its verdict on that aspect of the matter one way or the other but when there is no unanimity on the statements contained in the textual warnings, rather when the same is a subject of serious debate the world over, the Amendment Rules, 2014 could not have incorporated the same without there being any rationale behind it.

It also emphasised that there appeared no real application of mind on the selection of contents of the warnings, which are graphic images and are seeking to exaggerate the ill-effects of tobacco and its products so as to co-relate them to the textual warnings.

In fact, the warnings may not even serve the purpose for which they are meant as the consumers or potential consumers of tobacco and its products may refuse to believe in the contents of such textual warnings and consequently, the pictorial warnings also would not have any impact on anybody. As a result, the whole object and purpose of having such warnings would be lost, it added.

The HC ruling has been appealed against in the Supreme Court, which is scheduled to examine it on January 8.New Delhi: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday slammed Doordarshan for abruptly cutting off the live telecast of the annual Tyagaraja Aradhana to air an advertisement and termed it "thoughtless" and "insensitive".

The musical event is held to honour Telugu saint-composer Tyagaraja in Tamil Nadu's Thiruvaiyaru between January to February. This is a week-long festival where various Carnatic musicians from across the world converge at his resting place.

Prasar Bharati CEO S S Vempati termed the incident as "unfortunate" and assured of "strict action".

Earlier, the minister had thanked the channel for live telecast of the musical tradition.

"Thanks @DDNational for live telecast of this musical tradition. Such a treat to watch so many young aspiring musicians, as with every year, joining in the #Aradhana . Music lovers look forward to re-energise themselves by linking here. #Tyagaraja," she said in a tweet.

Thanks @DDNational for live telecast of this musical tradition. Such a treat to watch so many young aspiring musicians, as with every year, joining in the #Aradhana . Music lovers look forward to re-energise themselves by linking here.#Tyagaraja Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) January 6, 2018

However, her excitement turned to anger when the channel cut-off the programme to air an advertisement.

"Yo @DDNational what! You couldn't wait for a few moments more for the Pancharatna Krithi-s to be completed. Advertisement and more. #Aradhana #Tyagaraja. Thoughtless, insensitive," she tweeted.

Yo @DDNational what! You couldnt wait for a few moments more for the Pancharatna Krithi-s to be completed. Advertisement and more. #Aradhana #Tyagaraja . Thoughtless, insensitive. Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) January 6, 2018

Replying to her tweet, Vempati said, "Absolutely unfortunate madam. Strict action will be taken."

Saint Tyagaraja (4 May 17676 January 1847) composed thousands of devotional compositions, most in Telugu and in praise of Lord Rama, many of which remain popular today. Five of his compositions called the Pancharatna Kritis (five gems) are often sung in programs in his honour.

"Now live on @DDNational #Aradhana #Tyagaraja in sweet #Telugu, sung by all. Tyagaraja's bhakti was the longing of an earthly being to unite with his maker who he saw in Sri Rama. Tyagaraja cared nothing about living in poor financial condition, just kept pouring out his heart," the minister had tweeted.Dramatis personae:

Paul Marie Verlaine: One of the greatest French poets associated with the Symbolist movement.

Arthur Rimbaud: One of the most popular French poets, who wrote poems for only 5 years and died at the age of 37.

Absinthe: The green villain  the alcohol that was a rage in Europe during the end of the 19th century and beginning of 20th century.

Location:

Paris and a little bit of Brussels.

The Story:

Absinthe was green fairy to most artists towards the end of 19th century. They found their muse in the drink.

The green drink gave Paul Verlaine a sense of exaltation, which he happily injected into the poems he wrote. The spell of the drink along with the temper that ran in his family ignited the poet too often, something which Paris witnessed in many of his violent moods. He got married to a girl named Matilde, but the honeymoon turned into absinthe-moon pretty soon.

Yet, the real tragedy was still on its way.

On September, 1871, a young man of 16, landed in Paris. The boy had not a penny to his name, but a satchel of wonderful poems to his credit. Verlaine had already read a few of them and had wholeheartedly welcomed the boy into his town.

It was an instant love affair and by then Verlaine had already earned himself a name for his same-sex affairs.

Verlaine and Rimbaud. Their penchant for absinthe kick-started a turbulent affair but alas fate had something in store.

While Verlaine  who was more mature and old  nursed a sense of guilt all his life for his dependency on absinthe, the young boy  who had already became known in the literary circles as enfant terrible  threw himself into the green fire with abandon. To him, absinthe was a perfect companion for his poetic liberation.

The two poets very rarely sobered up.

For Rimbaud, intoxication was a ritual akin to self-torture, which must be too tense and painful for the nerves to sing like harp wires.

Verlaine took his guilt back home. He tortured his wife, beat her, set her clothes and hair on fire and even slashed her with a knife. He abhorred and ridiculed the concept of a good family man.

The madness of the poets soon tumbled over to the Parisian cafes, where men of letters gathered.

In his phenomenal book on absinthe, Barnaby Conrad gives us a report of Antoine Cros, who had attended one of the absinthe binges of the poets:

Verlaine said to us: Put your hands on the table, I want to show you an experiment. We thought it was a joke, and put out our hands; he pulled out an open-clasp knife from his pocket and cut his wrists quite deeply. I had time to take my hands away. Verlaine left with his sinister companion and received two more stab-wounds in his thigh.

After some years, Rimbaud began to get tired of the old poet and decided to break off the relationship. In a fit of despair, Verlaine fled to Brussels and wrote to Rimbaud that he would commit suicide. Rimbaud reached Brussels to patch up with his mentor. But once he saw all that weeping and pleading coming from a drunken Verlaine, Rimbaud was disgusted with the relationship. Without losing his cool, he tried to convince his mentor about the need to separate.

Separate!!!

Verlaine now flipped out his pistol and fired at Rimbaud three times. Even though he was stone drunk, one bullet made it to Rimbaud, hitting him on the wrist. But when Verlaine saw his minion writhing on the floor in a pool of blood, he was overcome with remorse. He wept bitterly.

For poor Rimbaud, the ordeal was not over yet. Two days later, Verlaine pulled out his pistol again at Rimbaud. The latter narrowly escaped and turned over his old friend to the police. Verlaine was put in jail.

By now, Rimbaud was fed up with both absinthe and poetry. He burned all his manuscripts and fled to Somalia. By the young age of 20, the gifted writer traded the call of poetry with that of a trader. It did not last long. In 1890, he developed arthritis and his left leg was amputated. A year later when he died, none of the literary figures of Paris, including Verlaine turned up for his funeral.

For most of them, he was long dead.

Verlaines ordeal continued for five more years and by that time, he became such a drunkard that he was a butt of ridicule in the Parisian cafes. He suffered a lot in his last days. Verlaine got cirrhosis, gonorrhea and syphilis  all remnants of a wayward life that he had led.

Verlaine and Rimbaud. The green fairy, absinthe, had only begun its ravage.

Soon, absinthe grew to become a huge social menace in European countries. Unable to contain the wrath of the people who now thought that absinthe creates madness, several governments in the continent banned the drink from their countries.

(Manu Remakant is a freelance writer who also runs a video blog - A Cup of Kavitha - introducing world poetry to Malayalees. Views expressed here are personal)When you're tasked with creating the menu for Hollywood's most elite and powerful stars, you make it lean, visually stunning, and gluten-free.

At the 75th annual Golden Globes this Sunday, stars will sit down to a distinctly Italian, and colorful meal prepared by the Beverly Hilton's chef Alberico Nunziata who tapped into his Italian heritage to develop the menu.

Kicking off the meal is a burrata cheese appetizer -- flown in from Italy -- wreathed in frisee, roasted butternut squash, purple potatoes, flavored with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and finished with teardrop tomatoes and garlic flowers, reports Refinery29.

The star of the meal will be Chilean sea bass, served atop a beet parmesan risotto to evoke the iconic red carpet event, served with tapenade, baby beets, yellow squash, broccolini and zucchini.

And from pastry chef Thomas Henzi, who will be acting in his eighth Golden Globes dinner this year, comes an Italian-inspired chocolate dessert, Efendi, made from a base of hazelnuts imported from Piedmont, Italy, coffee biscuits soaked in espresso, Frangelico mascarpone, all topped with a chocolate globe filled with sea salted caramel, adds Variety.

The bubbly of choice for the evening will be Moet Imperial, along with a special cocktail created in collaboration with Moet ambassador Jamie Chung. The Moet 75 cocktail is made with tequila, blood orange juice and organic honey.

In total, Nunziata and Henri will be responsible for feeding 1,300 guests, a feat that will require 11 chefs, 120 kitchen staff members, 50 bartenders, and more than 50,000 plate settings.San Diego: A lawyer who represented actress Paz de la Huerta has filed a lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein and a former New York prosecutor, alleging they coordinated in a scheme to get the actress to drop her sexual misconduct complaint against the movie mogul.

Aaron Filler's firm, Tensor Law, filed the lawsuit Friday in Los Angeles against Weinstein, his company and attorney Michael Rubin, a former New York City assistant district attorney for Bronx County.

In the lawsuit, Filler said Rubin misrepresented himself to de la Huerta as a victims' rights advocate, but actually was acting for the benefit of Weinstein "to interfere by a series of harmful subterfuges, threats, and extortion demands, entirely outside the legitimate strictures of the legal system."

The lawsuit accuses Rubin of persuading de la Huerta to drop Filler as her attorney, and encouraging her to withdraw her complaint alleging Weinstein raped her. She changed lawyers but did not drop the complaint.

Rubin denied the allegations and said that Filler is upset he lost a client.

"I never met Harvey Weinstein in my life," he said.

Weinstein spokeswoman Holly Baird said in an email to The Associated Press on Saturday that it's "insanity" to suggest that Weinstein "had any involvement in this."

The suit contends Rubin attempted to obtain de la Huerta's psychiatric records to reveal them publicly. Rubin also contacted New York prosecutors assigned to the de la Huerta case and gave "false and discouraging advice, leading to the abrupt halt of progress toward indictment of Weinstein," according to the court documents.

Rubin said his intentions in reaching out to the actress were to help de la Huerta get Weinstein arrested.

"I did nothing to try to derail that investigation," he said, adding that he plans to take legal action against Filler for defaming him.

Weinstein has denied any claim of non-consensual sex.

De la Huerta's current lawyer, Carrie Goldberg, said the actress has nothing to do with the lawsuit.

"My client had no knowledge of this lawsuit filed by Mr. Filler and makes no claims as to the veracity of any of the information presented as facts in the complaint," Goldberg said in a statement Saturday.

The Boardwalk Empire actress publicly accused the movie producer of raping her twice in 2010. She began speaking with police in New York about the accusation in late October.

Goldberg has expressed concern about the pace of the probe.Mumbai The makers of Padman have said the film's January 25 release date will not change amid speculation that Sanjay Leela Bhansali-directed Padmavat may hit theatres the same day.

B-town is abuzz that Padmavat, which has been making headlines due to its plot line, is set to release on January 25 - the same day as the Akshay Kumar-starrer Padman.

The producers of the film, however, said they have no clue about the Padmavat release or the possible box-office clash between the two films.

"I am clueless what is happening... with clash. I have no idea about it. Even we have heard about it. All we know is 'Padman' is releasing on January 25. Akshay announced it officially.

"'Padmavati' is a very important film. It's a beautiful film and it should release soon. I am also looking forward to see it. It depends on Viacom 18 Motion Pictures and Sanjay Leela Bhansali Productions to decide on the date," Prerna Arora, one of the producers of "Padman", told PTI.

Asked if the makers will push the release date of Padman to avoid any potential box-office clash with the big-budget period drama, Prerna said, "We are coming on January 25."

Sources close to the team of Padman said no one from the team of Padmavat has had any talks about the possible clash.

Some reports even suggest that Padmavat might come out on February 9.

Anushka Sharma's next home production venture Pari and director Luv Ranjan's Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety, starring Kartik Aaryan, are slated to release on February 9.

"I see no sense in clashing with a big film like 'Padmavati' and harming the best release my film can get. If 'Padmavati' comes on February 9 I will change the release date of my film," Luv Ranjan told PTI.

"We are coming on February 9, we are waiting for an official announcement on 'Padmavati' release date, so till then we cannot comment," said Prerna.

Viacom 18 Motion Pictures and Sanjay Leela Bhansali Productions remained unavailable for comment regarding the speculation over the release date of Padmavat.

The film, which was earlier scheduled to hit cinema houses on December 1, features Shahid Kapoor, Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone in the lead.

Recently, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) decided to give the film a U/A certification along with some modifications and suggested change of the film's title to 'Padmavat'.London: Actor-comedian Stephen Fry has stepped down from hosting the BAFTA Awards after 12 years and is looking forward to watching the show in the comfort of his home.

The 60-year-old star took over hosting responsibilities back in 2001 - the year Ridley Scott's Gladiator won - and became a much-loved fixture of the UK awards ceremony. He had a break from hosting duties between 2007-11.

"Every one of the twelve BAFTA film award ceremonies that I had the privilege of hosting has a place in my memory. The mixture of glamour, glory, drama and - occasionally - embarrassment and hiccup holds a unique place in the British film calendar. Over the last two decades, I have especially loved watching the emergence of new young film talent behind and in front of the camera.

"But after so long a time I felt it only right to stand down and let others take the BAFTAs on to new heights and greater glories. What fun it will be to watch BAFTA 2018 without my heart hammering, mouth drying and knees trembling," Fry said in a statement to BBC.

BAFTA thanked him for making the awards "such memorable and joyous occasions". A replacement will be announced on Tuesday when this year's nominees are revealed.Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath engaged in a war of words on Twitter on Sunday after the UP CM entered the poll battleground with a mega rally in Bengaluru.

It all started as the BJP star campaigner launched a scathing attack against the Congress CM for calling himself a Hindu and Siddaramiah replied by teaching Yogi about the Karnataka model of governance with a reference to a reported starvation death in UP. Yogi took the jibe in his stride and reminded Siddaramiah of failings in his own state by pointing at farmer suicides.

Siddaramaiah, in his tweet, welcomed Yogi to Bengaluru and asked him to tour the Indira canteens and other ration shops started by his government to learn" from them. "It will help you address the starvation deaths sometimes reported from your state, the Karnataka CM wrote, sharpening his attack as the state heads to a high-pitched election in April.

I welcome UP CM Shri @myogiadityanath to our state. There is a lot you can learn from us Sir. When you are here please visit a Indira Canteen & a ration shop. It will help you address the starvation deaths sometimes reported from your state. #YogiInBengaluru https://t.co/lj0m4fMphC Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) January 7, 2018

A 50-year-old woman from Bareilly in UP had reportedly died of starvation in November, but the state government had denied the reports and said that she had received rations but was not well for a few days preceding her death. Indira canteens, the pet project of Siddaramaiah, offer lunch and dinner for Rs 10 and breakfast for Rs 5.

Yogi was not the one to take the taunt lying down and reminded Siddaramaiah that the number of farmer suicides had been highest in Karnataka during his tenure.

not to mention the numerous deaths and transfer of honest officers. As UP CM I am working to undo the misery and lawlessness unleashed by your allies, Yogi wrote.

Thank you for the welcome @siddaramaiah ji. I heard number of farmers committing suicide in Karnataka was highest in your regime, not to mention the numerous deaths and transfer of honest officers. As UP CM I am working to undo the misery and lawlessness unleashed by your allies. Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) January 7, 2018

Earlier in the day, Yogi, during his Parivarthana rally, had raked up the issue of beef and came down heavily on Siddaramaiah for his recent assertion that he was a Hindu.

He cannot be a Hindu and promote consumption of beef. When the BJP was in power here, we enacted a law prohibiting cow slaughter. The Congress government repealed that law, he said to loud cheers from BJP supporters.

Yogi said Siddaramaiah has only now remembered his Hindu roots because of the approaching election. "Siddaramaiah calls himself a Hindu just as Congress president Rahul Gandhi went to temple after temple during the Gujarat election," he claimed.

The Uttar Pradesh CM also attacked the Karnataka CM by citing that there have been 22 murders of Sangh parivar workers in the state, for which no action has been initiated. He claimed there had been no communal clashes in UP since he came to power.

Saying that Karnataka was the janmabhoomi (birthplace) of Lord Hanuman, Yogi asserted that it was imperative that BJP comes back to power here.

Karnataka will benefit like Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh if it is also ruled by the BJP, which is heading the NDA government at the Centre under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he added.

Adityanath, speaking in Hindi, said Karnataka stagnated in development over the last four years under the Congress, which had failed to implement various schemes of the Modi government.

"Though the Modi government had included Bengaluru, and nine other cities across the state under its ambitious Smart City project, the state government has not taken action to utilise its funds or improve the quality of life in the state.

"The Congress government has been busy polarising the people, dividing them on caste and religious basis and failed to check the worsening law and order situation. It has no time for the development of the state, which was once known for its phenomenal growth in the knowledge sector, especially IT and biotech," said Adityanath.Islamabad: Pakistan has added 26/11 Mumbai attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeeds Jamaat-ud-Dawah to its updated list of banned outfits, an inclusion prompted by the United States decision to suspend approximately $2 billion in security assistance to Islamabad.

Apart from JuD, Saeeds so-called charity Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation is also among the 72 banned outfits on the list released by the countrys Interior Ministry, the Express Tribune reported.

The list was released to the Pakistan media and warned of 10-year jail term and hefty fine for providing funds to the blacklisted outfits.

The warning was part of a countrywide advertisement in Urdu, which was published in all major local newspapers of the country on Saturday. The advertisement lists 72 groups, including Jamat-ud- Dawa, Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation and Lashkar-e-Tabia of Saeed and Jaish-e-Mohammad of Masood Azhar.

It said that according to Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997 of Pakistan and under UN Security Council act of 1948 it was a crime to provide funding to those groups which have been banned or are on the watchlist.

Those giving funds to such individuals or groups may face "five to 10 years in jail or up to Rs 10 million fine or both", it said.

Their movable or immovable property can also be confiscated.

Pakistan has banned Saeed-led JuD and FIF from collecting donations on Monday, after President Donald Trump accused Islamabad of giving nothing to the US but "lies and deceit" and providing "safe haven" to terrorists.

Trump, in a scathing tweet, at the start of the new year said that Pakistan fooled American authorities and got $33 billion in the name of fighting terrorism.

The government has banned companies and individuals from making donations to the JuD, the FIF and other organisations on the UNSC sanctions list.

The advertisement reminds the people that they should make sure that their money given as charity does not end up in wrong hands.

The move comes after the US increased pressure on Pakistan to move decisively against all militants groups allegedly operating from its soil.

(With PTI inputs)Paris: In Mandarin, Emmanuel Macron's name is rendered "Makelong", or "the horse vanquishes the dragon"  an encouraging image for the French president as he heads to China on Sunday hoping to forge closer ties with President Xi Jinping.

During the three-day trip which begins Monday, Macron plans to seek a "strategic partnership" with Beijing, notably on terrorism and climate change, an official in the president's office said.

In particular, France is hoping Beijing will join it in playing a decisive role in implementing the Paris accord to fight climate change after the US pullout pledged by President Donald Trump.

Although China is the world's biggest polluter, it is also the biggest investor in clean energy technologies.

Macron also said this week that China had a key leadership role to play in easing the crisis provoked by North Korea's nuclear programme, following Trump's escalating war of words with Kim Jong-Un.

"The ambition of the Chinese leadership is to persuade the French president to position himself on issues like North Korea as a 'go-between', defending 'dialogue' against the more aggressive posture of the United States, and to implicitly recognise by his choices the pre-eminence of China in the region," analyst Valerie Niquet said.

Macron will also ask Beijing to help support the G5 Sahel force being created with forces from Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso, Niger and Mauritania, tasked with fighting jihadist forces spread across an area of desert the size of Europe.

China has already become a key business partner across Africa, with total investments reaching $31.6 billion in 2016 in projects including railways, highways, ports and power stations.

They are part of the extensive network of transport links Xi is developing as part of his "One Belt, One Road" initiative for increasing trade.

'MUTUAL CONFIDENCE'

The state visit will be the first by a European leader since China's Communist Party conference in October, which reinforced Xi's grip on power as he was formally handed a second term.

China has praised Macron's decision to make it the first Asian nation he visits.

"We hope this visit will reinforce mutual political confidence and strategic communication," China's foreign minister Wang Yi said this week.

Macron will be travelling with a delegation of business executives hoping for a bonanza of contracts, including from AccorHotels, LVMH, Airbus and BNP Paribas.

"We will be signing an exceptional number of strategic deals, about 50," the official said, including sales of Airbus planes and Safran jet engines.

State nuclear giant Areva is also negotiating a contract to build a reprocessing site for radioactive waste.

France is pushing to "rebalance" its trade relations with China. Although China is France's second-biggest supplier of goods, it ranks eighth in terms of the top buyers of French goods.

That leaves France with a Chinese trade deficit of 30 billion euros ($36 billion), its biggest with any trading partner.

"Paris intends to seek a rebalancing and market access, for example in financial services," the official at the Elysee palace said, at a time when major French banks are hoping to tap into the rapidly expanding Chinese market.

The two leaders also plan to announce a French-China investment fund worth 1 billion euros which would help midsize companies, mainly from France, get a foothold in China.

MUSEUMS AND A MANIFESTO

Accompanied by his wife Brigitte, Macron will begin his visit in the northern city of Xi'an, "an important symbol because it is the cradle of Chinese civilisation, and the starting point for the ancient Silk Roads," the Elysee official said.

After visiting the terracotta statues of warriors near the city excavated from the tomb of emperor Qin Shihuangdi, who ruled from 221 to 210 BC, Macron will give a speech on the future of France-China relations.

An agreement is also expected to be finalised for a temporary exhibition in Shanghai by Paris's Pompidou Centre for modern art.

Not least, Macron will also be exporting his "Revolution" -- the campaign manifesto published in 2016 ahead of his sweep to the presidency.

The Chinese edition of the book, in which France's youngest president lays out his vision for France, hits bookstores on Monday.Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called for the closure of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, days after US President Donald Trump threatened to cut Palestinian aid.

Israel has long viewed the UN agency, known as UNRWA, as biased against it, an allegation the agency strongly denies, saying it is only providing necessary services to Palestinians.

Israeli officials also criticise the agency's method of classifying refugees, with descendants also eligible to register.

"UNRWA is an organisation that perpetuates the Palestinian refugee problem," Netanyahu said at the beginning of his weekly cabinet meeting.

He said that while millions of other refugees around the world were cared for by the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Palestinians have their own body which also treats "great-grandchildren of refugees -- who aren't refugees."

"This absurd situation must be ended," Netanyahu said. In June, Netanyahu said he had raised the issue with Washington's UN envoy Nikki Haley.

On Wednesday, Trump threatened to cut aid worth more than USD 300 million annually to the Palestinians in a bid to force them to negotiate.

The United States has long provided the Palestinian Authority with much-needed budgetary support and security assistance, as well as an additional USD 304 million for UN programmes in the West Bank and Gaza.

A Friday report on Israeli Channel 10 television said the US had frozen a payment due to UNRWA, but a spokesman for the UN organisation said yesterday that they "have not been informed directly of a formal decision either way by the US administration."

UNRWA runs hundreds of schools for Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip, the occupied West Bank, Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.

It also distributes aid and provides teacher training centres, health clinics and social services.

Many analysts, including Israelis, warn that closing the agency without having an effective replacement could lead to further poverty and perhaps violence.

"While UNRWA is far from perfect, the Israeli defence establishment, and the Israeli government as a whole, have over the years come to the understanding that all the alternatives are worse for Israel," Peter Lerner, a former spokesman for the Israeli military, wrote in an opinion piece in Haaretz newspaper last week.

"In an extreme situation, the administration of those refugees could fall on Israel's shoulders."Vatican City: Pope Francis baptised 34 infants during a long ceremony in the Sistine Chapel on Sunday and told their mothers to feel free to breastfeed them there if they were hungry.

During the ceremony that lasted more than two hours, Francis baptised 18 girls and 16 boys, including two pairs of twins.

"If they start performing a concert (by crying), or if they are uncomfortable or too warm or don't feel at ease or are hungry ... breastfeed them, don't be afraid, feed them, because this too is the language of love," he said in a short improvised homily.

Women still face harassment for breastfeeding in public in some countries even though attitudes are changing.

The pope has made similar comments in past ceremonies. Television pictures showed at least one mother bottle-feeding her child.

The papal baptism is a yearly event restricted to children of employees of the Vatican or the diocese of Rome. Francis is also bishop of the Italian capital.

The most famous frescoes in the Sistine Chapel - the ceiling scenes and the Last Judgement wall - were painted by Michelangelo.Dubai: Iran has banned the teaching of English in primary schools, a senior education official said, after Islamic leaders warned that early learning of the language opened the way to a Western "cultural invasion".

"Teaching English in government and non-government primary schools in the official curriculum is against laws and regulations," Mehdi Navid-Adham, head of the state-run High Education Council, told state television late on Saturday.

"This is because the assumption is that, in primary education, the groundwork for the Iranian culture of the students is laid," Navid-Adham said, adding that non-curriculum English classes may also be blocked.

The teaching of English usually starts in middle school in Iran, around the ages of 12 to 14, but some primary schools, below that age, also have English classes.

Some children also attend private language institutes after their school day. And many children from more privileged families attending non-government schools receive English tuition from daycare through high school.

Iran's Islamic leaders have often warned about the dangers of a "cultural invasion", and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei voiced outrage in 2016 over the "teaching of the English language spreading to nursery schools".

Khamenei, who has the final say in all state matters, said in that speech to teachers: "That does not mean opposition to learning a foreign language, but (this is the) promotion of a foreign culture in the country and among children, young adults and youths."

"Western thinkers have time and again said that instead of colonialist expansionism ... the best and the least costly way would have been inculcation of thought and culture to the younger generation of countries," Khamenei said, according to the text of the speech posted on a website run by his office (Leader.ir).

While there was no mention of the announcement being linked to more than a week of protests against the clerical establishment and government, Iran's Revolutionary Guards have said that that unrest was also fomented by foreign enemies.

Iranian officials said 22 people were killed and more than 1,000 arrested during the protests that spread to more than 80 cities and rural towns, as thousands of young and working-class Iranians expressed their anger at graft, unemployment and a deepening gap between rich and poor.

A video of the announcement of the ban was widely circulated on social media on Sunday, with Iranians calling it "The filtering of English", jokingly likening to the blocking of the popular app Telegram by the government during the unrest.Tehran: Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif ridiculed US President Donald Trump on Saturday over what he called the foreign policy "blunder" of trying to raise its recent protests at the UN Security Council.

The Security Council "rebuffed the US' naked attempt to hijack its mandate", wrote Zarif on Twitter.

"Majority emphasised the need to fully implement the JCPOA (nuclear deal) and to refrain from interfering in internal affairs of others. Another FP (foreign policy) blunder for the Trump administration."

The United States had pushed for the UN meeting on Friday to discuss the five days of protests that hit Iran last week, leading to the deaths of 21 people and hundreds of arrests.

US Ambassador Nikki Haley argued the unrest could escalate into full-blown conflict and drew a comparison with Syria.

"The Iranian regime is now on notice: the world will be watching what you do," Haley warned.

But Russia's envoy shot back that if the US view holds, the council should have also discussed the 2014 unrest in the US suburb of Ferguson, Missouri over the police shooting of a black teenager or the US crackdown on the Occupy Wall Street movement.

Britain and France reiterated that Iran must respect the rights of protesters, but French Ambassador Francois Delattre said the "events of the past days do not constitute a threat to peace and international security".

China also described the meeting as meddling in Iran's affairs, while Ethiopia, Kuwait and Sweden expressed reservations about the discussion.

Iran's Ambassador Gholamali Khoshroo slammed the meeting as a "farce" and a "waste of time" and said the council should instead focus on addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or the war in Yemen.

Iranian authorities have declared the unrest over, and held three days of large pro-government rallies across the country between Wednesday and Friday.

Iran signed a nuclear deal with the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China in 2015, easing sanctions in exchange for curbs to the country's nuclear programme.

US President Donald Trump has fiercely opposed the deal, but the other signatories remain firmly behind it.

Trump must decide every few months whether to continue waiving nuclear sanctions, with the next deadline due on Friday.

Analysts say there is a chance he may use the latest unrest as a pretext to reimpose sanctions.Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia's opposition alliance named former premier Mahathir Mohamad on Sunday as its prime ministerial candidate for a general election this year, although the authoritarian who ran the country for two decades and is now 92 years old faces an uphill task.

With the country's most popular opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim in jail, Mahathir is seen as the biggest threat for premier Najib Razak, who must call an election by August but is engulfed in a corruption scandal.

Still, an independent survey showed the opposition would have difficulty beating Najib, due to divisions within its own camp and unfavourable electoral boundary changes.

Mahathir and former foe Anwar have joined up to oust Najib, and an election victory by their alliance could also potentially pave the way for Anwar to return and take over as prime minister.

If the opposition wins, it would immediately start the process to obtain a royal pardon for Anwar so that he can be eligible to become prime minister, secretary general Saifuddin Abdullah said at the alliance's convention.

Anwar's wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail will be the coalition's candidate for deputy prime minister.

Mahathir, who during his 22-year tenure as prime minister earned a reputation of being a no-nonsense authoritarian with little time for dissenters promoting liberal values, stands to become the world's oldest leader if the opposition wins.

The Mahathir-led opposition, however, looks unlikely to unseat the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, according to a survey conducted by independent polling firm Merdeka Center in December.

The survey showed that although BN's share of the popular vote will shrink further, it can potentially regain a two-thirds majority in parliament, The Malaysian Insight reported on Sunday.

Merdeka Centre's director Ibrahim Suffian said the Mahathir-led group was at a disadvantage due to a split in the opposition and the redrawing of electoral boundaries that critics say favour the ruling government.

The Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), which was part of the opposition group in 2013, is no longer part of the pact.

"We are highly sceptical of the opposition's prospects if they continue to be split as things are now," Ibrahim said.

Malaysia's political landscape has been shaped for nearly two decades by a bitter feud between Anwar and Mahathir.

Anwar was once a protege of Mahathir, and the rising star of Malaysian politics, but they had a falling out in the late 1990s. Anwar was jailed on charges of sodomy and graft, after being sacked as the deputy prime minister. He denied the charges, dismissing them as politically motivated.

Anwar later led an opposition alliance to stunning electoral gains in 2013. Najib's coalition lost the popular vote in that election, but won a majority of the seats in parliament.

Anwar was convicted and jailed again in 2013 for sodomy, a charge he says is an attempt to end his career.

The sodomy conviction disqualifies Anwar from political office and from contesting the next election. A royal pardon, however, would let him contest.

Opposition to Najib has brought Anwar and Mahathir back together.

Najib has been embroiled in a corruption scandal involving state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). In civil lawsuits, the U.S. Justice Department has alleged that about $4.5 billion was misappropriated from 1MDB.

The fund has denied any wrongdoing and Najib, who founded 1MDB, has denied all allegations of corruption against him and was cleared of wrongdoing by Malaysia's attorney-general.Yangon: Rohingya rebels on Sunday claimed responsibility for an ambush on Myanmar security forces that left several wounded in northern Rakhine state, the first attack in weeks in a region gutted by violence.

Rakhine was plunged into turmoil last August, when a series of insurgent raids prompted a military backlash so brutal the UN says it likely amounts to ethnic cleansing of the Muslim Rohingya minority.

The army campaign sent some 650,000 Rohingya fleeing for Bangladesh, where refugees have given harrowing accounts of rape, murder and arson at the hands of security forces and vigilantes.

Myanmar's military, which tightly controls information about Rakhine, denies any abuses and insists the crackdown was a proportionate response to crush the "terrorist" threat.

The insurgents, known as the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), have launched few attacks in recent months.

But the army reported that "about ten" Rohingya militants ambushed a car with hand-made mines and gunfire on Friday morning, wounding two officers and their driver.

The militants claimed responsibility for the ambush in a rare post from an official Twitter account on Sunday.

"Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) hereby declares that we carried out an ambush against the Burmese terrorist army... at around 10:00am on 05 January 2018," it said.

The statement did not provide any more details about the attack in northern Maungdaw township.

The shadowy, poorly-armed ARSA -- whose August raids left at least a dozen dead -- says it is fighting for the political rights of the Rohingya, who have have faced systematic oppression in mainly Buddhist Myanmar for years.

Its statement on Sunday added that "Rohingya people must be consulted in all decision-making that affects their humanitarian needs and political future".

ARSA's fighting capacity at this point is unknown.

But a report last month from International Crisis Group said the organisation "appears determined to regroup and remain relevant" and may draw on desperate Rohingya refugees languishing in camps for future operations.

Any uptick in violence in Rakhine will deepen concerns about plans to begin repatriating refugees later this month.

Bangladesh and Myanmar signed an agreement in November allowing for repatriations from January 23.

But many aid groups and diplomats have expressed doubt that fearful Rohingya will agree to return to country where where they face severe discrimination from other communities and the state.Washington: China shares some of the concerns of the US, about the terrorism problem in Pakistan and Washington is seeking to work with Beijing and other regional players to convince Islamabad, about the need to crackdown on terror safe havens, a senior White House official has said.

As Trump Administration is determined to eliminate terrorist safe havens in Pakistan, which is key to bring stability in Afghanistan and in the region, the official hoped that China will play a helpful role in convincing Pakistan that it is in its own national interest to crackdown on these sanctuaries.

Pakistan already has deep historical ties going back to many years and they have close military ties, the official said, adding that the economic relationship is also growing with the China Pakistan Economic Corridor.

"But, China shares some of the concerns of the US about the terrorism problem. The US is seeking to work with other regional players and China would be one of the main ones to deal with this issue. It won't serve China's interests to have terrorist sanctuaries in Pakistan," the senior administration official said on condition of anonymity.

The official was quick to point out that China has been playing a more helpful role in terms of encouraging better relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is taking a more active role in that regard.

"So, I would disagree with the assertion that China will not play a helpful role in convincing Pakistan it's in its own interests to crack down on the sanctuaries," the official told a group of reporters on Friday.

"Ultimately, China is also working toward a stable Afghanistan. That's going to take them back to the same issue which are the sanctuaries in Pakistan," the official said.

China-Pakistan relationship is already very strong and appeared unconcerned over reports that the US decision to freeze approximately $2 billion in security assistance to Pakistan would push Islamabad towards Beijing, the official added.

"That relationship is already very very strong. But what we have seen is an interest by Pakistan in having a strong relationship with both the US and China. So that's one issue. And the second issue is that China is also concerned about terrorism and extremism in South Asia," the official said.

Noting that China has taken a more active role in trying to help stabilise Afghanistan, trying to improve relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, the official said the US believe that the Chinese are also interested in stability in Pakistan and also for the China Pakistan Economic Corridor.

"Ultimately if they want to see stability in the region, and I think they do, they also will have an interest in seeing Pakistan crack down on the Haqqani and Taliban network," the senior administration official said.New Delhi: Told off by US President Donald Trump for not doing enough on the crackdown against terror and denied funds, Pakistan has declared that it no longer has an alliance with the United States.

In an interview with Wall Street Journal, Pakistan Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif said the countrys alliance with the US seems to be coming to an end.

We do not have any alliance, this is not how allies behave," Asif told WSJ in an interview on January 5.

Ties between the two countries have worsened since Donald Trump, in a New Year's Day tweet, accused Pakistan of giving nothing to the US but "lies and deceit" and providing "safe haven" to terrorists in return for $33 billion aid over the last 15 years.

The Trump administration has suspended about $2 billion in security aid to Pakistan for failing to clamp down on the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network terror groups and dismantle their safe havens.

Asif had earlier accused the US of acting like "a friend who always betrays". "The US behaviour is neither that of an ally nor of a friend. It is a friend who always betrays."

While Asifs response to the US administration has been scathing, Pakistans foreign secretary Tehmina Janjua tempered the rhetoric and struck a conciliatory note on Sunday.

Janjua said Pakistan would continue engaging with Washington despite the suspension of aid. "As far as possible Pakistan wants to engage with the US because it is not only a global power but also has its presence in the region, and for us it's almost our neighbour," she was quoted as saying by the Dawn.

There are other countries that could ally with Pakistan, Mr. Asif said.

Following Mr. Trumps tweet against Pakistan this week, China foreign ministry said it was ready to promote and deepen its cooperation with Pakistan.

We are not alone, Mr. Asif said.A house built on a rock on the river Drina is seen near the western Serbian town of Bajina Basta, about 160km (99 miles) from the capital Belgrade May 22, 2013. The house was built in 1968 by a group of young men who decided that the rock on the river was an ideal place for a tiny shelter, according to the house's co-owner, who was among those involved in its construction. (Image: Reuters)FORMER Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Deputy Minister, Engineer Tapiwanashe Matangaidze has allegedly been found with 32 tonnes of rice stashed in a warehouse at Chachacha Growth Point in Shurugwi, Sunday News has learnt.



The rice was donated to Zimbabwe by the Chinese government as food aid and the former deputy minister could not explain how it ended up in his hands.



Zanu-PF Midlands provincial spokesperson Mr Cornelius Mpereri confirmed that Eng Matangaidze was found with rice stashed at Chachacha Growth Point.



In the province we have received reports that there are two former ministers and an MP who have been found with food stashed either at their houses or farms. In Shurugwi Eng Matangaidze was found with hordes of bags of rice, in Zvishavane Makhosini Hlongwane was also found with sugar beans while in Kwekwe Masango Matambanadzo was found with an assorted collection of items that he failed to account for, he said.



Word is that police together with other Government officials pounced at one of the warehouses in Chachacha last week and discovered 32 tonnes of Chinese rice.



A Government source told the Sunday News that following the incident Eng Matangaidze was called by police in the presence of Midlands Minister of State for Provincial Affairs, Cde Owen Ncube where he alleged that the food was a donation to him as an individual from China.





The source said Eng Matangaidze was asked to produce documentation to support his claims but was yet to do so.





Eng Matangaidze was last week found with 32 tonnes of Chinese rice stashed at Chachacha Growth Point. He was raided by police and other Government officials and they found the rice stashed in one of the shops at the growth point. Midlands Minister of State Cde Ncube was then informed of this development.





Eng Matangaidze was then asked to bring documentation which shows that it was indeed a donation but he is still to do so. Immediately after the raid he then moved some of the rice which he donated to villagers in Shurugwi.





The suspicion was that he used his position as Deputy Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare to get the donation under the auspices of seeking food aid for the people, said the source.





Acting Midlands police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Ethel Mukwende could neither deny nor confirm the development when contacted for comment.





I am not aware of that. I will get hold of the responsible station and if I get any information related to that I will inform you, she said.





Contacted for comment Eng Matangaidze vehemently denied the allegations.

I dont have those details, my house is in Gweru, you can go and check for yourself I can even give you my address. There is nothing like that, he said.





Minister Ncube referred this reporter to the police. Such matters are handled by police, he said. Sunday NewsFORMER first lady Grace Mugabe could soon be arrested over an array of corruption-related allegations as woes mount for the ex-Zanu PF womens league boss.



The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption commissioner responsible for investigations, Goodson Nguni yesterday told The Standard that the anti-graft body was already probing Grace over the suspicious awarding of a doctorate by the University of Zimbabwe after enrolling at the institution for barely three months.



He said indications were that certain officials at the institution could also find themselves in trouble together with the former first lady for fraud or misrepresentation.



Yes, we have received a report from the lectures from the Sociology Department on how she got her doctorate and because that is a legitimate complaint, there are investigators looking at it, Nguni said.



Since the ouster of Robert Mugabe in November, Grace has been holed up at her Blue Roof mansion in Borrowdale Brooke amid reports that authorities blocked her from travelling outside the country. Grace was reportedly only being allowed to travel to her Mazowe business empire, but under escort. Mugabe recently went to Singapore for medical check-up but did not travel with Grace.

Nguni said according to the laws of the country, no one except former president Mugabe was immune to prosecution.





He said everyone else, including the former first lady and the entire first family was fair game, if evidence of crime was presented.





First of all, in terms of the law and Constitution, the president of Zimbabwe has got immunity from certain actions during his term of office and upon retirement, he said.

Now according to the Constitution, the rest of the first family do not have immunity from prosecution and we are going to follow the law. So if there is evidence that a member of the former first family killed somebody, the Zimbabwe Republic Police, because thats outside of our mandate, will investigate and make an arrest.





He added: If there is an allegation against a member of the former first family, not the president, we will investigate that and take the matter to the National Prosecuting Authority. Remember we dont take matters to the courts, its the National Prosecution Authority which does that.





The Zimbawe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) boss said although Mugabe abhorred corruption, his wife was at the fore-front of shielding and protecting those accused of corruption. He gave an example of how former Higher Education minister Jonathan Moyo was allegedly defended against allegations of graft at rallies.





While Nguni refused to reveal other cases which Grace was being investigated for, officials at the anti-graft body said she faced arrest over the disappearance of diamonds in vaults when government ordered diamond mining companies in Chiadzwa to suddenly stop operating to pave way for the establishment of Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Mining Company.





Also, her children, Robert, Chatunga and Russel Goreraza, according to insiders, face arrest for gold smuggling, murder, extortion among other crimes that are related to abuse of power and state machinery.





Meanwhile, the Zacc boss has exonerated ICT minister Supa Mandiwanzira of any wrongdoing on charges of corruption raised by former NetOne chief executive officer, Reward Kangai.





We received a complaint by one Reward Kangai against minister Mandiwanzira, but we also simultaneously received a report from NetOne against the same Kangai, he said.

We investigated the $4 million that Kangai alleged the minister had paid to Megawatt and we found out that there was no $4 million paid to anybody at Megawatt. We had a court order, raided NetOne offices and looked at their bank statements, went to check at the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and other banks. We established that no money was ever paid by NetOne that amounted to $4 million, so we disregarded that story.





Nguni said instead Kangai and Harare businessman Agrippa Masiyakurima (Bopela) could soon be arrested.





But NetOne complained against Reward Kangai in substantive cases of fraud and corruption in the awarding of tenders for base stations by a company called Bopela and we are on it. Very soon we will get to some action regarding that. So we are not covering up for any minister, he said. StandardFugitive former Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo is still wanted by Kenyan authorities for an alleged $6 million fraud committed in the East African in 2000 while he was programme director for an American-based charity, Ford Foundation, Kenyan media reported yesterday.



A news report by the Daily Nation, Kenyas largest circulating daily with a readership of over 170 000, quoted an unnamed security source as saying Professor Moyo had not been cleared of the fraud charges.



In 2001, Mr Moyo was implicated in a corruption scandal involving about $6 million (Sh619.9 million) while he was the programme director in Nairobi for the American-based charity organisation, Ford Foundation.



The money was meant for a Nairobi-based NGO, the Series on Alternative Research in East Africa Trust, which was founded by political scientist Mutahi Ngunyi, said the Nation in the report.

An audit report carried out in 2000 revealed that Mr Moyo used the money for unclear purposes, it said.



A top security source in the country, who declined to be quoted, said Mr Moyo fled the country before the case was concluded and, therefore, remains a wanted man in Kenya, it added.



However, senior Kenyan government officials interviewed by the paper  who include government spokesman Mr Eric Kiraithe, the Interior ministry spokesman, Mr Mwenda Njoka and Mr Edwin Limo, the spokesman for the Foreign Affairs ministry  refuted media suggestions that Professor Moyo was in Kenya.



Mr Kiraithe told the Nation that: I would have known if he was in the country. Political asylum is a security issue and his request would have been processed by the NSAC (National Security Advisory Council) and the Cabinet.





Similarly, Mr Njoka reportedly noted that Kenyas immigration authorities had confirmed that Prof Moyo was not in Kenya.





Professor Moyo is suspected to have skipped the border soon after the Zimbabwe Defence Forces launched what they termed Operation Restore Legacy to deal with a cabal of criminals around then President Robert Mugabe in mid-November last year. There have been media reports suggesting that he is in Kenya, a claim the authorities there have just rejected.





The fugitive professor has been using his Twitter handle to attack the new administration in Harare although his location remains unknown.





Professor Moyo was arrested by Zimbabwean authorities on November 2, 2016 for alleged abuse of office and misappropriating over $400 000 in Zimbabwe Manpower Development (Zimdef) funds.





The scandal also implicated his deputy, Dr Godfrey Gandawa, Zimdef chief executive Mr Frederick Mandizvidza and Zimdef principal director (finance) Mr Nicholas Mapute.





Investigators from the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission allege that the offence was committed when $95 800 was transferred from Zimdef to Wishbone Trading, a company owned Dr Gandawa, through CABS.





Dr Gandawa received $20 000 through his personal Barclays account after which he transferred $19

030 to HIB Rajput PL T/A Ace Cycles. Dr Gandawa then transferred $27 550 to SKM Motorcycles for 10 tri-cycles for Prof Moyo and the balance was withdrawn in cash. HeraldFormer Zambian leader, Rupiah Banda has described President Emmerson Mnangagwa as a courageous man with potential to take Zimbabwe out of its current economic challenges as well as preserve the legacy of his predecessor, Robert Mugabe.



Banda who is in the country as a guest of Prophetic Healing and Deliverance ministries leader, Walter Magaya, said he had faith in the new political administration and heaped praise at the manner in which Zimbabweans conducted themselves during the transition period.



We need to deepen democratic principles and the rule of law. We have strong institutions that support this. As neighbours, we must foster unity and fight for the economic emancipation of our people, Banda said.



The ex-president said his vision was to see a united Africa that focused on fighting poverty, war and terrorism while putting positive energy to economic growth of its countries and cherishing the gift of peace.







Banda on Friday toured Magayas various projects which include a factory, hotel and his rural home.





The former leader is said to be interested in going into business with Magaya. He graced Magayas Friday church service where he was given a heros welcome.





Magaya said the two were mulling possible investment partnerships in his planet Africa Projects that centre on mining, construction and agriculture.





Before attending the church service, Banda paid a courtesy call on Mnangagwa at his Munhumutapa offices. Born in Zimbabwe to migrant Zambian parents, Banda has a soft spot for Zimbabwe.

His last visit to Zimbabwe was a few weeks back when he flew in for Mnangagwas inauguration ceremony. Zimbabwe and Zambia have maintained cordial relations since the days of the liberation struggle. StandardZimbabwean tycoon Mr Shingai Mutasa has shelled out 15,2 million (US$20,5 million) to assume control over a sprawling business empire that has fertiliser manufacture Sable Chemicals and the Cresta Group of Hotels under its portfolio.



About 10,2 million will be paid immediately, while the remainder  5 million  will be paid off within the next 12 months.



Through an announcement that was made on December 27 last year, Masawara  a Zimbabwe-focused investment firm that is listed on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange (LSE)  said Mutasa now controls 90,4 percent of the company.





Though Mr Mutasa and his partners already had a significant shareholding in the business through one of his investment vehicles, FMI Holdings Limited, the latest deal was facilitated through another company, Oxford Holdings.





Masawara says the businessman has since indicated that he will delist the company from the LSE.

He will also address other shareholders about the future plans of the company.





Mr Shingai Mutasa, a non-executive director of the company, has effective control of both OHL (Oxford Holdings Limited) and FMI, and through this common ownership Mr Mutasa and persons closely associated with him now hold a beneficial interest in 111 924 074 ordinary shares, representing 90,4 percent of the companys issued ordinary share capital, said Masawara in a statement on December 27.





The company intends to post a circular to all shareholders convening a general meeting of shareholders to vote on the proposed delisting.

The resolution requires the consent of not less than 75 percent of the votes cast by shareholders. Mr Mutasa will procure that FMI and OHL provide an irrevocable undertaking to vote in favour of the resolution. Cancellation of the company from trading on AIM is expected to become effective not less than 20 business days following posting of the circular as required under the AIM Rules for Companies.





The circular will also contain a separate letter from Mr Mutasa outlining the future plans for the Company (which include the proposed delisting from AIM).





In Zimbabwe, Masawara has control of companies in the insurance sector such as Zimnat Lion Insurance, Zimnat Life Assurance, Grande Reinsurance and Minerva Risk Advisors.

In agro-business, it is the major shareholder in Sable Chemicals and has a significant share (22,5 percent) in Zimbabwe Fertiliser Company (ZFC).





It also has investments in the broadband telecommunications business through iWayAfrica and Telerix Communications.





Most of the companies are controlled through TA Holdings, which is listed on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange.





Perhaps the most visible of the companys investments is Joina City, a multi-purpose building that is at the heart of the central business district in Harare.





When Masawara listed on the AIM of the London Stock Exchange in 2010, two renowned UK renowned investment funds, Invesco Income and Invesco High Income  controlled by Mr Neil Woodford, who is considered as one of UKs most successful investors  bought an interest in the company, assuming a 30 percent shareholding. Herald(Newser)  Iran's Revolutionary Guard said Sunday that the nation and its security forces have ended the wave of unrest linked to anti-government protests that erupted last month, reports the AP. "Irans revolutionary people along with tens of thousands of Basij forces, police, and the Intelligence Ministry have broken down the chain (of unrest)," the Guard said on its website, per Reuters. The unrest was "created ... by the United States, Britain, the Zionist regime (Israel), Saudi Arabia, the hypocrites (Mujahideen) and monarchists." Price hikes sparked protests in a number of cities and towns late last month, and at least 21 people were killed in scattered clashes. The protests, which vented anger at high unemployment and official corruption, were the largest seen in Iran since the disputed 2009 presidential election, and some demonstrators called for the overthrow of the government.

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Many of the demonstrators protested against the Guard's massive budget, its costly interventions across the region, and against Ayatollah Ali Khamenei himself. Hundreds have been detained since the protests began. They include around 90 university students, reformist lawmaker Mahmoud Sadeghi was quoted as saying by the semi-official ISNA news agency. Iranian lawmakers held a closed session on Sunday in which senior security officials briefed them on the protests and the conditions of the detainees, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. "It was emphasized that foreign elements, and in particular the United States, played a basic role in forming and manipulating the recent unrest," IRNA quoted lawmaker Jalal Mirzaei as saying. The United States and Israel have expressed support for the protests, but deny fomenting them.

(Read more Iranian protests stories.)(Newser)  The Epiphany celebrations in the Portuguese village of Vale de Salgueiro feature a tradition that each year causes an outcry among outsiders: parents encouraging their children, some as young as 5, to smoke cigarettes. Locals say the practice has been passed down for centuries as part of a celebration of life tied to the Christian Epiphany and the winter solsticebut nobody is sure what it symbolizes or exactly why parents buy the packs of cigarettes for their children and encourage them to take part, the AP reports. The two-day celebrations, which started Friday and ended Saturday with a Mass, include dancing around bonfires, a piper playing music, and an elected "king" who distributes wine and snacks.

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The legal age to purchase tobacco in Portugal is 18, but nothing prohibits parents from giving kids smokes, and Portuguese authorities don't intervene to stop the practice. Jose Ribeirinha, a writer who has published a book on the Vale do Salgueiro festivities, said the roots of the tradition are unknown but may have to do with celebrating the rebirth of nature and human life. He said the village is in a region that adheres to many traditions dating back to pagan times, and that during the winter solstice period villagers here take the liberty to do things that would be out of the norm in the rest of the year. Ribeirinha also believes the relative seclusion of the remote village280 miles to the northeast of the capital, Lisbonhas helped keep the tradition alive.

(Read more Portugal stories.)(Newser)  In the ongoing furor surrounding President Trump's mental fitness, the AP reports that British Prime Minister Theresa May has dismissed any concerns, saying the US president acts in what he sees as the best interests of his country. Asked in an interview with the BBC whether she thought concerns about Trump's mental state were serious, May said: "No." She said that "when I deal with President Trump, what I see is somebody who is committed to ensuring that he is taking decisions in the best interests of the United States." May reaffirmed that Trump would visit Britain, though she did not give a date or say whether it would be a full state visit or a lower-key working trip. (Read more President Trump stories.)(Newser)  It's not your usual exchange between a celeb and an online troll. After Twitter user Jeremy Jamrozy called Sarah Silverman the c-word, Silverman took some time to look through his social media profile and came back with this: "I believe in you. I read ur timeline & I see what ur doing & your rage is thinly veiled pain," she wrote. "But u know that. I know this feeling. Ps My back F--king sux too," she added, a reference to back pain he had mentioned. "(S)ee what happens when u choose love. I see it in you." Surprisingly, that led to an exchange between the two, in which Jamrozy apologizes but writes that he "can't choose love" because "a man that resembles Kevin Spacey took that away when I was 8," reports the San Antonio Current.

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At one point, Silverman empathizes with the man's desire to exact revenge on his apparent abuser but advises him against it and instead suggests that he seek a support group. He promises to do so, and Silverman further reaches out to her supporters to find him medical help for his back, with apparent success. The entire exchange is being "held up as a model of compassion," per the CBC. (Read more Sarah Silverman stories.)(Newser)  Columnist Nicholas Kristof looks back on the state of the world in the year that just ended and arrives at a conclusion likely to surprise many: "2017 was probably the very best year in the long history of humanity," he writes in the New York Times. It's all about perspective, Kristof explains. Yes, American politics are a "circus," North Korea poses a scary threat, and wars and related atrocities continue to plague Syria, Yemen, Myanmar, and elsewhere. But it's important to look past the drumbeat of bad news and not lose sight of bigger-picture advancements, including: "A smaller share of the worlds people were hungry, impoverished or illiterate than at any time before. A smaller proportion of children died than ever before."

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Kristof is talking about "transformational" changes taking place over years, even decades, that get lost in daily headlines, including advances in health care in third-world nations and the increasing availability of clean water and electricity. Kristof writes that he isn't blind to the very real threats the world is facing, but he suggests looking at this way: "The world is registering important progress, but it also faces mortal threats. The first belief should empower us to act on the second." Click for the full column, in which Kristof promises to return to tearing his hair out and expressing outrage at the world's troubles for the rest of the year. "But today, let's not miss what's going right." (Read more Nicholas Kristof stories.)(Newser)  The Roy Moore accuser whose Alabama home may have been torched last week has received over $150,000 from supporters across America. Tina Johnson saw the bulk of that sum pour in over the course of 24 hours after former Obama staffer Katie Jacobs Stanton started a GoFundMe campaign on her behalf, the Hill reports. "I don't know Tina Johnson. But I believe her," Stanton wrote. Though Etowah County authorities do not believe the fire is connected to the Moore accusations, Stanton thinks the gravity of Johnson's situation helped the campaign grow exponentially from its initial goal of just $10,000. "I think, like everybody, I just had a very strong reaction," Stanton tells AL.com. "This poor woman, she's now been victimized twice."

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Johnson made headlines along with at least nine other women during Moore's US Senate campaign when she accused him of past sexual misconduct, allegations that he denies. As she, her husband, and their grandchild make do in a motel room in the wake of the fire, Johnson says owners of rental properties are hesitant to rent to her out of fear an arsonist could strike again. "They think, if they burned that house down, they might burn my house down," she says. For now, the fire is deemed suspicious, and an arson investigation is underway. A "suspect of interest" is being interviewed, but authorities say they see no link to the Moore controversy. (Read more Roy Moore stories.)Let us know what you're seeing and hearing around the community.

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Singapore can provide a good base for Indian companies as a civil aviation, trading and financial hub, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said on Sunday.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the two-day ASEAN India Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) 2018 held in Singapore, Teo made a vigorous pitch on the opportunities available for Indian businesses in Singapore.

As a civil aviation, trading and financial hub, we are a good base for Indian companies to work from in order to expand to South-east Asia and beyond, he said at the PBD gala dinner.

The annual conference, that celebrates the achievements and contributions of the Indian diaspora, is being held with an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) theme this year, to mark 25 years of dialogue partnership between India and the regional bloc.

Singapore, the ASEAN chair, is hosting the meeting for the first time in South East Asia.

ASEAN is Indias 4th largest trading partner, accounting for 10.2 per cent of Indias total trade.

India is ASEANs 7th largest trading partner. Trade is back on track and registered an 8 per cent increase in 2016- 17, as compared to the previous year.

Read- Sushma Swaraj discusses ways to strengthen ties with Indonesian leaders

Many multinational companies have their headquarters in Singapore, noted Teo.

Today, Indian companies form the largest contingent of foreign companies in the country; there are more than 8,000 of them, double the number in 2009.

Singapore, he said, plays a key role in connecting many companies from all corners of the world who use the country as an operational base, among them more than 7,500 Chinese ones registered here.

These Singapore-based companies form a vibrant community, and can work together to tap on the countrys business infrastructure and its network of 20 implemented free trade agreements with 31 trading partners to help them expand abroad, said Teo.

Noting the strong turnout from Indian and Singapore businesses - many of which operate across the region - at the conference, Teo also made a pitch for businesses to urge governments to facilitate the ease of doing business and to enact policies to attract greater investments and cross-border partnerships.

Businesses can play an important role by encouraging governments, both at national and state levels, to be more competitive, responsive and plugged into global value chains, The Straits Times quoted the deputy premier as saying.

He added that, as ASEAN chair, Singapore is committed to deepening the groups relations with its key partners, including India.

Two events on the horizon will help further enhance ties: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loongs trip to India later in the month for the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit - his first ASEAN-related summit as 2018 chair - and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Singapore later in the year to deliver the keynote address at the Shangri-la Dialogue.

Teo also detailed three key areas in which ASEAN and India can work together more closely: economic integration, connectivity and digital technologies.

Southeast Asia and India represent a quarter of the worlds population - 1.8 billion people - and a combined GDP of more than USD 4.5 trillion.

By 2025, Indias consumer market is expected to become the fifth largest in the world, while South-east Asia will see a doubling of middle-class households to 163 million.

Against this backdrop, we are starting from a modest base, said Teo, noting that ASEAN-India trade accounted for only 2.6 per cent of the blocs external trade in 2016.

There is much scope to strengthen our linkages and trade ties, the daily quoted Teo as saying.

He called for ASEAN and India to press on with economic integration, pledging that Singapore, as ASEAN chair, will do what it can to secure the support of India and all other Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership countries to advance negotiations on the pact.

Connectivity can be boosted too, said Teo, noting that with Indias strategic location, maritime and air connectivity can be expanded to bring the country closer to the rest of ASEAN.

He noted that India has many airports ready and available to connect many more points in ASEAN.

The key to unlocking this potential is to further liberalise air services as Singapore has done, said Teo, adding that India could start, as a pilot project, to allow one or two of its key cities to have open skies with those in ASEAN.

Thirdly, ASEAN and India - both fast-changing markets with an appetite for innovative solutions - can cooperate in digital technologies.

There are opportunities for platforms such as Indias e- payment and digital identification systems to be harmonised with those in the region.

On the security front, Teo, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security, was heartened to see that defence cooperation between India and ASEAN has intensified.

India, which is located strategically along important sea-routes from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific, is integral to the security in the region, he noted. ASEAN and India share a common interest to keep these vital conduits of trade and economic exchange open, said Teo. And it is crucial that we continue to uphold our shared principles of the freedom of navigation and respect for the rule of law.

Earlier today, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who is on two-day visit to Singapore, said that Indias dialogue partnership with ASEAN has evolved into a strategic partnership and the Indian diaspora provides a platform for stronger ties with the grouping.

For all the Latest Business News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.Bengaluru:

47-year-old restaurant owner Basheer, who was attacked by a group of people on January 3 in Mangaluru, succumbed to injuries on Sunday morning at a local hospital. Basheer was attacked with lethal weapons outside his restaurant in Mangaluru.

Security has been beefed up in the city.



On Saturday evening Mangaluru police have claimed that they have arrested four person's Shrijith, Sandesh, Dhanush and Kishan in connection with the attack and confirmed it was carried was to avenge the murder of Bajrang Dal volunteer Deepak who was also murdered on January 3. However, police have not clarified yet if the accused belonged to any particular party.



TS Suresh, Police Commissioner Mangaluru said, "Accused had come to Kankanady to participate in the religious festival. When they came to know about Deepak's murder they planned revenge and collected weapons from one of the accuseds house and Basheer was a random target.



Deepak was hacked to death in broad daylight by four persons namely Mulki Naushad, Rizwan, Pinky Nawaz and Nirshaan. They were arrested within five hours of the incident.



Immediately after the death of Deepak, Bajrang Dal and BJP workers started protests in Mangaluru and adjoining areas. BJP MP Shobha Karandalaje posted a tweet blaming Jihadis



"One more Hindu hacked to death near Mangaluru. No value for a Hindu's life. Jihadi forces operating without any fear. Where are you Mr CM @siddaramaiah?" she tweeted.

One more Hindu hacked to death near Mangaluru.No value for a Hindu's life.Jihadi forces operating without any fear.Where are you Mr CM @siddaramaiah?  Shobha Karandlaje (@ShobhaBJP) January 3, 2018

After the death of Basheer, Chief Minister Siddharamaiah, while speaking to media appealed to the people to maintain communal harmony and also said nobody should politicise the issue. The government has announced Rs 10 lakh compensation to the family of Basheer.



BJP MP Pratap Simha has also appealed to people to maintain calm. Simha posted a tweet immediately after hearing about the death of Basheer, "They say An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind. Killing Basheer is not the answer for Deepak Raos murder. Its time to hold peace meeting between Hindus n Muslims as Cong Govt is not bothered to bring peace n tranquility in the state.New Delhi:

Three workers died due to suffocation on Sunday afternoon when they went inside a manhole of a sewage plant to clear the blockage in the premises of a private apartment in Bandypalya area of Bengaluru.

The three deceased have been identified as Narayana Swamy (35), Srinivas (52) and Mahadeva Gowda (42). All the three were not professional sanitary workers.

One of the workers while entering the manhole, slipped down and to rescue him, the other two also went inside. However, the three of them collapsed due to suffocation.

Speaking to Media, Satish Reddy, local MLA said, as soon as I received the information, I reached here. In meantime, fire service and police officials had also started the rescue operation but unfortunately, they couldnt rescue them. These persons where hired by apartment association and they were not the professionals. I have announced Rs. 1 lakh ex-gratia to each family since they are economically very weak.

Read: Security beefed up in Mangaluru after Muslim restaurateur succumbs to injuries

Manual scavenging is banned in India but still, some people are continuing with it. Last year also Bengaluru has witnessed few deaths because of manual scavenging.

Sampat Raj, Mayor said, Supreme court and the high court has already banned manual scavenging but still people are continuing with this.

In Bengaluru, we have sophisticated equipment for manhole cleaning, I have asked my officials to start a campaign against the manual scavenging from Monday itself so that we can create awareness.

KJ George, Bengaluru Development Minister also visited the spot and issued the orders for a detailed inquiry into the incident. George said, Guilty will be punished and BBMP will give Rs. 5 lakh ex gratia to the families of the deceased.

South East division of Bengaluru police has registered the case and started the investigation.Srinagar:

A senior leader of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) on Sunday stoked a controversy by saying there was no bar in condoling the killing of local militants in Kashmir.

Whether it is a CRPF man... or a local militant, there is no bar on offering condolences. However, it depends on the security situation, sometimes we can go and sometimes not, PDP chief spokesperson, Rafi Ahmad Mir, told reporters.

Even before coming to power, the party had a policy of visiting the families of local militants who were killed in counter-insurgency operations by security forces, he said.

The PDP had a policy. Whenever a militant was killed, I used to visit (the family) to offer condolences, and at that time the PDP president would also visit, Mir said, adding that whoever becomes a martyr is before God and I think we should not talk about that.

Referring to todays IED blast in Sopore in which four police personnel were killed, the PDP chief spokesman said that whether a policeman gets killed or a local militant, it is very unfortunate and we condemn it.

It was a heart-wrenching incident. We were hopeful and thinking that the situation was getting better, but got this shock. It is very unfortunate. They were our own sons, he said.

Also Read: Four policemen killed in IED blast in Jammu and Kashmir's Sopore

Whoever gets killed, be it (from) the police force or militants, it is very unfortunate and we condemn it. We hope this does not recur, Mir said.

The PDP had to shelve its election agenda to form government with the BJP, otherwise, the state would have incurred losses as it needed Delhis assistance in running the government in the state, he said.

Unfortunately, what happened is that we had to shelve our election agenda. We won around 28 seats. In Jammu, the BJP got the highest share of probably 26 seats.

We needed the assistance of Delhi here. We took a decision, a very harsh decision, a bitter decision (of forming government in an alliance with BJP), Mir said.

There was resentment in our voters also. There is no doubt about it, the chief spokesperson said.New Delhi:

After Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma's grand wedding in Italy took the Internet by storm, B-town diva Sonam Kpaoor is all set to step into the shoes of 'Rabne Bana Di Jodi' actress anytime soon.

Sonam Kapoor and her long-time boyfriend Anand Ahuja who kept the media guessing over their alleged affair for years, have finally cleared the air.

If a latest report in 'Mumbai Mirror' turns out to be true, the celebrity couple is all geared up to take their relationship to the next level and will reportedly tie the knot in Jodhpur this April.

Talking to the media an excited Sonam has recently confirmed the news of her marriage with long-term boyfriend Anand Ahuja at the Umair Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur. According to reports, it will be a small gathering of some 300-odd people.

"Sonam Kapoor has booked the palace for 5-6 days somewhere around March and it is suggestive that she might tie the knot here," a source close to the actress said.

Also Read: Twinkle Khanna REVEALS real reason behind making PadMan

"The couple has warded off all rumours about getting married saying celebrity watchers were mistaking the family's preparations for her cousin Mohit Marwah's upcoming wedding for her own nuptials. But they can barely hide it any longer," the source added.

Sonam and Ahuja who embraced the New Year 2018 in Paris, have been dating each other since 2016 and their romance came in the spotlight after they appeared hand-in-hand at a success bash of Akshay Kumar-starrer Rustom.

On the work front, the 'I Hate Love Story' actress is currently gearing up for her upcoming release Padman. Also starring Akshay Kumar and Radhika Apte in key roles, the R Balki directorial is slated to hit the screens on January 25, 2018.

Also Read: Anil Kapoor to share screen space with daughter Sonam in 'Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga'

day A post shared by anand ahuja (@anandahuja) on Jul 23, 2017 at 11:40am PDT

For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.Los Angeles:

Socialite Paris Hilton has hired private security to guard her and watch over the two million dollar engagement ring she received from fiance Chris Zylka.



Hilton and "Leftovers" star Chris Zylka got engaged during a ski trip to Aspen, Colorado. Zylka presented her with a massive 20-carat ring.



The couple has security personnel shadowing them and specifically guarding the ring round-the-clock, sources close to Hilton told TMZ.



The security team, dressed in plain clothes, will be charged with protecting her, and her rock, at all times when she is on the go.

Exclusive! The jeweler behind Paris Hilton's engagement ring tells us everything about her 20-carat, $2 million ring: https://t.co/doPJeTlbbD pic.twitter.com/tlPE4qLvdV  The Knot (@theknot) January 3, 2018

For all the Latest Entertainment News, Hollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

A fire broke out in Mumbais Shiv Shakti Industrial State building in Lower Parel early on Sunday morning. The fire broke out on the first floor of the three-storeyed building.

Fire tenders were immediately rushed to the spot to control the damage.

#Mumbai Fire breaks out on first floor of three storey Shiv Shakti Industrial State building in Lower Parel; Fire tenders rushed to the spot, more details awaited  ANI (@ANI) January 7, 2018

No casualties have been reported yet and the fire is under control. A probe into how the fire got started is going on.

#Visuals Fire broke out on first floor of three storey Shiv Shakti Industrial State building in Lower Parel; Fire under control now pic.twitter.com/J7rPwUtLl4  ANI (@ANI) January 7, 2018

The news comes after a fire broke out on Saturday evening at Mumbais Cinevista Studio in Kanjur Marg area. Immediately, 7 fire tenders were rushed to the spot to control. Although no casualties or injuries were reported, damage to the set was stated by the fire tenders.

Also Read: Mumbai Kamala Mills Fire kills 14, PM Modi expresses grief | As it happened

Deputy Officer of Mumbai said the fire broke out on level-3 of the studio where the filming of a daily soap was underway. Everyone was rescued out safely. He also said that the fire raged because of a wooden set present in the studio.

8 fire engines, 6 water tankers and an ambulance was sent as soon as Level-3 fire was declared. Filming of a serial was underway when fire broke out in Cinevista studio. Fire raged because of the wooden set. There were no causalities in the incident: Deputy Fire Officer, Mumbai pic.twitter.com/hHkJKsiAA9  ANI (@ANI) January 7, 2018

Prior to this, a major fire broke out in Lower Parel's Kamala Mills compound in December, which resulted in the death of 14 people and injuring some. An FIR was filed against the owner of restraunt '1 Above', where the fire broke out. All the injured were said to be out of danger.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

FIR on a complaint by a deputy director of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) in connection with a newspaper report on the breach of details of the over one billion Aadhaar cards, naming the journalist behind the story.

UIDAI Deputy Director B M Patnaik informed the police that an input was received from The Tribune that the newspaper purchased a service being offered by anonymous sellers over WhatsApp that provided unrestricted access to details of any of the more than 1 billion Aadhaar numbers created in India, the police said today.

On January 5, a complaint was received from Patnaik and the FIR was registered the same day, they said. The police was informed by the UIDAI official that the correspondent of The Tribune, posing as a buyer, had purchased the details.

The FIR mentions the names of the journalist and the people the reporter reached out to purchase the Aadhaar data, but they have not been shown as accused, the police said.

The police said that they will be questioned. Under fire for filing the FIR, the UIDAI said it respects free speech, including freedom of the press, and its police complaint should not be viewed as, shooting the messenger.

In a statement, it said that its act should not be viewed as one targeting the media or a whistleblower.

Justifying its stance, the UIDAI said criminal proceedings have been initiated as it was an act of unauthorised access.

Reacting to the development, the Congress attacked the Centre over the UIDAI registering the FIR.

The opposition party accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of shooting the messenger instead of probing the matter. The Congress also raised questions over the intentions of the government on privacy issues.

Intent, & Intentions of Modi Govt on Privacy were thoroughly exposed when it had proclaimed that no citizen can have an absolute right over his/her body, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeted.

In SC, Modi Govt had accepted Aadhaar data leak! Now instead of investigating, an evasive Modi ji shoots the messenger! he said.

The Editors Guild Of India sought government intervention for the withdrawal of the case and called for an impartial investigation into the matter.

Criticising the lodging of the FIR, the guild said it was deeply concerned over reports that the UIDAI deputy director had registered a complaint in which the reporter of The Tribune has been named.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.Beijing:

Thirteen people have been killed in heavy snowstorms in Chinas Anhui Province in the last three days as blue alert has been sounded for blizzards.

The worst snowstorms since 2008 have so far affected 1.06 million people in the province, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The storms caused direct economic losses of 1.26 billion yuan (USD 190 million) and 790 million yuan (USD 122 million) of losses in agriculture.

Nine cities, including capital Hefei, initiated emergency responses due to the snow.

Also Read: First Florida snow in 29 years as major storm hits US

At least 10 people were killed by the heavy snow in five provinces of central and eastern China since January 2, according to the China National Commission for Disaster Reduction.

Besides Anhui, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu and Shaanxi provinces have all suffered from heavy snow this week.

Also Chinas national observatory maintained a blue snowstorm alert for the next two days as heavy snow continues to hit the countrys central regions.

The National Meteorological Center (NMC) said it expects blizzards to dump 4 to 8 centimetres of snow in parts of Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Anhui and Hubei. Some areas could see more than 10 centimetres of fresh snow.

In the countrys four-tier warning system, red represents the most severe weather, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

Also Read: Leh recorded as coldest place in Jammu and Kashmir

The observatory advised residents to stay indoors and urged local authorities to take precautions regarding roads, railways, electricity and telecommunications.

The first snow of the new year has hit large parts of northwestern, central and eastern China since Wednesday, which has brought up to 20 centimetres of snow cover to some regions.

It has also damaged houses, agriculture and power facilities, the report said.

The weather has affected about 13,100 hectares of farmland and destroyed over 900 hectares, causing direct economic losses of 510 million yuan (USD 78.6 million).

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.London:

A huge fire broke out on Sunday at a new building of the University of Bristol in the UK, forcing nearby sites to be evacuated.

The university confirmed an ongoing fire in its Fry Building, which is located close to the Wills Memorial Building - an iconic feature of the Bristols skyline.

Were aware of an ongoing fire in our Fry Building, which is currently being refurbished. Everyones accounted for, the university said in a tweet.

Students have been evacuated from the library, it said.

No injuries have been reported so far.

Several roads around the campus have been closed and police are at the scene.

A huge fire broke out on Sunday at a new building of the University of Bristol in the UK, forcing nearby sites to be evacuated.

The university confirmed an ongoing fire in its Fry Building, which is located close to the Wills Memorial Building - an iconic feature of the Bristols skyline.

Were aware of an ongoing fire in our Fry Building, which is currently being refurbished. Everyones accounted for, the university said in a tweet.

Students have been evacuated from the library, it said.

No injuries have been reported so far.

Several roads around the campus have been closed and police are at the scene.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

In what is being viewed as a panic reaction to US President Donald Trumps New Year tweet, Pakistan government on Saturday said those providing funds to the banned groups, including the charities run by Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, will face up to 10 years in prison along with a hefty fine and their properties can also be confiscated.



Pakistani newspapers on Saturday carried advertisements listing 72 groups, including Jamat-ud-Dawa, Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Jaish-e-Muhammed banning aid to them.



It said that according to Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997 of Pakistan and under UN Security Council Act of 1948 it was a crime to provide funding to those groups which have been banned or are on the watchlist.



Those giving funds to such individuals or groups may face "five to 10 years in jail or up to Rs 10 million fine or both", it said.



Their movable or immovable property can also be confiscated.



Pakistan has banned Hafiz Saeed-led Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF) from collecting donations after President Trump accused Islamabad of giving nothing to the US but "lies and deceit" and providing "safe haven" to terrorists.



The advertisement reminds the people that they should make sure that their money given as charity does not end up in wrong hands.



The US, at the direction of President Trump had on Saturday suspended about USD 2 billion in security aid to Pakistan for failing to clamp down on the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network terror groups and dismantle their safe havens.



Trump is reportedly annoyed at Pakistan's inaction on terror groups.



The US had said that the assistance would be resumed only after Pakistan took "decisive action" against terror groups it had long nurtured and harboured.



Earlier on January 1, President Trump had tweeted, "The US has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid... and they have given us nothing but lies and deceit... No more!"



(With Agency inputs)

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

Former Pakistani diplomat and renowned author Husain Haqqani talked openly about the relations between the tension that is brewing between India, Pakistan and USA in an exclusive interview with News Nation.

Haqqani, said that Pakistan has to make changes in its attitude and establish better relationship with India.

He said, "The negative image that Pakistan has created all over the world is the result of their own wrongdoings. If they want to change the image of Pakistan then they have to change their agenda. At the same time, we have to take initiative to improve relations with our neighboring countries."

He further said, "If Pakistan does not take any initiative to curb Hafiz Saeed and other terrorist organizations soon, then it will take a long time to build a positive image in the international community."

On the Kashmir issue, Haqqani said, "It is important to resolve the Kashmir issue for that India-Pakistan has to build friendship, only after that rest will follow.'

At the same time, when the former diplomat was questioned about the relations between Pakistan and China, he said, "China supports Pakistan because it wants to maintain a pressure on India." If Pakistan dont understand these things, then relations with its neighbors will only turn bitter. I hope hey change their thinking soon.

Haqqani, also adevised the media of both India and Pakistan to stop promoting inciteful content and said, "The media of India-Pakistan also need to make changes in their way. The media of both the countries speak extensively on the Indo-Pak issue, which should not be the case. Such talk provokes people of both countries; therefore, it is important to avoid such provocative content.

On the US relations with Pakistan, he said, "America does not have any special love for Pakistan, it is only because they benefit from the ties.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

Reports of Palestinian ambassador to Pakistan Walid Abu Ali being reinstated are false and he is very much in Palestine as of now, said Palestinian Foreign Ministry.

We deny this information. Our ambassador in Pakistan is in Palestine and our position was declared by our official statement which we have published last week, Palestinian Foreign Ministry clarified.

Earlier in the day, Pakistani media outlets reported that Palestine has reinstated its ambassador to Pakistan Walid Abu Ali after he was recalled for attending an event of JuD chief Hafiz Saeed, also a UN-designated terrorist.

An article published in Geo News said, The Palestinian president has reinstated Ambassador Walid Abu Ali and he will return to Pakistan on Wednesday to resume his duty.

Also Read | Palestine reinstates envoy to Pakistan who shared stage with Hafiz Saeed, Pakistani media reports

The report further said Ali was reinstated on the recommendation of Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) chairman Maulana Tahir Ashrafi.

I requested Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the countrys Chief Justice to reinstate Walid Abu Ali, in view of the ambassadors services rendered to Pakistan, Geo News quoted Ashrafi as saying.

However, Palestine Embassy in New Delhi rubbished all the reports and said, "We don't know from where you got this information about Palestine Ambassador to Pakistan being reinstated. As per our knowledge, he is very much in Palestine as of now."

Earlier on December 30, Palestine had recalled Ali after India's protest terming his meeting with Hafiz Saeed as unacceptable.

"We are supporting India in its fight against terrorism and because of that my Government decided to directly call our Ambassador to go back home," Palestinian Ambassador to India said.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

Palestine has reinstated its ambassador to Pakistan Walid Abu Ali after he was recalled for attending an event of JuD chief Hafiz Saeed, also a UN-designated terrorist, Pakistani media reported.

According to an article published in Geo News, The Palestinian president has reinstated Ambassador Walid Abu Ali and he will return to Pakistan on Wednesday to resume his duty.

The report further said Ali was reinstated on the recommendation of Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) chairman Maulana Tahir Ashrafi.

I requested Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the countrys Chief Justice to reinstate Walid Abu Ali, in view of the ambassadors services rendered to Pakistan, Geo News quoted Ashrafi as saying.

Also Read | After India's strong protest, Palestine recalls envoy to Pak for attending Hafiz Saeed rally

Earlier on December 30, Palestine had recalled Ali after India's protest terming his meeting with Hafiz Saeed as unacceptable.

"We are supporting India in its fight against terrorism and because of that my Government decided to directly call our Ambassador to go back home," Palestinian Ambassador to India said.

The move to recall its Pak envoy came after Indias strong protest over his presence with 2008 Mumbai terror attacks mastermind and UN-designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed.

The concerns were conveyed both in New Delhi to the Palestinian Ambassador and in Ramallah to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, State of Palestine, the External Affairs Ministry of India said.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.Jakarta :

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today called on Indonesian Vice-President Muhammad Jusuf Kalla and held talks with her counterpart to discuss ways to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two nations.

Swaraj, who arrived here from Thailand on the second leg of her three-nation tour, was given a warm welcome.

Engaging discussion on strengthening our strategic partnership, EAM @SushmaSwaraj called on Vice-President of Indonesia, Mr Muhammad Jusuf Kalla #ActEastPolicy, Raveesh Kumar, the Ministry of External Affairs Ministry spokesperson, tweeted after the meeting.

She will also co-chair the fifth meeting of the India-Indonesia Joint Commission with her Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi. The ministers will also inaugurate the second meeting of ASEAN-India Network of Think Tanks.

EAM @SushmaSwaraj met with Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, Foreign Minister of Singapore. Leaders had discussions on bilateral and multilateral issues related to economic and strategic partnership. #ActEastPolicy. pic.twitter.com/UL8Nb6GahI  Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) January 7, 2018

EAM @SushmaSwaraj had a tete-a-tete with Retno Marsudi, Foreign Minister of Indonesia ahead of the India-Indonesia Joint Commission Meeting in Jakarta. Reaffirmed our desire to enhance partnership across all sectors, Kumar tweeted.

Swaraj will also call on Indonesian President Joko Widodo, and have other official engagements, including an interaction with the representatives of the Indian community.

As the biggest country in the ASEAN region with the largest economy, Indonesia is an important partner for India including in trade and strategic matters, the Ministry of External Affairs had said before the meeting.

Swaraj will also visit Singapore and there she will inaugurate the Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) of ASEAN countries on January 7.

Her three-nation visit is the part of New Delhis efforts to hold bilateral interactions in various sectors with the countries of South East Asian region within the framework of Indias Act East Policy.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.Washington:

China shares some of the concerns of the US, about the terrorism problem in Pakistan and Washington is seeking to work with Beijing and other regional players to convince Islamabad, about the need to crackdown on terror safe havens, a senior White House official has said.

As Trump Administration is determined to eliminate terrorist safe havens in Pakistan, which is key to bring stability in Afghanistan and in the region, the official hoped that China will play a helpful role in convincing Pakistan that it is in its own national interest to crackdown on these sanctuaries.

Pakistan already has deep historical ties going back to many years and they have close military ties, the official said, adding that the economic relationship is also growing with the China Pakistan Economic Corridor.

But, China shares some of the concerns of the US about the terrorism problem. The US is seeking to work with other regional players and China would be one of the main ones to deal with this issue. It wont serve Chinas interests to have terrorist sanctuaries in Pakistan, the senior administration official said on condition of anonymity.

Also Read: Donald Trump seeks USD 18 billion to extend Mexico border wall

The official was quick to point out that China has been playing a more helpful role in terms of encouraging better relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is taking a more active role in that regard.

So, I would disagree with the assertion that China will not play a helpful role in convincing Pakistan its in its own interests to crack down on the sanctuaries, the official told a group of reporters on Friday.

Ultimately, China is also working toward a stable Afghanistan. Thats going to take them back to the same issue which are the sanctuaries in Pakistan, the official said.

Also Read: All options on the table to deal with Pakistan, says White House

China-Pakistan relationship is already very strong and appeared unconcerned over reports that the US decision to freeze approximately USD 2 billion in security assistance to Pakistan would push Islamabad towards Beijing, the official added.

That relationship is already very very strong. But what we have seen is an interest by Pakistan in having a strong relationship with both the US and China. So thats one issue. And the second issue is that China is also concerned about terrorism and extremism in South Asia, the official said.

Noting that China has taken a more active role in trying to help stabilise Afghanistan, trying to improve relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, the official said the US believe that the Chinese are also interested in stability in Pakistan and also for the China Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Ultimately if they want to see stability in the region, and I think they do, they also will have an interest in seeing Pakistan crack down on the Haqqani and Taliban network, the senior administration official said.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.NEW HAVEN  Puerto Rican families displaced by last falls devastating hurricanes were treated to a piece of home on Saturday, as more than 300 people attended a Three Kings Day celebration hosted for children, adults and hosts assisting displaced families.

More than 200 donated gifts were provided to children during the celebration at John C. Daniels School of International Communication. The celebration which was organized by numerous local organizations. Among them were Wishing Wheels and Bishops Orchards, who donated more than 40 bikes to children; Junta for Progressive Action; St. Joseph Church; NHR Properties; and the City of New Haven.

The holidays marks the three wise mens journey to and visit for baby Jesus. The holiday is especially popular in Puerto Rico.

State Rep. Juan Candelaria, D-New Haven, has been a vocal proponent for assisting Puerto Rican families following destructive hurricanes that continue affecting the island. He welcome the hundreds in attendance in English and Spanish and welcomed everyone to New Haven.

We know its not easy to leave an island, to leave our enchanted island, to come to a strange land, but many people ... have coordinated this event for you, Candelaria said. Because its important that despite being far from our island, we follow our culture.

Taysha Claudio is a mother of two who arrived in New Haven on Oct. 23 due to the storm. Unlike some families who relocated here, she did not have relatives in the city. She said shes grateful for the community, which has made her feel welcome in her short time. She currently lives in a hotel.

Claudio said shes made friends with numerous other Puerto Ricans from different regions whove arrived here under similar circumstances.

We feel really proud because theyve thought about our children, and despite everything, we have people who are supporting us, who are with us, Claudio said in Spanish.

Board of Education parent engagement coordinator Daniel Diaz said at least 180 children have been relocated to New Haven from Puerto Rico. There was at least one student from Mexico who was relocated to the city as a result of an earthquake, Diaz said, and students from the U.S. Virgin Islands, who were also receiving gifts Saturday.

We felt that these students and their families were abruptly removed from their homes as a result of the devastation of the hurricane, Diaz said. Some of them wanted to come; some of them had no choice.

Diaz said most children didnt have a choice on whether to leave the Island, which is why they wanted to bring them a taste of home.

We felt that the right thing to do was to at least give them a feeling of welcome into New Haven, Diaz said, adding the event is, a little piece of paradise in the middle of the snow.

Reach Esteban L. Hernandez at 203-680-9901Nigerian troops have recorded a milestone in the ongoing war against Boko Haram, with the killing of one of the wives of a factional leader of the terrorist group, Mamman Nur in an attack on their enclave.

Earlier report had stated that Mamman Nur, next in order of notoriety to feared leader, Abubakar Shekau, was fatally injured in the ongoing onslaught on the enclaves of the insurgents around Lake Chad.

Also, as a result of the heavy military bombardment, many insurgents have been killed even as many have fled across the Nigerian border to Niger, to take advantage of the francophone countrys amnesty arrangement.

In a statement on Friday night, the military said: Troops of operation Lafiya Dole have continued the onslaught on Boko Haram terrorists enclaves in the Lake Chad region where a factional leader of the group Mamman Nur has suffered grave injury, while one of his wives has been killed in the battle.

The statement signed by Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, Deputy Director Public Relations, Theatre Command Operation Lafiya Dole also disclosed that: More also, about 250 foot soldiers from the Albarnawy camp have surrendered to Nigerien authorities due to the devastating artillery and aerial bombardments by Operation Lafiya Dole troops.

Nwachukwu said: Many of the insurgents who fled the onslaught are now taking advantage of the Amnesty offered by the Nigerien government by surrendering to Nigerien Forces.

He said: Among the insurgents fleeing from the ongoing offensive are senior and junior commanders in the Albarnawy faction who are now attempting to melt into other communities in and around Kano, Geidam and Gashua axis unnoticed.

One of such fleeing commanders is Bana Bafui. Members of the general public, particularly in Kano, Geidam, Gashua, Hadeja and the northern part of Jigawa are therefore enjoined to be vigilant and watch out for strange faces suddenly appearing in their communities and promptly report same to security agencies.

The military spokesman added that: Additionally, about 700 insurgents have also surrendered to troops in the general area of Monguno following troops clearance operations.

He promised that: The ongoing onslaught will be tenaciously sustained, and recalled that the federal government of Nigeria has since provided a window of opportunity through the Operation Safe Corridor programme to insurgents who surrender willingly to be deradicalised and rehabilitated.

He said: About 300 insurgents who willingly surrendered are currently benefiting from this programme.

He called on all Boko Haram insurgents to abandon the futile struggle and take advantage of the Safe Corridor programme by surrendering willingly to troops in any location nearest to them.

He said: We guarantee their safety and incorporation into the programme for deradicalisation and rehabilitation.

Meanwhile, the combined forces of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) and the Nigerian Army yesterday inflicted heavy casualties on the side of Boko Haram terrorists (BHT) in the North-east.

NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Vice Marshal Olatokunbo Adesanya explained that the Air Task Force of Operation Lafiya Dole and its Nigerian Army (NA) counterparts commenced combined clearance operations of discovered Boko Haram Terrorists locations in the Sambisa general area.

On the first day of the combined clearance operations, the Air Task Force conducted intensive bombardments on selected BHT locations, preparatory to the commencement of the operation.

Previous Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions by NAF platforms had revealed the presence of BHT in Njimia, in the Sambisa general area, from where the insurgents launched attacks on own surface forces.

Accordingly, NAF fighter aircraft were detailed to attack the location and each of the aircraft took turns to attack structures occupied by BHT elements in the settlement. The air attacks set several BHT structures ablaze and destroyed them.

Adesanya stated that the Air Task Force conducted air interdiction on another BHT hideout near Camp Zairo. Previous ISR on the location had indicated the resurgence of BHT activities in the location, which had been previously liberated.

Accordingly, structures occupied by BHT elements in the location were attacked, in succession, by NAF fighter aircraft. The air strikes caused the destruction of more BHT structures and the neutralisation of several insurgents. Some insurgents were sighted fleeing the area and they were taken out in subsequent follow-up attacks.

Later in the evening of the same day, the Air Task Force scrambled two fighter aircraft and one helicopter to support own surface forces that had come under BHT attack at Tokombere, 12km southwest of Camp Zairo.

The NAF aircraft supported the troops in repelling the attack, causing the insurgents to withdraw to the northeast of Tokombere. Consequently, at about 11 pm, the Air Task Force detailed another helicopter to conduct air interdiction on the insurgents new location.

The Battle Damage Assessment from a NAF ISR platform indicated that the helicopter successfully dropped its weapons on the insurgents position, killing many and causing some survivors to flee.

Consequently, the ISR platform tracked the fleeing insurgents to another location and later coordinated the NA artillery bombardment of the insurgents new location. Several rockets were launched from the NAs Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher, most of which landed on the insurgents, killing some of them and causing a few survivors to flee in disarray.

The ongoing combined clearance operations by NAF and NA elements are aimed at preventing the full-scale resurgence of BHT in the SAMBISA general area, Adesanya added.

Likewise, the Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai, has explained why Bauchi State is peaceful amidst attacks by insurgents in other states in the Northeast, attributing it to the cooperation of residents and the collaboration of security agencies working in the state.

Buratai disclosed this yesterday shortly after he flagged-off the construction of a 600-metre access road at the 33 Artillery Brigade, Bauchi, and inspection of construction of four blocks of accommodation for soldiers at the Nigerian Army Armoured Corps, (NAAC), Bauchi.

He commended the people of the state and the security agencies for the peace enjoyed in Bauchi, which is a huge departure from the current experience of other states in the North-east which are still under pockets of attacks by Boko Haram.

Speaking with journalists at the Command Guest House, Bauchi, the CoAS, who was in company with the GOC 3 Division, Jos, Maj-Gen. Benjamin Ahanotu and other principal officers of the Nigerian Army headquarters, noted: It is interesting that there have been cordial relationship between the members of the public and the Nigerian Army here in Bauchi.

You can see for a long time there had been a very peaceful co-existence and they are doing their job and the security situation in Bauchi has greatly improved through the collaborative efforts of all the security agencies  the Police, the DSS, and NSCDC, and most importantly the public are cooperating with us

Buratai said he was in Bauchi on routine and administrative visit to see the troops and the infrastructural developments that are currently going on within the barracks in the state.

The Army boss who was conducted round the four blocks during the inspection tour by the Commander, NAAC, Bauchi, Maj-Gen. J. Akomolafe, acknowledged that there is serious housing deficit in the barracks across the nation and promised to address the problem.

Speaking shortly after the inspection tour, the CoAS said he was impressed with the on-going work and promised to build more of such types of blocks of houses to accommodate officers and men in the barracks.

He added: There are plans for more. Apart from the buildings, I have been briefed by the two commanders  the 33 Artillery Commander and the Corps Commander, Army, on the developments that are going on in terms of maintenance, they have brought to life many of their vehicles well in terms of the welfare of their troops and I want them to keep it up.

Speaking earlier, Akomolafe, explained that the capacity in each of the four blocks under construction is 10 apartments. He said: No amount of words can express our gratitude to you. We cherish your courage, your vision and your character. There is no reward for intention sir and so every opportunity we have to show our appreciation, we will definitely do that. You are welcome to Bauchi.

Also speaking earlier, the commander, 33 Artillery Brigade Brig-Gen. Timothy Olowomeye, said the 600 metres road would extend into the Brigade Headquarters and the Garrison headquarters in the brigade.As teachers in public primary schools in Kaduna State goes on indefinite strike on Monday, Governor Nasir el-Rufai has threatened to dism...

As teachers in public primary schools in Kaduna State goes on indefinite strike on Monday, Governor Nasir el-Rufai has threatened to dismiss any teacher who is absent from duty.The Chairman of the Kaduna State branch of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Mr. Audu Amba, confirmed to one of our correspondents on phone on Sunday that teachers in public primary schools would embark on indefinite strike on Monday to force the state to reverse the sack of over 20,000 of its members the state government claimed had failed its competency test.However, the NUT chairman refrained from making comments on the latest threat by the governor, saying I will not comment on this now.El-Rufai, through his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr. Samuel Aruwan, in a statement said any strike embarked upon by the teachers would be considered illegal and would be treated as such.The governor noted that strike or no strike, nothing would derail the education reforms being implemented by the state government.He said the state would neither be blackmailed by the action of the teachers nor mortgage the future of two million primary school pupils.The governor insisted that as an employer, the government has every right to determine who its employees are or can be, and the minimum qualifications they must possess.he military said yesterday that the wife of Mamman Nur, factional leader of the Boko Haram terror sect, was among the casualties of a ra...

he military said yesterday that the wife of Mamman Nur, factional leader of the Boko Haram terror sect, was among the casualties of a raid on the groups location in the Lake Chad region.Nur, son of Boko Harams spiritual founder, Muhammed Yusuf, was himself declared by the army as having been fatally injured during the operation.There is no independent confirmation of his injury or his wifes death yet.The army also said yesterday that 1,050 insurgents had surrendered to troops in Lake Chad and Monguno general area of operations.Many other terrorists are said to be on the run.A separate joint operation on Sambisa forest by the Army and the Air Force has claimed the lives of scores of insurgents, the military said.Spokesman for the Operation Lafiya Dole Theatre Command in Maiduguri, Onyema Nwachukwu, warned communities to watch out for the fleeing Boko Haram insurgents.Nur is fingered as the brain behind the August 2011 bombing of the UN building in Abuja.The State Security Services (SSS) declared him wanted the following month and placed a N25 million bounty on him.He parted ways with Abubakar Shekau and proceeded to form his own group which he named AbuMussab Albarnawi.Onyema said the string of success by the military was achieved following the sustained onslaught on Boko Haram terrorists enclaves in the Lake Chad region.He said 250 foot soldiers from the Albarnawy camp have surrendered to Nigerien authorities due to the devastating artillery and aerial bombardments by Operation Lafiya Dole troops while many of the insurgents who fled the onslaught are now taking advantage of the AMNESTY offered by the Nigerien government by surrendering to Nigerien Forces.He added that 700 insurgents also surrendered to troops at Monguno, Borno State in an ongoing clearance operation.The military also said among the insurgents fleeing from the ongoing offensive are senior and junior commanders in the Albarnawy faction who are now attempting to melt into other communities in and around Kano, Geidam and Gashua axis unnoticed.He asked residents of Kano, Geidam, Gashua, Hadeja and the northern part of Jigawa to be vigilant and watch out for strange faces suddenly appearing in their communities and promptly report same to security agencies.He vowed that the ongoing onslaught would be tenaciously sustained.He also revealed that about 300 insurgents were currently undergoing de-radicalization process for possible integration into the society.We call on Boko Haram insurgents to abandon the futile struggle; take advantage of the Safe Corridor programme and surrender to troops in any location nearest to them. We guarantee their safety and incorporation into the programme for de-radicalization.In the joint operation in Sambisa forest, the air force and the army said that in addition to the scores of insurgents killed, all their structures in the area were destroyed.The Director Public Relations and Information of the Air Force, (NAF) Air Vice Marshal Olatokunbo Adesanya, said the attacks were carried out with fighter jets and rocket launchers.AVM Adesanya said, in a statement to which he attached a declassified video footage of the operation, that the combined clearance operations are aimed at preventing the full-scale resurgence of BHT (Boko Haram Terrosists) in the Sambisa general area.The raid was launched on Wednesday.He said:On the first day of the combined clearance operations, the Air Task Force conducted intensive bombardments on selected BHT locations, preparatory to the commencement of the operation.The air attacks set several BHT structures ablaze and destroyed them. On the same day, the Air Task Force conducted air interdiction on another BHT hideout near CAMP ZAIRO.The air strikes caused the destruction of more BHT structures and the neutralization of several insurgents. Some insurgents were sighted fleeing the area and they were taken out in subsequent follow-up attacks.The Time's Up campaign will hit the red carpet at the 2018 Golden Globes Sunday in full force, and it won't just be because actresses and actors have decided to wear black in solidarity with the #MeToo movement.

Tarana Burke, creator of the #MeToo hashtag, and seven other activists and advocates will have a presence at the awards show as guests of actresses including Susan Sarandon, Laura Dern and Meryl Streep, according to a press release and a report from Variety.

Actors and actresses are wearing black (and special pins) to express their support of the Time's Up Campaign, which is not only an effort to spread awareness of sexual harassment, assault and misconduct in Hollywood, but also, according to its mission statement, a movement for "inclusion of women and marginalized people" and "equity and parity across all industries."JERSEY CITY -- With temperatures expected to stay largely below 20 degrees again today, some residents in the Booker T. Washington Housing complex are preparing for another frigid night.

A number of tenants in the city-run complex, who wish to remain anonymous, told The Jersey Journal heat often goes out in their apartments for hours.

Sometimes they spend the night without heat.

"I have to keep the oven on," said a 78-year-old woman who lives with her daughter and young granddaughter. "Sometimes it's like ice in here. It's pathetic."

One man walking outside bundled in a heavy winter coat said sometimes he is forced to wear his winter clothes indoors.

"I walk around the house like this!" he said.

The complex, between Fremont and Colden streets adjacent to Gateway Field and County Prep High School, is one of a number of housing complexes in the city operated by the Jersey City Housing Authority, an autonomous city agency.

Many of the residents interviewed have been living in the complex for years and have said this is an ongoing problem.

"We've had cold days before this, too, and still we've had problems," said one 79-year-old woman. "I sleep in my long johns, I don't have a choice."

Meanwhile, residents say an emergency hotline number for residents of the complex is left unanswered.

Multiple calls made to the hotline by The Jersey Journal were not answered

In an phone interview, Stephen Cea, the acting Executive Director of the JCHA, said there have been problems with the heating since the complex installed a new boiling system.

Longtime residents confirmed that heating has been sporadic since the boiler system was installed -- sometime after Hurricane Sandy in late 2012, they said.

In 2014, the JCHA began an ongoing process to replace an antiquated boiling system and "rectify" a heating situation in the complex that had left some buildings without sufficient heat.

Since then, engineers have worked to revamp the system and modernize it by adding "a state-of-the-art boiler and hot water system," Cea said.

The new system, he said, is supposed to keep the temperature at around 70 degrees whenever it drops below 55 degrees outside.

But "there's still a few things that have to be done," he said, adding that there has been an issue with the system lowering the temperature for certain buildings at night.

"That was an issue that was addressed and fixed and as of Wednesday we heard the same issue (had been occurring)," he said. "Since then I've been dealing with my in-house engineer, my regional manager and the company that installed the boilers and we're getting to the bottom of the issue."

Cea said he has been in direct contact with leaders of the residential board of the complex and has been trying to tackle the issue. He also confirmed that engineers will be on hand on Thursday, Jan. 11, to check the system and do heat testing for apartments.

"Do I think there are some problems there? Yes," he said. "But no one should be without heat, so I've got to get to the bottom of some of these things. But rest assurred we are doing everything we can."

He added: "I promise you on 9 a.m. Monday morning that hotline will be fixed.

Corey W. McDonald may be reached at cmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @coreymacc. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.Some passengers faced hours-long waits on the tarmac at John F. Kennedy Airport Saturday as the airport worked to recover from a powerful winter storm this week.

"A surge in flights at JFK Airport, produced by the rescheduling of delayed flights, combined with the effects of the winter storm, which severely disabled equipment, has resulted in terminal operators and airlines experiencing delays in getting planes and their passengers into their gates," the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said in a statement.

Bitter cold led to ground equipment problems, which was expected to continue through Saturday evening, according to the agency. Officials said the extensive delays were brought on, in part, by a backlog of delayed flights from a powerful winter storm that slammed the region Thursday.

The lengthly delays were reported at JFK international terminals 1, 4, and 7.

There were no immediate reports of similar massive delays at Newark Liberty International Airport.

"At the request of the Port Authority and the terminal operators, the FAA is limiting some flights into JFK, including all flights scheduled to arrive into Terminal 1 for the rest of the evening," the authority said.

Gates that handle international flights reached capacity, causing some planes to be held on the tarmac before terminal gates would be available.

Some frustrated passengers took to social media to share stories of spending hours on the runway. Tweets were being posted under #JFKChaos hashtag.

"I landed in New York 2 hours ago and I'm still sitting on the plane. Get me off this tarmac!!," one Twitter user posted.

"4 hrs on the @JFKairport tarmac and now 90 min waiting for my bag," another post said.

Some flights were diverted to other airports because of the Terminal 1 gate delays, according to flight tracking website Flightradar24, which reported a dozen international flights waiting for gates at JFK Saturday.

More diversions because of the JFK terminal 1 arrival closure.#JL4 is diverting to Boston#KE85 is diverting to Atlanta#DY7015 is diverting to Newburgh Stewart pic.twitter.com/BulG0TnqKP  Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) January 7, 2018

The Port Authority said it assigned more staff to help travelers and would continue to offer buses to shuttle passengers back to terminals from flights waiting for a gate.

"The Port Authority intends to aggressively review with its partners, the terminal operators and airlines, the process to assure that planes and passengers get to their gates during the surge of rescheduled flights that follow a severe weather event," the agency added.

Free at last! After a 14-hour flight from Beijing, and another 7-hours stranded on the @JFKairport TarMac, passengers aboard @airchina Flight #CA989 are deplaning. The next concern is lengthy customs lines. Our flight was just one of many that landed, but without a gate assigned pic.twitter.com/hzO1iUSPx0  Jenni Monet (@jennimonet) January 6, 2018

Also on Saturday at JFK Airport, officials said a China Southern Airlines Boeing 777 touched the tail of a Kuwait Airways plane around 12:20 a.m. while the China Southern plane was being towed to a taxiway. The Kuwait Airways plane was at the gate awaiting departure when the mishap occurred, according to officials.

The #PAPD Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighter Unit (ARFF) responded to Terminal 4, JFK, last night; a China Southern 777's wing tip struck the tail end of a Kuwait Airways 777 causing damage to both aircraft. #PAPDPROTECTSNYNJ pic.twitter.com/1g2isyyHD4  Port Authority PBA (@PAPD911) January 6, 2018

There were no reported injuries from the incident, which the FAA said was under investigation.Residents were allowed back home after a gas leak forced the evacuations of 50 residences in Brick late Saturday morning, officials said.

Crews made the area safe and shut down service to 40 customers after reports of a gas odor on Tennessee Avenue around 11:40 a.m., according to New Jersey Natural Gas spokesman Michael Kinney.

Service was expected to be restored by Saturday evening, the spokesman said. There were no reported injuries. It was not clear what caused the leak.

Police were not immediately available to provide more details on the evacuations.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc and on Facebook.Jeff Sessions has yet to complete his first year in office. But already he has cemented his status as the worst choice for attorney general in recent American history.

The former Alabama senator hadn't even been confirmed yet when he found himself outsmarted by soon-to-be-ex-Senator Al Franken on the question of contact with Russian officials.

That led to his recusal in the Russia investigation, which in turn led to the appointment of a special prosecutor, which in turn is creating endless headaches for the president who appointed him.

To make matters worse, last month the Republicans lost the seat in Alabama formerly held by Sessions, something that would not have happened if the senator had simply realized his shortcomings and stayed in the Senate.

And then last week Sessions adopted a policy of strict federal enforcement (reversing the Cole memorandum) of marijuana laws that went against his own president's stated policy during the 2016 campaign.

Donald Trump's policy was "In terms of marijuana and legalization, I think that should be a state issue, state-by-state," as he told the Washington Post.

That position was taken by most of the contenders for the GOP nomination for a simple reason: The Republican Party has traditionally been the party of states' rights.

It takes a special kind of mind to miss such an obvious connection - a dull one.

When you look at how much damage Sessions has done to the Trump administration in how little time, it is difficult to conclude he is anything other than stupid.

Already his opponents are bringing up Sessions' lame attempt at a joke back in the 1980s, when he said of the Ku Klux Klan that he thought they "were OK until I found out they smoked pot."

I guess in Alabama that qualifies as a real knee-slapper. But you've got to be a little bit sharper when you go to D.C.

In that regard, Sessions seems unaware that the effort to outlaw marijuana on the federal level is a product of the New Deal, during which the Democrats increased federal powers over aspects of life formerly seen as matter for state or local governments.

In the Republican view, it was no business of the federal government if the residents of a certain city or state wanted to permit cannabis consumption - or outlaw it.

We saw a good example of that here in New Jersey last week when the Borough Council of Point Pleasant Beach voted to ban marijuana dispensaries in the town.

The mayor said the council wants to preserve the borough's status as "an amazing family-friendly town'' - which it is on summer nights until about 9 p.m., when the minivans leave and the barbarian hordes arrive.

At that point the boardwalk bars fill up with some of the rowdiest, worst-behaved tourists at the Jersey Shore.

When I discussed this with the sponsor of New Jersey's marijuana-legalization bill, he attacked "the hypocrisy" of politicians who believe booze is fine but pot is perilous.

"Are they closing down the liquor stores and the bars down there?" asked state Sen. Nick Scutari, a Democrat from Union County. "It's laughable that they think marijuana is gonna be worse. It's not even vaguely comparable the experience the police have with people on marijuana versus alcohol."

In any event, Scutari's bill lets every town set its own policy on pot sales. That's the sort of home rule Republicans are supposed to endorse.

One who does is Colorado Senator Cory Gardner, who said in a tirade on the Senate floor last week that both Sessions and Trump had assured him that the Trump administration would not interfere with the marijuana trade in his state.

An angry Gardner said he is prepared to "to take all steps necessary" to stop Sessions from interfering with the intrastate legalization of marijuana.

"I will be putting a hold on every Justice Department nomination until Attorney General Sessions lives up to the conversation we had ... about states' rights in Colorado," Gardner said.

This represents yet another black eye for a guy who doesn't have any space left to absorb a shiner.

Sessions has screwed up everything he's touched. He offers perhaps the best proof to date of the maxim that often in life the best thing to do is nothing.

If Sessions had simply stayed in the Senate, the Republicans would now have a two-vote majority as opposed to the current single-vote edge.

And if he would just shut up about an issue like marijuana legalization, the media would not be having so much fun pointing out that he's contradicting his own president's stated goals.

It's taken Trump a year to recover from a transition for which his campaign was clearly unprepared.

How long will it take before he gets rid of the worst nominee of them all?

ALSO: Sessions is so dimwitted that he doesn't even seem to realize his own hypocrisy in coming out against marijuana when he used to be a front-man for the tobacco lobby.

Cigarettes kill more Americans by far than all illegal drugs combined.

BELOW: Cory Gardner labels Sessions as the ignoramus he clearly is when it comes to states' rights.

Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.A desperately needed fix for the rickety rail tubes relied upon by hundreds of thousands of commuters through Manhattan every day was once the most important infrastructure priority in the nation.



No longer. Now, instead of racing against time to repair the crucial tunnel under the Hudson before it gives way - widely dubbed "transportation Armageddon" - our president is stressing the absolute urgency of a giant wall with Mexico.



He is eliciting prototypes for his "badly needed," "big and beautiful" wall, and proposing a trip to examine them in person - while one of his top bureaucrats just called the deal to help fund our so-called Gateway tunnel project "nonexistent."

Feds deal major blow to Gateway tunnel project



The Trump administration dropped that bombshell on a Friday right before a holiday weekend, in a letter to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.



We knew already that Trump's proposed budget eliminated a federal grant program that was supposed to cover a big chunk of the price of the tunnel fixes, and slashed funding for Amtrak, a major proponent of the project. This only adds to the unpredictable mayhem.



By disowning the deal made under the previous administration to partially fund the Gateway project - a shared expense between New York, New Jersey and the federal government - Trump is holding our entire regional economy hostage.



This may be a ploy to pressure Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer of New York and other Democrats to cede to his wall, or other, yet-unspecified infrastructure priorities; but as we saw with Trump's cruel action on the Dreamers, he's willing to pull the trigger.



And this time, hundreds of thousands of commuters and the economic health of the entire rail corridor from Boston to Washington, D.C. is his political bargaining chip.



So much for the September meeting that left some local officials with the impression that the president actually cared. This new tunnel was supposed to break ground in 2019, and if we lose yet another year, we risk that the corrosive salts left behind by Hurricane Sandy further eat away at the walls of our 100-year-old tunnel and signal system.

This is not the project for political gamesmanship.



Chris Christie still insists that Trump sees the urgency; that the Gateway will receive the necessary federal funds. But since when has he been a window into Trump's head?

Remember when our governor said he was "confident" that Trump would find a way to protect Obamacare's Medicaid expansion? Instead, the president pushed for the most drastic cuts.



Now, the Trump administration has taken to calling the Gateway tunnel a "local" project, to further the idea that New York and New Jersey should foot the entire bill themselves. Let's see how "local" the impact is when our disintegrating tunnel fails.



The entire Northeast Corridor rail system, which stretches through about eight states, depends on it. It's the linchpin of our regional economy, which supplies as much as one-fifth of the nation's gross domestic product. Should it give way, federal coffers would lose billions.



New Yorkers and New Jerseyans are already among the highest taxed people in the nation - soon to be even higher taxed, thanks to Trump's new tax plan. We send tens of billions more to the federal government than we receive in services. So why should we pay for a "local" project along the border with Mexico - a symbolic tribute to Trump's political base?



We'll foot the entire bill for our tunnel when Mexico pays for your wall, Mr. President.

Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.The first time I asked Gov. Chris Christie a question we were 2,000 miles from New Jersey. I was a year into my first newspaper job in southeast New Mexico. Christie, just eight months into his first term, was there to stump for Susana Martinez's campaign for governor.

Noting the candidate's law-and-order record, Christie played up the Jersey shtick that worked so well for him.

"We invented pay-to-play," Christie joked to a crowd that treated him like a celebrity.

And then I asked the unoriginal question he'd gotten plenty already: You here to lay the groundwork for a presidential run?

No, Christie told me. Come on, he'd miss being with the New Jersey reporter trailing a few paces behind him, he said with a laugh before he pushed past to work the crowd.

More than seven years later, the governor and I sat in two sofa chairs separated by a coffee table in the ornate parlor of the governor's mansion in Princeton, just weeks before he was set to leave the Jersey political stage he dominated like no other.

It's the same house where Iowa businessmen met to try and draft him for president, where Mitt Romney asked for his support, where he spent some nights in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and where he huddled with senior staff after Bridgegate exploded on the national scene, when he said he was unsure who knew what or who he could trust.

Yeah, a lot had happened. He pushed his priorities and won some battles with a Democratic Legislature. Christie eventually ran for president and lost. The polls say he's really unpopular.

Proud and feisty, blunt and still fighting, Christie isn't making any apologies. And his last battle as governor is to argue that he has accomplished things that will benefit the state for decades to come.

To the critics he says got too personal and never gave him a fair shake -- and perhaps the voters as well -- Christie had this to say:

"They're gonna miss me when I'm gone."

And, as always, he spoke his mind:

He grades himself as a B+ governor (with "A moments") and thinks people will come to the same conclusion.

He says he doesn't care about his bad poll numbers, but blames them on the media -- mostly the New Jersey press and other "know-nothing voyeurs" -- who he said attacked him mercilessly after Bridgegate with a "floodgate" of negative stories and attention.

He concedes that scandal over closed lanes on the George Washington Bridge changed the course of his administration and political career because he lost "the benefit of the doubt."

He "absolutely" believes he'd be president if Donald Trump didn't enter the race.

He told Trump to knock it off when he

In the final days, Christie says he'll leave Trenton with a sense of calm.

"We were gonna swing for the fences," he said. "I had no interest in being a small bore governor with tiny accomplishments that wouldn't offend, but probably wouldn't impress either. I wanted to be a governor of consequence and do big things."

That includes pension and health benefits reform for public workers, a 2 percent arbitration cap for police and firefighters aimed at keeping property taxes from soaring, the state's higher education merger, an expansion of charter schools and bail reform. In his final year, he has focused on opioid addiction.

"I think when people look back at it and when they compare what other governors have done before me, let's say in the last 40 years. I don't think that there's anybody who's done more of consequence over the last 40 years," he said.

In this Jan. 4, 2013, photo, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie poses for a photo in his office at the Statehouse in Trenton, N.J.

"Are there things that I would have done differently? Of course. But I've got to tell you, Matt, I'm sitting here with you with 19 days to go, I don't have any major regrets," Christie said. "I did it the way I wanted to do it and I was myself the whole time."

The top button of his shirt undone, Christie was relaxed for much of the interview. He spoke to me just before one of those you-know-your-time-is-soon-up-in-Trenton moments: Posing for a photo shoot that will be used for the official gubernatorial painting that will hang in the Statehouse once a renovation he engineered is done.

He believes he doesn't get enough credit for deciding to invest in cities like Camden, which witnessed a turnaround in violent crime and development, and Newark, which has made progress in schools.

"And again, I think unexpected from a Republican governor, right?" he adds.

Other governors had tried to merge the state colleges and Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, talked pension and health care reform three years before Christie won his first election.

"Right, but he didn't get it done. Think about it. He didn't get it done," Christie said, slapping his hand down on the table four times to emphasize his point.

"You had a governor who was willing to not give in on the principle, but always willing to negotiate the particulars," Christie said.

But why after once being the GOP's favorite to take back the White House was he instead talking to me in back in Jersey, where an overwhelming majority say they're happy to see him go?

"You're missing the bigger point. I took risks and the risks didn't work out," Christie said.

Gov. Chris Christie at a press conference at the Statehouse in 2016.

"You could decide not to run for president because you want to sit around and protect these (poll) numbers that you guys talk about all the time," he said. "When a risk doesn't work, people perceive it as a failure, right? If I had won (the race) for president, we wouldn't have to worry about this."

He added: "It doesn't bother me nearly as much as you all think it should - or wish it did."

His approval rating was positive more than halfway through his first term, then Sandy slammed the state. Two other governors and the New York City mayor grappled with the aftermath. But Christie got the spotlight. He was the face of the recovery.

"Is that Mr. 78 percent out there?" Christie said President Barack Obama asked him in the early 2013, when the governor was at the White House to negotiate Sandy relief.

"Yes, sir," Christie responded and then was asked to come inside the Oval Office.

"I walk in and he looks at me and goes, 'What's it feel like? What's it feel like to be 78 percent?" Christie recalled. "I said, 'I have no Goddamn idea.' He says 'What do you mean?' I said, 'I don't feel any different today than I felt when I was at 40 or 30.'"

And while it's inevitable nobody gets to hang onto rock star status, Christie's slide was as drastic as his height of popularity.

Governor Chris Christie at a town hall meeting at the Roebling Fireman's Hall in Roebling on Thursday, March 8, 2012.

"I exhausted people. And that's part of what happened here, too," he said.

"I'm relentless. I know myself," he said. "I never stop. It drives my family crazy. And so, I know that. And I know that people get tired of that after a while. 'Ugh, him again. Enough.' I know. I get it."

But that's losing sight of the other stuff that made him a governor of the state unlike any New Jerseyans had seen. Like the flight on Cowboys owner Jerry Jones's private jet (and that hug with Jones in the owner's box), his time in New Hampshire and Iowa, or endorsing Trump?

"Those are all non-substantive reasons. Cause I didn't change. I just made a choice in the presidential election," Christie said.

"That's why those things don't bother me in the end. They're much more of an obsession of folks in the media and the know-nothing academics that you guys call all the time on speed dial, who literally have never done anything in politics," he said. "But you guys somehow give them credibility ... as if they've actually done anything or know anything about what it's like to sit in this chair -- they're voyeurs. As are you."

Beachgate, spawned by the NJ Advance Media photo of him outside the governor's beach house during the state shutdown, didn't help his standing in the state.

"You guys took that picture to make me look bad," he said, pointing his finger.

It was the only time when we spoke that Thursday at Drumthwacket the governor got visibly agitated. Perched up in the chair, he leaned forward to blast the "ridiculous story ... done purely to hurt" him.

And of course, there's Bridgegate.

"What Bridgegate did was deprive me of the benefit of the doubt - that's all," he said. "That's a big thing. But that's what it did."

He said there were four years of "pent-up frustration from the media who love to chip away at politicians and diminish them," yet "they couldn't with me" until then. The dam broke because he lost the backing of many of his supporters who previously praised him for his brash demeanor.

"When you're tough and you're fighting, and pushing all the time ... people love that as long as it doesn't stray over a line, that they draw somewhere, that goes from that to bullying," Christie said.

"And I think people viewed that conduct of having gone over the line, and they blamed me for it even though everyone has proven I had nothing to do with it," he said. "The part that I think is grossly unfair, that there was a rush to judgment and that rush to judgment turned out not to be borne out by the facts."

But the damage was done and the rest fell like dominos. Just months after a landslide victory, he entered his second term with little political capital to push for more reforms, and others in the GOP -- most notably Jeb Bush -- saw an opening in the presidential race, which deprived him of money and support in his White House bid.

Then a year after he racked up big wins for GOP governors across the country as chairman of the Republican Governors Association, only three -- Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, Paul LePage of Maine and Larry Hogan of Maryland -- backed him for president.

Christie said he "will be eternally grateful, for the rest of my life," to those three, who he said "had the guts to stand up and endorse somebody in that race and endorse me," Christie said.

"And I will always have a real sense of disappointment that the other governors didn't endorse me, or at least endorse someone in that race," he said. "If I had a nickel for every time one of them said to me 'Let me just wait another month to see how everything falls out and then I'll make a decision,' and then they never did."

Angry that Bush, I pressed, entered the race, then?

"I'm not angry at anybody," he responded.

"I think it's very presumptuous to be angry that someone else decided to run for president," he said. "I just never ever believed that Jeb could win and I don't know why anyone ever believed Jeb could win."

It's because of the Bush name, he said.

"It worked for him in raising all that money. But it made the money a nonstarter. It just didn't matter," Christie said. "But if I had that money or someone else? It would have made a huge difference."

He called the presidential race "incredibly exciting" and "at times very discouraging."

"(The) stakes are exciting. The issues you're talking about are exciting," he said. "And ultimately frustrating at times because the reaction I would get from people and Mary Pat got this from going door to door, you know, they'd say, 'Oh gosh, you're Governor Christie's wife? We love him. He's so smart. He's so direct, he's so blunt. We love him. We're voting for Trump. But we love your husband. He's amazing.'"

Christie said he has no doubt he would have won if not for the blunt-talking Trump's decision to run.

"It's incredibly frustrating to think to yourself, 'Wow, if this guy were not in the race, we'd win this thing,'" Christie said, reflecting on some internal polling from the campaign. "And I absolutely believe if Trump had not gotten into the race I think we would have won."

And when Trump said at a rally Christie knew about Bridgegate the governor said he called him and told him to cut it out: "You know that's not true, so stop, OK? You want to say other stuff about me? Fine. But that's out of bounds. Stop it." Trump didn't do it again, Christie said.

His loss was heavy on the entire family.

Christie 2016 signs are collected. NJ Gov. Chris Christie walks in the Wolfeboro, NH, 4th of July Parade. Saturday July 4, 2015. Wolfeboro, N.H.

"My kids were very emotional. All of them were crying. And, you know, you then have this moment of: Who are you? Are you the person who just lost or are you the father? Like, how are you gonna conduct yourself? You gonna cry with them or are you gonna console them?" Christie said. "I decided, OK, I'm a father before I'm a candidate, so I'm like, go hug your kids, tell them it's gonna be OK."

Christie doesn't regret his decision not to run in 2012, when lots of Republicans, including Nancy Reagan, encouraged him.

He says he wasn't ready.

And as chaos continues in Washington, Christie says the decision to dump him as Trump's transition chair - and throw his plans in the trash can - was a dumb one.

"I can only tell you who ultimately executed on it and that was (Steve) Bannon, (Reince) Priebus and (Jared) Kushner," he said. "They were the three guys in charge and they were the ones who ultimately made that recommendation to the president. And I think they ill-served him by doing it."

Christie says he relishes some of the friendships he's made because he was governor: Bono texts him on his birthday and holidays. Jon Bon Jovi and his wife are close friends with Christie and Mary Pat. And there's King Abdullah, who hosted him and his family as a guest several years ago.

"And I know there's some people in the media who mock that, 'Oh, he's friends with King Abdullah.'" Christie said.

"Well, all I can tell you is that when he's in town he calls me and we go out to dinner," he said. "So, like I don't know how you define a friend. But like, if somebody comes from Amman, Jordan into New York and he's there for a few days, and you're one of his phone calls for dinner? I think that means he's probably your friend."

And then there's the trappings of the office. "It's not bad not having to park (your car). I'll miss that," he joked.

"No one in this state's political history has had a run like I've had in the last 16 years - no one," he said, reaching back to his time as U.S. attorney. "Maybe I'll never have another job that is as exciting and challenging as those two."

He has one last opportunity to make his case in a public forum: Tuesday, in a State of the State/farewell speech. A week later, at noon, he'll be ex-Gov. Chris Christie.

As this last-time-as governor interview wound down, Christie wasn't saying what his next gig will be. But I suggested that it better not be boring, or he'll go crazy. Yes, he agreed, he likes the action that came with this job.

"I took the kids last week to see Hamilton," Christie said.

"When Aaron Burr did the scene in 'The Room Where it Happens,' you know, bemoaning the fact that it was Jefferson and Madison, and Hamilton in the room where it happens," he said.

"Sarah said to me after the show was over, 'You're gonna miss that, right?' I said, 'Yeah, I'm definitely gonna miss that.'"

Matt Arco has covered Chris Christie for the better part of 6 years. He may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or Facebook.Supporters of jailed bear hunt protester Bill Crain braved the extreme cold Sunday at a sidewalk rally.

It was about 10 degrees outside when supporters gathered on High Street in Newton, in front of the county jail where Crain is serving a 15-day sentence.

Seventeen were lined up by 11:30 a.m., including Animal Protection League of N.J. Executive Director Angi Metler.

"Bill made a sacrifice for his personal freedom for our bears. This is the least we can do to support him," Metler said.

Crain, 74, a City College of New York psychology professor, has been arrested 8 times since 2005 for various acts of civil disobedience while protesting the bear hunt.

Bear hunt protester Bill Crain being handcuffed after refusing to return to the designated protest area in Fredon, Oct. 14, 2017 (Rob Jennings / NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

His first 6 convictions were resolved with fines, but Crain was sentenced to 10 days in jail last winter. He ended up serving just over a week.

The same judge handed him a 15-day sentence last month after Crain admitted in court to exiting the designated protest area in Fredon Oct. 15 and walking across the street toward a check station for hunters returning with bears.

He reported to the jail, about a two-hour drive from his home in Dutchess County, N.Y., on Jan. 2.

Most at the rally on Sunday were holding signs. One read, "Civil disobedience speaks volumes for animal rights -- thank you Bill."

A similar rally was held exactly one year earlier, in the same location, during Crain's first stint in jail.

The judge again agreed to let Crain serve his sentence during winter recess, in order not to interfere with his teaching schedule.

A total of 409 bears were killed in the 2017 hunt, the 10th since N.J. ended a moratorium of three decades in 2003 and the eighth in a row under Gov. Chris Christie.

Gov.-elect Phil Murphy has said he will halt the controversial hunt, pending additional research into alternatives.

Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobJenningsNJ. Find NJ.com on FacebookA former Union High School teacher who in 2011 called homosexuality a "perverted spirit" that "breeds like cancer" has agreed to a three-year suspension of her teaching certificates.

The posts on Jenye "Viki" Knox's personal Facebook page eventually caused the special education teacher and faculty adviser to the school's Bible study group to resign. She later filed a federal lawsuit claiming school officials had violated her free speech and religious rights.

Jenye "Viki" Knox in 2011 (Courtesy of CBS)

Knox appealed the state Department of Education's decision to revoke her three certificates to the Office of Administrative Law, but then presented to the education department a proposal in which she would agree to a three-year suspension, according to the order of suspension.

The education department's State Board of Examiners accepted the proposal Dec. 8, immediately suspending the elementary school, nursery school and handicapped teaching certificates Knox has held since February 1990.

Knox, 56, did not return calls to her home seeking comment.

A lawsuit she filed in 2013 claiming officials in the Union County district violated her free speech and religious rights was settled in September, but her attorney said the settlement includes a confidentiality agreement.

Knox had been seeking reinstatement to her teaching job, back pay, damages and judgment that she was within her constitutional rights when she made the Facebook posts.

Her attorney, Demetrios Stratis, said he believed Knox maintained her First Amendment protections as a private citizen while she was not at the school and had a right to express her opinions on social media.

"These Facebook posts that she made were done on her time, at her home, after school hours, on her home computer, and it was addressing a matter that could arguably be of big societal concerns," Stratis said.

The Union High School superintendent, the school board president and the school board vice president did not return a request for comment on the lawsuit's settlement or the suspension of Knox's teaching certificate.

A firestorm began in the fall of 2011, when Knox took to Facebook to criticize a display at the high school marking Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender History Month.

"It's still there," the Facebook posting said. "I'm pitching a fit."

In a back-and-forth with commenters on the post, Knox railed against homosexuality, The Star-Ledger previously reported.

"Why parade your unnatural immoral behaviors before the rest of us?" wrote Knox, a teacher for more than 20 years. "I DO NOT HAVE TO TOLERATE ANYTHING OTHERS WISH TO DO. I DO HAVE TO LOVE AND SPEAK AND DO WHAT'S RIGHT!"

The district put Knox on unpaid administrative leave for three months while they investigated and then filed tenure charges in a bid to fire her.

The school district wrote in the tenure charges that Knox had also emailed school officials to accuse gay and lesbian teachers of "targeting young and impressionable students for indoctrination into alternative sexual lifestyles."

The charges additionally accused Knox of writing that "UHS was going to Hell in a handbasket" on the Facebook page of a teacher who had proposed starting a gay-straight alliance at the school.

Knox denied sending the emails and said her Facebook comments were protected by the First Amendment and not supposed to be hateful.

She resigned from her $72,270-position in June 2012, citing stress, and settled the tenure charges with the district.

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Less than 18 hours after two men were shot on Royal Street in the French Quarter, New Orleans police asked the public's help finding a man and an SUV that could help solve the case.

The department released a grainy image of a man with dreadlocks, whom authorities called a "person of interest" in the 4:15 a.m. shooting Saturday (Jan. 6) in the 100 block of Royal Street.

The man is not considered a suspect, police said in a release, but could have "valuable information" on the double shooting, which left a 57-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the arm and a 29-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the leg.

Detectives also are searching for the occupant or occupants of a white Toyota Sequoia, Louisiana license plate YKY336, which was identified in an NOPD press release as a "vehicle of interest."

Anyone with information is encouraged to call NOPD 8th District detectives at 504-658-6080, or Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111.New Orleans police cordoned off a half block radius at the intersection of Woodland and Tullis drives in Algiers where they say a 19-year-old man was shot Sunday (Jan. 7) at around 11 a.m.

At the center of the scene was a grey SUV that had knocked over a utility post on Tullis just before the intersection with Woodland. Detectives had placed one evidence marker in front of the SUV and about 12 evidence markers in the parking lot of a shut-down shopping center across the street from the vehicle.

An officer was walking around the evidence markers in the parking lot of the center where most of the stores appeared to be shuttered.

New Orleans police released a brief statement Sunday afternoon on the incident. "Shortly before 11 a.m., officers observed a vehicle accident and discovered a 19-year-old male victim with a gunshot wound to the neck area. The victim was transported to a local hospital."

Police did not have any further information about the identity or condition of the driver and whether or not there were any passengers in the SUV.

Two neighbors, a married couple who have lived on the block for two years, were sitting near cordoned-off area as detectives investigated the shooting. They said they heard 8 to 10 gunshots before they heard the car wreck.

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Both said they preferred not to be identified. The woman said it looked like the driver had been shot in the neck and was taken away by ambulance.

"This ain't the first time this happened here. It's been as many as six times since we lived here," she said.

The shooting occurred less than a block from the Forest Isle gated community. One of the security guards working the front gate said he heard about 9 shots before he saw several people run from the scene.

He said a resident who was at the bus stop across from where the SUV hit the light post came running towards the security booth right after the shots rang out.

"It's safe here," he said pointing towards the apartment complex. "But it can be rough out there," he added pointing towards the area of the shooting.New Orleans remade public schools post-Katrina, shrinking the old system to a few high-performing schools and encouraging independently run charter schools in its place.

The academic improvement for many children has been dramatic. But a new study reveals a gap that could undermine students' gains long-term.

Significantly fewer schools are offering pre-K classes now than before the disaster, even when fluctuations in the number of kindergarten students are factored in. In 2004-05, New Orleans had 80 elementary schools and 95 percent of them provided pre-K, according to a study released Dec. 7 by Tulane University's Education Research Alliance. Only three of the schools then were charters. By 2014-15, New Orleans had 56 elementary schools and a mere 63 percent of them offered pre-K. Fifty-three of those schools were charters.

Researchers concluded that there aren't enough incentives in place to encourage charter schools to include pre-K. There is a sizable difference between the cost of educating younger children and the state subsidy for preschool, the study found.

The loss of pre-K classes goes against a commitment from Louisiana education leaders, including state schools Superintendent John White, and advocates for children to increase and improve public preschool offerings.

The effort to improve pre-K is particularly important in New Orleans, where a high percentage of children live in poverty and lack access to good childcare and preschool.

The Orleans Parish School Board and state education leaders must do something to reverse this trend. The state should look at increasing incentives to make preschool classes more affordable, and the school board should consider policies that would encourage schools to offer pre-K.

The city is stepping up. At the urging of the City Council, New Orleans' budget for 2018 included $750,000 to pay for preschool for low-income children, ages birth to 3. Thousands of low-income children in New Orleans lack access to publicly funded childcare.

"This funding will put more 0-3 year olds in early education classrooms," Mayor Mitch Landrieu said at a budget signing ceremony in December. "It not only provides critical learning opportunities for our city's children, but also lessens the burden on low-income families."

The Legislature passed a comprehensive preschool act in 2012 because of the connection between early education and a child's later academic success. But lawmakers have yet to provide money for all the provisions. State funding for pre-kindergarten classes was cut for this budget year, and lawmakers added no money to a child care assistance program for low-income parents who are working or attending school.

A coalition of more than 20 groups called Ready Louisiana has advocated for the state to invest in young children. The coalition -- which includes the Committee of 100 for Economic Development, League of Women Voters, Louisiana Budget Project, Stand for Children and other civic groups -- wants the state to invest $208 million in early childhood education by 2020.

The new Louisiana Children's Museum being built in City Park also is committed to early childhood education. It is providing a space where parents can learn about how children develop and youngsters can get better prepared for school.

The city's extra $750,000 for this year is a small fraction of the money that is needed citywide, but it signals that children are a priority. "It's a drop in the bucket," Louisiana Policy Institute for Children director Melanie Bronfin said. "But it's an important drop in the bucket."

The institute lays out the benefits of early childhood education on its website: "Ninety percent of brain development takes place between birth and age four, wiring a child's brain for future success or failure in school, work, and life. Yet in Louisiana, we know that more than 40% of Kindergartners start school behind their peers - and those who start behind are more likely to stay behind. However, quality early care and education can close this gap by developing cognitive and character skills when it matters most."

New Orleans claims to care about our youngest children, but that isn't playing out in practice. Are we really dedicated to providing quality preschool to every child? We need to prove it.Prairieville lawyer Aaron Lawler became the third member of the Ascension Parish Council to have a recall petition filed against him in the past two weeks, as some residents revolt over the pace of new developments and their impact on floods and traffic.Welcome to followthemedia.com The article or material you have chosen...

Michael Hedges January 8, 2018

Music streaming is hot. The music streaming business is a little more difficult. The subscription model is in, ad-serving not so much, at least with investors. Artists and their publishers wave their hands - or lawyers - and rights fees are raised. The biggest of the music streamers have deep pockets and, maybe, time to play. Investors see supply and demand. Its a lot like coal mining. They Really Dig Their MusicMichael Hedges January 8, 2018 Follow on Twitter Music streaming is hot. The music streaming business is a little more difficult. The subscription model is in, ad-serving not so much, at least with investors. Artists and their publishers wave their hands - or lawyers - and rights fees are raised. The biggest of the music streamers have deep pockets and, maybe, time to play. Investors see supply and demand. Its a lot like coal mining. ...is available for restricted access. You may access this specific article or material for 4 If you are an ftm Member, please go to the home page HERE and log in ftm Members can access all site material at no additional charge. You can JOIN ftm here The ftm newsletter available at no charge to all with registration To register click here.A 15-year-old driver from Denham Springs died in a fatal car accident on Interstate 10 in Ascension Parish shortly after 1 a.m. on Saturday, (Jan. 6), according to Louisiana State Police.

Four other passengers in the vehicle were being treated for moderate to severe injuries stemming from the crash.

According to state police, troopers were called to investigate the single vehicle crash on 1-10 west of Louisiana 73 in Ascension Parish that took the life of the driver. The driver appeared to be speeding when the left rear wheel of the 2004 Infiniti G35 failed and he lost control of the car.

The vehicle veered off the road before striking a tree and bursting into flames with the driver still in it. One of the passengers wasn't wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the vehicle during the crash.

The driver sustained fatal injuries from the crash, according to Ascension Parish Coroner's Office.

Investigators did not say whether the driver was impaired but are taking a toxicology sample for analysis.Weather Alert

...HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO 6 PM CDT THIS EVENING... * WHAT...Heat index values up to 102 expected. * WHERE...Portions of southern Mississippi and southeast Louisiana. * WHEN...From 10 AM this morning to 6 PM CDT this evening. * IMPACTS...Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses to occur. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances. Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1. &&DAN HODGES: As social media makes every event a national emergency, May must learn how to face down the Twitter mob and end Britain's great 140 Character Crisis





By Dan Hodges For The Mail On Sunday 7 January 2018Last week the NHS collapsed. So did the national rail network, and the police service. This was preceded by an explosion in homelessness, and before that an implosion of the judicial and penal system. The year is seven days old. And, if you believe the reports, the country is already on its knees.Except it isnt. What were actually experiencing is life in the age of the 140 Character Crisis. And unless Theresa May and her Government get to grips with it, it will ultimately lead to a genuine national calamity that will subsume us all.This phenomenon first appeared with the 2015 winter floods. Fuelled by social media, and the 24-hour news cycle, seasonal rainfall became an existential threat to Britain and David Cameron s government. Lack of flood-defence investment laid bare the inhumanity of austerity. That the worst flooding was in Cumbria, Lancashire and Yorkshire exposed the widening chasm between North and South. Tackling the issue was now an urgent national priority.Then a week later it wasnt. The residents of the affected areas were left to mop up and chase their insurance payments. But we, as a nation, had moved on.There was a time when Britains motto was Keep Calm And Carry On. Today its Take To Twitter And Start A Moral Panic. Over the past five years  the lifetime of a typical parliament  we have experienced an energy-pricing crisis, annual winter-beds crises, a social-care crisis, a pensions crisis, a policing crisis, a crisis over cladding, sprinklers and overall tower-block safety, a housing crisis, a tuition-fees crisis, a rough-sleeping crisis, an amphibious-assault-ship crisis, a rail-overcrowding crisis, a rail-fares crisis, a food-bank crisis, a universal-credit crisis and an immigration crisis.As far as Im aware, none of these crises has actually been solved. Instead they have simply slid from the national consciousness, to be temporarily replaced by the next crisis on the rank.As ever, part of this phenomenon is fuelled by the rise of social media. This week we have seen doctors  or people claiming to be doctors  tweeting they have been performing battlefield medicine and providing third world health care. Which is hysterical nonsense. But as Donald Trump has successfully demonstrated, a tweet is half way round the world before the truth has its boots on.Another problem is that, in the era of instant analysis, policy planning has become an almost exclusively reactive process. The police have faced deserved criticism recently. But theyve also faced demands they channel resources towards everything from the terror threat and knife crime, through online abuse, white-collar crime, reckless driving towards cyclists and the hunt for Madeleine McCann.But there is a much more fundamental reason for our 140 Character Crisis epidemic. Half the British political class are fuelling it. And the other half are too scared to challenge it.There is a popular perception that our politicians always ingratiate their way into office with seductive promises of bread and roses. But in 1979 Margaret Thatcher secured power by pledging monetary discipline, a smaller State, and a reduction in public-sector borrowing.Tony Blair won a landslide in 1997 promising to stick to Tory spending limits. David Cameron and George Osborne bested their opponents in successive elections by openly committing to a programme of austerity. But then none of them came up against an opponent with the audacity of Jeremy Corbyn.This week has shown Labour at its your money wouldnt melt in our mouth worst. Set aside the annualised shroud-waving in front the countrys A&E departments, and look instead at Mondays rant over the rise in rail fares.This, Corbyn tweeted from the sunshine of Coyoacan, was The Great Train Robbery.It was immediately followed by the ritualised demand for the renationalisation of the railways, and pledge this wouldnt cost the taxpayer a penny because of recouped private-sector profits.Which would be true, if Labour were only pledging to maintain a steady state of operation. But Corbyn isnt. He wants more trains. He wants heavily subsidised fares. He wants more guards and other railway staff. He wants them to be paid more, and have better pensions, and have better working conditions. And the person he wants to pay for all that is you.But dishonest and fiscally irresponsible though his strategy of credit-card socialism may be, at least Corbyn has a strategy. Theresa Mays plan for rebutting the perception that the country is falling apart at the seams has been harder to decipher.Labours leader has a clear message  austerity is crippling the nation. The Prime Ministers message  communicated by a close ally  is the following: Its not the age of austerity any more. You can see weve been introducing an element of fiscal loosening. Were now pursuing a balanced approach to the economy and spending. A balanced approach to the economy and spending is to be lauded.But in the age of the 140 Character Crisis its no response to the charge Youre murdering the sick in their beds! Nor is it a response to the very real challenges facing the nation. Though hyped by the Twitter warriors, the pressures on the NHS are real. As are the social-care crisis, the pensions crisis and the dangers of additional defence cuts.But at the moment the Prime Minister is unwilling to confront the nation with these realities, or the need to establish genuine national priorities.She remains scarred by her experience in the Election, when she told the British people Were going to have to make some tough choices and the British people replied: No, Im afraid were not.And that is where the real danger lies. Because though they will again slip from our consciousness, the crises that reared their heads this week are not simply going to vanish. Nor will they be magicked away by the Absolute Boy, and his strange brand of Left-wing Trumpian populism.I apologise, Theresa May said as she toured the crowded hospital wards last week. It was a humble and empathetic response.But in the age of the 140 Character Crisis, empathy and humility will not be enough.By many measures, downtown Portland is flourishing.

Employment and wages are up, and more businesses have opened than have closed. Vacancy rates remain near historic lows. Skyscrapers command record prices, and cranes loom over the skyline as development dollars and new residents continue to pour in.

Paradoxically, downtown retailers and others are faced with theft, break-ins, human waste and the detritus of the opioid epidemic on a regular basis. These problems are made worse by a shortage of police making the rounds, they say.

As 2017 drew to a close, the problems remained vexing and defied solutions that are both compassionate and effective. The underlying data raise as many questions as answers, and city leaders, pressed to respond to a situation some retailers feel has reached crisis levels, vow to keep downtown livability and safety as top priorities.

Business and city officials are quick to distinguish between crime and homelessness, emphasizing that those sleeping on the streets should be treated with compassion as long as they don't break any laws.

But just the presence of panhandlers or others lingering on the sidewalk can discourage some from visiting downtown's restaurants or shops. Meanwhile, recurring crime, no matter who commits it, wears thin for some.

Police staffing

Kevin Pilla owns Budd+Finn, a gift shop that sits between the Pearl District and Old Town/Chinatown. His store was broken into twice in two weeks around Thanksgiving, he said, resulting in a total loss of about $500 from his register.

Officers responded both times, though well after the incident and offered little hope the culprit would be caught.

"It's become a running joke, the number of police cards I have," Pilla said, referencing the business cards officers give him with the case numbers. "I should make a decoupage or something."

Pilla said the city sorely needs to beef up its police force.

According to Sgt. Chris Burley, a Portland police spokesman, the bureau is authorized to employ 946 officers, but currently has 935 sworn members. About 110 of these are still in training, he said.

Today's authorized staffing levels for officers are about what they were in 1994. Since then, Portland's population has grown by nearly 30 percent.

In November, the City Council voted to dedicate $2 million of a $12 million budget surplus to the Police Bureau. Burley said that money has allowed the bureau to hire 14 new officers.

Michael Cox, spokesman for Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, said the mayor's office will continue to support the bureau's efforts to reach "appropriate" staffing levels. He declined to provide a specific number.

Portland Police Association President Daryl Turner worked the Old Town beat for about 12 years altogether. Back in the '90s and early 2000s, he said, officers had time to walk their beats and initiate calls.

Now, with more calls and a smaller force, Portland officers spend more time responding to high-priority calls, rather than looking for crime or people in trouble, Turner said.

"Our call response times have doubled in the last five years," he said. "It used to be 2-3 minutes, now it's over 6 minutes."

That time isn't from the moment someone calls 911, but from the moment police are dispatched, he noted.

He says the force needs hundreds more officers to keep up with the growing population and officer turnover, but he does not expect the mayor's office to increase the authorized staffing level.

"This is not sustainable," he said. "We're running a Cadillac on a Volkswagen engine."

Crime rates

Overall, Portland crime rates have dropped since the 1990s, mirroring a nationwide decline.

But in 2017, data show, reported crime climbed in Portland overall and in downtown, Old Town/Chinatown and the Pearl District. Some of this increase is explained by the influx in residents and visitors as Portland's population grows and the city remains a popular destination for tourists.

According to the most recent Census data available, most of downtown Portland has seen double-digit residential growth in the last six years. Because Census tracts don't match up with the neighborhood boundaries police use when reporting crimes, it's difficult to calculate accurate crime rates, or the number of crimes per a certain number of residents.

Kris Henning, a criminology professor at Portland State University, explained even if the boundaries did match, the crime rate would be skewed, appearing higher than it really is. This is because of the large number of non-residents who visit downtown.

If crime rates could factor in these visitors, he said, "downtown would look a lot safer."

The Oregonian/OregonLive analyzed comparable data on offenses logged by Portland police in 2015, 2016 and 2017 for downtown, Old Town/Chinatown and the Pearl District. Earlier data is not included because police changed the way they categorize crimes in early 2015.

According to the data, several types of crime  including larceny, vandalism, drugs and prostitution  dipped slightly in 2016 before surging in 2017. But select offenses increased each year.

Assaults other than sexual assaults jumped considerably in the downtown neighborhoods. Officers recorded 861 assaults from May to November in 2017, nearly 25 percent more than the same period in 2015.

Reports of burglary downtown  the breaking-and-entering that Pilla experienced  have nearly doubled since 2015.

"I know my incident isn't a murder, but it's killing my business," Pilla said. "The impact is so much greater to a small business."

The data



Pilla, who moved to Portland from New York, opened his shop four years ago. His five-year lease is almost up, and he's not sure he'll renew it. In early December, his sales were down 25 percent compared with the prior year, he said.

"My numbers are off this year," he said, "and it's because no one is coming downtown anymore."

While it might be true for Pilla's block, most metrics suggest the opposite.

Dec. 18 numbers from Downtown Clean & Safe, which is managed by the Portland Business Alliance, showed a 40 percent increase in foot traffic on 10 downtown corners from December 2015 to December 2017.

Last year's tree lighting ceremony at Pioneer Courthouse Square drew an estimated crowd of 30,000, said Theresa Vetsch-Sandoval, spokeswoman for the square. That's far more than previous ceremonies, which drew about 15,000 to 17,000 people, she said.

According to Clean & Safe's annual business survey, employment downtown grew 2 percent from 2015 to 2016, from 97,281 to 99,031 jobs.

Kidder Mathews, a Seattle-based commercial real estate firm, reports average rents for downtown Portland (including the Pearl and Old Town) office buildings are rising quickly and vacancy rates would be hard-pressed to get much lower.

Retail vacancy rates don't look as good. About 9 percent of downtown retail space is vacant, whereas a healthy rate is usually defined as about 5 percent.

However, Jerry Holdner, a research director for Kidder Mathews, warned that Portland's storefront rate is skewed by the closure of Macy's large downtown store.

"That submarket would be healthy if Macy's hadn't moved out," he said. "It's just going to be a blip. It should rebound by summer, maybe."

Brokers for the vacant five floors of the Meier & Frank Building have found a tenant for the second floor in Oregon State University, but have yet to announce any retail or office tenants for the remaining four floors.

Some available parking data paint a mixed picture. Monthly transaction counts for the city's six SmartPark garages downtown show that the number of transactions has fallen over the last couple years.

According to the Portland Bureau of Transportation, at its busiest point in the summer of 2015, the system of garages logged 166,107 transactions. At its high point this summer, it recorded only 149,511 transactions.

Bureau spokesman Dylan Rivera said the decline doesn't necessarily mean the garage usage is dropping.

"There's so much demand for parking downtown," he said. "Anecdotally, we've seen people staying in the garages longer."

For instance, construction workers working on Multnomah County's new courthouse snap up many of the spaces at the garage at Southwest First and Jefferson, and stay all day, Rivera said.

And despite a recent fee increase for on-street parking meters downtown, the city's streets are "overflowing with demand," he said.

Perception

For 19 years, the city auditor's office surveyed thousands of Portlanders about city services and quality of life. The office produced the survey results in its annual community survey. It did not conduct the survey this year due to budget cuts.

The last survey, released in November 2016, offered discouraging results. "City livability rated the lowest in survey history," it declared. Marks for downtown fell too.

In 2012, 59 percent of respondents said downtown was a good place to work, shop and play. In 2016, that number dropped to 45 percent.

The survey also asked Portlanders how they felt walking alone downtown during the day and at night. In 2016, 63 percent said they felt safe during the day, and just a quarter of respondents said they felt safe at night. Those rates were the lowest the survey had seen in a decade.

Jessie Burke, co-owner of the Society Hotel in Old Town/Chinatown, which opened in 2015, has a different perspective. Business for the hotel, which offers hostel-style beds, has been booming, Burke said.

Across the street, on a cold afternoon, several people sat outside with blankets and belongings. Burke acknowledged that people sitting directly in front of businesses affects those shops' sales. But she warned against business owners being quick to make assumptions.

"We don't know everyone's circumstance," she said. "We can only be mad about people breaking the law. Whatever behavior is bothering people, if it's breaking the law, you get to be upset. If it's not, you don't."

Rather than complain about people loitering, Burke suggests business owners boost sales in a different way: Recruit businesses into nearby vacant storefronts. Those just looking for a place to sit likely won't want to set up shop in front of a bustling store or restaurant, she said.

Homelessness

Since January 2016, the county and its partners added more than 650 year-round shelter beds. Meanwhile, the city's Housing Bureau plans to complete 283 units of affordable housing this year.

But so far, the shelter beds and affordable apartments haven't been enough to keep up with the county's growing homeless population.

Every two years, Multnomah County conducts

of those in the area experiencing homelessness.

While the methodology has several limitations, it provides one of the only glimpses at how the number of homeless people in the county has changed over time.

This graph shows how homelessness has changed, according to the point-in-time count conducted by Multnomah County and the city of Portland every two years.

The count differentiates from those who were unsheltered, staying in emergency shelters or staying in temporary housing. As of Feb. 22, while the total number of people experiencing homelessness was down from its recent high point in 2011, the number of those unsheltered or in an emergency shelter (not including those in transitional housing) was at its highest point in the last eight years.

Central City Concern has served Portland for nearly 40 years. The nonprofit operates health clinics, addiction treatment centers and supportive housing facilities. It also helps people find employment.

Sean Hubert, the organization's chief housing and employment officer, said he's seen different types of people grappling with homelessness in recent years.

In past decades, people were often pushed into chronic homelessness by factors that often included poverty, addiction and domestic violence, he said. Now, new factors such as rising housing costs have forced people out of their homes. Baby boomers, with increasing health care costs and insufficient retirement savings, are also struggling more than most.

"Traditionally, we've worked with chronically homeless people," he said. "Now we're also wrestling with an aging population that's ending up on the street, and we're dealing with people who are just economically displaced."

Kaia Sand, the new executive director of Street Roots, says people without housing can experience more trauma, especially if they are victims of crime. Street Roots is Portland's alternative newspaper sold by and for homeless men and women.

Because they're more vulnerable, homeless people deserve more protection, she said in an email.

"If laws ultimately criminalize homelessness  making a horribly difficult situation more difficult  then those laws are unjust," she said. "Let's shift this focus from which seven feet of sidewalk someone dwells on to the fact that person has no good options, and moving them along is just piling more stress onto a traumatic situation."

Livability

Business owners, advocates and city leaders agree that no one thing will address their various complaints.

After Columbia Sportswear chief executive Tim Boyle threatened to move his company's Sorel offices out of its downtown location if incidents of harassment, theft and human waste didn't decrease, Wheeler added additional foot patrols by police to select parts of downtown.

Those patrols are still in place, Cox said. The mayor's office  with the help of police, city transportation officials and the Portland Business Alliance  also added "no-sit zone" signs to Portland sidewalks. One of the new signs was installed in front of the Columbia Sportswear flagship store downtown.

In response, protesters staged a sit-in at the store, and advocates criticized the no-sit policy for criminalizing homelessness.

Protesters gathered on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2017, at the entrance of Columbia Sportswear flagship downtown retail store at 911 S.W. Broadway Ave.

The Columbia incident illustrates the potential backlash business owners may face complaining about certain issues in progressive Portland.

In a December interview with The Oregonian/OregonLive, Portland Business Alliance President Sandra McDonough agreed that Portland needs more police officers, but acknowledged complaints of public drug use and defecation are harder to address.

This is partly because some livability issues aren't necessarily crimes, and because it's impossible to separate those committing crimes and those who are homeless.

"We want to be super-duper careful," McDonough said. "We don't believe that every person out there who is homeless is committing livability crimes."

And while addressing homelessness is a high priority for the business group, those committing crimes should be prosecuted, she said.

The Downtown Clean & Safe program, with its security and sanitation workers, is managed by the business alliance and operates within a 213-block area of downtown.

According to the group, workers collected nearly 17,000 needles in its district in 2016, up from about 10,000 the previous year. McDonough said workers were on pace to collect 30,000 needles in 2017.

Counts for graffiti tags, bags of trash and biohazards the workers removed were also all up significantly, according to Clean and Safe's statistics.

Jake France co-owns Boys Fort, a gift shop at Southwest Ninth and Morrison. (It's now closed due to building renovations. The owners are reopening at a different downtown location.) France said he saw someone shooting up on the sidewalk in plain view near his store the other day. He fought for years to remove the phone booth and other items in front of the shop, because they attracted drug dealers, he said.

While France said he'd like to see police officers be more aggressive with known drug dealers, he knows arresting those who use drugs isn't the answer.

France is among the business owners who are open to supervised injection sites in Portland, providing a safe place off the street for people to use drugs.

The facilities typically provide clean needles and access to medical staff, and are stocked with the overdose-reversing drug naloxone. Vancouver, B.C., is home to several such facilities, and in the Seattle area, King County is poised to open two injection sites, provided opponents don't find a way to block them.

Desperate times

But some business owners  especially those with small businesses  still feel unsupported.

Absent satisfactory responses from police or government officials, they've taken matters into their own hands, creating closed Facebook groups or sending out group texts to warn one another about shoplifters, harassers or those who are inebriated.

Tamara Goldsmith, owner of East Burnside boutique Redux, moderates one such group. She said shop owners want to be compassionate to those who are homeless or are suffering from mental health or addiction issues, but they're left with few good options.

"It's really sad because I wish we could allow some of them to stay and get warm, but if one learns that we have a restroom or welcome people to hang out, word will spread and we will be inundated by a much larger group the next day of folks who 'were told they could use our bathroom,'" she wrote in an email.

Fewer business owners felt there were enough social services in 2016 than in 2015, according to an annual survey of downtown business owners conducted by Clean & Safe.

Instead, the business owners call the county crisis line or provide directions or even rides to shelters or the ER, she said, but few have the time to do that on a regular basis.

And because Portland's small businesses don't have dedicated security or loss prevention personnel, employee safety is often an issue, especially when a person is working alone.

Calling the police does little to help, Goldsmith said. The police arrive too late, and if a person committing a crime is caught and taken into custody, they're often released the same day, sometimes coming back to the shop to seek revenge.

"These feel like desperate times downtown in Portland today," Goldsmith said. "There is a pervasive feeling among small business owners of feeling unprotected ... by both the police and our local government, and a lack of responsibility taken for our overall health and well-being."

POLL: Do you feel safe downtown?

-- Anna Marum

amarum@oregonian.com

503-294-5911

@annamarumMeasure 101, the subject of the ballots that dropped into Oregon mailboxes last week, stands almost alone among the vast bushels of Oregon tax measures.

For this one, some of the folks who would pay it are its strongest supporters.

It's like homeowners demanding to pay more property taxes.

Measure 101 puts a small tax on health care providers, insurance premiums and hospitals, and yet just about everybody in the Oregon health care community - doctors, nurses, hospitals, insurance providers, disease advocates, mothers who want their children to be doctors - supports it. In the medical community's thinking on Measure 101, it's not easy to find a second opinion.

The money raised by the tax would bring in a much larger amount from the federal government, protecting the health insurance of hundreds of thousands of Oregonians recently added to Medicaid. The strategy has already worked for Oregon and its health care community, and for some other states and their health care communities - which may be why so many providers are in such unusual agreement on a tax, even if they're paying it.

"It's very important that the majority of health care in Oregon is working behind 101," agrees Kevin Ewanchyna, a Corvallis family physician and Oregon Medical Association board member. "My colleagues and I all have stories about lives saved because people came in for primary care when they had coverage."

Over two years, the tax would collect between $210 million and $320 million from the Oregon health care community. But as matching funds, it would bring in as much as $630 million to $960 million from the federal government, covering the 350,000 Oregonians added to Medicaid by the Affordable Care Act, and supporting the reforms Oregon has made to its health care system in recent years.

Folks in health care aren't always in total agreement; doctors complain about insurance providers, hospitals complain about doctors. There are always conflicts, admits Jessica Adamson, director of government affairs for Oregon at Providence Health and Services, "But on this one we agree. We believe it's important to stand together to defend this package."

Oregon has done this before. In 2009, the legislature adopted a similar strategy to maximize the state's use of the Children's Health Insurance Program. That tax has lapsed now, after helping cut the proportion of uninsured Oregon children from 12 percent to 2 percent.

Everybody in Oregon health care also agrees that doing that was a good idea.

On the other hand, risking the federal support for insuring 350,000 Oregonians is a problem for everybody. Uninsured people endanger their own health, hurting themselves and the economy. But as we learned over decades, lack of insurance, preventing primary care, causes expensive emergency room appearances and late-stage treatment, costs landing on the entire system.

"When people lack access to affordable care," points out Janet Bauer of the Oregon Center for Public Policy, "everybody else's costs go up."

This would be especially true of defeating Measure 101, which includes a reinsurance plan protecting insurers against extreme individual expenses, otherwise spread over everyone's premiums. The savings to those who buy through the individual market is estimated to be $300 a year.

The Voting Pamphlet arguments against Measure 101, mostly from individuals, argue against any taxes, against providing health coverage for undocumented children, against abortion, against state college tuition levels and against Nike (it's a long story). They also object to the cost and quality of health care in Oregon, although it's not clear how risking federal money helps that.

But, state Rep. Cedric Hayden insists, "There's NO RISK 350,000 low-income Oregonians will lose health care if you vote NO on 101! Income tax revenue created by Oregon's $5 BILLION DOLLAR health care industry exceeds the revenue we need to fund Medicaid patients."

The state's just spending its money wrong, he explains, so all the legislature would have to do in its short session next month is redesign the state budget.

People in Oregon health care are less confident. Measure 101 "is the only guarantee we'll be able to qualify for the Medicaid benefit," says Adamson of Providence, currently the only statewide individual insurance provider. "Anything else is a gamble.

"There is no Plan B."

Never a comforting medical opinion.

It took six months - and multiple trips through the number-crunching Legislative Fiscal Office - for the legislature to put together the program and the budget behind Measure 101, and to gather the overwhelming support of Oregon health care behind it.

"That's why," explains Kevin Ewanchyna, "the physicians of Oregon have to support the expansion of the Medicaid program, and Measure 101. From my perspective, it's either Measure 101 or it's not happening."

To the people who provide health care in Oregon - who treat the patients and keep the facilities working - Measure 101 isn't just a proposal.

It's a prescription.

David Sarasohn's column appears on the first and third Sundays of the month. He blogs at davidsarasohn.com.At the Multnomah County Commission's Dec. 21 meeting, Chairwoman Deborah Kafoury repeatedly spoke over and attempted to silence her colleague, Commissioner Loretta Smith, who was pushing to have a question answered by the county attorney. Visibly angry, Kafoury adjourned the meeting, clicked off her microphone, turned aggressively toward Smith and called her a "bitch."

The entire episode, not simply the expletive, was stunning for its display of malice and disrespect toward Smith.

Kafoury, who has served on the board since 2008, doubled down on her bad behavior. She quickly issued a statement that, in part, laid blame for her "regrettable comment" on Smith's "behavior." Kafoury made another attempt at a public apology at last week's board meeting, which Smith did not attend. While Kafoury accurately acknowledged she'd been "unprofessional and disrespectful," she was stilted and stone-faced through an attempt to make amends that lasted less than two minutes.

It's understandable Kafoury wants to wrap up this sad affair and move on. Quickly. She's referred to this situation as "discord at the top." But this isn't discord. This is a complete and total disconnect.

Smith, an African American, had been pushing a line of questioning that pertained to concerns she said county employees had about potential racial discrimination and retaliation. It was not only a perfectly valid issue, but also one that's supposed to be a priority for county commissioners since a dozen frustrated and angry employees of color addressed them a few months ago.

County employees told this same board in September that they didn't feel as supported or valued as their white colleagues. They spoke of feeling bullied, belittled and ignored.

Consider the criticism. Bullied. Belittled. Ignored.

Back then, Kafoury immediately acknowledged that the county suffered from institutional racism. She challenged citizens to hold her accountable. She promised to address the issue by April. She also made a pledge to the employees who'd come forward. "I hear your concerns," she said at the time, "I feel your frustration and I am promising that we can and must do better for people of color."

That's not what they've witnessed over the past two weeks.

To be clear, Commissioner Smith has struggled with similar leadership issues, having been accused of making disrespectful and demeaning remarks to county employees.

An outside investigation found last June that she'd likely bullied and demeaned her own staff members, including complaints she'd made references to Muslims being terrorists and Hispanics as "illegals." She also allegedly called another commissioner a b----. Smith has said she did nothing wrong.

The citizens of Multnomah County deserve better. We can't afford another period in which our county commissioners are paralyzed by infighting and distrust. We have too many important issues to be addressed. Residents need more affordable housing, more services for the chronically homeless and more coordination in helping those who suffer addiction and mental health crises.

We don't need more contempt and denigration.

Kafoury has allowed what appears to be a troubled relationship with Smith to impact her ability to effectively lead. It's unfortunate, as the chairwoman has been laser-focused in her work so far, pushing through several projects that had stymied her predecessors. She'd seemed destined for continued political success at much higher levels.

Now, more than two dozen members of Portland's African American community have encouraged her to resign. They called her behavior vulgar, degrading, unprovoked and appalling, effectively keeping the spotlight on an issue that must be addressed. When Kafoury aimed to silence Smith during a public meeting, she was essentially silencing every citizen Smith represents.

Resignation is premature. Yet Kafoury should take the time now to address this glaring leadership flaw. Kafoury appears to need basic lessons on how to check anger and ego at the door and genuinely treat colleagues and employees with respect and dignity. Dealing with conflict in a respectful, fair and constructive manner is an essential quality of a good manager and can be learned. Kafoury should immediately seek steps to review that skill -- perhaps the other commissioners should, too. On their own dime.

Kafoury lived up to her promise to find an outside firm to evaluate how the county can make improvements to ensure all employees feel valued, respected and heard. Now it's time for the county's top leader to look inside herself and do the same work.

-- The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board

Oregonian editorials

Editorials reflect the collective opinion of The Oregonian/OregonLive editorial board, which operates independently of the newsroom. Members of the editorial board are Laura Gunderson, Helen Jung, Mark Katches and John Maher.

To respond to this editorial, post your comment below, submit an OpEd or a letter to the editor.

If you have questions about the opinion section,

, editorial pages editor, or call 503-221-8378.By Mohamed Alyajouri

December 29 marked exactly 29 years since I arrived in the United States. Back then, as my 10-year-old self sunk into the airplane seat on a very long and memorable flight from Yemen, a million thoughts swirled in my head about all that could possibly be waiting for us once we landed.

I'd never heard of Oregon or Corvallis and had no idea what part of the United States we were even going to. I'd only imagined what America was like based on postcards I'd received and old subtitled movies that my uncles let me watch back in Yemen. Now, almost 30 years later, Oregon remains my home. I cannot quantify how much growing up in this state has meant to me, and how it has paved the path for me to be who I am today.

After last year's election, many of us suffered inescapable and unhealthy levels of anxiety. This was no doubt magnified in minority communities, especially the Muslim communities across the country. Trump's racist agenda and divisive policies were going to upend our comfortable lives, even all the way here in dark blue, liberal Oregon.

Week after week, tweet after infuriating tweet, his words and actions exacerbated our fears. All the campaign speeches we loathed were no longer merely rhetoric, but policies with tangible consequences. One of the first was the executive order aiming to ban people from entering the U.S., from some majority Muslim countries, including Yemen, where nearly all my family lives.

While it was a very exhausting year, we also saw a reawakening of civic activism. A new resistance was born. People mobilized in unprecedented numbers to protest the assault on our basic rights. ACLU lawyers camped out at airport terminals across the country. Legislators voted to reject disastrous legislations. Federal judges blocked any unconstitutional strokes coming from President Trump's pen.

Perhaps the most beautiful and patriotic form of the resistance was the wave of American men and women of all backgrounds, faiths and ethnicities deciding to deputize themselves by running for office. Like them, I realized the best way to stand up to tyrannical and cruel polices was to be part of the solution. I realized that engaging in grassroots politics was an effective first step toward creating positive and meaningful change.

As a proud Oregonian, a Yemeni-American, and a first-generation Muslim immigrant, I decided to run for local public office -- something I never imagined on that first flight from Yemen. Within minutes of Trump officially signing his travel ban, I filed papers to run for office. I had officially joined the resistance. Soon after, more than 100,000 residents of Yamhill County and eastern Washington County and Southwest Portland would have a candidate named "Mohamed" on their ballots.

With a surprising show of support from family, friends and community members, along with endorsements from local and state leaders, I ran unopposed and won my first-ever election. On May 16, 2017, I was elected to the Portland Community College Board of Trustees. That night, I'm told, I became Oregon's first and only first-generation Muslim immigrant elected to public office.

Today, I can't help but reflect on my memorable first week in America. A frightened, anxious, non-English speaking 10-year-old immigrant was welcomed into Mr. Ed Curtin's fifth-grade classroom at Harding Elementary in Corvallis. Over the course of the next 29 years, my Oregon community would embrace me, believe in me and support me.

As we enter a new year, the Trump administration is likely gearing up for its fourth attempt at a travel ban. I pray it suffers the same fate as the first three. Such a cruel travel ban would have barred me, and anyone like me, from ever entering the United States.

Mohamed Alyajouri lives in Beaverton.

Share your opinion

Submit your essay of 500 to 600 words on a highly topical issue or a theme of particular relevance to the Pacific Northwest, Oregon and the Portland area to commentary@oregonlive.com. Please include your email and phone number for verification.The fashion set gathered at St. John's Church in Westminster yesterday morning to take in the collections of the London College of Fashion's ten graduate students from the prestigious MA Fashion Design Technology Menswear course. A DJ mixing afro beats and nu-funk with a live trumpet set the tone for a show that featured men in maxi skirts, pastel suits, retro styling and plenty of colorful gender-neutral collections. See behind the scenes moments from photographer Unai Mateo; you might just be spotting fashion's next big star:

Designers:



Yixin Zhang

Hengminlu

Hanni Yangg

Wenya Huang

Han Xu

XuBo

Yingyi Lu

Ming Lai Lee

Sohyeon ParkAt the 2018 Golden Globes tonight, scores of stars plan to wear all black on the red carpet as a sign of solidarity with survivors of sexual assault and harassment. The sartorial protest is part of the broader Time's Up initiative, a movement spearheaded by powerful women in Hollywood that also includes a legal defense fund for women who can't afford representation in cases of sexual harassment.

Rosario Dawson is one of those women, and on Friday she took to Instagram to ask her followers to join in wearing black clothes, whether they planned to watch the Globes or not.

Related | Meet the Woman Photographing the 2018 Golden Globes on Instagram



"We wear black to symbolize solidarity," she says in the video. "The death knell has struck on abusive power, and it's time to celebrate each other  not just the nominees on our film and television screens but our storytellers who have bravely come forward and courageously shared their stories which have liberated so many of us." Rosario finished her powerful message with the words: "Time's up. Please join us in blacking out on Sunday."

Reese Witherspoon and Eva Longoria echoed the sentiment on social media too, sharing Dawson's video and encouraging their followers to stand in solidarity:

Yaaas @rosariodawson! This is why we wear black! Everyone can join in tomorrow and post a pic of yourself in Black standing in solidarity with women everywhere trying to fight the imbalance of power! #TIMESUP on abuses of power! Today is a new day! pic.twitter.com/uGrJ6ja7FY

 Eva Longoria Baston (@EvaLongoria) January 6, 2018

Love everything @rosariodawson just said ... thank you to all the brave people women & men who have come forward with your stories. https://t.co/4HbS5QGUHL

 Reese Witherspoon (@RWitherspoon) January 6, 2018

A group of more than 300 actresses, writers, producers, directors and agents have signed the Times Up initiative. In another video, Witherspoon and Tracee Ellis Ross and Rashida Jones say they've already raised $15 million for the legal fund.

Image via Getty

Two new Class Actions were filed against Apple. One is from Melody Munro in San Francisco and the other from Brooklyn, New York. The first case presented below is from Yisroel Brody who is charging that Apple purposely slowed older iPhones through software updates to encourage sales of new iPhones. In one part of Brody's testimony he states the following:



"In or around August 2015, Plaintiff Brody purchased an iPhone 6 to own and operate. After experiencing slow and diminished performance, Brody went to his local Verizon store and had an "MRI" diagnostic test run on his iPhone 6 to determine whether there had been any physical, electrical and/or other damage to the phone. The diagnostic test revealed no physical, electrical, or other damage to the phone, and Brody was advised that its diminished performance was on account of Apple's recent iOS updates and its effect on the battery life and function.

As a result of the diminished performance of his iPhone 6, Brody reached out to the warranty department of Verizon Wireless in December 2017 for a needed replacement phone. Because the iPhone 6 was no longer available, they replaced his phone with an iPhone 6S. Presently, however, his iPhone 6S experiences the same slowdowns and operational problems that he experienced with his iPhone 6, and will need to replace his new iPhone 6S out of pocket."

Elsewhere Brody notes: "Instead of enhancing the performance of class iPhones through iOS updates which are compatible and supportive of the devices' operating systems, as Apple had represented, Apple distributed iOS updates which significantly and negatively interfered with class iPhones performance, including the slowing of class iPhones to the point of significant lag time and/or interference of ordinary use.

As a result of Defendant's wrongful actions, Plaintiff and members of the proposed classes have been injured by either continuing to use slowed class iPhones which experience significant lag time and interfere with the phones' ordinary use, or purchase a new model iPhone."

Causes for Action

Count 1: FRAUDULENT MISREPRESENTATION

Count 2: FRAUDULENT CONCEALMENT

Count 3: BREACH OF IMPLIED CONTRACT

Count 4: VIOLATIONS OF NEW YORK'S GENERAL BUSINESS LAW  350

Count 5: VIOLATIONS OF NEW YORK'S GENERAL BUSINESS LAW  350

For more details on this case, review the full Class Action lawsuit filings below provided to you courtesy of Patently Apple

Class Action Filed by Yisroel Brody in New York vs Apple, January 2018 by Jack Purcher on Scribd

Class Action #27

Starting today going forward, on days where multiple Class Action lawsuits have been published against Apple, we'll present one full case and then simply list the others in simple form as presented below for Class Action #27 filed by Melody Munro from San Francisco.





Class Action Lawsuit Reports Posted on this One Issue since December 22, 2017

26: Class Actions #26 and #27 against Apple for Purposely Slowing iPhones were filed in Brooklyn and San Francisco

25: Class Action #25 against Apple for Purposely Slowing iPhones was filed in Missouri, with 4 Additional Foreign Filings on the way

24: iPhone Fans in San Jose seem to be Really Angry at Apple, as Class Action #24 marks the 3rd Filing made from there on Friday

23: Class Action #23 against Apple was filed in San Jose for Deceptively Slowing iPhones, a Practice Apple Competitors don't engage in

22: Class Action #22 against Apple was filed in San Jose California for Slowing iPhones by Misrepresentation and Deception

21: Class Action #21 against Apple was filed in Brooklyn for Intentionally Degrading the iPhone's Performance

20: Class Action #22 against Apple was filed in San Jose California for Slowing iPhones by Misrepresentation and Deception

19: Class Action #21 against Apple was filed in Brooklyn for Intentionally Degrading the iPhone's Performance

18: Class Action #20 against Apple is demanding $5 Billion for Purposely Slowing iPhones

17: The First Class Action against Apple in 2018 over slowing iPhones was filed in Cincinnati Ohio

16: Class Action #18 has been filed against Apple in Chicago for Purposely 'Throttling Processor Speed' to Induce sales of new iPhones

15: Class Action Lawsuits #16 and #17 against Apple over Purposely Slowing iDevices were filed in Mississippi and Missouri

14: Class Action #15 filed in Indiana Claims Apple Software Updates dramatically & artificially reduced performance of Legacy Devices

13: First Class Action from New Orleans Claims that Apple 'Designed Software Updates' to slow iPhones to Encourage New Sales

12: Despite Apple's Public Apology and Explanation over the Performance of Batteries, another Class Action was Filed Yesterday in San Jose

11: First Class Action from Texas Claims that Apple Intentionally Designed Software Updates to Slowdown iPhones

10: First Class Action against Apple from Chicago Surfaces Claiming 'Intentional Sabotage of Older Model iPhones'

09: Apple Hit with a Lawsuit over Slowing iPhones in France and a Pair of Law Firms in Korea are Preparing Class Actions

08: The 10th Class Action against Apple Claims they Fraudulently Omitted Information about the Battery Issue in order to sell new iPhones

07: The 9th Lawsuit against Apple for Purposely slowing iPhones Points to Fraud, Unjust Enrichment and 9 other Causes for their Class Action

06: The 7th and 8th Class Action Lawsuits have been filed in New York and California with one Suit demanding an insane $999 Billion Payout

05: Apple Hit with a $125 Million Class Action in Israel over Purposely Slowing iPhones

04: Apple hammered with Class Action #5 for slowing iPhone Battery Issue

03: The Fourth Lawsuit against Apple regarding the slowing iPhone Battery Issue was filed in New York on Friday

02: Apple has been hit with a Third Battery Issue Related Lawsuit by a Bay Area Resident

01: In the Blink of an Eye, Apple's Admission of Slowing Batteries on Older iPhones turns into a Class Action Lawsuit (this report covers two class action lawsuits)

Please note that it's been reported that lawsuits against Apple on this issue are in-the-works in France, South Korea, Australia and Canada in 2018, but are not presently official and therefore cannot be a part of the official list of Class Actions noted above.





About Comments: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit comments. Those using abusive language or negative behavior will result in being blacklisted on Disqus.Patna: The Railway Protection Force (RPF) in Patna, working side by side with the Government Railway Police (GRP) on Saturday, recovered five army explosive fuses that were stolen from the Himgiri Express last Wednesday.

After following up on all tips and clues, authorities traced the fuses to a pond near Patna Saheb railway station. Kept inside a metal box, the fuses were being transported from Pathankot in Punjab to Howraw in West Bengal by Himgiri Express when thieves, after breaking into the railway parcel van, stole the box and disappeared somewhere between Patna and Patna Saheb.

Talking to the reporters, GRP official A S Thakur said that police had earlier detained three men in the case after interviewing more than a dozen suspects in the case. One of them finally cracked and confessed of the crime.

He then led the cops to a pond just at the outer signal of Patna Saheb. Upon search, the police found all five fuses and also the steel box in the same vicinity.

More arrests are expected in the case, police said.This item is available in full to subscribers.

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Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing.Patna: Like the seven stages of grief, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leaders, in the wake of the conviction of party President Lalu Prasad Yadav who was given three and a half years in prison connection with the illegal withdrawal of fund from the Deoghar Treasury, went into a huddle at the Lalu residence in Patna to cope with the bad news and how to figure out how to deal with it in the coming days.

After initial outburst of anger leading to pointing fingers towards everyone including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the party, led by Yadav's youngest son Tejaswi Yadav, decided to go on a 'yatra' to 'spread the message of social justice' as envisioned by his father.

Calling it a 'Lalu Sandesh Yatra', Tejaswi Yadav, said he would embark on a yatra to seek justice for his father who, he, along with other party leaders, insists that was framed by his political enemy like Amit Shah and Nitish Kumar, and to spread the gospel of his father on social justice.

The RJD chief's son also read a letter written by his father from the Birsa Munda Jail that speaks against upper caste (Manuwadis) who 'conspired' against him to finish him off politically.

"These Manuwadis have played many games against me... CBI was sent after me, my family was involved, even the Army was sent to send me to jail. They conspired to lodge false cases against my innocent children to demoralize them. My homes were raided by the CBI. When they could not beat us at the ballot box, they usurped the power through the back door. However, Lalu is not worried," the letter read.

It goes on to say that the Prime Minister of India and the Chief Minister of Bihar colluded with the CBI, Income Tax, and the Enforcement Directorate to destroy him and his family but he was never afraid of them. "A person who has a family of crores of people, will not be intimidated," it said.

The meeting was held at Rabri Devi's residence on 10 Circular Road in the presence of top party leaders and hundreds of supporters.

Rabri Devi, flanked by her two sons, tried to put up a brave face in her moment of adversity and urged the party workers and leaders to maintain calm and go to all district in Bihar to spread the ideals of Yadav who now remains convicted twice in plundering Bihar and embezzling government fund while he was the Chief Minister of Bihar.

Tejaswi, the former Deputy Chief Minister, who earlier compared his father to Gandhi and Mandela, said that had his father compromised with the BJP, he would have been deemed as Raja Harishchandra, a king in the Indian mythology considered to be the paragon of honesty and truth.Patna: NDA leaders in Bihar, in almost a unison, hailed the CBI court's decision in Ranchi to give three and a half years imprisonment to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) President Lalu Prasad Yadav in connection with an offshoot of the fodder scam saying the former Chief Minister deserved it and had it coming for all the crimes he had committed when he and his party was in power in Bihar.

Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leaders Pashupati Kumar Paras and Chirag Paswan, MP-Jamui, welcomed the court pronouncement saying it would serve as a major deterrent to all corrupt ministers and officials that no one was above the law.

"The court hands out its verdict and punishment based on the evidences available. To say that the CBI judge was influenced by his caste and Lalu Prasad Yadav's caste is not only wrong, it shows how low the RJD family has sunk to protect a convicted criminal," Paras said.

Janata Dal  U spokesperson Sanjay Singh declared it was the victory of the people of Bihar.

"Today Bihar has received the justice that it deserved. I thank RJD leader Shivanand Tiwari for filing case against the party chief. He is one of the few original petitioners who brought the case of corruption against Lalu Prasad Yadav in the '90s. Today he is shedding crocodile tears before Rabri Devi and Tejaswi Yadav because he knows what's good for him," he said.

BJP leader and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, in his statement, said that by convicting Lalu, the court has confirmed criminal charges against the RJD leader.

"A punishment is a punishment even if it's only for three and a half years. The fact remains Lalu Prasad Yadav is a convicted criminal and no amount of spinning will change this fact," he said.

Modi further said that RJD leaders were blaming political vendetta on part of the BJP for Yadav's conviction and incarceration but they were forgetting that the case was lodged against the RJD chief when A R Kidwai was the Governor of Bihar and H D Devegowda was the Prime Minister of India who had ordered the then joint director of the CBI U N Biswas to investigate the fodder scam.

"Kidwai was a through and through Congress man and it was Lalu Prasad Yadav who had helped Devegowda to become the Prime Minister of India," Modi said.

BJP state President Nityanand Rai also welcome the CBI verdict saying the man who stole the money of the poor people of Bihar deserved this fate and any attempt to make him a martyr by his children, wife, or party leaders was laughable.

"The man who mercilessly robbed Bihar and stole from poor deserves a lot more than what he has been given," Rai said.The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation has noted with concern, the public apprehension which has been precipitated by Television Licence fee, its collection and the possibility of prosecution.



The Television Licence fee promulgated under NLCD 89 as amended, requires all owners of Television sets to pay a Licence fee of GHC36.00 per a set and GHC60.00 for two or more for a year. This is regulated under L.I 2216.



 But of critical importance to the Board of GBC is the feedback from the public which it considers rich and informative, to the extent that GBC wants to assure the general public that its primary concern is to encourage all and sundry to voluntarily pay the TV Licence fee; and not to necessarily haul persons before the law courts for prosecution.



 The Board and Management further states that although GBC is mandated to collect the fee by law, a responsibility that would not be reneged on, the Corporation in order to realize that objective would intensify its education and ensure easy access to pay points of the Licence fee.



 Whilst encouraging all to pay the TV Licence fee, it is important to state that GBC as Public Broadcaster, when adequately funded by the public, could be weaned-off commercial advertising, since program diversity and quality should not be driven on the wheels of Commercial concerns.



 The Board and Management wishes to state that like older Public Service Broadcasters such BBC (UK), NHK (JAPAN) and ABC (AUSTRALIA); GBC also carries a constitutional mandate that must reflect the economic, cultural and political aspirations of all Ghanaians. This mandate is reflected in our obligation to cover national events, promote inclusion and drive the nation's developmental effort.



 GBC is, therefore, assuring the public that as critical partners for its success and sustenance, the public is urged to engage the Corporation to ensure that their concerns with respect to GBC's operations are seriously addressed.



The Board and Management of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) take this opportunity to wish its cherished viewers and listeners a Happy New Year.





DR. KWAME AKUFFO ANOFF-NTOW

DIRECTOR GENERAL

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured VideoThe Member of Parliament for North Tongu constituency, Samuel Okudjeto Ablakwa, is praying the country does not incur a judgement debt on its hands in the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) First Aid Kit saga



He prefers a thorough probe into the issue so the "poor taxpayer" does not "bear the brunt".



This DVLA first aid kit; are we sure there is no binding agreement? Are we sure there is no potential judgment debt because how did kit arrive and they were positioned at all the vehicle registration centres across the country? They have already been sold; we dont know the kind of agreement that whoever private collaborator is holding and what are the terms and so there are fundamental questions that we should be asking and we hope that again somebody is not going to go to court; win a judgment debt and the poor tax payer bear the brunt he said during a panel discussion on Joy FMs Newsfile programme, Saturday.



The DVLA introduced the compulsory charge of Ghc108 for the acquisition of First Aid Kits for new vehicle owners seeking to register their vehicles.



This decision was met with stiff opposition from vehicle owners, who argued that they reserve the right to purchase such items by themselves at a cheaper cost.



The Ministry of Transport subsequently instructed management of the DVLA, to immediately halt mandatory charges for First Aid kits.



Subsequently, the DVLA issued a statement, apologising and suspending the charges for the first aid kits.



Reports that emerged after the suspension indicate that the DVLA are unwilling to refund the monies of those who have already paid for the first aid kits.



However, Mr Ablakwa says the authority cannot say they will not refund the money.



According to him, refunds should happen



Meanwhile, the North Tongu MP does not understand why the DVLA will engage in such an illegality and yet nobody is being sanctioned.



I am not too sure of the stories of they not being awareI think that when it goes bad then they ask somebody to take the fall because how can I explain the reason behind nobody being sanctioned publicly? No chief executive is losing their position he added.

Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured VideoThe Central Regional Branch of the National Democratic Party (NDP) has cautioned the current New Patriotic Party (NPP) government not to repeat the mistakes of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) which sent them out of power.



In a statement issued in Cape Coast, the NDP said while it appreciates major policies introduced by the NPP such as the Free SHS to bring socio-economic relief to Ghanaians and the signing of the Special Prosecutors bill into law, such initiatives would not automatically win the NPP a second term in office.



It said the NPP must ensure that its administration dealt decisively with all forms of indiscipline that have reared the head in the country.



The statement noted that the NPP must work harder to ensure that their promises to Ghanaians are fulfilled to bring economic relief to all.



Political Saboteurs



The statement further cautioned the NPP to be wary of political saboteurs whose motive is to undermine the work of the administration.



The NPP structure is replete with personalities that are on an espionage mission to give the NDC vital information which may punch holes or create problems into the partys administration it said.



The statement explained that, the current administration was somehow repeating some of the mistakes committed by the NDC which led the party into opposition, adding that Ghanaians are politically alert and would not hesitate to make changes in government.



Sound Economic Policies



It advocated for the strengthening of government structures to avoid internal squabbles as well as implement sound economic policies that would aid the transformation of the country.



It urged the NPP to be bold and focused while making room for constructive criticisms at all times.



The statement further admonished the NPP to do introspection of how it lost power in 2008 after the implementation of good policies such as Youth Employment, School Feeding, Free Maternal Care, MASLOC as well as the introduction of the Metro Mass Transport among others, and strive to introduce policies that better the lives of all.

Source: Daily Graphic









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured VideoDr Vladimir Antwi-Danso, an experienced Researcher and Consultant on International Relations, says the Government has performed creditably in the first year in office.



He expressed optimism that some key policies and programmes initiated by the Government within the period would yield the needed results in the ensuing years.



He commended President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for constituting his government immediately after the inauguration, while all his appointees had equally performed to expectation, saying; None of the ministers has shown mediocrity in the discharge of his or her duties.



Dr Antwi-Danso, who is also the Acting Executive Director of the Centre for Local Governance Advocacy, said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra, to express his thoughts on the Governments performance during the year under review.



The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Government would chalk one year in office on Sunday, January 7, 2018 when the then President-Elect Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his vice, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia were sworn into office.



Commenting on whether the Presidents actions and inactions had improved the rule of law in the country, Dr Antwi-Danso said it was not the President alone who was supposed to promote the rule of law, but the democratic institutions, the media and the structures put in place must work collectively to enhance it.



He noted that the President inherited an undisciplined society, which permeated through various governance institutions and structures.



He cited political vigilantism by members of the Invincible Forces, a group affiliated to the ruling NPP, which invaded court rooms and forcefully ejected appointed personalities and individuals from office.



There is too much indiscipline in society with even some school kids attacking their teachers, some police personnel and some religious leaders engaging in various acts of indiscipline, among others, and these things must stop, Dr Antwi-Danso said.



He noted that as long as indiscipline was pervasive in the society, it was a constant reminder that, the President, the media and all stakeholders were supposed to play their respective roles to help dib it in the bud.



Touching on some foreign dignitaries that visited the country during the year under review, Dr Antwi-Danso said it was a clear indication that Ghana was on the right track and a force to reckon with in the international arena.



I believe that it will translate into Foreign Direct Investments with businesses coming here to transact business with us, he said.



Some very important personalities that visited Ghana last year included the Prime Minister of Italy, Paolo Gentiloni, French President Emmanuel Macron, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and the King of the Kingdom of Morocco, His Majesty King Mohammed VI.

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured VideoThe family of the late political commentator and Managing Editor of the Al-Hajj newspaper, Alhaji Bature Iddrisu, has cautioned politicians and other individuals who intend to make political profit from the death of their brother to desist from such attempt.



An activist of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dela Coffie, on Saturday condemned former President John Mahama and the NDC on social media for going ahead with an already-scheduled Unity Walk of the party in the Brong Ahafo Region instead of calling it off to mourn with the family of the late Editor of the Al-hajj newspaper, who was also a staunch supporter of the NDC. Click to read more



The family, in a statement said they are extremely scandalised by the inexorable attempts by some political entrepreneurs to score despicable political points with the sudden death of Alhaji Bature Iddrisu by launching unwarranted attacks on former President John Dramani Mahama for not showing up at the burial service of their late brother.



We believe the Mahama family came to the rescue of our late brother at the time he needed them most and the best way to reciprocate is to appreciate their kind gesture



Below is the full statement



The Iddrisu family is extremely scandalized by the inexorable attempts by some political entrepreneurs to score despicable political points with the sudden death of Alhaji Bature Iddrisu by launching unwarranted scathing attacks on former President John Dramani Mahama.



While we acknowledge the inherent rights of any person or group of persons to criticize the former President, we strongly object to crafty attempts to use the death of our late brother as fertile political grounds to sow seeds of political profiteering.



The contributions of His Excellency John Dramani Mahama; his brother, Mr Ibrahim Mahama and the Mahama family in general, from the day the late Alhaji Bature Iddrisu was admitted at the hospital, to the time of his death and its aftermath, are too great a virtue for the Iddrisu family to gross over. We believe the Mahama family came to the rescue of our late brother at the time he needed them most and the best way to reciprocate is to appreciate their kind gesture.



We don't have the authority of the Mahama family to make public their contributions to Alhaji Bature prior to his death, but if there was any creature on earth who took special interest in the upkeep of him while on admission at the hospital, it was the Mahama family.



For the records, the former President was in touch with us while in Techiman, and indeed joined the Muslim community in Techiman zongo to observe jannaiza prayers prior to the burial of Alhaji Bature. A minute of silence was observed during the Unity Walk in Techiman in memory of the fallen Hero. The former President sent entourage led by Alhaji Collins Dauda and other NDC stalwarts to represent him at the burial ceremony due to his absence as a result of circumstances beyond his control.



It is awfully shocking that persons who never checked up on Alhaji Bature while on his sick bed and never showed up for his burial rites or called to check up on arrangements, are the ones demonizing those who singlehandedly stood by him in times of difficulty.



We are by this statement warning any person or group of persons who wants to latch on Alhaji Bature's death to settle political scores to desist from it immediately.



We have lost a national hero, and the best we can do to preserve his legacy and memory is to pray for his soul to rest in peace.



Amos Blessing Amorse



News Editor The aL-hAJJ/Spokesperson for the Iddrisu family



#0244745784

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured VideoDolly Getz of Lancaster County admits she doesn't always follow a recipe when baking.

That philosophy may have helped the Lititz woman win the blue ribbon Jan. 6 in the chocolate cake competition at the 2018 Pa. Farm Show.

"I'm horrible at following directions, so I tweak things," Getz said.

Dolly Getz of Lititz, Lancaster County, won the blue ribbon Jan. 6 for her chocolate coconut cake at the 2018 Pa. Farm Show.

Her entry, a three-layer Almond Joy chocolate cake with coconut filling and coconut flavored frosting, was made from coconut oil, not vegetable oil. She also said she toasted the almonds instead of using raw almonds.

"It was just the little things," Getz said.

She was awarded a blue ribbon and a $500 prize.

Winning on the opening day of the Farm Show brought back memories for Getz. In 1992, she won the chocolate cake contest at age 18.

In addition to altering recipes, Getz said she uses quality ingredients.

"You've got to use good ingredients. You can't take lousy ingredients and have a good product in the end," she said.

Getz advanced to the Farm Show cake competition after winning at the Elizabethtown Fair. There were 71 entries in the chocolate cake contest, which is sponsored by the Pennsylvania State Association of County Fairs.

Here is the winning recipe:

Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup cocoa

2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1/2 cup melted coconut oil

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

2 large eggs

1 cup hot water

Coconut Filling

14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

3 cups sweetened shredded coconut

2-4 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted

Coconut Frosting

1 1/4 cups butter

1 1/4 cups shortening

10 cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons coconut extract

5-6 tablespoons water or milk

Chocolate Ganache

6 ounces (1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Almond Joy candy bars, optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare three 8-inch cake pans with non-stick baking spray and parchment paper in the bottom. Add the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt to a large mixer bowl and combine. Set aside.

Add the milk, oil, vanilla extract and eggs to medium sized bowl and combine. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and beat until well combined. Slowly add the hot water to the batter and mix on low speed until well combined.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is well combined. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and bake for 22-25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs.

Remove cakes from oven and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

To make the coconut filling, add the shredded coconut and sweetened condensed milk to a medium bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.

To make the frosting, cream the butter and shortening in a large mixer bowl and mix together until well combined. Add half the powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add the coconut extract. Slowly add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add water or milk, as needed.

To build the cake, use a large serrated knife to remove the tops of the cake layers so they are flat. Place the first cake layer on a serving plate or cardboard cake circle. Then pipe a dam of coconut frosting around the edge of the cake. Add about half of the coconut filling inside the dam, then spread evenly. Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of slivered almonds over the top and press into the filling.

Add the next cake layer, then top it with another dam of frosting, the remaining coconut filling and more almonds. Add the final cake layer. Smooth out the frosting on the top and sides. Set the cake aside and make the chocolate ganache.

Put the chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl. Microwave the heavy whipping cream until it just begins to boil and then pour it over the chocolate chips. Allow it to sit for 2-3 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Use a squeeze bottle or a spoon to drizzle the chocolate around the edges of the cake, then fill in the top of the cake and smooth it with an offset spatula.

Allow the ganache to firm a bit, about 10 minutes, then top cake with remaining frosting, a little more shredded coconut, almond slivers and Almond Joy candy bars.The annual Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg can attract more than a half-million visitors but reported crime is nearly non-existent at the family-friendly event.

Police statistics for last year's show revealed just seven minor crimes reported during the eight-day celebration.

The crimes were single incidents of disorderly conduct, harassment, and retail theft and two incidents each of criminal mischief and theft by unlawful taking.

In all, police arrested three people in connection with the criminal mischief, retail theft and one theft by unlawful taking.

Police also cited six people with disorderly conduct in connection with an animal-rights protest aimed at disrupting the governor's opening remarks.

No details were available about the other specific crimes reported last year, but Troy Thompson, spokesman for the Capitol Police, said officers provide enough of a presence to ensure visitors' safety and deter criminal activity.

Capitol police work with Pennsylvania State police to provide the bulk of the coverage. State Police said Capitol police are in charge of keeping the crime statistics.

"A sufficient amount of troopers from around the state will be assigned 24/7 to the Farm Show to handle the event," State Police Spokesman Trooper Brent Miller said about this year's event, which started Saturday.

An estimated 585,000 people walk through the complex's doors for the annual Farm Show, according to a 2013 attendance study.

Using that attendance figure and the crime statistics provided by Capitol Police for last year, a typical person's chance of becoming the victim of a minor crime at the Farm Show are .00001.

The most serious crime in recent history at the Farm Show was a domestic-violence shooting inside a recreational vehicle parked at the complex in 2012. A 61-year-old man was sentenced to 6 to 20 years in prison after shooting his wife during an argument and leaving her for dead in their vehicle. She was able to honk the horn to summon help after he fled.

The Farm Show is free but parking cost $15 per vehicle. The show's hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. most days.The media and the political left are primed to have a field day with the dust-up between President Donald Trump and his former chief strategist, Steve Bannon.

Republican strategist Charlie Gerow (PennLive file)

The rift, which is an ever-increasing chasm, between the two was highlighted by comments made by Bannon in Michael Wolff's new book, "Fire and Fury," which hit the shelves this week.

It should be pointed out right away that Michael Wolff, (not to be confused with our own Michael Wolf, the former Pennsylvania Secretary of Health and a genuinely good guy) doesn't exactly carry a sterling reputation for journalistic integrity.

He's often fashioned accurate snippets into broader narratives that were non sequiturs at best. He's famous for trying to make a lot out of a little.

In his most recent work, he had a media salivating over the Bannon shots at his former boss and his kids. They got what they wanted, even though Maggie Haberman of the New York Times told us that Wolff "gets basic details wrong."

Bannon hasn't denied saying any of the things attributed to him. Trump hasn't retreated one inch from the scathing remarks he made about Bannon when his comments were revealed.

When there are dust-ups of this sort between presidents and former members of their staffs, as there inevitably are, guess who "wins?"

Bannon was, as the president caustically reminded us, a "staffer." However, he was no low-level hanger-on. He was the chief strategist. He was in the inner circle. He'd been a key player in the campaign.

Many have suggested that the true nature of their scuffle was the question of whether Trump made Bannon or Bannon made Trump.

Regardless of how you want to slice that apple, the fact is that Bannon is damaged by this far more than Trump.

Even after he left the White House, his relationship to Donald J. Trump was the key to Steve Bannon's political fortunes.

Bannon had a platform and an audience before his involvement with Donald Trump. There's no denying the fact that his voice was amplified exponentially by his involvement with the Trump campaign and presidency.

He needed to remain one of the keepers of the Trump flame in order to advance his own brand and continue to raise money, both for candidates and his enterprises.

Now some of Bannon's key financial backers in the private sector, the Mercer family in particular, are moving away from Bannon.

At the same time the Trump base will stick with their leader. Discussions about Steve Bannon are mostly in the realm of political junkies.

The core Trump constituency didn't vote for Steve Bannon. Most don't even know who he is. Their loyalty and allegiance, largely unwavering, is to the man in the Oval Office.

Trump also got an unexpected political boost from the dustup with Bannon. So-called "Establishment Republicans" rallied to his side. How long that lasts is an open question, but for now it's a plus for the president.

Unfortunately, once again, palace intrigue stories threatened to obscure some really good news for the Trump administration.

The economy, about which the 2018 mid-term elections will focus, is continuing to move upward.

The stock market hit 25,000 this week, the fastest 1,000-point acceleration in the market's history.

At the week's close it was at nearly 25,300, a 2 percent increase in a single week. The staggering increases in the market are poised to continue as earnings will increase as the result of the recent cuts in corporate tax rebates.

It's a mistake for the Trump administration (or any other) to tie its political fortunes to stock prices. But, in addition to the continuing bull market, other economic indicators are also pointing upward.

Unemployment is at recent lows. All sectors of the economy, except retail, are moving dramatically upward. The tide is rising and all boats are going up with it.

Economic growth are the two most important words in the domestic policy lexicon. For eight years we were told to get used to anemic growth. Now we're able to see a bright future of prosperity for everyone.

Telling that story has infinitely more benefit than publicly washing the dirty laundry of administrative in-fighting. Why Wolff was granted the access he got is a puzzling question.

Unfortunately the early days of the Trump administration didn't have the internal disciplines and procedures imposed by now Chief Of Staff General John Kelly.

Kelly ushered in much more professionalism in the inner working of the West Wing.

It was a lack of that level of professionalism and an equal lack of it on the part the author that gave us "Fire and Fury."

Charlie Gerow, the CEO of Quantum Communications in Harrisburg, is a PennLive Opinion contributor. His "Donkeys & Elephants" column appears weekly opposite progressive commentator Kirstin Snow.Being the first to declare his candidacy and paying visits to Republicans in their home counties for the past year paid off for gubernatorial candidate Scott Wagner on Saturday.

A straw poll of GOP state committee members from 24 Central Pennsylvania counties showed overwhelming support for the York County senator who announced his candidacy a year ago for this year's governor's race.

Out of the 99 committee members in attendance at the meeting held at the Harrisburg Hershey Sheraton, Wagner received 62 for votes as the candidate they believe is best suited to take on Gov. Tom Wolf, a fellow York countian, in November.

His opponents House Speaker Mike Turzai, of Allegheny County, received 22 votes, retired Army officer and Allegheny County health care executive Paul Mango, 13 votes, and attorney Laura Ellsworth, also of Allegheny County, received two votes.

The straw vote serves as an indicator as to where the candidates stand in the four-way contest the and if the party chooses to endorse someone, who has the best chance of winning its backing, said the party's Central Caucus co-chairman Dick Stewart.

Wagner's campaign manager Jason High said the Central Caucus's strong support signals committee members' belief Wagner is not only the "prohibitive favorite to win the Republican nomination" but also the "only conservative outsider in this race that can change the status quo in Harrisburg."

GOP committee members from the northeast region were also meeting today to take their straw votes in this and other contested races. Meetings in other regions of the state are scheduled later this month or early next month in advance of the Republican State Committee meeting on Feb. 10 when a decision will be made regarding a party endorsement.

4-way gubernatorial primary may test value of GOP endorsement

High expressed confidence that Wagner would fare well in other regional caucuses' straw votes as well.

"Scott will continue to unify Republicans across Pennsylvania behind his candidacy to ensure that he has the best chance of defeating Governor Wolf and secure down ballot wins for the party in November," he said.

Meanwhile, a campaign strategist for Turzai, who was the last of the four candidates to enter the race, found reason for hope in Saturday's second-place finish considering this was Wagner's home turf.

"We knew our campaign would need a fast, zero to sixty ramp up in every region of the state, and we've been catching up fast," said strategist Jeff Coleman. "The straw poll today was far from the coronation of a local candidate as some predicted, and Speaker Turzai is in the hunt and competitive. We're in this for the long haul."

Cumberland County GOP Chairman and state Rep. Greg Rothman was among those who cast a ballot for Turzai, who he said he knows best from standing side-by-side in the battle against Wolf's tax increases. He said he was hoping the speaker would have done a little better in the vote but wasn't really surprised that Wagner won the majority.

"He's done a lot for Central Pennsylvania not just politically as senator but this is his business base too," Rothman said of Wagner, who owns Penn Waste trash hauling company and has a strong philanthropic record. "He's been running for governor the longest."

Still, he said he doesn't think the Central Caucus results change anything in this hotly contested race.

"The big question the party is going to have to face is whether to endorse or not," Rothman said. Several of the candidates have made it clear they are staying in the race even if they don't receive the party's endorsement.

Mango's spokesman on Friday indicated that his campaign would not comment about the caucus results, saying they are holding off on commenting until after the state committee's endorsement vote is held.

Attempts to reach a spokesman for Ellsworth for comment were unsuccessful. She was the only gubernatorial candidate who didn't show up to speak to the Central Caucus and answer questions on Saturday,

The straw votes in the three-way race for the GOP nomination for lieutenant governor showed Montgomery County real estate developer Jeff Bartos who has signed on to run as Wagner's running mate, received 61 of the 96 votes cast. Former state lawmaker Gordon Denlinger of Lancaster County received 22 and ex-state treasurer candidate Otto Voit of Berks County, got 13.

By a landslide, the Central Caucus gave its support to U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta of Luzerne County in the crowded field for the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate. He received 82 votes of the 99 cast and state Rep. Jim Christiana of Beaver County received 17.

Committee people who make up the Central Caucus come from Adams, Berks, Bedford, Blair, Centre, Clearfield, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lycoming, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Snyder, Sullivan, Union, and York counties.A CN locomotive moves in the railway yard in Dartmouth, N.S. on February 23, 2015. The potential dismantling of the North American Free Trade Agreement poses the biggest risk to Canada's railways not benefiting this year from healthy economies and higher demand to move crude oil, say industry observers. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew VaughanTessa Erickson, 15, of the Nak???azdli Whut???en First Nation is seen in this undated handout photo. A movement is building to save and revive Canada's Indigenous languages, and a 15-year-old in British Columbia has joined the efforts with a uniquely youth-focused project. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Tessa Erickson *MANDATORY CREDIT*Swedish police search the area outside Varby Gard metro station, in Stockholm, near to where two people were injured by some kind of explosion, Sunday Jan. 7, 2018. An unidentified explosive device is reported to have detonated Sunday, injuring at least two people. (Henrik Montgomery / TT via AP)German chancellor and head of the Christian Democrats, Angela Merkel, left, and the leader of Germany's Social Democratic party, Martin Schulz, shake hands in Berlin, Sunday, Jan. 7, 2018. German Chancellor Angela Merkel embarked Sunday on talks with the center-left Social Democrats on forming a new government, with leaders stressing the need for speed as they attempt to break an impasse more than three months after the country's election. (Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa via AP)Opinion



Tsvetana Paraskova: Pacific Coast,

Florida oppose offshore oil drilling plan

Cameron Karsten





This political decision to open the magnificent and beautiful Pacific Coast waters to oil and gas drilling flies in the face of decades of strong opposition on the part of Oregon, Washington and California  from Republicans and Democrats alike .



The governors of California, Oregon, and Washington, as well as Florida's Republican governor, are opposing the U.S. Department of the Interior's plan to open more than 90 percent of the Outer Continental Shelf to oil and gas drilling. On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke announced the National OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2019-2024, which proposes to make over 90 percent of the total OCS acreage available to consider for future exploration and development. Under the current program, 94 percent of the OCS is off limits for oil and gas exploration and development. The Draft Proposed Program (DPP) includes 47 potential lease sales in 25 of the 26 planning areas  19 sales off the coast of Alaska, 7 in the Pacific Regionincluding 2 each for Northern California, Central California, and Southern California, and 1 for Washington/Oregon, 12 in the Gulf of Mexico, and 9 in the Atlantic Region3 sales each for the Mid- and South Atlantic, 2 for the North Atlantic, and 1 for the Straits of Florida. There have been no sales in the Pacific Region since 1984 and no sales in the Atlantic since 1983. The plan of the Department of the Interior is not yet finalized and the public will have the opportunity for additional input. This political decision to open the magnificent and beautiful Pacific Coast waters to oil and gas drilling flies in the face of decades of strong opposition on the part of Oregon, Washington and California  from Republicans and Democrats alike, California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr., Oregon Governor Kate Brown, and Washington Governor Jay Inslee said in a joint statement . For more than 30 years, our shared coastline has been protected from further federal drilling and we'll do whatever it takes to stop this reckless, short-sighted action, the three governors of the Pacific Coast states said. Florida's Governor Rick Scott (R) also issued a statement opposing the potential offshore drilling off Florida coasts. My top priority is to ensure that Florida's natural resources are protected, which is why I proposed $1.7 billion for the environment in this year's budget, Governor Scott said. California has the legal and regulatory means to fight the expansion of offshore drilling in the Pacific area, according to environmentalists and industry observers. Operators don't tend to operate [off] states that don't want production, Kevin Book, an analyst with ClearView Energy Partners in Washington, D.C., told the AP . This plan has the potential to put the precious marine resources of the Santa Barbara Channel at risk of dangerous oil development. After more than 30 years without any new offshore oil and gas leases, this is an irresponsible move that we adamantly oppose and will face head on, Linda Krop, Chief Counsel at the Environmental Defense Center (EDC) said . The catastrophic 1969 Santa Barbara Oil Spill, and the more recent 2015 Refugio Oil Spill, confirm that there is no way to drill for new oil without causing devastating impacts to our coastal environment, tourism and recreation, and economy, Krop said. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

Tsvetana Paraskova is a writer for the U.S.-based Divergente LLC consulting firm with over a decade of experience writing for news outlets such as iNVEZZ and SeeNews. Petroleumworld does not necessarily share these views. Editor's Note: This commentary was originally published by Oilprice.com , 01/05/2018. Petroleumworld reprint this article in association with Oil Price.com.



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ISSUES....

Inside, confidential and off the record

Energy Independence





Free trade has been a boon for Energy Independence. Nafta delivers a

triple win for the U.S., Canadian and Mexican oil and natural-gas industries.

As turbulent as Donald Trump's political career has been thus far, he has always been consistent about two things: First, that the U.S. should aggressively pursue energy independence; second, that the U.S. is getting short shrift on its trade deals, including the North American Free Trade Agreement.

As the administration moves to modernize Nafta, however, it should remember that free trade with Canada and Mexico is vital to securing America's energy independence in the long run.

North America now leads the world in energy production, largely because the U.S. has become the No. 1 producer of crude oil and natural gas. This outcome was by no means obvious when Nafta became law in 1993. But by creating a free-trade zone for energy, the agreement helped all three countries' energy sectors flourish.

In 2016 the three North American economies produced a total of 22 million barrels a day of crude oil, associated liquids and biofuels, according to the Energy Information Administration, with 14.9 million barrels coming from the U.S. Saudi Arabia produced 12.4 million barrels a day and Russia 11.2 million. The fourth-largest producer, China, has less than half of Russia's production.

When it comes to natural gas, the numbers are even more skewed toward the U.S., which produced 27.1 trillion cubic feet in 2015 compared with Russia's 21.1 trillion. Third-ranked Iran extracts one-quarter of what the U.S. produced. Canada comes in fifth, after Qatar. Altogether, North America produced about 33.8 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in 2015.

But these solid figures, dominated by U.S. production, should not obscure an important point: Each of the three North American economies, and its energy sector, depends on the other two.

Canada and Mexico need the U.S. to buy their excess crude oil, and the U.S. needs its neighbors to cover its own shortfall. According to the EIA, the U.S. consumes about six million more barrels of crude oil and related products a day than it produces. The U.S. imports about three million barrels a day from Canada, its largest energy trading partner. Although total Mexican crude-oil production has been declining, Mexico still exports about 688,000 barrels a day to the U.S. With U.S. technology and investment, Mexican production and exports could be significantly higherperhaps enough, together with Canada, to close the U.S. gap.

Canada depends heavily on U.S. refineries, especially in the Midwest and on the Gulf Coast, which specialize in processing Canada's heavy crude. Mexico also depends on the U.S. to refine its crude, which Mexico buys back as gasoline and diesel.

Another important result of Nafta is that more natural-gas pipelines are being built so the U.S. can help Mexico turn to cleaner-burning natural gas for its electricity generation. In 2016 the value of U.S. energy imports from Mexico was $8.7 billion, while U.S. energy exports to Mexico were $20.2 billion, for a positive energy trade surplus of $11.5 billion, according to the EIA. While most economists don't put much stock in international trade balances, the Trump administration cares a lot about them, and under Nafta the U.S. energy sector has a positive trade balance with Mexico.

Nafta's elimination of virtually all tariffs on energy-related goods has greatly enhanced North America's energy potential, but there is still room for improvement. A modernized Nafta should include a labor provision that allows workers in the oil and gas industry to travel to any of the three countries, especially in emergencies. Mexico needs U.S. technology and assistance to modernize and expand its energy sector, while the U.S. might need more workers in oil fields in places like West Texas.

A modernized Nafta should also recognize the threat that could emerge for North America if other major energy exporters tried to punish the U.S. for its foreign policies. Such an agreement might give Nafta countries preference for oil and gas purchases if, say, Iran blocked U.S.-bound tankers from passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

Free trade in energy across North America has transformed the industry, putting the continent on track to self-sufficiency while boosting economic growth for all three countries, especially Mexico. And if Mr. Trump really wants to reduce the flow of illegal aliens to the U.S., a thriving Mexican economy is the best way to do it.

Energy independence for the U.S. alone is still years away. But thanks to free trade, energy independence for North America is within our grasp. A modernized Nafta can help make that goal a reality very soon.





Merrill Matthews /The Wall Street Journal / January 1, 2017 ( Mr. Matthews is a resident scholar with the Institute for Policy Innovation in Dallas. )











ISSUES.... 01/ 08/ 2017 - Send Us Your Issues



Inside, confidential and off the record



Is an independent journalist effort from Petroleumworld, on Inside, Confidential and Off The Record Information, the views are not necessarily those of PetroleumworldLagniappe





Rex Tillerson: I am proud of our diplomacy AFP

I am proud of what our State Department and Agency for International Development teams around the world have accomplished this year, and our progress will continue in 2018 and beyond. WASHINGTON  Over the past year, the United States has faced immense challenges in its dealings with North Korea, China and Russia, and in its efforts to defeat international terrorism. But Americans should be encouraged by the progress the State Department and United States Agency for International Development have made in pushing for global peace and stability. When President Trump took office, he identified North Korea as the United States' greatest security threat. He abandoned the failed policy of strategic patience. In its place we carried out a policy of pressure through diplomatic and economic sanctions. This year, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted three of the strongest sanctions resolutions in history, including bans on a wide array of North Korean exports such as coal, iron, seafood and textiles. The United States has asked allies and partners to exert unilateral pressure against North Korea in order to force the regime to change its behavior. Many have responded with positive steps like shutting down trade, severing diplomatic ties and expelling North Korean laborers. Our peaceful pressure campaign has cut off roughly 90 percent of North Korea's export revenue, much of which is used to fund illegal weapons development. We hope that this international isolation will pressure the regime into serious negotiations on the abandonment of its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. A door to dialogue remains open, but we have made it clear that the regime must earn its way back to the negotiating table. Until denuclearization occurs, the pressure will continue. A central component of our North Korea strategy is persuading China to exert its decisive economic leverage on Pyongyang. China has applied certain import bans and sanctions, but it could and should do more. We will also continue to pursue American interests in other areas of our relationship, including trade imbalances, intellectual property theft and China's troubling military activities in the South China Sea and elsewhere. China's rise as an economic and military power requires Washington and Beijing to consider carefully how to manage our relationship for the next 50 years. Defeating terrorism remains one of the president's highest priorities. The administration's aggressive strategy to counter the Islamic State delegates greater authority to American military commanders on the battlefield, giving our forces more freedom and speed to do what they do best, in partnership with indigenous fighting forces. As a result, the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS has accelerated operations and has recaptured virtually all of previously held Islamic State territory in Iraq and Syria. While our military was helping clear Iraq and Syria of Islamic State forces, our diplomats were following up with humanitarian aid and assistance, such as clearing land mines, restoring water and power, and getting children back in school. A commitment to stopping Islamist terrorism and extremism also motivated the administration's decision to adopt a new South Asia strategy, which focuses on Afghanistan. That country cannot become a safe haven for terrorists, as it was in the days before the Sept. 11 attacks. Pakistan must contribute by combating terrorist groups on its own soil. We are prepared to partner with Pakistan to defeat terrorist organizations seeking safe havens, but Pakistan must demonstrate its desire to partner with us. On Russia, we have no illusions about the regime we are dealing with. The United States today has a poor relationship with a resurgent Russia that has invaded its neighbors Georgia and Ukraine in the last decade and undermined the sovereignty of Western nations by meddling in our election and others'. The appointment of Kurt Volker, a former NATO ambassador, as special representative for Ukraine reflects our commitment to restoring the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Absent a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine situation, which must begin with Russia's adherence to the Minsk a greements , there cannot be business as usual with Russia. While we are on guard against Russian aggression, we recognize the need to work with Russia where mutual interests intersect. Nowhere is that more evident than in Syria. Now that President Vladimir Putin has committed to the United Nations-backed Geneva political process for providing a new future for Syria, we expect Russia to follow through. We are confident that the fulfillment of these talks will produce a Syria that is free of Bashar al-Assad and his family. Lastly, the flawed Iran nuclear deal is no longer the focal point of our policy toward Iran. We are now confronting the totality of Iranian threats. Part of this strategy entails rebuilding alliances with our partners in the Middle East, and in November we helped re-establish diplomatic ties between Iraq and Saudi Arabia. We will continue to work with our allies and with Congress to explore options for addressing the nuclear deal's many flaws, while building a like-minded effort to punish Iran for its violations of ballistic missile commitments and its destabilizing activities in the region. I am proud of what our State Department and Agency for International Development teams around the world have accomplished this year, and our progress will continue in 2018 and beyond. To that end, we have undertaken a redesign of the State Department to strengthen our teams' ability to deliver on our mission. Our redesign doesn't involve simply shifting boxes on an organizational chart. Our changes must address root problems that lead to inefficiencies and frustrations. By making changes like streamlining our human resources and information technology systems, better aligning personnel and resources with America's strategic priorities, and reforming duplicative processes, we are giving our people more opportunities to flourish professionally and spend more time confronting the global problems they have dedicated their careers to solving. When I wake up each morning, my first thought is, How can I and my colleagues at the State Department use diplomacy to prevent people around the world from being killed, wounded or deprived of their rights? In spite of the challenges, I remain optimistic about the power of diplomacy to resolve conflicts and advance American interests. My confidence comes from the knowledge that our efforts are carried out daily by patriotic and dedicated State Department employees who make sacrifices to serve with patience and persistence and who, by advancing democratic values the world over, are protecting our citizens' rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.



Rex Tillerson is the U.S. secretary of state. Petroleumworld does not necessarily share these views. Editor's Note: This commentary was originally published by The New York Times , on December 28, 2017. 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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A threat to one of Americas most hallowed places  a proposed housing development on Brandywine Battlefield in Chester County  was recently shot down. Its a huge victory for preservationists trying for years to create a protected space amid wildfire suburban development. The Battle of Brandywine in Delaware and Chester Counties on Sept. 11, 1777 was a crushing defeat for the patriots, allowing the British to take Philadelphia. In this photo, re-enactors on a site in West Chester commemorate the battles 240th anniversary last year. DAVID SWANSON / Staff Photographer Read more

It was a firefight so consequential that the British sent Gen. George Washington and his troops fleeing and captured Philadelphia just two weeks later. Philly also lost its status as the nation's capital because of it.

In the annals of local and American history, in other words, the daylong Battle of Brandywine in 1777 was one of the largest of the Revolutionary War. But measured by national parks, monuments, and museums, Brandywine is the forgotten stepchild of the war that introduced the world to modern-day democratic rule.

Until, quite possibly, now.

A few days before New Year's, residents of Westtown Township, Chester County, cheered as their elected officials spiked a planned Toll Bros. housing development on a 322-acre privately owned parcel known as Crebilly Farm, where portions of the famous battle were believed to have been waged.

Township supervisors felt no need to disclose the reasoning behind their unanimous vote. A written statement is expected in the next few weeks. But the town a decade earlier had OK'd a different development at Crebilly and now decided this one was a no-go.

The rejection comes just a few months after reenactors celebrated the Battle of Brandywine's 240th anniversary  and the preservation purchase of another hallowed patch, Dilworth Farm, for $850,000 with help from the nonprofit Civil War Trust.

The winds of change are finally blowing in the direction of Brandywine finally getting its due. And free-market capitalism is taking a backseat while it does.

What's unfolding along the Brandywine Creek is a civil version of the tactical strategizing that made the historic battle such a dramatic confrontation.

Just as British Gen. William Howe hatched the plan that ultimately outmaneuvered Washington by landing an armada off the Maryland coast and skulking north toward rebel troops near Chadds Ford, preservationists have stepped up efforts over the past decade to give this diffuse stretch of mostly privately owned hallowed land the protections it has long lacked.

The Dec. 30 ruling was a stunner.

For several decades, Chester County's gorgeous, rolling farms had been developed into houses faster than you could say, "Pennsylvania's contracting dairy industry." (Clue: This used to be dairy country.)

"We were losing a farm in Chester County just about every day in the Eighties and Nineties," said David Ward, who would know better than most. The assistant director of the county Planning Commission has been at it for 40 years. "Wholesale farms were going up."

That's a lot of free-market mania to beat back if you're a preservationist. Never mind, of course, that a pop quiz would probably reveal a stunning lack of knowledge among even educated locals about the American Revolution. In a nutshell:

Howe led 15,000 British and German mercenary troops into Brandywine on Sept. 11, 1777, from Maryland, where they had landed to launch a surprise attack. They marched east from Kennett Square Borough toward Chadds Ford, where Washington had gathered over 14,000 soldiers and militiamen.

It was so brilliantly executed that Washington retreated to Chester, clearing the way for the British to take their intended prize  Philadelphia.

Nowadays, drive through the Brandywine area and you don't see much suggesting this ever happened there. You'll see winding state roads, houses, and purposefully quaint commercial strips.

In neighboring Montgomery County, conversely, Valley Forge National Historical Park is a sprawling, federally owned monument to a less significant chapter in the war's history.

Near Brandywine, only a sliver of a tiny park along Route 1 is comparably available to the public. The rest of the 35,000 acres on which the battle was fought are spread across 15 municipalities in Chester and Delaware Counties.

No fair.

Until about a decade ago, there wasn't even universal agreement over the battlefield's 18th-century boundaries.

That began to change in 2000, when a National Park Service report identified Brandywine as one of the nation's 30 most-threatened battlefields from that era.

With any luck, the citizen-troops looking to even the preservation score will only further secure its future in the years to come.Trevor Walsh, left, who has autism, felt comfortable enough in the pen with the baby goats that he pet some of them and let the others interact with him and Nicholas Opstbaum, 9, right, during a visit to The Barn at Springbrook Farm. Read more

Sabrina Opstbaum wasn't expecting miracles when she started taking her daughter Reegan to the Barn at Spring Brook Farm, an animal-assisted intervention program for special needs children in West Chester. Like many kids on the autism spectrum, Reegan didn't seem to connect with people, but she always enjoyed the company of animals.

After two years of weekly visits and summer camp with Annabelle the goat, Sugar the sheep, Dreamer the miniature horse, and their other barnyard cohorts, Reegan, now 8, is in many ways a changed little girl.

"She's become less aggressive," Opstbaum said. "She's in a calm mood when she's there, and it even carries over into school the next day, sometimes two days after. She's just more calm. And happy."

What made the difference?

"I honestly think it's the fact that the animals don't expect anything from her," Opstbaum said. "Their calm transfers over to her. With people, we're always placing demands. With animals, they're not asking for anything. It's just, 'Be with me.' "

A growing body of research has uncovered evidence that animal-assisted interventions (AAI) may help improve the lives of people with autism by addressing some of the disorder's more difficult symptoms.

Among the studies' key findings are increased social interaction and decreased anxiety  classic autism earmarks that increase spectrum kids' isolation, often make them targets of bullies, and limit communication even with those who love them most.

Page Walker Buck, an associate professor of social work at West Chester University, has been studying families whose children go to the Barn at Spring Brook Farm for about a year. Some parents, she knows, turn to AAI in frustration, even desperation.

If an animal program appears to result in positive change, the parents get what Buck calls "extended benefits." Namely, hope.

"Hope helps family functioning," Buck said, "because hope mitigates stress."

Taking the field more seriously

For decades, there have been case studies and research attesting to the remarkable outcomes of animal therapy programs. But much of it was dismissed as merely anecdotal or lacking basis in serious scientific study methods.

Some parents of children with autism and other disabilities have spent substantial sums to have their children swim with dolphins, lured by the suggestion of wondrous results.

Newer studies have cast doubt on the lasting value of these therapies.

"The quality of the research has improved enormously, and the funding agencies are starting to take the field more seriously as a result," said James A. Serpell, a professor of animal welfare with the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.

Recently, the National Institutes of Health, the nation's largest public funder of health research, and the Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition, a division of Mars Inc., agreed to a five-year extension of the research partnership they started 10 years ago into the study of human-animal interaction, a growing field known as anthrozoology.

That partnership has yielded a wide range of research, including studies that suggest animal interactions may have beneficial impacts on children on the autism spectrum and people with other disabilities.

"It's too early to make any broad pronouncements, but it's certainly promising, and we're getting beyond the threshold of 'do no harm' to maybe if there are benefits, being able to quantify them," said James A. Griffin, NIH childhood development and behavior deputy branch chief.

Temple Grandin, a renowned animal behavior expert who is herself on the autism spectrum, thinks it makes sense that animals and people with autism may have an affinity. The professor of animal science at Colorado State University said animals, like some people on the spectrum, tend to be visual thinkers.

"Animals don't think in words," she said.

The most commonly studied interventions involve horses or dogs, but some of the most intriguing AAI research involves a far more unassuming creature: the humble guinea pig.

In one study, Australian schoolchildren on the spectrum exhibited more social behaviors  talking to people, looking at their faces, even touching them  when they got to interact with guinea pigs rather than just toys. They also laughed and smiled more  behaviors seen as precursors to social interaction.

Another Australian study showed a positive physiological response to the animals that could extend to easier connections with humans. For the study, autistic children and neurotypical kids wore wristbands that monitored their neurological arousal levels while performing certain routine classroom activities together, including handling guinea pigs.

Both sets of children said they were happy playing with the guinea pigs, but, unlike the neurotypical kids, the autistic children's anxiety levels dropped. In other words, the animals seemed to make them calmer. The researchers suggested that the animals may serve as "social buffers" for autistic children, possibly facilitating interaction with other children just by being there.

"Some of the children described the guinea pigs as their friends, even best friends," said Marguerite E. O'Haire, lead researcher for both studies. "Many children would sit near the cage when stressed or just hang out there to watch them."

O'Haire, an assistant professor of human/animal interaction at Purdue University's College of Veterinary Medicine, said the results of studies such as hers show promise for some people on the autism spectrum. However, she said, much more study is needed.

"One of the key areas for future research on this topic," O'Haire said, "is to understand for whom it will work and for whom it might not so we can better direct resources and tailor programming."

An unexpected friendship

A small posse of baby goats spills out of a barn door, scampering and frolicking in a fenced paddock under an early evening sky. Two little boys are in hot pursuit, laughing, giggling.

"Help me, Trevor! I can't get him!" calls out Nicholas Opstbaum, 9, trying to head off one of the animals. Trevor Walsh, also 9, grins broadly as he runs to catch up.

Trevor is on the autism spectrum. Nicholas is not. But Nicholas is the kind of person Trevor had never before known. He is Trevor's friend.

"Trevor never had that in a peer, not even in school," said his mother Laurie Beatty-Walsh. "Before the Barn, he wasn't able to respond to the offer of friendship."

Trevor's parents first brought him to the Barn because he was terrified of dogs. They thought the program might help. At first he wanted no part of the animals, but with the staff's help, that gradually changed.

Then Trevor and Nicholas started to get acquainted, too. Nicholas attends the program with Reegan, his younger sister who is on the spectrum.

Activities with the animals have become the boys' social bridge. Now they also play together every week at the Walshes' home.

Labeled nonverbal because he would only repeat what other people said or what he heard on television, Trevor now uses his own words with Nicholas. They make each other laugh; they get each other's senses of humor. And Trevor has begun to show interest in other people, too.

"It's created so much improvement in his life and my family's life," Beatty-Walsh said.

It has something to do with the animals, she thinks. "They are calming, and they're a motivator," she said.

In the spring, Trevor is going to help raise a calf through 4-H, the nonprofit youth organization. Nicholas wants to do it, too, Beatty-Walsh said.

After all, they're friends.Tenant Joe Leroux (center) hands out bowls in the kitchen of apartment he shares with Stacey Lee Webber (not shown). Read more

Inside the Globe Dye Works, just off the lobby, artists Joe Leroux and Stacey Lee Webber have set up shop. Through the entrance, in the center of their space, there's a wood shop and, past that, a showroom with their work. Walk a little farther, and you can spot their washing machine under a table with metalworking equipment. Webber, while giving a tour, pointed out, "There's my jewelry station, and then my treadmill."

The couple have worked  and lived  at Globe Dye Works for six years. The sprawling, post-industrial Frankford property was a hub for yarn dyeing and textile-related trades from 1865 until it closed in 2005 under a fifth-generation owner. A partnership of developers, the Globe Development Group, bought the complex in 2007 and has been incrementally renovating it since.

It's an example of an emerging trend in this old manufacturing hub: workers can skip the commute altogether, and mix business with leisure as they please.

The property owners aren't too crazy about the hipster term "makerspace." That word doesn't encompass the environmental justice nonprofit, the food businesses, the wooden boat-building youth program, the high-end florist, or the 14,000-square-foot vintage car dealership that cohabitate in the sprawling brick behemoth on Torresdale Avenue. There are 36 tenants in the Globe, and 19 people call it home.

The complex is the most prominent example of what changes to the city zoning code allow: a mix of commercial and the lightest industrial uses with housing. Many Philadelphia warehouses with such zoning remain undeveloped. Bok, the makers' center in South Philadelphia, has the same zoning, but no one lives there. The Becker Building in Northern Liberties does too, offering apartments, but no businesses.

So far, Globe hasn't created divisions in the neighborhood. Bob Smiley, editorial director of the Frankford Gazette, hasn't heard of any gentrification-related complaints, just concerns over parking.

Jennifer Bradley of the Aspen Institute said Globe's community is in step with urban trends. "New urban making and manufacturing is smaller, cleaner. It's artisanal," she said. "Those kinds of making are incredibly well-suited to urban life."

Still, the blend of residential and light industrial remains unusual nationally. "That is still something that's being tested in cities," said Lee Wellington, executive director of the Urban Manufacturing Alliance.

A few cities, among them Indianapolis and Nashville, have introduced "artisan zoning." "When you achieve that delicate balance, and it is delicate, you achieve this diverse economic ecosystem," Wellington said. The challenge, experts say, is to make sure such spaces are safe and up to code.

Globe tenants describe managing partners Pete Kelly and Charlie Abdo, who opened the North Star Bar in Fairmount, as conscientious landlords who regularly, when rehabilitating dilapidated parts of the compound, customize them for new renters.

Jonathan Adams, co-owner of Rival Bros. Coffee, where a new tasting room was built in the factory's roof trusses above an office, said Abdo and Kelly have a "dad-like" presence. His company also often turns to other tenants for help, a common practice in the Globe. "There's so much mechanical creativity here," said Adams. "So many problems have been resolved in these walls."

On a recent weekday evening, Webber and Leroux had a group of tenants over for dinner and drinks. At day's end, residents often gather to hang out or cook for one another or even, among the musically inclined, jam together.

"Does anyone want margaritas?" Webber asked.

Ken Derengowski headed off to grab a bottle, walking through a boiler room the developers intend to turn into an events space, through to another building where his apartment is. A metalsmith, he's one half of a Globe couple. He would regularly run into Allegra Fasnacht, co-owner of Birch Tree Catering, after her events. She knew they had some chemistry because after their first date she quit smoking. Now, they share a last name and a large, open space. Their daughter, Nora, 3, sleeps next door to the metal-workings studio.

Derengowski walked past his sculptures, his gem-faceting machine, and Nora's playspace until he was in the kitchen, reaching for a bottle of Sauzon tequila. Back at Webber and Leroux's place, he sat with his neighbors, who were fighting the January freeze with bowls of chili over pasta  they're Midwestern.

Globe artists and artisans say there's a certain pleasure when you don't have to schlep to a studio or workshop when late-night inspiration strikes.

"I think it takes a certain type of person to live like this," Ken Derengowski said.

Webber agreed, "Yeah, it's so efficient," adding that she's more productive this way. But then she noted, "It's hard to network."

With neighbors able to turn to one another for everything from business partnerships to company, the community can be insular. Rumack said they often go to the local Applebee's, but much of the time, they stay in.

Ken Derengowski thinks that could be because of the long hours they put in, too. Added Allegra Derengowski: "None of us are rolling in it, either."

Wayne Humphrey II wouldn't call it slavery, he told the gathering, but he said he does work nonstop. He is a contractor, event producer, charity craft brewer, and president of the Morris Animal Refuge. He said that sometimes, pulling back from work felt like leaving a child unattended  too many things can go wrong.

Rumack thought of his own loft. "I always want to expand my work space," he said, "and I'll compromise my living space. "I have 3,000 square feet; my bedroom is like 150."Leona Jenkins, left, and Denesha Williams, right, both of Norristown, joke around during the No Pants Subway Ride in Philadelphia on Sunday. Read more

Philadelphia hit record low temperatures this weekend.

But it wasn't enough to stop those faithful to the city's annual No Pants Subway Ride, which went off Sunday at 3 p.m. near the City Hall SEPTA stop.

Reached while he was scouting out the day's route, event organizer Ray Wall, who was remarkably cheery for being out in the bitter cold, said he didn't expect any dip in attendance this year, despite the weather.

Who'd he expect to be there?

"A bunch of other crazy folks like myself," he said, "who like to do something a little bit radical."

Such as India White, the apparent queen of the No Pants Subway Ride, in her 4-inch blue platform boots and high-waisted floral underwear. On the Market-Frankford El leaving West Philadelphia, she demanded the crew's DJ play Michael Jackson's "Beat It" and immediately challenged the quiet guy in check-print boxers to a dance battle in the aisle.

And Marc Riley, 27, who borrowed some cocoa butter oil from another pantsless rider as soon as he took his own off. "See what had happened was," he said, "we can't be out here ashy!" Later, he slid down the railing at 69th Street in his light-purple boxer briefs.

White and Riley were among the 20 crazy folks who braved the freezing temps  Sunday's high was 19 degrees  to go on the ride. No one in the crew indicating having to think twice about coming out because of the cold, but some had their own ways of dealing with it: Steve Ives, who's been coming for five years straight, wore thermals under his underwear, while another attendee packed a thermos of sangria that she poured out in plastic cups for everyone before they boarded the El.

Yes, it's totally a rowdy party, complete with ladies twerking in acid-wash briefs while hanging from the subway car's handlebars, but there's also a social mission behind the ride, which the region's recent extreme weather conditions helped highlight: to raise awareness about homelessness.

"We got the choice of being out here if we want or not," said Wall, 44, of Olney. "The homeless just don't have a choice."

Wall, who organizes the ride through his socially minded laundry service Got Laundry?, asked participants to bring socks, which his team planned to donate to the homeless. He did the No Pants ride with a big red sack full of socks slung over his shoulder. Last year, the team collected a little more than a hundred pairs of pants that it donated to local organizations such as Career Wardrobe and Share.

Riders met outside Citizens Bank at 15th and Market Streets and headed to the (heated!) Market-Frankford Line to take their pants off and ride to 69th Street, where they posed for photos on the bridge and then looped back to get on the Broad Street Line. DJ2eleven blasted Cardi B and Yo Gotti from a speaker he carried like a purse. El riders filmed the festivities and sometimes joined in, giddy with the energy from the car.

"I might just take this  for another loop," said Anthony Sadowski, as he marveled at the party and danced along. The 22-year-old had just finished his dishwashing shift when he got on the El. "That  woke me right up," he said.

The day finished at the Infusion Lounge in Old City, where mixologist Jung Park developed a slate of underwear- and laundry-themed cocktails for the occasion, such as Tighty Whities, made with Irish cream and white chocolate. ("It was so ridiculous I was hesitant to send it over," she said, laughing about the menu.)

The Philly No Pants Subway Ride is not affiliated with Sunday's international No Pants Subway Ride, organized by Improv Everywhere and held in Montreal  where the real-feel temperature was minus-23 degrees Celsius, or close to minus-10 degrees Fahrenheit.After seven terms in the House of Representatives, which followed eight years in Pennsylvanias House of Representatives and six in the state Senate, Republican Charlie Dent, 57, is moving on. Read more

WASHINGTON  It is almost a law of our political physics: Those who choose to leave Congress thereby demonstrate qualities that make one wish they would linger here longer. After seven terms in the House of Representatives, which followed eight years in Pennsylvania's House of Representatives and six in the state Senate, Republican Charlie Dent, 57, is moving on without knowing his destination.

He smilingly says he does not want to jeopardize his 13-0 win-loss record in elections, but that does not explain what is, in Washington's mentality, inexplicable: He is leaving even though he is one of the 12 House "cardinals" who hold coveted chairmanships of Appropriations subcommittees. Another eccentricity is that he is not angry about anyone or anything, not even the Senate, where so many House-passed measures go to die, victims of, among other things, the need to get 60 votes for almost anything more consequential than naming a post office. This, and Congress' dysfunctional budget process, devalues the status of cardinal.

Dent has been a leader of the Tuesday Group, approximately 50 "moderate" Republicans, many of whom, including Dent, would thank you for not affixing to them that libelous label. (Dent likes "center-right.") He comes by his Republican politics of (don't-say-)moderation by family tradition: His father's sister, who also was born in Allentown, was Mary Dent Crisp (1923-2007). She became chairman of the Republican National Committee in 1977, but was replaced in 1980 when she dissented from the Republican platform's strong opposition to abortion, and to the Equal Rights Amendment, which Republican platforms had supported since 1940.

Dent is leaving because he fancies  yet another eccentricity  trying a career outside politics, not because he sees difficulties for Republicans 10 months hence. He does, however, know there is a possibility that in 2019 House Republicans will be in the minority, a dismal experience that he has had but that 175 of the 239 current Republican members have not. Last November's elections for "row offices" (treasurer, controller, clerk of courts, etc.) in the collar counties around Philadelphia were disastrous for Republicans. In Chester, Democrats won all such offices for the first time ever. In Bucks, Republicans lost every race except for district attorney. In Delaware, Republicans lost two County Council races, their worst result since 1974, the post-Watergate election in which Republicans lost 48 seats in the U.S. House. Allentown's Democratic mayor, although facing a 54-count criminal indictment for corruption, was reelected thanks to, among other things, surging Democratic turnout, and support from the approximately half the city's population that is Hispanic.

In 2016, Donald Trump's supporters voted, Dent thinks, for "an attitude." He says, "If I set myself on fire over an issue, some of these people would complain that the temperature of the flame is not hot enough." Trump won Dent's district with 51.8 percent of the vote; Dent won 58.4. This will be one of the districts Democrats target in their quest to gain 24 and reinstall Nancy Pelosi as speaker.

The Lehigh Valley district includes the city that might have been happier if Billy Joel had not immortalized it in his 1982 hit song:

Well we're living here in Allentown

And they're closing all the factories down

Out in Bethlehem they're killing time

Filling out forms

Standing in line



Well we're waiting here in Allentown

For the Pennsylvania we never found



So the graduations hang on the wall

But they never really helped us at all

This was 34 years before the presidential election in which Pennsylvania was the most important of the three states (the others were Wisconsin and Michigan) that had voted Democratic in eight consecutive presidential contests but changed. Thirty-four years before the nation became fixated on the working-class distress caused by deindustrialization.

In 1982, after his song made its splash, Joel played a concert at Lehigh University (where Dent would be development officer, 1986-90) and was given the keys to the city by Allentown's mayor. Bethlehem Steel ceased to exist in 2003, but 36 years is a long time in the life of a nation whose recuperative powers are as notable as its hypochondria. The valley's population has increased about 33 percent since 1982 and its economy has diversified. Today the district's largest employer, as in much of aging America, is a health-care provider. On a happier note, a large and venerable employer is a manufacturer of an addictive substance subject to abuse: Hershey.

George Will is a Washington Post columnist. georgewill@washpost.com883 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

Tina Johnson, one of the women who accused Alabama senatorial candidate Roy Moore of sexual harassment, is facing tragedy after her home burned down on Tuesday. The Etowah County Arson Task Force have opened up an investigation looking into whether there was any foul play.

Though the task force said Friday that, so far, the information theyve gathered does not indicate that the fire is in any way related to Roy Moore or allegations made against him, it did confirm that there is a person of interest; this strongly suggests that there is at least some proof indicating that the fire might have been set intentionally.

Its too coincidental to me, but whatever they say Ill go with, but right now Im just so devastated that  I cant  Im devastated, Johnson told CNN, speaking outside the rubble that was once her residence.

Johnson accused Moore of grabbing her buttocks in 1991 when she was 28; she met with him to discuss a legal case regarding the custody of her son  Moore was a lawyer at the time  and claims that the grabbing happened as she was stepping out of his office.

The allegations of sexual assault and/or harassment against Moore by multiple women, some who said they were underage when the incidents occurred, dealt a fatal blow to his senatorial bid. In December, he lost to Democrat Doug Jones and became the first Republican to lose a senatorial race in Alabama in 25 years. Johnson was one of Moores most visible accusers, appearing on television numerous times to speak out against him.

She says that she and her husband lost everything but the clothes on our backs.

After news of the tragedy broke, a GoFundMe campaign was created by Katie Jacobs Stanton, a former Obama staffer, to help Johnson. At the time of this writing, the campaign has raised over $102,000 dollars, exceeding the set $100,000 goal.

It has always been dangerous and risky for women (and men) to speak out against sexual harrasmment (sic), reads the campaign page. Today, this danger reached a disturbing level. Tinas home burned down and she lost everything.

While there is currently nothing to prove that Moore is directly connected to the destruction of Johnsons home, the notion that one of his supporters would attack one of the women who contributed to his defeat in one of the most conservative states in the country is not far-fetched.

Image: CNN687 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

According to Michael Wolffs explosive book Fire and Fury, which outlines what went on behind the scenes in the White House during President Trumps first year in office, first daughter Ivanka Trump has presidential aspirations of her own, and so does her husband, Jared Kushner. If the chance to run ever comes, the two allegedly agreed that Ivanka would be the first to take a shot.

The revealing passage comes during a section of the book covering the couples thinking regarding whether Jared should accept an official position in the administration, something Wolff writes almost everybody advised him against.

Jared and Ivanka had made an earnest deal with themselves: if sometime in the future the time came, shed be the one to run for president (or the first one of them to take the shot). The first woman president, Ivanka entertained, would not be Hillary Clinton, it would be Ivanka Trump.

The section is immediately followed by a quote of former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon mocking the couple  who he nicknamed Jarvanka  for entertaining such an idea. They didnt actually say that? Stop, he allegedly told Wolff. Oh come on. They didnt actually say that? Please dont tell me that. Oh my god.

Wolffs book prompted a heated feud between Trump and Bannon this week after released excerpts revealed that Bannon described Donald Trump Jr.s meeting with a Kremlin-connected lawyer as treasonous.

While Wolff has a reputation for being a sleazy and unreliable journalist, he claims he can back up the stories in his book with hours and hours of recordings of his interviews with Bannon and other top White House officials. Some of his interviewees are already claiming to have been unaware that they were being taped, though Wolff denies this.2.4k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

Donald Trump defender and Washington Examiner contributor Jen Kerns said Saturday that if the Russia investigation has proven anything, its that the FBI and Department of Justice have a pro-Hillary Clinton bias.

MSNBCs Joy Reid immediately shut her down, busting her for not having any evidence to make such a claim.

Video:

Joy Reid Immediately Shuts Down Trump Defender For Claiming The FBI Has Pro-Clinton Bias #AMJoy pic.twitter.com/RlIw9Hbzsj  Sean Colarossi (@SeanColarossi) January 6, 2018

The exchange between Reid and Kerns:

KERNS: During the course of the Russia investigation, we now know and its been exposed that there was an extreme environment of political bias at both the FBI and the DOJ and that during that time period that Hillary Clinton was last being investigated, she may have been given a pass due to this political bias. REID: You mean the political bias that caused the FBI director to come out 11 days before the election and  probably throw the election to Donald Trump by publicly announcing an investigation against her? How does Jim Comey essentially throwing the election in some ways to Donald Trump by announcing this and reopening investigation against her, how was that biased in her favor? And remember, Donald Trump originally said the reason he fired Comey was because Comey was so incredibly unfair to Hillary Clinton. KERNS: But we also know James Comey watered down some of the initial statements. REID: How do you know that? Based on what? KERNS: This has come out during the course of the investigation.  REID: What source? What committee? Because you cant just quote things out of thin air. KERNS: Im not sure which committee offhand. REID: We cant put that into the public record because there is no evidence of that. Ive been following Russia-gate since last July. Theres no such thing.

The exchange between Reid and Kerns provided a snapshot of the new Republican strategy, which is clearly to divert attention away from the ongoing investigation into Donald Trumps ties to Russia and again focus on attacking Hillary Clinton based on old conspiracy theories.

Waging phony investigations and attacking the FBI and Justice Department may temporarily muddy the waters and divert public attention, but its not going to distract Robert Muellers special counsel team in their ongoing inquiry.

With each passing day, the investigation continues to build its case against Trump and his associates  whether its for possible collusion with Russia or obstruction of justice. Reviving already-debunked Hillary Clinton conspiracy theories wont save them.1.8k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

By William Schomberg

LONDON (Reuters)  The author of a book that is highly critical of Donald Trumps first year as U.S. president said his revelations were likely to bring an end to Trumps time in the White House.

Michael Wolff told BBC radio that his conclusion in Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House that Trump is not fit to do the job  was becoming a widespread view.

I think one of the interesting effects of the book so far is a very clear emperor-has-no-clothes effect, Wolff said in an interview broadcast on Saturday.

The story that I have told seems to present this presidency in such a way that it says he cant do his job, Wolff said.

Suddenly everywhere people are going oh my God, its true, he has no clothes. Thats the background to the perception and the understanding that will finally end  this presidency.

Trump has dismissed the book as full of lies. It depicts a chaotic White House, a president who was ill-prepared to win the office in 2016, and Trump aides who scorned his abilities.

Trump took to Twitter late on Friday to renew his attacks on Wolff, and on his former top aide Steve Bannon who was quoted in the book.

Michael Wolff is a total loser who made up stories in order to sell this really boring and untruthful book, Trump said. He used Sloppy Steve Bannon, who cried when he got fired and begged for his job. Now Sloppy Steve has been dumped like a dog by almost everyone. Too bad!

Bannon, formerly Trumps chief strategist, is chairman of the so-called alt-right Breitbart News website

In his interview with the BBC, Wolff was asked if he believed that Bannon felt Trump was unfit to serve as president and would try to bring him down. Yes, Wolff replied.

He also hit back at claims that the book was untruthful.

This is whats called reporting. This is how you do it. he said. You ask people, you get as close as you can to the event, you interview the people who were privy to the event, you interview other people who were privy to the event, you come to know the circumstance as well as anybody and then you report it.

(Additional reporting by Brendan OBrien in Milwaukee; Writing by William Schomberg; Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)1.5k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

Proof that zero truth is allowed in Trumps Republican Party came when Steve Bannon apologized to Trump for telling the truth about the Russia scandal.

In a statement to Axios, Bannon took everything he said about the Russia scandal and the Trump family back:

Donald Trump, Jr. is both a patriot and a good man. He has been relentless in his advocacy for his father and the agenda that has helped turn our country around. My support is also unwavering for the president and his agenda  as I have shown daily in my national radio broadcasts, on the pages of Breitbart News and in speeches and appearances from Tokyo and Hong Kong to Arizona and Alabama.

.

My comments about the meeting with Russian nationals came from my life experiences as a Naval officer stationed aboard a destroyer whose main mission was to hunt Soviet submarines to my time at the Pentagon during the Reagan years when our focus was the defeat of the evil empire and to making films about Reagans war against the Soviets and Hillary Clintons involvement in selling uranium to them. My comments were aimed at Paul Manafort, a seasoned campaign professional with experience and knowledge of how the Russians operate. He should have known they are duplicitous, cunning and not our friends. To reiterate, those comments were not aimed at Don Jr. Everything I have to say about the ridiculous nature of the Russian collusion investigation I said on my 60 Minutes interview. There was no collusion and the investigation is a witch hunt. I regret that my delay in responding to the inaccurate reporting regarding Don Jr has diverted attention from the presidents historical accomplishments in the first year of his presidency.

Enter here to win a free digital copy of Fire and Fury.

The statement uses all of Trumps buzzwords and favorite Russia conspiracies, so this should not in any way be taken seriously. What happened was Trump flipped out after the book was published and got Bannons backers the Mercer family to pull out their cash, while at the same time, the White House was trying to get him fired from Breitbart. The statement is garbage and it shows just how tightly controlled the Republican Party is by a handful of billionaires.

The genie is already out of the bottle, so Bannon can put out any sort of White House written statement under his own name, and it wont make a bit of difference. The book is published, millions are reading it, and the damage has been done.544 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

During an interview on Meet The Press, Fire and Fury author Michael Wolff claimed that people in the White House discuss removing Trump from office daily.

Video:

Transcript via Meet The Press:

CHUCK TODD:

Did you, Im just curious because its a very tough book. You basically, youre sending a message here to anybody reading this book. Did you leave out good stuff because it got in the way of the narrative? Like if people said positive things about him, um, Im not saying- that you left it out because it took away from the thesis of the book that you wanted to get out there?

MICHAEL WOLFF:

If I left out anything, its probably stuff that was even more damning.

CHUCK TODD:

Its that bad?

MICHAEL WOLFF:

Its that bad. I mean, its an extraordinary moment in time. And the last several days focused on my book I think are proof of this. This is what happened here, whats going on here. This is, you know, I think not an exaggeration and not unreasonable. Its not unreasonable to say this is 25th Amendment kind of stuff.

CHUCK TODD:

Did anybody say that in the West Wing to you?

MICHAEL WOLFF:

All the time.

CHUCK TODD:

25th Amendment? They would bring up the 25th Amendment?

MICHAEL WOLFF:

Yes, actually, they would say, sort of in the mid-period, Were not at a 25th Amendment level yet. Or they would-

CHUCK TODD:

Thats alarming.

MICHAEL WOLFF:

This is alarming in every way. And then this went on, Okay, this is a little 25th Amendment. So 25th Amendment is a concept that is alive every day in the White House.

Jonathan Swan of Axios who is plugged into this White House claimed that Wolff is wrong:

Here is what we know to be true. People inside the White House are worried about Trump, losing a step mentally. It is why they dont let him do press conferences or be interviewed by non-conservative media. There have also been regular reported about Trump not being able to cope with being president. This White House is also living under the looming dark cloud of the Russia investigation, and there is legitmate concern that Trump will not finish his first term.

The quibble here is with the claim that the 25th Amendment is discussed daily.

If the 25 Amendment has been discussed at all inside the White House, that is a huge problem. The fact that the country is talking about whether or not Trump should be removed from office is a gigantic issue for the Republican Party.

Michael Wolffs book, which you can win a free copy of here, is doing immense damage to Trump, and the more media coverage this book gets, the water the Trump presidency takes on.

Trump is sinking and the book Fire and Fury is the anchor that is bringing him down.Today the Associated Press headlines: Cumming: Important to portray gay character in time of Trump. For liberals, it doesnt matter what the topic is, its always the time of Trump.

Actor Alan Cumming, who is portraying what is believed to be the first gay lead character in a broadcast network drama, said Saturday that its particularly important that the milestone is happening during President Donald Trumps administration.

Really? Why? Trumps record is at least as pro-gay as Barack Obamas or Hillary Clintons, if you assume that is a good thing:

His history with the gay community is a long one. He donated to charities focused on the AIDS crisis in the late 1980s and early 90s. In 2000, when he briefly considered running for president, he gave an interview to The Advocate, a gay magazine, in which he supported amending the 1964 Civil Rights Act to include a ban of discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Back to the AP:

His crime procedural Instinct arrives at a time when Cumming said the president is actively condoning, by his silence, violence and persecution against the LBGT community.

What on Earth is Cumming talking about? What violence and persecution against the LBGT community? The main violence against the gay community in recent years was the Orlando night club mass murder, about which Donald Trump was anything but silent. Trump said:

The attack on the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, was the worst terror strike on our soil since September 11th, and the worst mass shooting in our countrys history.

***

Our nation stands together in solidarity with the members of Orlandos LGBT community. They have been through something that nobody could ever experience. This is a very dark moment in Americas history. A radical Islamic terrorist targeted the nightclub, not only because he wanted to kill Americans, but in order to execute gay and lesbian citizens, because of their sexual orientation. Its a strike at the heart and soul of who we are as a nation. Its an assault on the ability of free people to live their lives, love who they want, and express their identity. Its an attack on the right of every single American to live in peace and safety in their own country.

***

Hillary Clinton can never claim to be a friend of the gay community as long as she continues to support immigration policies that bring Islamic extremists to our country and who suppress women, gays and anyone who doesnt share their views or values.

***

Ask yourself who is really the friend of women and the LGBT community, Donald Trump with actions or Hillary Clinton with her words? I will tell you who the better friend is and some day I believe that will be proven out bigly. (APPLAUSE)

You may or may not agree with President Trumps policy positionsI dobut it absurd to accuse him of silence.

Liberals have been seized by a sort of dementia in which their obsessive hatred for President Trump blinds them to reality and causes them to say things, every day, that are inexplicably stupid. The Associated Press, unfortunately, has succumbed to that dementia.

I had never heard of Mr. Cumming until today, but the AP holds him up as an exemplar, well qualified to critique the President of the United States from a perspective of moral superiority. The AP celebrates a personal history that, for the last 10,000 years or so, would have been described, at best, as confused:

In real life Cumming, 52, has described himself as bisexual and has a husband, Grant Shaffer. But he was also once married to a woman.

Apparently Mr. Cumming has not only miraculously survived our era of violence and persecution against the LBGT community, but is playing on his on-again off-again gay persona to earn a fortune. In the age of Trump.Its Hollywood awards show season, and apparently the first of themthe Golden Globeswill be on this evening. It has come to this: Hollywood is counting on ratings going up as people tune in to see how theyll handle the Harvey Weinstein train wreck.

Apparently Hollywood is having second thoughts about the whole matter because they didnt have the foresight to see how many good people it would take down, like Al Franken, Kevin Spacey, etca list that is surely not complete yet. So, for example:

Academy members now regret banning Weinstein so hastily When Hollywoods most prestigious organization, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)  the group of nearly 7,000 actors, directors and other industry types who dole out the Oscars  expelled Harvey Weinstein on Oct. 14,audiences applauded. But by acting so swiftly, a mere nine days after the New York Times first reported allegations of sexual assault against the movie producer, the outfit now finds itself facing a dilemma. Put simply: What to do with the rest of them? Harvey opened the floodgates, said one male Academy member. Now the Academys drowning in a tide of st. They dont know what hit them. . . . [We] cant regret [kicking out Harvey] because [we] didnt really have a choice, said one male member of AMPAS board of governors. Some members were quite vehement. But [we] didnt have time to really weigh out the repercussions.

Then theres this truly First World Problem:

Golden Globes: Stars struggling to find black dresses, stylists say It is fast becoming the must-wear item of the Golden Globes awards. A little black number to be worn in protest at sexual harassment and abuse in the film industry. But so popular is the show of support for hundreds of victims of abuse that stylists around Hollywood are tearing their hair out. It seems there just arent enough black outfits to go round. . . Designers and stylists are in a last-minute frenzy, some having more black attire rushed in from their fashion bases in New York.

And just what, I ask, is the carbon footprint of jetting all those black dresses out from New York? Looks like we have another collision at the four-way intersectionality.

Incidentally, Power Line was on this story early.

P.S. If Hollywood actresses are really stuck for a black dress, they can always get this one.Yesterday, Scott discussed the referral of Christopher Steele to the Justice Department for criminal investigation. The referral was made by Senators Chuck Grassley and Lindsey Graham. The crimes Steele may (or may not) have committed are violations of 18 U.S.C.  1001, based on false statements investigators have reason to believe Steele made to them about the distribution of claims contained in the [anti-Trump Russia] dossier.

Note that Sens. Grassley and Graham arent talking about false statements in the dossier, but rather false statement about the distribution of claims in the dossier. What statements might Steele have made to investigators regarding distribution of dossier material that there is reason to believe are false?

Byron York thinks the statements in question may well pertain to Steeles briefing of reporters about the dossier:

One serious question is whether Steele told the FBI that he was telling reporters the same information  those explosive allegations about Trump and Trump associates  that he was bringing to bureau investigators. If the FBI knew that, would they have agreed to an arrangement to make Steele a paid FBI operative investigating the Trump-Russia affair? That would have been a most unorthodox arrangement, with Steele disseminating his allegations to the FBI and the press simultaneously.

In other words, it was in Steeles interest for the FBI not to know that he was sharing claims from the dossier with reporters. Might he have lied to the FBI about this?

Grassley and Graham apparently have reason to believe he did. What is the basis for their belief? In their letter, they say its inconsistencies in statements that Steele provided to authorities.

Which authorities? The FBI, obviously. But are Grassley and Graham talking about inconsistent statements made to the FBI, or about inconsistencies between what Steele told the FBI and what he told some other authority?

Byron suspects the disparity is between what Steele told the FBI and what he represented during a proceeding in a London court. Steeles lawyers told the London court in September 2016 that, pursuant to directions from Fusion GPS, Steele briefed reporters from the New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN, the New Yorker, Yahoo News, and, later, Mother Jones about the dossier.

Grassley and Graham seem to believe that this is inconsistent with what Steele told the FBI. Byron notes:

[T]he Senate Judiciary Committee has examined a lot of dossier-related material from the FBI under an agreement that allows the committee to view materials the bureau has originally produced to the House Intelligence Committee. It appears that Grassley and Graham are pursuing inconsistencies between what Steele told the FBI and what Steele told the London court. If they conflict, which is true? If what Steele told the FBI was untrue, thats a problem.

Indeed, it would be. Lying to the FBI is a crime  the same one Michael Flynn pleaded guilty too.Its not yet clear whether the Iranian regime will succeed, for now, in stamping out the protests against it. Regardless, Bret Stephens says the protests have made apparent the need to reject the conventional wisdom about the regime.

Stephens describes the conventional wisdom as holding that Iran is a dictatorship with democratic characteristics, and that its riven between hard-liners who want to make it more repressive and militant and reformists who want to make it less. Thus, Western policy, according to this analysis, should do what it can to encourage and reward the latter at the expense of the former.

Stephens description of the conventional wisdom is accurate. However, we at Power Line have long rejected it as inconsistent with the facts.

Stephens presents some of those facts:

[The conventional wisdom] fails to explain why, for instance, the number of executions in Iran rose under the ostensibly reformist leadership of President Hassan Rouhani. It doesnt account for Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif laying a wreath in honor of Imad Mugniyeh, the Hezbollah terrorist responsible for killing hundreds of Americans. And it doesnt explain Tehrans hyperaggressive foreign policy in the wake of the 2015 nuclear deal, which was supposed to inaugurate its opening to the rest of the world.

Reports that the notorious hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been arrested by authorities for allegedly inciting unrest against the government also call into question the hardliner vs. reformist model.

How should we view the regime? Stephens says we should view it as a kleptocracy, driven by impulses that are by turns doctrinal and venal. Mostly venal, I submit.

As Stephens notes:

[A] supposedly charitable foundation controlled by Khamenei, known as Setad, had assets [as of 2013] worth an estimated $95 billion. Setad built its empire on the systematic seizure of thousands of properties belonging to ordinary Iranians, [a] Reuters investigation noted. The organization now holds a court-ordered monopoly on taking property in the name of the supreme leader, and regularly sells the seized properties at auction or seeks to extract payments from the original owners. Whats true of Setad goes for other tax-exempt bonyad, multibillion-dollar charities run chiefly for the benefit of their clerical masters. Its true as well of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, estimated to control another 15 percent of the Iranian economy.

What are the practical implications of understanding the Iranian regime as a kleptocracy cloaked in religious garb? Stephens argues that we should focus on further exposing the chasm between the regimes professed championing of justice, Islamic style, and its profoundly corrupt and unjust practices. For example, we should, as Ken Weinstein of the Hudson Institute advocates, release details on the billions in stolen assets held by the I.R.G.C. and the supreme leader.

My guess is that most Iranians already understand the true nature of the regime that oppresses them. The winners are fine with it; the losers, increasingly, are seething. Still, its a good idea to release as much information and as many details as we can.

In addition, we should reject arguments of Obama apologists that are founded on the flawed conventional wisdom Stephens describes. We should not worry that imposing sanctions plays into the regimes hands. Iranians understand by now that because, as Stephens says, theres no trickle-down economy in the Islamic Republic, sanctions hurt those in power, not ordinary Iranians.

Similarly, we should stop worrying that expressions by the U.S. of support for protesters play into the hands of hardliners at the expense of moderates within the government. Among thieves, there are no hardliners and moderates  just opportunists jockeying for a larger share of the spoils.If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found hereTehran, Jan 2 : Saudi Arabia, the US and Britain are major players behind the anti-government protests in Iran, an official said on Tuesday.

Certain countries were waging a "proxy war" against the Islamic republic via social media and the Internet, Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), was quoted as saying by Press TV.

The US, Britain and Saudi Arabia were behind the riots in Iran, he said, adding the hashtags and social media campaigns in Tehran were all being guided by these countries.

"Based on our analyses, around 27 per cent of the new hashtags against Iran were generated by the Saudi government," the Iranian official said.

Shamkhani said that such foreign-backed intervention was aimed at hampering Iran's progress in different spheres, Xinhua cited the report as saying.

"What is happening in Iran will be over in a few days and there is no reason to worry at all," he said.

Nine more people were killed overnight as protests against the government's economic policies, including looming price hikes, continued for a sixth day.

The latest violence, in the central Isfahan region, took the number of reported deaths to at least 22.

The protests in cities across Iran are the largest since the disputed 2009 Presidential election. They began in the city of Mashhad, initially against price rises and corruption, but have since spread amid wider anti-government sentiment.

Hundreds of people have been arrested.New Delhi, Jan 4 : The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) on Thursday approached Vice Chancellor M. Jagadesh Kumar with a memorandum signed by more than 2,000 students denouncing the decision making attendance compulsory in classes.

A mass delegation led by the union demonstrated outside the office of Vice Chancellor, who, however, could not receive the memo as he was away, said the students, citing the Chief Proctor.

The students refused to give the memorandum to the Chief Proctor and insisting on meeting the VC, for which they secured an appointment on Monday.

JNUSU President Geeta Kumari told IANS that the move to make attendance compulsory during lectures was a "diktat" and was never passed through the statutory bodies.

"They are lying that the decision was passed by the 144 Academic Council meeting on December 1. It did not. Now a committee has been formed to finalise the decision by the administration. We do not know when it will submit its report," she said.

Attendance has never been mandatory for students during lectures and even now the administration hasn't clarified how much attendance is required to be qualified to sit in exams, she said.

In a circular dated December 21, the Jawaharlal Nehru University administration informed the students of attendance being made compulsory from the upcoming winter session, saying the decision was taken as per a resolution passed in the 144th Academic Council meeting held on December 1.

Geeta Kumari said that they have secured signatures of over 2,000 students against the move despite many being away during semester break, and the number will only increase by Monday.Washington, Jan 5 : US space agency NASA said on Thursday its industry partners, Boeing and SpaceX, are targeting the return of human spaceflight from Florida's Space Coast in 2018.

"Both companies are scheduled to begin flight tests to prove the space systems meet NASA's requirements for certification in the coming year," Xinhua quoted NASA as saying.

"Boeing's Starliner will launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 and SpaceX's Crew Dragon will launch on the company's Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A."

Boeing is expected to perform an uncrewed flight test in August, during which the unmanned Starliner will dock to the International Space Station for about two weeks.

Then, the company will fly the Starliner spacecraft for its first commercial spaceflight to the International Space Station in November with two crew members on board.

Meanwhile, SpaceX is targeting the second quarter of 2018 for its first uncrewed demonstration mission with Crew Dragon to and from the International Space Station.

It will be followed by a crewed mission in the third quarter of 2018 that will see two NASA astronauts flying to and from the International Space Station in SpaceX' s Crew Dragon spacecraft.

The two crewed missions by Boeing and SpaceX "represent a major milestone in the return of human spaceflight from the United States," NASA was quoted as saying.

If everything goes well, the companies are each slated to fly six crew missions to the International Space Station beginning in 2019 and continuing through 2024, it added.New Delhi : A few years ago, my brother from New York phoned me on the morning of January the first -- but in America it was still December 31.

I told my kids: "Your uncle is calling from last year." Their eyes widened. I explained: "It sounds weird, but it's all to do with time zones."

When the phone rang an hour later, I answered it and told the kids: "It's your great-grandma. She's phoning from 1880." They nodded sagely and muttered: "Time zones."

I like to mess with children's heads. It is called "parenting" and doctors recommend it.

This memory was triggered by the latest news. A flight from New Zealand took off in 2018 and landed in Hawaii in 2017, US news outlets reported a few days ago. The aircraft started in a city where January 1, 2018, had started but finished its journey in a place where it was still December 31, 2017.

That made headlines in the West, but it's actually pretty unimpressive to travelers in Asia, who encounter ridiculous time zone issues all the time.

When you fly from Asia to North America you often land before you take off. The Nagoya to Hawaii flight lands 12 hours before it left, which I love, because you can legitimately eat six meals that day.

My advice is to talk to your smartphone assistant as you land in Hawaii.

Me: "So, Siri, what year is it?" Siri: "2017." Me: "But earlier you said it was 2018." Siri: "I don't like you; please send me back to the factory."

There used to be a famous road tunnel in Zunyi town in China's Guizhou province which sent you back in time. You drove into the tunnel at 4 pm. As you emerged, 400 metres later, the clock on your phone would say 3 pm. This was very useful when Guizhou residents were late for something -- they just zipped through the Zunyi tunnel and were suddenly 59 minutes early.

Technicians said this was caused by a malfunctioning transmission tower but I found explanations of wormholes and time warps more believable.

These days China spans five time zones but the leaders are so bossy they make everything run on Beijing time. If you live in the west of China, you can spring out of bed at the crack of dawn - which is 10.30 am. Sunset is just before midnight. This is astonishingly inconvenient for literally hundreds of millions of people, and Beijing rulers are deeply sympathetic ha ha ha ha yeah right.

Time zones are measured in how many hours they differ from GMT, which stands for Greenwich Mean Time, the part of the UK which apparently first emerged from the Big Bang. But India and Sri Lanka insist on being 30 minutes out of step with everyone else and Nepal goes in 15-minute time zone increments.

But get this. One summer I actually went to Greenwich and decided to reset my watch. I kid you not: The time in Greenwich was GMT plus one hour! That made no sense at all -- like everything else on this planet. So I suppose it fits in just fine.

Happy New Year to everyone, including the Siri in my phone, who is still in a sulk.

(Nury Vittachi is an Asia-based frequent traveller. Send ideas and comments via his Facebook page)New Delhi, Jan 5 : It's 9 p.m. and a biting chill has set in as dozens of migrant labourers start gathering near the Yamuna embankment in north Delhi's Kashmere Gate area. Welcome to one of the national capital's open-to-the-sky shelters -- just one km away from Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence in the Civil Lines area -- for homeless workers who have not been able to find a place in one of the Delhi government's many night shelters.

"I will spend the night here," Omprakash, a daily labourer, told IANS as he prepared to lay discarded newspapers on the Yamuna riverbed and tried to cover his face with a shawl to beat the chill.

"We are not allowed in the night shelters as we are not regulars," he said, taking out two slices of bread from his bag -- his dinner.

Omprakash, who hails from Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh, is also ill. He says he suffers from a breathing problem and has a wound in his right thigh.

More people trickle in, armed with blankets and shawls, ready to spend the night under the open sky -- because they don't have a choice.

The Yamuna riverbed where the migrants have chosen to be is choc-a-bloc with animal waste, with its attendant foul smell to which is added that of the putrid river water.

"In the shelters, there is very little space to sleep," Raju, a migrant from Katihar in Bihar, complained. "And with very less space to sleep in, it becomes impossible for us to relax after working for the whole day," he said.

He also complained of thefts in the night shelters.

"We earn a very small amount, we cannot afford to lose our earnings and valuables by spending a night in the shelters," he rued.

His grouse was echoed by Lalan Mandal, who hails from Darbhanga in Bihar. "We want to go to the night shelters, but after earning, when we go... then our money is stolen from there," Mandal said.

Mandal has two children and his work as a plumber earns him around Rs 12,000-Rs 13,000 per month.

"We too have our children and our family, and we are living with our problems so that they don't face trouble in future," he said.

Alam Khan, who had occupied a spot near Mandal, said, "I work as a hand-rickshaw pusher and after working for a whole day when I return, I am abused there (in the night shelters).

"So we don't prefer to go there and sleep here in the open," said Khan, who also hails from Katihar.

He also complained that the staff at the night shelters most of the time allow in only their own favourites and don't care for the others.

However, he is not alone as over 150 people have by now gathered at the spot, eager to grab the few clean areas left.

This IANS correspondent also visited six nearby night shelters, which were found to be over-crowded.

The Delhi government's Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), while announcing its Winter Action Plan on December 15, 2017, said it runs 251 shelters -- 83 of them housed in permanent buildings and 113 operating out of porta-cabins. FIfty-five temporary shelters in tents have also been put up for the winter season.

Although the Board claims that the night shelters can accommodate close to 20,000 people, only about 10,000 homeless people are using them. The Delhi government has also announced that it will serve breakfast of "tea and rusk" till the end of January to those occupying the night shelters.

The DUSIB said that to bring the homeless to the night shelters, 20 rescue teams have also been pressed into service and will be doing the rounds every night. They can be contacted by citizens who want to report on the homeless by dialling a 24X7 control room number (011-23378789/8527898295/96) and a "Rain Basera" mobile application.

But despite the government's efforts, thousands of people are still forced to live on the streets of the city. According to a 2014 DUSIB survey, the number of homeless in Delhi is 16,000, while various NGOs estimate that the number may run up to 100,000 or more.

Sunil Kumar Aledia, Executive Director of the NGO Centre for Holistic Development, said: "As per the guidelines of the National Urban Livelihood Mission, at least 50 sq ft of space should be given to every person in the night shelters.

"But Delhi shelters lack space and people get only 10-12 sq ft area," he said, adding that most of the people avoid going to the night shelters due to over-crowding.

Aledia also said that this year, between December 1 and 14, at least 108 homeless people have died.

"In December 2016, 2015 and 2014, the death toll of the homeless was 235, 251 and 279, respectively," he added.

(Anand Singh can be contacted at anand.s@ians.in)Washington, Jan 5 : A 34-year-old Indian man has been arrested in the US for an alleged sexual assault on a woman passenger who fell asleep next to him on a flight.

The man, Prabhu Ramamoorthy, was accused of abusing a 22-year-old woman seated by the window next to him while his wife was on his other side on a Spirit Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Detroit early on January 3.

Ramamoorthy, who prosecutors said was an Indian national living in the US on a temporary visa, was charged with aggravated sexual abuse and held without bail after an appearance in federal court in Michigan on Thursday, the Washington Post reported.

The victim told investigators that she woke up to discover the fellow passenger shoving his fingers inside her pants and "vigorously moving them", according to a federal criminal complaint. She said her shirt was also "unbuttoned".

Federal prosecutor Amanda Jawad said Ramamoorthy stopped after the victim opened her eyes and then the shaken woman immediately alerted flight attendants.

Two flight attendants told investigators that the victim was crying and that her shirt was untied and pants were unbuttoned when she reported the incident, 40 minutes before the plane's landing, Jawad said.

The woman was offered a different seat and Ramamoorthy was arrested after the plane landed, the court documents stated.

According to the prosecutor, Ramamoorthy said in a written statement that he had taken a pill and fallen into deep sleep. He said he hadn't done anything besides learning from his wife that "the woman was sleeping on his knees".

His wife told officials a similar version and said that they had called the flight attendants to try to change seats. But the prosecutor said that "flight attendants did not report that anyone asked them to change seats other than the victim".

According to a news report, Ramamoorthy later altered his story and told an FBI agent that he might have unclasped the sleeping woman's bra "while playing with it".

The court filing stated that Ramamoorthy also admitted that he "unzipped the woman's pants part-way and put his finger inside".

Prosecutor Jawad said Ramamoorthy gave "conflicting reports" about what happened with the victim. Magistrate Judge R. Steven Whalen ordered Ramamoorthy to be held pending trial.

Stephen Schuler, a spokesman for Spirit, said it was cooperating with law enforcement on the incident.

Ramamoorthy made a request to contact the Indian consulate regarding his case.Mumbai, Jan 7 : One can feel the morning raga only when it is played in the morning, iconic sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, who along with his two sons Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash is set to perform in Mumbai on Sunday, said on Saturday.

"I am playing a morning concert here in Mumbai after seven years and this is the first concert of the year, of course, I am excited," he told IANS here.

"I think one can listen to any raga, at any time on the recording, but if you want to feel the raga, you have to listen to them in the morning. We have several early morning ragas in classical music and these concerts give us an opportunity to play them," he added.

His elder son Amaan said that waking up early morning is a big task for him because "it is almost like going back to school."

"One might just feel a little groggy because these days we do not wake up at 5 in the morning. Since our concert starts at 6:30, we have to wake up much early. But the advantage of playing such concert is to play some of the beautiful morning ragas that otherwise we do not get a chance to play in the evening concerts," he added.

Meanwhile, Ayaan said that morning concerts have become rare phenomena in the recent years.

"For us, the concert is also very special because of its backdrop -- Gateway of India. You know this is one of those iconic monuments of our country that symbolises the spirit of humanity and oneness though it has experienced some of the atrocities. Gateway of India is the spirit of Mumbai," he said.

Asked if he can recall his special moment of early morning concert, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan said that his best experience was when he saw the rising sun when he performed in overnight concert in Kolkata.

Sharing his early memories of childhood, the recipient of Padma Vibhshan said, "I used to wake up around four in the morning for my namaz followed by riyaaz. I learnt it from my father and guru Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan."

"The practice went on until I started my world tour for performance. Then I had to change my schedule according to my show. But, I would still say, waking up early in the morning and the sound of sarod refreshes your mind," he added.

Presented by Pancham Nishad, in association with Culture Department of Maharashtra and Mumbai Port Trust, the two-hour long concert titled "Spiritual Morning" starts at 6:30.London, Jan 7 : A group of European politicians (MEPs) released a letter on Saturday calling on Britain to remain a member of the single market.

Their intervention comes as the man who launched Britain's campaign to leave the European Union prepares to hold a face-to-face meeting on Monday with the chief Brexit negotiator in Brussels, Michel Barnier.

Nigel Farage, who sits as an MEP, co-founded the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) over 20 years ago with the aim of campaigning for Britain to quit the bloc, reports Xinhua.

The two men will meet on Monday at the European Commission headquarters after Farage requested a meeting. His call came after Barnier met a group of British pro-remain politicians from Westminster.

"Sending Nigel Farage to Brussels to sort out Brexit is like sending an arsonist to put out a house fire. He has no answers to the costs and complexity of Brexit, other than to blithely say we should walk away with no deal, which would be an unmitigated disaster for our economy and our country," James McGrory, Executive Director of the pro-EU group, Open Britain, was quoted as saying.

"As it becomes clear that the Brexit that he and other leading Leave campaigners sold to the public is not deliverable, what is required is honesty and realism, neither of which are Nigel Farage's forte."

Farage has responded by saying Barnier had been listening to people who want to stop or delay Brexit, while he would represent the 17.4 million people in Britain who voted in the June, 2016 referendum to leave by a 52-48 margin.

The intensity of the war of words between leavers and remainers is expected to become heated in the coming months as crucial negotiations on a future trade deal between Britain and the EU gather pace.

Prime Minister Theresa May has insisted Britain will leave the EU in March, 2019, and at the same time will leave the EU single market and the customs union.

The Guardian newspaper reported in London on Saturday that Theresa May is being urged by 20 British cross-party MEPs to change course and seek full membership of the European single market and customs.New Delhi : Personality cannot be entirely predictable but its basic pathways can be somewhat mapped. It, however, comes into its own when it meets a contrasting outlook(s), and these have to combine or clash -- more so in literature. Anything with more than one principal character works on the interplay of differing personality types -- ranging from two to five. The optimum is three -- reflecting the famous Viennese psychologists conjecture of personality.

While most of Sigmund Freud's theories have been discredited or replaced, they continue to make their presence felt in popular media. Among the most prevalent is his classification of the three constructs making up the psyche.

Outstripping the association of a passionate, impetuous, enthusiastic character matched with a more serene, controlled and observant counterpart (say Dr Watson/Sherlock Holmes or conversely, Tintin/Capt Haddock), the four-philosophy (cynical, realist, optimistic or apathetic/conflicted) or four-temperament (phlegmatic, sanguine, choleric and melancholic) ensemble or the five-man band (leader, lancer, smart guy, big guy and chick) is the Freudian Trio.

This trio of the Id, Ego and Superego is present in a wide range of literature from possibly the most famous trio of Russian brothers to the Boy (Wizard) who lived, a swordfight and intrigue story set in early 17th century France to the fantastic tale of a scientist and his aides taken (unwillingly) on a marvellous undersea tour, and the defining tale of Christmas to arguably the most famous space story -- as seen on TV.

But what exactly are these three? Freud, in his "Beyond the Pleasure Principle" (1920) and "The Ego and the Id" (1923), postulated the individual psyche comprised these three parts, all developing at different stages in life and non-corporeal. Saul McLeod of the University of Manchester says that, at the simplest, they can be understood as the primitive and instinctual part of the mind that contains sexual and aggressive drives and hidden memories (Id), the moral conscience (Superego), and the part that mediates between desires of these two (Ego). Each has its unique features and they mix to form a whole, each part making its contribution to an individual's behaviour.

More simply, Id is completely unconscious and has no judgments or sense of morality and governs our basic instincts. For Superego, Freud, who was in a sexist time, envisaged it as a symbol of the strong father figure -- emerging after a boy jettisoned the Oedipus complex and since women don't display this, their Superego is less developed. Ego, the referee, being realistic and rational, is the organised -- and organising -- part of the consciousness. While this is now commonly thought as a central mediator between the competing demands, Freud thought of it as more of a middleman, driven by the Id and confined by the Superego.

Freud originally used "das Es" (id), "das Uber-Ich" (superego) and "das Ich" (ego), or "the It", "the Over-I" and "the I", which while intelligible to German-speakers, had no evocative English equivalents, so his translator James Strachey coined them from Latin.

But where can we find them? One of the best examples is "Star Trek: The Original Series" where the highly emotional Dr James 'Bones' McCoy is Id, the supremely logical Spock is the Superego and Captain James T. Kirk, who strikes the middle path, is the Ego.

Then Alexandre Dumas' "The Three Musketeers" has the boastful and hedonistic Porthos (Id), the man of the world Aramis (Superego) and the quiet, noble Athos (Ego). Jules Verne's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" is itself Freudian involving being dragged down to subterranean depths in a mysterious vessel, seeing frightening creatures, and so on. Its not difficult to figure what impulsive Canadian harpooner Ned Land, calm aide Conseil, and mostly calm but sometimes upset Professor Aronnax represent.

In Fyodor Dostoyevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov", the eldest Dmitri, with his boozing and wenching, the cold, clever and contemptuous Ivan and the youngest Alyosha, who is the only to have good relations with the others, are also obvious. Try to identify the Three Ghosts of Christmases that Scrooge sees in Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" too?

There is Harry Potter world -- Harry, with his desire to save people at any cost, can be Id but with his constant mediation between Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger and his constant reliance on both, can be Ego. Ron, a balance between Harry's impulsiveness and Hermione's cautiousness can be the Ego or as fond of eating, oblivious to others' needs or states, can be Id. However, knowledgeable, respectful and rule-abiding Hermione is always the Superego.

Also, in the Marauders (save Peter Pettigrew) -- the born rebel, highly emotional Sirius Black is Id, the less reckless but over-confident James Potter is Ego and studious and sensible Remus Lupin is Superego.

Another popular fantasy series -- Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series -- also display this, with again the wise woman protagonist (Annabeth Chase) the Superego, Percy, whose primary goal is to help his friends, the Id, and Grover Underwood the Ego.

There are many more. Try to figure them out in the last multi-character book you read.

(Vikas Datta is an Associate Editor at IANS. The views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at vikas.d@ians.in )Beijing, Jan 7 : Thirty-two crewmembers were reported missing after two vessels collided off in waters off China's east coast, a Transport Ministry official said on Sunday.

The collision, between a Panama-registered oil tanker and a Hong Kong-registered bulk freighter, took place on Saturday night in waters about 160 sea miles east of the Yangtze River's estuary, reports Xinhua news agency.

The 32 missing crewmembers including two Bangladeshi nationals were all from the oil tanker.

The 21 crewmembers on the bulk freighter -- all Chinese nationals -- have been rescued, the official said.

Chinese authorities have dispatched eight vessels for the ongoing search and rescue operations.New Delhi : Title: Miss Laila Armed and Dangerous; Author: Manu Joseph; Publisher: Fourth Estate; Pages: 210; Price: Rs 499 A lanky woman, arms akimbo, wearing a tucked-in white shirt, divided skirt and red high heels is standing with her back to us. There's a mike in front of her and she's addressing a nondescript crowd, waving flags -- the 'Bhagwa Dhwaj' (the saffron flag of Shivaji, adopted by the RSS) to be specific. But what catches the eye is her dress -- specially her khaki shorts.

The cover of Manu Joseph's "Miss Laila Armed and Dangerous" is telling.

"Just the sight of Hindu patriots this way in the uniform of the Sangh reminds Muslims of death," writes the novelist-journalist in his new book.

The woman in the Sangh outfit is Akhila Iyer, one of the protagonists in the book. And if the way she dresses is any hint, Miss Iyer is that rare breed that has both a sense of humour and strong political views. She is all that and much more.

In "Miss Laila...", Joseph is having fun. He is unapologetic and out to offend. And he spares no one. If you're a Right-winger or a Left lib, Arundhati Roy fan or Modi bhakt, a feminist or an activist or a journalist, Anna Hazare follower or Irom Sharmila sympathiser -- this book is NOT for you. Or maybe it is.

The novel opens as a political satire, with Miss Iyer -- a neurosurgery student who has a love-hate relationship with Left liberals (in possible revenge at her mother who had abandoned her to carry out her ultra-Left activities) -- playing pranks on everybody, and exposing their hypocrisy.

As far as the "patriots" go, Joseph also makes fun of them, though in a subtly indirect way, with characters like Damodarbhai -- DaMo for short -- and his minions, a certain Professor Vaid, and through "White Beard".

There are two gripping narratives running parallel to each other. One involves Miss Iyer helping a man caught in the debris of a collapsed building survive by crawling to him through a tunnel and feeding him. Then he whispers to her something which has the intelligence agency racing against time to avert a terror attack.

The other concerns Miss Laila -- of the title -- whose character is loosely based on the 19-year-old Ishrat Jahan, an alleged terrorist killed in a "gunfight" with police while on the way to assassinate the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, whom most of us will only recognise from that picture of four dead bodies strewn on a road besides a blue Tata Indica.

There have been many theories on the Ishrat Jahan case, some holding that she was an innocent girl who got mixed up with wrong people. Joseph seems to subscribe to this view in his fictionalised tale that is too close to the real thing.

"Miss Laila..." is not an investigative piece in that it doesn't provide any new information. But it brings a fresh perspective to the story of a "hip" Ishrat Jahan from Mumbra -- a sister to six siblings, their idol and bread winner. Instead of letting the character of Laila speak for herself, the author lets her younger sister to be the narrator and that's what humanises the story.

With his earlier works "Serious Men" and "The Illicit Happiness of Other People", Joseph has already established himself as a prolific writer in English. With "Miss Laila..." he has set a new benchmark for anyone looking to spin newspaper headlines to write an everyday politics-inspired thriller.

While anyone can write a political satire-cum-thriller, which is at once funny and dark, it is a writer like Joseph who can make you question and laugh at your beliefs. (Unless you are a bigot, in which case the only literature you should be reading is that recommended by Dina Nath Batra).

Joseph addresses many issues in this stylishly-written 210-page book. Capturing the themes of identity, selfishness and inefficiency, he talks about the life of extras in the film industry, poor disaster management in the country's financial capital and journalists who swing facts to show the poor in worse condition than they actually are in. He does all this while maintaining the flow of the narrative and never losing the plot.

And there is never a dull moment.

In one chapter, the author goes deep into the ways of the Indians with his description of "faces only an Indian can make". Like when "he crosses the road like a cow, and is startled by a truck... when boys fall off trains because they were dangling from the doorways, when illegal homes built on infirm soil collapse, when pilgrims are squashed in annual stampedes inside narrow temples".

In another, flaying the Hindu outfits' claims of Muslims reproducing to take over the world, Joseph says that one thing Damodarbhai would never say out loud is "reason why the Muslim population is growing faster than the Hindu... Muslims don't kill their girls in the womb".

Writing about the Indian Marxists and their love for French wines when they wish to discuss poverty and revolution, he says, "Actually, they are happy with South African wines, too."

There is so much happening, the moment you finish reading the book feels like you just got off a roller coaster. And you want to take the ride again. Luckily for us, the book is being made into a movie.

(Himani Kothari can be contacted at himani.k@ians.in )New Delhi, Jan 7 : All railway stations -- nearly 8,500 across the country, including those in rural and remote areas -- will be equipped with Wi-Fi facilities at an estimated cost of Rs 700 crore ($110 million).

As part of the government's ambitious Digital India initiative, the national transporter has currently commissioned Wi-Fi services at 216 major stations enabling about seven million rail passengers to log on to the free Internet facility.

"Internet access has now become an important requirement in day-to-day working and we shall be providing this facility at all railway stations in the country," a senior Railway Ministry official said.

As per the plan finalised at a recent meeting, while 1,200 stations have been identified for this facility to primarily cater to rail passengers, about 7,300 stations have been earmarked to not only serve passengers but also local people in rural and remote areas.

The Wi-FI facility at these stations in rural and remote areas will be offered to the local population as part of the digital makeover of rural India to promote e-governance.

Railway stations in rural areas will have kiosks with Wi-FI that will become digital hot spots offering services like digital banking, Aadhaar generation, issuing government certificates, including birth and death certificates, and filing taxes and paying bills, among others.

The kiosks will also enable the local populace to order and receive goods from e-commerce portals.

"These kiosks will be operated at stations with private participation for the local population," said the official, adding, "The modalities of setting up such digital hot spots are being worked out with the Telecom Ministry."

As per the timeline, while 600 stations are targeted to be provided with the Wi-FI facility by March 2018, the Railways aim to cover all 8,500 stations by March 2019.

Our aim is to ensure that more and more people get connected to the rail Wi-FI system as the Wi-Fi broadband access to these rail users will aid in implementing the government's Digital India initiative, he said.

(Arun Kumar Das is a senior Delhi-based freelance journalist. He can be contacted at akdas2005@gmail.com )Seoul, Jan 7 : North and South Korea have agreed on the composition of the delegations which will participate in the first high-level meeting on Tuesday between the two countries after over two years, the Unification Ministry said here on Sunday.

Pyongyang informed Seoul of its five-member delegation earlier in the day, which will be led by Ri Son-gwon, head of his country's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea (CPRK), reports Efe news.

On Saturday, Seoul had proposed a delegation led by Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon and four other members.

On January 5, Pyongyang accepted Seoul's proposal of holding the meeting in Panmunjom on to discuss sending North Korean athletes to the Winter Olympics, to be held in the South Korea's Pyeongchang county in February, as well as discussing a general improvement in relations.

The decision came after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un expressed a desire for rapprochement with the South and to send a delegation to participate in the Pyeongchang games, making Seoul and Washington postpone their annual joint military drill.

North Korea's participation in Pyeongchang and a rapprochement between the two Koreas could contribute to easing regional tensions caused by Pyongyang's consistent ballistic weapons tests and US President Donald Trump's belligerent rhetoric throughout 2017.New Delhi, Jan 7 : The Indian government has issued showcause notices to, and may soon blacklist, eight Chinese pharmaceutical companies found to be supplying poor quality raw material to drug manufacturers in this country.

The notices were issued after a special inspection team of the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) inspected the eight companies in China.

According to documents available with IANS, the eight companies are M/S Qilu Tianhe Pharmaceuticals, M/S Hinan Xinxiang Pharmaceuticals, M/S Zhuhai United Labratories, M/S Guangzhao Baiyunshan Pharmaceuticals, M/S Shouguang Fukang Pharmaceuticals, M/S Qilu Antibiotics (Linyi) Pharmaceuticals, M/S Qindao Brightmoon Seawoods and M/S Shanghaoi Xiandia Hasen (Shangqiu) Pharmaceuticals.

According to sources in the DCGI, the companies on the verge of getting blacklisted are currently supplying a huge chunk of raw material to the Indian drug manufacturers.

"The allegations against the companies are of providing poor quality products and the action against them will soon be decided by the government. This will be harsh as we don't want the quality of drugs in India compromised," said a senior DCGI officer.

Sources said that with government's action against the Chine firms, India may witness a shortage of medicines, including for vital diseases such as cancer, for a couple of months.

Data from the Ministry for Chemicals and Fertilisers states that India gets 70 per cent of its raw material for drugs from China.

According to figures furnished to Parliament, Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) worth Rs 12,254.97 crore were imported in 2016-17. The figure for 2015-16 was Rs 13,853.20 crore. (API refers to the biologically active component of a drug product.)

In 2014-15, the API import stood at Rs 12,757.96 crore and at Rs 12,061.53 crore in 2013-14.

Sources in the DCGI said that following poor quality of pharmaceutical raw products from China, the Indian government has also decided to inspect API from other countries such as the United States, Italy and some European nations.

India imported APIs worth Rs 18,372.54 crore in 2016-17. This included APIs estimated to be worth Rs 820.18 crore from the United States, worth Rs 701.85 crore from Italy, worth Rs 485.11 crore from Germany and Rs 422.01 from Singapore.

Earlier, in 2014 and 2015, the National Security Advisor's office had warned the government of over-dependence on China for the supply of essential drugs and APIs.

In March 2017, Nirmala Sitharaman, then the Commerce and Industries Minister and now the Defence Minister, had also said that Chinese APIs were about four times cheaper than those produced in India.

Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma too expressed concern over the issue and suggested that an inter-ministerial committee look into it.

(Rupesh Dutta can be contacted at Rupesh.d@ians.in )Bengaluru, Jan 7 : Pitching for rule by the same party in the states as in the Centre, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday urged the electorate to vote for the BJP again in the ensuing Karnataka assembly elections to step up development in the state.

"Karnataka will benefit like Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh if it is also ruled by the BJP, which is heading the NDA government at the Centre under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he said at a party rally here.

Addressing about 50,000 people at the function here as part of the BJP's 90-day statewide "Nava Karnataka Nirmana Pari-varthana Yatra", Adityanath, speaking in Hindi, said Karnataka stagnated in development over the last four years under the Congress, which had failed to implement various schemes of the Modi government.

"Though the Modi government had included Bengaluru and nine other cities across the state under its ambitious Smart City project, the state government has not taken action to utilize its funds or improve the quality of life in the state.

"The Congress government has been busy polarising the people, dividing them on caste and religious basis and failed to check the worsening law and order situation. It has no time for the development of the state, which was once known for its phenomenal growth in the knowledge sector, especially IT and biotech," said Adityanath.

Noting that the BJP was ruling in 19 states and as a coalition partner in five more states across the country, he said his party had wrested power from the Congress in Himachal Pradesh and won in Gujarat for a record sixth time solely on the development plank.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which came to power in the state for the first time in 2008, lost to the Congress in 2013 following a split in its state unit and five years of "misrule" with three Chief Ministers.

It is second time Adityanath attended and addressed a BJP rally in the state after he did on December 21 at Hubballi.

Party's state unit President B.S. Yeddyrappa, central ministers from the state Ananth Kumar and D.V. Sadananda Gowda, Union HRD Minister and party's state in-charge Prakash Javdekar and its state unit leaders Jagadish Shettar, K.S Eshwarappa and A.R. Ashok also addressed the rally.

Before flying back to Lucknow, Adityanath had lunch at the Adichunchanagiri Mutt with its seer Nirmalanandanath Swami.Tekanpur (Madhya Pradesh), Jan 7 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday held "focussed discussions" regarding internal security with heads of state police and paramilitary forces here.

After landing in Gwalior, Modi reached the venue of the Annual Conference of Director Generals of Police (DGPs) and Inspector Generals of Police (IGPs) at the BSF Academy here.

The Prime Minister tweeted that that "there were insightful presentations and fruitful discussions on aspects relating to our security apparatus. There was also a presentation on the implementation status of decisions taken during the last three years.

"Had focussed discussions with groups of officers on specific areas of policing and security. I also inaugurated five new buildings at the BSF Academy."

As per reports, there were presentations and discussions on various subjects relating to internal security at the meeting.

According to one account, the Prime Minister's interactions lasted a total of over nine hours.

The Prime Minister will address the valedictory ceremony on Monday afternoon before leaving for Delhi.

Earlier, shortly after Modi's arrival in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that Modi was the first Prime Minister to give so much importance to internal security.

Chouhan, after receiving Modi at the military air base, told reporters: "Earlier, the annual conference of DGPs and IGPs would be conducted in New Delhi and the Prime Minister would inaugurate the event and leave.

"But Modi shifted these functions outside the national capital. This time, the function is being held at the Border Security Force Academy in Tekanpur where the Prime Minister will be present for two days. The country's internal security is very important for him."

Since Saturday, the three-day function of chiefs of state police forces and paramilitary forces has been going on in Tekanpur, around 400 km from the state capital Bhopal.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba are already in Tekanpur. A total of 205 senior police officers are attending the event.New Delhi, Jan 7 : A two-day Whips conference starting on Monday would deliberate upon the issue of e-management of Parliament and state legislatures -- a mission mode project of the Centre under Digital India -- to make their functioning paperless.

The 18th 'All India Whips' Conference', being organised by the Union Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs (MoPA) and Rajasthan government in Udaipur will be inaugurated by Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.N. Ananth Kumar, an official release said on Sunday.

"Some states have made good progress in the field of automation of their legislatures, yet consumption of huge volume of papers is still going on.

"In order to address this issue and economise the entire legislative process, e-Vidhan is proposed to be implemented in all the states and Union Territories with legislatures," the MoPA said in a release.

The government intends to roll out e-Sansad and e-Vidhan in Parliament and state legislatures, respectively, to digitise and make their functioning paperless and the conference would discuss the matter to facilitate their early and seamless roll out. The MoPA is the nodal ministry for implementation of both the projects.

The issue of efficient functioning of legislatures will also be deliberated by the Whips of Parliament and legislatures and ministers of parliamentary affairs of various states.

The Whips' Conference would make other recommendations for smooth and efficient working of Parliament and state legislatures in the light of the experience gained by the Whips.

A Whip is an important member of a political party's parliamentary body, having a central role in floor management and is responsible for discipline within the party.

The first 'All India Whips Conference' was held at Indore in 1952, in the very first year of General Elections to the first Lok Sabha.

Union Ministers of State for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel and Arjun Ram Meghwal would also chair different sessions during the conference.Kolkata, Jan 7 : Demanding peace and completion of the power project in violence-hit Bhangar, West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress on Sunday blamed the CPI-M, Congress and Maoist outfit CPI-ML Red Star for indulging in "conspiracy" that led to violence over the construction.

"The purpose of today's (Sunday's) meeting was to bring peace in the locality. More than 97 per cent of works for the construction of power grid sub-station was completed and then the agitation erupted. The Left parties and Congress are politicising the issue and indulging in conspiracy," state Minister Abdur Razzak Molla said at the meeting.

Bhangar in South 24 Pargana district witnessed massive agitation by the villagers over the state government's power grid project that has left two locals dead and several injured.

Trinamool's public meeting was seen as a response to the meeting organised by 'Jomi, Jibika, Bastutantra o Poribesh Raksha Committee (committee to protect land, livelihood, ecology and environment)' that is leading the movement in the region.A

The committee's meeting on Thursday had witnessed massive gathering by the locals and was attended by CPI-M leader Sujan Chakraborty, CPI-ML leader Alik Chakraborty and other Left wing leaders in Bhangar's Natunhat.

The villagers backed by the committee turned the anti power grid agitation into a land stir demanding the state government to return their land and stop the construction of the power grid.

Molla said the villagers should understand that the project was designed for the benefits of the local people and it aimed at avoiding the problem of low voltage in the region.

"We are ready for talks for the overall development in the region but agitators must assure they would not hamper the construction works of power grid substation," he said.

Another Trinamool leader Arabul Islam said that the violence and agitations were "part of conspiracy" organised by the opposition.

Last week, the ruling party had brought out a 'peace rally' in the area and demanded that outsiders should leave the villages.Riyadh, Jan 7 : A plane of the Saudi-led coalition crashed in the northern province of Saada in Yemen, but its pilots were later rescued, local media reported.

The jet crashed because of a technical fault and the two pilots were rescued after a joint search and rescue operation, the Al Akhbariya TV reported on Sunday.

The coalition's air forces carry out regular surveillance and airstrikes on Yemeni territories controlled by the Houthi rebels as part of its war on Yemen that began in 2015.

Earlier, the Houthi-controlled Saba news agency reported that its air forces shot down a fighter jet from the Saudi-led coalition, without providing further details.

The war in Yemen has killed hundreds of civilians as result of the airstrikes and clashes between Yemeni armed groups.Christmas Eve - Antil and his New Orleans' family celebrate his book on the Tin Roof - Tennessee William's workplace - famed Pontchartrain Hotel. If Paris is a moveable feast - New Orleans is the buffet.

The party celebrated the memory of the past hotel residents and frequenters - Tennessee Williams (Streetcar named Desire) and Breakfast at Tiffany's own Truman Capote. Many good things have been written in that hotel. Antil's next novel was started in its guest room - and he'll be back for more. In thanks for his good fortune, starting with Christmas in 2017 - Little York Books is shipping cases of Jerry Antil written books to every VA hospital in the country. Louisiana, Tennessee, Rhode Island, Kentucky and New York were the first. "The veterans in those hospitals," said Antil, "are the unsung heroes of this nation. My books, by the caseload, will reach them all as my gift of appreciation for their sacrifice."

The balance will be shipped beginning in February.

Two unlikely men, one a dying, aging army captain - the other an illiterate French Cajun lawn boy - meet in Carencro, Louisiana. All the old man wanted was to see a jazz festival before he dies. His knew friend obliges him - and they leave the hospice on foot. An incredible journey unfolds.

A KIRKUS 'recommended' Review' says ~

"A delightfully quirky tale both unpredictable and affecting."Anna Gibson, of AKG Design Studio, will be speaking in Orlando, Florida at the KBIS Conference; covering topics from downsizing in style to sharing personal Dos and Donts and Top Tips for marketing your business beyond your local reach, sourcing internationally and managing international projects.

Orlando, Florida, January 9th, 1:30 pm - The Minimalist Movement is on the rise. Tiny homes emerging as a trend in the 50+ consumer marketplace. Moving fast into the mainstream, research by The Tiny Life shows that 38% of tiny-home owners are over the age of 50. The aging community is all about downsizing possessions to upgrade lifestyle. For baby boomers nearing retirement who are recent (or to-be) empty nesters, the focus now is on fewer things and more experiences. Baby boomers are selling their large, family homes and putting the profit towards a smaller home with a low (to no) mortgage. While the structures of the tiny homes often measure less than 300 square feet, the tiny house movement isn't necessarily about sacrifice. Innovative designs and careful planning paired with high end fixtures created big living in small spaces. How can we the designers create grand living in a small space? In her talk, Anna will explore small space design  covering function and form. She'll teach you about multifunctioning work spaces, and best use of accessories to add functionality even to the smallest space. You'll end your time with Anna confident in your ability to provide grand amenities in small spaces.

Orlando, Florida, January 10th, 2:30 pm - Design pros, this ones for you! Do you plan to design remotely within the US or Canada? Better yet, do you plan to design abroad? Do you want to source products internationally? Heres the session you cant miss with insights from the pros who are doing just that and are here to share their personal Dos and Donts and Top Tips for marketing your business beyond your local reach, sourcing internationally and managing international projects. Its a small world after all! Come join us for an interactive discussion between audience and our panelists.

Sponsored by Thompson Traders.

If you would like to learn more about Anna K. Gibson and how she designs kitchens styled for life please visit her website at http://www.akgdesignstudio.com. If you are interested in learning more about KBIS 2018, please visit their website at https://www.kbis.com/.

About AKG Design Studio: AKG Design Studio is a luxury design firm specializing in kitchen design and bathroom design. Our mission is to create functional, distinctive, and timeless kitchens and bathrooms that reflect and enhance the clients personality and lifestyle.

Contact Information:

Anna K. Gibson

CEO and Chief Designer

anna@akgdesignstudio.comPosted Sunday, January 7, 2018 5:13 am

He flung himself from the room, flung himself upon his horse and rode madly off in all directions.Stephen Leacock (1869-1944)

Stephen LeacockCanadian teacher, political scientist, writer and all-around humoristin his prime was the English-speaking worlds best-known humorist. His character description above is as if hed had eyes into the future to witness the ruling style of would-be-king Donald Trump.

Following is a sample excerpt from Michael Wolffs bombshell book Fire and Fury, just released, which has caused unfettered consternation in the White House and leaped to number-one on the best-seller list even before being released by the publisher. Regarding Donald Trump: He didnt read. He didnt really even skim. Some believed that for all practical purposes he was no more than semiliterate. He trusted his own expertise  no matter how paltry or irrelevant  more than anyone elses. He was often confident, but he was just as often paralyzed, less a savant than a figure of sputtering and dangerous insecurities, whose instinctive response was to lash out and behave as if his gut, however confused, was in fact in some clear and forceful way telling him what to do. It was, said [deputy chief of staff Katie] Walsh, like trying to figure out what a child wants.

A New Book Claims the White House Is Dysfunctional. Trump's Response Proves Ittime.com headline. The White House lashed out at a former top campaign official and White House aide seemingly on the fly, giving a vivid example of the very infighting, incompetence and dysfunction the book claims exists, the story pointed out.

President Trump escalated his attack on a new book portraying him as a volatile and ill-equipped chief executive on Thursday as his legal team demanded that the author and publisher halt its release and apologize or face a possible lawsuit.The New York Times

Trump himself launched heavy shots at his former chief strategist/advisor Steve Bannon, who had occupied an office adjacent to the Oval Office. Bannon was a major Wolff source for his book. Bannon actually had little to say in the scheme of things, Trump said. White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders slammed the book as trashy tabloid fiction, and an aide for First Lady Melania Trump denied an account in the book, saying the book will be sold in the bargain fiction section.

Trump, a textbook antithesis of credibility, continued to speak of lies and losers with his uniquely simplistic and inarticulate vocabularyuntil apparently reined in some by aides. Hes still mumbling about fraud and fake news.

Lawyers for Trump then reportedly sent Bannon a cease and desist letter arguing that he was violating a nondisclosure agreement, and sought to block publication of the book. Trump personally jumped in immediately, of course, arguing that he doesnt talk to Bannon any more (When he was fired, he not only lost his job, he lost his mind), while Sanders weighed in again Thursday, saying the book is full of ridiculous lies.

Not exactly book-burning as in the book/film Fahrenheit 451 (in which books were burned to destroy conflicting opinions, keep society illiterate and complacent), but a step in that direction, was the lawyers letter to Wolff. It read: Mr. Trump hereby demands that you immediately cease and desist from any further publication, release or dissemination of the book, the article, or any excerpts or summaries of either of them, to any person or entity, and that you issue a full and complete retraction and apology to my client as to all statements made about him in the book and article that lack competent evidentiary support,

Like that was going to happen. In fact, the response was release of the book Friday morning, four days earlier than scheduledafter the book already had rocketed to No. 1 on Amazon in a single day.

Which brings us to the following, which certainly strongly suggests that we should fear the consequences of three more years of Donald Trump in office, particularly with a Republican congress willing to ride his coat-tails and reap power and riches from his deranged bumbling and stumbling.

Until recently, the debate over our presidents mental health has focused on questions of psychological pathology: Do Donald Trumps flamboyant narcissism, hedonism, and self-delusions add up to a malignant personality  or a malignant personality disorder? Thus began a story Jan. 4 in New York magazine. The story, by Eric Levitz, was headlined The President Is Mentally Unwelland Everyone Around Him Knows It.

Scores of psychiatric professionals have evaluated Trump as likely having narcissistic personality disorder during his first year in office. And various signals, while on record, have not been serious enough individually to rate headlines. Levitz cited as recent examples Donalds slurred speech when announcing his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital; the exceptional incoherence of his most recent interview with the New York Times; and increasingly erratic (and Freudian) tweets.

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/01/trump-is-mentally-unwell-and-everyone-around-him-knows-it.html

And suddenly now with us is the book Fire and Fury by author/columnist Michael Wolff. One doesnt know what Donald was expecting, but Wolff was given extraordinary access to the presidents closest advisors for a full year. The result was a real shocker to the president. A column in Hollywood Reporter by Wolff, also Jan. 4, included some highlights from the book. The column appears on line titled You Cant Make This S- Up: My Year Inside Trumps Insane White House.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/michael-wolff-my-insane-year-inside-trumps-white-house-1071504

Among Wolffs observations: Everybody [in the White House] was painfully aware of the increasing pace of his repetitions. It used to be inside of 30 minutes hed repeat, word-for-word and expression-for-expression, the same three stories  now it was within 10 minutes. Indeed, many of his tweets were the product of his repetitions  he just couldnt stop saying something.

 . . . Hoping for the best, with their personal futures as well as the countrys future depending on it, my indelible impression of talking to them and observing them through much of the first year of his presidency, is that they all  100 percent  came to believe he was incapable of functioning in his job.

Heres a related quote from Ford Vox, a physician who specializes in brain surgery medicine: Language is closely tied with cognition, and the presidents speech patterns are increasingly repetitive, fragmented, devoid of content, and restricted in vocabulary. Trumps overuse of superlatives like tremendous, fantastic, and incredible are not merely elements of personal style. These filler words reflect reduced verbal fluency . . . You call places like Malaysia, Indonesia, and you say, you know, how many people do you have? And its pretty amazing how many people they have.

And Levitz states: Wolffs reporting establishes that Trumps decline is very much interfering with his daily functioning  and thus, that his cognitive impairment is likely progressing toward dementia. Meanwhile, Voxs claim that the presidents disjointed, superlative-suffused rhetorical style is no deliberate affectation  but rather, a product of cognitive decline  is readily apparent to anyone who watches decades-old interviews of Trump, in which he displays an equanimity, coherence, and (relative) eloquence wholly alien to his current persona.

For most of his presidency, the conversation about Trumps mental well-being, and consequent capacity to perform the duties of his office, has been characterized by a willed naivety. The presidents signs of senility arent subtle. His narcissistic self-regard is not mildly delusional; his impulse control is more than a little bit lacking. In October, a Republican senator likened the White House to an adult day-care center; said that he knew for a fact that every single day at the White House, its a situation of trying to contain him; and insisted that, in private, most of his GOP colleagues shared this assessment. Wolffs reporting suggests that virtually everyone in Trumps inner circle has witnessed signs of his mental decline, and believes him to be unfit for office . . .

And yet, progressives fixation on the 25th Amendment is far less deluded than the rationalizations that keep Republicans from invoking it. By all accounts, most GOP Congress members recognize that Donald Trump is a pathological narcissist with early stage dementia and only peripheral contact with reality  and they have, nonetheless, decided to let him retain unilateral command of the largest nuclear arsenal on planet Earth because it would be politically and personally inconvenient to remove his finger from the button.

Sundowninga symptom of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. Confusion and agitation worsen in the late afternoon and evening, or as the sun goes down. Symptoms are less pronounced earlier in the day. Lets start watching the clock in monitoring Donald.

Note of interestOf 24 people meeting this past weekend "for a small-group discussion of 2108 legislative priorities" at Camp David, 4 were women. Two of the women are merely staff members, and one of those is Hispanic. Everyone else was white.

.

P.S.My previous blog got accidentally deleted as I was trying to post this one, which I posted/deleted several times trying to get the intended illustration in place.But things change.

For Portia Arthur, her passion for writing was initiated by a somehow forced academic requirement. Having studied Publishing at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, there was no way she could avoid writing.

So she wrote, and wrote, and wrote.

However, the writings Portia did was not enough for her if they werent going to make an impact in the lives of people. Then came the Book Per Child project.

An encounter with some group of children who could not have an impressive command over the English language sparked Portias willingness to help her community in the little ways that she could.

Since then, theres been no way back. Just a look into making a section of our future leaders great right from the start.

Heres how Portia narrates her story.

What inspired the idea of writing a book?

My passion for writing began during my university days. As a publishing student, I had the privilege of writing story books as part of my academic responsibilities.

Although it started as something I was compelled to do for grades, it landed me my first job at one of Ghanas renowned media houses, Pulse Ghana, under of the supervision of Godfred Akoto Boafo.

I reported on a story about the lack of school infrastructure in my neighborhood. After interacting with some pupils for my report, I felt I had to do something for my community.

The pupils couldn't express themselves well in the English language. Others couldn't read and write. The illiteracy level among the pupils was heartbreaking.

In response, I started a project called 'The Book Per Child Initiative' as a way of improving the literacy level of our future leaders. But I reckoned what better way than to contribute to solving the problem I had spotted by actually tapping into my publishing training and passion to write a book? I subsequently also realized I could sponsor some kids with their tuition with proceeds from book sales.

What did you seek to achieve with the title character Milly? What was her purpose?

Milly is a lovely girl with big dreams. At a young age, she knew what she could become in the future. She saw a loophole in the community setup, the lack of quality medical care leading to many maternal and infant deaths. She believed she could achieve against the odds (girl child education being frowned upon), and she was patient and hard working in her wait, preparing for the right time and opportunity to propel her towards her dreams.

She also started saving at a young age towards her dreams. There is light at the end of the tunnel for anyone who is willing to prepare and persist, and these are the values the book seeks to instill in children. They have to learn to be ambitious, hard working and diligent, in order for luck to locate them.

Did you write the book to teach a lesson, or it just sprang out of your imagination with an aim to entertain?

The lesson bit is important - children's books should be able to achieve the subtle art of being entertaining and didactic at the same time. Personally, I still believe there are some good people out there; God sent people to positively impact the lives of others.

It could come in any form; money, guidance or mentorship to help achieve dreams. Never give up on yourself or your long-term goals in life, because there are always opportunities waiting for you along the line. Also, with determination, self-discipline, and education, you can be a better person to serve your community.

Which journalists and writers in Ghana do you look up to?

Well, Godfred Akoto Boafo and Ben Avle. These men were born leaders and they are masters of their craft. Pulse Ghana's Head of News, Betty Kankam Boadu is one of the best female journalists in Ghana. She is a talented woman, determined and a good team player.

Fiifi Anaman is a great and passionate writer. I always enjoy reading his long articles. Kwame Boakye is also a creative writer and editor.

What do you forsee the book doing? Do you have any dream as to what it would achieve particularly?

As a visionary, I hope the book would be approved by the GES in the long term. We are also looking forward to working with United Nations on the Sustainable development goal 4. My team and I, like Milly, love to dream big. We have big plans.

Against The Odds is Available NOW on Amazon.com: *ebooks only for $9.99.8. Bomigo

Bomigo is a town that most Ghanaians would fail to identify on a map if they were asked to. Bomigo is a very small town situated in the Keta District of the Volta Region. The town is surrounded by the salty waters of the Keta Lagoon. It is about 146 kilometres from Ho, driving to Keta, onwards to Anloga and to Atorkor, then branching to Tunu for an about 15 minutes journey by boat to Bomigo.

Like other towns listed in this article, Bomigo has a very dark open secret: There are no female goats in the town. The town is populated by male goats only, which are able to reproduce and give birth to other male goats. It is currently unclear if this is due to a spirit or god imposing this anomaly o the land, or if it is a curse. This phenomenon has given the town a very mysterious theme and atmosphere.

7. Nkonya-Alavanyo

Over a century ago, due to territorial disputes over which of the two towns a portion of land should belong to, the people of Nkunya and Alavanyo, both in the Volta Region, got into a tribal war that has lasted for over 100 years and claimed so many lives. Despite numerous interventions by governmental bodies and several cultural institutions to curtail the dispute, the citizens of both towns start fighting again every now and again and that revives the war all over again.

This has made both towns and their environs a very scary and unsafe place to live, with citizens ever always fleeing to greener pastures. The government has on several occasions instituted curfews on the towns, which further restrict the activities of the citizens and makes their lives unbearable. Doctors, teachers and other public sector workers who are posted to the area often refuse to report to their posts or leave later on when the going gets too tough.

6. Kwame Nkrumah Circle

This circle is named after the first President of the Republic of Ghana  Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. It is a central point in Accra and life never stops here. Crime rate is on the high and it is presently facing a crisis involving drug gangs. Street crimes such as muggings and theft are also common, making this an undesirable destination for most people. And please, dont travel alone at night and be careful when buying valuable items like phones from hawkers.

5. Seva

Seva is an Island located in the Keta Lagoon in the Volta Region of Ghana. This island is important as a bird watching site because it is a stop over point for many migratory birds. The town has many attractions such as the sandy beaches, general cleanliness and local story telling in Ewe.

However, the town also has a very mysterious and superstitious cultural background. According to popular folklore, the stones on the beach of Seva cannot be carried across the sea to the mainland. The gods of the island simply will not allow it. Trying to defy the gods and carrying stones across the sea will have unfortunate consequences on anyone carrying out the act.

4. Sefwi Wiawso

The Sefwi-Wiawso District is a district located in the Western Region of Ghana. Its capital is Wiawso, and It was elevated to the status of a municipal assembly in 2012. The town has been under constant media scrutiny due to the high levels of murder that take place there.

These killings are often done for spiritual reasons. People killing relatives for blood and money rituals isnt unheard of in the town and new residents are often warned to be careful or stay away.

3. Ashaiman

We wont say much about Ashaiman, well just give you a bit of friendly advice: If you ever find yourself in the Ashaiman area, be sure to lock your doors and keep your phones, purse and any other things you have on yourself safe.

The streets of Ashaiman are filled with the most ruthless and hardened criminals who will rob you the instant you let your guards down. Ashaiman is also home to some notorious gangsters and thugs known in pidgin english as Kwashey boys. These kwashey boys may not even bother trying to rob you in secret, theyll just pull up on you with a gun and ask you to hand over your possessions. If you think you can outrun a bullet, go ahead and attempt an escape.

2. Nima

In second position of our list of most scariest towns in Ghana is the notorious town of Nima. As one of the many Zongos in Ghana, Nima is infamous for being riddled with crime, violence and thug culture. In fact, some of the most popular lyrics about the town can be found in a song titled A Nima Mi Seh by Shatta Wale, a popular Ghanaian dancehall artist.

In the now iconic song, Shatta sings about how life in the ghetto is .. You could find me inna di barracks.

Alkayeeda youth control di shattas which translates to You could find me in the barracks, where alkayeeda youth control the streets. That line alone should tell you everything you need to know about Nima.

There are definitely peaceful and non-violent people living in Nima and its environs, but the bad fruits give the whole town a bad name.

1. Nogokpo

If you have any friends who hail from the Volta Region, then chances are, you have definitely heard of Nogokpo. Your friend(s) may even joke about sending you to Nogokpo when you wrong them.

Nogokpo is a small village located in the Ketu-South Municipal of the Volta Region of Ghana along the TransWest African Coastal Highway. It is noted for its traditional and spiritual shrine. It has a shrine  Nogokpo Shrine  built during a misunderstanding between some people at Agbozume in the very olden days, in the early 1900s. The story goes that the spirit asked to be moved elsewhere for peace to prevail. The name Nogokpo means stay in peace and interestingly enough, Nogokpo is a very peaceful town. Business Insider scoured Occupational Information Network (O*NET to find out what jobs are a great fit for shy people.

 Many of the jobs we found are in the field of science.

Shy people are often at risk of getting shouted over and ignored in certain office settings, regardless of how talented and competent they are.

But that doesn't mean that reserved, quiet employees always have to be relegated to workplace wallflowers.

Some occupations actually seem tailor-made for the shyer individuals among us.

Business Insider reviewed the Occupational Information Network (O*NET), a US Department of Labor database that compiles detailed information on hundreds of jobs, and looked at salary data on the US Bureau of Labor Statistics' website to find positions with a median annual salary of over $75,000 that do not require much social interaction.

O*NET ranks how important "preferring work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job" is in any job, assigning each a "social orientation importance level" between 1 and 100.

Here are 25 high-paying positions with a social orientation importance level of 40 or lower:

Molecular and cellular biologists

Median salary:$75,150

Social orientation importance level:32

Molecular and cellular biologists study the nature and use of areas of the Earth's surface, relating and interpreting interactions of physical and cultural phenomena.

Network and computer systems administrators

Median salary:$77,810

Social orientation importance level:39

Network and computer systems administrators install, configure, and support an organization's local area network, wide area network, and Internet systems or a segment of a network system.

Biochemists and biophysicists

Median salary:$82,150

Social orientation importance level:25

Biochemists and biophysicist study the chemical composition or physical principles of living cells and organisms, their electrical and mechanical energy, and related phenomena.

Fuel cell engineers

Median salary:$83,590

Social orientation importance level:36

Fuel cell engineers design, evaluate, modify, or construct fuel cell components or systems for transportation, stationary, or portable applications.

Web administrators

Median salary:$85,240

Social orientation importance level:32

Web administrators manage web environment design, deployment, development and maintenance activities. They perform testing and quality assurance of web sites and web applications.

Biomedical engineers

Median salary:$86,220

Social orientation importance level: 33

Biomedical engineers apply knowledge of engineering, biology, and biomechanical principles to the design, development, and evaluation of biological and health systems and products, such as artificial organs and prostheses.

Database architects

Median salary:

Social orientation importance level: 40

Geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers

Median salary:$89,700

Social orientation importance level:36

Geoscientists study the composition, structure, and other physical aspects of the Earth. They may use geological, physics, and mathematics knowledge in exploration for oil, gas, minerals, or underground water; or in waste disposal, land reclamation, or other environmental problems.

Material scientists

Median salary:$91,000

Social orientation importance level:38

Material scientists research and study the structures and chemical properties of various natural and synthetic or composite materials, including metals, alloys, rubber, ceramics, semiconductors, polymers, and glass.

Materials engineers

Median salary:$91,310

Social orientation importance level: 35

Materials engineers evaluate materials and develop machinery and processes to manufacture materials for use in products that must meet specialized design and performance specifications. They develop new uses for known materials.

Marine architects

Median salary:

Social orientation importance level: 40

Marine architects d

Marine engineers

Median salary: $93,350

Social orientation importance level: 40

Marine engineers design, develop, and take responsibility for the installation of ship machinery and related equipment including propulsion machines and power supply systems.

Mechatronics engineers

Median salary:$

Social orientation importance level: 35

Mechatronics research, design, develop, or test automation, intelligent systems, smart devices, or industrial systems control.

Nanosystems engineers

Median salary:$95,900

Social orientation importance level:39

Nanosystems engineers design, develop, or supervise the production of materials, devices, or systems of unique molecular or macromolecular composition, applying principles of nanoscale physics and electrical, chemical, or biological engineering.

Actuaries

Median salary:$97,070

Social orientation importance level:34

Actuaries analyze statistical data, such as mortality, accident, sickness, disability, and retirement rates and construct probability tables to forecast risk and liability for payment of future benefits.

Microsystems engineers

Median salary:

Social orientation importance level: 40

Microsystems engineers research, design, develop, or test microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices.

Photonics engineers

Median salary: $97,300

Social orientation importance level: 40

Photonics engineers design technologies specializing in light information or light energy, such as laser or fiber optics technology.

Applications software developers

Median salary:$98,260

Social orientation importance level:33

Software developers develop, create, and modify general computer applications software or specialized utility programs.

Economists

Median salary:$99,180

Social orientation importance level:35

Economists conduct research, prepare reports, or formulate plans to address economic problems related to the production and distribution of goods and services or monetary and fiscal policy.

Environmental economists

Median salary:$99,180

Social orientation importance level:33

Environmental economists conduct economic analysis related to environmental protection and use of the natural environment, such as water, air, land, and renewable energy resources.

Astronomers

Median salary:$104,100

Social orientation importance level:24

Astronomers observe, research, and interpret astronomical phenomena to increase basic knowledge or apply such information to practical problems.

Mathematicians

Median salary:$111,110

Social orientation importance level:32

Mathematicians conduct research in fundamental mathematics or in application of mathematical techniques to science, management, and other fields.

Physicists

Median salary:$111,580

Social orientation importance level:37

Physicists conduct research into physical phenomena, develop theories on the basis of observation and experiments, and devise methods to apply physical laws and theories.

Computer hardware engineers

Median salary:$111,730

Social orientation importance level: 21

Computer hardware engineers research, design, develop, or test computer or computer-related equipment for commercial, industrial, military, or scientific use.

Water resource specialists

Median salary:

Social orientation importance level: 40"I have always wanted to do it. I had wanted to do it, I think in 2016 on my birthday but a friend discouraged me and then I took a chance and did it in 2017," he said.

Asked it the picture was for the public, she responded: "Anyone who sees it."

In the five minutes interview, Ekeh revealed that before releasing her nudes photos, she unfollowed people on Instagram "so I can just post whatever I want, be myself without having to you know, have influence from people I follow or people who follow me. I just wanted that freedom.

READ MORE: Actress goes nearly nude in new Instagram photos

"I had my fears," she noted, "what would my family think, what would my parents think, what would my fans think if I went nude like that or something like that. I wanted to just deal with that."Speaking at a National Thanksgiving Service to celebrate 25 years of democratic rule Sunday at the Black Star Square in Accra, the president observed that the period has seen some important developments.

"We have experienced the longest, uninterrupted period of stable, constitutional governance in our history, banishing the spectre of instability that disfigured the early years of our nations existence, and the benefits are showing," he said.

He added: "We have witnessed sustained growths in the size of the economy; rising levels of per capita real incomes; systematic expansion of the private sector; taken strong measures to try to protect our lands, water bodies and environment from the menace of environmental degradation; ensured that efforts to meet the most basic elements of social justice, i.e. education from kindergarten through to secondary school, and accessible healthcare to all our citizens, are ongoing; recorded significant reductions in maternal mortality rates; entrenched media freedom; deepened attachment to the rule of law, probity and accountability, respect for individual liberties, human rights, the principles of democratic accountability and social justice; and created an environment in which government and regulatory policies attempt to enhance, rather than inhibit or frustrate, trade, commerce and investments."

He said democracy, equality of opportunity and respect for human rights, ideals which have stood the test of time, have now found firm anchor in the nation's body politic.

"We have had 5 Presidents in the history of this Republic  their Excellencies Jerry John Rawlings, John Agyekum Kufuor, John Evans Atta-Mills, John Dramani Mahama, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo  with peaceful transfers of power from a governing to an opposition party on three separate occasions. Even when there was disagreement with the outcome of an election, it was the Supreme Court, rather than the streets, that determined its result," he remarked.

The President also highlighted some challenges witnessed since the start of the fourth republic, saying the country has not reached the potential it should have.Top political party executives, all the three living former presidents, civil society groups, government officials and the general public are expected to participate in the event.

The fourth republic began with Jerry John Rawlings who governed from 1992 to 2000.

He was succeeded by John Agyekum Kufuor who also served for eights years between 2000 to 2008.

John Atta Mills was sworn into office in 2009 and died four months to the 2012 elections.

John Mahama won a disputed election in the 2012 polls and was defeated in the 2016 election, making him the first one-term president since 1992.

READ MORE: 25 tricycle riders arrested for dumping waste on Tema motorwayMs Larsen also said government can count on the teacher unions for the smooth implementation of the programme.

He was speaking at the 5th Quadrennial delegates conference of the Association.

"We hold the view that equitable distribution of investment in the education sector across all regions and districts will serve as a catalyst for the transformation of our country," he said.

It is in the vein that I will like to on behalf of the conference thank his Excellency the president for the introduction of the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy in the country.

The general observation that we have made is that the policy has brought relief toparent across the country especially those in the low income bracket.

READ MORE: Bawumia admits free SHS challengesIn view of that, he said government will appoint communicators who will assist him and his three deputies at the Information Ministry.

He also praised the media for holding the government accountable in its first year in office.

He also announced a weekly media briefings, which would enable government officials to offer better explanations on pressing national issues and ensure a free flow of information on government policies, programmes and activities.

We have realised that sometimes when an issue crops up or happens even as government spokespersons it takes a few days for us to gather all the facts around the issue.

So it will be important for us to have the platform every week to bring the issues together in a coherent narrative and give better illumination on them.

READ MORE: Mahama says NDC not afraid of special prosecutorAccording to him, "Following closely after the inauguration, President Mahama was evicted from his official residence, a place agreed between him and President Akufo-Addo in the presence of Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II to be used as his retiring Home.

"The eviction is not as disingenuous as the reason cited. Ghanaians were told Vice President Mahamadu Bawumia needed to use the facility as his official residence. Others pointed to a befitting alternative- the Australia House- but the NPP remained adamant. One year on, the residence from which President Mahama was ejected is not occupied by Vice President Bawumia. And the facility is hardly used."

One year on, the brouhaha about alleged stolen vehicles by former appointees remains a mirage, he said in a Facebook post.

He went on: "One year on, NPPs partisan vigilantism has exerted its ugly footprints on the political map of Ghana whiles Government looks on helplessly.

"One year on, not even one constituency has received the promised US$1 million every year.

"One year on, Free SHS for All has become Beggar-Thy-Neighbour Free SHS for a few, and congestion in schools is causing serious morbidities and mortalities.

"One year on, DKM victims have not received their much-publicized refunds," he wrote.

He further observed: "One year on, the jobs are not being created, yet over 10,000 Ghanaians have been sacked and or displaced from their place of work.

"One year on, the Ghana cedi has been weakened, fuel prices are over the roof and taxes are skyrocketing.

"One year on, a running poll on myjoyonline.com patronized by over 80,000 Ghanaians have voted President Akufo-Addo and his administration as untrustworthy in the fight against corruption. And anti-corruption watchers are questioning the governments commitment to dealing with the numerous cases of corruption under its watch."

According to Omane Boamah, lots of mistakes have been committed by the government, adding that the cost of living has worsened for many a Ghanaian and that the hopes of Ghanaians have tapered."The people are not going to put up with this imposition, so that the dictator can stay on," Nasralla, a former TV host, said of conservative Hernandez outside the city's colonial-era cathedral.

"We're not going to stop until we get the corrupt out of power," Nasralla stressed.

Marchers walked about two kilometers (1.25 miles) waving banners bearing slogans including "Electoral Fraud Shall Not Stand," "No more political killings,"and "Freedom for Political Prisoners," demanding that Hernandez, 49, step aside.

Many of them sang and chanted "JOH (Hernandez), OUT is where you are headed."

National Strike

Marchers also called for a national strike, including a boycott of Hernandez's inauguration and road blocks around the impoverished Central American nation.

"We are headed to a national strike," said opposition leader Manuel Zelaya, an elected leftist who back in 2009 was ousted himself from the presidency.

Without giving dates, Zelaya said civil disobedience would be the new strategy. Demonstrators plan to mount roadblocks on major avenues and highways, and at ports and airports, "so that the will of the people is respected," he said.

Zelaya said demonstrators rejected the idea that the vote be redone, a suggestion from the Secretary General Luis Almagro of the Organization of American States.

"I don't believe what the OAS says, but if it is to come watch Nasralla take office, that will do," Zelaya said.

"I don't believe the United States either. But if it's coming to watch Salvador Nasralla take office, that will do too."

The United States recognized Hernandez as the winner, and about 20 others followed suit -- though many countries have not.

Washington is Honduras' main aid donor and largest trading partner.

Electoral officials on Friday rejected the opposition's appeal demanding the annulment of Hernandez's reelection, which was lodged over voter fraud allegations in the bitterly-disputed poll.

The country's Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), in a statement, cited a lack of evidence and dubbed the opposition's actions "groundless."

Hernandez stood for re-election against Nasralla despite a constitutional ban on presidents serving more than one term.

Hernandez had implicit backing from the United States, which is pouring millions of dollars into Honduras and neighboring Guatemala and El Salvador to improve security conditions there.

Those three countries, collectively known as Central America's "Northern Triangle," are the biggest source of undocumented migrants heading to the United States.

According to election officials, the final results showed the conservative Hernandez winning with 42.95 percent of the vote, over Nasralla's 41.42 percent.The youths were collecting wood in the Bayotte forest, 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the regional capital Ziguinchor, "when they were attacked by an armed band of 15 people", army spokesman Abdou Ndiaye told AFP.

A source in Ziguinchor said that 13 were killed and two were able to escape, with Ndiaye adding that seven others were injured in the attack.

The Senegalese Press Agency said the assailants would have passed a buffer zone between the Senegalese army and separatist rebels of the Movement for Democratic Forces in Casamance (MFDC).

Sall "ordered that the perpetrators of this criminal act be found and brought to justice," the government statement said, adding that the ministerial delegation would "evaluate the security situation and offer the nation's condolences to the families".

The rebels began fighting for independence in December 1982 but have long ceased their frequent attacks on soldiers, who retain a visible presence in the area.

"It is too early to say whether the attackers were members of the MFDC," Ndiaye said. "The enquiry will tell us that."

The army deployed 150 troops to evacuate the victims and flush out the perpetrators, while the dead were taken to a hospital morgue.

Casamance, separated from the rest of Senegal by The Gambia, has been calm for several years since Sall took power in 2012, though peace talks have failed to yield a definitive settlement.

"There had been no tensions lately, no warning signs," the army spokesman said.

Former colonial power France, whose tourists visit other areas of Senegal in droves, removed Casamance from its list of danger zones in October 2016.

Elusive peace deal

The attack comes a day after the army released two MFDC fighters following negotiations spearheaded by Rome's Community of Sant'Egidio, a charity with ties to the Vatican specialising in peace mediation.

The Casamance separatist movement left thousands of civilians and military personnel dead and forced many to flee over three decades, as well as hurting the economy dependent on agriculture and tourism.

In a New Year's message last Sunday, President Sall appealed to the Casamance rebels to continue talks to create a "definite peace".Simona Mangiante says her fiance, George Papadopoulos, is staying positive.

Mangiante and Papadopoulos first met in person in New York in April 2017, she said, about seven months after they first started chatting on LinkedIn. They traveled to Europe that summer for a whirlwind vacation and parted ways in late July, with Mangiante staying in Italy and Papadopoulos heading back to the US.

"We had traveled to Mykonos, to Athens, and to Capri," Mangiante said. "He had finished his work for the campaign and I had left my job at the European Parliament. We spent every second together."

Papadopoulos texted Mangiante when he landed at Dulles airport in Washington, DC on July 27  minutes before he was arrested by the FBI. By the time he emerged from his Alexandria jail cell on July 28, Papadopoulos

"It was traumatic, and completely unexpected," Mangiante said. Papadopoulos's cousin wrote to her on Facebook in the interim, explaining that he had been arrested.

"I didn't know what was going on," Mangiante said. "So I went to the US, and everything changed completely."

Mangiante flew to Chicago to see Papadopoulos and was promptly served with a subpoena by a federal agent working for special counsel Robert Mueller. Mueller is investigating potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, and had charged Papadopoulos with lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russia-linked foreign nationals during the election. Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to the charge.

Mangiante left the organization in November 2016. By that point, she had already begun chatting with Papadopoulos, who had messaged her on LinkedIn two months earlier after seeing that they shared a mutual professional connection  Mifsud.

"How do you know him?" Mangiante said Papadopoulos asked her at the time, referring to Mifsud. "What does he do?"

"Not even George really knew anything about him," Mangiante said.

A mysterious resume

Mifsud came under renewed scrutiny last weekend, when The New York Times reported that Papadopoulos drunkenly told an Australian diplomat in May 2016  one month after meeting with Mifsud  that Russia had dirt on Clinton.

The diplomat relayed the details of his conversation with Papadopoulos to Australian government officials, who in turn relayed it to the US government shortly after news surfaced that the Democratic National Committee had been hacked. Papadopoulos' inadvertent disclosure, combined with the massive data breach, is what triggered the FBI's Trump-Russia probe.

Before it was scrubbed, Mifsud's London Centre biography said he had "lectured extensively throughout the world," "worked in a number of universities," "attended and chaired conferences" and "organized major ministerial and institutional meetings on pan-Mediterranean dialogue." He also worked for the government of Malta, where he is from.

Mifsud has been filmed speaking at the Valdai Discussion Club, a think tank based in the Russian city of Veliky Novgorod that is close to President Vladimir Putin andhosts him every year for a keynote address. Mifsud also wrote three pro-Russia articles that are featured on Valdai's website.

Beyond that, not much is known. In November, Mifsud disappeared from the

The Trump campaign was quick to downplay Papadopoulos' role on the campaign following his guilty plea, describing him as a "coffee boy" who played no meaningful foreign policy role  a claim at which Mangiante bristles.

"They're just undermining all of George's efforts. He even helped to organize a meeting between Trump and [Egyptian President Abdel Fattah] el-Sisi through a connection he had at the Egyptian embassy."

Papadopoulos represented the campaign at numerous points during the election. He

Asked why she thought Papadopoulos told the Australian diplomat about Russia's Clinton dirt, or what he may have meant by it, Mangiante said she couldn't say with certainty.

"I was not there," she said. "But they clearly had had many drinks."

Mangiante reiterated that she and Papadopoulos had nothing to hide and were looking to the future. Right now, for example, they're busy planning their wedding.

Papadopoulos proposed at the end of September, about a year after he sent her that first LinkedIn message.The US Army's official Twitter account "inadvertently" liked Mindy Kaling's tweet on Saturday that seemed to be making fun of President Donald Trump's rage-tweets earlier in the day, Lt. Col. Jason Brown, a US Army spokesperson, told Business Insider.

"An operator of the Armys official Twitter account inadvertently liked a tweet whose content would not be endorsed by the Department of the Army. As soon as it was brought to our attention, it was immediately corrected," Brown wrote in an email to Business Insider.

Kaling had tweeted a picture of Kelly Kapoor, her character from "The Office," with a quote on the bottom reading: "You guys, I'm like really smart now, you don't even know."

Hahahahahaha <a href="https... @ Mindy Kaling

Trump sent out a series of tweets earlier on Saturday claiming he was "like, really smart" and "a very stable genius" in response to Michael Wolff's new book, "Fire & Fury: Inside the Trump White House." The book quotes multiple current and former cabinet members insulting his intelligence.

Wolff also said in an interview on the "Today" show Friday that 100% of the people around Trump, including top aides and family members, question his intelligence and fitness for office.

He has added, however, that he isn't certain all of the book's contents are true.

Kaling responded to the US Army liking her tweet by tweeting "#armystrong." The US Army, however, had unliked her original tweet by early Sunday.

#armystrong #emo##emo# @USArmy #emo##emo#... @ Mindy KalingBefore you cancel your appointment due to Aunt Flo, know this: Youre okay to move forward with things, even on your period. Sure, youve probably heard that you cant get waxed on your period but thats really not the case.

People dont tend to get waxed that often during their period, probably mostly due to shyness. But there no reason you cant, says Lara Kaiser, an esthetician for New York Citys Shen Beauty. You can even do a Brazilian as long as you wear a tampon, she says.

If its the only time that works for your schedule, its not a big deal, Kaiser adds.

You may have heard at some point that your period can make you more sensitive to the pain of waxing (which, lets be honest, is already painful enough)and there might be some truth to that. During your period, your body is in an inflammatory state and a lot more hormones than usual are released in your body. They really do increase the sensitivity of the skin, says Jessica Shepherd, M.D., an assistant professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology and director of minimally invasive gynecology at The University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago. Waxing during that time could elicit more tenderness in that area.

Still, this hasnt been proven by research, says Christine Greves, M.D., a board-certified ob-gyn at the Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies. Its just what doctors have noticed over time. As for hygiene concerns, that area isnt sterile anyway and your esthetician should be wearing gloves, so it shouldnt be an issue.Addressing journalists in Abuja on Saturday, January 8, 2018, the APC national chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun said the ruling party was not part of the final compilation of the said list.

The APC chairman noted that a lot had happened since the list was transmitted to the president in 2015.

"The list has caused enough controversy, it is pretty obvious that the party was not involved in the final compilation of the list," Oyegun said.

"We demanded that every state send nominees names to the committee set up for that but between then and now a lot has happened.

"People have changed parties, people have died, three governors who were not there before are now with us.

"It is my hope that we will be fully involved in review that has to now take place," he declared.

APC convention underway

Oyegun disclosed that preparations are in top gear for the party's National Executive Council (NEC) and national conventions.

"We will have our convention. This month we are going to start with the NEC that will approve the programme for the convention leading up to the convention," the APC chairman announced.

With emphasis on the rail and power projects of the federal government, Oyegun assured Nigerians that the Buhari administration is laying the foundation for Nigeria's greatness.

"The polity is settling down. The economy is recovering strongly," Oyegun said.The army campaign sent some 650,000 Rohingya fleeing for Bangladesh, where refugees have given harrowing accounts of rape, murder and arson at the hands of security forces and vigilantes.

Myanmar's military, which tightly controls information about Rakhine, denies any abuses and insists the crackdown was a proportionate response to crush the "terrorist" threat.

The insurgents, known as the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), have launched few attacks in recent months.

But the army reported that "about ten" Rohingya militants ambushed a car with hand-made mines and gunfire on Friday morning, wounding two officers and their driver.

The militants claimed responsibility for the ambush in a rare post from an official Twitter account on Sunday.

"Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) hereby declares that we carried out an ambush against the Burmese terrorist army... at around 10:00am on 05 January 2018," it said.

The statement did not provide any more details about the attack in northern Maungdaw township.

The shadowy, poorly-armed ARSA -- whose August raids left at least a dozen dead -- says it is fighting for the political rights of the Rohingya, who have have faced systematic oppression in mainly Buddhist Myanmar for years.

Its statement on Sunday added that "Rohingya people must be consulted in all decision-making that affects their humanitarian needs and political future".

ARSA's fighting capacity at this point is unknown.

But a report last month from International Crisis Group said the organisation "appears determined to regroup and remain relevant" and may draw on desperate Rohingya refugees languishing in camps for future operations.

Any uptick in violence in Rakhine will deepen concerns about plans to begin repatriating refugees later this month.

Bangladesh and Myanmar signed an agreement in November allowing for repatriations from January 23.According to reports, Banon had referred to President Trumps son, Donald Trump Jr., as unpatriotic.

His apparent reaction to the report that Trump Jr. met with a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin in June 2016, New York Post reports.

Bannon also criticised former Trump campaign chairman, Paul Manafort and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner for not informing the FBI of their meeting with the Russians.

Banon makes a U-turn

On Sunday, January 7, 2018, Bannon issued a statement apologising for his comments and stating categorically that his support for President Trump is unwavering.

He said Donald Trump, Jr. is both a patriot and a good man. He has been relentless in his advocacy for his father and the agenda that has helped turn our country around.

My support is also unwavering for the president and his agenda as I have shown daily in my national radio broadcasts, on the pages of Breitbart News and in speeches and appearances from Tokyo and Hong Kong to Arizona and Alabama.

I regret that my delay in responding to the inaccurate reporting regarding Don Jr has diverted attention from the presidents historical accomplishments in the first year of his presidency.

My comments were aimed at Paul Manafort, a seasoned campaign professional with experience and knowledge of how the Russians operate.

He should have known they are duplicitous, cunning and not our friends. To reiterate, those comments were not aimed at Don Jr, he added.

Meanwhile, President Trump has dismissed the book  Fire and Fury, and its author, Michael Wolff, saying it is full of lies.JAMAICA: Aluminium company Alpart has awarded CRRC Qishuyan Co a contract to supply DF8B diesel locomotives in the first half of 2018.Rantoul, IL (61866)

Today

Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 57F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 57F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.Property details:

Here's another opportunity for someone looking for land in Northern California, and this is one of the larger size lots, and only 90 minutes from the San Francisco Bay Area and adjacent to the Napa Valley and beautiful wine country. You will be bidding on this big residential lot that is approximately 9,700 square feet in size, and located just over a mile from Clear Lake, the largest natural lake entirely in the state. The property is located in the town of Nice and sits in the hills on the nor...

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You will be redirected to eBay



Nearby 95464Being distributed through a fake Flash Player app, the malware is designed for stealing login credentials, hijacking SMSs, uploading contact lists and SMSs to malicious servers, reports Romita Majumdar.

An Android banking Trojan/malware that targets around 200 apps, including those offered by Indian banks has been detected, prompting security researchers and banks to alert consumers.

The malware is designed for stealing login credentials, hijacking SMSs, uploading contact lists and SMSs to malicious servers by displaying a fake overlay screen on top of legitimate apps to capture user inputs, said software security firm QuickHeal in a post on Saturday.

"Do not download and install applications from untrusted sources offered via unknown website links on unscrupulous messages," said Canara Bank in a note to users.

The bank suggested avoiding unknown wi-fi networks to prevent rogue access to devices.

While the malware has been successfully detected, there is no immediate mention of any known occurrences of misuse so far.

Android.banker.A2f8a is being distributed through a fake Flash Player app on third-party stores. This is not surprising, said QuickHeal, given that Adobe Flash is one of the most widely distributed products on the internet and because of its popularity and global install base, it is often targeted by attackers.

The malicious app shows fake notifications on behalf of the original app and when users click on the fake notification, they are directed to enter their login credentials into a fake login page.

The malware has targeted banking apps of Axis Bank, HDFC, ICICI, IDBI and Union Bank, among others, says the blog.

The malware has also targeted a number of cryptocurrency apps like Bitcoinium, Bitcoin Wallet, BTC Safari and Bitfinex apart from many others.

A number of international banking and payment apps are also listed like ING Australia Banking, Citibank Australia, Citi Mobil UK, Singapore Digital Banking and PayPal Mobile and Amazon for Tablets.

The malware can intercept messages from incoming and outgoing messages and bypass SMS-based two-factor authentication on the victim's bank account. It can suppress the device's ringer volume to prevent the user being alerted about SMSs.

Quick Heal has warned users that there is no official Adobe Flash Player available on the Google Play Store.

Adobe had also announced that it will stop updating and distributing Flash Player by the end of 2020 in all formats of the browser.Branch additions for most major banks in the current financial year do not correspond to the number of the past two years.

The governments digital push, the rising use of technology in back-end processes, and the growing market for financial technology products, have changed the banking landscape.

The Reserve Bank of Indias May 2017 guidelines shifted the focus from branches to banking outlets, which include banking correspondents along with branches. The revised guidelines work well with the banking sectors tilt towards partnerships.

The definition of branch is changing. With the new regulations, even a banking point can be a branch. You just need a customer touch point, said Romesh Sobti, managing director, IndusInd Bank, at a press conference.

Branches have always been a key factor in determining the geographical reach of a bank but the growing acceptance of digital banking challenges this equation, say analysts.

While bank executives continue to stress the importance of branches as part of their strategy, branch additions for most major banks in the current financial year do not correspond to the number of the past two years. Recent times have also seen banks re-evaluating their branch addition targets.

YES Bank reduced its expansion target to 1,800 branches by March 2020 as against 2,500 initially. It may also curtail its investments in ATMs, all as part of its goal to push digital banking as its primary offer by 2020.

Rana Kapoor, managing director and chief executive, YES Bank, said: There is huge investment required for branches and the risk of obsolesce has risen. The bank wanted to be physically frugal and digitally efficient, he said at a press conference.

Sobti said: You certainly need brick and mortar and we are still going strong on 2,000 branches in three years. But there is no longer a need to have 3,000-4,000 branches with everything going digital.

There has been no branch addition at Federal Bank in the past few years. It has centralised most of its processes, which are more operational in nature. More than 90 per cent of the banks transactions can now be done through digital channels. With centralisation clubbed with digitisation, it is able to optimise resources to suit its business plans.

Federal Banks philosophy is digital at the fore and human at the core. Physical presence is an important aspect of a service industry like banking, where customers get the confidence to walk in to get any type of product or service. Branches will continue to be part of the growth strategy of the bank.

At the same time, we have a Branch Lite - Distribution Heavy model, where we will have more people on the field to source more business, said Jose K Mathew, executive vice-president and head, retail business, Federal Bank.

Branches will undergo transformation as experience centres of the banks offers and will play a key role in delivering some of the key matrices of the bank, he added.

Most private banks have also seen a huge drop in branch additions this year. While some banks may continue to add branches and ATMs, all industry players agree that the nature of branches is changing both in terms of size and processes.

Axis Bank wants to create branches that offer digital, instant, and paperless solutions, both to their end customer and branch staff. The bank says scaling new-age tools like robotic process automation (RPA), machine learning, and artificial intelligence across branch operations will improve employee productivity and enable stronger acquisition at branches as well as achieve better turnaround time.

ICICI Bank wants to offer an omni-channel experience to its customers so that they can bank at the channel of their convenience. The bank has also transformed its branch to include various digital initiatives due to dramatic shift to adopting digital ways to bank. It considers its ATMs to be mini-branches in themselves, offering many banking services in addition to cash withdrawal.

Our strategy to make digital an intrinsic driver of branch operations is helping us to grow our branch network faster, with relatively low staff and higher employee productivity, said Rajiv Anand, executive director, Axis Bank. He added this ties in well with the pre-dominant consumer preference for human interaction at least at the time of account opening.

Fintech experts say while digitisation drives efficiency and saves cost, branches serve as a face to the business and cannot be disregarded.

Banking is a service that requires personalisation and collaboration, people will always play a vital role and continue to coexist in the growth and expansion plans of banks. As the environment becomes highly competitive, there will be a clear focus on developing the right set of skill sets to meet the changing requirement, said Kalpesh Mehta, Partner, Deloitte India.

While the need for people at branches remains despite automation and data analytics, the number of people required per branch has seen a fall.

What you do inside the branch is changing. Branch sizes are shrinking. We dont need as many people. At a branch where we had to keep 20 people, now you need 10-12 people, said Sobti. He added the bank was neither hiring nor firing employees but had redeployed employees in new branches.

Similarly, Axis Bank has seen a fall in the average number of people per branch to 17 in FY17 from 20 in FY13 but it continues to add 400 branches every year.

We foresee that the nature of branches will evolve even further. They will transform into digital centres of the bank and offer services that are advisory in nature, like large ticket transactions of loans, investments et al, said an ICICI Bank spokesperson.

Mehta says branches are used to bank the unbanked region/customers. He added that India had moved from conventional banking to convenience banking, which brings in cost efficiency.

As customers become self-reliant and accustomed to technology, he said, Digital bank being virtually present, physical presence in the form of branch may not be necessary.

Photograph: Reuters.Samdong Rimpoche's visit to China materialised against the backdrop of strained India-China relations consequent to the face-off between Indian and Chinese troops at Doklam, says former RA&W officer Jayadeva Ranade.

There have been important developments relating to Tibet since the Chinese Communist Party congress ended in Beijing on October 25, 2017 and the two months thereafter.

All of them have implications for India and some could potentially put India under sustained pressure.

The first was the indication that the Chinese Communist Party's central committee's united front work department, which is responsible for supervising non-Communist parties and ethnic minorities including the Tibet and Xinjiang Autonomous Regions, was preparing to take fresh initiatives.

This was the dramatic 'leak' that Samdong Rimpoche -- a former two-term Kalon Tripa ('prime minister') of the Tibetan administration-in-exile and among the Dalai Lama's most trusted advisers -- had quietly travelled to China in late November 2017.

Samdong Rimpoche, who was nominated a month earlier as the Dalai Lama's envoy for talks with the Chinese authorities, would certainly have met senior Communist party leaders during his four-day stay in Kunming, capital of China's Yunnan province.

There is speculation that Rimpoche could have met You Quan, a former party secretary of Fujian province whom Chinese President Xi Jinping appointed director of the united front work department in November or Zhang Yijiong, executive vice minister of the UFWD.

If Rimpoche met Chinese leaders, this would be the first acknowledged contact between an envoy of the Dalai Lama and Chinese Communist officials since negotiations between the two sides were suspended in 2010.

China's official media has, however, not yet mentioned a visit by a senior leader to Kunming during this period.

Dr Lobsang Sangay, the Sikyong (head) of the Central Tibetan Administration, obliquely confirmed that Professor Rimpoche had visited China. He was replying to a question posed by former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal on the sidelines of the M L Sondhi memorial lecture in New Delhi on December 14, when he cautioned 'Don't read too much into it. At most it's a private visit and it's too early to say anything.'

It is pertinent that Lobsang Sangay -- who is the other envoy nominated by the Dalai Lama for talks with the Chinese -- did not accompany Samdong Rimpoche probably because China continues to adhere to its policy of not recognising the Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamsala. No relaxation has been noticed in China's policies towards Tibetans or Tibet so far.

Samdong Rimpoche's visit also materialised against the backdrop of strained India-China relations consequent to the face-off between Indian and Chinese troops at Doklam and threats made at the time by China through its official media.

It comes too in the wake of an international conference convened by the Tibetan administration-in-exile in October 2017 to finalise a long-term action plan, including revival of Tibetan Buddhism in the Indo-Himalayan border belt.

At the same time a securitisation of Tibet is taking place. Following up on Xi Jinping's work report to the party congress -- which for the first time devoted an entire section to poverty alleviation -- the Tibet Autonomous Region has launched a campaign to tackle poverty and simultaneously enhance security.

It has decided to build 'well-off border villages' along Tibet's 'borders with India, Nepal, Bhutan and other neighbouring countries to ensure the security of the borders and maintain stability' in the region.

The State-owned Global Times newspaper on December 25, 2017 asserted that 'confronting separatism remains a challenge for the region. Raising living standards for local residents is a fundamental way to guard against activity sabotaging China's sovereignty and territorial integrity'.

'Tibet's rural poverty alleviation,' the newspaper added, will help maintain stability in the border areas'.

Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns in the TAR are being co-opted to sensitise people and ensure that Buddhism serves socialism.

Additionally, the decision to bring the people's armed police force (PAPF) directly under the central military commission with effect from January 1, 2018 puts Tibet under the direct control of the people's liberation army (PLA).

Xi Jinping had earlier appointed PLA officers loyal to him as the commander and political commissar of the PAPF.

Since the PAPF is deployed in strength in Tibet's main towns, rural countryside and border areas, the PLA officers -- who are now being re-inducted into the party standing committees at the provincial and county levels -- will have an enhanced role.

In addition to deploying PAPF troops when civilian authorities request assistance, the PLA officers will have a greater role in military-civil coordination and be directly involved in building the 'well-off border villages'.

Each of these villages is to be connected by road, thereby facilitating military movement along the border with India.

Finally, the TAR leadership is being encouraged to push the Belt and Road Initiative and Bangladesh China India Myanmar Corridor with Tibet's neighbours.

To promote the BRI and BCIM, China has announced it will expand TAR's road network from 82,000 kms to 89,000 kms by 2020.

Chinese officials have earlier pointed out that there are 70 road links between China and Nepal and there have been suggestions of a new China-Nepal-India Corridor.

The aim will be to build pressure on India by creating public opinion, including by co-opting Tibetans, to endorse the BRI and China's plans of connectivity.

Jayadeva Ranade, a former Additional Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India, is presently President, Centre for China Analysis and Strategy.'Perhaps the biggest indication was its striking decision in November to delink LeT from its aid certification process.'

'The administration decided that the US, in order to send military aid to Pakistan, would not need to certify that Pakistan is cracking down on LeT.'

'Perhaps the administration was trying to offer a carrot -- in effect, we're backing off on LeT, but in return we expect you (Pakistan) to go after the Haqqanis.'

'Either way, the optics were dreadful for the US given that Hafiz Saeed was released from house arrest a few days after the US move.'

'The US reacted angrily, but eventually it moved on, and refocused on its core concern: The Afghan-focused terror groups.'



IMAGE: Lashkar-e-Tayiba terrorist Muhammad Saeed addresses a gathering in Rawalpindi, December 29, 2017, to protest against the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Photograph: Faisal Mahmood/Reuters

On New Year's Day 2018, the Donald J Trump administration in the United States delivered twin shocks to Pakistan.

First, US President Donald J Trump accused Pakistan of giving nothing to the US but 'lies and deceit' and providing a 'safe haven' to terrorists in return for the $33 billion Washington has given Islamabad since the war of terror began in October 2001.

'They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!' Trump tweeted.

The angry presidential tweet was followed by an official announcement that the US would suspend $255 million worthy of military assistance to Pakistan.

Resumption of aid, the US made clear, would depend on Islamabad's response to terrorism on its territory, Press Trust of India reported from Washington, DC.

'The president has made clear the US expects Pakistan to take decisive action against terrorists and militants on its soil, and that Pakistan's actions in support of the South Asia Strategy will ultimately determine the trajectory of our relationship, including future security assistance,' a US official, announcing the suspension of aid, said.

Pakistan's defence ministry fired back, alleging that it had got 'nothing but invective and mistrust' for its support of America's war against terror.

'Pak as anti-terror ally has given free to US: land & air communication, military bases & intel cooperation that decimated Al-Qaeda over last 16yrs, but they have given us nothing but invective & mistrust. They overlook cross-border safe havens of terrorists who murder Pakistanis,' the Pakistan defence ministry tweeted hours after the US decision was announced.

A day later, Pakistan Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif tweeted that Trump could hire a US-based audit firm 'on our expense' to verify if indeed Washington had given Islamabad $33 billion and 'let the world know who is lying and deceiving'.

Earlier, Pakistan military spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor claimed the US aid was reimbursement for support' Islamabad had provided the US-led Western coalition in its battle against al-Qaeda.

'Had we not supported the US and Afghanistan,' General Ghafoor claimed, 'they would never have been able to defeat al-Qaeda.'

The US decision provoked Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to summon a meeting of Pakistan's national security council on Wednesday, January 3. Shortly before the NSC meeting began, corps commanders met at the Pakistan army's headquarters in Rawalpindi.

On Thursday, PTI reported, the US further suspended about $2 billion security assistance to Pakistan for failing to take 'decisive action' against the Taliban and the Haqqani Network.

On Saturday, January 6, PTI reported, the US warned that it is keeping 'all options' on the table to deal with Pakistan if it does not take decisive action against the Taliban and the Haqqanis.

To make sense of the swiftly moving developments, Rediff.com turned to Michael Kugelman, deputy director and senior associate for the South Asia programme at the Wilson Centre, the Washington, DC-based think-tank.

As he has so often done before (please see here; here; here; here), Michael, left, eloquently explains the reasons for the Trump administration's anger with Pakistan and highlights its consequences for India and the region.

An e-mail interview with Nikhil Lakshman.

What provoked the US decision? One knew the Pakistanis have tried the American patience for years, but was there, in your understanding, a major recent provocation that caused the US to withhold military assistance to Pakistan?

One could identify several possible triggers for the aid freeze decision -- some observers may cite the release of Hafiz Saeed from house arrest in November --but my sense is that the triggering provocation was Pakistan's refusal to grant the US access to the Haqqani Network fighter that Pakistan arrested during the operation to free the Colman-Boyle family.

That said, I think this aid freeze was inevitable and didn't just happen because of Pakistan's unwillingness to give the US access to that captured Haqqani Network militant.

From the time the Trump administration took office, it had expressed exasperation and impatience with Pakistan's selective policy toward terrorism.

There had been several telltale signs that an aid suspension was in the cards.

Trump's South Asia strategy, released in August, as well as his national security strategy released in December both indicated that the US is not willing to provide aid to a country that's not cracking down on the terrorists that target US soldiers in Afghanistan.

So I think that the aid freeze was in the works for quite some time. Trump's New Year's Day tweet essentially previewed what was to come, and then I imagine his deputies had to scramble to formally put the freeze in place.

This may explain why the Trump administration has seemed a bit unorganised ever since it announced the freeze, as evidenced in particular by the wildly fluctuating amounts of aid that different administration officials have said will be frozen.



IMAGE: High school students take part in an anti-American demonstration in Karachi, September 28, 2011.

Washington accused Pakistan's powerful ISI spy agency of directly backing the Afghan Taliban-allied Haqqani Network and providing support for the September 13, 2011 attack on the US embassy in Kabul.

Pakistan furiously rejected the allegations and warned the US that it risked losing an ally if it kept publicly criticising Pakistan.

Photograph: Athar Hussain/Reuters

Surely, the Bush and Obama administrations were aware that all the money they were pouring into Pakistan was not really going into anti-terror operations. Much of the money was going into building up Pakistan's war machine directed against India.

Why did those administrations not take the decisive actions that the Trump administration has now done?

In your understanding, what were the compulsions that stayed the Bush and Obama administrations' hands?

First, as a caveat, I'm not sure that the Trump administration has taken 'decisive actions' just yet.

What it's done so far is declare an aid freeze -- and previous administrations, including the Obama White House after the raid on bin Laden's compound -- have implemented their own aid freezes.

It's true though that the Trump administration has been much more frank and harsh in its rhetoric, and has given a much stronger indication than did its two predecessors that it will take a harder line with Pakistan.

In terms of what may have held Bush and Obama back, there's a lot to unpack here, and the factors are different in each case.

With Bush, Pakistan -- especially early in his term -- was viewed as an important counter-terrorism partner.

After the 9/11 attacks, (then Pakistan's military ruler) General (Pervez) Musharraf vowed to work closely with Washington, and many US officials believed the notion -- put out there by Musharraf himself -- that Musharraf was the only one that could prevent Pakistan from collapsing into instability and becoming over-run by militants.

In other words, Musharraf was projecting himself as Pakistan's saviour, a characterisation the Pakistani military often projects of itself -- and Washington believed him.

So there was no way that Washington was going to pressure the Pakistanis when it considered Musharraf to be such an important partner.

I'd argue, however, that the core factor explaining why previous administrations didn't take a harder line was the US war in Afghanistan.

This shouldn't be a surprise, given that Washington has long viewed Pakistan through the lens of Afghanistan.

Whether rightly or wrongly, the US has sought Pakistan's assistance with the war -- and with pursuing peace with the Taliban.

It has been very cautious in terms of how it treats Pakistan so as not to overly provoke the Pakistanis, knowing that Pakistan could retaliate by shutting down the NATO supply lines on its soil, thereby complicating US war efforts in Afghanistan in a big way.

Back in 2011, when Pakistan shut down the supply lines during a difficult period in US-Pakistan relations, the US was forced to use more costly and circuitous routes in Central Asia. It was by no means ideal.

Today, the calculus has changed a bit. The US is no longer fighting a combat war in Afghanistan, and it has many fewer troops on the ground than it did back in 2011, during the height of the troop surge.

I imagine one reason Washington has been willing to push Pakistan harder is that it feels that the impacts of Pakistan shutting down the supply routes would not be as damaging as they would have been several years back, when the US had a larger military presence in Afghanistan.

In fact, this interpretation is questionable, and I'd argue that a supply line closure would still be quite damaging for the US -- especially as a troubled relationship with Russia would make it difficult for the US to negotiate the use of the alternate supply lines in Russia's backyard.

Also, the Taliban is much stronger than it was several years back, and any added complication to the US war effort will make its job all the more difficult.

Still, I do think the lighter US military footprint in Afghanistan is a major factor explaining the US's increased pressure on Pakistan.



IMAGE: Protesters in Peshawar burn an effigy of US President Donald J Trump in response to his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, December 8, 2017. Photograph: Fayaz Aziz/Reuters

Is the Pentagon -- and the triumvirate of generals who currently dominate US national security policy -- frustrated that the Ashraf Ghani government is now under daily siege from terrorists like the Taliban who are perceived to have the active encouragement of the Pakistan military establishment?

I imagine it is. The Pentagon -- and the US government on the whole -- are very much behind the Afghan government, and sympathise with its many struggles -- most especially terrorism.

The US-Afghan partnership is stronger now than it has been in quite some time -- and night and day compared with the state of relations during the (Hamid) Karzai administration.

US-Afghan comity means that Washington is very much on the same page as Kabul on key policy issues, including on the issue of Pakistan's role in the insurgency.

I don't think it's fair to say that the terrorism and insurgency playing out in Afghanistan is uniquely attributable to Pakistan's support for the Taliban.

There are other factors as well; I'd argue that corruption, poverty, warlordism, and the Afghan government's inability to rein these problems in have contributed to an environment that gives the Taliban many propaganda victories and enables it to maintain a steady stream of recruits.

However, I think that these days, when considering the sources of the Taliban's strength, both Kabul and Washington fixate on the Pakistan problem to the detriment of these local governance factors in Afghanistan.

Given all these considerations, we can be quite sure that US officials are not only frustrated by what the Afghan government is going through, but also quite sympathetic -- and in fact this US support and sympathy for Kabul may help drive US inclinations to take a harder line with Pakistan.

Why has Washington been unable to make any headway with Islamabad on the Afghan issue?

Do you think the Pakistan military feels more aggreived on the Afghan issue after the Trump administration recently highlighted India's role in Afghanistan?

The Afghanistan issue plays directly into Pakistan's obsession with India, as Pakistan has long accused India of using Afghan territory to organise and stage acts of meddling and destabilisation in Pakistan.

This helps explain why Pakistan insists on maintaining ties to the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network -- it views them as a useful asymmetric asset to push back against the presence of its more powerful Indian foe in Afghanistan.

In other words, Pakistan has very strong interests in maintaining ties to these groups, which, of course, leads to a fundamental disagreement with Washington.

There has long been a fundamental disconnect between the US and Pakistan when it comes to Afghanistan, and Trump's call for India to step up its game in Afghanistan transformed a disconnect into a point of very high tension.

And it's a point of tension that has intensified amid Washington's refusal to give credence to Pakistani claims that Afghanistan provides sanctuary to terrorists like the Pakistani Taliban that stage attacks in Pakistan.

I've not come across one US official who is sympathetic to this Pakistani allegation of Afghanistan-based sanctuaries for anti-Pakistan terrorists.

The US government, rightly in my view, points out that Afghan and US forces in Afghanistan are making very real efforts to go after not only the Afghan Taliban, but also Pakistani Taliban and ISIS fighters and other militants based in Afghanistan that pose a threat to Pakistan.

This isn't to say that there aren't anti-Pakistan terrorists in Afghanistan -- they are there for sure -- but Washington largely does not agree with Pakistan that the Afghan State provides sanctuary and other support to them.



IMAGE: Pakistanis burn a US flag and a picture of US President Donald J Trump at an anti-US rally in Peshawar, January 5, 2018. Photograph: Fayaz Aziz/Reuters

Would you consider this withholding of US military aid significant?

Or is it par for the course -- a threat to elicit definitive Pakistani cooperation on terror networks like the Haqqanis who endanger American forces bin Afghanistan?

Quite frankly, I think that the significance and potential impact of this aid freeze has been widely overstated.

First, there's nothing new about Washington freezing aid monies for Pakistan; the US has done it before.

Second, this aid suspension will not exactly deliver a crippling blow to the Pakistani military.

To be sure, it will hurt, given that the Pakistani security establishment does value the military hardware it gets from the US.

There is also a prestige factor associated with getting the likes of F16s, for example, from the world's most powerful military.

However, as US-Pakistan defence relations have struggled in recent years -- don't forget that in its final months in office the Obama administration refused to sign off on an F16 deal to Pakistan -- the Pakistanis have been looking elsewhere.

Pakistan will be able to compensate by looking to Saudi Arabia, certainly to China, and perhaps also, on more modest levels, to Russia.

Third, an aid cut won't make Pakistan crack down on the terrorists that target US troops in Afghanistan. Let's be clear about this. And I'm sure the Trump administration is well aware of that.

This aid freeze, in my view, is meant to be more of a signal of frustration than a tool of coercion.

And the implication, as hinted at in the comments of White House officials, is that harsher tools -- those that the administration, rightly or wrongly, believes can actually induce policy shifts from Pakistan -- could be deployed in due course.



IMAGE: US Vice President Mike Pence, left, inspects an honour guard with Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani, second from right, and Afghan CEO Dr Abdullah Abdullah, third from right, at the presidential palace in Kabul, December 21, 2017. Photograph: Mandel Ngan/Reuters

Is the Trump administration angry because the Pakistanis are not playing ball on the Afghan front?

It has nothing to do with Pakistani belligerence on its eastern front, the encouragement to terror groups like the Lashkar-e-Tayiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, right?

The Americans have not censured the Pakistanis for releasing a man they put a $10 million bounty on.

For the Trump administration, the Afghanistan-focused terrorists are a priority over India-focused terrorists.

This isn't to say at all that it doesn't care about LeT and JeM. Far from it.

Indeed, US officials often note that several Americans were killed in the Mumbai attacks of 2008. As the US-India relationship continues to grow, I imagine that US pressure on India-focused terror groups in Pakistan will increase.

But for now, the White House is focused laser-like on the Afghanistan-focused groups located in Pakistan's west.

There's a very simple reason for this. For the Trump administration, the paramount goal in South Asia -- and overseas on the whole -- is to protect American lives.

I have heard a very senior US official in the White House say this very explicitly. It's the Afghanistan-focused terror groups that pose the greatest threat to Americans, because they are attacking US troops in Afghanistan.

LeT and JeM certainly pose threats to Americans as well, but they are not actively fighting the US in Afghanistan (though these two groups, particularly LeT, likely have some type of presence there).

Perhaps the biggest indication of the Trump administration's greater focus on the Afghanistan-focused groups was its striking decision in November to delink LeT from its aid certification process.

In other words, the Trump administration decided that the US, in order to send military aid to Pakistan, would not need to certify that Pakistan is cracking down on LeT. The Haqqani network, by contrast, was not delinked from the list.

Perhaps the Trump administration was trying to offer a carrot -- in effect, we're backing off on LeT, but in return we expect you to go after the Haqqanis in a big way.

Either way, the optics were rather dreadful for the US, given that Hafiz Saeed was released from house arrest just a few days after the US move.

The US reacted angrily and issued condemnatory statements, but eventually it moved on, and refocused on its core concern: The Afghanistan-focused terror groups.Thousands of commuters were left stranded across the state as the indefinite strike called by some transport unions over wage-related issues entered the fourth day on Sunday.

Even as private buses were being operated, many passengers complained that they did not carry destination boards unlike government buses.

I have been waiting here for two hours... I need to go to Vandalur but I do not know which bus to board. We have to go ask the bus drivers every time, Kanagavel, a passenger at Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus said.

In several districts, a majority of the buses stayed off roads prompting the transport department authorities to operate them with temporary drivers and conductors.

The state government claimed that 66.49 per cent of buses belonging to state transport undertakings were plying since Saturday night across the state.

Transport Minister M R Vijayabaskar had on Saturday said many employees were getting back to work considering the wage revision offered by the government, besides respecting the Madras high court directive.

He had exuded confidence that more employees will return to work and operations would resume across the state on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Southern Railway operated weekday services on Sunday instead of weekend reduced services in Chennai Beach-Tambaram and MRTS suburban sector to accommodate extra rush in view of the strike.

The frequency of local trains will be every 10 minutes on Chennai Beach-Tambaram section, instead of every 20 minutes, and a train every 15 minutes on MRTS section instead of every 20 minutes, a Southern Railway release had said.

The Dravida Munnetra Kazagham, the main opposition party in the state assembly, had urged the government to hold talks with trade unions and bring an end to the impasse.

As many as 17 trade unions had launched an indefinite stir since Thursday night, with scores of Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation staff joining the protest.

The striking unions want the factor for wage revision to be fixed at 2.57 times while the state government insisted it be 2.44.

On January 5, the Madras high court had issued an interim order restraining employees from striking work.

The government had also issued an ultimatum, asking workers to return to work, else it will not hesitate to take action as per law.

However, the trade unions were firm on their demand and said agitation would continue till their demands on wage revision were met.

Image: Buses remain parked at the depot following a flash strike by Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation employees in Madurai. Photograph: PTI PhotoA court in Mumbai on Sunday remanded Yug Pathak, the son of a retired IPS officer and one of the owners of the Mojos Bistro pub, to a five-day police custody in connection with the deadly fire at the Kamala Mills compound on December 29, which had claimed 14 lives.

Pathak, the son of retired director general of police and former Pune police commissioner K K Pathak, was arrested on Saturday.

On Friday, the Mumbai Fire Brigade, in its preliminary probe report on the fire, which had engulfed Mojos Bistro and the adjacent 1 Above pub at the Kamala Mills compound in Lower Parel on December 29, had said the blaze possibly started at Mojos Bistro due to the flying embers of a hookah.

Pathak was produced at the Bhoiwada court in Dadar, which remanded him to police custody till January 12, a senior police official said.

We sought his custody for further probe into the fire incident and to find out whether all the safety precautions and norms were followed by the pub, he added.

The police had on Saturday booked Pathak and his partner, Nagpur-based businessman Yug Tulli, under IPC sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life and personal safety of others) and other relevant provisions.

The police had recorded Pathaks statement in the case earlier.

The names of Pathak and Tulli were added to the FIR, which was lodged on December 29 against the owners of 1 Above -- Kripesh Sanghvi, Jignesh Sanghvi and Abhijeet Mankar.

Earlier, the police had arrested two managers of 1 Above in connection with the fire.

The police have also announced a reward of Rs one lakh for any information about the three pub owners, who are on the run.

Image: Yug Pathak was produced at the Bhoiwada court in Dadar after he was booked under IPC sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life and personal safety of others) and other relevant provisions. Photograph: Sahil Salvi/Rediff.comThe Palestine embassy in New Delhi on Sunday discarded the reports of its Ambassador to Pakistan Walid Abu Ali being reinstated.

We dont know from where you got this information about Palestine ambassador to Pakistan being reinstated. As per our knowledge, he is very much in Palestine as of now, said the Palestine embassy in New Delhi.

In addition, the Palestinian foreign ministry also denied this information, saying, Our ambassador in Pakistan is in Palestine and our position was declared by our official statement which we have published last week.

Earlier in the day, Pakistani media reported that Palestine has reinstated its ambassador to Pakistan Walid Abu Ali, who was recently recalled for attending a rally organised by the Difa-e-Pakistan Council, where he shared a stage with 26/11 attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed.

Pakistan Ulema Council chairman Maulana Tahir Ashrafi was quoted as saying that Walid Abu Ali would return to Pakistan on Wednesday to resume his duty.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the countrys chief justice were reportedly requested by Ashrafi to reinstate Walid Abu Ali, in the backdrop of the ambassadors services rendered to Pakistan.

Earlier in December, Palestine had decided to call back Walid Abu Ali after he shared the stage with the United Nations-designated terrorist and the 26/11 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed during an event in Rawalpindi and branded the incident as deeply regrettable.

The move unfolded as India stated that the Palestinian envoys association with Saeed was unacceptable.

After Indias objection, Palestinian ambassador to India Adnan Abu Al Haija said: We are supporting India in its fight against terrorism and because of that my government decided to directly call our ambassador to go back home and not to be a Palestine ambassador to Pakistan anymore.

He also assured India and Palestine would deal with the matter appropriately.

Pakistan had defended Walid Abu Ali after he was recalled from his post by saying that the Ambassador has participated in many of the meetings held in the country and that the public meeting in question was yet another demonstration of the Pakistani strong sentiments in support of the Palestinian cause.United States President Donald Trump said that the controversial book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House is an act of fiction and its author Michael Wolff is a fraud.

IMAGE: U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to speak to the media at Camp David in Thurmont, Maryland. President Trump met with staff, members of his Cabinet and Republican members of Congress to discuss the Republican legislative agenda for 2018. Photograph: Chris Kleponis-Pool/Getty Images

Its a disgrace that he can do something like this, Trump told reporters at a press conference in the Camp David, a picturesque presidential retreat of Maryland, where he is holding meetings with his Republican leaders in the Congress.

He was referring to the book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, by Michael Wolff, which was released on Friday.

Libel laws are very weak in this country. If they were stronger, hopefully, you would not have something like that happen, he said.

IMAGE: Copies of the book 'Fire and Fury' by author Michael Wolff are displayed on a shelf at Book Passage in Corte Madera, California. A controversial new book about the inner workings of the Trump administration hit bookstore shelves nearly a week earlier than anticipated after lawyers for Donald Trump issued a cease and desist letter to publisher Henry Holt & Co. Photograph: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Responding to reporters questions, Trump defended his early morning tweets about the book and that he is a genius.

This morning you were tweeting about your mental state. Why did you feel the need to tweet about that this morning? he was asked.

Only because I went to the best colleges, or college. I had a situation where I was a very excellent student, came out, made billions and billions of dollars, became one of the top business people, went to television and for 10 years was a tremendous success, which youve probably heard, he said.

(And then) ran for president one time and won, and then I hear this guy that does not know me, does not know me at all. By the way, did not interview me for three hours, it didnt exist, OK? Its in his imagination, Trump said about the author of the book Wolff.Threads of negative reactions beneath celebrity tweets is nothing out of the ordinary, but an exchange between Sarah Silverman and a San Antonio man had a much more postive ending.

On Thursday, San Antonio Twitter user @Jeremy_jamrozy called the comedienne a vulgar term. Rather than ignoring the tweet or responding angrily, Silverman was sympathetic.

In her response, she said she scanned his timeline of "rage," but asked him to "choose love."Jeremy replied again, saying his troubled past keeps him from seeing the good in anything.

READ ALSO: San Antonio's biggest feuds, spats and fights of 2017

A few hours later, without mentioning the previous vulgarity-laced thread, Silverman asked her 12 million followers to help her "friend."

"Yo SAN ANTONIO! Any kickass back/neck care specialists willing 2 help my friend @jeremy_jamrozy," she said. "He has several slipped discs, no insurance, & can't work bc of severe pain. Let's get him back on his feet!! Who's in?"

More than a hundred users responded with local recommendations, to which both Silverman and Jeremy commented on.

Others couldn't help but notice the offensive tweets Jeremy had previously posted. Assuming Silverman hadn't seen them herself, or been a target of some jabs, they took screenshots and asked why she was choosing to help this man of all people.

RELATED: Tyler Perry showed up in S.A., left 1,850 percent restaurant tip

Jeremy told mySA.com he was intentionally trying to be banned by Twitter because he says the site will not allow him to delete his account. Despite the vulgarity he spewed towards her, Jeremy says his mind has changed about Silverman following their conversation.

"She is nothing like I thought  a very sweet and caring person," he told mySA.com in a direct message.

He said she "helped" him.

"I see people can be nice to one another again," he added.

Silverman also reached out to Jeremy privately.

"She inquired about my back [...] she said she saw something in me," Jeremy said. "And again, showed me that she cared. A side I wouldn't know existed. Telling me I can do it and found a support group for me."

Madalyn Mendoza is a digital reporter for MySA.com. Read more of her stories here.| mmendoza@mysa.com | Twitter: @MaddySkyeLet's start with this: The unity of women who've vowed to wear black to Sunday's Golden Globe Awards is a good thing. Their powerful statement of solidarity with victims of sexual harassment and assault is welcome and long overdue. Here's hoping it will be part of real change, both in Hollywood and elsewhere.

That being said, there'll be more than a few tears shed by fashion watchers at the loss of a cottage industry -- who's wearing it well, and who's not. With almost everyone wearing black, there's sure to be a lot less individual flair in evidence.Just six months ago, after Michael Diebold lost his left hand and part of his arm in a fireworks accident, he became a local celebrity.

The police chief of the small Pennsylvania town of Leechburg drew sympathy from community members, some of whom raised funds to help with Diebold's medical expenses. A church hosted a fundraising dinner, while others sold T-shirts that said: "We Stand By Ours. #teamdiebold1565."

Just 18 days after the accident, Diebold got married and about 200 people attended the ceremony. He smiled at his bride, who was dressed in an off-the-shoulder white dress, as she placed a wedding band on his right ring finger, and attendees raised their phones to catch the moment.

Diebold made the news again recently. This time, he wasn't smiling - and it's unlikely that anyone in the town of 2,000 was.

The 40-year-old has been accused of soliciting sex from a teenage girl online. He was arrested Friday on felony charges, including unlawful contact with a minor and criminal attempt to commit involuntary deviate sexual intercourse. Both are first-degree felonies.

"This case is particularly heinous because the perpetrator is a public official, sworn to serve and protect the community," Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in a statement. "We have a zero tolerance for the sexual abuse of children and my office will prosecute any offender to the fullest extent of the law, no matter who they are."

The arrest followed an investigation that involved an undercover officer who posed as a 14-year-old girl, authorities said. The investigation began after Diebold, using the username KuteCop4You, posted an ad on a social media app, CBS affiliate KDKA reported, citing the criminal complaint. Authorities said he and the undercover agent talked multiple times, with Diebold sending inappropriate photos and asking to meet for sex.

Diebold was arrested after he showed up at the meeting location. He then admitted that he'd been posting personal ads online for several years and acknowledged talking about sex with the purported 14-year-old, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported, citing the complaint.

"Diebold admitted that he knew that sexual contact with a 14-year-(old) child was wrong and illegal and that his life was totally over," the complaint said.

Leechburg Mayor Wayne Dobos said the allegations shocked many in the town, including him, who did not know that Diebold may have had a secret life.

"We've had enough notoriety in town, and something like this, we didn't need at all," Dobos told The Washington Post.

Media coverage around Diebold began in June, when he was handling fireworks during an event, and one piece misfired and exploded on him, his mother, Karen Diebold, told the Post-Gazette. Michael Diebold, who is also a fireworks business owner, lost nearly his entire left arm.

Controversy followed as Diebold tried to get back on duty months later. He told KDKA in December that he was ready to return to work. Doctors had cleared him and the state had recertified his firearms license, but town officials told him that he couldn't go back just yet and placed him on paid leave. Diebold threatened to sue.

Dobos said the Leechburg Borough Council wanted Diebold back at the police department, which employs only three full-time officers, including the chief, and several part-time employees. But he said Diebold needed to first take a physical test to ensure he's able to perform his duties. Lawyers representing Diebold and the town were finalizing what those tests would be when he was arrested, Dobos said.

Diebold, who's in the Westmoreland County Jail on a $500,000 bond, is scheduled for a hearing on Jan. 16. Online court records show that he did not ask for a public defender but do not list an attorney for him.

Town officials have not figured out who will fill Diebold's job. Dobos said the other two full-time officers have been sharing Diebold's duties over the past months.

"This is a very, very rare instance," Dobos said. "We got to play everything by ear."PORTLAND, Ore. - The simplest question among pot smokers - is this stuff legal? - doesn't have a crystal-clear answer anywhere in America. It many places it is now simultaneously legal and illegal, the same way physicists will tell you (shifting here to a 3 a.m. dorm room discussion) that light is both a particle and a wave.

Eight states have legalized recreational marijuana for people age 21 and older, with California joining that group on Jan. 1. Other states allow the cultivation and distribution of pot for medicinal use, and many have taken steps to decriminalize marijuana possession.

But under the federal Controlled Substances Act, it's the same weed it's always been, a "Schedule 1" drug that is illegal to possess, much less grow or distribute.

And the situation just became a whole lot foggier.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions this week took on the marijuana industry by rescinding enforcement guidelines that had been issued by the Obama administration. Those guidelines had finessed the state-federal conflict by saying, in effect, that federal prosecutors wouldn't go after people who complied with state laws, but would instead concentrate on drug cartels, money laundering and other high-priority targets.

In canceling the Obama policies, Sessions gave U.S. attorneys across the country full discretion to pursue criminal cases involving marijuana. In a memo, he said the federal pot statutes "reflect Congress' determination that marijuana is a dangerous drug and that marijuana activity is a serious crime."

But proprietors, activists and consumers said such words aren't going to shut down the burgeoning marijuana industry.

In Portland, Oregon, sales manager Kevin Yearout of Stone Age Farmacy - where the marijuana sells for $10 a gram and you can buy pot-infused gummies, caramels, jellies, lemonades, taffy, chocolate and cakeballs with "cannabutter" - said he smells corporate influence behind the Sessions announcement: "It goes back to pharmaceuticals. They want people to take pills and they can make money."

Nearby, at Five Zero Trees - a pun invoking Oregon's first area code - the heavily tattooed store manager, Josh Sisco, proudly showed off some of the store's most-popular strains, including Cherry Kush and Mt. Hood Magic Durban Poison. He said Sessions' decision will boost sales.

"It's like back when people said Obama was coming for everyone's guns and gun sales spiked," he said.

In Los Angeles, at New Amsterdam Naturals, a licensed medical marijuana shop, the management declined a request for comment. But customer Deborah Harrison was happy to opine on Sessions as she entered the store.

"I could care less what he thinks," Harrison said. "This is California, and we are going to do what we do here. He can push it if he wants to, and we can secede from the union."

Tom Miller, a pipe layer in the natural gas industry, spent part of Friday morning at Boulder Botanics in Colorado, examining canisters of cannabis with strains named Gorilla Glue, Big Bubba Diesel, and Dawg's Waltz. The weed sells for $150 to $250 an ounce, and Miller said he wanted to try it all. He had just arrived in the state, which has embraced legal sales.

"It helps more than opioids," he said, citing his home state of West Virginia's struggle with opioid abuse. "They could use this instead of being hooked on opioids. Everyone's on pills."

Marijuana is now legal in much of the West, as well as in Massachusetts and Maine. In the District of Columbia, people 21 and older can grow, possess or give away modest amounts of it, and smoke it legally at home. Medical marijuana is legal and strictly regulated in the District, but selling pot for recreational use is still illegal. It also remains illegal on federal property.

State laws vary, with some treating marijuana as if it were no more a drug than alcohol. There are still major kinks in the law for marijuana entrepreneurs, who struggle to find banks willing to take their money - and wind up carrying brown paper bags of cash to pay their utility bills, said Jonathan Robbins, an attorney with Akerman LLP, where he is chair of the Cannabis Practice Group.

Robbins emphasized that the decision by Sessions does not change any of the nation's marijuana laws; this was purely a policy change at the Justice Department.

"There certainly is less clarity," Robbins said. "We don't know as we sit here today what the practical effect of Mr. Sessions' pronouncement is going to be."

His legal advice to marijuana growers and distributors: "It's very, very important that any folks who are operating in this space go to great lengths to make sure they are fully compliant with the laws of the states in which they operate."

Patrick Moen, a former Drug Enforcement Administration agent who is now general counsel for Privateer Holdings, which invests in the legal cannabis industry, said the Sessions move is largely symbolic, noting that the Justice Department did not send out a directive to crack down on marijuana. Nor does Moen think the DEA will ramp up marijuana enforcement, particularly given how closely the federal agents rely on their local and state partnerships in drug task forces.

"I would be shocked if there is anyone at the agency that is interested in prioritizing cannabis investigations," Moen said. "It is not an effective use of time and resources. And it's fraught with political peril."

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, asked Friday if marijuana use is legal in his state despite the federal law, was emphatic: "In the state of California, it is legal."

But what about the federal statutes?

"The federal government is not the state of California," he said.

Becerra said he has reached out to the four U.S. attorneys in California, hoping to discuss the issue, and to seek ways to work together to focus on black-market marijuana operators and people who do not obide by the state's laws, which made recreational marijuana legal this week. "There's no need for us to butt heads," he said.

Speaking by phone from Steamboat Springs, Colorado, Serge Chistov, an investor in northwest Colorado's Honest Marijuana Company, said the three local marijuana dispensaries had opened for business and no one seemed paranoid about being raided by the feds.

Chistov said of the Sessions announcement: "This is nothing but a bark. Genie's out of the bottle. Ain't going back in the bottle. Too much money."

- - -

Blakemore reported from Boulder, Colorado, and Achenbach reported from Washington. Rob Kuznia in Los Angeles contributed to this report.TORRINGTON - A Norfolk woman pleaded guilty to a charge of first-degree larceny Friday in Superior Court in Torrington after being accused of stealing more than $75,000 from a local woman in her care, according to court staff.

Tara Yard is to receive a suspended sentence, with potential exposure to an eight-year prison sentence and five years probation under the terms of her plea agreement, Assistant Clerk Bob Stearns said.

Yard is the assistant town clerk in Norfolk, according to the towns website.

According to an affidavit issued in connection with the case, a Virginia woman hired Yard to care for her aunt in 2012.

Yard was a local resident and had offered care for others in the past. The Virginia woman contacted the state police in July 2015, saying that funds were possibly being misappropriated, as well as serious discrepancies in payroll concerning Yard.

According to the affidavit, the complainant wanted to make it clear that there have never been complaints concerning (the aunts) care, only financial discrepancies.

A joint account between Yard and the Virginia woman had been created to pay for payroll checks, expenses informed for (the aunts) care, and expenses for goods purchased for the aunt, according to the affidavit.

Accountant Robert Pallone had told the Virginia woman that he estimated more than $100,000 had been taken from the account over several years, including approximately $12,000 in payroll discrepancies.

The Virginia woman contacted Yard about this $12,000 figure, according to the affidavit. Yard responded by offering to pay the sum back over time.

The Virginia woman did not respond to that offer, sent the email to police, and ended Yards employment on July 4, 2015.

Through a review of pertinent records, a state trooper determined that Yard had fraudulently taken money in several different ways, according to the affidavit.

According to the affidavit, these ways included: more than $19,000 in unauthorized transfers to Yards personal account; more than $21,600 in checks written to cash or without a memo; more than $14,270 in misbilled hours; and more than $31,000 in expenditures at grocery stores, including $26,820.19 at Stop & Shop.

According to the affidavit, Michelle Paige, a former fraud investigator for the State Attorneys office, calculated that $75,165.18 had been unlawfully taken from the shared account by Tara Yard.

Yard applied for accelerated rehabilitation, a diversionary program, in June. This application was rejected, as the court cannot find that the crime is not of a serious nature, according to court documents.

At the time, Yard said that keeping financial records for the aunt's care had become more than she could handle.

In hindsight, I was overwhelmed by the bookkeeping. It was always the last thing done; her health, comfort and welfare were my most important goals, said Yard in a letter. Given that the missing funds occurred under my watch, I take full responsibility and intend to restore those funds.

Defense attorney James Townsend said at the time that the woman's health had improved under Yards care, but the demands of providing this care had grown over time into a small business and full-time job, requiring the hiring of seven employees.

Yard's case was continued to March 16 for sentencing.

Reach Ben Lambert at william.lambert@hearstmediact.com.Report: At least 2 Yemeni civilians killed, 6 injured in 20+ airstrikes in one day [07/January/2018]



SANAA, Jan 7 (Saba) - The US-backed Saudi-led aggression coalition warplanes waged more than twenty air strikes over the past hours, killing at least two civilians and wounding six others, officials told Saba on Sunday.



In the northern province of Saada,a civilian was killed and another injured when aggression warplane launched a strike on their house in Jawazat area, and the warplane waged five airstrikes on Jaiash market of Saada city, which is the provincial capital city of Saada province and it bears the same name.



Also in Saada provine, a civilian was wounded in an airstrike which targeted gas station in Ahma area, and three others were injured when the warplanes waged three strikes on civilian's house in Khafji area of Sehar district.



Furthermore, the fighter jets of aggression waged a series of raids on civilians' homes in Qahr area of Baqem district.

In addition, in Kutaf district of Saada province, the warplanes launched a strike beside of school in Sawh area, four airstrikes on Boqa area, one raid hit Atifin area, and another raid waged on Farea area.

Meanwhile, a woman was injured when the US-Saudi aggression artillery and missile forces hit several places in Razah district , also the enemy hit western areas in Monbeh district, causing large losses in the residents' farms and properties.



In Jawf province, some 170 km northeast of the capital Sanaa, a civilian was killed when the Saudi-paid mercenaries artillery shelled civilians' houses t in Ghail district.



Meanwhile, the aggression warplane launched a strike on Rahoob area of Barat Anan district.



In the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, the fighter jet waged an airstrike which targeted a stone-crusher in Bagel district, and others two airstrikes targeted two houses on Saeidiah area of Khokha district, causing the injured a number of civilians.



In the capital Sanaa, the aggression coalition warplanes launched a raid on Presidential palace in Sabaeen district.



Finally, in the border province of Najran, one Saudi aggression airstrike hit Talaa site.







Writing by Sameera AL-Mahdi, Editing by Zak

SabaReport: Army kills Saudi soldier, 17 mercenaries in attacks during one day [07/January/2018]



SANAA, Jan 7 (Saba)  Army launched military operations, including artillery, missiles and snipping attacks to frustrate US-backed Saudi-led aggression coalition mercenaries and soldiers infiltration attempts over the past 24 hours, military officials told Saba.



In border province of Jaizan, Snipers unit shot dead a Saudi soldier in Jahfan site, meanwhile the artillery forces targeted Saudi soldiers gatherings in east of Jahfan, Jelah centre, and Om-Qateb, Which led to the deaths and injuries and the escape of those who remain.



In Asir border province, Snipers unit shot dead two Saudi-paid mercenaries in Tabat-khazan and Sabahdal site, and artillery force shelled Saudi soldiers gathering behind Masseal site, and mercenaries gatherings in Alab outlet and behind Sebahtal.



In Najran border province, Saudi soldiers gatherings were shelled in Makhroq site, and also the gatherings of mercenaries in Tabat Nail, Thur-ain, and Selah gate, inflicted the enemy heavy casualties.



Also in Najran, an arms depot was set on fire in Dabaa site by artillery shelling.

In Bayda province, mercenaries attempt to infiltrate towards Daizal area of Zaher district in was foiled, causing the deaths of many of the mercenaries.



Also, numbers of mercenaries were killed in an ambush during their crawl attempt towards Ajradi area of Zaher district, inflicted heavy losses in their ranks.



In addition, heroes of army and popular committees repulsed an attempt by aggression mercenaries to infiltrate towards Eshash frontline in Qaifah and Thi-Naem, causing the deaths and injuries dozens.



In Central province of Taiz, an ambush was carried out upon military vehicle which loaded with seven Saudi-paid mercenaries in northern Yakhtal of Makha district, killing all its crew.



Furthermore, the army in cooperation with popular forces attacked in northern Khaled camp of Moazea frontline, inflicting the enemy heavy casualties.



Also in Taiz, artillery shelling targeted mercenaries' sites in northern Khaled camp, and three of mercenaries were gunned down in Moazea district.



In Marib province, about 173 km north of the capital Sanaa, units of snipers shot down five mercenaries in Salb mountain and several areas of Serwah distract, and another one was gunned down in northeastern Qateb of Nehm frontline.



Meanwhile, a military armored vehicle was burned with a guided missile in Hawl area of Nehm district, killing all its crew.



In northern province of Jawf, the army and popular committees repulsed an attempt by Saudi-paid mercenaries to infiltrate under heavy air cover into Mahashemah area of Khub-Washaaf district, inflicted heavy casualties upon enemy's ranks.



Finally, in Hajjah province, units snipers of the army and popular forces killed six aggression mercenaries in north of Medi desert, also the artillery shelling targeted the area, causing direct casualties.







Writing by Sameera Al-mahdi, Editing by Zak

SabaPress conference on aggression massacres held in Sanaa [07/January/2018]



SANA'A, Jan. 07 (Saba) - The Political Bureau of Ansar Allah and the joint meeting parties held on Sunday a joint press conference on the massacres of the aggression states in Yemen under the international silence.



The conference reviewed the crimes and violations committed by the aggression coalition and its terrible massacres during one thousand and 18 days of the aggression under a suspicious international disregard.



The press conference referred to what the Saudi-led aggression coalition has carried out since March 26, 2015 up to date, including the systematic attacks on Yemen through waging direct air strikes on civilians and deliberately destroying infrastructure and public and private property.



It pointed out that the aggression air bombing destroyed hospitals, health centers, schools, institutes, universities, warehouses, food trucks, farms, silos, livestock farms, fishing boats, stations and tankers of oil derivatives, road networks, bridges, dams, water wells and networks electricity and telecommunications.



The press conference also reviewed what has been destroyed by the aggression airstrikes in whole or partially from the humanitarian heritage, historical landmarks and cities, airports and civilian ports, wedding events halls and houses of citizens, in a violation of the international humanitarian law.



At the conference, a number of speeches indicated to the bloody criminal record of the aggression alliance and its horrific massacres, which fall within the framework of war crimes that are rare in the contemporary history and reflect the real face of the aggression on Yemen.



The speeches confirmed that the crimes committed by the aggression against the people of Yemen are genocide crimes that will not fall over time, noting that the international silence gave the aggression coalition a cover to repeat its crimes against civilians and the people's property and infrastructure.



They stated that the acts of aggression, massacres and siege aimed at starving the people of Yemen and subjugating it, emphasizing that one thousand and 18 days of the aggression reveal the horror of the shameful international silence and unmask the organizations and institutions that brag about civilians protection.



The speeches also affirmed that the aggression alliance has transformed Yemen to the largest humanitarian disaster in the world in all norms and covenants and international and humanitarian laws.



BA

SabaActor Mohit Madaan has taken a break from shooting for his upcoming film "Ishq Tera" and flew to Dubai to celebrate his birthday with family

"Today (Sunday) is my birthday. I turned 30. I am going to be celebrate it with my family. I am in Dubai to make my day a special one. I took a break from shooting to surprise my parents and other family members," Mohit said in a statement to .

"I also have friends here. My family thought that I won't be able to come home for my birthday, so they are really happy now," he added.

Mohit will soon return to India and resume shooting in Mumbai with actress Hrishita Bhatt.

"Ishq Tera", which is being directed by JoJo D'Souza, will release later this year.Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Gwalior on Sunday on a two-day-visit during which he will interact with the heads of police and paramilitary forces.

He was received at a military air base by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Gwalior Mayor Vivek Narayan Shejwalkar and others.





From here, Modi will depart for Tekanpur where he will participate in an ongoing meeting of police forces of states and paramilitary forces. Home Minister Rajnath Singh reached Tekanpur on Saturday.Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath would address a BJP rally here on Sunday in view of the upcoming assembly election in Karnataka, a party official said on Saturday.

"Adityanath arrived on Saturday night to participate in our party's rally and address the public on Sunday afternoon," a party spokesman told IANS.

It is second time Adityanath is participating in the party's rally in the state after he did on December 21 at Hubballi in north Karnataka.

The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) state unit has embarked on a 90-day statewide rally on November 2 from Bengaluru in the run-up to the assembly poll, due by April, under the banner of "Nava Karnataka Nirmana Parivarthana Yatra", flagged off by party chief Amit Shah.

The party is expecting about 50,000 people to gather at the Vijayanagar public grounds for the rally.

The BJP, which came to power in the state for the first time on its own after the 2008 assembly election, lost to the Congress in the 2013 assembly poll following a split in its state unit and five years of "misrule" with three Chief Ministers at the helm of office.

Besides party's state unit President B.S. Yeddyrappa, central ministers from the state Ananth Kumar and D.V. Sadananda Gowda and state unit leaders Jagadish Shettar, K.S Eshwarappa and A.R. Ashok will address the gathering.

"Adityanath will also will visit the Adichunchanagiri Mutt to meet its seer Nirmalanandanath Swami and have lunch with him after the yatra event," said the party leader.

The popular mutt of the powerful Vokkaliga community has been associated for long with the Gorakhnath Mutt in Uttar Pradesh' Gorkahpur where Adityanath was head priest.Lets get this straight. The so-called secrecy shrouding certain costs involved in the operation of the governments latest grand dream called Samoa Airways should not be there at all.

We say this because from where we stand, when Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi launched the airline at the beginning of November last year, there was nothing secret about its intentions and what it set out to do.

As far as we know, the airline exists to serve people of Samoa and improve the countrys economic prospects in terms of tourism and other related sectors.

Listen to the Prime Minister again:

Today is a special occasion to celebrate and showcase what a small island like Samoa can do once we focus on what is important to us as a nation, Tuilaepa said at the launch of the airline.

The one certainty in all this is that revenue generated by our national carrier will stay in Samoa, airlines flying to Samoa are boasting billion dollar profits every year and little comes back to our country.

Well thats fantastic, who wouldnt be excited about that?

But easier said than done. Thats why Prime Minister Tuilaepa then challenged the Samoa Airways management to prove itself as a self-sustaining business.

The government has not given the airline any funds to start the airline as you must run it as a business, he said.

You have had 12 years of running the small airline profitably so that now with the jet services - give it your best, prove that we can do this and do it well.

Tuilaepa has a point. As patriotic Samoans, we all want this airline to work.

But that brings us back to the question about some of the initial costs in running the airline and how sustainable these costs are in terms of looking at the future. Take for example claims from inside sources that the airline is paying up to US$500,000 (T$1.25million) a fortnight to lease the aircraft.

By any estimation, that is ridiculously expensive, especially for a small airline.

Could the government not find a cheaper option? And how do we know we are not being taken for a ride, just as Tuilaepa had said about previous business dealings the government had entered in terms of running airlines?

As ears and eyes of the public, these are legitimate questions the media exists to ask and demand answers for, especially from a state-owned business.

But two weeks ago, Prime Minister Tuilaepa, after directing the Samoa Observer to refer queries to the Chief Executive Officer of Samoa Airways, Seiuli Alvin Tuala, changed his tune.

These are commercial secrets, it cannot be revealed, he said.

These things are commercial contracts, and if you inquire with any airline companies, they will never allow that to be known.

Now hang on here. Lets remind that Samoa Airways was not created and funded by taxpayers to go into the business of keeping secrets from the public.

Lets not forget that the ruling Human Rights Protection Party has been ruling Samoa for about 40 years and throughout all that time, they have been proudly gloating about transparency, accountability and good governance.

What is so secretive about the cost of hiring an aircraft?

As far as we are concerned, it only becomes a secret when there is something they are trying to hide. Could that be the case?

By the way, why should we ask any airline companies in the world? As taxpayers we are demanding answers from Samoas very own airline. What is so hard about that?

Which is why the Samoa Observer reporter put it back to the Prime Minister that Samoa Airways is government-owned and that members of the public deserve to know the truth? But he wouldnt budge.

These are commercial secrets, it cannot be revealed, he responded.

Commercial secrets? Absolute hogwash!

In this day and age of modern technology, anyone can easily look up how much it costs to lease an aircraft. Since this story emerged, many readers of this newspaper have done that and we can tell you that the amount Samoa Airways is paying is exorbitant to say the least.

This is why we are concerned. It is also why we want Samoa Airways to proceed with caution.

And why should we care?

Well, the history of the government when it comes to airlines isnt exactly the best. Many of us know that and the story of the old Polynesian Airlines is a classic example.

It is paramount therefore that the government gets it right this time around otherwise we are only looking at Polynesian Airlines episode II with a lot more disastrous consequences given the volatile economic climate of today.

Interestingly at the launch, Prime Minister Tuilaepa revisited the past. He said: In hindsight, we should never have entered into a joint venture in the first place.

Twice we did it with Ansett and later with Virgin  both Australian airlines - and the results were disappointing. So important lessons have been learnt.

This is indeed a momentous occasion and this development is one that our country needs and should have done a long time ago.

You look around our region from Solomon Islands to Vanuatu, Kiribati, Tahiti to Fiji  our neighbours have their own national airlines and they have maintained their airlines successfully and comfortably.

If others can do it, so can we  yes we can, if we do not allow idiots to ever again, both at the ground and management levels, to operate the national airline.

Perhaps Prime Tuilaepa should listen to himself and what he is saying. Wed like to believe that the officials running Samoa Airways are not idiots and they know what they are doing.

In this case, all they need to do is tell the public the truth and thats the end of the matter. This, after all, is what accountability, transparency and good governance the government has been advocating, is all about.

What do you think?

Have a great week Samoa, God bless!The possibility of Samoa having a female as the Head of State in the future is being considered by the government.

The plan is revealed in a Cabinet Directive (FK (17) 33 where the Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (M.P.M.C.) has been tasked to lead the preparations for the review of the Head of State Act 1965.

The Cabinet Directive was referred to in the Public Service Commissions last newsletter for 2017.

The newsletter points out that a Review Committee within the M.P.M.C. has been established for this task.

This review was prompted by Cabinet to reflect changes made to the Constitution regarding the Head of State post, the notice reads.

Some of these changes include but are not limited to the eligibility criteria, the number of years or the duration of service and the possibility of having a female Head of State in the future.

Other key changes that will be proposed deals with changing the agency responsible for administering the Head of State Act from the Legislative Assembly to the Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Furthermore the Review Instructions which includes the proposed changes is currently being developed and will be forwarded to the Attorney Generals Office upon completion.

Last November, the Constitution Amendment Bill (No.3) 2017 which proposes to limit the Head of States post to two terms was tabled.

The limitation of the two terms for the Head of State is part of the review mentioned above in the Cabinet Directive FK (17) 33 where the Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet was tasked to lead the preparations for the review.

Its unclear at the moment whether the Review Instructions has been forwarded to Attorney General, as emails sent to the Lemalu Herman Retzlaff have not been responded to.

Questions sent to Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Chief Executive Officer, Agafili Shem Leo on the status of the Review Instructions have also not responded to.

During Parliament sitting in November, 2017, Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi explained that the government is proposing to give the holder of the Head of State title a 10-year two-terms limit.

This is as opposed to the current practice where members of ruling H.R.P.P. vote on the position after every five years.

As reported earlier, speaking about the amendment Tuilaepa said the change gives the position the respect it deserves. As it stands, he said it is not a good look when such a highly esteemed role is subjected to a vote every five years.

Given the smallness of Samoa, Tuilaepa admitted that such a vote would always be a sensitive matter given family and blood connections.

But should the amendment be passed, there are conditions.

One of them is that after the holder serves his/her 10-year term, he/she will be retired from the position forever.

Tuilaepa used the term malolo manumalo or victorious retirement to describe the exit by future holders.

This is not a new amendment, he told Parliament yesterday.

This is the result of an agreement discussed during an H.R.P.P. caucus meeting. We have 47 of 50 members of this Parliament and we have all come to the conclusion that this is the best way forward.

Tuilaepa added that 10 years for someone to hold an honorary titular role reflects the respect and honour afforded to the position.

The amendment was widely supported by Members of Parliament.

However Salegas M.P., Olo Fiti Vaai, objected saying the appointment should be made for life.

He criticised the fact the vote is now solely made by H.R.P.P. members outside of Parliament. Olo argued that to maintain integrity of the position, the vote should be conducted inside Parliament where Samoa meets. This is how democracies should operate.

P.M. Tuilaepa disagreed and he immediately took the floor to correct Olo. He said the appointment of His Highness Tuimalealiifano was made in Parliament. Members of the H.R.P.P. only discussed and made their recommendations outside Parliament but the actual appointment only took place when Parliament convened.

But there was not vote (inside Parliament), Olo argued. That was done outside Parliament. This does not reflect democratic practices.

Tuilaepa refused to accept this.

I want to correct the member who keeps getting this wrong, he said. He is an old member of Parliament and he still doesnt understand these things. The appointment was made in Parliament.

At that point, Speaker of Parliament, Toleafoa Leaupepe Faafisi, advised Olo to move away from the issue. He reminded him that whatever the government says, it is final.

To which Olo responded, Alright then, let people be the judge. But that is my opinion.

Tuilaepa again objected.

When your opinion is wrong, we have a responsibility to correct it. And if you keep getting it wrong, we will correct you every time, the Prime Minister told Olo.

In response, Olo said: Can you let us be right for once, everything we say is wrong, wrong, wrong according to you.

Looking at the bill, Olo raised a couple of points. First he said the 10-year appointment is an expensive decision since Samoa will have to mint new coins and print new money notes every time a new Head of State is appointed.

He suggested that since the government has moved away from only appointing only Tama Aiga to the role, instead of the Head of State, the position should be called Governor General.

This is appropriate since anyone now, as opposed to holders of the Tama Aiga titles, can become a head of State.

Olo also questioned the governments influence on the position. He expressed disappointment that Head of State appears to be controlled by the government.

He referred to part of the bill where the Head of State has seven days to sign an issue into law. If he refuses, the Prime Minister will have the power to assign someone else to sign instead of the Head of State.

What roles do the members of the Council of Deputies serve then? he asked. He wondered if they are just there for formalities when the Prime Minister controls everything.

Associate Minister and Faleatas Member of Parliament, Lealailepule Rimoni Aiafi supported the amendment. He reminded that the role of the Head of State is a government appointment that the Constitution stipulates anyone can hold the position, regardless of whether you are a Tama Aiga or not.

Prime Minister Tuilaepa strongly denied the claims from Olo.

He said Members of Parliament and members of the public have a lot of time to make their views known since bill has now been referred to a Parliamentary committee.Not a lot of people know how much work it takes for a bride to look radiant and stunning on her wedding day.

They dont even now how our Miss Samoa stands out in a row of pageant beauties looking supernaturally beautiful.

The truth is there is a team of image Consultants made up of hair, makeup and wardrobe Artists behind the scenes who have an eye for enhancing your best features and creating flawless illusions for those special events.

To them, you are their canvas and their job is to help you put your best face forward.

Ella Mau, of EBB Samoa Hair and Makeup is a hair and makeup artist based out of her home studio in Vaivase-uta for the past three years.

Last year she had the honour of travelling with Miss Samoa to the Miss Pacific Islands Pageant in Fiji. Charged with ensuring that Miss Samoa looked polished, radiant and beautiful every single day for every different event, Ella had an experience of a lifetime.

That was a really cool experience, said Ella.

I was contacted by the S.E.I. committee to see if I was interested and available. This was an opportunity that any makeup artist would take up. I was really excited to be in the middle of all that. I just wanted to know what it would be like in the pageant and what the energy would be like, how the programme would be.

A Makeup Artist is always taking into account a persons features and personality when deciding on how to transform their client.

Contrary to popular belief, crafting a natural look that will stand the test of bright lights, heat and cameras is a tough ask and one that takes an expertise of a makeup artist to create.

I always try to take into account what the person likes for example, Miss Samoa, shes naturally beautiful and her personal preference was less makeup.

For me I wanted to show a different side of her. Because when you think of pageants, you think of heavy makeup and so many products. I loved the fact that Miss Samoa doesnt wear a lot of makeup and so I wanted to go with a more natural look and do something different at the Miss Pacific Islands.

My vision for her at the pageant was to make her look like her. And she wanted to look like her too. I dont think anyone of us wanted to make her up to much and thats what people loved about her there, she was just naturally beautiful and she didnt need to look like a caked up beauty pageant queen.

Ella is a self-taught makeup artist who grew up in Manuwera, Auckland, before she moved to Samoa three year ago after marrying her local husband.

To her, self image and looking your best was something that was part of her upbringing that naturally grew into a love for hair and makeup artistry.

From our mother and with my sisters, we were taught to look good where ever go. With church thats where it started, we were taught to look our Sunday best and dress up in our prettiest dresses. Its just normal to look our best.

Makeup was always there. My mum used to put makeup on us for school photos or passport photos.

In my personal opinion, our Samoan women already carry that confidence. I dont think makeup is a big thing for our people but I know for some they enjoy it because its just a pampering thing for our girls and its just something we love to do.

It started out as a hobby with Ella doing makeup and hair for her sisters, friends and eventually people started to pay her for services in Auckland. Moving here in 2014, Ella wasnt sure what the market was like for makeup artists like her, but she was surprised to find that the demand was there and it hasnt stopped growing since.

The ladies here in Samoa like to dress up more, she said.

Its such a big thing here and you have to look good for every event and function which is good for us makeup artists. At the same time there is only a few of us around too and the work load is pretty full on. Every weekend Im busy, I have a wedding every weekend and because I network with other makeup artists here on the island  I know that its the same with them.

Ella works with various photographers on the island for many types of photo shoots as well and her artistic touch can be seen on models in pictorial spreads of Eveni Carruthers advertising. The world of Social media well has helped this makeup artist in marketing her services particularly for clients from overseas coming to Samoa for a big event.

I think the demand has started growing in the past two years now that there are more of us doing it now. I was only doing it in the weekends and I think word of mouth here is a big thing. I think its more effective than social media. I think social media is more for international clients; the majority of my clients are international and mainly come from New Zealand and Australia.

With Samoa becoming a more attractive destination for weddings, Ella doesnt see the demand slowing down any time soon and according to her, hair and makeup artistry can be a lucrative career for an individual.

There is money to be made here in hair and makeup, the demand is really high. Between me and other makeup artists, we try and share clients or help with a large wedding party because the work load is full on. Just this past year alone, I was just so surprised at how many weddings take place every week. It really opened my eyes, it never slowed down.

Realizing that the wedding market has a global value in the billions, Ella sees a need to expand her business in the near future with a focus on catering specifically to bridal parties and their preparations which is trend that is starting to pick up in countries like New Zealand and Australia.

I would like to expand and add other services, but stay focused on bridal parties; I find there is a huge market for that here especially for people in the resorts who are always looking for hair and makeup artists, even the local market because theres always someone getting married every week.On Jan. 1, the Julian-Cuyamaca Fire Protection District  the countys last independent volunteer fire department  gave up the only fully staffed paramedic fire engine based in its 87-square-mile coverage area.

That leaves just one ambulance to service the popular tourist destination, leaving open the potential for no immediate medical coverage for up to an hour in an area that attracts thousands of visitors eager to sample the towns signature apple pies, shop and hike the trails.

Its a risk that a majority of the members of the fire department, and many in the rural community, say they are willing to take to maintain local control of the volunteer department, which has been an integral part of the Julian area since its formation in the 1970s.

For the past two years, the San Diego County Fire Authority staffed the paramedic engine at its station next to a new volunteer station off state Route 79. It was part of an agreement under which the Julian fire district said it would seriously consider being absorbed by the county by the end of 2017.

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The Julian fire station off state Route 79 about two miles south of the mountain towns main drag. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune )

But the fire districts board of directors, by a 4-1 vote, rejected the authoritys overtures, opting instead to remain on their own. That means they will have to ask the districts 2,500 residents to vote this year to triple their fire taxes so the district can provide adequate coverage.

Many in the community support remaining independent. They said they dont trust the county to do what it says it will do.

But Tony Mecham, the head of the countys Fire Authority and chief of Cal Fire in the San Diego, expressed disappointment with the decision.

I think that board is looking out for their own self-interest and not doing what they were elected to do, and that is look out for the community, Mecham said. I have very strong feelings on that. They see their power and their position and authority being taken away if the county comes in. Its very selfish. Im very disappointed.

While Cal Fire is responsible for wildland fire response in the area, it is the volunteer department that responds to structure fires and medical emergencies, including car accidents.

The area is served now by one ambulance. When it responds to a call, it can be away from Julian for three or four hours at a time while taking patients to Palomar Medical Center in Escondido. For the past two years, if the ambulance was in use, the paramedic engine would respond to any other emergency in the area and provide basic life-saving help while an ambulance from as far away as Alpine or elsewhere responded.

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Julian Fire Board President Jack Shelver, the only director who voted last year to dissolve the district and join the county, said on average the ambulance responds to 50 or 60 calls each month. Of those, about 70 percent end up with a patient being transported to Escondido.

Statistically, they were out of the district quite a bit of the time, he said. That means about 400 times a year they were out of service. When another call came in, the paramedic engine would respond.

But no longer. Now well just cover those with the volunteers who do not have specialized medical training, Shelver said.

Mecham said instances when the ambulance is out of the district happen frequently. He said Julian meets its ambulance response times only about 75 percent of the time, while county compliance is 90 percent.

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Mecham said the county will provide mutual aid. We just wont be responding automatically, he said.

In addition to pulling the paramedic engine, the county also ended a $60,000 subsidy and removed a water tender truck. The Julian district did opt to remain with Cal Fires dispatching service.

The situation has caused a split in the community. At the most recent meeting of the fire district directors, several dozen people with widely differing opinions attended.

Some, like the majority of the directors, say its important for the community to retain its independence from the county. They have spent decades raising funds to support the volunteers and even built them a fire station.

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To abandon that independence would mean handing everything over to the county. The volunteers would go away and be replaced by Cal Fire personnel  firefighters the county says will be much better trained and more physically fit.

I dont want to be disparaging of the volunteers, Mecham said, but theres a reason the county is converting to career staff. It is very hard to maintain 24/7 coverage with volunteers.

Pat Landis is a member of a group calling itself the Committee of 100, which is committed to an independent Julian department. She says the group opposes the authority for two main reasons.

Its our fire department, she said. Its ours. It belongs to us and we are proud of it and of our community.

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Because Julian isnt an incorporated city, the fire department is sort of what holds the community together, she added.

The second reason, Landis said, is the Fire Authoritys track record in other communities where volunteer departments have disappeared.

I have contacted a dozen of the other fire stations, she said. I can say Pine Valley is happy and every single other station is unhappy. She said there are too many days each year when the rural stations are left unstaffed and the engines assigned to the stations often are in disrepair and break down.

Bill Everett, another Committee of 100 member who volunteered for the Julian department for 15 years until hanging up his boots last year, said distrust of the county providing what it says it will provide is a serious concern.

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Its all about local control, Everett said. The reason the fire department was formed in the 1970s was because the county decided it would no longer provide fire protection in the backcountry. He said some feel they might do so again should they take over.

He said 95 percent of what the department does is provide medical services.

Its comforting up here to have a face that they know show up at their house when theyre having a crisis, Everett said. Unfortunately, weve had some instances with that paramedic engine where they simply werent able to find the place they were being called to.

He said thats understandable, because Cal Fire is always transferring new people to the station who dont know the area or the people.

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Seventeen of the 18 volunteer departments in the county have been absorbed into the county system in the past 10 years since the authority was formed after the firestorms of the last decade. Julian is the only true volunteer-based holdout.

Mecham said criticism that the rural stations go unstaffed or are poorly equipped is unfounded.

Sixteen of the 17 stations now have 24/7 career firefighter/paramedics, he said.

The only exception is in Ranchita, which is covered about 80 percent of the time. Annually, Mecham said, Ranchita gets about 50 calls. There is no fire department in California that would spend $1.2 million to fully staff a fire station for 50 calls a year.

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Supporters of independence say they will go to voters in 2018 and ask them to triple their fire benefit tax from $50 to $200 to properly fund the department. A similar vote failed in 2014, but Everett said he is confident people will support the department this time around.

The committee recently submitted a letter demanding the removal of Chief Rick Marinelli and suggesting they would mount a recall of Board President Jack Shelver, saying both of them have been pushing for consolidation.

Marinelli has never advocated going with the county. He said he wants only the best possible coverage for the community. Mecham said Marinelli has been taking a lot of unfair criticism.

Hes caught in the middle, because he lives in the community and suffered a lot of personal attacks, Mecham said. He wasnt pushing to go to the county. Hes just a realist. When you look at what the county was offering compared to what Julian is trying to do  asking the resident to tax themselves  it just makes sense.

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jharry.jones@sduniontribune.com; 760/529-4931; Twitter: @jharryjonesAs they counted down to the reopening last week, K Sandwiches co-owners Man Tran and sister Jennifer Tran were nervous. It had been more than two years since fire destroyed their familys popular Vietnamese bakery and deli.

They worried. Would anyone come to their reopening? Would anyone care?

Turns out, loyalists had long anticipated it, circling the date. At one point on Friday, the first day back, the line of customers wrapped more than halfway around the new K Sandwiches building on Linda Vista Road, across from Kearny High School and blocks from Mesa College. Saturday, too, brought out eager eaters, people willing to wait more than 30 minutes just to reach the front counter to place an order.

We are shocked, Man Tran said Saturday. We are speechless. We are so happy that these people are here.

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The customers were pretty happy, too, many with tummies hungry for the K Special  a grilled pork banh mi sandwich on freshly made baguette.

Among them was John Watson, who stopped Man Tran on the patio, shook his hand and congratulated him on the reopening. Watson had long been a customer and said he watched for the reopening.

1 / 11 Joy Alcalen of Eastlake in Chula Vista is all smiles as she leaves K Sandwiches in Kearny Mesa with her order after waiting more than two hours during a visit on the second day of the grand re-opening. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 2 / 11 Briana Tran, hands an order to a customer at K Sandwiches in Kearny Mesa on the second day of the grand re-opening. The store burned to the ground in 2015 and re-opened for the first time, Friday, January 5. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 3 / 11 The line was out the door and in the parking lot at K Sandwiches in Kearny Mesa on the second day of the grand re-opening. The store burned to the ground in 2015 and re-opened for the first time, Friday, January 5. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 4 / 11 The wait was as long as two hours at K Sandwiches in Kearny Mesa on the second day of the grand re-opening. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 5 / 11 Business at K Sandwiches in Kearny Mesa was very heavy on the second day of the grand re-opening. The store burned to the ground in 2015 and re-opened for the first time, Friday, January 5. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 6 / 11 JC Chau waited two hours for his order at K Sandwiches in Kearny Mesa during a visit on the second day of the grand re-opening. The store burned to the ground in 2015 and re-opened for the first time, Friday, January 5. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 7 / 11 The bakery at K Sandwiches in Kearny Mesa on the second day of the grand re-opening was a busy place. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 8 / 11 The wait was as long as two hours at K Sandwiches in Kearny Mesa on the second day of the grand re-opening. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 9 / 11 Minh Trieu of Linda Vista gives 14-month old Dani Wong, right, a kiss during a visit to K Sandwiches in Kearny Mesa on the second day of the grand re-opening. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 10 / 11 Briana Tran is assisted by Nhut Nguyen as they complete orders at K Sandwiches in Kearny Mesa on the second day of the grand re-opening. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 11 / 11 The wait was as long as two hours at K Sandwiches in Kearny Mesa on the second day of the grand re-opening. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune)

I woke up this morning going, We are going to the sandwich shop today!, Watson said.

In line, Edward Camarena said he stayed up on news of the rebuild and drove from Bonita to get food Saturday  both for lunch and later.

Also eagerly waiting was T.D. Dang, 65, who said he saw a mention of the reopening on TV Friday and tried to wake his wife to tell her the good news. The next morning, as the Scripps Ranch couple waited to order their sandwiches, Dang carried a tray full of special drinks and baked goods to buy.

Customer Yvette Jackson had also enjoyed K Sandwiches and said the fresh bread reminded her of bakeries in her native Europe. I havent been able to find another place like this, she said as she waited to order. I am excited.

K Sandwiches first opened in 2005, in a building that once housed an old pho restaurant. Man Tran said he and his father Hen Tran did much of the initial remodel themselves, including putting in new tile on the floor in the dark, old structure.

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In 2011, The San Diego Union-Tribune called K Sandwiches the kind of place you imagine Anthony Bourdain embracing: Its cheap, authentic and oh, so very delicious.

The fire  said to be caused by an oven malfunction  started just before 9 p.m. on Aug. 4, 2015, as employees baked cookies and readied to close for the night. Everyone got out safely.

It happened three weeks before the restaurants 10-year anniversary.

Jennifer Tran was out with her sister when their brother called with news of the fire. By the time they arrived from University City, pictures of the burning building were already up on social media. She said she stayed, crying, as she watched firefighters for hours that night.

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Man Tran, too, was pained to watch it burn, thinking of all the work he and his father had put in. The elder Tran died in 2011 at age 59. A photo of him survived the fire.

The 2018 version of K Sandwiches looks different, all new and much brighter, with large windows along the wall facing Linda Vista Road. Folks waiting for a green light at the intersection will be able to look over and watch as the bread is made.

Those big windows, providing a peek into the process, had been the elder Trans unrealized hope. With the rebuild, the younger Tran made sure to see it through.

But while the look is a bit different, the food is the same  perhaps ever better, one customer said as he ate a K Special. And this is still a family restaurant, now co-owned by siblings Man Tran and Jennifer Tran and their sister Natalie Tran. Their mom works there, so does grandma. And on Saturday, as everyone rushed to make sandwiches, Man Trans 10-year-old daughter Briana called out orders for waiting customers.

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Asked about the long lines and the eager customers, Man Tran stopped and thought for second.

I didnt expect any of this, he said. Wow. Just  wow.

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teri.figueroa@sduniontribune.com

(760) 529-4945

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Twitter: @TeriFigueroaUTA Saudi royal cat was flown in for a kidney transplant. Bulldogs with spina bifida come for stem cell therapy.

Lame horses arrive to get diagnosed using a scanner found in no other animal hospital.

A dog who became a hero in the Philippines when she threw herself between a speeding motorcycle and two children was brought here because her upper jaw and snout had been torn off in the crash.

You never know what will come through the doors of the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, a showcase of pioneering therapies, advanced technologies and elite researchers. The top-ranked veterinary program in the world offers 34 specialties including cardiology, oncology and neurology.

More than 50,000 animals a year  as small as hamsters, as big as buffalo  are cared for by its 120 faculty veterinarians and nearly 600 interns, residents, fellows, technicians and students.

Its specialists assist endangered gorillas in Africa, penguins in Brazil  even residents, including tarantulas and giraffes, of the nearby Sacramento Zoo.

The hospital recently launched a $508-million project to double its size in 10 years, which would make it one of the worlds largest veterinary hospitals.

Its a real gift to have a world-famous vet hospital an hour away, said Mary Shallenberger of Clements, who brought in her 4-year-old quarter horse, Oscar, for a spinal tap after she noticed weakness in his hindquarters. He has since made a complete recovery.

Heres a look at some of the animals in need and the doctors who cared for them.

Darla and Spanky became medical pioneers when the medical and veterinary schools teamed up in February to provide them with the first-ever spina bifida treatment for dogs that combined surgery and stem cells.

Stem cells for Spanky and Darla

Spanky and Darla bounded into the exam room, all floppy-eared and wrinkly-faced. The English bulldogs seemed perfectly normal  except for their diapers, held up by animal-print suspenders. Brother and sister, they were born with spina bifida, and their improperly formed spinal columns made them incontinent and not so steady on their feet. The dogs owner planned to euthanize them. Val Vallejo, a Los Angeles County sheriffs deputy who runs the nonprofit Southern California Bulldog Rescue, brought them to UC Davis instead.

At UC Davis, Darla and Spanky became medical pioneers when the medical and veterinary schools teamed up in February to provide them with the first-ever spina bifida treatment for dogs that combined surgery and stem cells.

A team led by Dr. Beverly K. Sturges, a veterinary neurosurgery professor, repositioned misplaced tissue around the dogs spinal columns. Then specialized placental stem cells developed by Drs. Aijun Wang and Dori Borjesson, professors and stem cell researchers, were applied to cover the gaps in the spinal columns and promote regeneration.

The dogs still need their diapers. Its unclear whether that issue will ever be cleared up.

But, said Vallejo, who drove all night for the recent check-up, Their gait looks better.

And so do their prospects. Darla and Spanky, Vallejo reported, are happy and living with a permanent family in New Mexico.

Dr. Pablo Espinosa Mur works on Scooby  a 15-year-old chestnut-colored German warmblood. UC Davis was the first veterinary medical hospital in the world with this scanner for horses. Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times

Advanced scans for Scooby

Scooby is 15 years old. Hes a chestnut-colored German warmblood horse. His specialty is dressage. Hes an expert in show riding. But when he began limping in March, no one at first knew where the trouble was.

In April, UC Davis veterinarians hoisted all 1,300 pounds of him onto an examining table and placed tubes for oxygen and anesthesia gas in his mouth. His right hind leg poked though a wide circular tube in a positron emission tomography, or PET, scanner. UC Davis was the first veterinary medical hospital anywhere to use such a machine on horses.

By injecting the leg with a weak dose of a radioactive substance that attaches to areas of abnormal bone, the veterinarians were able to see detailed images of Scoobys injury.

This can detect lesions missed by MRI and CT scans, which could prevent catastrophic breakdowns in racehorses, said Dr. Mathieu Spriet, an associate professor of surgical and radiological sciences. And the low-level radiation doesnt hurt the horse.

Scoobys scans found a small crack that led to inflammation nearby. After months of medication and rest, Spriet said, he is back to being ridden at a walk and trot pace and appears to be on the right track.

Lori Simington prepares Gigi for a CT scan for a tumor in her lower jaw. Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times

Jawbone surgery for Gigi

Gigi, an 8-year-old mixed-breed dog, was strapped down on her belly, ready for a CT scan. A local vet had removed a tumor in her jaw, but it had grown back into the bone. Enter Drs. Frank Verstraete and Boaz Arzi, two UC Davis veterinary oral surgeons famous for developing, with the schools biomedical engineering department, the first procedure to regrow jawbones in dogs.

The surgeons can reconstruct removed sections of a jawbone using a titanium plate and screws, and then pack them with a material soaked in a protein that adheres to the original bone and stimulates regrowth. To shorten the time a dog has to stay under anesthesia, they make 3-D models of each jawbone and prefit the plate and protein material before surgery. They have successfully treated more than 30 dogs, including Frankie, a spaniel who was found in a Marin County forest by campers after he had been shot in the face and left to die.

In Gigis case, the surgeons peering at scans concluded that the tumor was small enough to avoid a major amputation and jawbone reconstruction for now. She seemed to be doing fine after she underwent a more limited surgery to remove the tumor and some teeth and bone.

Danika, a Friesian foal with a coffee-colored coat and a white forehead star, was born four weeks prematurely.

Taking a stand for Danika

Danika arrived four weeks prematurely, a Friesian foal the color of coffee, with a milky-white star on her forehead. She was born so early that her bones had not fully formed. So at UC Davis, LuzMaria Soto, studying animal science, sat next to the horse to keep her from trying to stand up on her own. If she did, she could damage her bones and wind up permanently lame.

Danika was in good hands at the hospitals Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The team there is used to treating serious problems, including ruptured bladders and sepsis, said Dr. Gary Magdesian, a professor of equine critical care.

Soto and other volunteers with the UC Davis Foal Team stay with preemies around the clock.

The unit features adjoining stalls, so Danikas mama, Rixt, was able to stay close, peeking over the divider with a watchful eye.

Every two hours, the volunteers let Danika up for assisted standing. Every four hours, they helped her bear weight by straddling a bouncy exercise ball. The foal also was given enzymes to treat a gut problem. After five weeks in the NICU, Danika was declared good to go.

Student LuzMaria Soto sits with Danika, a Friesian foal, as the foal's mother, Rixt, keeps a watchful eye. Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times

Dr. Larry Cowgill prepares Crystal, a 4-year-old Australian shepherd, for a pioneering blood purification therapy. Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times

Better blood for Crystal

Crystal, a 4-year-old Australian shepherd, had become lethargic. Her gums were pale. Dr. Larry Cowgill explained that the dogs immune system got confused and was destroying red blood cells faster than it was producing them.

So Cowgill prepared Crystal for one of his pioneering blood purification therapies. Called therapeutic plasma exchange, the treatment removes plasma tainted with damaging antibodies, toxins or abnormal proteins and replaces it with healthy donor plasma. The plasma is separated from the blood by a centrifuge. Cowgills team hooked Crystal up to the machines two blood lines, then hit the start button. By the end of the 30-minute treatment, the veterinarian said, he expected Crystals red blood cell count to go up from 16% to 30%, closer to the normal range of 40% to 45%.

The Hemodialysis and Blood Purification Unit that Cowgill heads is the largest in the country, performing 340 treatments last year. Most of the patients are dogs who may have gobbled up something they shouldnt  say antifreeze or ibuprofen. Its always a Lab retriever, Cowgill joked  though cats sometimes eat toxic lilies.

The blood treatment helped turn Crystal around within a week.

Its magic for these animals, Cowgill said.

Support our journalism Please consider subscribing today to support stories like this one. Already a subscriber? Your support makes our work possible. Thank you. Get full access to our signature journalism for just 99 cents for the first four weeks.

teresa.watanabe@latimes.com

Twitter: @teresawatanabeJanuary 7, 1913 Evening Tribune

The San Diego Union-Tribune will mark its 150th anniversary in 2018 by presenting a significant front page from the archives each day throughout 2018.

Tuesday, January 7, 1913.

On the coldest day on record in San Diego history ice covered the plaza fountain downtown. Here are the first few paragraphs of the story:

INCALCULABLE HARM DONE TO LEMONS, ORANGES AND VEGETABLES BY COLD

MERCURY DOWN TO 24.9 AT 6:15 A.M.

By George H. White

The new cold weather record of yesterday was smashed to smitherines last night and at 6:15 o'clock this morning the government thermometer sank to 24.9 degrees, just 3.5 lower than the lowest of the night before when 28.4 was reached at 4:15 o'clock.

Water pipes in nearly half the houses of the city were frozen solid this morning and many were bursted. Ice covered every exposed bit of fresh water to a thickness of an inch and a new cry of, "Come on boys, the skating's fine," was suggested for the San Diego Rowing club. Hundreds of kids took advantage of the ice to resurrect their forgotten art.

Throngs gathered around the kiosk of the weather bureau in the Plaza and the playing fountain so often pointed out to tourists with winter pride ceased to play beneath a solid hood of ice. A move is reported underway by a prominent booster to furnish this hereafter with ocean water.

The lethargy of the sunny clime for once is thoroughly shaken off and the easy going stride has given way to the Chicago hop and skip. Chilled feet and blue noses have become a rule.Free-air enthusiasts with the morning cold plunge habit admit a warning ferver, tent houses are deserted, sleeping porches scorned, and among the denizens of unheated homes it is covertly rumored there have been no baths these two days past. Old men, business men and boys and girls slide about on the icy spots and fall in a spirit of revelry, and laughing quips ere passed as the people shiver along. Commonly the weather is regarded as a joke.

But it is no joke with the citrus fruit growers and those depending on the citrus fruits for the making of a livelihood, which intricately involves more of the San Diego population than at once appreciated.

At Chula Vista, according to the report of A.B. Leach, foreman at the packing house, the temperature last night sank even below the 12 degrees of the night before, and at 7:30 this morning stood at 13. Growers in this section of more than 1000 acres of citrus fruits admit the crop is an almost total loss. Lemons and oranges on the trees were cut this morning by Mr. Leach and found frozen solid.Only a few oranges which were well protected in the interior of the foliage may be saved. What hope remained after the first night's freeze was lost by the severer one last night.

At Lemon Grove, A.V. Jester, manager of the fruit grower's association, reports a temperature last night of as low as 20 degrees. Ice a half inch thick and the 400 acres of citrus fruits considered damaged probably 50 per cent or more.

At El Cajon, F.A. Springstead, president and manager of the growers' association, reports a temperature last night of 31 degrees, one degree lighter than the night before, owing to the wind. "It's pretty hard to tell yet what the damage will be," he said.

"There were about 100 cars of lemons on the trees, however, and it is practically sure all of these are frosted. There are more than 1500 acres of fruit in the El Cajon valley, it is estimated."

At Escondido the damage is estimated in figures of $75,000 to $100,000. Thirty cars of lemons and six of oranges had been shipped, but the new picking and some of the trees themselves are now considered lost. Last night was colder than the one previous, and at daylight today the temperature was 17 degrees, the average for the night having been 20 degrees. Here, it is reported, the young trees are likely killed, though that cannot be determined for a week or so. There were 350 acres of new orchards, and about 1000 acres all told.

At National City, John E. Boal president of the San Diego Land and Town Company, reports the situation so bad that 95 men were temporarily laid off today. Smudge pots were burned in the nurseries last night, but the orchards were not heated.

At the Harvey ranch, 20 miles into the back country and three miles above the lower Otay dam, Mrs. A. M. Logan reports the ranch orchard of 40 acres of citrus fruit totally killed. The temperature was at 20 at 7 o'clock today. Ice had covered the private ranch reservoir all day yesterday and children were skating on it today. Tomato vines which had lived and produced for many years were killed and blackened. The Harvey orchard was the only one within a radius of 10 miles.

At the lower Otay there was an inch and a half of ice, according to W.F. Manning, the temperature had been around 20, and what fruit there was in the neighborhood was killed.

The use of smudge pots for increasing the orchard temperatures through the country was very little. In most of the districts there never had been suspected a necessity for them, and the hard freeze found none on hand.

Escondido orchardists were the only ones in the county who had a supply ready. They had gotten them as a result of the warning of last year. But even their use last night, assisted by brush and straw fires, were to no avail, according to the Escondido report. In addition to these fires, water was run in the orchard trenches in an effort to draw the frost, but the little streams froze solid in the ditches and the flow could not to be maintained. The Escondido valley is a pocketed one set down among high hills, but there was no wind last night to lighten the effect of the cold and all artificial means were inadequate.

View anniversary front pages online at sandiegouniontribune.com/150-years. For more from the Union-Tribune digital archives, go to newslibrary.com/sites/sdub. Searching is free, with registration. A fee is required to view full stories.Border Patrol will not re-open doors in the border fence at Friendship Park this year, ending a series of events that allowed chosen families to reunite briefly on the line between the U.S. and Mexico.

The agency has cooperated with six door-opening events organized by local nonprofit Border Angels since 2013. A surprise marriage ceremony between a U.S. man and a Mexican woman at Novembers opening placed the events under scrutiny after reports of the grooms criminal record surfaced.

Enrique Morones, founder and executive director of Border Angels, said that neither the wedding nor the grooms conviction were the reason behind the change.

Morones said Rodney Scott, who was appointed chief of the San Diego Border Patrol sector in December, turned down Morones request to hold similar events in the El Centro sector when he was chief there.

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He was totally against it, Morones said.

When groom Brian Houstons drug smuggling conviction emerged in the weeks after his abbreviated ceremony, Scott warned that the wedding could have repercussions.

This unauthorized event has now jeopardized future events and the continued opening of the border wall door, Scott said at the time.

An official statement from Scott on Friday ending the door openings did not mention the nuptials.

The maintenance gate being referred to is designed to allow safe, binational coordination between U.S. law enforcement personnel and our partners in Mexico, Scott said. Moving forward, the maintenance gate will be used for maintenance purposes only.

The Door of Hope events, as Border Angels called them, begin in April 2013 and allowed family members who could not cross the border to reunite and hug for a couple of minutes.

Part of Border Field State Park in the southwest corner of San Diego County, Friendship Park is known for pinky kisses shared between family members separated by the fence.

In 2009, after the federal government added an additional layer of fencing, families had less access to interact with loved ones on the other side.

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The gate openings had run smoothly until Houston and his bride Evelia Reyes arrived in November to the Door of Hope event dressed in suit and white gown. The process of vetting applicants to participate involved Morones distributing questionnaires to families who cannot cross the border legally and then passing them on to Border Patrol for background checks and approval.

Houston couldnt cross into Mexico to marry Reyes because he was awaiting sentencing for his conviction. In February, he was arrested after officials at the San Ysidro port of entry found 43 pounds of heroin, 47 pounds of methamphetamine and 43 pounds of cocaine in his Volkswagen Jetta, according to a court document.

The revelation about Houstons record left Border Patrol agents and Morones frustrated and blaming each other for not knowing about his criminal history.

kate.morrissey@sduniontribune.comHalf a dozen police officers on Thursday scoured the western end of the San Diego River for homeless camps, often detaining people in handcuffs before dispersing them with a warning not to return.

Officers routinely used phones equipped with facial-recognition software to check for outstanding warrants on the scruffy-looking folks lazing about the watershed in plain sight or hidden in thick foliage.

After law enforcement cleared an area, code enforcement officer Kelly Gower posted neon-green signs informing anyone squatting along a particular stretch of the river that they had 72 hours to leave ahead of scheduled cleanups. Those who dont clear out face the possibility of losing their belongings or being arrested.

Theres rarely a day that Im not posting or abating, said Gower, who had been largely focused on efforts to clean up downtown before she was recently assigned to the river. We really should have a crew and a code officer like myself doing this full time, and then we could keep it clean for sure.

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Thursdays sweeps are part of an unprecedented campaign to remove homeless encampments  and the trash that comes with them  from the watershed, which has long been plagued by polluted water, including human feces.

Since September, crews working for the city have hauled out more than 100 tons of garbage and debris from the riverbed. The effort is part of a larger effort to sanitize areas frequented by homeless and drug users, who have been blamed for spreading a massive hepatitis A outbreak that hospitalized at least 396 people and killed 20, according to county health officials.

Im going to need the help and support of everyone when it comes to budget time to make sure this is a priority of the city. San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer

The city has contracted with Alpha Project to haul out trash from the river twice a week through the end of March. The city has yet to provide an estimate for how much its spending on the project, but itll likely cost hundreds of thousands of dollars based on similar abatement contracts.

Mayor Kevin Faulconer has said he will be looking for support from the City Council in this years budget negotiations to provide continued funding for not only cleaning up the river but maintaining it into the future.

Im going to need the help and support of everyone when it comes to budget time to make sure this is a priority of the city, Faulconer said last month at a press conference announcing the campaign.

In response, some water-quality advocates expressed doubt about whether the city will commit to a long-term restoration of the river, which is also routinely blasted with chemicals and heavy metals from polluted rainwater runoff.

I think it will help water quality but its short lived, said Livia Borak, an attorney with Coast Law Group. I think this is an emergency measure. It would be nice to have this process year round.

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San Diego code enforcement officer Kelly Gower along with San Diego police officers look through a homeless encampment along the San Diego River on January 4, 2018. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune )

Cleaning up the river has and will likely continue to be labor intensive  from the contracted cleanup crews to the code enforcement officers to the police presence needed to secure potentially dangerous areas of the river shrouded in trees and brush.

Trudging along the muddy banks of the river on Thursday, officers drew their guns as they approached a cluster of tents hidden deep in watershed east of state Route 163. While the camp was empty, officers explained that they had recently made tense arrests in the area.

Sometimes you get parolees at large  knives, guns, said Sgt. Matt Randolph, with the Quality of Life Team for the department Western Division. People run. They fight. So we try to take the whole team when we go down there and contact them.

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The campaign to clean up the riverbed has elated The San Diego River Park Foundation, which for decades has worked to maintain the watershed. Similar campaigns to restore rivers and creeks have gained momentum in recent years from Los Angeles to New York.

Were pretty happy, said Rob Hutsel, president and co-founder of the foundation, which itself has removed roughly 35 tons of trash from the river since September. Theres coordination challenges, but the amount of work being done is significant.

The foundation, which maps areas along the river impacted by the homeless, found encampments nearly doubled in 2017 compared to the previous year. The nonprofit has been working with the city to focus efforts on particular hot spots.

Its much cleaner already, said Mario Sierra, director of the citys Environmental Services Department. The amount of tonnage that weve already removed is making a big difference. Believe me, when the rains hit, all that debris, the human waste would have gone into our beaches and bays.

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City officials are now reaching out to the dozens of private landowners along the river to offer one-time abatement services. The idea is to encourage residents and businesses  from Home Depot to Kaiser Permanente to H.G. Fenton Company to Hotel Circle Property  to more actively maintain their sections of the river.

Officials said they have also been synchronizing cleanup efforts with public agencies that control the river, including the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System, Caltrans, the U.S. Postal Service and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

We are coordinating at a level that weve never done before, said Sierra, who has been with the city for nearly 30 years. Were reaching out to those agencies and letting them know that we want to partner.

During last winters rainstorms, the San Diego River was significantly impacted by human feces. Public health officials are trying to track down the primary source of the pollution, whether from homeless camps, illegal dumping or leaky sewer pipes.

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If the city can clear the homeless out of the river before the first major storm this winter, it could help officials narrow down the source of the human waste, which can foul the regions beaches and bays for days after it rains.

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Twitter: @jemersmith

Phone: (619) 293-2234

Email: joshua.smith@sduniontribune.comQuick read

With the nation in the throes of a prescription drug and opioid epidemic, a doctor in San Diego is helping lead an effort to learn from overdose deaths to prevent future fatalities.

The Death Diaries project examines what drugs killed 254 people in 2013, what they were being prescribed, and by whom.

Dr. Roneet Lev found several troubling patterns, including doctor shoppers, people mixing drugs with other substances and physicians who dont seem to be paying attention to the prescription drug histories of their patients.

Hundreds of doctors got a surprise letter in the mail, informing them that one of their recent patients had died from a drug overdose. The letters are part of an experiment to see if doctors change their prescription practices.

Full story

Five days before she died, a 34-year-old woman went to a City Heights Walgreens and filled a prescription for oxycodone.

It was the 54th prescription she had filled in the past year  prescriptions written by 36 different doctors and dispensed by 21 different pharmacies.

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The more than 1,300 pills she received in those 12 months top the list of addictive and dangerous prescriptions: opiate painkillers hydrocodone, oxycodone and codeine; sleeping agent Ambien; anti-anxiety med lorazepam; and muscle relaxant carisoprodol, better known as Soma.

This prescription  24 pills containing 5 milligrams of oxycodone each, a relatively low dosage  would be her last.

On March 11, 2013, she overdosed on the drug.

That year, 253 others in San Diego County shared her fate, dying from unintended prescription overdoses as part of the nations growing epidemic of pill use and abuse.

But why? The question set Dr. Roneet Lev, the head of emergency medicine at Scripps Mercy Hospital, on a mission to find out. She looked to the dead for answers.

The morbid postmortem examination led her to dub the project the San Diego Death Diaries, resulting in a body of research that she hopes will save lives and answer one of the troubling central questions in the prescription drug crisis: to what extent is the medical community responsible?

Each diary entry is stark in its detail. A name, age and a list of the prescription drugs they overdosed on, followed by a yearlong history of the deceaseds medications, the doctors who prescribed them and the pharmacies that filled them. No narratives, no personal background.

But the scant information speaks volumes to Lev. In it are patterns of dangerous drug combinations, of patients mixing substances, of doctor shopping, of well-meaning physicians not paying attention.

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I see these all as preventable, Lev, 54, said in a recent interview at the Hillcrest hospital. These are people who should be alive.

A realization equally as concerning: More than likely, most of the doctors who prescribed drugs to these overdose victims never knew of their patients deaths. It has led Lev to the second part of her research: mailing letters to hundreds of physicians throughout the county informing them that theyd prescribed drugs to someone whod recently died.

And now she and other researchers are waiting and watching, to see if a letter can change prescribing habits, one doctor at a time.

It took a similar death notification to jolt Dr. Kelly Pfeifer at the California Health Care Foundation in Oakland.

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One day she received a call from a coroner informing her that a patient of hers had died, a prescription bottle with Pfeifers name on it clutched in the dead womans hand.

That was a wake-up call, Pfeifer said. Weve got to own our role in this epidemic.

Put on the spot

Not too long ago, prescription opioids like oxycodone were pitched by the drug companies as a safe, non-addictive solution for pain relief  be it chronic back issues to dental surgery recovery to a smashed finger. And many doctors believed it.

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The number of prescriptions for these types of drugs grew, and so did access, not only to valid pain patients, but to people addicted to other illicit substances and to teens raiding medicine cabinets.

In response to rising deaths and addiction rates, San Diego County in 2008 created the Oxy Task Force, later renamed the Prescription Drug Task Force, a collaboration of law enforcement, treatment providers, social workers and public officials.

In 2011, the task force invited Dr. Lev and others from the medical community to speak. She  and her profession  were quickly put on the spot. The group demanded to know why doctors were writing all these harmful prescriptions.

She told the audience that doctors were trying their best when patients were in their offices demanding it. How can you tell people they are not in pain when they are in pain? she said.

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Usually in the ER I see people angry when Im not writing prescriptions, Lev recalled. All of the sudden theres a sea of people really angry about our prescriptions.

Lev came away inspired. She wanted to help turn things around. Which, if you know Lev, isnt surprising.

Born in Israel and raised mostly in Illinois and California, Lev was a junior high student when one of her teachers said girls couldnt be doctors. Lev was determined to prove otherwise.

A classic overachiever, Lev finished high school early and began college at age 16. She went on to medical school at University of Texas at San Antonio and during internships realized her knack for the emerging specialty of emergency medicine. It matched her personality: high energy, multitasker, the rush of being the first to diagnose.

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She ended up at UC San Diego Medical Center in 1990 as one of the first residents in the emergency medicine program there.

She married a Poway dentist and they have four children.

Lev became a leader in the state and San Diego medical community, chairing boards and committees big and small. A glance at her resume makes you wonder how she could possibly take on another project. But she did.

After the task force panel and some unsettling self-reflection, Lev created her own medically-centered task force, which came up with countywide safe prescribing guidelines. It was a start. But there was a certain defensiveness from physicians that kept surfacing.

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If people just took prescriptions like we told them, then they wouldnt die. I heard that again and again, Lev said. Is that true? I have no idea.

Death Diaries

The county Medical Examiners Office gave Lev the names and toxicology results of all 254 people who had died in 2013 of a prescription drug overdose. She then ran them through the states prescription database, called the Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System, or CURES for short.

In California, pharmacies are required to log into CURES most controlled substances dispensed to a patient, along with the doctor who prescribed it.

Lev found that 186  or 73 percent  of the overdose victims had filled some kind of prescription in the 12 months leading to their deaths, and she focused on those patients.

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It was a real morbid experience, Lev recalled. As an ER physician I deal with live patients and keeping people alive.  Im going one pharmacy record after the other, 186 of these. All are dead people. It really blew me away.

She found out many of her colleagues were right: 70 percent of the people who died werent following doctors orders. But there was more to it than that. She also found red flags that were missed and identified simple ways doctors and pharmacies could have intervened.

The findings

No. 1 drug: The opiate painkiller hydrocodone tied with oxycodone for being connected with the highest number of deaths (48) and accounted for the most prescriptions (990). Most of the pills came from primary care doctors and surgeons.

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Deadly cocktails: Most people  80 percent  who died had a combination of substances in their systems  mixing prescriptions together or with alcohol, over-the-counter medications and illicit drugs.

One of the deadliest combinations was opiates and benzodiazepines. Opiates include oxycodone (OxyContin) or hydrocodone (Norco), while benzodiazepines are a class of anti-anxiety and insomnia medications such as alprazolam (Xanax), lorazepam (Ativan), diazepam (Valium), clonazepam (Klonopin).

The combination was found in 55  or 21 percent  of the deaths.

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What makes the combination dangerous is both types of drugs sedate users and suppress breathing. For abusers, taking both types of drugs together enhances the high. The mixture has long been a concern of doctors, and in 2016 the FDA required both types of drugs to have prominent warnings on bottles.

Ignoring CURES: Doctors are encouraged to check their patients drug history in the CURES database before dashing off a new prescription, especially drugs prone to abuse. It guards against patients who dont fully disclose their medications and shows when patients shop around for the same prescriptions from multiple doctors.

But there are indications that many doctors arent regularly using it.

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The high number of patients who overdosed on opioids and benzodiazepine combos is a good example, begging the question: Did the various prescribing doctors know of the potential conflict? Was there a missed opportunity to warn their patients about the dangers?

Most people think CURES is for doctor shopping, Lev said. It just makes you a better doctor.

Before giving a prescription that could potentially kill you, take one minute to make sure they dont have that prescription or theyre not taking a medication thats going to interact with the prescription, Lev said. You cant judge people by how they act.

Case in point. Recently, as Lev was working an ER shift, a clean-cut, well-dressed man in good shape came in and asked her to fill a small prescription for Ambien. He said he was leaving the next day on a trip and had trouble sleeping and couldnt reach his primary care physician.

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It was a busy day, and it would have been so easy to just write the prescription and move to the next patient, Lev said. But she stopped herself and took the extra minute to look up the mans CURES record.

It was revealing: 17 doctors and 42 prescriptions in the past year. Seventy-five Ambien pills had already been filled that month  by five different doctors.

After looking at the Death Diaries, I just cant not intervene, she said. This person could end up in the morgue.

She declined to fill the prescription and counseled him that he appeared to have a problem. He left, not wanting to engage.

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But Lev didnt leave it there and sent a note in the CURES messaging system to the 17 doctors on the mans record, alerting them to her concerns. But Lev isnt optimistic the doctors will even see her note. The prescription history indicates most of the doctors probably didnt look at CURES before giving the man Ambien, and there is no way to alert doctors that a message is waiting for them. They have to sign into CURES to see it.

Mystery source: Some people died of drugs they werent prescribed.

For instance, a glance at the CURES report for a 49-year-old woman wouldnt have raised much concern. She only had 12 prescriptions in the past year  anti-anxiety med clonazepam  prescribed by the same psychiatrist and filled at the same pharmacy.

But when she died March 28, 2013, she had only one drug in her system, oxycodone. No clonazepam.

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More than likely, her doctor surmised, she was selling the clonazepam for the oxy, Lev said.

Its why drug screenings can be another useful tool to prescribing doctors, Lev said, to make sure patients are actually taking what they say they are  and to find what else they might be mixing medications with.

Doctor shoppers: Patients who solicit drugs from at least four providers and four pharmacies within the same year are dubbed doctor shoppers and have commonly been the face of the prescription drug epidemic. But Levs study found that only 20 percent of the deceased patients were shopping around for pills.

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Those doctor shoppers, however, received half of all the prescriptions written. Another reason why frequent checks of a patients CURES report could curtail such behavior and give an opportunity for a doctor to intervene, Lev said.

Chronic users: Nearly 70 percent of those who died were being prescribed the same medication for three months or more, making them a chronic user.

That means if you sprain your ankle or have surgery on a broken leg, fine, Lev explained. After two months, if you still need that prescription, either the doctor is missing the diagnosis or now you have two problems, you have an addiction and your leg is hurting you.

Chronic users are people who need close monitoring, Lev said. Safe prescribing guidelines calls for the adage one doctor, one pharmacy to keep on top of chronic user habits. A medicine agreement is also suggested, a contract of sorts in which the patient admits to understanding the risks and responsibilities with being on a potentially dangerous drug for an extended period.

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Methadone: Of the 51 people who died with a single substance in their systems, methadone was the No. 1 killer.

The drug, in the opiate family, is controversial. It is regularly used to treat opioid addiction  keeping users at a baseline operative condition but not getting them high  and is dispensed at clinics or in doctor offices.

But research shows methadone remains a dangerous drug and is one that can be easily abused. It is also considered potentially hazardous to mix with many other drugs, including benzodiazepines, methamphetamine and other opioids.

Also, methadone use is hard for doctors to track via CURES because patients who obtain methadone from clinics are shielded by a privacy law. The source of the methadone that killed many victims in the study remains a mystery, likely a clinic or a provider in Mexico, Lev said.

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Another drug being used for medically assisted treatment for addicts is saboxone, which is considered safer but still carries some risks.

Lev warns that methadone should be reserved for the most compliant patients and administered with care.

The letters

Lev recognized many of the doctor names she was seeing in the Death Diaries.

These are my colleagues, good doctors. I trust them, she said. They have no idea. They dont know what the other ones doing. But I cant tell these doctors they had someone who died. I can only publish the results.

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She blamed the inability to inform the doctors of the overdoses on the parameters of the study.

But if she had told them, she wondered if it would change how doctors write prescriptions.

She decided to commission a new study in 2015, got a grant and solicited help from the University of Southern California and Jason Doctor at the schools Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics and Sol Price School of Public Policy.

They obtained the same type of Death Diary data from the medical examiner and CURES for the year 2015. This time, there were 800 total doctors who wrote prescriptions for 248 overdose patients. (Some doctors had multiple deaths, and one had prescribed 10 overdose patients, Lev said. That doctor is no longer practicing, she said.)

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They randomly selected 400 doctors from the group and sent them letters notifying them that a patient who theyd prescribed medicine to in the past 10 months had died of an overdose. The language in the letters is not accusatory and instead directs the doctors to a website with safe prescribing guidelines.

The study is tracking the prescribing patterns of those 400 doctors to determine if the letter had any impact, compared to the doctors who were not notified.

Initial results show that the doctors who received letters have been more careful, Lev said. But the study is still ongoing, she added.

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If all goes well, she hopes the letters will become standard notification.

Reaction to the letters has been mostly positive, even if it is jarring at first, Lev said.

It definitely gets your attention, said Dr. Loretta Stenzel, director of adult medical services at Vista Community Clinic. She got a letter about a year ago. It was an overdose victim  a chronic pain patient  whom she had prescribed an opioid to.

I was covering for another doctor  who tended to have trouble saying no, she said. She said she saw the prescription history on the persons CURES report and probably filled it for less to taper him off.

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It does change your prescription pattern, she reflected.

She said she suspects she knows many other doctors who have gotten similar letters from Levs project, but no one has brought it up. It might make them uncomfortable, they dont want to talk about it, she said.

Some doctors have been clear they do not appreciate the oversight, complaining about the government watching their prescriptions, Lev said.

Levs project has gotten national attention. The New York City Department of Health is starting its own letter-notification project, she said.

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Lev realizes that she and her colleagues can only do so much to curb this epidemic. The prescription drug problem has spread into the illicit market, hooking users on heroin and counterfeit oxycodone pills that are increasingly being laced with fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is deadly in the tiniest of doses.

I have to separate out the supply chain ... As far as the illicit supply, as a doctor I cant do much for that part, Lev said. As a physician I feel accountable for the Ambiens and the Xanaxes and the oxycodones, and those deaths and that supply chain.

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kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @kristinadavisThis weeks In Depth story looks at a San Diego doctors effort to curb accidental overdose deaths by studying the prescription drug histories of victims and the prescribing habits of physicians. Dr. Roneet Lev called the project the San Diego Death Diaries.

Lev found some troubling patterns in the data, including doctor shopping, people mixing deadly cocktails of substances and physicians who didnt seem to be using a simple computer system that might have alerted to the potential for overdose.

Union-Tribune reporter Kristina Davis shares what she learned while reporting the story.

Q: How did the story come about?

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A: I met Dr. Lev a few months ago at the California Opioid Policy Summit, where law enforcement, recovery experts, prosecutors and the medical community gathered to share ideas on how to fight the growing addiction epidemic. A lot has been written about this topic, and the Death Diaries project sounded unique.

Q: What surprised you most about the results of the project?

A: Ive been writing about drugs for a while, and it was still shocking to me to see how easily patients can go from doctor to doctor, pharmacy to pharmacy to obtain prescription medication, with no one seemingly paying attention. In one case, a woman who died in 2013 obtained addictive medications from 36 doctors and 21 pharmacies in the year before her overdose. Physicians and pharmacies have access to the prescription histories of all patients in a state-run database called CURES, but the study showed that many doctors are just not checking.

Q: There have been plenty of studies in the past about prescription overdose deaths. What makes this project so different?

A: That is true. And her findings match those in previous studies, including the dangers of combining benzodiazepines and opioids. Levs project takes an additional step by notifying doctors that a patient of theirs had died. Many of the doctors had no idea. In an experiment, the letters went to some doctors and not to others. Lev and her colleagues are now evaluating those doctors prescribing habits to see if receiving a death letter has had any effect.

In a twist, Dr. Lev saw her name on a list of doctors with a patient overdose.

How could it be my name is on there? Lev told me. Im a careful person, Ive seen the statistics, I know better. Lev said the patient came into the emergency room with an orbital fracture and Lev prescribed her 15 Vicodin. Lev said she looked at the patients prescription history before writing the prescription and did not see  because it had not been entered in the database yet  that the patient had filled 100 Percocet pills the day before.

The patient died 15 months later. My Vicodin didnt kill her, Lev said. But, she still feels bad that she missed an opportunity to intervene.

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Q: Whats next?

A: The results of the death letters study will hopefully be released sometime this year. And a new law means that this year doctor offices and hospitals will now be able to directly connect patient prescription histories in the CURES database to patient files, so physicians dont have to check the database separately.

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kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @kristinadavisSan Diego police on Saturday identified Kenneth Everhart as the man who fatally shot Tiffani Kjeldergaard, then himself at a Point Loma apartment building on Thursday.

The two were arguing before Everhart, 59, shot Kjeldergaard, 49, several times, homicide Lt. Mike Holden said.

He said investigators dont know what the two were arguing about.

Tiffani Kjeldergard in a selfie photo posted on her Facebook page (Facebook )

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The two were not in a dating relationship, but the woman had been staying with Everhart for about two months in the Adrian Street apartment he had rented for nearly 20 years, according to Holden.

Neighbors who heard the two with voices raised, then a barrage of gunfire, called police about 9 p.m. Officers found the woman, dressed only in a pair of shorts, lying in a hallway at the top of a stairway. They started CPR, but could not revive her.

Other officers found Everhart just inside the door of his second-floor apartment with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head.

Officers didnt know if someone else had committed the shootings, so they called in a SWAT team to search the apartment. No one else was there.

Holden said investigators believe Kjeldergaard was shot several times inside the apartment, escaped out to the hall, then collapsed.

Were probably never going to know why this happened, Holden said.

In 2011, a munchkin cat owned by Kjeldergaard, then living in Potrero, made the Guinness World Records for the smallest cat alive. Her cat, Fizz Girl, measured 6 inches from floor to shoulder. The special breed has a normal body but very short legs.

Kjeldergaards Facebook page includes photos from her Flying Paint Ranch, with horses, dogs and her tiny cats. She also posted several references to missing her late husband.

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pauline.repard@sduniontribune

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Twitter: @pdrepardIn its first week, two things became perfectly clear about Californias legal marijuana trade:

1. This industry is dealing with mountains of cash, and

2. Thats an Everest-sized predicament.

The concentration of cash is causing so many problems, said Hezekiah Allen, executive director of the California Growers Association, which represents 1,300 marijuana farmers and vendors.

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This is an absolute top priority for our membership.

Since federal regulations prevent banks from accepting marijuana-related funds, Californias legal weed industry is cash-only. With sales booming, safely storing and transporting stacks of greenbacks has become a potentially-dangerous headache.

Dispensaries are high target, said Valerie Dovifaaz, an account manager with MPS, a Murrieta security firm with marijuana clients in California and Colorado.

Theyre vulnerable because they have a lot of cash on the premises the whole time and the product itself is quite valuable.

While armed guards and overhead video cameras are common at Southern California pot shops, Bert Gines frets that these measures are more surface than substance.

They are not taking it seriously, said Gines, owner of Chula Vista Private Security. They dont realize the serious threat because their mind is on a million things while they get a business off the ground.

Chula Vista Private Security guards patrons and pot at San Ysidros A Green Alternative, which Gines insists is a lonely exception to Southern California dispensaries bad-security rule. While declining to outline every strategy, he said all dispensaries need armed, well-trained guards who look like a serious barrier to crime.

That look starts with dark apparel that could be mistaken for a police uniform.

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If you look like a deterrent,Gines said, you just might deter the bad guys.

Not an easy business

Last Monday, when state law changed to allow the legal sale of recreational marijuana, it seemed that California had entered a new era.

For growers and vendors, though, the new era arrived with some of the same old problems  just as when marijuana was illegal, the business attracts crooks eager to pilfer the weed and grab the cash.

On Wednesday, the third day of legal recreational marijuana, Allens cell phone buzzed with a text. An employee of a licensed dispensary in San Francisco had been attacked after leaving the workplace and robbed of about $7,000 in cash.

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Everyone has to be careful and mindful, definitely, said Allen, whose California Growers Association is based in Sacramento. Cannabis is not an easy business to be in.

Still, Allen has resisted calls for more armed guards.

If you are moving seven figures in cash, thats not a great policy, he said. Why dont we deal with the banking issue rather than have armored cars with more armored cars?

Yet last weeks announcement by the U.S. Justice Department may delay or derail attempts to open banks to these merchants. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reversed three Obama administration decisions to not interfere with states that legalized marijuana.

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That may have scared a few people, said Sundie Seefried, CEO of Partner Colorado Credit Union, which has done business with her states legal marijuana industry since January 2015.

Some of the credit unions and banks, its scaring them and they may have decided to put that money back out on the street.

That would be a dangerous mistake, Seefried argued.

This is a big safety issue, she said. The first marijuana client I visited, I asked, How do you handle this cash. I was told, We go to the ATM late at night and shove in $20 after $20 after $20.

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Deposited into a personal account, the money was always less than $10,000, because deposits of that size or larger must be reported to authorities.

Still, dispensary employees carrying around four-figure stashes of cash are easy prey  as a San Francisco worker found this week.

You have 18-year-old clerks making bank runs, said Dovifaaz, the MPS account manager, putting all this cash in the back of their Honda Civic.

Get the help rolling

The risks are found inside, as well as outside, dispensaries. In April 2014, a shootout in a North Park medical marijuana shop ended with one robber dead and a security guard wounded.

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At the time, Gines worked for the same company that employed the wounded guard. Reviewing the case, Gines found that his colleague had been caught unprepared.

He had sat down at a desk, away from the entrance, Gines said. They walked in, put a gun in his face and by the time he stood up, it was too late.

Constant vigilance is required at dispensaries, Gines said. He orders his guards to keep track of cars in the parking lot outside A Green Alternative; get to know customers so, if necessary, they can identify them in court; stay in peak physical condition  Ill pay for your gym membership, Gines said  and never sit down on the job.

You need to stand tall, you need to be visible, he said. If you want to sit down this is not the job for you.

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Customers arriving at A Green Alternative are greeted, then run through a security gantlet. They hand a photo ID to one of Gines uniformed employees, whose personal armory includes a 9 mm pistol, pepper spray, handcuffs, Taser, body camera, cell phone and radio.

If theres any problem, we call 911, Gines said. Get the help rolling.

After an electronic wand determines customers are unarmed, they are buzzed into a locked waiting room. Individually or in small groups, they then pass through another locked door and into the display room.

Behind another locked door are business offices and several safes, including a walk-in model.

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When cash leaves A Green Alternative, Gines said, decoys toting fat valises are sometimes used to lure suspected robbers. Guards patrol the shop and its parking lot, but also prowl the surrounding neighborhood, looking for signs that criminals are casing the place.

Walk the three blocks, drive the three blocks, Gines said. When you come on duty, are you seeing the same vehicles?

Chula Vista Private Security also drills the drivers of A Green Alternatives delivery vehicles, training them on responses to hold-ups and other threats.

Gines, who has worked private security for 22 years, said some find his attitude too hard-boiled for an industry that peddles mellowness.

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They want somebody more lenient, he said. But I dont want to explain to somebodys family why a son or daughter got killed.President Donald Trump expressed misgivings about his administrations infrastructure plan Friday at Camp David, telling Republican leaders that building projects through public-private partnerships is unlikely to work  and that it may be better for the government to pursue a different path.

Then on Saturday morning, Gary Cohn, the presidents chief economic adviser, delivered a detailed proposal on infrastructure and public-private partnerships that seemed to contradict the president. He said the administration hoped $200 billion in new federal government spending would trigger almost $1 trillion in private spending and local and state spending, according to people familiar with his comments. Cohn seemed to present the plan as the administrations approach, although the president had suggested such an approach might not work.

The seemingly contradictory statements, made within 24 hours of each other, show the uncertainty of the administrations approach to its top legislative priority in 2018: building roads, bridges and highways. Trump and his White House have been determined to pitch an infrastructure plan in 2018, despite Republican misgivings about the cost, a rapidly rising deficit and a preference to consider others matters first.

White House officials and Hill aides confirmed the presidents comments. Another White House official briefed on the comments said that Trump was musing aloud and that the administration still planned to pursue public-private partnerships for infrastructure. This person, though, said Trump had continually expressed skepticism behind the scenes about such a plan.

He doesnt think they will work, this person said.

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Trump and Cohn have had a rocky relationship after the economic adviser criticized the presidents comments about white-supremacist riots in Charlottesville, suggesting that there were many fine people on both sides. Several White House advisers have said recently that the former Goldman Sachs banker may exit. Asked about that Saturday, Trump pulled Cohn up to a news conference stage and asked if he was staying. The economic adviser said yes and that he was having fun.

Gary, hopefully, will be staying for a long time, Trump said. Now, if he leaves, Im going to say: Im very happy that he left. OK? All right?

Im happy, Cohn said.

Republicans are loath to spend $1 trillion on infrastructure, as the deficit is expected to grow considerably after the tax plan passed in December. Trump did not specifically delineate how he would pay for the projects without the partnerships.

During the campaign, Trump promised a $1 trillion infrastructure plan that he said would create millions of jobs through a combination of investments from the federal government and private companies. Staff members at the White House have spent months assembling a package of ideas, though his first budget just allocated $20 billion a year over 10 years for the mostly unspecified projects.

In September, though, Trump began musing to Democrats and others that the public-private partnership idea might not work. He referenced at least once, for example, some projects in Indiana that he believed did not work out the way the private sector had promised. In 2014, then-Gov. Mike Pence arranged a deal with Isolux Corsan, a Spanish construction firm, to extend a stretch of interstate in the southern part of Indiana. The firm had turned in the lowest bid but never completed a project in the United States before, and it fell behind schedule. The state of Indiana had to eventually dissolve the partnership and issued public debt to finish the project, though it still remains incomplete.

Trumps repeated complaints about the effectiveness of public-private partnerships have infuriated and surprised some administration aides who have worked on the plans for months. They were hoping to propose a package of infrastructure goals later this month, though that timetable remains fluid.

Democrats have often said they would support more infrastructure spending, and many labor unions have also said they would like to work with Trump on these plans. But they have remained wary of how Trump would plan to pay for any of the projects, and those questions appear to remain unresolved.

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The weekend, White House and legislative leaders said, was largely marked by bonhomie  even if many key decisions on issues such as immigration, infrastructure and funding the government were not made. Trump had clashed with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., earlier in his tenure and had been at times critical of House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis. The intent of the weekend was to build camaraderie, officials said.

Trump vented about former White House strategist Stephen K. Bannon, to the pleasure of McConnell and others, and criticized a tell-all book on his administration from the author Michael Wolff, saying the author barely knew him and had made up large parts of the story.

Wolff spent considerable time in the West Wing and talked to Trump, although others have pointed out factual issues in the book.

There was little talk about repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act or launching a campaign to curb entitlement spending  issues that are now unlikely to come up legislatively in 2018.

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Trump had previously said he wanted to return to health care early in 2018, but he has instead told advisers in recent weeks that he can sell repealing the individual mandate. Top officials have also convinced him that there is no path to repealing the law.

Trump has also decided that pursuing cuts to the countrys entitlement spending in 2018 is not a good bid for him, and he purposefully left it out of public comments, advisers said.

White House officials complained that their nominees werent going through the Senate quickly enough  much of the government is unfilled  and pushed McConnell to do more, people briefed on the summit said. The White House has been criticized for its slow pace of nominating people to key jobs.

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen briefed legislators on what the administration wanted on border security in exchange for a deal on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, and there was a consensus that it needed to happen before March, when a deadline set by the White House expires.

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Trump told the leaders that they needed to focus on selling their 2017 accomplishments and continued to cast his administration in historic terms, even in private. The president has the lowest poll numbers of a first-year president in decades, and leading Republicans fear privately that the midterm elections could be damaging.

The Washington Posts Damian Paletta contributed to this report. The Legacy of WWII -- Basil Duncan

Several times during World War II, Basil Duncan wondered about fate.

Once a Japanese soldier stuck a pistol under Duncans chin and pulled the trigger. The gun jammed.

Another time, a fellow Marine arrived 10 minutes early to take Duncans place at the switchboard of a battlefield communications center. Moments later, a shell exploded near the switchboard, killing Duncans replacement.

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That should have been me, Duncan said, tearing up today as he told the story onboard the Midway Museum. The U-T is filming the oral histories of veterans as part of a year-long Legacy of WWII project.



World War II: Those who served tell their stories

Nearly a dozen of San Diegos WWII vets shared their harrowing  and often heroic  experiences during the war with U-T San Diego. See the complete list of their stories.



Duncan fought on the Marshall Islands, Saipan and Tinian. He was wounded on Saipan, shot four times in the legs, back and left hand. But mostly he talked about the near-misses, like the time he tripped over a booby-trap wire, but no bomb went off. Another Marine came by later, hit the same wire, and was killed.

I started to think I was living a charmed life, he said.

Then he was assigned to be part of the invasion of Japan. He told his wife that he didnt expect to survive that one. I just knew as sure as Im sitting here that I wouldnt make it, he said.

Then the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Japan and the war ended. And Duncan left the Marines, came home to San Diego and a long career with the post office. He is 87 and lives in Rancho Bernardo.

The oral histories will be posted soon on utsandiego.com.Press Release

January 7, 2018 Drilon says senate to insist on separate voting on Cha-cha Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon insisted that the Senate and the House of Representatives should vote separately in case it decides to convert into a constitutional assembly to amend the Constitution. "No one in the senate will agree to a joint voting. We will insist on separate voting. The Congress can propose amendments to the Constitution using the regular lawmaking procedure," Drilon said. He said that what happened during the approval of the declaration of martial law in Mindanao should "serve as an example of how senate's power could be reduced to nothing if joint voting is followed." Drilon, a former justice secretary and four-time Senate President, explained that there are various ways to amend the constitution: by way of a constitutional convention (con-con), a constitutional assembly (con-ass), and even through people's initiative. Drilon said that pursuant to Article XVII, Section 3 of the Constitution, "Congress may, by a vote of two-thirds of all its members, call a constitutional convention to propose amendments to, or a revision of, the Constitution." Under the constitutional convention, the members of the convention are elected, he noted. The Constitution also allows Congress to act as a constitutional assembly to revise the constitution, Drilon said. Article XVII, Section 1 of the Constitution provides that the Congress, upon a vote of three-fourths of all its Members, may propose any amendment to, or revision of, the Constitution, he cited. Drilon said that the 1987 Constitution made it no longer necessary that the Senate and the House hold a joint session for the purpose of proposing amendments to the Constitution. Drilon emphasized that the only requirement of Sec. 1, Article XVII of the Constitution is that three-fourths of the Members of Congress propose such amendment. The senator said "that amending the constitution would take some time and needs not to be rushed and railroaded." "I am not against it. What I'm saying is we should exercise extra caution when we talk about amending our constitution," he said. The senator said he does not think Charter change will be ready for referendum by May 2018 as projected by House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez. "That's a timeframe too close and improbable. First, we have the impeachment case of Chief Justice Ma.Lourdes Sereno, which, according to reports, would be forwarded to the senate by May 2018. Second, the second half of 2018 is when election fever would take place. How can that timeframe be possible?" Drilon concluded.Press Release

January 7, 2018 Drilon sees efforts to abolish senate, shift to unilateral congress Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon warned on Sunday of deliberate efforts to weaken the senate in order to lay the groundwork for the abolition of the upper chamber and pave the way for a unilateral system of legislature. "I am very alarmed and concerned about this continued attack on the senate. It appears to be part of deliberate and sustained efforts to weaken and embarrass the senate as an institution," Drilon said in an interview with DZBB on Sunday. "For me, these attacks are meant to demean the senate in order to lay the groundwork for the abolition of the senate and pave the way for a unilateral congress," he added. Drilon said this as he urged Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III "to be more vigilant in defending the independence and integrity of the senate" amidst the negative criticisms hurled against it by members of the House of Representatives led by House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez. He said the senate has always resisted efforts from any quarter to undermine its independence. "The independence of the senate is seriously guarded by the senators," he added. "He (Pimentel) must rise above partisan political interest to defend the senate regardless of his political affiliation. Otherwise, the senate, unfortunately, becomes irrelevant as an institution of democracy in our system of governance," Drilon said. In a separate interview over DWIZ on Saturday, the minority leader said that he was saddened by the attacks to the institution and made a similar call for Pimentel to defend the senate. "I am saddened. This is the first time, in my 20 years as a senator, that I have seen a Speaker attacking the Senate," Drilon said. "It demeans the Senate as an institution. It could weaken the senate as one of the pillars of the democracy, which provides the necessary check and balance to hold our officials accountable," he stressed. The minority leader said that the Senate President has the obligation to defend the senate as an institution of democracy. Drilon said the attack against the Senate was similar to the attacks hurled against the Ombudsman, the Commission on Human Rights and the Supreme Court, whose chief justice is facing an impeachment case. "This is very alarming. If we let these attacks to continue, then it's a matter of time before we see our democracy collapsing because critical institutions such as the Senate are weakened," Drilon said.A meeting called for Saturday to discuss African Americans in city policy became a lively discussion on the black history surrounding the Jonestown massacre.

James Taylor, a professor of political science at the University of San Francisco, gave a talk at the New Liberation Presbyterian Church in the Western Addition, focusing on what he said is the forgotten black history surrounding the 1978 Jonestown massacre.

He drew parallels between the current African American departure from San Francisco and the mass murder-suicide in Guyana that killed more than 900 people  the majority of them black Bay Area residents who were following Jim Jones, leader of the Peoples Temple.

Pressure should be put on acting Mayor London Breed to install a monument to remember those killed, Taylor said at the event, which was organized by the Lower Fillmore Neighborhood Association. The Jonestown massacre became a taboo subject in the city, not only because of the loss of hundreds of lives, but also because of the subsequent political embarrassment. Before the tragedy, politicians who supported cult leader Jones ranged from Gov. Jerry Brown to former Mayor Willie Brown, now a Chronicle columnist.

The erasure of Jonestown to me ... the erasure of the black people in Jonestown is not unrelated to the failures of the city of San Francisco, Taylor said. It also has to do with the black out-migration right now.

As much as Jim Jones represented a real, deep evil, even without Jim Jones, the black community is still being erased.

November marked 39 years since Jones ordered his followers to kill themselves by taking cyanide mixed with a sweet purple drink, forcing those who refused. The deadly event followed a visit by Rep. Leo Ryan, D-San Mateo, who went to Guyana to investigate the settlement but was shot by temple gunmen when he tried to leave.

Among those shot and killed with Ryan were NBC photographer Robert Brown and reporter Don Harris, San Francisco Examiner photographer Greg Robinson and Patricia Parks, a temple member who wanted to leave. Jackie Speier, an aide to Ryan who now holds his seat in Congress, was severely wounded.

The massacre has stayed with Yulanda Williams, now a lieutenant with the San Francisco Police Department, for years. As she listened to Taylor speak, she also called for a monument to be set up.

Williams had been a member of the church and left the settlement with her family before violence broke out, she said. The ordeal became something to hide and deny, she said, and soon it wasnt discussed much in the city.

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.

When we first got back from Guyana, people said they could not understand how black people could be so foolish, Williams said. They made the survivors feel as though they were unintelligent.

She suggested that a monument be placed at the post office in the 1800 block of Geary Boulevard  the former Peoples Temple site.

Nine hundred people lost their lives, and we dont even have a monument or statue or anything, she said. There should be a day of remembrance.

The discussion became more heated as the group  many of whom lost friends in the massacre  debated Jones role as a leader, the role of the black movements of the 60s and 70s, and asked How did they get caught up in some madness like that?

Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJournoAs San Franciscos mayoral machinations roll out, two key dates are on the horizon that will finally crystallize who is in and who is out of the race.

On Tuesday, Aaron Peskin will call for a Jan. 16 vote of his Board of Supervisors colleagues to decide who should be interim mayor until the June election.

And with no caretaker in the wings with the needed six votes, the odds have gone up that the winner will be a declared candidate for the full-time job.

That means acting Mayor London Breed, Supervisor Jane Kim, former state Sen. Mark Leno, City Attorney Dennis Herrera, former Supervisor Angela Alioto  or any of the dozen lesser-known candidates who have taken out papers to run.

By Monday, that list may also include state Assemblyman David Chiu and city Assessor Carmen Chu.

Just like the suggested caretakers, however, none of the would-be mayors has six votes on the board. (Sitting supervisors such as Breed and Kim cant vote for themselves.)

Who wins if it stays that way, and no one is named interim mayor? Breed, who gets to stay acting mayor  and inherits the perks of incumbency leading into the June election.

Which brings us to the second key date, Jan. 30  the final day for candidates to withdraw from the mayors race and not have their names appear on the ballot.

One person who could go that route is Herrera. He took out candidate papers last week, then promptly went on radio silence, leaving town for a pre-planned family vacation through the weekend. Not exactly what you do to build excitement for your brand-new campaign.

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.

Those close to Herrera, however, tell us he believes the only path for him to win in June is to get the jolt from being named interim mayor.

Others may follow suit, depending on how the polling and the politics play out.

San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or email matierandross@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandrossRon Chapple/Getty Image

Six people died early Sunday in a crash caused by a wrong-way driver that resulted in both vehicles catching fire on a freeway near Woodland (Yolo County), authorities said.

Officers received calls about 12:30 a.m. of a Chevrolet traveling south in the northbound lanes of Interstate 5, just north of County Road 17 in the unincorporated community of Yolo, according to the California Highway Patrol.Four Barrel Coffee co-owner Jeremy Tooker agreed Saturday to leave the company he founded, a day after former employees filed a sexual assault and harassment suit against him.

The companys remaining owners announced that Tooker will divest from the company and no longer be affiliated with it. In a statement issued Saturday, they said Tooker had already withdrawn from his position as CEO in November.

Four Barrel has three locations in San Francisco and a thriving wholesale business.

In the suit filed against Tooker and the company in San Francisco Superior Court, the plaintiffs allege that Tooker committed assault by pinning one former employee, partially unclothed, on a hotel bed, and that he grabbed another one with enough force to cause soreness on her neck, among other allegations. Most of the alleged incidents took place more than two years ago.

More on Jeremy Tooker News Four Barrel Coffee founder Jeremy Tooker accused of...

In their statement, Four Barrel co-owners Tal Mor and Jodi Geren said they take the suit very seriously and that they are deeply saddened.

Four Barrel will not tolerate inappropriate behavior in the workplace, the statement continued. Its essential that our employees and co-workers understand that they are valued and respected. We will continue to take prompt action to address any and all employee concerns, as we have done in the past.

Tookers decision to divest from the company is a step further than those taken by other figures in the food world who have been accused of sexual harassment in recent months. That includes Charlie Hallowell, chef-owner of Pizzaiolo and two other Oakland restaurants, who has temporarily stepped away from his company because of sexual harassment allegations from 17 former employees but has not announced plans to divest from it.

Four Barrel did not respond to requests for comment on the allegations from The Chronicle until after the paper published a report on the lawsuit Saturday that included interviews with 14 former employees. The employees described a workplace where sexually explicit merchandise and conversation were the norm, as well as company parties with excessive drinking and sexually charged behavior between management and employees. They also said that their complaints about alleged harassment were not taken seriously by management.

When reached by The Chronicle on Saturday, the plaintiffs declined to comment while they coordinate a response to Four Barrels statement with their legal team.

In their statement, Mor and Geren said they have hired an outside firm to facilitate reporting of any concerns by employees. However, they disagreed with some of the lawsuits descriptions of the company. Due to the lawsuit, we cant comment as fully as we would like, but we can say this: We take issue with the claims being asserted in the lawsuit, and the mischaracterization of our current culture.

Tara Duggan and Justin Phillips are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: tduggan@sfchronicle.com, jphillips@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @taraduggan, @justmrphillipsFreeway ramps of Interstate 80 in Fairfield were closed Saturday night as police investigated a shooting that critically injured a driver and led to a three-vehicle crash, authorities said.

Several calls came in about 3:20 p.m. reporting a collision near Waterman Boulevard and Hilborn Road, according to a Fairfield Police Department statement.

Responding officers found one man with gun shot wounds. He was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, said authorities, who did not identify the victim.

Investigators believe two vehicles were driving on Waterman Boulevard when the occupants of one began firing at a silver Honda Accord and hit the driver multiple times, police said.

The driver of the Honda lost control, leading to the crash. At least four other people were treated for non-life-threatening injuries that stemmed from the crash, said Kathryn McCormick, a spokeswoman for the Fairfield Police Department.

From what I understand this was definitely targeted, McCormick said. It was not random.

No arrests have been made.

Airbase Parkway at Interstate 80 is expected to be closed for several hours due to the incident, police said.

Anyone who saw the shooting or the crash is asked to call the Fairfield Police Department's Investigations Bureau at (707)428-7600. Callers can also contact the tip line at (707)428-7345, Solano CrimeStoppers at (707)644-7867, or text TIP FAIRFIELDPD followed by a message to 888777.

Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJournoA Southern California man was arrested at San Francisco International Airport Friday evening as part of an investigation of how a recording device that captured a child undressing ended up in the bathroom of a Marin County home.

Marcus Allen Williams, 32, was booked on suspicion of producing and possessing obscene matter of a minor under the age of 18 years old.

Williams, a resident of West Covina (Los Angeles County) was arrested after a flight back to the Bay Area to visit the same family whose child was victimized, said Lt. Steve De La O of the Marin County Sheriffs Office.

The family, who lives in unincorporated Mill Valley, reported Dec. 27 that they found a recording device in their bathroom, De La O said. Authorities said there were images of a child in various stages of undress stored on the device.

They suspected Williams, a family friend who had recently visited them, used the device to secretly record the child, whose age was not released. Detectives reviewed the device, then got a warrant to search Williams Southern California home, officials said.

When the Marin County Sheriffs Office learned Williams was returning to the Bay Area to visit the family, San Mateo County deputy sheriffs and San Francisco police officers helped apprehend him at the airport about 5:45 p.m.

Investigators are working to determine if there are more victims, De La O said. He said Williams did not appear to have any ties to the North Bay, apart from the family

Williams was being held at Marin County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail.

Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJournoA Martinez woman was arrested Saturday for impaired driving after causing a collision in Concord that sent four people to the hospital and shut down roadways for over an hour, authorities said.

The incident occurred about 10:50 a.m. when officers received multiple calls of a white Ford Explorer traveling as fast as 100 mph northbound on Interstate 680, near Highway 242, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Shortly after, the CHP received reports of a rollover crash on Highway 242, south of Highway 4, involving the same Explorer.

After arriving, officers determined that the driver of the Explorer veered across the roadway on northbound Highway 242 into the center median. The vehicle then overturned and rolled into oncoming traffic on southbound Highway 242, colliding with five other vehicles, the CHP said.

Three people from the other vehicles were transported to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek with major but not life-threatening injuries, the CHP said. One person was transported to Kaiser Permanente Walnut Creek Medical Center with minor injuries.

The highways closed for an hour and 20 minutes while officers investigated the collision.

The driver of the Explorer, a 35-year-old Martinez woman who was not identified, was arrested on suspicion of felony DUI. She was suspected to be under the influence of marijuana and other drugs, the CHP said.

Her arrest comes less than a week after recreational sales of marijuana started throughout the state.

Under California law, regardless of the legality or illegality of a substance, if a person is under the influence to the point where it becomes a traffic safety concern, its a crime.

Although California has not set a THC limit on marijuana-smoking drivers, the penal code states, It is unlawful for a person who is under the influence of any drug to drive a vehicle.

Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavaniTwo men were shot and injured early Sunday outside of their Fremont home after discovering four people in their driveway attempting to burglarize their car, authorities said.

Officers responded to reports of a shooting about 2:45 a.m. on the 300 block of Summit Drive, near the intersection of Mello Street, where they found two men with gunshot wounds, according to the Fremont Police Department.

The shooting occurred when the victims said they heard noises while they were inside their home and went to investigate, police said.

When the two came outside, they discovered four people in the process of burglarizing a vehicle in their driveway. The victims attempted to intervene, but were both shot at least once by one of the intruders, police said.

The intruders, two men and two women, fled on foot and were seen running north on Mello Street to Mountain Avenue, police said.

The victims, who were not identified, were transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

A perimeter was set up in the neighborhood as the Fremont Fire Department, Alameda County Sheriffs Office and Union City Police Department searched residents yards and used dogs to track the intruders, police said.

No arrests have been made.

Anyone with information can contact the Fremont Police Department at (510) 790-6800, extension 3, or email snordseth@fremont.gov. Anonymous tips can be texted by typing Tip FremontPD followed by a message to 888-777.

Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavaniA prominent San Francisco donor to the Democratic Party says she is considering withdrawing support for senators who urged their colleague Al Franken to resign after he was accused of sexual misconduct.

Susie Tompkins Buell has been one of the Democratic Partys most generous supporters for decades. In particular, she has been a champion of female politicians, including Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Maria Cantwell of Washington.

Last month, those senators were among the dozens who called for Franken to resign from the Senate after at least six women accused him of sexual harassment or misconduct, such as forcible kissing and groping.

Franken announced his resignation Dec. 7 before the Senate Ethics Committee had completed a review of the accusations, which he disputed.

Buell said in a text message Saturday that withdrawing support from the senators who called for his resignation was an option she was considering.

In my gut they moved too fast, she wrote, adding that Franken was never given his chance to tell his side of the story.

For me this is dangerous and wrong, she added. I am a big believer in helping more women into the political system but this has given me an opportunity to rethink of how I can best help my party.

She is a friend of Hillary Clintons and has spoken in support of Gillibrand, who led the charge in the Senate to urge Franken to leave.

In her text, Buell said she did not know Franken personally but had met him a couple of times and was impressed by his work as a senator.

As for Gillibrand, unfortunately, I believe she miscalculated and has shot herself in the foot, she added. I have supported her for many years. Will I going forward? To be determined.

Buell was a founder of the clothing brand Esprit and has spent decades fundraising and donating millions of dollars for liberal causes and candidates. Her Susie Tompkins Buell Foundation has awarded grants to organizations supporting climate change education, a free press and womens rights.

Her comments about the senators who called for Frankens resignation were reported by BuzzFeed.

Jacey Fortin is a New York Times writer.LOS ANGELES  Sean Penn and Leonardo DiCaprio used the eighth annual benefit for the J/P Haitian Relief Organization to publicly praise each others philanthropic work.

DiCaprio was the guest of honor at the $5,000-a-plate dinner Saturday night at Milk Studios, which raised nearly $4 million for Penns Haitian Relief Organization and its nonprofit partners.

DiCaprio was recognized for 20 years of supporting environmental causes through his namesake foundation. Penn said DiCaprios work motivated him to start his own charitable organization after the devastating earthquake in 2010 that left thousands of Haitians homeless and without basic resources.

As much as anyone, the inspiration for me was from Leo DiCaprio, Penn said. Here was this young guy who had not only continued to create so productively but had also created what takes a kind of Herculean effort.

RELATED VIDEO: Brad Pitt Unsuccessfully Bids $120,000 to Watch Game of Thrones with Star Emilia Clarke

Penn praised DiCaprios personal commitment to protecting wildlife and advocating for the planet, as well as the actors general optimism.

Thats why he deserves to be honored and thats why we dragged him down here to be honored, Penn said. Who else do you know whos doing what youre doing around this town?

DiCaprio returned the praise as he accepted his award, calling Penn an inspiration and a role model.

DiCaprio also supported Penns cause by bidding $80,000 on a painting during a live auction at the gala. Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke had her eye on the same piece and ultimately outbid the Oscar winner before the artist who made the painting revealed two copies were available. Clarke and DiCaprio each got their own for $80,000 each.

Brad Pitt got in on the auction as well. He bid $60,000 on a painting, but Arnold Schwarzenegger outdid him and won with $70,000. Pitt was successful on another lot, though: an exclusive experience with the San Antonio Spurs, which he snapped up for $40,000.

Other items up for auction included a private dinner with chef Jose Andres and Anderson Cooper, which sold for $50,000, and a Game of Thrones viewing party with Clarke, which went for $160,000. (Pitt bid twice on that one but didnt prevail.)

The most expensive item auctioned was a painting by Urs Fisher that sold for $1.5 million.

Penn has hosted a fundraiser for J/P HRO on the eve of the Golden Globes since he established the charity in 2010.

Sandy Cohen is an Associated Press writer.THURMONT, Md.  President Trump said Saturday that everything Ive done is 100 percent proper regarding the special counsels investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election, and he insisted that his campaign didnt collude with Moscow or commit any crime.

His team has been open with special counsel Robert Mueller and done nothing wrong, Trump told reporters at Camp David, where he was meeting with Republican congressional leaders and Cabinet members to discuss legislative strategy in the new year.

He bemoaned the unrelenting focus on alleged Russia ties, saying the probe is very, very bad for our country. Its making our country look foolish, and this is a country that I dont want looking foolish, and its not going to look foolish as long as Im here.

Several news outlets, including the Associated Press, have reported that Trump directed his White House counsel to tell Attorney General Jeff Sessions not to withdraw from the Justice Departments investigation into potential ties between Russia and the Trump campaign.

Sessions decision to step away prompted Muellers appointment.

Trump told reporters that the New York Times story first reporting the request was way off, or at least off, though he wouldnt say how.

He added: Everything that Ive done is 100 percent proper. Thats what I do, is I do things properly.

Despite his anger over Sessions withdrawal from the investigation, Trump said he stands by the embattled Sessions, a vocal and loyal supporter of his election bid.

The investigation into possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia already includes a close look at whether Trumps actions as president constitute an effort to impede that investigation. Those actions include the firing of FBI Director James Comey, an allegation by Comey that Trump encouraged him to end an investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn, and the presidents role in drafting an incomplete and potentially misleading statement about a 2016 meeting with Russians.

The latest revelation, that Trump directed White House counsel Don McGahn to tell Sessions not to step aside from the Russia investigation, is known to Muellers investigators, who have interviewed many current and former executive branch officials.

Three people familiar with the matter confirmed to the Associated Press that McGahn spoke with Sessions just before he announced his recusal to urge him not to do so. One of the people said McGahn contacted Sessions at the presidents behest. All three spoke on condition of anonymity.

It remains unclear whether Muellers team has evidence to establish that the presidents collective actions were done with the corrupt intent needed to prove obstruction of justice.

Trump and his lawyers have repeatedly maintained that he did nothing improper and that, as president, he had unequivocal authority to fire Comey and to take other actions.

Four people, including Flynn and Trumps former campaign chairman, have been charged so far in the investigation.

Jill Colvin is an Associated Press writer.It made no mention of his name, but Twitter appears to have offered an explanation for refusing to ban President Trump despite protest from some users of the social media service.

In a short blog post Friday, the company said blocking a world leader would undermine its role as a service advancing what it called a public conversation.

Blocking a world leader from Twitter or removing their controversial tweets, would hide important information people should be able to see and debate, Twitter said. It would also not silence that leader, but it would certainly hamper necessary discussion around their words and actions.

Twitter has been under pressure to rein in Trump, who has been accused of inciting violence and raising nuclear tensions with North Korea using his favorite mode of communication. Many critics said they believed Trumps recent posts violated Twitters terms of service, which prohibit messages that threaten violence, death or physical harm.

On Tuesday, the president tweeted that he had a much bigger and more powerful nuclear button than North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, raising more fears that Trump could plunge the nation into war.

After the tweet, protesters directed their scorn at Twitter and its chief executive, Jack Dorsey, by projecting an image onto the companys San Francisco headquarters that read, @jack is #complicit.

The company initially responded to the criticism last week by saying Trump had not violated its terms of service, before making its broader comments about world leaders Friday.

Its unclear why Twitter did not mention Trump by name in the post. The company declined to comment.

Critics have speculated that Twitter, which has struggled on Wall Street because of lagging user growth, has chosen not to remove Trump because his presence makes the service perpetually newsworthy, capturing the attention of users and with them advertising revenue.

To that end, Twitter appeared to address that speculation in its post: No one persons account drives Twitters growth, or influences these decisions. We work hard to remain unbiased with the public interest in mind.

The New York Times

contributed to this report.

David Pierson is a Los Angeles Times writer.President Donald Trump's chief policy adviser is blasting an unflattering new book that has raised new questions about his boss's fitness for office.

Aide Stephen Miller tells CNN's "State of the Union" that the book is  in Miller's words  "nothing but a pile of trash through and though."According to figures shared by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), close to 11.48 lakh students across the country have registered for the Joint Entrance Examination Mains (JEE-Mains) this year -- which is a drop of 51,000 compared to last year, when the total registrations stood at 11.99 lakh.

The fall in numbers

Registrations to the Joint Entrance Examination Mains (JEE-Mains), one of the most sought after competitive exams for entering the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology and other premier engineering colleges, ended earlier this week and once again, the number of applications have decreased from the previous year.

In the last 4 years alone, the total registrations have reportedly dropped by 15.3 per cent.

The rise for some

Interestingly, the number of students opting for a computer-based exam has soared to 2.25 lakh as compared to 1.8 lakh in 2017, as reported by TOI. In comparison, the number of those opting for the paper-pen format stands at 9.25 lakh as compared to last year's 10.2 lakh.

Maharashtra has been one of the top three states from where engineering hopefuls turn up for JEE-Mains. However, the declining demand for engineering admissions has reflected on the number from the state also. This year, the applications went up marginally. In 2017, the number stood at 1.59 lakh. "We have received a total of 1.63 lakh applications from Maharashtra," a CBSE official told HT.

Read: XAT 2018: Paper analysis

Read: Kerala state school festival begins today: All about the 5-day festival

For more updates, follow India Today Education or you can write to us at education.intoday@gmail.comfunctioning of legislatures

New Delhi, Jan 7 (PTI) Efficient functioning of legislatures will be a key issue whips of Parliament and legislatures, and parliamentary affairs ministers of various states will deliberate upon when they meet for a two-day conference beginning tomorrow in Rajasthans Udaipur.

The conference -- to be inaugurated by Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, and Chemicals and Fertilisers Ananth Kumar -- will also consider rolling out of e-Sansad and e- Vidhan in Parliament and state legislatures to digitise and make their functioning paperless, an official statement said.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia, Union Ministers of State Vijay Goel and Arjun Ram Meghwal would also attend the inaugural session of the 18th All India Whips Conference being organised by Union Parliamentary Affairs Ministry and the state government, the statement added.

"The Whips Conference would make other recommendations for smooth and efficient working of Parliament and the state legislatures in the light of the experience gained by the whips," it said.

It added that the Union Parliamentary Affairs Ministry would then forward the recommendations to chief ministers of states, ministers-in-charge of Department of Parliamentary Affairs in state governments and presiding officers of the state legislatures and all the invitees to the conference for information and necessary action.

A whip is a member of a political partys parliamentary body responsible for discipline within the party. Their main job is ensuring that their members in Parliament and legislature vote in line with the partys official policy on important issues. PTI ENM IJT(Eds: Updating with more details)

By K J M Varma

Beijing, Jan 7 (PTI) Thirty-two crew members, mostly Iranians, have gone missing after a tanker carrying oil from Iran to South Korea collided with a cargo ship and caught fire off the coast of east China

The Panama-registered oil tanker, carrying 136,000 tonnes of oil condensate, was ablaze after it collided with a Hong Kong-registered bulk freighter at around 8 pm yesterday, leaving its crew of 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis missing, Chinas transport ministry said in a statement.

The accident happened about 160 nautical miles east of Shanghai.

All 21 Chinese crew members on the bulk freighter have been rescued.

The 274-meter-long oil tanker SANCHI, owned by an Iranian shipping company, was heading to South Korea with its cargo. It caught fire after the collision and was still ablaze, state-run Xinhua news agency quoted the ministry as saying.

The ministry said oil spilled into the sea, but did not specify the area of contamination.

"The Sanchi is still floating and continues to burn, there is oil on the sea surface; search and rescue operations are rushing and underway," the ministry said in a statement.

The 225-meter-long second vessel CF CRYSTAL, carrying 64,000 tonnes of grain, was partly damaged in the collision.

It is owned by a Chinese shipping company and was travelling from the United States to Guangdong, China.

Chinese maritime authorities have sent eight ships for the search and rescue operation and South Korea has sent a plane and a 3,000-tonne coastguard ship to help.

Chinese maritime authorities have dispatched eight vessels, including three specialised cleansing vessels, for search and rescue.

After coordination by the China Maritime Search and Rescue Centre, South Korea dispatched a coast guard ship and a fixed-wing aircraft to assist in the search and rescue operation. PTI KJV PMS PMS(Eds: Adds hospital details)

New Delhi, Jan 7 (PTI) Four men died and two others, including a national-level powerlifter, were injured after their car met with an accident in the early hours today near the Delhi-Haryana border in northwest Delhi, police said.

The accident took place near the Singhu border in Alipur police station area, they said.

The driver lost control over the speeding vehicle that first hit a divider and then a pole, the police said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Rohini) Rajneesh Gupta said the deceased were identified as Tikamchand, Saurabh, Akash and Harish Roy.

The injured were identified as Saksham Yadav, a national- level powerlifter, and Rohit, he said.

Yadav was taken to the Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, in northwest Delhi.

"He came to the emergency department where he was administered first-aid and stabilised. He apparently was later taken to the AIIMS Trauma Centre," a hospital source said.

It was Rohits birthday and the friends were celebrating it, the police said.

It is being probed whether it is a case of drunken driving since there were some liquor bottles found in the vehicle, they said. PTI SLB KND KJIt is almost time for the 75th Golden Globe Awards, the first major Hollywood award show of 2018. The show will be hosted by Seth Meyers. The tone of this year's Golden Globes is expected to be sombre, in light of the allegations of sexual misconduct against Harvey Weinstein and others that rocked Hollywood last year. In fact, many of the celebs are expected to dress in black as a mark of protest.

Coming to the films nominated, The Shape of Water leads the pack with seven nominations, with The Post and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri close behind, with six nominations each.

Here is the full list of movies nominations:

BEST PICTURE - DRAMA

Call Me by Your Name

Dunkirk

The Post

The Shape of Water

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

BEST PICTURE - COMEDY OR MUSICAL

The Disaster Artist

Get Out

The Greatest Showman

I, Tonya

Lady Bird

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA

Timothee Chalamet, Call Me by Your Name

Daniel Day Lewis, Phantom Thread

Tom Hanks, The Post

Gary Oldman, The Darkest Hour

Denzel Washington, Roman J. Israel, Esq.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA

Jessica Chastain, Molly's Game

Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water

Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Meryl Streep, The Post

Michelle Williams, All the Money in the World

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - MUSICAL OR COMEDY

Steve Carrell, Battle of the Sexes

Ansel Elgort, Baby Driver

James Franco, The Disaster Artist

Hugh Jackman, The Greatest Showman

Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - MUSICAL OR COMEDY

Judi Dench, Victoria & Abdul

Margot Robbie, I, Tonya

Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird

Emma Stone, Battle of the Sexes

Helen Mirren, The Leisure Seeker

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN ANY MOTION PICTURE

Willem DaFoe, The Florida Project

Armie Hammer, Call Me by Your Name

Richard Jenkins, The Shape of Water

Christopher Plummer, All The Money in the World

Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN ANY MOTION PICTURE

Mary J. Blige, Mudbound

Hong Chau, Downsizing

Alison Janney, I, Tonya

Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird

Octavia Spencer, The Shape of Water

BEST DIRECTOR - MOTION PICTURE

Guillermo Del Toro, The Shape of Water

Martin McDonagh, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk

Ridley Scott, All the Money in the World

Steven Spielberg, The Post

BEST SCREENPLAY - MOTION PICTURE

Guillermo Del Toro and Vanessa Taylor, The Shape of Water

Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird

Liz Hannah and Josh Singer, The Post

Martin McDonagh, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Aaron Sorkin, Molly's Game

BEST MOTION PICTURE - ANIMATED

The Boss Baby

The Breadwinner

Coco

Ferdinand

Loving Vincent

BEST PICTURE - FOREIGN LANGUAGE

A Fantastic Woman (Chile)

First They Killed My Father (Cambodia)

In the Fade (Germany/France)

Loveless (Russia)

The Square (Sweden, Germany, France)

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE - MOTION PICTURE

Carter Burwell, Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri

Alexandre Desplat, The Shape of Water

Jonny Greenwood, Phantom Thread

John Williams, The Post

Hans Zimmer, Dunkirk

BEST ORIGINAL SONG - MOTION PICTURE

"Home," Ferdinand

"Mighty River," Mudbound

"Remember Me," Coco

"The Star," The Star

"This Is Me," The Greatest ShowmanCAIRO  In a show of solidarity with Egypts embattled Christians, President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi made a symbolic appearance Saturday at an Orthodox Christmas Mass in a new cathedral as tens of thousands of soldiers and police deployed outside churches across the country in anticipation of possible attacks by Islamic militants.

We, with the grace of God, are offering a message of peace and love from here, not just to Egyptians or to the region, but to the entire world, el-Sissi told a jubilant congregation while standing next to Pope Tawadros II, the Coptic pontiff.

I always say this and repeat it: Destruction, ruin and killing will never be able to defeat goodness, construction, love and peace. Its impossible, said el-Sissi, a Muslim. Pay attention, you are our family. You are part of us. We are one and no one will ever drive a wedge between us.

In Cairo and across much of the Muslim majority country, soldiers in full combat gear joined the police in protecting churches, most of which are now equipped with metal detectors. Worshipers undergo body searches at church entrances. Some churches have had their surrounding streets sealed off, with sidewalks barricaded to control pedestrian movement.

The tight security across Egypt is a precaution against possible attacks by Islamic militants who have targeted Christians since December 2016, staging a series of bombings and killing about 100 people. The latest deadly attack was on Dec. 29, when a militant opened fire outside a suburban Cairo church, killing at least nine people.

Orthodox Christians are the overwhelming majority of Egypts Christians, who account for about 10 percent of the population, or nearly 10 million. They celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7.

The new cathedral has been named Nativity of Christ and is located in Egypts new Administrative Capital, 28 miles east of Cairo. The Christmas Mass consecrates the new cathedral and marks the first time in living memory that the liturgy is not held at St. Marks Cathedral, the seat of the orthodox church in central Cairo.

El-Sissi arrived shortly after nightfall, as silver lights twinkled on the cathedrals dome, piercing the surrounding darkness. A general-turned-president, el-Sissi is viewed by most of Egypts Christians as their protector and ally in the face of Islamists. He led the militarys 2013 ouster of an Islamist president whose divisive rule alarmed many Christians fearful over their future in the country.

Hamza Hendawi is an Associated Press writer.King Country Energy, the leading electricity generator and retailer in the King Country, Waitomo and Ruapehu regions, said its independent committee recommends shareholders accept a joint venture takeover offer.

The energy company's two largest shareholders, Tauranga-based Trustpower, which owns 65 percent, and King Country Electric Power Trust, which owns 19.98 percent, have teamed up to offer $5 a share for the remaining shares which trade on the Unlisted platform.

An independent committee of the King Country Energy board unanimously recommends that shareholders accept the takeover offer, Toby Stevenson, chair of the board and the independent committee, said in a statement posted on the Unlisted market. The offer price is "comfortably above" the $4.92 midpoint of the value range of $4.37-to-$5.47 a share assessed by independent adviser Simmons Corporate Finance and represents a premium to King Country Energy's share trading prices on Unlisted, he said.

The takeover offer for King Country Energy follows Trustpower's earlier bid in 2015 when it secured the 54 percent cornerstone stake owned by Todd Corp's Nova Energy and the latest move will allow the joint venture to mop up the remaining 14.95 percent from minority shareholders and take full control. Trustpower sees King Country Energy's five small to medium-sized North Island hydro power stations as a good strategic fit with its 29 New Zealand hydro stations and it already operates the power stations under management services agreements.

If the takeover is successful, the joint venture will delist King Country Energy from Unlisted, install its own board, and assess whether to sell its retail business. The independent adviser's report noted that there are currently 32 electricity retailers in New Zealand, with King Country Energy holding just a 0.8 percent share of the market compared with Trustpower's 12.2 percent share.

The report said the joint venture could save about $400,000 a year in administration costs by removing King Country Energy from Unlisted, because it wouldn't incur listing fees, would face reduced share registry costs and could choose not to have any independent directors on its board. It could also save about $1 million a year if Trustpower took over management, reducing or disbanding the company's senior management team and corporate development activities. Other operational savings were also likely, it said.

The offer was an opportunity for shareholders to realise cash for their investment in a thinly traded share, without any brokerage costs, at a 13 percent premium on the levels that the shares have traded in the past year prior to the offer. The likelihood of an alternative takeover offer or an increase in the current offer price is "remote", it said.

"The offer price aligns with our assessment of the value of King Country Energy's shares," the independent adviser's report said.

King Country Energy, which holds the generation and retail businesses once owned by the local power board, last traded on Unlisted at $4.95 on Jan. 4, valuing the company at $125 million. Trustpower, originated from the former Tauranga Electric Power Board, last traded at $6.02 on the NZX, valuing the company at $1.88 billion.

(BusinessDesk)

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At least nine restaurants in Connaught Place (CP) may lose their license for violation of fire safety norms with the New Delhi Municipal Council issuing show-cause notices to them.

The move comes following a fire in a Mumbai pub on December 29 that claimed 14 lives, sparking off safety concerns at eateries and restaurants in the national capital. Only 400 of them have NOC from the Delhi Fire Service.

"We had conducted inspection of all restaurants in Connaught Place and identified nine of them, which have been violating fire safety norms. Show cause notices have been issued to them and they may lose their licence if norms are not complied with," an NDMC official said.

The official, however, did not reveal the names of the restaurants saying, "We are not making their names public at this stage, till we receive their replies. The civic body had last week warned traders associations in its area to ensure that restaurants operating in the area abide by trade licence conditions, fire safety norms and comply with sitting capacity conditions or face cancellation of their permits and sealing of premises."

The two major markets in NDMC area which are flooded with restaurants are Khan Market and CP. Norms dictate that eateries with a seating capacity of less than 50 do not need an NOC from police and fire departments.

Mail Today had reported on December 30 that NDMC has sealed the Sky Lounge Bar and Grill on the 19th floor of the high-rise Royal Plaza Hotel on Ashoka Road as part of its drive to clamp down on "illegal terrace-situated food facilities."

The NDMC shut down at least half-a-dozen resto-bars, including My Bar Headquarters, Cafe MRP, Tamasha, Warehouse Cafe, Open House Cafe, Teddy Boy and Lord of the Drinks, on October 2016 on the same grounds.Security has been beefed up in and around Rajpath. Photo: PTI

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued an alert to the security agencies of seven states, keeping in view the terror threat on and around Republic Day.

India Today is in possession of the letter which was sent on January 4 to the Directorate of General Police (DGPs) and Commissioner of Police of seven states which includes Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.

In the advisory, the MHA has asked all the police chiefs to keep a tight vigil on all airborne aircrafts.

"Keep surveillance and positioning of special security guards at recognised field to check that no light/micro light aircrafts, hand glider and helicopters is allowed to fly or even starts on and around Republic Day," reads the alert.

"Operations of light, micro light aircrafts, UAVs and similar long range vehicle should be prohibited around 300km from Delhi between 6am and 9pm on January 26," added the alert.

However, all state owned aircrafts, having prior security clearance will be allowed to fly.

Specific alert has been given for airspace of Rajpath, Rashtrapati Bhavan and Vijay Chowk area where on January 26 and January 29 where drones, flying cameras or any flying object have been prohibited.

The security agencies of these states have also been instructed to keep a tight vigil on unused air-strips and open grounds which may allow operations of these aircrafts.

"Delhi police and Indian Air Force should activate the SOPs for handling threats from sub-conventional platforms in Delhi," adds the letter.The girl, who hails from Dinajpur district in West Bengal told Mail Today that she had eloped with a 17-year-old boy, who befriended her one year back.

In a suspected case of human trafficking, the insensitivity of Faridabad Police left a 15-year-old girl shivering in the cold wave for more than seven hours on Friday night.

Having escaped a rape attempt, she reached out to police, but the SHO did not reportedly pay any heed to her complaint and denied assistance. The police helpline number, 100, too was non-functional the entire day.

The girl, who hails from Dinajpur district in West Bengal told Mail Today that she had eloped with a 17-year-old boy, who befriended her one year back.

"Rahul (name changed) promised to marry me and brought me to his uncle's residence in Faridabad. We reached here on Friday evening and he told me that he would take me to Govindpuri in Southeast Delhi," said Shilpa (name changed).

Later, in Rahul's absence, his uncle tried to rape her, she said. Horrified, the girl ran away from that place and managed to enter a gated colony.

She spent major part of Friday night in the market of Ashoka Enclave Part-III. In the early hours of Saturday, she reached Kanishka Residency where the security guard offered her a blanket.

He informed the police after the girl narrated her ordeal. The SHO of Sarai Khawaja, instead of helping her, advised the security guard to throw her out of the colony.

The matter came to the notice of Kanishka residents, who asked the guard, Ramayan Gupta, 52, to hire an e-rickshaw and hunt for the boy with whom she had eloped.

After three hours of search, the guard found the boy and after the girl recognised him, the duo was brought back to Kanishka Residency.

Around 1.30 pm, the girl was rescued by NGO Shakti Vahini after they were informed by the Mail Today reporter. The NGO handed over the girl to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) in Faridabad. The Faridabad Police were also pressurised to intervene.

During investigation, it was found that the boy is already married.

The girl's family has filed a kidnapping case against him. An FIR under IPC Sections 363, 365, and 34 was registered on Friday at Itahar police station, a copy of which is with Mail Today.

Rishi Kant, cofounder of Shakti Vahini, said: "The possibility of human trafficking cannot be ruled out. It could be possible that the traffickers might have lured the boy to bring the girl to Delhi. There is no direct involvement of the boy."

Meanwhile, Bengal Police have left for Faridabad to apprehend the boy since his name is mentioned in the FIR. The girl is in a CWC home.Alwar Police has arrested four more people in connection with Umar Khan murder case.

With these arrests, the total number of people arrested for the murder of Umar Khan has gone to eight.

"They are common people, villagers, anti-social elements who tried to stop them, rob them. Yes (these eight people are involved in the murder of Umar Khan and throwing his body on the railway track). They are the residents of that area, Bharatpur and Alwar and they robbed Umar Khan and their accomplice and killed Umar Khan and thrown the body on the railway track in Ramgarh," Alwar's Superintendent of Police Rahul Prakash told India Today.

Umar, who belonged to Bharatpur, along with Tahir and Javed was traveling in a pickup van along with 5 - 6 cows in November last year. The trio were, it was earlier alleged, attacked by cow vigilantes, who shot at them in Govindgarh in Alwar district. Umar died whereas Tahir, who had sustained injuries, was admitted in a private hospital in Haryana.

The complaint was registered by Ilyas, a relative of Umar. He mentioned that the accused claimed themselves as belonging to a group of cow vigilantes. The complaint also mentioned that the body of Umar was thrown on railway tracks to try to destroy evidence.

Meanwhile, the police mentioned that it appeared that Umar and Tahir were taking the cows in a pickup van with smuggling as the motive.

Alwar Police SP, Rahul Prakash, while speaking last year with India Today, had mentioned that the police had registered two different cases.

One under the Rajasthan Bovine Act pertaining to smuggling of cows while the other, pertaining to the murder of Umar Khan, in which one minor has been detained.

"Two cases have been registered by the police. One is under the Rajasthan Bovine Act and the other is a murder case registered on the basis of complaint given by Umar's relative," Prakash said.STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Police have released the identity of the man who died after crashing his car into a tree in Ocean Breeze Saturday evening.

BREAKING: 75-year-old man dies in car wreck near Staten Island University Hospital Posted by Staten Island Advance on Saturday, January 6, 2018

Charles Romano, 75, of Liberty Avenue in Dongan Hills, was killed after his SUV veered onto the median of Seaview Avenue, near Mason Avenue, and plowed into a tree, police said.

At approximately 4:36 p.m., emergency units arrived to the scene in front of Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH) in Ocean Breeze, according to the NYPD.

Police say they discovered Romano unconscious and unresponsive behind the wheel of the vehicle.

The motorist was transported inside SIUH, where he was pronounced dead.

A preliminary police investigation revealed that the man was operating a silver Saturn SUV, that was heading west bound -- toward Hylan Boulevard -- on Seaview Avenue.

Debris -- including the vehicle's headlight, side mirror and license plate -- was scattered several yards away from the crash.

Police closed off the left lane of traffic, heading east bound, on Seaview with several road flares.

It remains unclear what triggered the man to lose control of his vehicle.

The investigation is ongoing by the NYPD's Collision Investigation Squad, police added.WASHINGTON -- Steve Bannon is trying to make amends.

President Donald Trump's former chief strategist released a statement Sunday reaffirming his support for the commander in chief and praising Trump's eldest son as "both a patriot and a good man."

Bannon infuriated Trump with comments to author Michael Wolff describing a June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower in New York between Donald Trump Jr., Trump campaign aides and a Russian lawyer as "treasonous" and "unpatriotic."

Bannon said his description was aimed at former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who also attended the meeting, and not Trump's son.

"I regret that my delay in responding to the inaccurate reporting regarding Don Jr has diverted attention from the president's historical accomplishments in the first year of his presidency," according to the statement, first obtained by the news site Axios. Bannon said his support for Trump and his agenda was "unwavering."

Hours before the statement came out, administration officials used appearances on the Sunday news shows to rally behind Trump and try to undermine Wolff's "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House" which portrays the 45th president as a leader who doesn't understand the weight of his office and whose competence is questioned by aides.

Chief policy adviser Stephen Miller, in a combative appearance on CNN, described the book as "nothing but a pile of trash through and through."

He also criticized Bannon, who is quoted at length by Wolff, saying it was "tragic and unfortunate" that Bannon "would make these grotesque comments so out of touch with reality and obviously so vindictive."

CIA Director Mike Pompeo, who said Trump was "completely fit" to lead the country, said he paused before answering because it was such "a ludicrous question."

"These are from people who just have not accepted the fact that President Trump is the United States president and I'm sorry for them in that," Pompeo told "Fox News Sunday." He gives Trump his regular intelligence briefings.

Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said that she is at the White House once a week, and "no one questions the stability of the president."

"I'm always amazed at the lengths people will go to, to lie for money and for power. This is like taking it to a whole new low," she told ABC's "This Week."

To Miller, "the portrayal of the president in the book is so contrary to reality, to the experience of those who work with him."

Miller's interview on CNN's "State of the Union" quickly grew heated, with Miller criticizing CNN's coverage and moderator Jake Tapper pressing Miller to answer his questions.

Tapper abruptly ended the interview, saying: "I think I've wasted enough of my viewers' time."

Soon after, Trump tweeted: "Jake Tapper of Fake News CNN just got destroyed in his interview with Stephen Miller of the Trump Administration. Watch the hatred and unfairness of this CNN flunky!"

Trump took to Twitter on Saturday to defend his fitness for office, insisting he is "like, really smart" and, indeed, a "very stable genius." He pressed the case again on Sunday as he prepared to depart Camp David for the White House.

"I've had to put up with the Fake News from the first day I announced that I would be running for President. Now I have to put up with a Fake Book, written by a totally discredited author," he tweeted.

Wolff's book draws a derogatory portrait of Trump as an undisciplined man-child who didn't actually want to win the White House and who spends his evenings eating cheeseburgers in bed, watching television and talking on the telephone to old friends.

The book also quotes Bannon and other prominent advisers as questioning the president's competence.

Chatter about Trump's mental fitness for office has intensified in recent months on cable news shows and among Democrats in Congress.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders this past week called such suggestions "disgraceful and laughable."

"If he was unfit, he probably wouldn't be sitting there and wouldn't have defeated the most qualified group of candidates the Republican Party has ever seen," she said, calling him "an incredibly strong and good leader."

Trump and some aides have attacked Wolff's credibility, pointing to the fact that the book includes a number of factual errors and denying that the author had as much access as he claimed.

"He said he interviewed me for three hours in the White House. It didn't exist, OK? It's in his imagination," Trump said Saturday.

Wolff told NBC on Sunday that "I truly do not want to say the president is a liar," but that he had indeed spoken with Trump for about three hours during and since the campaign.

Trump has repeatedly invoked Ronald Reagan, tweeting Sunday that the former president "had the same problem and handled it well. So will I!"

Reagan died in 2004, at age 93, from pneumonia complicated by the Alzheimer's disease that had progressively clouded his mind. At times when he was president, Reagan seemed forgetful and would lose his train of thought while talking.

Doctors, however, said Alzheimer's was not to blame, noting the disease was diagnosed years after he left office. Reagan announced his diagnosis in a letter to the American people in 1994, more than five years after leaving the White House.

By Jill Colvin, Associated Press. Associated Press writer Hope Yen contributed to this report.STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Family members are collecting donations for the Staten Island grandfather who died following an altercation with a Brooklyn teen on a subway platform Wednesday.

A GoFundMe page for Jacinto Suarez, 65, of Stapleton, has been set up to cover funeral costs for the late-grandfather.

"I beg of each and everyone for help at this time," writes a loved one on the GoFundMe page. "We're asking anybody and anyone who is willing to give anything."

Suarez died of a heart attack following a physical fight with 18-year-old Edward Cordero on a Brooklyn subway platform.

"He was a very giving person -- he cared a lot," said Suarez's daughter, Talina Gonzalez to NY1. "If anybody ever needed anything, he was always there."

The teen, who suffers from a mental illness, is scheduled to be arraigned on manslaughter and assault charges Saturday, according to online state court records.

Cordero got into an altercation with Suarez Wednesday afternoon at the R train platform at the Jay Street station in Brooklyn, police said.

The altercation turned physical and the teen punched Suarez, causing him to fall to the track bed, police said.

EMS responded to the scene and transported Suarez to Brooklyn Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Cordero was arrested at the scene, police said.

Suarez did not come into contact with the third rail, or a train, a spokeswoman for the NYPD said.

The Office of the Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death, she said.

Suarez was a father of 10 and a grandfather who had been heading home after arguing with officials about a late Social Security check, loved ones told the New York Post.STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Questions have surfaced around the deal between Nordstrom Rack and Empire Outlets after the store was removed from Nordstrom website's future stores list, the Advance has learned.

The deal to open a 34,000-square-foot Nordstrom Rack in St. George as the main anchor tenant of Empire Outlets has seemed locked since the store announced they signed a lease in 2014.

After it was discovered that the Staten Island location no longer appeared on Nordstrom's list of stores to open in 2018, the Advance inquired with both Empire Outlets and Nordstorm.

BINDING LEASE AGREEMENT

An Advance reader was sent an email from Nordstrom Investors Relations stating: "We checked with our Nordstrom Rack team and found that plans for a store at the Empire Outlets on Staten Island changed. Based on their input we've removed it from our list of future Nordstrom Rack stores."

However, Nordstrom would only issue the following statement: "We do not have an opening date at this time."

An Empire Outlets spokesman said Nordstrom has a binding lease agreement to open in the shopping center.

"Nordstrom has a binding lease in effect. We are working diligently to complete the construction process and turn over the space to Nordstrom in the near future," said the Empire Outlets spokesman.

"In fact, we recently invested an additional $2 million to further improve Nordstrom's space in Empire Outlets, which will be enjoyed by millions of visitors each year. We look forward to seeing Nordstrom at the grand opening of Empire Outlets," he added.

FIRST STORE SIGNED

In July 2014, Nordstorm Rack was the first tenant to sign on to be part of New York City's first outlet center, a project to include more than 100 designer outlet retailers, a 190-room hotel and a number of restaurants on the St. George waterfront.

At the time, the Seattle-based Nordstrom Inc. announced that it would open a 34,000-square-foot Rack store -- its "off-price" retail division that offers shoes, apparel and accessories priced at 30 to 70 percent off.

The initial estimate for opening Empire Outlets was fall, 2016. After several delays, the outlet center is now expected to open in fall, 2018.

As recently as late last month, the Advance toured the site, and saw the facade where Nordstrom Rack is supposed to open. On the tour, Joseph Ferrara, a principal of BFC Partners, Empire Outlets' developer, pointed out the progress made on the building -- facing Richmond Terrace -- that was designed to house Nordstrom Rack.

NY WHEEL WOES

Empire Outlets' companion project, the New York Wheel, has also had its share of woes in recent months, after the project was indefinitely delayed upon the firing of its contractor, Mammoet-Starneth LLC. Work on the 630-foot high observation wheel itself halted in May, and Mammoet-Starneth and NY Wheel continue to battle in court.

The NY Wheel announced in August that it's planning to hire the builder of the Las Vegas High Roller and the new Tappan Zee Bridge to finish constructing the massive tourist attraction on the St. George waterfront.

However, since that announcement, there has been no reported movement on getting the new contractor on board.

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AgreeThere were more than a few hotrods in town on Sunday, as Canberra sweltered through the hottest day this summer so far on Sunday.

The bureau is predicting a bit of a reprieve on Monday when the temperature is forecast to hit a comparatively cooler 33 degrees.

But Canberrans have to wait for that reprieve, as Sunday's hot day flowed into another hot night with the mercury not dipping below 23 degrees until 7.30am on Monday morning.

The Bureau of Meteorology says there is a 50 per cent chance of showers on Monday, most likely in the afternoon or evening, and there is also the risk of a thunderstorm. It is only likely to bring about 2mm of rain, though.If you thought it was a bit warm on Saturday, Sunday is set to be even hotter.

Saturday's temperature peaked at 36.9 degrees, pretty much right on the forecasted top of 37, about 4pm. Sunday is forecast to hit 39 degrees. That puts it on track to be the hottest day this summer so far.

It was also a hot night. The temperature didn't drop below 20 degrees until after midnight, and only dropped to 16.5 degrees about 6am. Then it started heating up again. It passed 30 degrees shortly after 9am.

There is, though, a slight (30 per cent) chance of a shower or thunderstorm Sunday afternoon or evening. But if the rain does come, it's unlikely to be much - just 0.4mm is forecast in the event of a downpour.Besides the violence on New Year that killed a 28-year-old man, Bhima Koregaon is known for its place in history during the period of British occupation of India.

The original incident had also taken place on New Year 200 years ago, when the forces of Maratha ruler Peshwa Baji Rao II fought with those of the British East India Company at Bhima Koregaon, named so for being situated on the bank of River Bhima.

Over the past 200 years, the narrative and perception about the battleground have undergone a sea change. There is a small war memorial in the form of an obelisk at Bhima Koregaon in Pune district of Maharashtra.

And, there is another village, nearby, called Vadhu Badruk. It has its own role to play in building Maratha versus Dalit narrative in Maharashtra and across the country. Now, these two villages and their history are seen differently by the leaders claiming to represent Marathas and Dalits respectively.

ONE BATTLE, TWO VERSIONS

Bhima Koregaon was one of the battlegrounds in the Third Anglo Maratha War fought in 1817-1818 that paved the way for British supremacy in India and ended the prospects of an indigenous ruler having sway over the country.

The Battle of Bhima Koregaon came in the series of confrontations between Maratha forces and the British ones that include English victories at Khadki, Sitabuldi, Mahidpur, and Satara.

The textbook interpretation of the Battle of Bhima Koregaon is one of a fight between imperialism and nationalism with Marathas representing the latter. With the English forces registering rapid victories, Peshwa fled capital Pune towards Satara.

WHAT HISTORY STATES

On his flight, the Peshwa's forces were challenged by the British contingent at Bhima Koregaon, which had a fortified enclosure of the Marathas. Peshwa Baji Rao did not lead the battle himself at Bhima Koregaon. He had a 28,000-strong army with him but he sent about 2,000 soldiers to Bhima Koregaon to safeguard the fortified enclosure.

The British were numerically inferior but they inflicted more casualties, primarily due to superior artillery, on the Maratha forces on the day of the battle. The Peshwa watched the fight from a hilltop, two kilometers away.

The British lost a lieutenant rank officer among those killed. But, the battle remained undecided. The British could not capture the fortified enclosure.

Fearing more British forces next morning, the Marathas withdrew during the night and resumed their flight towards Satara. The English soldiers occupied the empty enclosure next day and elected a small war memorial.

THE OTHER NARRATIVE

The Marathas accept and the textbooks tell this version. But, the Dalits - Mahars - in the village have a different take on this battle. They add a context to it and assert that the battle is related to their self-respect.

The Mahars claim that they were insulted by the Baji Rao II when they offered their services to the Peshwa. The Mahars then took the job with the British and fought the war on their behalf.

For record, of 834 troop soldiers under the British command over 500 were Mahars. The Dalits now claim that their superior martial qualities forced the Peshwa flee the battlefield.

The narrative of imperialism versus nationalism evaporates and takes the form of Mahar courage and valour against haughty attitude of the Marathas led by a Brahmin Peshwa. Koregaon Ratnastambh (victory pillar) has now become a symbol of Dalit/Mahar self-respect.

The second narrative gained currency after freedom fighter BR Ambedkar - belonging to Mahar community - visited Koregaon Ratnastambh on January 1, 1927. In 2005, Koregaon Ratnastambh was formed to keep the narrative alive and spread across the country.

In the last few years, the Dalit narrative of the Battle of Bhima Koregaon has spread to far off places and visitors from Karnataka to Uttar Pradesh have visited the war memorial to pay homage to "Mahar martyrs".

A NEIGHBOUR'S TALE

While Bhima Koregaon has become a symbol of Dalit pride, another story of conflict comes from a neighbouring village Vadhuk Badruk. Here lies the Samadhi or resting place of Shambhaji, the son of Maratha military commander Shivaji.

Sambhaji had been killed and mutilated on the orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, who had a tough time dealing with Maratha challenge to his authority in western and central part of the country.

The Dalits in the village believe that Govind Ganpat Gaikwad, a Mahar fished out the mutilated body of Sambhaji from river and stitched it together before the last rites could be performed. When Govind died a memorial was built in his name.

But, the Marathas have a different narrative of the incident. They claim that the Marathas stitched the mutilated body. The family that stitched the mutilated body got a surname afterward - Shirkes, which later became "Shivale" in some families. They claim that Govind Mahar was the caretaker of the Samadhi of Sambhaji.

NOW, POLITICS

The ruling BJP has presented itself as the champion of nationalism. Shivaji and Maratha warriors have been the flag bearers of nationalism. But, under the changed circumstances, Marathas and Dalits are standing on the opposite sides of the divide.

The BJP has been trying hard to woo Dalits in its fold especially after the incidents like Una in Gujarat, where a family was targeted by self-appointed cow vigilantes last year. On the other hand, various Maratha groups have been campaigning in Maharasthra for past two years for repealing or amending the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

The Maratha groups allege that the SC/ST Act has been misused in Maharashtra. More than 42,000 cases have been registered under the law against Maratha youths, most of which, they claim are, false.

The ruling BJP is in conundrum about taking sides or even acting tough against any group for the fear of being branded as anti-community at a time when the Lok Sabha elections are not very far and caste leaders are gaining prominence.

ALSO WATCH | Jignesh Mevani hits out at PM Modi over Bhima Koregaon violenceWhile Elizabeth Greenhalgh was recovering from months of ovarian cancer treatment, an email from Qantas went unnoticed.

It was warning her 150,672 Frequent Flyer points  more than enough for a return economy flight between Sydney and London  would expire at the end of October last year.

Qantas says it has offered a cancer patient a "fair and reasonable" remedy after her Frequent Flyer points were wiped while she was in treatment. Credit:Glenn Hunt

Dr Greenhalgh, an author and military historian, found out she lost all her points when catching up on emails in November, and has since been asking Qantas to restore them, having sent the airline her medical records.

The 73-year-old has instead been offered a remedy to reinstate points by taking part in a points challenge, which requires building up 2500 points in six months through the use of a Qantas card or having Woolworths rewards points converted. She estimates that will cost her thousands of dollars.Neil Duncan, Balmain Value of volunteering So relieved and happy to read Peter Nash on the value of volunteering (Letters, January 6-7). Volunteering has given me far more than I have given out. It has inspired me to follow new courses, engage with people with an incredible range of knowledge, form friendships with like minds, energising health benefits and sheer pleasure. Thank you, National Parks Association, for 10 inspirational years. Judith Halnan, Seaforth Catherine Walsh makes some good points ("Face it, volunteering doesn't make the world a better place", January 5) but overlooks the fact that volunteering is hugely beneficial to the volunteers. It creates community with them and others, it gives them a sense of purpose and meaning, and gives them a sense of being helpful and contributing to society. Each of these is vital to mental wellbeing, and cannot be measured. There are many reasons why volunteering is suspect, not least that a well-managed government should make volunteering unnecessary, but the value to those for whom volunteering gives a chance to socialise, find meaning and purpose, and feel useful, cannot be ignored in the debate.

Annie Gurton, Narraweena It is a lot easier to volunteer than to change the system. We in the refugee advocacy community have been trying to make ourselves redundant for 20 years with little success. To try to change the system is to be a prophet and prophets are always stoned. GetUp!, for example, is finding out what happens when you are a little bit successful against the system. As Brazilian priest Helder Camara said: When I fed the poor they called me a saint. When I asked why they were poor they called me a communist. Keith Binns, Goulburn This weekend I went to the Katharina Grosse exhibition at Carriageworks. It was a thoroughly enjoyable and thought-provoking experience. Although I do need to ask why is it you are greeted by volunteers at a $400,000 commissioned artwork? Jenny Stephenson, Wollongong

Airport train outrage The fares charged to use the train to and from Sydney Airport are outrageous. There is no incentive to use it for me due to luggage constraints and cost. If my wife and I go together it is cheaper and more convenient to get a taxi. A suggestion: why not have, as in London, at the railway station(s) in the CBD airline check-in counters where luggage is booked through and boarding passes issued. It seems a no-brainer (but of course it would not be in the interests of the vested interests). Make the cost of the railway travel part of the airline ticket costs. Peter Lowing, Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea) An occasion for black Hey girls  and good guys  maybe we should all wear black on the day of the Golden Globes ("Protest and empowerment at the Golden Globes", Sun-Herald, January 7). All around the world!

Helen Wright, North Willoughby Trumpet blower The genius really does like to blow his own trumpet. ("Trump says he is a 'genius' as he defends mental fitness", January 7). James Manche, Dulwich Hill Trump says he is "a stable genius". Does that suggest he is an oxymoron rather than a mere moron?

Susie Berger, North Epping War poster not posted The editorial ("We're far from alone in having no US envoy", January 6-7) signs off with the misconception that the British poster "Keep Calm and Carry On" was issued during World War II. It wasn't. According to the Imperial War Memorial website, although the poster was printed it was never distributed. The poster was one of three produced in 1939. Although "Carry On" undoubtedly had the best catchline, the first two posters met with derision and were thought to be patronising, so the third poster was not released. "Carry On" was rediscovered in 2000 and a copyright war broke out. Carolyn Pettigrew, Turramurra Fanciful 'artists' impressions' are a long way from building reality

Jacob Saulwick's article is spot on ("When a setback is a good thing for design", January 6-7). It seems that councils are being beguiled by plans submitted by developers with glowing "artists' impressions" of the eventual look of these monstrous buildings shown with fanciful mature trees and happy families walking with children and dogs with hardly a car in sight. The trouble is, none of this is reality. In developments on busy roads (Blackwall Road in Woy Woy for one) new apartment buildings from the book of cheap unit plans have been built right to the footpath with balconies virtually overhanging the traffic, leaving occupants to breathe in the carcinogenic vehicle fumes with no room for shrubs, let alone trees. Who in their right mind would condemn people and nowadays, children, to life in such homes? Lance Dover, Pretty Beach Architect Shaun Carter is right when he says that the problem with city planning is that "all development is focused on the private domain, with nowhere near enough consideration of the public domain". This is the reason for the blight of tens of thousands of apartments being built cheek by jowl up and down both sides of Sydney's busiest roads. Here the air quality and traffic noise levels are so bad that windows must be kept closed and airconditioning kept on.The only "public space" is the strip of asphalt between the buildings - a toxic no-man's land of roaring, exhaust-belching traffic.

None of this can be solved by tinkering with the "streetscape", adding a few more metres of setback from the road or titivating the external appearance of the buildings in line with the latest architectural fashion. Proper planning for the public realm requires much more than this.



The first losers are those who have to live in these appalling places and whose health, as numerous studies have shown, is directly affected by their proximity to busy roads. They also suffer from the lack of public parks and squares and infrastructure that were never part of the development equation. The second losers are all the rest of us.



The problem has its roots in our system of under-regulated private enterprise and the continuous growth economy that requires a continuously growing population of consumers for all products, including housing. Such a system is not sustainable.



Tony Coote, Hunters Hill Interesting comments from Planning Minister Anthony Roberts. He is quoted as stating that good landscape design enhances a development's environmental benefits by retaining positive natural features including tree canopy and green networks. It was only a few short months ago that he presented his proposal for the Rhodes East development where the entire existing mature tree canopy and green streetscape will be mulched to oblivion. What world do these guys live in?

Ian Inglis, Rhodes Time to kick Americanisms to the kerb Along with John Martin (January 6-7), I'm all for putting a curb on Americanisms, but "kerb" as in stepping off or driving near, is as Aussie as one can be. What annoys me even more is building signs pointing to the "elevators". Fair dinkum! Donald Howard Elderslie Josh, spellcheck in my version of MSWord does not accept "kerb" and whoever composed the rollout description probably let an automatic correction stand, making it not an Americanism as such. Glad you didn't "curb" the impulse to respond though, as your criticism of NBN speeds is cleverly put.Steve Bannon went to war with Donald Trump. At least, he tried to. In recently published excerpts from Michael Wolff's new book, Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, Bannon lashed out at the administration, taking special aim at the campaign's connections with Russian operatives, which he deemed "treasonous" and "unpatriotic". Trump slapped back in a written statement, saying Bannon "has lost his mind".

Since the release of the excerpts, Bannon has mounted a strategic retreat, calling his former boss "a great man". Coincidentally, Rebekah Mercer, the daughter of mega-funder Robert Mercer, and a minority shareholder in Brietbart News, distanced herself from Bannon's remarks, leading to speculation that his job at Breitbart was under threat.

While the feud was largely fuelled by Bannon's desire to stay relevant in the aftermath of his dismissal from the White House, it also came at a pivotal moment in the Trump presidency. Having styled himself an economic populist, Trump has just signed into law a tax bill that overwhelmingly benefits the wealthiest Americans. Nearly a year into his presidency, he has little to point to in terms of legislation that aids the working-class Americans he purports to represent.

For Bannon, it appeared the ideal moment to try to steal the populist crown from Trump.I wasn't always a high school teacher, I started my working life in the Australian Regular Army in the mid '90s and I did a stint as a police officer in far north Queensland. Before that, I went to school in the country, came from a dysfunctional family and played a lot of sport. I might be a small woman but I can pull out a big voice when I need one. I've jumped out of a plane, I can fire weapons fairly accurately, ride a motor bike and drive a truck. I am certainly no stranger to being the only girl in the room and, in my time, I've been verbally abused, called a variety of offensive names, physically hit and, once, I had my nose broken after I was head butted. But, I've got to admit, teaching high school in the suburbs of Sydney is a tough gig.

Recently, I did some casual teaching days at an inner-city high school. In my year 11 business studies class, there was a boy banging his head deliberately and rhythmically on a desk, two others aggressively play fighting, one snapped a pencil and then tore up the worksheet I handed out, throwing the pieces towards the ceiling. A huge boy shouted at me, wanting to assure me that this group (which included the head banger, the play fighters and the paper shredder), were "the best and the smartest in the class". There was a girl drawing traditional tattoo designs, another looked like she'd been crying, and one sat silently in the front row making her own notes and ignoring everyone else.

As I asked the class to listen up, a girl yelled, "I really like your outfit", I smiled and was about to politely say thank you when she continued with, "but it would look better on my floor" and the whole class erupted in laughter. Less than five minutes in and I reminded myself that this was a class of children, albeit big and loud, and no one in the room except me had a fully developed prefrontal cortex. Remembering that, and understanding why they behave like lunatics at times, is critical to teacher survival; there is always a reason behind the behaviour. Reprimanding a child without trying to address that cause would be like continually filling up a flat tyre with air, but never repairing the puncture. Pointless

In public schools all over the country, classrooms are filled with kids who are not engaging with the curriculum and not learning. They can't focus, they can't sit still, some lash out aggressively at students and teachers, some have given up. According to the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) results, Australia's level of academic achievement has been progressively slipping with the highest correlation of poor results coming from students disadvantaged through disability, indigeneity, language and low socio-economic status.In the year ended September 2017, the number of deaths in NSW from crashes involving articulated trucks such as semitrailers increased from 29 to 54. That's an increase of 86 per cent.

It's a shocking statistic. It shows that governments and our industry still have more to do on road safety, because even one death on our roads is unacceptable.

The trucking association is calling for improved investigative processes into fatal crashes. Credit:Simon Schluter

Professor Ann Williamson from UNSW has blamed the increase on driver fatigue and the way truck drivers are paid. Others have blamed the increase on the Australian government's abolition of the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal.

These suggestions are not supported by the evidence.It is 10.18 am on a baking hot Tuesday and Abba's Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! is playing on the radio in a milk bar on the corner of a quiet suburban street in Sydney's south.

Coloured streamers hang in the doorway, loose lollies cost 1 each and there are pinball machines out the back.

Daughter Chris Glasgow and mother Marlene Schreck from Perth enjoy traditional milkshakes at the retro Milk Bar Cafe 2223. Credit:Jessica Hromas

The 1970s-style Milk Bar Cafe 2223  a nod to the postcode for Mortdale, in the St George area  is doing a steady trade as locals and nostalgia fans park themselves in retro booths and at laminate tables for breakfast, coffee and milkshakes.

For decades, suburban milk bars run by Greek migrants were part of the cultural landscape in Sydney but the original cafes and mixed businesses from the 1950s to the 1980s are now well nigh impossible to find.Sydney solicitor Victor Berger made regular phone calls to a frail and elderly client, checking on her health, her relationship with her children, and her housework.

Months before the woman died, aged in her 90s, Mr Berger sent her family members a bill for $176,800.

Lawyer Victor Berger has been struck off for overcharging and using clients' funds. Credit:Louie Douvis

The June 2012 bill charged $90,527 for "non-legal work", such as the personal phone calls to the woman, known as Mrs N.

After her unit was sold, Mr Berger directed the buyer to pay $154,000 into his bank account, despite it being trust money belonging to Mrs N's estate. He later had $20,000 transferred from the trust money to his son-in-law.A woman has been threatened with a knife, handcuffed to the steering wheel of her car and robbed while working as an Uber driver on the Gold Coast on Saturday night.

The 39-year-old Carrara woman parked her car on Marine Parade at Biggera Waters about 8.45pm when a masked man armed with a knife got into the front passenger seat.

The Uber driver was left with minor injuries and a police search of the area failed to find the armed robber. Credit:Akos Stiller

The armed intruder told the driver to take him to Harbour Town, but along Morala Drive in nearby Runaway Bay, he told her to stop and give him money.

Despite handing over some cash, the man then handcuffed the woman to the steering wheel while he searched the car for more money."Bondi is one of the world's most iconic beaches. My raison d'etre was to take Bondi to the world by way of Australian-made upmarket swimwear using exclusive print fabrics, handmade hardware trims and soft-to-the-touch linings." Working with a production team expert in swimwear, McCarthy's focus is changing the global perspective that "Australia is not often associated with luxury swimwear". McCarthy describes Bondi Born as a pure swimwear brand which, unlike the majority of the swimwear market, is not made in China. Unlike other Australian labels such as Zimmerman and Dion Lee, which have swimwear as a part of their garment ranges, Bondi Born designs and manufactures only swimwear. Cracking the UK market McCarthy took 1000 pieces of the swimwear to the UK in 2015. She sold the lot. A fashion agent with 30 years' experience then took the label on board.

"She got us into the best retailers in Europe  Selfridges and Harrods in the UK and KADEWE in Germany, which is a huge market for swimwear," McCarthy says. I wanted to build a brand that I am passionate about. Dale McCarthy The brand is now also represented by three agents in the US, one in Mexico and another in Canada. "The Americas are expected to be the largest part of our business," McCarthy says. For the first time the range is now being presented to Australian and New Zealand retailers. Building a global online business

McCarthy is aware a lot of online purchases of swimwear, footwear and lingerie are returned due to fit and size. Many online shoppers buy two or three sizes of a swimwear style, returning the items that don't fit. Bondi Born offers a free returns policy to its online customers, considering this an essential after-sales service to keep and attract customers. Trading globally has bought its fair share of challenges, not least the cost of foreign exchange dealings. With the majority of revenue from overseas, plus the costs of buying fabric and trims offshore, foreign currency conversion impacted on the business. Initially McCarthy used one of the big banks for currency conversion and movement, with significant loss. She was a shareholder in Australian online foreign exchange and payments company OFX at one stage, so she approached it with a need to improve the rates. "Their rates are significantly lower than the bank I was using," McCarthy says. By estimating future sales and offshore purchasing costs, McCarthy is in discussion with OFX about a forward exchange contract in order to amortise the currency fluctuation risk.

Luxury focus This may not turn out to be as big a risk for McCarthy as swapping the world of finance for fashion when she took Aussie swimwear to the other side of the globe Global retail adviser for PwC Paul Zahra says the global swimwear market it is expected to exceed $26 billion by 2019. Zahra says of Bondi Born: "It is a great opportunity to enter into the luxury market. There are not a lot of players. There is significant opportunity for this type of brand. Using Bondi in the brand is a clever marketing ploy." Zahra is seeing trends in the best swimwear brand developing something for everyone. "Diversity in the market is the key," he says. Generally in swimwear it is less about the colours and more about the shapes. Zahra says "swimwear is like denim  it is all about the fit".Sadly, Bipasha Basu has not been a celebrity who's been the fashionistas' favourite consistently. While the Jism actress has given us some good looks , she's also given us some really horrid ones--like the time when the actress decided to dress up like a pirate's wife .

Today, however, is not one of the days Bipasha Basu's fashion sense is out to disappoint her fans. Just a day before her birthday, the Raaz actress was in Kolkata for the store launch of a cosmetic brand, where she showed up wearing this ruffled cream gown.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/bipashabasu Picture courtesy: Instagram/bipashabasu

While the Shantanu & Nikhil gown was a dazzle to begin with--thanks to its uneven ruffles and embellished fittings on the torso--Bipasha also did a really good job of pairing the outfit just right.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/afashionistadiaries Picture courtesy: Instagram/afashionistadiaries

The fact that she paired a tiny military-jacket shrug with the dainty gown just took the birthday girl's look to a whole new level of bada**-yet-feminine. We also loved the fact that Bipasha chose to wear a bright-pink lip shade, creating the perfect contrast.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/bipashabasu Picture courtesy: Instagram/bipashabasu

Happy birthday, Bipasha Basu! May you always dress this beautifully.Burnt out land in Carrum Downs on Saturday. Credit:AAP After peaking at 42 degrees on Saturday, temperatures dropped 15 degrees between 5:30 and 6:30pm and remaining relatively mild overnight with a low of 18. The mild weather will continue for Melbourne, staying below 26 degrees for the first half of the week until a warmer 34 degrees on Thursday. Temperatures will drop again on Friday with an expected rainy 30 degree day and a mild weekend. A Bureau of Meteorology spokesperson said that while the temperature was extreme it was not unusual for this time of year. "The most remarkable thing about it is it's the first day over 40 degrees since 13th January 2016," he said. "We didn't have a single day over 40 last summer, which is quite unusual for Melbourne." Meanwhile in Sydney, temperatures are expected to climb to 40 degrees on Sunday with areas in the west expected to experience temperatures into the mid-40s.

Forecasts for Western Sydney are ever higher, with an expected top of 45 predicted for Penrith and Richmond. Bushfires under control While some small bushfires are still burning around the state, a spokesperson for the State Control Centre says they are all under control. The spokesperson said that while conditions in the city and surrounding districts remain low to moderate, the north and northeastern areas of the state are still at risk.

The Mallee and Wimmera are expected to see temperatures in the high 30s on Sunday. The State Control Centre is also keeping a close eye on northeast Gippsland areas, which may be at risk. Fires in Serpentine, Smythesdale, Carrum Downs, Hastings and the Riverina are still burning but under control. Thousands of Victorian homes were left without power Thousands of Victorian homes were left without power on Saturday. Electricity supply has been restored to nearly 6000 homes across the western suburbs after outages across the Powercorp network left residents in Albanvale, Ardeer, Caroline Springs, Burnside, Cairnlea and Deer Park without light, fans or air conditioning on the hottest day for nearly two years. The cause of the outage is still being investigated.

Caroline Springs was hardest hit with a total of 2055 homes in the dark. Albanvale, Ardeer, Burnside, Cairnlea and Deer Park also had a high number of homes without power. Hundreds also lost power in in Yarraville and Williamstown, with the cause deemed weather related. Thankfully for Melburnians missing fans and air conditioners, a cool change saw the temperature drop by 10 degrees in three minutes at 5.50pm in Melbourne's CBD  from 41.4 degrees at 5.50pm to 31.4 degrees at 5.53pm. By Sunday morning distribution network were reporting no significant unscheduled outages anywhere in Victoria. Two men drown, toddler and woman rescued after weekend scorcher

Two men drowned off beaches in Melbourne's western suburbs and several people were rescued from beaches around the state on Saturday. The first man had got into trouble near the Altona boat ramp at Seaholme, 10 kilometres south-west of the city, about 4.30pm. Police said three men were swimming in water off the boat ramp when they began struggling. Passers-by on jet skis pulled the men to shore, and CPR was carried out on one of them. The man, who is yet to be identified, died at the scene, and police will prepare a report for the coroner. The second man, aged in his 40s, was swimming with a friend near the Timeball Tower in Williamstown when he got into trouble shortly after 6pm. His friend brought him to shore where members of the public tried to resuscitate him, but he died at the scene.New South Wales woman from Lake Illawarra was also among the survivors.

Vanessa Condran, 31, said in a social media post: "I am alright - a few bumps and bruises. And probably will never set foot in another hot air balloon ever again. I feel lucky to have walked out of this traumatic experience, a scary freak accident."

Twelve of the 20 passengers on the balloon booked through TopDeck Travel Designs, a travel agency for 18 to 30 year olds, which books group tours and adventures in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, North America, the Middle East, Asia and North Africa and Africa.

In a statement, TopDeck said: "We are deeply saddened by the devastating news of the hot air balloon crash near Luxor in Egypt today (Friday 5th January 2018). We can confirm that twelve of our passengers were on board the hot air balloon. Seven passengers were slightly injured and sadly one passenger, a South African national, has died. We are working with our local Destination Management Company and the local authorities at this time and Topdeck Representatives are on their way to Egypt to provide assistance. Medical assistance has been provided to all those that were on-board and our focus is on the wellbeing of our customers and ensuring we are in contact with the family members of those passengers to provide support. Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with our affected passengers and their families at this very difficult time."Two people have been arrested after leaving their friend to die in a car crash in Melbourne's north on Friday.

Emergency services were called to the scene in Wollert outside Epping about 6am after a passerby found a Subaru Impreza smashed into a pole with one man in the backseat still clinging to life.

Paramedics tried to save the man who had been wearing a seatbelt but he suffered severe injuries and died at the scene on Bindts Road.

On Sunday police announced three arrests in relation to the crash.Four West Australian family day care centres had their licenses cancelled or suspended last year for using fraudulent means to obtain federal funding or other issues.

A-Z Family Day Care Provider in Malaga, Alpha & Omega Family Day Care in Girrawheen, Smartgen Family Day Care in Malaga and Daryel Family Day Care in Osborne Park all had their license to operate cancelled or suspended in 2017.

Four Perth day cares had their licences cancelled or suspended last year. Credit:Peter Braig

Across the businesses, it's understood operators tried to obtain fee reductions or Child Care Benefit payments by way of fraud, or failed to comply with other regulations set down by the WA government.

Daryel Family Day Care, which was operated by Somali migrant Ladan Dahir Hassan, had its license immediately suspended on January 3 last year after an investigation uncovered Mr Hassan had paid several educators for work when they were actually on holidays at the time.A Perth man has been slapped with an eight month driving ban and a hefty fine after he was charged by WA Police for tailgating an ambulance near Rockingham over two years ago.

The 37-year-old man was charged with the incident back in November 2015, but it is understood he was only officially penalised on Thursday.

The man was fined for the offence. Credit:Hannah Barry

WA Police said the man tailgated the ambulance while it was travelling priority with a critical patient on board.

The court heard the ambulance had been travelling over 100km/hr at the time of the incident, and police said the man did not know the patient onboard.Balinese and Australian authorities are investigating after the body of a Perth father was discovered in a hotel room in Bali on Saturday evening.

Clinton James Dally, 36, was found dead in his room at Matahari Bungalow in Kuta yesterday at about 1.45pm local time.

Clinton Dally has died while holidaying in Bali. Credit:Facebook

As local investigators attempt to understand the circumstances surrounding Mr Dally's death, Balinese police told reporters Mr Dally checked into the hotel with his Balinese girlfriend on Friday.

After landing at the popular tourist destination, Mr Dally had a few beers with his partner, 29.Rome: Eight people have died, 84 have been rescued and dozens are still missing in the first deadly incident of 2018 concerning migrants in the Mediterranean Sea.

The migrants were spotted early on Saturday on a dinghy that got into trouble off the coast of Libya, the Italian coastguard said in a statement, adding that the Italian navy also helped with their rescue.

The coast guard said the migrants had been spotted by a plane patrolling the sea.

"The 2018 tally for the drowned begins," Proactiva Open Arms, a migrant rescue charity, wrote on Twitter, adding "dozens" other passengers will never be found.Bangkok: Malaysia's 92-year-old former long-serving prime minster Mahathir Mohamad has been named to lead opposition parties into one of his country's most bitterly fought elections since independence.

Authorities in Kuala Lumpur have also announced that former popular opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim will be released from jail on June 8, opening the way for him to be possibly pardoned and eventually become prime minister.

Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia's 92-year-old former prime minister. Credit:Bloomberg

Long-time arch enemies Mahathir and Anwar have come together in a stunning turnaround from years of bitter feuding that shaped Malaysia's political landscape for almost two decades.

The pair are seen as the biggest threat for Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is engulfed in a multi-billion dollar corruption scandal.But there is a short list of people in or near Trump's inner circle who have voiced doubts about his competence, or who have been reported to have done so, even if some denied it later. 'Devolving' At the top of the list is Republican Senator Bob Corker who in 2016 was considered a front-runner to become Trump's running mate, and later was a candidate for secretary of state, according to CNN. As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he called Trump's foreign policy ideas "very thoughtful," and even met with the candidate in May. Senator Bob Corker. But Corker's high opinion did not survive the first year of Trump's presidency.

He called reports that Trump had blurted out state secrets to Russia "worrisome" in May, as CNN noted. A few months later, Trump appeared to praise marchers at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, and Corker used the S word: "The President has not yet been able to demonstrate the stability nor some of the competence that he needs to demonstrate to be successful," he said in August. His words shocked some in Washington. As the New York Times notes, Republican senators had called Trump unstable before - but they did so when they were running against him in the GOP primary. Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican, called Trump a "kook" in 2016, for example, but now chides others for doing the same. And yet Corker has shown no sign of improving his opinion on Trump. In October, he called the White House "an adult day care center" on Twitter, and told reporters: "I've seen no evolution in an upward way. As a matter of fact, it seems to me it's almost devolving." 'Outside the realm of normal'

Barely two months into his presidency, Trump accused former president Barack Obama of wiretapping him during the election. Trump has offered no evidence, and among those disturbed by the claim was his FBI director, James Comey, according to the New York Times. Comey told associates that Trump was "outside the realm of normal," the Times reported, and "crazy." The president fired him a few weeks later. Former FBI director James Comey, called Trump 'crazy'. Credit:AP The former FBI director has not commented publicly on his opinion of Trump's mental capacity. But Comey didn't trust Trump, he later testified, and took notes on every conversation he had with him in case the President turned out to be a liar.

'Moron' Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was so frustrated with Trump by the summer that he insulted the President in front of other cabinet officials, according to NBC News, and called him a "moron." A spokeswoman for the State Department denied that Tillerson used the word, but the secretary initially did not. Instead, Tillerson refused to "dignify" questions from CNN about his alleged remark, and called Trump "the most unique president we have ever seen in modern history." Credit:MARY ALTAFFER Months later - on Friday, hours before Trump tweeted about his mental abilities - Tillerson denied calling him a moron.

"I've never questioned his mental fitness," he told CNN. "I have no reason to question his mental fitness." 'I'm worried' While it wasn't intended to be public, a conversation last summer between Republican Senator Susan Collins, and Democrat Senator Jack Reed, ended up in the news after someone left a microphone switched on after a subcommittee hearing. The two senators were complaining about the budget process and Trump's ignorance of governance, as The Washington Post wrote at the time. Democrat Jack Reed also said he thought Trump was 'crazy'. Credit:New York Times

"I think - I think he's crazy," Reed said. "I mean, I don't say that lightly and as a kind of a goofy guy." "I'm worried," Collins replied. 'Crazy... but he's a genius' As we said, it's a short list. Others have said far worse about Trump's mental abilities, but they had obvious political motivations. Hillary Clinton called him "dangerously incoherent," for example, before he beat her in the presidential election.Jaipur, Jan 7 (PTI) BJP general-secretary Arun Singh today demanded an apology from Congress leader Ashok Gehlot for "misleading" the public over re-laying of the foundation stone of Barmer oil refinery by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Former Rajasthan chief minister Gehlot yesterday questioned the rationale behind re-laying the foundation stone of the refinery, which was already done by Sonia Gandhi in 2013.

"The prime ministers proposed visit on January 16 for the foundation-laying ceremony is unfortunate," Gehlot had said.

However, Singh, during a visit to the partys state headquarters in Jaipur, iterated that the Vasundhara Raje governments decision to sign a new MoU last year on the project was a good move, as it saved public money to the tune of Rs 40,000 crore.

Gehlot should appreciate the chief minister for this, Singh added. PTI SDA HMB ABHJerusalem: Members of 20 international organisations that promote a boycott campaign of Israel, known collectively as the BDS movement, will be banned from entering the country, according to a list published Sunday by the Ministry of Strategic Affairs.

The list was created after Israel's parliament in March approved legislation that would deny entry visas to foreign nationals who publicly back or call for any kind of boycott - economic, cultural or academic - of Israel or its West Bank settlements.

Jewish Voice for Peace members gather on Hanukkah to challenge Islamophobia and fight against racism, in Durham, NC. Credit:AP

BDS, which stands for ''boycott, divest and sanctions," aims to pressure Israel into complying with international law vis-a-vis its policies toward the Palestinians. The movement discourages the purchase of Israeli goods, pressures international companies not to conduct business in Israel and urges celebrities not to visit or perform in the country.

The Israeli government increasingly views the BDS campaign as a threat and has ramped up the fight against what it calls delegitimisation efforts.Riyadh and Dubai: Saudi Arabian authorities have detained 11 princes after they gathered at a royal palace in Riyadh in a rare protest against the government suspending payment of their utility bills, the public prosecutor says.

Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, has introduced reforms that include reducing energy subsidies, introducing value-added tax and cutting some perks to royal family members to try to cope with a drop in crude prices that caused a budget deficit in 2018.

The princes gathered on Thursday at Qasr al-Hokm palace demanding the cancellation of a recent decree that halted state payment of water and electricity bills for royal family members and seeking compensation for a death sentence implemented in 2016 against one of their cousins, Prince Turki bin Saud al-Kabeer.

"Despite being informed that their demands are not lawful, the 11 princes refused to leave the area, disrupting public peace and order. Members of a security services stepped in to restore order and the princes were arrested," the public prosecutor's statement said, without identifying the princes.Washington: Stephen K. Bannon, President Donald Trump's former chief strategist, expressed regret on Sunday after an uproar over comments he made to Michael Wolff, the author of Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House. In the book, Bannon is quoted as saying that a 2016 meeting in Trump Tower involving Donald Trump Jr. and a small group of Russians was "treasonous" and "unpatriotic."

Former presidential strategist Steve Bannon Credit:Brynn Anderson

Following is the full statement that Bannon sent to The New York Times.

"Donald Trump Jr. is both a patriot and a good man. He has been relentless in his advocacy for his father and the agenda that has helped turn our country around.

"My support is also unwavering for the president and his agenda  as I have shown daily in my national radio broadcasts, on the pages of Breitbart News and in speeches and appearances from Tokyo and Hong Kong to Arizona and Alabama. President Trump was the only candidate that could have taken on and defeated the Clinton apparatus. I am the only person to date to conduct a global effort to preach the message of Trump and Trumpism, and I remain ready to stand in the breech for this president's efforts to make America great again.Nagpur, Jan 6 (PTI) BJP MLA Ashish Deshmukh today said he would be touring all 62 Assembly constituencies of Vidarbha region as part of his "Vidarbha Aatmabal Yatra" from January 6 to February 13.

Deshmukh said that the initiative was to find out the views of the people of Vidarbha on separate statehood for the region.

The legislator from Katol said that farmers in Vidarbha were under acute distress and the rate of suicides among them had increased in the past three years.

He added that unemployement among youth in the region was also a cause of worry and said he feared they too would follow in the footsteps of distressed farmers and begin committing suicide.

Emphasising that statehood for Vidarbha could be an answer to these woes, Deshmukh said his tour would cover all 62 Assembly constituencies in two phases starting from Deekshabhoomi here on Sunday.

When asked whether Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had failed to live upto expectations, Deshmukh said the CM was making honest efforts.

He added that he strongly felt the Union budget to be presented in February would be farmer-friendly and would include assurances made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to farmers in 2014. PTI CLSi BNMNew York, Jan 7, 2018 (SPS) - United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed concerns over the recent tension in the buffer strip of Al Guerguerat, calling on Morocco and Polisario Front for restraint.

"The Secretary General is deeply concerned over rising tensions near al Guerguerat, in the buffer strip in southern Western Sahara, between the Moroccan sand wall and the Mauritanian border," said UN deputy spokesperson, Farhan Haq.

The UN chief underlined that the withdrawal of Polisario Front and Morocco units from this area in 2017 "was critical to creating an environment conductive to the resumption of dialogue under the auspices of his Personal Envoy Horst Kohler," Haq added.

Guterres has called on the two parties to "exercise maximum restraint" and to avoid escalating tensions as well as any action, which may constitute a change to the status quo of the buffer strip. (SPS)

062/SPS/APSIf youre doing it right, entrepreneurship will never get easier, no matter what you accomplish. There will always be new challenges to tackle. Mark Zuckerbergs 2018 New Years challenge is proof of that.

As is his tradition, the Facebook co-founder yesterday shared his New Years resolution on the platform. In 2015, Zuckerberg said he would be reading a new book every other week. 2016 saw him building an AI program to run his home. In 2017, Zuckerberg hit the road on his own version of a listening tour as he traveled to the American states he had yet to visit.

But if his 2017 resolution was a response to, as Zuckerberg characterized it, the tumultuous nature of 2016, it seems that his 2018 challenge is meant to reckon with Facebooks role in contributing to that general feeling. Consider also that 2017 saw both increased scrutiny of Facebooks moderation practices and its general counsel -- along with counterparts at Twitter and Google -- testify before Congress about how the tech platform was used by Russian actors to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election.

Related: Facebook's Content Moderation Rules Are Both Careful and Shocking

In his post, Zuckerberg reflects back on when he started issuing these challenges to himself in 2009. He recalls the difficulties of growing a not yet profitable Facebook in the midst of recession. So heavy did the concerns weigh on him that the then 25-year-old CEO traded in his hoodie for a tie every day. Zuckerberg noted that 2018 feels much like the early days of the company, in that there is still much work to be done, albeit for slightly different reasons.

Whether it's protecting our community from abuse and hate, defending against interference by nation states, or making sure that time spent on Facebook is time well spent, he wrote. My personal challenge for 2018 is to focus on fixing these important issues. We won't prevent all mistakes or abuse, but we currently make too many errors enforcing our policies and preventing misuse of our tools. If we're successful this year then we'll end 2018 on a much better trajectory. This may not seem like a personal challenge on its face, but I think I'll learn more by focusing intensely on these issues than I would by doing something completely separate.

Related: 21 Weird Things You Didn't Know About Mark Zuckerberg

At the beginning of 2009, Facebook had 150 million active users. As of the end of June 2017, the company had reached the 2 billion mark. If Zuckerberg has his way, that number will only continue to grow. There is no doubt that Facebook is a global force and the events of 2016 and 2017 only served to throw that into sharper relief. But it seems that in order to move forward, Zuckerberg is recentering the companys original mission in his efforts to take on the new challenges ahead, and prevent those challenges from affecting the company's bottom line.

Check out Zuckerbergs full post below.

Related:

Mark Zuckerberg's 2018 Resolution Reveals an Essential Truth About Entrepreneurship

Lo que Zuckerberg ha aprendido de sus propositos de Ano Nuevo

What Do Elon Musk, Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffett and Other Business Titans Have on Their Desks?



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved



This article originally appeared on entrepreneur.com

Los Angeles, Jan 7 (PTI) Hollywood star Brad Pitt offered to pay USD 120,000 to watch an episode of "Game of Thrones" with Emilia Clarke.

The 54-year-old actor, however, was outbid during a silent auction at Sean Penns annual gala for Haiti, held at Milk Studios in California, reported Variety.

During the charity gala, the auctioneer announced the opportunity to watch an episode with Clarke, who was in attendance at the event, along with her "Game of Thrones" co- star Kit Harington.

The auction to watch the episode with Clarke started at USD 20,000.

Pitt bid USD 80,000 to watch an episode of of the epic fantasy drama with Clarke. Then he outbid himself to USD 90,000. When Harington offered to also sit in on the episode viewing, Pitt raised his own bid to USD 120,000.

The actor was outbid by a gala-goer who ended the auction at USD 160,000.

The charity event to benefit the J/P HRO & Disaster Relief Organizations, hosted by Penn, CAAs Bryan Lourd and Sean and Alexandra Parker, also honoured Leonardo DiCaprio for his work combating climate change. PTI SHD SHDNew Delhi, Jan 7 (PTI) Captive breeding of the Tibetan Antelope - hunted for their underfur - will neither serve the purpose of conservation nor provide raw material for weavers as they have to be killed to collect wool for making shahtoosh shawls, the Environment ministry has told a parliamentary panel.

The ministrys assertion came after the panel recommended that Tibetan Antelope or chiru goats should be conserved and bred and vast tract of land should be utilised for it to provide sustainable livelihood for people of Jammu and Kashmir, which has been a "conflict region for long".

The ministry noted that China failed to keep Chiru in captivity due to its poor survival rates after the department related parliamentary standing committee on science and technology, environment and forest mentioned that China and Mongolia were breeding the goats.

The animal has long been hunted for their underfur shahtoosh, which is renowned for its quality and has traditionally been transported to Srinagar, where it is woven into an extremely fine fabric used to make shawls.

However, it takes 3-5 hides to make a single shawl, and the wool cannot be sheared or combed, so to collect the fur the animals have to be killed.

"Captive rearing of Chiru or Tibetan antelope will neither serve the purpose of conservation nor can provide raw material for weavers as these animals cannot be bred in captivity and animals have to be killed to collect their wool to make the shawls," the Ministry said in its action taken report to the panel chaired by Congress leader Anand Sharma.

Trade in shahtoosh shawl is banned.

The Ministry said chiru is assessed as ?Near Threatened? by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN 2017), because the current status can only be maintained with continued high levels of protection in its natural range and strict controls on trade and manufacture of the shawls made from its underfur.

Any relaxation in the protection regime is predicted to result in a rapid population decline due to commercial poaching.

The Ministry said there have been representations from weavers and traders in J&K for the removal of ban on trade in shatoosh through amendments in the Wildlife Acts of India, J&K State, China, and the CITES in order to benefit Shatoosh weaving industry in Kashmir.

Chiru inhabits high altitude Tibetan Plateau and requires large expanse of land for its movement and ranging patterns to fulfil its feeding and breeding requirements and therefore rearing in captivity is extremely difficult, it said.

The quality of wool depends on the cold and harsh climatic factors operating at high altitudes (3,800 m up to 5,500 m) where this animal occurs in nature.

"It therefore, may not serve the purpose, if it is kept in captivity below this altitude. As per unconfirmed reports, the Chinese failed to keep Chiru in captivity due to its poor survival rates.

"Any attempt to do conservation breeding of chiru at very high altitude regions of Ladakh (> 3800m) may neither be economical nor feasible as humans cannot be posted there continuously for more than 2-3 months to manage the resources due to high rate of casualties," the ministry said.

Prior to the assessment of the technical feasibility and economic viability of captive rearing or farming of Chiru by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the issues dealing with the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 will have to be examined first as Chiru is listed under Schedule- I.

The panel in one of its reports earlier had recommended that the ministry should conserve and breed the chiru goat and vast tract of land should be utilized for conserving them.

"These goats can then be given to shawl makers for collecting hair. This would not only increase the number of these goats but would also add to the sustainable livelihood opportunities of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, who are a lot dependent on the handicraft of embroidered shawls," the committee had earlier said.

The committee had said it understands that China and Mongolia are breeding chiru goats and Mongolia is known for its finest wool.

"The Committee feels that livelihood opportunities are very low for the people of Jammu and Kashmir because of the extreme climatic conditions there and shawl-making contributes a lot towards sustainable livelihoods of these people," it had said. PTI TDS DVThe Chandigarh Press Club has criticised Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) for having registered an FIR in the alleged data theft case reported by a Chandigarh-based English daily The Tribune on January 3 against the newspaper and its Jalandhar-based reporter Rachna Khaira.

The Press Club also announced that it will stage a protest march till Governor House and will submit a memorandum against the authority. "This is condemnable as the government is now targeting the fourth estate. Journalists are now being made a soft target and the Governing Council of Chandigarh Press Club in an emergent meeting has decided to organise a protest against the decision on Monday afternoon. The journalist will form a human chain and will march upto the Governor House and will submit him a memorandum," said Chandigarh Press Club president Jaswant Rana.

When contacted The Tribune staffers said they stand by their story and also criticised the UIDAI authorities for targeting the daily after it published a story 'Rs 500, 10 minutes, and you have access to billion Aadhaar details ' claiming that the Aadhaar data was unsafe and it was on sale for a few hundred rupees.

"See this is a classic case of shooting the messenger than acting against the culprits. The entire journalistic fraternity is against the UIDAI decision and we stand by our story," said The Tribune bureau chief Amarjit Thind.

The daily on January 3 had claimed that its reporter purchased an Aadhaar data service being offered by anonymous sellers on WhatsApp which provided unrestricted access to the details of more than one billion Aadhaar numbers.

The UIDAI had denied the allegations and its Chandigarh-based regional office had also filed a complaint with the Cyber Cell of Mohali, Punjab Police.

"We have received a complaint which is being examined. Further action will be taken after the investigation is over," AIG, Cyber Cell, Punjab Police H S Maan told India Today.

However, the Delhi Police, on the basis of a complaint filed by the UIDAI, has registered a case against the daily, its reporter and three other accused, including Raj, Sunil Kumar and Anil Kumar, whose names were mentioned in the story under IPC Sections 419 (Punishment for Cheating by impersonation), 420 (cheating),468 (forgery) and 471 (forged documents) besides the Section 66 of IT Act and Section 36 and 37 of Aadhaar Act.Hitting out at the Narendra Modi government for its handling of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir former Union Home Minister has stirred up a fresh controversy on the issue.

Writing in a national daily today, P Chidambaram termed Kashmir issue as "a long-pending dispute concerning accession", a stand that even his own party, the Congress may dissociate from.

Chidambaram said that "the hard, muscular, militaristic approach" of the Narendra Modi government in dealing with terrorism in Kashmir Valley failed to yield any positive results.

Quoting figures from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Chidambaram said that the muscular approach of the government in Kashmir Valley caused more loss lives of civilians and jawans in 2017. The figures also show rise in casualties among the terrorists.

Chidambaram also agreed that "infiltration and militancy, supported by Pakistan, have caused turmoil" in Jammu and Kashmir. But, then he said, "It would be wrong to think that the issue is infiltration and militancy."

"Infiltration and militancy are the consequences of the issue. The issue is the long-pending dispute concerning the accession of Kashmir," Chidambaram said.

Questioning Narendra Modi government's stand of having no talks with Pakistan until cross-border terrorism stops in Kashmir or with those demanding aazaadi, Chidambaram said, "Four wars have been fought over the issue. No purpose will be served by pretending that there is no issue or there is no dispute between India and Pakistan."

He also termed the appointment of former Intelligence Bureau chief Dineshwar Sharma as Special Representative for holding talks with all factions of Kashmiri leadership "a pre-election gimmick" on the eve of Gujarat polls.

Chidambaram said that the Modi government was not keen on finding a solution to Kashmir issue while praising the efforts taken by Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh governments in the past.

He said, "The fault of the present government is that it does not seem to want a solution; it is not making a diligent effort to seek a solution; and by shutting the door on talks with all the stakeholders, it has foreclosed a solution in the near future."

"The way forward is to invite all stakeholders for talks," Chidambaram said while demanding dismissal of the Mehbooba Mufti government of Jammu and Kashmir.

Chidambaram prescribed a solution saying that the Centre should "promulgate Governor's Rule in the state...announce that the Central government will hold talks with all stakeholders...appoint interlocutors to pave the way for talks...Reduce the presence of the Army and para-military in the Kashmir Valley and hand over the task of maintaining law and order to the state police..."

ALSO WATCH | Chidambaram calls Kashmir issue a long-pending dispute concerning accessionBy Lalit K Jha

Washington, Jan 7 (PTI) China could play a "helpful role" in convincing Pakistan that it is in its national interest to crackdown on terror safe havens, a senior White House official has said.

The official said China shares some of the concerns of the US about the terror issue in Pakistan and Washington is seeking to work with Beijing and other regional players to convince Islamabad about the need to crackdown on terror groups.

The official said that dismantling terrorist safe havens in Pakistan is key to bring stability in Afghanistan and in the region.

"Pakistan already has deep historical ties with China going back to many years and they have close military ties. The economic relationship is also growing due to China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)," the senior administration official said on condition of anonymity.

"But, China shares some of the concerns of the US about the terrorism problem. The US is seeking to work with other regional players and China would be one of the main ones to deal with this issue. It wont serve Chinas interests to have terrorist sanctuaries in Pakistan," the official said.

The official was quick to point out that China has been playing a more helpful role in terms of encouraging better relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan. "It is taking a more active role in this regard."

"So, I would disagree with the assertion that China will not play a helpful role in convincing Pakistan it is in its own interest to crack down on the terror sanctuaries," the official told a group of reporters on Friday.

"Ultimately, China is also working towards a stable Afghanistan. Thats going to take them back to the same issue which are the sanctuaries in Pakistan," the official said.

China-Pakistan relationship is already very strong and appeared unconcerned over reports that the US decision to freeze approximately USD 2 billion in security assistance to Pakistan would push Islamabad towards Beijing, the official added.

"That relationship is already very very strong. But what we have seen is an interest by Pakistan in having a strong relationship with both the US and China. So thats one issue. And the second issue is that China is also concerned about terrorism and extremism in South Asia," the official said.

Noting that China has taken a more active role in trying to help stabilise Afghanistan, trying to improve relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, the official said the US believes that China is also interested in stability in Pakistan and also for the China Pakistan Economic Corridor.

"Ultimately if they want to see stability in the region, and I think they do, they also will have an interest in seeing Pakistan crack down on the Haqqani and Taliban network," the senior administration official said.

The Trump administration has suspended about USD 2 billion in security aid to Pakistan for failing to clamp down on the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network terror groups and dismantle their safe havens.

The freezing of all security assistance to Pakistan comes after President Trump in a New Years Day tweet accused the country of giving nothing to the US but "lies and deceit" and providing "safe haven" to terrorists in return for USD 33 billion aid over the last 15 years. PTI LKJ AJR PMSNigel Hailey, Warwickshire Scout County Commissioner, Ifan Mulligan, Pillerton Beaver Scout, Paul Mulligan, Pillerton Scout Group chairman, Kerry McCann, Warwickshire Scout County chairperson, and Tim Cox, the Lord-Lieutenant of Warwickshire. (Submitted photo)

PILLERTON Scout Group has won an award for its healthy membership  just 18 months after being formed.

The group has been presented with the Growth Award at Warwickshire County Scouts annual Strategic Objective Awards.

The group  until last month Warwickshires newest Scout group  was set up by a group of parents in Ettington and held its first meeting in March last year.

Now it has over 60 boys and girls in its Beavers, Cubs and Scouts, with more on the waiting list.

There are also 16 leaders with a full executive committee, and a group of five dedicated fundraisers who have organised events that have so far generated around 6,000.

They also have had sponsorship from Wellesbourne Lions, Shipston Rotary Club and Ettington Village Shop.

They are also vying for votes as they bid for money from Tesco at its stores at the Maybird Centre and Banbury Road, and count well-known polar explorer, Mark Wood, who lives in Ettington, as a supporter through his ambassadorial role with the Scouts UK.

Until last week Pillerton Scouts was the newest in the county, when a group opened in North Warwickshire.

Group leader, Colette Inman, said: We were really, really pleased to win the award. The Scout Association is really pushing for growth.

Its a pat on the back for all the people who have worked so hard to get the group up and running in such a short space of time, and to their hard work in keeping the group going.

Anyone interested in joining the group or volunteering should e-mail gsl@pillertonscoutgroup.org.ukDarjeeling (WB), Jan 7 (PTI) Officials of a college community radio in Darjeeling today set out on an Indo-Nepal Friendship Tour, with a team of radio jockeys visiting seven institutions in the Himalayan nation.

The week-long tour, essentially a roadshow on car, is managed by the alumni of Salesian College Sonada (SCS) here, and marks its 80th year celebrations, as well as the 25th year of the Don Bosco Society, Nepal.

The event also marks the first anniversary of Radio Salesian - considered to be the first college radio in Bengal and the entire North East India.

The journey began this morning from Sonada, passing through the Indo-Nepal Kakrabitta border near Siliguri and proceeded to Dharan from where the Don Bosco Centre, Nepal, took over and reached Kathmandu in West Nepal.

The team members include station director and SCS vice-principal Prof C M Paul, along with programme coordinator and radio jockey Samir Chhetri, senior radio jockey Sagar Rai and driver Kabi Rai.

"The programme will consist of visiting Don Bosco institutions, as well as plus-two (senior secondary) schools along the way (Kakrabitta, Birtamod, Dharan, Biratnagar, Ithari and Kathmandu) to promote higher education in Salesian College, Darjeeling and the Siliguri campus," said Paul.

Chhetri added, "We will also make radio programmmes on 25 years of Nepal Don Bosco Society and interact with community radio stations, especially in Dharan - the cradle of Don Bosco Society in Nepal."

The Nepal Don Bosco Society began in 1992 with the Dharan centre, in eastern Nepal, initiated by the late Fr George Alakulam, who ventured out from Don Bosco School, Mirik.

The Salesians then reached Sirsia (1996), followed by the capital, Kathmandu, with two centres - in Lubhu, established in 1996, and Thecho in 2001 ? after which came Baroul and Chakkarghatty (2014) in East Nepal.

This was followed by Biratnagar in 2017, and the total of seven houses are managed by 18 Salesians from various states across India.

The Society is engaged in a variety of ministries (activities) dedicated to the countrys young people. PTI AKB JM RBTClick the image above to watch the video

A little blue penguin has been found with only one flipper.

The young adult was brought into Taurangas ARRC Trust by the Western Bay Wildlife Trust after being found injured.

His flipper is broken off at the humerus, says ARRC Trust Director and Veterinarian Dr Liza Schneider. And hes also missing one and a half toes. These injuries would likely be due to a bite of some kind. Either a shark or a dog, or if he was really unlucky he could have got caught in a boats propellers.

Staff at the ARRC Trust are amazed that the bird is still in good condition, able to walk and feeding enthusiastically.

The incredible thing is that these injuries are at least a couple of weeks old. This little guy is so bright and hes got decent body condition. And hes just come through a moult.

Little blue penguins tend to stay on land and not feed during moulting. Theyve usually already put on more body condition ahead of the moult, and rely on their reserves to get them through that period.

ARRC frequently tends to these injured birds and they often need to be humanely euthanized due to their extensive injuries, says Liza. The tenacity and resilience of this bird is just unbelievable. Usually with this type of injury it would be impossible for them to survive in the wild. He cant swim with one flipper. The only hope for this guy would be in a captive situation.

Dr Liza Schneider with the little blue penguin with one flipper at The ARRC Trust

Were had lots of penguins coming through. The bad weather has made a whole lot of trouble out there. Baby birds get blown out of the nests and the rough seas have created havoc for seabirds.

ARRC Trust is looking for a home for the penguin in a NZ zoo, as it would be unable to survive back in its natural environment.

We hope that one day there will be a facility in Tauranga to provide a home for a bird such as this, says Liza, as it would serve as a wonderful educational opportunity to encourage people to respect and revere our natural heritage.

The little blue penguin is a NZ native bird with their population at risk of declining, particularly in areas where they are under threat from predators such as dogs, cats, ferrets and stoats. The smallest of the worlds penguins, they have found their home on Mauao, Moturiki Island and Motuotau Island. Many locals and visitors are surprised to hear there are so many nesting locally in burrows close to the Mount Main beach.

Locally the little blue penguin population was unknown until the Rena Oil Spill crisis. Three hundred and fifty oiled penguins  mostly from Mauao, Moturiki and Motuotau, were caught, cleaned and released back into their original environment after the rocks were cleared of oil. It was during this time that it was realised that the local population was much larger than previously imagined. An estimated 800 nest on Mauao, 200 on Moturiki and 400 on Motuotau.

Little blue penguins moult between November and March, usually for about two weeks. During this time, they will remain on land as their feathers change. Western Bay Wildlife Trust and ARRC Wildlife Trust work together to help increase awareness in the Western Bay of Plenty community about the penguins and other local wildlife.

The beach areas close to the nesting sites are kept clear of dogs, as their scent may increase anxiety amongst the penguins. Pilot Bay, all of Mauao, Mount Main beach and Moturiki Island are all dog-free zones.

Little blue penguins however can come ashore at any site along the coastal area, so it is very important for people to keep their dogs on leads to ensure that they dont attack penguins or destroy their nests. The storm is a particular risk time as birds can become very exhausted dealing with the climatic conditions.

Western Bay Wildlife Trust have posted to their Facebook page this week the following:

MESSAGE TO DOG OWNERS and BEACH WALKERS: Please be aware that lots of exhausted penguins and other birds are washing up on our beach at the moment due to this storm. If there is no sign of injury please leave them alone as they just need a rest. PLEASE Please please please keep dogs away from the beach, or on a lead, for the next 48 hours to allow these birds time to rest and gain their energy back. They cannot fly away or defend themselves at this time. Thank you so much for your cooperation.

Anyone coming across a penguin with an injury is asked to phone 0800 SICK PENGUIN (0800 742 573) immediately.

X-rays can be taken of little blue penguins and other wildllife at the ARRC Trust.Darjeeling (WB), Jan 7 (PTI) Officials of a college community radio in Darjeeling today set out on an Indo-Nepal Friendship Tour, with a team of radio jockeys visiting seven institutions in the Himalayan nation.

The week-long tour, essentially a roadshow on car, is managed by the alumni of Salesian College Sonada (SCS) here, and marks its 80th year celebrations, as well as the 25th year of the Don Bosco Society, Nepal.

The event also marks the first anniversary of Radio Salesian - considered to be the first college radio in Bengal and the entire North East India.

The journey began this morning from Sonada, passing through the Indo-Nepal Kakrabitta border near Siliguri and proceeded to Dharan from where the Don Bosco Centre, Nepal, took over and reached Kathmandu in West Nepal.

The team members include station director and SCS vice-principal Prof C M Paul, along with programme coordinator and radio jockey Samir Chhetri, senior radio jockey Sagar Rai and driver Kabi Rai.

"The programme will consist of visiting Don Bosco institutions, as well as plus-two (senior secondary) schools along the way (Kakrabitta, Birtamod, Dharan, Biratnagar, Ithari and Kathmandu) to promote higher education in Salesian College, Darjeeling and the Siliguri campus," said Paul.

Chhetri added, "We will also make radio programmmes on 25 years of Nepal Don Bosco Society and interact with community radio stations, especially in Dharan - the cradle of Don Bosco Society in Nepal."

The Nepal Don Bosco Society began in 1992 with the Dharan centre, in eastern Nepal, initiated by the late Fr George Alakulam, who ventured out from Don Bosco School, Mirik.

The Salesians then reached Sirsia (1996), followed by the capital, Kathmandu, with two centres - in Lubhu, established in 1996, and Thecho in 2001 ? after which came Baroul and Chakkarghatty (2014) in East Nepal.

This was followed by Biratnagar in 2017, and the total of seven houses are managed by 18 Salesians from various states across India.

The Society is engaged in a variety of ministries (activities) dedicated to the countrys young people. PTI AKB JM RBT KKBLIVERPOOL, N.Y. -- A house fire in Liverpool that claimed a dog's life Saturday night was caused by faulty wiring, police said.

Neighbors reported seeing flames in the back of the house at 205 Norwood Avenue just after 7 p.m., Saturday, said Sgt. Jon Seeber, spokesman for the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office.

The homeowners were not home at the time of the fire, Seeber said. The fire was extinguished in about an hour, he said.

Investigators determined issues with the home's wiring sparked the blaze, Seeber said.

The American Red Cross said it was assisting five residents who were displaced by the fire.

The Red Cross said it also helped a family of four that was displaced in a separate fire in Liverpool on Pleasant View Drive last night.CICERO, N.Y. -- The pedestrian hit by a car on Interstate 81 in Cicero early Saturday morning has died, police said.

The man was struck by a car around 4:40 a.m. on I-81 south, said Sgt. Jon Seeber, spokesman for the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office.

Brewerton Ambulance rushed the victim to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse. He was pronounced dead at the hospital a short time later, Seeber said.

Deputies initially investigated why the man was on the highway.

"Unfortunately our investigation revealed that the victim committed suicide," Seeber said.

Police have not released the identities of the people involved in the crash.

The driver of the vehicle that struck the man was not injured, Seeber said.

I-81 south was closed for about four hours at Bartel Road as police investigated the crash.

Members of the New York State Police, Cicero Police Department and Brewerton Fire Department also responded to the crash.

Public Affairs Reporter Julie McMahon covers courts, government and other issues affecting taxpayers. She can be reached anytime: Email | Twitter | 315-412-1992When Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants something done, it gets done. Cuomo drove the $3.8 billion, 3.1-mile replacement for the Tappan Zee Bridge from concept to completion in seven years. The governor boasted that his leadership ended a decade of talking about it. He got it done.



On Wednesday, Cuomo announced yet another wrinkle in the Interstate 81 planning process that will push a decision on the highway's future into 2019. It's another frustrating development in a process that already has gone on for 10 years.



Why isn't there more urgency? Replacing the 1.4-mile viaduct through downtown is only the most potentially transformative project to hit this city since the interstate was built 50 years ago.



We've only been talking about it since 2008, and planning it in earnest since 2013. The viaduct was forecast to reach the end of its useful life in 2017. The longer it stands, the more it will deteriorate, the more maintenance it will require and the greater the temptation will be to simply drop the whole project. That would be a travesty.



We certainly don't advocate a rash decision - but this never-ending loop of study, debate and more study is wearing thin.



The New York State Department of Transportation was on track to have a plan for I-81 last year. The years of study and discussion led the agency to recommend two options: building a bigger, safer viaduct or improving city streets ("the community grid") to handle local traffic while sending through traffic around the city along Interstate 481. NYSDOT engineers rejected the idea of building a high-speed tunnel as too expensive and disruptive.



In January 2017, congressional, state and local legislators and powerful business interests prevailed on Cuomo to commission an independent study to see if a tunnel was feasible. Yet another year went by. The tunnel study came out in December. Sure enough, a tunnel is feasible. It also is costly (up to $4.5 billion) and disruptive (a 10-year construction timeline).



Wednesday, in his State of the State speech, the governor ordered NYSDOT to include a tunnel in an environmental study of I-81 project alternatives. Hearts sank in Syracuse. It now will be 2019 before we get a decision on I-81, pushing the start of construction into 2020, at the earliest, with a potential completion date of 2030.



The need to replace this critical segment of I-81 has coincided with Syracuse's progress in reviving its economic engine. Whatever the speed bump is, resulting in yet more study and debate over the roadmap to progress, we say, step on the gas. The city is ready to exit from this circuitous examination and re-examination and move forward with this key artery through the heart of Central New York.

Syracuse.com editorials

Editorials represent the collective opinion of the Advance Media New York editorial board. Our opinions are independent of news coverage. Read our

Members of the editorial board are Tim Kennedy, Stephen Cvengros, Stephen Rogers, Christine Loman and Marie Morelli.

To respond to this editorial: Post a comment below, or submit a letter or commentary to

. Read our

If you have questions about the Opinions & Editorials section, contact Marie Morelli, editorial/opinion leader, atThe first week of 2018 was pretty much like every week of 2017: a barrage of news by, for and about President Donald Trump.

The president's former adviser Stephen Bannon provided some incendiary quotes to the Michael Wolff White House tell-all, "Fire and Fury." Trump reacted with fury, saying his fired aide had "lost his mind."

That followed an exchange between North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un and Trump about their respective nuclear buttons, further raising tensions.

And then there was the weather: cold and snow in the South and a "bomb cyclone" in the Northeast.

Other topics in the cartoons include protests in Iran; a federal crackdown in states that legalized marijuana; and Mitt Romney's potential return to politics in Utah, now that Sen. Orrin Hatch has announced his retirement.

Cartoons were drawn by Chan Lowe, Dan Wasserman, Dana Summers, Drew Sheneman, Walt Handelsman, David Horsey and Phil Hands of Tribune Content Agency; Tim Campbell, Mike Lester and Darrin Bell of the Washington Post Writers Group; and Tom Toles of Andrews McMeel Syndication.Lasting legacy built by butter

As thousands of Iowans and visitors returned to the Iowa State Fair this year, so has the famous Butter Cow sculpture created by artist and ...Due to allegations of wrongdoings in areas such as procurement of horses from abroad and visit of officials, Gen Bipin Rawat's predecessor had not taken the charge of the association.

Taking a tough stand against corruption, Union defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman has recommended a CBI probe in to the allegations of financial and other charges of wrongdoings in the functioning of the Indian Polo Association.

The recommendation for a probe into the corruption allegations was made by the Indian Army as it was receiving a lot of complaints about wrongdoings there, defence ministry sources told MAIL TODAY here.

Top sources in the army said the chief of army staff general Bipin Rawat, who is the ex-officio president of the Indian Polo Association, wanted to clear the air about the corruption charges in the functioning of the association.

Army sources said due to the allegations of wrongdoings in areas such as procurement of horses from foreign countries and visit of officials, Rawat's predecessor had not even taken the charge of the association. Sources said even Rawat was advised against taking the charge of the polo association but he insisted that if things were wrong as per the allegations, a thorough probe should be carried out to find out the truth.

The major activities in the polo association are carried out by the 61 Cavalry Unit of the Indian Army which is based out of Jaipur and is probably the only one of its kind which still maintains number of horses in it. The registered office of the Indian Polo Association is also co-located with the 'B' Squadron, 61 Cavalry.

A defence ministry official said Sitharaman has agreed with the recommendations and the case has been referred to the central investigating agency. In the recent times, the defence minister has been taking strong steps to maintain integrity and probity in the functioning of the armed forces.

The ministry has recently also extended the ban on any defence dealing with the Italian firm Finmeccannica whose allied company AgustaWestland is facing a CBI probe into the chopper scam.

"The ban on Finmeccannica and its group companies has been extended for another six months and they cannot do business with the defence ministry till the time the CBI or the agencies concerned don't allow it to happen," said sources in the defence ministry.

The CBI is moving ahead with its probe in the chopper scam and already a former chief of Air Force is under scanner along with his family and a number of European nationals including Christen Michel, who is alleged to have paid bribes.

The heads of AgustaWestland and Finmeccanica at the time of signing the Rs 3,600-crore deal with India had also been arrested by their respective prosection agencies for their alleged roles in paying bribes to Indian officials for swinging the deal in their favour for supplying 12 VVIP choppers.

The defence ministry has also made a public announcement about its decision to suspend all business dealings with thecompanies of absconding arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari who is facing cases for violating the Official Secrets Act as well as alleged financial crimes ranging from money laundering to corruption in arms deals.

The defence ministry's vigilance wing on Friday issued an order to all departments and wings as well as the Army, IAF and Navy headquarters to suspend all business dealings with Bhandari's flagship Offset India Solutions (Private) Ltd and all its group companies with immediate effect.

ALSO WATCH | Army recruitment exam: Over 350 students caught with leaked papers, exam cancelledUS diplomats usually resort to metaphor to couch their disappointment with Pakistan's double standards in the war on terror. In 2011, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called out Islamabad's duplicity as "rearing snakes in your backyard, expecting they'll only bite your neighbours". Donald Trump, not known for diplomatese, began the New Year with possibly the harshest indictment of Pakistan by a US President. "The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies and deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!" Trump tweeted on January 1.

US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, followed Trump's tweet by accusing Pakistan of playing a 'double game' and confirmed that the US would be withholding $255 million in military aid. Amid escalating tension, a shell-shocked Islamabad began a Twitter fightback. The Pakistan government said it had suffered losses of $123 billion and 50,000 civilian casualties in the war on terror. Foreign minister Khawaja M. Asif tweeted his doubts about Trump's figures, suggesting a US-based audit firm be hired at Pakistan's expense to verify it. In a January 3 press conference, former PM Nawaz Sharif slammed Trump's comments, terming them 'sad' and 'non-serious' and asked PM Shahid K. Abbasi to devise a strategy to end the country's reliance on US aid.

Trump's angst has to do with the fact that his new Afghan strategy-adding 4,000 more soldiers to the 11,000 US troops in Afganistan-risks failure in the face of Pakistan's non-cooperation to move against Taliban sanctuaries on its territory. A fact General John Nicholson, commander of the US forces in Afghanistan, stated plainly to the US Congress in June. The public acrimony notwithstanding, the US and Pakistan share a symbiotic relationship in Afghanistan. The US needs Pakistan's land and air corridors for accessing landlocked Afghanistan. Alternative routes like Iran are either hostile, or, like the CIS countries Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, unviable. Islamabad may have swapped the US with China as its new best friend, but Beijing is unlikely to replace US aid.

India's MEA is yet to respond to the Trump tweet but its diplomats see in Trump's indignation a vindication of its attempts to put Pakistan in the doghouse for not acting on terror. New Delhi has watched the mainstreaming of terrorists in Pakistan with dismay. Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed, accused of masterminding the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, walked out of detention last November to float the Milli Muslim League, which will contest the general election this May.

The Modi government's diplomatic freeze with Pakistan began after the January 1, 2016 attack on the Pathankot air base by four Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists, just a week after PM Modi's Christmas Day visit to Islamabad. Little seems to have changed since. Pakistan's National Security Adviser, Lt. General Nasir Khan Janjua (retd), met his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval in Bangkok on December 25 for back channel talks. The meeting was followed by a group of JeM terrorists targeting a CRPF camp in Pulwama on New Year's eve, killing four troopers. A sign that the more things in South Asia appear to change, the more they remain the same.carmayogi BHPian

Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: New York City Posts: 159 Thanked: 480 Times

The Automotive Scene in Korea



At the end of October and early November, I was visiting Korea - which is where my wife is from. I had a chance to sample life in Seoul and around the countryside along with a fair bit of driving. Since Korea is now one of the handful of dominant automotive nations of the world, I decided I'd share my views and experiences with you about driving in Korea and what the scene looks like.



The Basics

Korea is represented globally by Hyundai and Kia and, to an extent Ssangyong. Furthermore, a clutch of Chevrolet models, actually out of the Daewoo family, although now absent from India, are still popular in many global markets. Fair to say then that as an auto enthusiast and and Indian, I was curious to see what's what.



Mass Patriotism

What struck me almost immediately was how many Korean cars they drive. While this may seem obvious, the lack of other countries represented in the mass market is stunning. I spent the bulk of my trip in a Kia K3 belonging to my mother-in-law. That car is known as the Kia Forte and is the sister car of the Hyundai Elantra for us in India. There are literally thousands of the same car on the streets of Seoul and the rest of the country. However, in my 16 day visit, I saw a total of One Honda Civic and Zero Toyota Corollas, both in the same size market as the Kia. Literally every car was a Hyundai, Kia, Renault Samsung, Ssangyong or Chevrolet, which is Daewoo in disguise. The only exception to this Korean rule comes from Germany. Volkswagen are fairly popular with the Golf, the only sort of mass market car that wasn't Korean. I guess, more recently, Renault Samsung models have been introduced that are from the EU portfolio including the Captur, Talisman and Koleos. In the luxury space, Hyundai, Kia and Genesis fight with BMW and Mercedes, with Audi a bit further back. Clearly, if you're in Korea, it's either Korean or German - nothing else.



The mass market car segment is an all Korean affair.





For a country that is so exposed to the world and sells its brands across pretty much every country, I found this to be quite interesting. The same is not true in other product related industries - there are plenty of Japanese clothing brands, French beauty brands, all the Zara's & H&M's etc. They even love the iPhone regardless of the fact that Samsung and LG are domestic giants. The auto industry seems to be the only place where such a situation exists.



Renault Koleos II aka Renault Samsung QM6





Cars seem to be split evenly between diesel and petrol. I saw a lot of larger Hyundais & Kias with VGT badges on them along with VW TDI's and BMW/Mercedes 'd' versions. Jeju Island, off the south coast, has a lot of electric vehicles including the Hyundai Ioniq and BMW i3, but no Toyota Prius once again showing the Korean or German preference. Charging infrastructure there is good.



Commercial Vehicles

The CV Market is also dominated by Korean players Hyundai & Kia with Tata-Daewoo also visible to an extent. Korean buses have funny names like the Kia Grandbird Parkway or the Hyundai Universe Noble.



A bunch of Kia Grandbird Parkway Buses. The CV market is totally Korean dominated.





A Tata Daewoo Rental Car Shuttle Bus. I like the half-Tata, half-Daewoo logo.





An interesting thing for me was the 1-ton tempo market. Here you get a Kia Bongo or Hyundai Porter. The most common version I saw was the CRDI version with 130 hp and a 6 speed manual. Tata Ace drivers, eat your hearts out!! This vehicle is simply wayyyy too powerful for its own good and can easily zoom past you on the highway even if you're cruising at 120 km/h. Another interesting fact is that the wheel size is different front and rear on both these vehicles. The front has a 195/70/R15 wheel/tyre size combination whereas the rear has two pairs of 155/70/R12 wheel/tyre size combination. This means that each vehicle has to have two spare tyres for either front or rear. An odd combination, no doubt. I have heard of different widths for front and rears on the same rim, but had never seen this before.



Kia Porter 1-ton truck. R15 wheels up front, R12 at the rear. How odd!





Transport & The Road System



Korea is a mecca for public transport. The Seoul Metro system has over 300 stations, 600+ if you count stations with 2+ lines. An overall system length over 1000 km. It is a true urban work of art. Every station has platform doors that open simultaneously with the train doors. A/C & Heating in every train and seats of the train as well. Automatic train control. The works. Add to this, Busan - the 2nd city, has 135 stations at last count. Furthermore, Seoul has a huge bus network with BRT lanes, live status of buses and they even tell you if the bus is full while you wait at your stop. Taxis accept the same method of payment as subway and buses.



Korea also has a long distance train network with various different types of trains, the top being the TGV (France) derived KTX. I had the fortune of travelling at 300 km/h on a 200 km trip that took just under an hour.



Add all of this up and you wonder why people own cars, but they do - in their thousands. Seoul traffic can make some of our Bombay or Delhi jams seem like amateur stuff. Add a few combinations of bad luck and you can easily spend 1 or 2 hours in a jam.



The road system is fantastic. I barely felt a pothole and everything is marked in both Korean and English. Google Maps does not work due to disagreements with the government over data privacy. Local softwares do work, but in Korean. Thankfully between my beginner level language knowledge and my wife's native knowledge, we managed just fine. All GPS systems have alerts for speed cameras, school zones and speed breakers. On the highways, you can tell that literally everyone has GPS - they all slow down simultaneously when a speed camera warning pops up. Companies like VW have integrated the local sat-nav software into their Infotainment systems so that they work well.



Highway and road markings are innovative. If, for example, there are two different destinations that you can access from an exit on the highway, the lanes will be painted in the colour that corresponds to that route - the same will show on the signboards and direction hoardings. Pink lane if you want to go to A, Green lane if you want to go to B. Smart. There is also an abundant use of red rough textured paint to warn of upcoming turns or dangerous sections, particularly on Jeju Island which is a volcanic island resort, Korea's Hawaii if you will. The same is illustrated in the video below.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUDu8FSwa90



Korea is also a world leader in tunneling. On our drive, we went through the new Inje Tunnel which is 11 km long. Unfortunately for filming purposes, I was driving, wife was sleeping - so no video! The tunnel itself is beautifully made with regular emergency exits. It is intentionally made with slight curves to prevent long straight sections that can lead to distracted driving. Lanes before and within the tunnel are grooved at different places to create tyre noise and keep you alert. There is even a section where the grooves play the tune to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. No, I am not joking. Various sections have coloured LED lights along the walls to keep you attentive and even sections with painted designs on the roof. All of these led to a healthy level of attention and an enjoyable peaceful drive. Marvelous.



Korea is a heavily mountainous country. Apart from the highways blasted through tunnels, most side roads are hilly, windy, twisty and absolutely bloody brilliant! How such a country produces boring-to-drive cars is totally beyond me. Those roads beg for a fun hot hatch or sports car. Fortunately, I did have an experience with a Golf GTI - more on that later.



Cars That I Drove



1. Kia K3 aka Forte aka Hyundai Elantra







Likes:

1. Ride quality on 195/65/R15 tyres

2. Fuel Economy from the 1.6 L petrol/6 speed auto of close to 20 km/l on a 600 km drive through highways, hills and country roads.

3. Interior space and comfortable seats.



Dislikes:

1. Lifeless steering - I had some entertaining roads, but no fun.

2. Gutless powertrain - 132 hp with a 6-Auto slushbox is just adequate.



It's fair to say this car is a device for point A to B. A lesson in how to introduce mediocrity to excellent roads.





2. Kia Ray - Korea's resident tall-boy







Likes:

1. Interior space that makes a Passat seem cramped!

2. Ride quality not as bad as expected from a tiny tall boy

3. Relatively controlled body roll for such a high car with small wheels.



Dislikes

1. Puny 3-cylinder 1.0L engine with 4-speed auto. Claims 75 hp but probably 45 were on strike. 0-100 in never.

2. Atrocious hill climbing lack of capability. I drove in manual mode most of the time and kept having to hit 5,000 rpm to get anywhere.

3. Aerodynamics of a brick wall. Shook around every time a small gust of wind came.

4. Woeful 13.9 km/l over 400 km of easy-going smooth driving

5. No boot space beyond a weekend bag.



Perhaps the 107,000 km on our rental explains the weak engine and fuel economy.





3. VW Golf Mark 7 GTI







Likes:

1. Oh boy - ultra responsive turbo 2.0 with snappy DSG. Easy to break the speed limit in the blink of an eye. Sounds sweet too for a 4-banger.

2. Instant overtaking on single lane country roads.

3. Split personality between a thoroughly refined and relaxed cruiser to a genuine sports car.

4. Trick differential made me seem like a better driver on the twisty mountain roads.

5. Respectable fuel economy of 14-15 km/l highway when you consider power at hand.

6. All the practicality and quality you expect from the legendary Golf.



Dislikes:

1. Low speed ride is a bit corrupted on low profile tyres and sports suspension.

2. I don't own one



Other Points for those interested in driving in Korea

1. Everything is metric - km/h, liters, etc.

2. Drive on the right side of the road, left-hand drive cars.

3. Road aggression is minimal, people tend to let you in to lanes when you indicate. A smile will get you a long way.

4. GPS, Navigation and general public are not English friendly. You may struggle with finding your way if you don't have a grasp on the language, even though signboards have English text. As mentioned earlier Google maps does not work in Korea because of data law disagreements between the Korean Government and Google.

5. Speed limits are aggressively enforced through regularly positioned speed cameras.



Parting shot with the Hyundai Ioniq Electric (Battery Electric Vehicle or BEV)





Note that there is a full electric (pictured), plug-in hybrid and regular hybrid. These are differentiated from the front grille which is closed on the electric, with grey colour and slats on the plug-in and black colour with slats on the regular hybrid. This car is giving the Toyota Prius a headache in the hybrid world. Hello fellow enthusiasts,At the end of October and early November, I was visiting Korea - which is where my wife is from. I had a chance to sample life in Seoul and around the countryside along with a fair bit of driving. Since Korea is now one of the handful of dominant automotive nations of the world, I decided I'd share my views and experiences with you about driving in Korea and what the scene looks like.Korea is represented globally by Hyundai and Kia and, to an extent Ssangyong. Furthermore, a clutch of Chevrolet models, actually out of the Daewoo family, although now absent from India, are still popular in many global markets. Fair to say then that as an auto enthusiast and and Indian, I was curious to see what's what.What struck me almost immediately was how many Korean cars they drive. While this may seem obvious, the lack of other countries represented in the mass market is stunning. I spent the bulk of my trip in a Kia K3 belonging to my mother-in-law. That car is known as the Kia Forte and is the sister car of the Hyundai Elantra for us in India. There are literally thousands of the same car on the streets of Seoul and the rest of the country. However, in my 16 day visit, I saw a total ofHonda Civic andToyota Corollas, both in the same size market as the Kia. Literally every car was a Hyundai, Kia, Renault Samsung, Ssangyong or Chevrolet, which is Daewoo in disguise. The only exception to this Korean rule comes from Germany. Volkswagen are fairly popular with the Golf, the only sort of mass market car that wasn't Korean. I guess, more recently, Renault Samsung models have been introduced that are from the EU portfolio including the Captur, Talisman and Koleos. In the luxury space, Hyundai, Kia and Genesis fight with BMW and Mercedes, with Audi a bit further back. Clearly, if you're in Korea, it's either Korean or German -else.The mass market car segment is an all Korean affair.For a country that is so exposed to the world and sells its brands across pretty much every country, I found this to be quite interesting. The same is not true in other product related industries - there are plenty of Japanese clothing brands, French beauty brands, all the Zara's & H&M's etc. They even love the iPhone regardless of the fact that Samsung and LG are domestic giants. The auto industry seems to be the only place where such a situation exists.Renault Koleos II aka Renault Samsung QM6Cars seem to be split evenly between diesel and petrol. I saw a lot of larger Hyundais & Kias with VGT badges on them along with VW TDI's and BMW/Mercedes 'd' versions. Jeju Island, off the south coast, has a lot of electric vehicles including the Hyundai Ioniq and BMW i3, but no Toyota Prius once again showing the Korean or German preference. Charging infrastructure there is good.The CV Market is also dominated by Korean players Hyundai & Kia with Tata-Daewoo also visible to an extent. Korean buses have funny names like the Kia Grandbird Parkway or the Hyundai Universe Noble.A bunch of Kia Grandbird Parkway Buses. The CV market is totally Korean dominated.A Tata Daewoo Rental Car Shuttle Bus. I like the half-Tata, half-Daewoo logo.An interesting thing for me was the 1-ton tempo market. Here you get a Kia Bongo or Hyundai Porter. The most common version I saw was the CRDI version with 130 hp and a 6 speed manual. Tata Ace drivers, eat your hearts out!! This vehicle is simply wayyyy too powerful for its own good and can easily zoom past you on the highway even if you're cruising at 120 km/h. Another interesting fact is that the wheel size is different front and rear on both these vehicles. The front has a 195/70/R15 wheel/tyre size combination whereas the rear has two pairs of 155/70/R12 wheel/tyre size combination. This means that each vehicle has to have two spare tyres for either front or rear. An odd combination, no doubt. I have heard of different widths for front and rears on the same rim, but had never seen this before.Kia Porter 1-ton truck. R15 wheels up front, R12 at the rear. How odd!Korea is a mecca for public transport. The Seoul Metro system has over 300 stations, 600+ if you count stations with 2+ lines. An overall system length over 1000 km. It is a true urban work of art. Every station has platform doors that open simultaneously with the train doors. A/C & Heating in every train and seats of the train as well. Automatic train control. The works. Add to this, Busan - the 2nd city, has 135 stations at last count. Furthermore, Seoul has a huge bus network with BRT lanes, live status of buses and they even tell you if the bus is full while you wait at your stop. Taxis accept the same method of payment as subway and buses.Korea also has a long distance train network with various different types of trains, the top being the TGV (France) derived KTX. I had the fortune of travelling at 300 km/h on a 200 km trip that took just under an hour.Add all of this up and you wonder why people own cars, but they do - in their thousands. Seoul traffic can make some of our Bombay or Delhi jams seem like amateur stuff. Add a few combinations of bad luck and you can easily spend 1 or 2 hours in a jam.The road system is fantastic. I barely felt a pothole and everything is marked in both Korean and English. Google Maps doeswork due to disagreements with the government over data privacy. Local softwares do work, but in Korean. Thankfully between my beginner level language knowledge and my wife's native knowledge, we managed just fine. All GPS systems have alerts for speed cameras, school zones and speed breakers. On the highways, you can tell that literally everyone has GPS - they all slow down simultaneously when a speed camera warning pops up. Companies like VW have integrated the local sat-nav software into their Infotainment systems so that they work well.Highway and road markings are innovative. If, for example, there are two different destinations that you can access from an exit on the highway, the lanes will be painted in the colour that corresponds to that route - the same will show on the signboards and direction hoardings. Pink lane if you want to go to A, Green lane if you want to go to B. Smart. There is also an abundant use of red rough textured paint to warn of upcoming turns or dangerous sections, particularly on Jeju Island which is a volcanic island resort, Korea's Hawaii if you will. The same is illustrated in the video below.Korea is also a world leader in tunneling. On our drive, we went through the new Inje Tunnel which is 11 km long. Unfortunately for filming purposes, I was driving, wife was sleeping - so no video! The tunnel itself is beautifully made with regular emergency exits. It is intentionally made with slight curves to prevent long straight sections that can lead to distracted driving. Lanes before and within the tunnel are grooved at different places to create tyre noise and keep you alert. There is even a section where the grooves play the tune to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. No, I am not joking. Various sections have coloured LED lights along the walls to keep you attentive and even sections with painted designs on the roof. All of these led to a healthy level of attention and an enjoyable peaceful drive. Marvelous.Korea is a heavily mountainous country. Apart from the highways blasted through tunnels, most side roads are hilly, windy, twisty and absolutely bloody brilliant! How such a country produces boring-to-drive cars is totally beyond me. Those roads beg for a fun hot hatch or sports car. Fortunately, I did have an experience with a Golf GTI - more on that later.1. Ride quality on 195/65/R15 tyres2. Fuel Economy from the 1.6 L petrol/6 speed auto of close to 20 km/l on a 600 km drive through highways, hills and country roads.3. Interior space and comfortable seats.1. Lifeless steering - I had some entertaining roads, but no fun.2. Gutless powertrain - 132 hp with a 6-Auto slushbox is just adequate.It's fair to say this car is a device for point A to B. A lesson in how to introduce mediocrity to excellent roads.1. Interior space that makes a Passat seem cramped!2. Ride quality not as bad as expected from a tiny tall boy3. Relatively controlled body roll for such a high car with small wheels.1. Puny 3-cylinder 1.0L engine with 4-speed auto. Claims 75 hp but probably 45 were on strike. 0-100 in never.2. Atrocious hill climbing lack of capability. I drove in manual mode most of the time and kept having to hit 5,000 rpm to get anywhere.3. Aerodynamics of a brick wall. Shook around every time a small gust of wind came.4. Woeful 13.9 km/l over 400 km of easy-going smooth driving5. No boot space beyond a weekend bag.Perhaps the 107,000 km on our rental explains the weak engine and fuel economy.1. Oh boy - ultra responsive turbo 2.0 with snappy DSG. Easy to break the speed limit in the blink of an eye. Sounds sweet too for a 4-banger.2. Instant overtaking on single lane country roads.3. Split personality between a thoroughly refined and relaxed cruiser to a genuine sports car.4. Trick differential made me seem like a better driver on the twisty mountain roads.5. Respectable fuel economy of 14-15 km/l highway when you consider power at hand.6. All the practicality and quality you expect from the legendary Golf.1. Low speed ride is a bit corrupted on low profile tyres and sports suspension.2. I don't own one1. Everything is metric - km/h, liters, etc.2. Drive on the right side of the road, left-hand drive cars.3. Road aggression is minimal, people tend to let you in to lanes when you indicate. A smile will get you a long way.4. GPS, Navigation and general public areEnglish friendly. You may struggle with finding your way if you don't have a grasp on the language, even though signboards have English text. As mentioned earlier Google maps does not work in Korea because of data law disagreements between the Korean Government and Google.5. Speed limits are aggressively enforced through regularly positioned speed cameras.Parting shot with the Hyundai Ioniq Electric (Battery Electric Vehicle or BEV)Note that there is a full electric (pictured), plug-in hybrid and regular hybrid. These are differentiated from the front grille which is closed on the electric, with grey colour and slats on the plug-in and black colour with slats on the regular hybrid. This car is giving the Toyota Prius a headache in the hybrid world. Last edited by carmayogi : 4th January 2018 at 04:31 . Reason: Correcting the date of my trip.NASA has teamed up with SpaceX and Boeing to start launching manned spaceflight from the U.S. soil again. Both the aerospace companies are going to start flight tests to ensure that their space systems meet the U.S. space agencys need for certification in the coming year.

SpaceX and Boeing have developed advanced space system designs from the time they got a contract from NASA. They are now working on the substantial launch vehicle and spacecraft hardware as well as conducting trials to prepare for the test flights.

Commercial Crew Program Mission

The Commercial Crew Programs goal is cost-effective, reliable, and safe transportation for United States-International Space Station-United States spaceflights. The process will adhere to a public-private approach.

The U.S. space agency and the two aerospace companies already have crucial testing under way, which will eventually result in test missions once the systems are fully prepared and adhere to the safety requirements.

"Both companies are scheduled to begin flight tests to prove the space systems meet NASA's requirements for certification in the coming year," NASA stated. "Boeing's Starliner will launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 and SpaceX's Crew Dragon will launch on the company's Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A."

After each company completes their crewed and uncrewed flight tests, NASA will analyze the flight data to check if the systems meet the certification requirements. Once they get the certification from NASA, each of the companies will fly six manned missions to the space station from 2019 and continue until 2024.

SpaceX To Launch Astronauts On The Crew Dragon

SpaceX will conduct its crewed missions on a new spacecraft called the Crew Dragon. Ever since the U.S. space agencys Space Shuttle missions ended in 2011, astronauts from the United States have had to depend on Russian spacecraft to help them travel to and fro Earth and the space station.

NASA used to pay $81 million per seat on the spacecraft. However, the deal with SpaceX will help them cut the cost down to $58 million per seat.

Boeing To Launch Astronauts On The Starliner

Boeing will send astronauts to the ISS on the CST-100 Starliner. Seats on the spaceflight are reportedly expected to cost the same as those on SpaceXs Crew Dragon. There is a plan of a test launch in August this year by Boeing, followed by a crewed launch in November.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.Performing facial exercises may actually improve facial appearance of women, according to a Northwestern Medicine study, the first one devoted to observing whether "facial yoga" yields positive effects for how one looks.

A daily facial exercise regimen sustained over a period of 30 minutes for 20 weeks may result in subtle but visible changes to the faces of middle-aged women, making them appear younger to the eyes of trained dermatologists.

Can Facial Yoga Make You Look Younger?

The researchers conducted the study at the Northwestern University in Chicago, participated by 27 women aged between 40 and 65 years old. They had to learn 32 different facial exercises and performed each one for about a minute during the experiment.

The researchers called in experts and asked them to evaluate the faces of the women before and after the study  the average age went down from 50.8 to 48.1 years, meaning they appeared to be more youthful after completing the regimen.

"The exercises enlarge and strengthen the facial muscles, so the face becomes firmer and more toned and shaped like a younger face," said Murad Alam, professor of dermatology at the Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine.

The study, published Jan 3. in the JAMA Dermatology, lists Gary Sikorski as one of its authors, a certified instructor who teaches various facial yoga programs at Happy Face Yoga. Alam noted that none of the researchers had financial interest in Sikorski's programs.

Facial Exercises: The Results

It wasn't just the experts who noticed that there were indeed positive changes to the women's appearance. In fact, the participants themselves saw it too.

"Patients themselves found even greater benefits, and noticed that 18 of the 20 areas and features of the face that were studied got better over the course of the study," Alam said, adding that generally, the aesthetic benefit was that their facial contour became smoother, fuller, and firmer.

That being said, the study isn't without its limitations. For one, with just 27 participants, the study was very small, especially considering the fact that out of those 27, 11 dropped out mid-experiment. To prove that there are noticeable changes to a woman's appearance because of facial exercise, the study must be replicated to include far more participants.

The study also didn't have a control group, according to the researchers. A control group, for the uninitiated, is a pool of participants in an experiment who don't receive treatment and are used as benchmarks to which the other participants are compared.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.Goop's latest recommendation for beauty and wellness is an at-home coffee enema for body detox. The prospect of filling the colon and rectum with coffee has many raising an eyebrow and doctors are warning the public of its dangers.

Coffee Enema, Anyone?

If someone is wondering what a coffee enema is, well it's exactly what the name suggests. Goop's new detox guide for beauty and wellness includes an at-home coffee enema that is basically a simple enema but entails flushing the colon and rectum with coffee instead of plain water.

Naturally, the DIY enema has raised a lot of eyebrows, especially with the idea of flushing the rectum and colon with coffee and having to do it without a practitioner present. OB-GYN and pain medicine physician Dr. Jen Gunter raised a few points that question the legitimacy and even safety of the recommended procedure.

The very first thing Dr. Gunter notes is that people do not need to go on colon cleanses to detoxify the body. In fact, she states that the procedure can cause irritation and inflammation to the colon, and that serious complications such as damage to intestinal bacteria, vomiting, abdominal pain, renal failure, and rectal perforation may arise from colonic procedures.

Colon Cleansing

Normally, colon cleansing is done to prepare for medical procedures such as colonoscopies but the procedure has been popularized of late as a detoxifying and cleansing procedure. According to the proponents of colon cleansing for detoxifying purposes, it can eliminate excess toxins and materials from the digestive system.

However, medical practitioners state that this is not a necessary procedure as the body can eliminate such toxins on its own. Further, colon cleansing can reportedly lead to dehydration, increased infection risks, and electrolyte changes especially among individuals with a history of gastrointestinal disease, kidney disease, or heart disease. In fact, coffee enemas for colon cleansing have apparently been previously linked to deaths.

Basically, medical practitioners state that there is no need for colon cleansing. But should anyone wish to do so, they should take extra precautions such as checking with a doctor first and making sure that the equipment to be used has not been previously used for another customer.

Goop's Recommendations

In the case of Goop's latest beauty and wellness recommendation, the Implant O-rama coffee enema system is said to be recommended for "those who know what they're doing" when it comes to colon cleanses. With a community of doctors stating contrary to the latest claims, perhaps a safe precautionary measure would be to consult one before trying the procedure out.

Goop has recommended quite a few strange procedures and items that are supposedly for beauty and wellness. Apart from the fact that the said procedures and products are pretty expensive, they are also quite questionable in terms of safety. In fact, doctors have warned about its previous recommendation regarding placing jade eggs in the vagina. NASA has also called Goop out for claiming to use the same material in their bio-frequency healing sticker as NASA does in spacesuits.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.US President Donald Trump's tweet about having a bigger nuclear button than North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's has kept Kim "on his toes" and makes clear the risks of a nuclear standoff, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on Sunday.

After Kim asserted that he had a nuclear button at the ready, Trump last week dismissed the taunt by saying in a tweet that the US button at his disposal was bigger and more powerful.

The comment drew criticism, including from former Vice President Joe Biden, who said it caused allies to lose confidence in Washington.

North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the i??Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.i?i Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works! - Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018

When asked on the ABC program "This Week" whether the President's tweet was a good idea, Haley said, "I think that (Trump) always has to keep Kim on his toes. It's very important that we don't ever let him get so arrogant that he doesn't realise the reality of what would happen if he started a nuclear war."

Haley said North Korea should be clear that the United States will not reduce pressure on Kim.

"We're not going to let them go and dramatize the fact that they have a button right on their desk and they can destroy America," she said. "We want to always remind them we can destroy you too, so be very cautious and careful with your words and what you do."The Narendra Modi government will roll out a flagship electoral bond scheme on Monday, in an effort to make political funding more transparent.

These bonds will be available at designated banks in the first 10 days of every quarter. Donors can use these interest-free bearer bonds to fund a party of their choice, in demoninations of Rs 1,000, Rs 1 lakh, Rs 10 lakh, and Rs 1 crore. Individual donors, companies and NGOs will need to fill in KYC details while buying bonds, but this information is confidential. It won't be disclosed to parties.

Parties have fifteen days (from the day of purchase) to encash bonds through their verified accounts. A 7.5 per cent cap on companies' donations to political parties won't be applicable to electoral bonds.

The Modi administration has hailed the scheme as "historic," but will these bonds actually serve the purpose they're meant to serve: increasing transparency?

To begin with, experts have raised questions about the anonymity factor.

"When (an) anonymous person gives (a) donation to (a) political party, the...party will take the donation but will not reveal the name of the person in the balance sheet, so there's anonymity on both side(s)...how can that be termed as increasing transparency?" asked Jagdeep Chokar, founder of the Association for Democratic Reforms.

Meanwhile, Opposition parties are crying foul, and allege that electoral bonds will discourage donors from funding them. For example, Congress leader Anand Sharma pointed out that KYC details could give away identities, and this could deter anyone supporting government critics.

"Electoral bonds will be a deterrent for donors to fund critics of government...as SBI needs to share KYC details with RBI, and (the) government could easily find out who is funding whom," he said.

The BJP, on its part, says it's only natural for the Congress to oppose any measure that will eliminate corruption.

"Does Congress want slush funds instead in the electoral process?," BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao asked.

It's unclear how the government will achieve transparency, or eliminate black money, when it has neither put a stop to cash donations nor routed funding through digital payments. Critics claim that the electoral bonds scheme is much ado about nothing. Will they be proved right?

WATCH | Union Budget 2017: 10 keys areas of reform announced by Finance Minister Arun JaitleyMumbai, Jan 6 (PTI) Police today arrested a man and his son in connection with a fire incident during a demolition drive carried out by the local civic body in a slum colony here in October last year, an official said.

Salim Sayyad alias Salim Lightwala and his son Salman were arrested by the Nirmal Nagar Police, said DCP Sachin Patil, a spokesperson of the Mumbai Police.

With this, three persons have been arrested in the case till now.

Salman Lightwala is suspected to have set a gas cylinder on fire that started a massive blaze in the Garib Nagar slums in Bandra (East).

Salim Lightwala is the main accused in the case, police have said.

Hundreds of families were affected in the blaze which broke out on October 26.

The incident had occurred when the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) was carrying out demolition of illegal hutments on directions of the Bombay High Court.

Salman Lightwala, with the help of other accused, allegedly set a gas cylinder on fire, resulting in the blaze which gutted hutments and obstructed the demolition drive, an official said.

The inferno also damaged ticketing equipment at Bandra station located adjacent to the slums.

The Nirmal Nagar police had earlier arrested another accused in connection with the fire. PTI DC RSY BASOne man approached another outside an apartment complex, pulled out a gun and demanded money. Gunshots followed the victim as he tried to run away across the parking lot, then collapsed onto the pavement and died.

A witness initially described the incident to detectives and identified the shooter. On Sept. 9, 2010  about a month after the unsuccessful armed robbery that left David Mitchell dead  police filed an arrest warrant for Thadius Brothers based largely on that statement, court records show.

Brothers was arrested but later released in April 2011 when a grand jury found insufficient evidence to indict him on murder charges.

Life in prison for Baton Rouge man in fatal 2010 armed robbery A 30-year-old Baton Rouge man facing a murder charge in a 2011 slaying has been sentenced to life in prison in a fatal 2010 armed robbery.

Almost six months later, Brothers was again arrested in October 2011 and accused of killing another man. According to that arrest report, Brothers broke into the home of Robert Winfield and shot him in the head while he was sleeping. A relative said Winfield had told police that Brothers was involved in recent shootings.

Witnesses were relocated to an undisclosed location to protect them from possible retribution, according to the East Baton Rouge District Attorney's Office.

Once Brothers was arrested and jailed in that case, another witness to the 2010 fatal armed robbery eventually came forward and agreed to cooperate with cold case investigators. Assistant District Attorney Robert Savage said the witness initially felt threatened but then changed his mind and cooperated after learning Brothers was in custody.

Finally in March 2015  four years after the previous grand jury failed to indict him  Brothers was indicted on murder charges in the death of David Mitchell.

But then key witnesses apparently grew reluctant to testify. Prosecutors jailed three of them and brought them to court on material witness warrants. During Brothers' November 2016 jury trial, three witnesses recanted their initial statements to detectives, with one saying he had lied to investigators after feeling pressured to incriminate Brothers.

Savage said that before Brothers was locked up he would return to the scene of his crimes and question people there, which witnesses interpreted as threatening. He would also stare at prosecutors and witnesses inside the courtroom, which had a similar effect.

"People were extremely aware that he was watching them.  He was someone to be feared," Savage said.

Defense attorney Bo Rougeou acknowledged that his client could be considered an intimidating person, but denied Brothers returned to the scene of the fatal armed robbery with the express purpose of scaring people into silence. He lived in the same apartment complex then and could have simply followed others outside, Rougeou said.

The jury not only heard from the witnesses, but also saw video recordings from two initial interviews with police, when they did implicate Brothers. Jurors, voting 11-1, convicted Brothers of second-degree murder, which meant an automatic sentence of life in prison. The 1st Circuit Court of Appeal recently rejected an appeal that argued the video statements amounted to hearsay.

For the East Baton Rouge District Attorney's office, his case illustrates the fear associated with testifying against a violent offender. The decision to come forward often seems too risky for witnesses weighing their options, particularly when people are unsure whether the criminal justice system will ultimately keep them safe.

With violent crime on the rise in Baton Rouge, officials say the need has grown for a more comprehensive approach to combating witness intimidation  a problem that can leave innocent people vulnerable to unfair retaliation and threatens to undercut the criminal justice system by making some cases nearly impossible to prosecute. Local officials want to ramp up efforts to address the problem, hoping that eventually more people will feel comfortable cooperating with authorities.

A new focus

While officials in the DA's office say they have long been concerned about witness intimidation, they believe a new federal grant will help them improve their focus on the problem.

Three organizations  AEquitas, the Justice Management Initiative and the International Association of Chiefs of Police  will use almost $600,000 from the U.S. Department of Justice to provide guidance and evaluate practices in three cities over the next two years. Baton Rouge, Boston and Baltimore received the awards.

Local agencies  including the Baton Rouge Police Department, East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office and LSU researchers  will help develop and implement recommended strategies. Data collected throughout the duration of the grant will hopefully provide insight into effective strategies that could be used across the country, said John Wilkinson, an attorney advisor for AEquitas.

Wilkinson said some possible strategies could include better educating people about witness intimidation, helping victims take precautions and protect themselves without necessarily relocating away from their homes, prosecuting cases even when witnesses refuse to cooperate, and training law enforcement and courthouse staff on how to recognize and respond to intimidation when it does occur.

Right now, not that many people receive witness assistance services  such as relocation or temporary housing  from the DA's office. But the number is growing. In 2017, 17 people got this help, compared to 12 in 2016 and only five in 2015, said Kristen Raby, director of victim services with the East Baton Rouge District Attorneys Office.

Raby said the upward trend seems to follow increased numbers of homicides and domestic violence incidents, which are the two crimes most often associated with witness intimidation.

East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore III called witness intimidation a significant problem (that) adds to the dilemma of solving crimes, particularly homicides and domestic violence cases  whether (the threat) is real or not.

Just last month, the father of a man arrested on murder charges threatened to kill a woman because her name was in his sons (court) paperwork, according to his arrest report. Michael Carter was arrested and booked with aggravated assault with a firearm and witness intimidation, but has since bailed out of jail. It was not immediately clear whether he had an attorney in the case.

His son, Landry Carter, 18, stands accused of fatally shooting a truck driver during an armed robbery in September and faces life in prison if convicted.

+4 Baton Rouge police arrest 18-year-old in Tennessee trucker killing, robbery Baton Rouge police arrested an 18-year-old in the killing of a Tennessee truck driver they believe was robbed then fatally shot Tuesday mornin

The grant application  prepared by Dr. Steven Mayberry, a research associate with the LSU Office of Social Service Research and Development  points out that about 40 percent of Baton Rouge homicides in 2016 remain unsolved, and about 60 percent of domestic violence cases go unprosecuted.

Local officials said the grant represents one piece of the larger and ongoing push to reduce tensions between police officers and the people they serve. The application presents a time of transition for the Baton Rouge community, recovering from the fatal police shooting of Alton Sterling and the 2016 floods that came less than a month later.

Needless to say, Baton Rouge has been in a state of healing and repair for the last year, the application says. What better site to address these issues than one such as (Baton Rouge) where tragedy and natural disaster have left (this) community in a heightened position for change.

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A decade-old case

Moore said that his office began seriously addressing the issue of witness intimidation and routinely offering assistance for victims and their families after a major case brought the problem starkly to light.

That case began with the gruesome 2007 murder of Jason Fourmy, 38, who police believe was beaten for hours and then burned to death. Authorities found his remains in a wooded area on Gayosa Street.

Three people were accused in the killing, including two brothers, Dearius and Denako Duheart. But three witnesses  all women  were fatally shot over the next two years, prompting prosecutors to reduce and ultimately drop the murder charges. The case remains unsolved, though both Duhearts are currently incarcerated on other charges.

Denako Duheart was sentenced in 2011 to 20 years in prison for an attempted murder conviction. One month later his mother was sentenced to two years in prison for trying to bribe the victim not to press charges against her son.

Judge sentences Duheart to 20 years A Baton Rouge man once accused in a beating and burning death case was sentenced to 20 years in prison Friday morning for the unrelated shooti

Dearius Duheart served time for both state and federal gun convictions. He was released from prison in May 2016 and then taken back into custody in December of that year after being arrested on additional drugs and weapons charges. Those charges are pending in federal court.

Acting U.S. Attorney Corey Amundson said he could not comment specifically on any individual cases, but that authorities "focus on (prosecuting) any individuals that have a history of obstruction and particularly violent obstruction. We would certainly do whatever we could to get them behind bars." He said sometimes pressing charges in federal court allows them to pursue longer sentences.

Attorneys who have represented the Duhearts did not respond to requests for comment.

Trudy Fourmy, the mother of Jason Fourmy, said that after years of tireless research into her sons death, she still hopes that someday someone else will come forward and hold his killers accountable.

Fourmy said her son got hooked on illicit drugs after a work accident left him disabled and addicted to painkillers. Jason had been renting a house from the Duheart brothers for about three months when he was killed. Trudy Fourmy said she suspected her son and others in the neighborhood were buying drugs from the brothers.

I just didnt get him out of there soon enough, she said. I still cant believe there are people in this world who would do that  with so little respect for human life.  It does bother me that (multiple) women have been murdered because of what happened to my son. It eats me up.

Fourmy said the Duheart brothers sought to intimidate her as well. During one court hearing, she said Denako Duheart stared her down inside the courtroom and pointed at her with his hand in the shape of a gun, pulling an imaginary trigger. Law enforcement started escorting her out of the courthouse to her car after that.

While she worries for her own safety and the safety of other people involved with the Duhearts, Fourmy said that wariness never stopped her from investigating how her son died.

At one point, Trudy Fourmy said she was advised to move out of state. But her job is here and she just couldn't relocate. So for four years she carried a gun almost everywhere she went and had family members stay with her whenever she could.

Trudy Fourmy said that she has now moved closer to acceptance. My attitude now is that since I have not found justice with my sons death, Im at peace because I know there will be higher justice," she said. "They will answer for what they did.

Relocating or not

Now about 10 years old, the witness assistance program available to people in East Baton Rouge Parish seeks to protect victims as much as possible despite funding constraints.

Raby, the director of victim services, said about 15 victim assistance coordinators work within the District Attorney's Office, often acting as liaisons between prosecutors and witnesses and working alongside law enforcement to determine the extent of each reported threat and the services available to victims. In general, they have a wide range of duties, from counseling and crisis intervention to just helping people navigate the criminal justice system.

Anyone receiving witness assistance must first sign an agreement with prosecutors pledging to cooperate fully with officials investigating the case, including testifying against the suspect if requested. People must also disclose their criminal background but are not disqualified based on past convictions, pending legal proceedings or substance abuse issues, Raby said.

Once an agreement is reached, victim advocates start immediately figuring out where and how to relocate people if necessary. Sometimes that means staying a few nights locally in an undisclosed location and other times involves a more complicated move out of state. In those extreme cases that require longer distance moves, the District Attorney's office finds funding to cover relocation costs and connects people with victim services once they have relocated, Raby said.

Overall the office has spent $9,100 on witness assistance services this year, compared to $4,700 last year. In addition to accommodations, victims can temporarily receive basic necessities such as food and transportation when necessary.

The logistics of relocating someones entire life are messy and complicated, Raby said. And making sure people dont accidentally give away their location can be difficult, especially now that smartphones have locator services and social media posts often reveal where they were published.

Raby said relocating someone locally can help them avoid an immediate threat; in other cases officials could increase law enforcement patrols near the victims house and give them recommendations on making themselves safer while investigators work to arrest the suspect.

Sometimes suspects are charged with witness intimidation, but more often than not prosecutors proceed with related offenses  such as aggravated assault, violation of a protective order, or improper telephone communication  which officials said are often easier to prove.

Raby said the cases she sees that require witness assistance are split roughly down the middle between homicides and domestic violence.

Suzanne Hamilton, the domestic violence victim assistance coordinator for the District Attorneys Office, said that approaching witnesses with empathy helps them cope.

People are so vulnerable in that moment, she said. Someone is making you feel so violated  driving by your house, calling your kids at school and threatening them  and we are not here to judge them.The sweeping $1.5 trillion federal tax overhaul may turn out to be a desperately-needed gift for Louisiana's state budget at a critical time.

It's a unique perk for the state  though it will mean higher state tax bills for individuals, and officials still are unclear how much money the state can expect from it.

The tax overhaul, championed by Congressional Republicans and President Donald Trump, lowers federal taxes for many.

Currently, Louisiana is one of just three states that allow individuals and some businesses to deduct 100 percent of their federal incomes taxes from the amount that they pay in state taxes. Smaller federal tax bills will mean smaller state deductions. That puts more money in the state's coffers.

"If you pay less taxes, then the deduction gets smaller," Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, said during a recent news conference.

Edwards' office and the state Department of Revenue said that they are still crunching the numbers on the federal deductibility issue and just how much it will chip away at the the looming $1 billion-plus shortfall the state faces when temporary tax measures expire on June 30.

The federal deductibility is Louisiana's largest income tax break and cost the state nearly $1.1 billion in 2016. The deductions will still be available to Louisiana residents, but the amount the state has to cover will be smaller if people pay less in federal taxes.

"Obviously, that could help us resolve a portion of the cliff," Edwards said.

A task force that was formed to come up with recommendations for shoring up the state budget recommended that Louisiana eliminate or scale back the deduction, but lawmakers haven't embraced the proposal, along with others from the blue ribbon panel. In addition to the three states that allow entire deductions, three others have similar deductions that are capped.

The scoop on state politics in your inbox Get the Louisiana politics insider details once a week from us. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

The fiscal cliff has been the subject of ongoing battles between Edwards and the GOP-controlled state Legislature, namely House Republican leaders.

Edwards has said he will decide by Jan. 19 whether there is enough movement toward reaching a solution to call a special session in February. Lawmakers cannot take up most revenue measures during the regular session that starts in March because those issues are limited to odd-numbered years. Lawmakers didn't reach an agreement on proposals put forth last year, prompting the need for a special session.

"I don't want to call a special session just for the sake of calling it," Edwards said.

So far, no agreement has been reached and lawmakers have offered mixed views on how optimistic they are about negotiations.

Edwards is expected to meet with House Speaker Taylor Barras, R-New Iberia, again on Monday to continue discussions. Privately, House Republicans, who have been the biggest roadblock to Edwards' agenda have been having their own meetings. They want more cuts or structural changes to the budget and have opposed more sweeping tax changes to increase revenues.

Some legislators have floated the idea of extending the temporary sales tax hike that will expire in June, which Edwards says he doesn't support as a long-term measure. But he has indicated that, depending on the timeline of the federal tax changes taking effect, he might support a temporary extension.

"Once we can figure out if there is additional revenue that we will receive and when that will take place, then I can agree to extend some portion of the penny until that actually happens," he said. "(The federal rewrite) is the most significant tax change legislation in three decades, and it is not at all clear how it will impact the state of Louisiana, but we will learn more over time."During the campaign for mayor-president of East Baton Rouge Parish, the rap on Democratic candidate Sharon Weston Broome was shes anti-police. Her detractors painted her as someone more sympathetic to criminals than cops. The fear was shed tie the hands of police when fighting crime. Has she? Hard to say. This we do know, after one year of Broomes leadership, homicides in the parish have skyrocketed 70 percent.

There were 61 murders in the parish in 2016. In 2017 the number rose to a record-breaking 106. The 70 percent increase represents a staggering number for a population of only 450,000.

District Attorney Hillar Moore III wonders if the 70 percent increase in homicides last year may have been caused by the historic 2016 flooding. Surely drug dealing was disrupted by floods. Their drug markets were moved around. Did they come back and start to get organized again? Is it historic feuding between families? he said.

But the disruption in the drug trade caused by the flooding doesnt explain the dramatic rise in 2017 homicides if you compare them to the average over the past five years. East Baton Rouge Parish had 66 homicides in 2013, 63 in 2014, 78 in 2015 and 62 in 2016. Going from an average of 68 homicides per year to all of a sudden 106 last year should raise a serious red flag. Something changed.

One of Broomes former opponents for the position she currently holds, John Delgado, puts the 70 percent rise in homicides squarely on the shoulders of the mayor-president.

She walked into that office and instantly demoralized the police department. They knew from the rank and file to the top she did not have their back, she did not support them. said Delgado, a Republican former member of the Metro Council.

During his campaign for mayor-president, Delgado warned voters of Broomes anti-cop bias. And he says he predicted back then it would lead to a spike in violence.

She walks in with an anti-police bias. You dont think that trickles down to every officer on the force? The murder rate is indicative of the overall high crime rate. Aggravated assault, armed robberies, everything is going up along with it, Delgado said.

Delgado also believes Broomes anti-police bias has hurt recruiting for the understaffed department. He says new recruits might think twice about working for a department, fearing the chief she hires would reflect her anti-cop bias.

During the campaign Broome made it very clear she was going to bring about big change and reforms for the Police Department. During a debate she promised a change from what she described as aggression and a lack of de-escalation from police. Its difficult to determine how much of that reform has taken place since a full year into Broomes tenure she has just now put in place her police chief with the recent hiring of Murphy Paul.

Broome promised to hire a police chief who embraces her vision for change for the department. We dont yet know if Paul will work to dismantle the so-called aggression and a lack of de-escalation Broome sees from police. And if Paul does so, what impact it may have on Batons Rouges dramatic escalation in violent crime?

Broome clearly mismanaged her crusade to replace former police chief Carl Dabadie. He finally resigned this past summer. And Broomes questionable attempt to award a anti-crime contract to former gang member and anti-cop zealot Arthur "Silky" Slim only reinforced the narrative that shes more sympathetic to criminals than police. And it took months after taking office before Broome met with police union officials who were highly critical of her.

In fairness to Broome most criminologists will tell you there is a lag effect between policy changes and their impact on crime. Its probably unfair to put all the blame on Broome for the sudden rise in homicides under her tenure. But if she does bring abut the considerable change in policing she has promised, time will reveal its impact on crime. And if the trend of an unprecedented increase in homicides continue, voters may have a tough time re-electing Broome to a second term.

Email Dan Fagan at faganshow@gmail.com.Gov. John Bel Edwards drew a Jan. 19 line in the sand for Louisiana House Republicans to put up or shut up.

Thats the day the governor plans to unveil his somewhat bleak budget proposal, and thats when he wants to hear the GOPs alternative for keeping the state from going off what insiders call a fiscal cliff.

Legally, his spending plan must match expected revenues, which will be coming in about $1 billion short because a penny of the 5-cent state sales tax  added a couple of years ago to address a previous deficit  expires June 30. His budget proposal probably will be full of deep cuts in the appropriations to colleges and universities, health care for the poor, state parks and other services.

But he does not support the cuts that would be imposed should the Legislature fail to address the fiscal cliff, according to the governors plan of action being circulated among legislators. He needs a special session to deal with the problem, but says he wont call one unless some compromise is reached.

Gov. John Bel Edwards' Plan of Action Gov. John Bel Edwards' Plan of Action being circulated among Louisiana legislators

Edwards ideas, according to his plan of action, include making permanent temporary tax break reductions passed in 2015, reducing the amount taxpayers can claim in federal tax deductions on state income tax returns, compressing individual income tax brackets, adding various services to items subject to sales taxes, plus charging business and industry taxes on the utilities they buy.

His gambit appears to be that with the economy rebounding, unemployment on the decline, and elections less than two years away, the looming fiscal cliff will motivate the Legislature to finally lean into the tough task of fixing the way Louisiana collects and spends taxes.

Our Views: Time for action on fiscal cliff at State Capitol With the clock ticking, and more than $1 billion in temporary sales and other taxes expiring on June 30, perhaps you would think that the lawm

Lanny Keller: Tension in Louisiana Capitol threatens Gov. John Bel Edwards favorable ratings With two out of three respondents approving of John Bel Edwards performance in office, surely it was a happy Christmas at the Governors Mansion.

But the "cant hold on much longer" fiscal cliff card has been played nearly every year for the past decade.

With apologies to public televisions literacy education program Between the Lions, Louisiana, like the square-jawed Cliff Hanger, begins and ends every episode hanging from a cliff  thats why we call him Cliff Hanger. Nothing appears on the horizon to change that story line.

After months of meetings, House Republicans cant agree on a counter proposal.

January 19th, thats his deadline, said House Majority Leader Lance Harris, R-Alexandria. Were continuing to meet in groups to discuss and strategize to the options.

And while no preferences have percolated up, yet, Harris is sure they will.

Republican state Rep. Tony Bacala, of Gonzales, thinks it may be a little early to assume the hole will be $1 billion or more. The Revenue Estimating Conference meets at the end of the month and could recognize more money. Retail sales have been up, meaning more sales tax dollars are being collected.

Hes looking at changes to the Medicaid processes, such as enacting co-pay that could generate millions. And the recently signed federal tax revamp likely will help the state fisc, Bacala said.

A lower number increases options, Bacala said. It moves the needle and informs the Legislature on what to do.

State Rep. Kenny Havard, R-St. Francisville, is less optimistic.

I dont think the body has the stomach to make the hard decisions, Havard said. He prefers rolling back tax breaks that leave corporations paying $330 million in taxes while small businesses and individuals contribute about $3.5 billion.

"We could absolutely sit there and say no, no, no. And just let him (Edwards) cut, but that would be irresponsible, Republican state Rep. Kevin Pearson says.

On the other hand, the Democratic governor shows little inclination to negotiate with the conservative House majority, the lawmaker added.

If the governor moved towards the middle, I think there will be a consensus, but I dont believe he will, Pearson said last week.

Gov. John Bel Edwards meets with legislative leaders in anticipation of February special session Anticipating an as-yet uncalled February special session, Gov. John Bel Edwards and state lawmakers are trying to come up with a plan to addre

Republican state Rep. Barry Ivey, of Central is eager to resolve the financial structural problems and ran with several options during the last session. Ultimately his bill died on the House floor, but the lesson he learned was that few have an appetite to fix the status quo.

There are not too many people with their hands on the wheel, Ivey said. It causes me to question the direction, the leadership, the administration, how they intend to solve the problem.

State Sen. Conrad Appel, R-Metairie, says Edwards focus on paying for existing services trumps any long-term strategy.

What is the end game? Where do we want to go as a state? How can we get there? I call it vision, Appel said. Do we have an education governor? No. An economic development governor? No. If you like it the way it is, then keep with the Edwards plan.Unlike many writers who move to New Orleans, Nathaniel Rich never meant to write about the place. If youd asked me five or six years ago, I would have said, Not on your life! I have a huge respect for the literary tradition here and just for the lived experience of the city  But at a certain point, you dont have a choice, and it grabs you, he said.

Now it will grab readers in his third novel, King Zeno, which takes place during a pivotal year in the citys history: 1918. It is a gritty portrait of a city clawing its way toward the future, wrestling with geography, history, destiny, the forces of nature and human greed and hope.

The idea came from a confluence of a million sources, Rich said. But in particular, two things: I was fascinated with the Industrial Canal and how it was built, or dug or excavated. I was drawn to it as a symbol of the citys troubled relationship with the natural world and this sense of a need to control nature  often in dramatic, ambitious, earth-moving ways. And ultimately, as in the case of the Industrial Canal, these projects carry within them a seed of doom and destruction.

It just fascinated me, this idea of building the canal, unearthing these various levels of ancient forests. Then I became interested in the story of the Axeman, and reading old newspaper articles about that, and I discovered that at the same time there was this other parallel crime spree involving a highwayman, what wed call a stick-up artist. There was a young African- American boy holding up white men, and this caused a racial panic to spring up  there were reprisal killings of innocent black people. And the culmination of that story was that the highwayman shot and killed a detective named Obitz, the lead investigator in the Axeman murders."

The Axeman was a serial killer blamed for the murders of six people in 1918 and 1919. The killer was never caught.

Then there was influenza, the end of the war, the end of Storyville, and the popularization of jazz  crossing over from a form that had been seen by New Orleans' high society as a form that had given the city a bad name. It was too much not to write about. I fell in love with all of it, saw a narrative forming out of these various strands.

Meticulously timed and plotted, King Zeno ties these events together in the unforgettable characters of Isadore Zeno, the title character, a talented, striving cornetist with a shady side business; Mafia matriarch Beatrice Vizzini and her son Giorgio (think Ignatius Reilly with a truly dark and dangerous side) who owns Hercules Construction, the company digging the canal; and a policeman, Billy Bastrop, struggling for personal redemption and fame as the man who solves the Axemans murders.

At the heart of this novel, Rich says, is the quest for immortality, mans desire to be immortal. So it is that all these characters struggle onward.

To read King Zeno is to see the city through Richs sharply observant yet loving eyes. "You can go to a lot of these locations and the buildings are still there," he said. "Even the cobblestone is still there. The sense of the citys history is vivid in ways that its not in many American cities.

That vivid and visible history is amplified by human voices. I found this incredible archive of recordings from an oral history project done by the Friends of the Cabildo Historical Society, about 200 interviews from the '70s into the '90s, roughly. Theyre all collected at the Main Branch of the New Orleans Public Library, and some are at Tulane.

The interviewers asked questions no formal histories would answer, he said. What songs did the street vendors sing? Whered you go to the bathroom, in the house or was there an outhouse? Where did you buy your groceries? How did you get food? What was your experience of the Mississippi River? Things like that  an incredible amount of really visceral, sensual details was derived from those interviews.

If his name sounds familiar, its because Rich has impeccable literary credentials. Hes an at-large writer for The New York Times Magazine. His work frequently appears in The Atlantic and The New York Review of Books; he was formerly fiction editor of The Paris Review. His father, Frank Rich, is a former columnist now at HBO; his mother, Gail Winston, is an executive editor at HarperCollins; and his brother, Simon Rich, is a noted comic writer.

Rich has lived in New Orleans since 2010, when his wife, Meredith Angelson, accepted a job with the Southern Poverty Law Centers local office. Their son, Roman, was born here.

While their decision to move to the city was driven by Angelsons job search, Nathaniel Rich said, Life in New York had become constricting. And for a while there, I was afraid Id have to resign myself to living in San Diego. (He recoils in mock horror.) But coming to New Orleans, I definitely felt I was coming toward something.

Maybe it was this book he was moving toward. Modest to a fault, Rich is thoughtful and serious. Im obsessed with cities, he said. His first two novels, The Mayors Tongue and Odds Against Tomorrow, were largely set in his native New York. His work of nonfiction, San Francisco Noir: The City in Film Noir from 1940 to the Present, drew on another city that he loves.

It takes time to learn a city, to love it, to make a mark on it, and Rich has done that in King Zeno. Writing about contemporary New Orleans is not in Richs immediate future, but, he said, I can reasonably claim Im one of the authorities on 1918 New Orleans. Im confident about that.

Susan Larson hosts The Reading Life on WWNO.

**********************

Book Signing

Nathaniel Rich discusses and signs King Zeno with novelist Katy Simpson Smith

When: Tuesday, Jan. 9, 6 p.m.

Where: Garden District Book Shop

2727 Prytania St., New OrleansFor more than a generation, the office of sheriff has been out of reach for ordinary Jefferson Parish politicians.

Harry Lee, the larger-than-life lawman who served seven terms, faced his last serious opponent in 1987, dispatching former state Sen. Art Lentini in a bare-knuckles runoff.

Lee, who died in 2007, passed the torch to his protege, Newell Normand, who assumed a similar stranglehold on the office before stepping down unexpectedly last year.

Lee and Normand were virtually immune to challenge in most election cycles, routinely winning by margins often associated with authoritarian regimes.

So when Jefferson Parish voters go to the polls March 24, many will be confronted with something they've never seen before: a competitive match-up for sheriff.

It's a race that has captivated the electorate and divided the men and women who work at the Sheriff's Office. It also reflects the inevitable splintering of Lee's political family tree, as Normand's hand-picked successor, Joe Lopinto, squares off against John Fortunato, who for years served as Lee's spokesman.

The race will also feature a third candidate, Anthony Bloise, a septuagenarian former submarine builder with no law enforcement experience who took on Normand in 2015 and won 12 percent of the vote.

Except that both are white, male Republicans, their competing claims to Lee's legacy are about all the two major candidates share in common. They present a stark contrast: the brash lifelong lawman Fortunato versus the professorial lawyer and former legislator Lopinto.

The prize is control of one of the largest law enforcement agencies in the state  a position Normand surrendered last summer when he traded in his badge for the bully pulpit of a WWL radio talk show.

The candidates, who both qualified to run Wednesday, have taken sharply divergent career paths to arrive at this point.

Lopinto joined the Sheriff's Office in 1997, moving up from patrol to narcotics detective before returning to patrol so that he could attend law school at night. He left the agency in 2004 and was in private practice until returning to serve as Normand's executive counsel in 2016. He also mounted successful runs for the Legislature, serving in the House from 2008 until 2016, when he stepped down to rejoin the Sheriff's Office.

Fortunato touts his 46 years with the agency, a tenure that included stints as a detective and commander of the Community Relations Division. He was shot and wounded in the line of duty in 1977 during a gun battle that erupted as he and other deputies approached a man living in a tent in a wooded area of Metairie.

On the campaign trail, they've largely emphasized their respective credentials while seeking to discount the other man's life experience. The one-upmanship is perhaps best illustrated by the candidates' competing campaign slogans. Lopinto has responded to Fortunato's "Experience Matters" signs by posting placards of his own that say "Real Experience Matters."

Lopinto has made derisive comments about Fortunato's experience, telling WWL-TV recently that "law enforcement has changed tremendously" since Fortunato served in an active policing role. "When was the last time he made an arrest?" he asked. "When's the last time he wrote a report? He's been the spokesperson, that's what he's been."

Fortunato, in an interview with The Advocate, said that being sheriff is "not about putting people in jail and writing police reports." He said he's better equipped to handle the job because of his years of exposure to the inner workings of the agency, not to mention the countless crime scenes he's seen.

In interviews, both men expressed an almost haughty confidence that they will come out on top.

"I'm playing the nice guy," Fortunato said last week. "I've taken the high road at every turn."

Fortunato said he considers himself the front-runner, citing feedback he's received from the community and a favorable  albeit very early  UNO poll that put his support at 44 percent, more than double the 19 percent Lopinto garnered in the survey.

The poll, released last fall shortly before Fortunato announced his candidacy, had a margin of error of about 5 percent. Not surprisingly, it showed Fortunato's support to be stronger on the West Bank, a largely blue-collar electorate that forms his base.

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Fortunato, 66, has reached out to minority voters. "I think it's paramount that law enforcement rebuilds relationships with the people of the parish, and that's folks of all ethnicities," he said.

He has sought to reassure the office's current rank-and-file, insisting that he doesn't intend to "clean house" if elected.

Lopinto, 41, enjoys a number of advantages as the incumbent, having taken over in late summer upon Normand's retirement. The ensuing months have been a baptism by fire, as he's learned the ins and outs of heading a sprawling agency that he likens to a corporation with a $125 million budget.

"The public has to make a decision on who's qualified for this job," Lopinto said. "I go to work everyday and try to make Jefferson Parish a little bit better place. And that's what I'm going to do."

Lopinto said he doesn't have the ability to make "sweeping changes" in the Sheriff's Office, given financial constraints. But during his brief time at the helm, he said, he's made personnel changes intended to stem turnover at the jail and has sought to improve response times in places like Waggaman by increasing patrols.

The sheriff said he was undaunted by the early polling that showed his opponent so far ahead, acknowledging Fortunato has greater name recognition. "He's been on television for the last 30 years," Lopinto said. "But no one knew the name Joe Lopinto 10 years ago. And no one knew the name Newell Normand when he first ran."

As he left the office, Normand offered a full-throated endorsement of Lopinto, whom he had installed as chief deputy, saying that no one else in the Sheriff's Office had the skill set needed to take the reins. And he worked in a dig at Fortunato at the same time. "The last three sheriffs (of Jefferson Parish) have been lawyers. I don't know that Johnny has a college degree," Normand told The Advocate last year.

It's unclear how much weight Normand's voice carries, however. Last fall, he threw his unqualified support behind Danny Martiny for the vacant Parish Council District 4 seat, but Martiny was soundly defeated by Dominick Impastato.

"People are not as impressed by endorsements as they may have been in years past," said Impastato. "It's going to take more than endorsements to win an election."

Perhaps heeding that same maxim, Lopinto has relied little upon Normand in the campaign, seeking to assure voters that he is his "own man." And while Lopinto insists he has not distanced himself from his predecessor, he has emphasized in recent weeks that he became the sheriff "by law," telling supporters at one recent event that "nobody has given me anything."

Such statements may also be aimed at blunting the impact of one of Fortunato's favorite lines  that "this is not a coronation; it's an election."

Lopinto says he's never seen it any other way. "I proved myself to one man, and there's a reason he named me chief deputy," he said. "But that doesn't convince 439,000 residents."

Lopinto said it's too early for his campaign to conduct any polling. But as a barometer of his support, he points to his substantial edge over Fortunato in fundraising. He took in about $448,000 over the past four months, campaign finance reports show, compared to about $255,000 for Fortunato over the same time period.

Fortunato dismisses the disparity.

"Money alone will not buy any election," he said. "My opponent can't outspend the public trust Ive earned from our community as someone who spent decades fighting crime."

Qualifying may have marked the official kickoff of the contest, but the two candidates have already been hard at work in what many expect to be a bruising campaign that will have to compete to be heard over the din of Carnival and a Saints playoff run.

"I think it's going to be very heated," said Cynthia Lee-Sheng, an at-large Parish Council member and the daughter of former Sheriff Lee, who describes herself as a fan of Fortunato but is backing Lopinto. "It's a big election."For Derrick Shepherd to denounce fake local news is like shooting himself in the foot, for the fake in the local news right now is him.

He cannot, perhaps, match the fraudulence of his heyday, when he was laundering large sums through his law-practice bank account for a crooked, disqualified insurance broker, and getting arrested on charges of beating up women. But he still does not come across as a straight talker.

Shepherd was forced to resign his seat in the state Senate and sentenced to 37 months in prison 10 years ago. Now, as he seeks employment and tries to get his law license back, he is rushing around town reminding all who care to listen that ex-cons deserve a second chance.

No doubt about that. Shepherd has done his time and society shoots itself in the foot when citizens are not permitted to make full use of their abilities. Shepherd, a major in the Army Reserve until his conviction, clearly has a broad range of talents and should still be able contribute somewhere.

He wouldn't have risen so rapidly in the political arena if there were any hint of the shrinking violet in his makeup, but state legislators were somewhat taken aback when he showed up at the church the other week where they were having breakfast with New Orleans mayor-elect Latoya Cantrell.

Now, after staying uncharacteristically mum for a bit, Shepherd is back to his most bumptious in a TV commercial and interviews with the media he claims falsely accused him of angling for a job with Cantrell when he was merely helping to cater a breakfast. His range of talents is even broader than we thought.

Still, even without consulting his rap sheet, it may be unwise to take his word for anything. He still insists he did not turn up at the breakfast in hopes of a gainful post at City Hall, for instance, but notes that he is available to become director of the Sewerage and Water Board. Although that does not quite amount to a contradiction, it is safe to assume that he had more than grits and grillades on his mind when showing up at the pow wow.

When Cantrell at the breakfast assured Shepherd of her belief in second chances, legislators naturally took that to mean he was in line for a job. That was all the more plausible because she certainly needs to do some hiring pronto. Although she was elected Nov. 18, Cantrell has not bothered to name a transition team. It is unheard of for an incoming mayor to wait so long before starting to lay the groundwork. Such a curious lack of urgency is disconcerting; an unprepared administration can hardly avoid faltering.

Neither Cantrell nor Shepherd was in any hurry to set minds at rest either. More than a day passed while the media speculated on what Cantrell and Shepherd were plotting; he referred all inquiries to her, she said nothing and her flack, though averring that Cantrell had assigned Shepherd no defined role, declined to rule out the possibility of one.

It was already past breakfast time on day two before Cantrell declared that she had not arranged for Shepherd to be at the meeting and he would never work for her. The delay could only mean that Shepherd was under consideration until the reaction proved too negative.

Although Shepherd evidently still holds out hope of a plum appointment, he is also considering a run for election. He did try a couple of years ago to contest the seat he once held in the House, but was thrown off the ballot because an amendment to the state constitution barred felons from running for 15 years after they have served their time.

The state Supreme Court subsequently ruled that that amendment unconstitutional because one of its incidental provisions was omitted from the wording on the ballot approved by the voters. So far the legislature has made no move to correct its error.

Shepherd would certainly not be starved of publicity if he did run. He may be an old faker, but he's real news.

Email James Gill at Gill1407@bellsouth.net.We should have a little respite today from the scorching conditions on the weekend - a top of 33 degrees with a shower or two predicted.

Welcome to the first Canberra Now for the year. I know you've missed us! Commiserations if it's your first day back after a well deserved summer break.

Learner & Probationary Plates on White Background GENERIC P PROVISIONAL PLATE Credit:Jamesbowyer

There are calls for Canberra's p-plate laws to be tightened.

As the Australian Medical Association calls for national action in the wake of a horror holiday road toll, the ACT's police union says the government has been "asleep at the wheel" on road safety.

A government spokeswoman said the capital "does not have all the components of a standard level model graduated licensing scheme" but revealed that could soon change as part of an upcoming review.

"A discussion paper proposing reforms to bring the ACT into line with other states and the national framework is being developed and a consultation process will be undertaken this year," she said.The government has forecast the end of the mining boom, with 2018 marking the tipping point for when producers will see export earnings heading south.

In fiscal 2017, the resources and energy sector is tipped to see record high exports earnings. But this is expected to be short-lived.

Data from the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science released on Monday suggests a bleaker outlook for 2018 with billions less in earnings.After being sentenced to three and half years in jail in the second fodder scam case, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav will be shifted from the Birsa Munda jail in Ranchi to the open jail in Hazaribagh soon. This comes in the wake of the recommendation made by the special CBI judge Shiv Pal Singh, who mentioned in the 101 pages order sheet to shift all the 16 convicts in the fodder case to open jail.

India Today on Sunday reached the open jail in Hazaribagh and found that preparations were going on to welcome Lalu Prasad and others in the jail.

The open jail which was inaugurated in November 2013 has 100 small cottages each having one room, a kitchen and an attached bathroom. Sources in the jail informed that the size of the cottage was enough to house the prisoner and his wife and a minor child.

It may be mentioned that while the sentencing was going on Saturday in the e-court, few convicts citing old age and poor health prayed for minimum punishment. It is then that Shiv Pal Singh remarked that he will be recommending all convicts to be sent to open jail where they can live with their family, if they wished.

The judge also commented that the open jail had many cows and buffaloes grazing inside all the time and, therefore, all the 16 convicts, including Lalu Prasad Yadav, would be at ease there as they are all accused in the fodder scam. It appears that after this remark of the judge, the Hazaribagh jail administration had decided to bring a dozen cows and buffaloes in the jail before the RJD chief's arrival.

"More than two dozens cattle are being brought in the jail soon. The jail is spread over 20 acres and has enough area for the cattle to graze," said Shankar Ram, guard of the jail.

What is also interesting that every cottage has a machine installed to dispense RO water to drink. Interestingly, ahead of his sentencing, Lalu Prasad had complained to the CBI judge of not getting clean drinking water at the Birsa Munda jail where he is lodged at present.The great Australian beach holiday is a pilgrimage many of us make each summer. Our identity as a nation is, in shorthand, a sunburnt country, happy surfers and swimmers heading to the shore break from the barbecue.

But while the beach may be a refuge from the daily grind, the annual drowning toll is soaring along with the temperatures.

This summer is already proving to be a grim one for drowning. By the end of December, at least 19 people had drowned off our coasts. On the first day of the new year, a 46-year-old man was swept off a sandbank and drowned at Phillip Island's treacherous Cape Woolamai beach.

In the past 13 years, from 2004 to 2017, 1281 people drowned off Australia's beaches. It's not the road toll, which remains higher than 1000 people annually despite decades of world-leading safety reforms, but every one of these drowning deaths is an individual tragedy that should prompt us as a nation to ask what we can do to reduce the numbers.The Star Wars franchise's latest evil government, the First Order, seems carefully crafted to send a shiver down contemporary spines. Based on an alpine-looking ice planet, run by crisp functionaries in sharply tailored uniforms and armed with world-destroying weaponry, the First Order hearkens back to fascist regimes of the 20th century. But the most frightening thing about the First Order, as far as real-world audiences ought to be concerned, is the radical inequality festering in the society it aims to rule.

In the world depicted in The Last Jedi, the relationship between mass politics and the First Order is never made entirely clear; the regime seems to have manifested out of some dark energy conjured by its diabolical alien leader, and, this being a mass-market sci-fi flick, we can't fault it too much for that. (After the heat Attack of the Clones took for wasting time on mind-numbing political tick-tock, it's easy to understand why the writers behind The Last Jedi didn't want to make the same mistake.)

Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi'. Credit:John Wilson

But the film does linger on the shape of its characters' economy: upside-down, one gathers. Wealthy arms dealers and other rich characters decked in haute couture throw money down and drinks back in glittering casinos while dirty-faced children muck out stalls for alien beasts roughly akin to terrestrial racehorses. This inequality is adduced as a source of strength for the Resistance. At the film's conclusion, a child labourer is seen using the Force to summon a broom for his chores, glancing at a Resistance emblem and gazing up hopefully toward the stars. Things simply can't go on this way, we're meant to conclude; the oppression of the many by the few will eventually be righted via popular uprising. Resistance, to borrow a trope from another star-franchise, is not futile.

If only it were that easy: the bad guys openly callous and hostile to peace and prosperity, the good guys obviously and genuinely humane, and the citizenry alert and attuned to the difference. In reality, the economic conditions sketched in The Last Jedi are perfectly primed to give rise to the very sort of fascist regimes the film seems to think they're naturally antithetical to.US author Michael Wolff's explosive new book Fire and Fury about the Trump White House will further unnerve America's foes and friends alike, and is particularly alarming in the light of the US President's apparent preparedness to go to war with North Korea, according to Kim Beazley.

Mr Beazley, a former Australian ambassador to Washington, told Fairfax that the Wolff book is "internationally very damaging for the US; there is a lot of scepticism about Trump anyway, but  there is a sense that he has basically taken leave of his senses and is fundamentally out of control".

At a time when the US is running a "hard line" with South Korea and China on trade, risking a trade war, the book would "add to an impression around Trump of indiscipline, madness and miscalculation".

Mr Beazley added that the US leader seemed to have become convinced that the only way to disarm North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un was to "hit hard" but that Mr Trump has "no real understanding of what he is handling; and the book points out his deep ignorance and determination to [stay that way]".Christie Whelan Browne and Erika Heynatz, who appeared with Craig McLachlan in a 2014 production of The Rocky Horror Show. Credit:Louise Kennerley For his part, McLachlan, who is in Adelaide starring in the 2018 tour of Rocky Horror, says the allegations are "baseless" and "they seem to be simple inventions, perhaps made for financial reasons, perhaps to gain notoriety". "These allegations are ALL made up," he said in an emailed response. Christie Whelan Browne and Craig McLachlan on stage in The Rocky Horror Show. Credit:screengrab One of the country's leading musical performers, Christie Whelan Browne, now starring in Muriel's Wedding The Musical, performed the lead role of Janet during the 2014 Rocky Horror tour. She alleged that McLachlan indecently assaulted her during the show.

Whelan Browne, who had to perform a sex scene with McLachlan, was horrified when he went off script. The scene saw Whelan Browne in a vertical bed, covered by a sheet, where she was visible to the audience only from the shoulders up. Actress Angela Scundi has made a statement to police about Craig McLachlan's alleged behaviour. Credit:Janie Barrett The carefully scripted choreography of that scene required McLachlan, who was playing the lead role of Dr Frank-N-Furter, to kiss Whelan Browne down the neck and then disappear below the sheets. "So he started the kissing down the neck and down the arm, but then it gradually moved to the breasts and down the stomach. So he would keep kissing as if he was going to keep going and I would have to swat him away," said Whelan Browne. Christie Whelan Browne and Craig McLachlan on stage in The Rocky Horror Show.

"But this one night when he turned me around, he pulled my undies up so my bum cheek was out and he was kissing my bum. There is nothing I can do. I am stuck. There's 2000 people watching me and can't see him. "As the tour went on he would say he could see my vagina through my white underpants - that was my costume - and he said that he could see the slit of my vagina and that he could smell it and it smells sweet." Craig McLachlan performing with the band Welter. Credit:Greg Totman Whelan Browne began to cry as she recounted the night "when he was down in the bed he traced the outline of my vagina with his finger and I slapped his hand away". McLachlan denies that this happened. He claimed that the show was "a confrontational musical oozing with sexuality" and that to "make" the show "actors have to perform certain actions, all of which flow from the show itself".

Craig McLachlan in The Doctor Blake Mysteries. McLachlan allegedly made inappropriate comments to actress Angela Scundi about her breasts; he created what he described as special "moments" for her on stage and on one occasion he was wearing only satin boxer shorts when he hugged her. "He pushed his pelvis into me and moved around so I could feel his penis against my body," said Scundi, who played a phantom and also understudied Heynatz's role of Magenta. Craig McLachlan playing Henry Ramsay in Neighbours. On another occasion, "Craig grabbed my hand  and said to me, 'Every day I am falling more and more in love with you.' "

Scundi, who has made a lengthy statement to police, alleges that, on another occasion, McLachlan asked her to come into his dressing room as he had something private to discuss. After the door was closed he undressed, took his underwear off and stood up naked. "I said 'What the f---?!' and turned away to leave. He responded with laughter, saying 'No, no, no. Don't go, sorry, I'm just so comfortable.' " "I have NEVER done anything like this," said McLachlan in his emailed response. McLachlan was also adamant that he never made unwanted sexual advances: "I am, and have been at all relevant times, in a stable relationship with my long-term partner." However, Heynatz alleges she also experienced unwanted sexual advances from McLachlan.

Heynatz claims she had been sitting on a couch in the green room of Melbourne's Comedy Theatre when McLachlan walked over and "straddled me on the couch, knee either side and started kissing my neck". When she recoiled, he leant back and said: "Too much?" "Yes," replied Heynatz. McLachlan then nonchalantly "climbed off and just walked away". "That's not normal workplace behaviour, that's not normal, that's not OK and yet for some reason, because of this sense of entitlement and this level of confidence  he thought there was nothing wrong with doing that," she said. McLachlan said: "I have no recollection whatsoever of any such event."

This was allegedly not Heynatz's first unwanted encounter with McLachlan. Earlier in the tour, she says, he came into her dressing room as she was putting on her make-up ready to go on stage. McLachlan had told her to stop what she was doing. "What I have to tell you is important," he had said. McLachlan allegedly had then turned her chair around to face him. "You're really beautiful and I can't stop thinking about you and every day I'm becoming more and more enchanted by you and I'm falling for you," he is said to have gushed. "And there's something that I've got to do." With that, he allegedly took Heynatz by the face and kissed her. "I was almost paralysed  I was in shock. It was a yuck thing," she said. "Ultimately, it's just like being kissed by the boss. You want to work with these people. You don't want to be touched by them, kissed by them, you don't want them to be sexualising you."

Heynatz observed that McLachlan's behaviour was escalating as time went on. She felt that "he was becoming more bold and more brazen with everything he did both on stage and off". McLachlan rejected the suggestion that his kissing scenes were becoming longer and more intimate. "How little you appear to know about this production of the show," he said, claiming that, during the performance, "there are a number of small comic kisses directed in the piece". But cast members allegedly observed McLachlan taking advantage of intimate scenes with one particular actress. When Scundi was told she had to fill in for this actress, she informed the company managers that she didn't want to be kissed like that. Scundi claims it was to no avail and that, on the second night, he forced his tongue into her mouth. When they left the stage and she told him never to kiss her like that again, McLachlan became enraged, she said.

"The show was still going so it was quiet and he had his finger in my face  I was terrified," she said. "You are nothing! Don't you dare talk to me like that. I will end you," McLachlan allegedly said. "And in that moment, I believed him," said Scundi. Fearful that she would lose her job because of McLachlan's powerful position, she put her hands in the air and said: "I'm only joking." During the final performance of the tour, when Scundi was back playing the role of a phantom, she says McLachlan again went off script, kneeling in front of her. "He grabbed my shoulders, pulling me in to kiss me. I pushed him off me and he fell backwards."

Scundi recalls his look of shock which quickly changed to rage. Even though she was still on stage, she burst into tears. Scundi wasn't the only one who was frightened of his alleged unchecked behaviour. Heynatz recounted performing a duet with another actress. They were standing on a platform with only their heads and shoulders visible to the audience. Knowing they were completely vulnerable, Heynatz alleges McLachlan took to groping her colleague. He was "reaching up and grabbing up between her legs and up at her bottom so she's having to kind of donkey kick him away," said Heynatz. While McLachlan denied that this incident ever happened, the cast said his behaviour started impacting on their ability to perform. "Because I've already been on the receiving end of some unwanted attention, I'm thinking, any minute now, that's going to be me. So of course my legs start shaking and ultimately it's not safe," Heynatz said. "While you are on stage you've still got to do your job, and meanwhile you've got this person who's kind of messing with you, messing with you from the waist down."

Heynatz went immediately to the head mechanist, whose job it was to ensure safety. She recalled that he was laughing "uncomfortably". But she told him that McLachlan had to be spoken to, that this was a safety issue. As the tour went on, Heynatz said the anxiety about what McLachlan would do next started affecting her performance. "I started to get really anxious on stage. I started to get the shakes. My voice started to close up," she said. The words "sexual harassment" are mentioned in the notes of the doctor whom Heynatz consulted about her anxiety while the show was touring. When a male cast member complained first to management and then to McLachlan about the unnecessary lewdness that McLachlan had allegedly added to a scene, McLachlan is said have flown into a rage. That night, as the cast and crew were gathered backstage for the cast call before the show, McLachlan allegedly shouted at them: "You are a bunch of untalented and ungrateful c---s."

He is said to have become aggressive to cast members during the performance. Whelan Browne said that he was supposed to stroke her face lovingly as he sang his goodbye. Instead, he "grabbed me by the jaw" and wrenched her face to one side. And as they were taking their bow, Whelan Browne recalled her terror as he glared angrily at her and "clapped his hands in my face". "I ran off stage and said to our resident director, 'What the f--- is going on?' ", and she said, "He's angry." Whelan Browne said the director then just stared straight ahead. The next day John Frost, the managing director of GFO, happened to drop by the theatre. He asked if she was all right. "I burst into tears and said, 'I am not OK. I am frightened of him.' " On hearing what had happened, Frost said: "No, no, no, we can't have that. That's terrible. God, I can't believe he's been like this. We've never had a problem with him before."

After giving her a hug and telling her to call if there were any further problems, he left. Frost was not available for comment but his suggestion that the company had never had a previous problem with McLachlan is disputed by other cast members who said that complaints had been made. They also said that the production crew had witnessed McLachlan's behaviour but had failed to intervene. Emboldened by her conversation with Frost, the following day Whelan Browne expressed her concerns to the stage manager. "That's a very serious accusation and if you want to take that further I'm going to have to call the producers. Is that what you want?" said the stage manager. Whelan Browne got the clear impression she was being warned that it was not worth her while taking her concerns further. McLachlan denied that he ever bullied or intimidated cast members. "These are baseless and vicious lies," he said.

The turning point for the women was the fallout from the exposure of legendary Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein as a sexual predator. "When the Harvey Weinstein story broke, I started to get  terrible anxiety that was keeping me up at night  my heart punching through my chest day and night," said Whelan Browne. Heynatz and Scundi experienced a similar reaction. The women had not shared their experiences during the show. They said they felt isolated and alone and that McLachlan had played them off against each other. Whelan Browne, who took two weeks off for a back injury, said that, when she returned, McLachlan had said of her understudy: "Thank God you're back, her pussy stinks."

Heynatz and Scundi said that, when Whelan Browne had gone off injured, McLachlan said: "She's a c--- and she won't be coming back." "This is a simple lie," said McLachlan. "The use of such language is repugnant." He also pointed out that his "accusers" have had "thousands of opportunities to raise these accusations" but none of them did. Said Heynatz about their reticence to come forward at the time: "They're not going to believe us, he's the big head star, they're going to keep him, we're going to lose our jobs." "We were replaceable ... That's the disgusting thing about it. We all feel as though our voice isn't enough, we're not important enough, we don't earn enough money," she said. In the wake of the Weinstein allegations the women reconnected. When they realised that they were not alone in regards to McLachlan's behaviour, they decided it was time to act.

"We all decided ... the time is now and it has to be done and then perhaps now we will be taken seriously," said a tearful Scundi. She also said she hoped that "other people will have the opportunity to actually come forward and be heard as well". "We're all considered strong, resilient, self-assured women, we've been in this industry a long time. So the fact we were intimidated and we were made to feel vulnerable at that time, is one thing," said Heynatz, "but the crucial thing  is to prevent similar behaviour from happening to others." Heynatz said it was vital that young actresses, who have "stars in their eyes", realised that they did not have to put up with unacceptable behaviour. Before Christmas, the women went to the union, lawyers and police. While they were not identified, their lawyers outlined their allegations to GFO and asked that their concerns be investigated as a matter of urgency as McLachlan's reprisal of the role was opening in Adelaide on New Year's Eve.High temperatures, combined with high humidity, made it an unpleasant sleep for some in Sydney overnight.

The Bureau of Meteorology confirmed on Monday that Penrith had reached the highest temperature on earth in the past 24 hours when it reached 47.3 degrees on Sunday afternoon.

"It looks like it's the highest temperature recorded in the Sydney area in 80 years," Jacob Cronje, a senior meteorologist with Weatherzone, said.

"It was certainly the hottest place in Australia," he said.A man who allegedly rammed a police car and then confronted officers wielding a machete in Melbourne's east has been charged.

Police were called to a fight in Kilsyth at about 10pm on Sunday when the man, 55, allegedly rammed the car and drove at members before approaching with with the large knife.

Police pepper-sprayed the man before he was arrested.

No policeofficers were injured.A man was found stabbed to death at a house in the state's north on Monday morning.

Police were called to Williams Road in Strathmerton after receiving reports of a stabbing about 1.40am.

Homicide detectives are investigating. Credit:Paul Rovere

A man was found dead at the scene.

A 46-year-old Strathmerton man was arrested at the scene and is being interviewed by police.If you live in Melbourne's west and are expecting a parcel to be delivered this week, don't hold your breath.

Police are searching for a man who stole a delivery van full of packages while it was parked in front of a house in Sunshine North last week - while an unsuspecting courier was still in the van.

The courier was in the back of the van sorting through parcels while it was parked on Troon Crescent when a man walked up to the driver's door about 10.50am on Wednesday, January 3.

The thief broke into the van and drove off - causing the courier to fall through the back door of the van and onto the road.Voters in two key outer Melbourne electorates say resoundingly that crime involving African youths has spiked in the last year, and more than half identify law and order as their biggest concern.

However, a strong majority of more than 1300 residents polled in the Labor seats of Tarneit and Cranbourne believe Premier Daniel Andrews will better tackle crime than Opposition Leader Matthew Guy.

The ReachTEL phone poll was conducted for The Age on Friday  the day after a midnight rampage in Melbourne's north-west involving up to 10 African youths.

In the seat of Tarneit, held by Labor by almost 15 per cent at the last state election, more than a third of those polled said they or someone they knew had been a gang violence victim in the last year.Berlin: More than three months after a German election, Chancellor Angela Merkel is still scrambling to form a new government and will on Sunday launch a five-day attempt to persuade the Social Democrats, known as SPD, to join a coalition with her conservatives.

The SPD reluctantly agreed to exploratory talks and is playing hard-to-get. Enticing them to team up with her is Merkel's best bet of forming a stable government and extending her 12-year tenure after her efforts to form an alliance with two smaller parties failed last year.

The SPD, which has governed in a 'grand coalition' with Merkel's conservatives for the last four years, vowed to go into opposition after its worst election showing since 1933 but reconsidered when the president intervened.

Negotiating a coalition has been a headache for Angela Merkel. Credit:Bloomberg

Opposition to such a tie-up is strong in the SPD - a group called "NoGroKo", meaning "no grand coalition", has formed within its ranks to campaign against working with Merkel again, saying that would cost the SPD votes and make the far-right Alternative for Germany opposition leader.Amaravati, Jan 7 (PTI) Four engineering students drowned in a pond in Andhra Pradeshs West Godavari district, a police official said today.

The victims, three third year students and one of first year of the Ramchandra Engineering College in Eluru, went to a guava orchard last evening.

They later got into the Vatluru village pond apparently for having a bath and drowned, the police official said over phone.

The deceased, in their earlier 20s, were identified as G Vijaya Sankar, K Harikrishna Raju, ASK Parasuram (all in third year of mechanical engineering course) and Kota Sai (in first year of electronics and chemical engineering).

The bodies were fished out from the pond this morning, the official said.

The postmortem was conducted at the district headquarters hospital in Eluru and later the bodies were handed over to the kin, he said.

A case has been registered in connection with the incident, he added. PTI DBV GK SNKWashington: Republicans and Trump allies rushed to defend US President Donald Trump's mental stability on Sunday, as former White House aide Stephen Bannon issued an apology for his role in the furore that's followed the release of a controversial new book.

Bannon provided a statement to the political website Axios expressing "regret" for comments attributed to him in Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, a scathing tell-all by Michael Wolff that paints Trump as unprepared for the presidency and portrays his aides as concerned about his mental stability.

"My support is also unwavering for the President and his agenda," Bannon said in the statement.

Among other statements in the book, Bannon cast doubt on the President's future and said it was "treasonous" and "unpatriotic" for Donald Trump jnr to have a June 2016 meeting with a Russian lawyer.North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, celebrates what was said to be the test launch of an intermediate range Hwasong-12 missile at an undisclosed location in North Korea. Credit:AP As a result, he argued, "we have to do everything we are doing with a greater degree of urgency, and we have to accelerate our own efforts to resolve the issue short of conflict." Senior intelligence officials said they began investing more heavily in acquiring information on North Korea's weapons program in 2012, reaping benefits over the past two years. But they acknowledged they made two key assumptions that proved wrong. They assumed that North Korea would need about as much time to solve the rocket science as other nations did during the Cold War, underestimating its access to both advanced computer modeling and foreign expertise. They also misjudged Kim, 33, who took control of the dynastic regime in late 2011 and made the weapons program more of a priority than his father or grandfather did. National Security Adviser HR McMaster. Credit:AP

Obama warned Trump during the transition a year ago that North Korea would pose the most urgent national security threat, and almost immediately the newly installed president began repeating, publicly and privately, that he inherited "a mess" in North Korea because his predecessors did not do enough. Former officials in the Obama administration dispute that. But some concede that the intelligence community's flawed assessment of the North's progress meant there was less pressure to bolster missile defenses, more vigorously enforce sanctions or consider stepped-up covert action. It is not clear that even with more advanced warning the Obama or Trump administrations would have been able to slow Kim's progress. The shakiness of intelligence on North Korea casts a shadow over Trump's options going forward. Many in the Pentagon see the failure to anticipate the North's recent breakthroughs as an ominous reminder of how much could go wrong. A successful pre-emptive strike, for example, might require precise knowledge of the locations of manufacturing facilities, nuclear plants and storage areas, and confidence that cyberstrikes and electronic strikes would cripple Kim's ability to retaliate.

Trump, however, was not disturbed by the absence of warning, McMaster said. "He understands human nature and understands he will never have perfect intelligence about capabilities and intentions." Missing Critical Turns Ever since the United States began tracking North Korea's efforts to obtain a nuclear weapon, a pattern has repeated itself: US intelligence agencies excelled at forecasting the direction and overall timeline of the program, yet repeatedly missed critical turns. From as early as 2000, the National Intelligence Council was remarkably prescient about North Korea's overall direction, predicting in an unclassified report that it would "most likely" have a nuclear missile that could hit US cities by 2015.

TV news program reporting North Korea's missile launch. Credit:AP Four years later, when the United States was mired in the first year of the Iraq War, the council refined its prediction, saying a "crisis over North Korea is likely to come to a head sometime over the next 15 years," that is, no later than 2019. None of this was ignored. President George W Bush began a program to interdict ships delivering material for the North's weapons program, and he accelerated secret efforts to cripple the program by sabotaging its supply chain with bad parts. But the CIA's main focus was on counterterrorism, and satellite coverage over North Korea was often diverted to keep troops safe in the Middle East. The United States was surprised in 2006, when it received a heads-up about the North's first underground nuclear test  from China, only about an hour before the explosion.

It was surprised again the next year when the head of the Mossad, Israel's intelligence service, arrived at the White House with photographs showing a nuclear reactor under construction in Syria that matched the North's Yongbyon reactor. In 2010, North Korea invited Siegfried Hecker, former director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, to visit and showed him a complete uranium-enrichment plant it had built inside an old building at Yongbyon. The Koreans had installed the facility, at a site under regular satellite surveillance, without being detected. Intelligence officials said there were good reasons for this spotty record. Foreign governments almost never succeed in recruiting North Korean scientists as sources because they are rarely allowed to go abroad. The North also appears to have figured out the patterns of some U.S. spy satellites. And while documents released by Edward Snowden showed the National Security Agency had penetrated North Korea, it is unclear whether its cybersnooping gleaned anything useful in a nation with minimal computer networking.

A Rapid Shift By late 2013, the intelligence community had largely changed its view of Kim. It now appears that Kim had several missile programs underway simultaneously, and sped efforts to make parts and missile fuel indigenously, so that the United States and its allies could not cut off his supplies. Obama, increasingly concerned, ordered multiple reviews, including one in early 2014 in which he authorized an intensification of covert cyberstrikes and electronic strikes on the North's missile program. The pace of missile tests accelerated, reaching a peak of more than two dozen in 2016. But at least 10 launches failed that year, including seven of an intermediate-range missile known as the Musudan.

A South Korean official checks out a cross-border hotline with North Korea at the liaison office in the Joint Security Area, a small strip of land at the truce village of Panmunjom, on Jan. 3, 2018. North Korea said the same day that it will reopen the suspended inter-Korean communication line at the shared border village of Panmunjom at 3:00 p.m. Credit:AAP Former senior officials in the Obama administration say it remains unclear whether the sabotage effort contributed to the failed tests. But this much is clear: In October 2016, Kim ordered a halt to the Musudan tests, and the missile program rapidly shifted in a different direction, focusing on a new generation of more reliable and potent engines. Forecasts and Physics Entering 2018, there are several disputes inside the intelligence world about the North's capabilities. Most intelligence agencies say the North has an arsenal of about 20 or 30 nuclear weapons, for example, but the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency puts the number above 50.Betul (MP), Jan 7 (PTI) An abandoned Western Coalfields Limited (WCL) mine caved-in in Madhya Pradeshs Betul district today, killing three women and an 11-year-old girl illegally working there, police said.

Another woman was injured in the accident at the mine in Patharkheda area, they said.

"The incident occurred when the women were digging Satpura mine number 2, which was abandoned by the WCL, about 50 km from the district headquarters," said Superintendent of Police D R Taniwar.

Sub-Divisional Magistrate S K Bhandari said the bodies were pulled out from under the debris and the rescue operation was over.

The deceased have been identified as Nitu Chorse (41), Meena Bhorse (40), Nani Bai Padhekar (30) and Payal Deshmukh (11).

The injured woman, Sandhya Devi (35), has been admitted to the district hospital, Bhandari said.

All the victims hailed from Tatta Colony, near the mishap site, he added. PTI CORR LAL NSK ABHWESTPORT  About 12 years ago, Avi Kaner got a letter in the mail that changed the course of his trajectory for the next decade.

The letter, sent from the Westport Republican Town Committee, sought candidates for various offices.

My father had passed away a few years before that, Kaner said. I was driving home one day and I was thinking of my father and thinking about the way he always volunteered in his community and I decided to explore this opportunity solely for the point of giving back to the community in honor of my father.

Kaner interviewed with town Republican Town Committee leaders for a position on the Board of Finance, which he thought would suit him, considering his job at Booz Allen Hamilton focusing on financial services and the MBA he had earned from Columbia University.

The next day I called back the interviewers and said, Thank you, but I think you should offer it to the other person. They, in turn, told me, Avi, weve already had the discussion and wed like to nominate you. I was taken aback, but in a good way, and I went for it, Kanner said.

Kaner won the election and, although he was not previously engaged in politics, he had a clearly developed political philosophy influenced by his familial origins, religious affiliation and historical context.

Both my father and my mother moved to Israel as young refugees, and then they moved to the United States, said Kaner, who was born in the U.S. As a child growing up in Monsey, N.Y., Kaner said one of his first encounters with politics occurred when he happened upon a record of John F. Kennedys speeches and convinced his parents to buy it for him.

I remember just listening to John F. Kennedys speeches when I was in elementary school. That was kind of like an omen of future political (office), Kaner said.

As an undergraduate at Columbia University, Kaner was captivated by then-President Ronald Reagan.

I was really fascinated by him. I actually had a poster in my dorm with a picture of Ronald Reagan ... his vitality and showing the might of the United States doing good and promoting freedom around the world really resonated with me, Kaner said.

In college, Kaner read Ayn Rands books, Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead.

I was captivated by Ayn Rands spell and her philosophy and it really shaped who I was to become, the 52-year-old said.

Kaners move to Westport 21 years ago was as natural as his turn toward the party of Reagan. He and his wife, Liz, were living in New York City at the time and had a 1-year-old daughter, Julia. (They had two more children, Jack and Jonathan.) The couple was drawn to Westports cosmopolitan flavor, cultural vibrancy and strong amenities, and Kaners love for the town is part of why he later got involved in town politics.

In his eight years on the Board of Finance, which preceded his time on the Board of Selectmen, Kaner said he called upon the Talmudic teachings he learned in Jewish day school to achieve his proudest moment, which Kaner said was helping Westport remain stable through good times and bad.

For example, Kaner said he drew from the story of Joseph in the Old Testament to guide his work on the Board of Finance to increase the towns reserves, which he said helped moderate the impact of the recession in Westport.

When Joseph was imprisoned in Egypt, he had these dreams about the good years and the bad years, Kaner said. During the good years, you should put food aside so that when the bad years come you can use the food.

While chairman of the Board of Finance, Kaner is proud of electing a Democratic vice chairman, Helen Garten, which he said set a precedent for a totally nonpartisan finance board.

Kaner always dealt in a very nonpartisan way, said Garten, who went on to become a selectwoman. We didnt always agree, but we worked it out because we always worked in a collegial way.

First Selectman Jim Marpe also had kind words for the outgoing selectman, who was elected to that role in 2013.

He maintained the Board of Selectmens focus on the need for, and possible solutions to, affordable senior housing, Marpe said.

Despite his focus on senior housing, Kaner said he came up short on that subject.

My greatest disappointment on the Board of Selectmen was not being able to put affordable senior housing on Barons South. I spent a full year negotiating and working out what many felt was a wonderful opportunity for the seniors and the town, Kaner said. In the last minute, the Planning and Zoning Commission changed the rules by rezoning Barons South to be passive space. In other words, we were dealt an unfair hand.

Unfinished business aside, Kaner said he decided not to run again for the Board of Selectmen in order to focus on his growing New York City supermarket business and to spend more time with his family.

When he announced his retirement, Kaner said Marpe asked him to serve as his 2017 campaign chairman. Kaner accepted and garnered some criticism from Democratic supporters who said he was trolling them online during the election.

Activists on our opponents side started commenting things that were politically motivated so I, as campaign chair, went in and commented, defending our candidates, and that escalated. My role as campaign chair is not only to elect the candidates, but communicate the messages and defend them from false allegations, Kaner said.

Of his 12 years in Westport politics, Kaner said he had never ever seen this level of negativity brought into our town.

It was really awful. Im glad its over, he said.BJP

Jammu, Jan 7 (PTI) A day after four policemen were killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast in Sopore, the BJP today said terrorist outfits had changed their strategy and a fresh response from intelligence agencies and security forces was needed to counter it.

Party spokesperson Brigadier (retd) Anil Gupta said the last major IED attack on the Army in the valley took place in Narbal on the Srinagar-Baramulla highway in 2008. Repeated attempts were made but without much success.

However, there have been indicators in the recent past which should have alerted police and intelligence agencies, he said.

"There is an obvious design behind the changed strategy which does not augur well if not countered immediately and aggressively.

"The choice of targets, use of IEDs and growing involvement of local youth are a cause of concern," he said in a statement issued here.

He said the body of a Pakistani terrorist of Jaish-e- Mohammad (JeM) was found lying outside the Eidgah area in Tral in Pulwama in mid December last year.

A letter found on the body read that it was of a JeM terrorist of Pakistan who was killed when an IED went off accidentally in the forest area, he said.

The retired Army officer said this should have raised hackles of police and alerted troops to take adequate precautions.

"Terrorists are targeting the police and security personnel during winter months, generally considered a dormant period, to attack their morale.

The JeM, despite having suffered major losses in the Valley, is resurfacing as a major outfit with increased recruitment of local youths.

?The New Year eve suicide attack on a CRPF Camp at Lethpura in Pulwama wherein a local youth also participated is also a worrying development. The last such known participation of a local youth in a suicide attack was recorded in 2001," he said.

The BJP leader pointed out the terrorists used steel piercing bullets in the attack on the CRPF camp.

"It has also been learnt from media reports that Pakistan?s ISI has equipped terrorist groups with Super High Altitude Clothing like the one used in Siachen.

"This is a very dangerous trend and a detailed analysis of likely infiltration routes through rugged high altitude terrain when the passes are closed need to be done and preventive measures taken. Also, any attempt to repeat Kargil- like intrusions need to be analysed," he said.

He said aerial surveillance of the area should not be compromised at any cost. PTI TASi GVSThe Skyscraper Center, a database on tall buildings, lists the tallest buildings in cities around the world, ranging from current to proposed and future buildings that are further classified into those under various stages of construction and to completed ones.

Managed by not-for-profit group The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat in Chicago, which specializes in the development and operation of high-rises as well as cities of the future, the Skyscraper Center also provides data on each building, including height, number of floors, usage and property development companies.

Here are the Skyscraper Center's eight tallest buildings in the capital.

1. Gama Tower

Gama Tower, also known as Menara Rasuna or the Cemindo Tower, is on Jl. Rasuna Said in Kuningan, South Jakarta. For now, it tops the tallest building rank in Indonesia and is 93rd in Asia. Completed in 2016, Gama Tower is 285 meters high and has 64 floors. It houses a hotel and businesses.

2. Wisma 46

One of the city's landmarks and completed in 1996, Wisma 46 is one of the oldest high-rises in Jakarta. Housing offices, the building is on Jl. Jend. Sudirman, Central Jakarta. It has 46 floors and is 261 meters tall.

3. Menara Astra

Located on Jl. Jend. Sudirman in Central Jakarta, Menara Astra is a concrete office building. Completed just last year, it stands 261 meters tall with 50 floors.

4. Sahid Sudirman Center

Also called Sudirman Center, the Sahid Sudirman Center functions as an office building along the same thoroughfare as Menara Astra. The fourth tallest building in Indonesia, the Sahid Sudirman Center is 258 meters tall with 59 floors.

Read also: Jakarta's tallest hotel set to attract business travelers

Raffles Hotel, the fifth tallest building in Jakarta, was the chosen accommodation for King Salman and his entourage during their visit to the nation's capital. (raffles.com/File)

5. Raffles Hotel

Raffles Hotel  or the Ciputra World Hotel Tower  is nestled within the Ciputra World Jakarta 1 complex in Kuningan, South Jakarta. It is where King Salman and his entourage stayed during their visit to Jakarta. Construction finished in 2015, resulting in a skyscraper 253 meters tall with 52 floors.

6. The Pakubuwono Signature

Rising above the buildings in The Pakubuwono Development complex, The Pakubuwono Signature is a residential high-rise in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta. It has an architectural height of 252 meters and has 50 above-ground floors.

7. Sinarmas MSIG Tower

Also known as Chase Tower, the Sinarmas MSG Tower is one of the many office buildings along Jl. Jend. Sudirman. Construction on it began in 2012 and finished in 2015. It is 245 meters tall and has 48 floors.

8. Menara BCA

Menara BCA, or the Tower BCA, is a 56-story building that is also called the Grand Indonesia Office Tower, since it is located very close to the luxury shopping mall. Located Central Jakarta, it is an office building that is also home to the famed SKYE restaurant. The structure is 230 meters high and it was completed in 2008. (wir/asw)Toyota's former president Tatsuro Toyoda, who helped the Japanese auto giant establish a foothold in North America, has died at the age of 88, the company said Saturday.

Toyoda, an uncle of current Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda, died of pneumonia on December 30, the firm said in a statement.

His funeral has already been held and was attended by close relatives, but Toyota said it plans to hold a separate farewell ceremony.

Read also: Saudi women getting keys to car may boost Toyota, hurt Uber

Toyoda joined the company -- founded by his father Kiichiro Toyoda -- in 1953 and in 1984 became the first president of a new firm formed by Toyota and General Motors.

The California-based joint venture was part of Toyota's push to expand production and increase its share in the North American market. The plant produced nearly 8 million vehicles until its closure in 2010, according to the company.

Toyoda served as Toyota president between 1992 and 1995.Mexico City's giant plaza was girdled with king cake late Friday as part of the capital's traditional Three Kings Day celebration.

Some 250,000 people turned out to the main plaza known as the Zocalo to devour the enormous brioche-style king cake, known as "Rosca de Reyes."

Some 2,142 bakers helped make the rosca -- which measured 1.44 kilometers and weighed 9.375 tonnes -- for the city's annual Epiphany eve feast.

Read also: How far would you go for a birthday celebration?

"This rosca is so delicious!" exclaimed Dolores Rodriguez, who at 84 years old was attending the party for the first time.

Mexico City's government emphasized that this year a portion of the delicacy -- traditionally adorned with candied fruits -- was made without sugar, so people avoiding sweets could still partake.

Mexican families eat the confection in the run-up to Epiphany on January 6, the day Christians believe the Three Wise Men brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh for the baby Jesus.

A baby Jesus figurine is hidden in the cake and the person who finds it must make tamales -- a corn dumpling -- on February 2, the Day of the Candles, for those who ate a piece.Los Angeles, Jan 7 (PTI) "Game of Thrones" may return in 2019 but the winter is already here for the fans of the HBO epic fantasy drama who can now have a freezing experience in a new hotel that has opened in Finland, inspired by the show.

The Leland Hotel SnowVillage transformed its annual ice hotel into a "Game of Thrones"-themed frozen resort in collaboration with HBO Nordic, according to Conde Nast Traveler.

The resort is complete with corridors and guest rooms lorded over by enormous hand-sculpted homages to the iconic White Walkers of mega-hit series.

The hotel took barely one month to build with professional ice sculptors from Russia, Ukraine, Poland and Latvia working on it.

The GOT admirers also have an option of sleeping under the stare of a White Walker or under the direwolf sigil, which belongs to House Stark.

The temperature inside the hotel hovers around 23 degrees Fahrenheit, which warrants full winter wear, but in comparison to outdoor temperature, around 10 degrees, it is pleasantly warm.

A night stay at the digs cost around USD 200 and one can additionally pay 18 dollars to get a day pass for exploring the SnowVillage. PTI RB RDS RDSShare this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, January 7, 2018 16:04 1336 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c032dd1 1 City airplane,Etihad-Airways,migrant-workers,baby-deaths,soekarno-hatta-airport Free

A 37-year-old woman gave birth to a baby boy on an Etihad flight from Abu Dhabi to Jakarta and left him in the plane's lavatory bin.

The baby's body was found by the airline's cleaning service when it arrived at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Saturday night.

The airport police arrested the woman and have identified her as H, a resident of Cianjur, West Java.

H allegedly left the baby in the lavatory bin after the flight's stopover in Bangkok.

The airport police's criminal division head, Cmr. Mirzal Maulana, said his team arrested H at Terminal 2 Soekarno-Hatta airport early on Sunday morning.

We are still investigating this case, said Mirzal.

H admitted that it was her baby and she left him in the lavatory bin because the baby was the result of a relationship with her employer in Abu Dhabi. However, it is not yet known whether the baby was stillborn or alive.

H already has a husband and children in Cianjur. (gis/wit)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Fadli (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, January 7, 2018 23:24 1336 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c038947 2 Business BP-Batam,investment-permit,China Free

Batam Free Trade Zone Authority (BP Batam) has granted its first investment permit in 2018 to Chinese plastic maker Hong Sheng Plastic Industry, which is set to invest US$4 million in Batam, Riau Islands.

The companys president director, Zheng Bo, said the factory would begin to operate no later than the end of March, as Hong Sheng had already secured all the necessary permits.

"We will produce plastic pellets in Indonesia and then export to China," he told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

Zheng Bo further said that the company relocated its factory from Vietnam to Batam because of labor issues. Batam was chosen because of its proximity to Singapore, which would ease shipments, he added.

The manufacturing facility to be set up in Batam will be able to produce 50,000 tons of plastic pellets annually. It will employ 190 workers, 150 of which will be Indonesians, while the rest will be Chinese.

The number of local workers could be increased, the company said, when they were able to take over jobs handled by their Chinese counterparts.

BP Batam head Ady Soegiharto said Hong Shengs move indicated the enduring attractiveness of Batam, which could be reached in an hour by ferry from Singapore, for foreign investors.

"This is a good sign for us in Batam, because it shows that foreign players still see Batam as a promising place to invest," he said.

Ady added that two other China companies with plans to invest up to $10 million each were applying for business permits from the authority.

The Batam office of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) recorded that Batam welcomed investment totaling $1.1 billion throughout 2017, more than double the $471 million recorded in 2016. (srs/lnd)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Paris, France  Sun, January 7, 2018 20:06 1336 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c035e29 2 World media,terror-attack,France Free

French President Emmanuel Macron laid a wreath in front of the former offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo on Sunday to mark three years since the massacre of its staff in an Islamist attack

At a low-key ceremony, in line with requests from the families of the victims for a sober commemoration, Macron was joined by journalists from the magazine, members of his government and the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo.

Two French jihadists who had sworn allegiance to al-Qaeda killed 11 people at Charlie Hebdo's offices in 2015 over the staunchly atheist magazine's satirical coverage of Islam and the prophet Mohammed.

The assault, which saw a policeman executed at pointblank range nearby, profoundly shocked France.

It also marked the beginning of a series of jihadist attacks that have claimed 241 lives in total according to an AFP toll.

Charlie Hebdo, which prides itself on being provocative, returned to the murder of its famed cartoonists and writers in its latest issue.

"The 7th of January 2015 propelled us into a new world of armed police, secure entrances and reinforced doors, of fear and death," wrote contributor Fabrice Nicolino in a column last week.

"And this in the heart of Paris and in conditions which do not honour the French republic. Do we still have a laugh? Yes," he added.

The magazine pays between 1.0-1.5 million euros (1.2-1.8 million dollars) in security costs annually to protect its offices which are at a secret location, its editor Riss wrote.

Sales meanwhile have fallen sharply since a wave of popular support following the bloodshed.

Company revenues fell to 19.4 million euros in 2016, down from more than 60 million in 2015, according to figures first reported by the BFM news channel and confirmed to AFP by the magazine.

Its journalists and editors still regularly receive death threats and the magazine courted fresh controversy in November with a front-page on the Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan who has been accused of sexually assaulting women.

The Swiss academic, who is widely read and followed in France, was depicted with a huge erection above the line: "I am the sixth pillar of Islam."

The magazine also regularly mocks Christian and Jewish leaders as well as politicians of all stripes.

Read also: Charlie Hebdo gets fresh death threats over new cartoonShare this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Laurence BENHAMOU (AFP) Paris  Sun, January 7, 2018 11:28 1337 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c02a6e3 2 Politics Emmanuel-Macron,China,Xi-Jinping,bilateral-relation Free

In Mandarin, Emmanuel Macron's name is rendered "Makelong", or "the horse vanquishes the dragon" -- an encouraging image for the French president as he heads to China on Sunday hoping to forge closer ties with President Xi Jinping.

During the three-day trip which begins Monday, Macron plans to seek a "strategic partnership" with Beijing, notably on terrorism and climate change, an official in the president's office said.

In particular, France is hoping Beijing will join it in playing a decisive role in implementing the Paris accord to fight climate change after the US pullout pledged by President Donald Trump.

Although China is the world's biggest polluter, it is also the biggest investor in clean energy technologies.

Macron also said this week that China had a key leadership role to play in easing the crisis provoked by North Korea's nuclear programme, following Trump's escalating war of words with Kim Jong-Un.

"The ambition of the Chinese leadership is to persuade the French president to position himself on issues like North Korea as a 'go-between', defending 'dialogue' against the more aggressive posture of the United States, and to implicitly recognize by his choices the pre-eminence of China in the region," analyst Valerie Niquet said.

Macron will also ask Beijing to help support the G5 Sahel force being created with forces from Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso, Niger and Mauritania, tasked with fighting jihadist forces spread across an area of desert the size of Europe.

China has already become a key business partner across Africa, with total investments reaching $31.6 billion in 2016 in projects including railways, highways, ports and power stations.

They are part of the extensive network of transport links Xi is developing as part of his "One Belt, One Road" initiative for increasing trade.

- 'Mutual confidence' -

The state visit will be the first by a European leader since China's Communist Party conference in October, which reinforced Xi's grip on power as he was formally handed a second term.

China has praised Macron's decision to make it the first Asian nation he visits.

"We hope this visit will reinforce mutual political confidence and strategic communication," China's foreign minister Wang Yi said this week.

Macron will be traveling with a delegation of business executives hoping for a bonanza of contracts, including from AccorHotels, LVMH, Airbus and BNP Paribas.

"We will be signing an exceptional number of strategic deals, about 50," the official said, including sales of Airbus planes and Safran jet engines.

State nuclear giant Areva is also negotiating a contract to build a reprocessing site for radioactive waste.

France is pushing to "rebalance" its trade relations with China. Although China is France's second-biggest supplier of goods, it ranks eighth in terms of the top buyers of French goods.

That leaves France with a Chinese trade deficit of 30 billion euros ($36 billion), its biggest with any trading partner.

"Paris intends to seek a rebalancing and market access, for example in financial services," the official at the Elysee palace said, at a time when major French banks are hoping to tap into the rapidly expanding Chinese market.

The two leaders also plan to announce a French-China investment fund worth 1 billion euros which would help midsize companies, mainly from France, get a foothold in China.

- Museums and a manifesto -

Accompanied by his wife Brigitte, Macron will begin his visit in the northern city of Xi'an, "an important symbol because it is the cradle of Chinese civilization, and the starting point for the ancient Silk Roads," the Elysee official said.

After visiting the terracotta statues of warriors near the city excavated from the tomb of emperor Qin Shihuangdi, who ruled from 221 to 210 BC, Macron will give a speech on the future of France-China relations.

An agreement is also expected to be finalized for a temporary exhibition in Shanghai by Paris's Pompidou Centre for modern art.

Not least, Macron will also be exporting his "Revolution" -- the campaign manifesto published in 2016 ahead of his sweep to the presidency.

The Chinese edition of the book, in which France's youngest president lays out his vision for France, hits bookstores on Monday.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Hui Min Neo (Agence France-Presse) Berlin, Germany  Sun, January 7, 2018 13:30 1336 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c02ef92 2 World Germany,AngelaMerkel,coalition,negotiation Free

Chancellor Angela Merkel opens talks Sunday with Germany's second biggest party on renewing their alliance, in a new attempt at shaking Europe's biggest economy out of paralysis after September's inconclusive elections.

The week of meetings between Merkel's conservative alliance and the Social Democrats (SPD) will examine whether both sides have enough common ground to begin formal coalition negotiations towards a new government by March or April.

After initial discussions on Wednesday, the parties issued a joint statement saying "trust has grown, we are optimistic about the start of negotiations".

But the talks are not without pitfalls -- including tricky questions surrounding the more than a million asylum seekers who have arrived in Germany since 2015.

The far-right anti-immigration AfD had capitalized on growing misgivings in Germany over the new arrivals, winning more than 90 parliamentary seats in the watershed election.

Read also: Merkels attempt to form a new German government collapses

Merkel was left without a majority, while the center-left SPD found itself with its worst post-war score.

Anxious to stem the haemorrhage to the far right, the conservative wing of Merkel's party as well as her Bavarian allies CSU are championing a tougher stance on immigration -- including demands that are unpalatable for the SPD.

But with an eye on a regional election in Bavaria later this year, where current polls show that the CSU could lose its absolute majority, party chief Horst Seehofer said it was clear that "things can't go on as before".

The CSU wants financial handouts to asylum seekers reduced and medical tests to determine if migrants are lying about their age in the hope of winning refugee status.

But SPD chief Martin Schulz signaled that the conservatives would have to compromise not only on immigration issues, but also on the centre-left's social welfare demands such as higher taxes for top earners.

"We will see if Madame Merkel and Mr Seehofer want to form a stable government with the SPD or not," he told Bild daily.

The SPD had initially vowed to go into opposition, but the collapse of coalition talks between Merkel and smaller parties pushed the Social Democrats to reconsider.

Schulz told Bild the talks "will be difficult. We will stay firm".

As both sides square up for a battle at the negotiating table, the parties have agreed on a gag on media interviews, with publicity limited to joint statements.

The decision is aimed at preventing a rerun of Merkel's previous failed attempt at forging a coalition late last year, when interviews given by negotiators soured the atmosphere.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, January 7, 2018 22:27 1336 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c037d52 2 Business toll-road,Trans-Java Free

The Ngawi-Kertosono section, which makes up more than half the length of the Ngawi-Kertonoso toll road in East Java, is set to begin operation soon after its planned inauguration by President Joko Jokowi Widodo later this month.

Public Works and Public Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono said the opening of the section would support the timely completion of the 87-kilometer Ngawi-Kertonoso toll road before the target completion date of the Trans-Java toll road at the end of this year.

Sections spanning from Solo to Ngawi are more than 90 percent complete. We only need to build the overpasses, he said on Saturday as quoted by tempo.co.

As of the first week of January, the construction of the Ngawi-Kertosono section, which spans 49.5 km, has reached 98.5 percent of completion, while land procurement has achieved 99.88 percent progress.

Basuki said in the first few weeks of operation, drivers could use the toll road section for free.

"The toll fee will [later] be around Rp 1,200 to 1,300 for category I vehicles [such as sedans, four-wheel drives, small trucks and buses]," he said.

The Ngawi-Kertonoso section is part of the 177 km Solo-Ngawi-Kertosono toll road and the greater Trans-Java toll road totaling 1,000 km in length, spanning from Merak Port in Banten to Banyuwangi in East Java. About half of the Trans-Java toll road has already begun operation.

The section that will soon open is being developed by PT Ngawi Kertosono Jaya, a subsidiary of state-owned toll road operator PT Jasa Marga. Meanwhile, the remaining 37 km of road that connects Wilangan to the Kertosono section is being developed by the government with a loan from China. (srs/lnd)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin (AFP) Yangon  Sun, January 7, 2018 12:40 1336 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c02e1e2 2 World Rohingya,rebel,Myanmar Free

Rohingya rebels on Sunday claimed responsibility for an ambush on Myanmar security forces that left several wounded in northern Rakhine state, the first attack in weeks in a region gutted by violence.

Rakhine was plunged into turmoil last August, when a series of insurgent raids prompted a military backlash so brutal the UN says it likely amounts to ethnic cleansing of the Muslim Rohingya minority.

The army campaign sent some 650,000 Rohingya fleeing for Bangladesh, where refugees have given harrowing accounts of rape, murder and arson at the hands of security forces and vigilantes.

Myanmar's military, which tightly controls information about Rakhine, denies any abuses and insists the crackdown was a proportionate response to crush the "terrorist" threat.

The insurgents, known as the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), have launched few attacks in recent months.

But the army reported that "about ten" Rohingya militants ambushed a car with hand-made mines and gunfire on Friday morning, wounding two officers and their driver.

The militants claimed responsibility for the ambush in a rare post from an official Twitter account on Sunday.

"Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) hereby declares that we carried out an ambush against the Burmese terrorist army... at around 10:00am on 05 January 2018," it said.

The statement did not provide any more details about the attack in northern Maungdaw township.

The shadowy, poorly-armed ARSA -- whose August raids left at least a dozen dead -- says it is fighting for the political rights of the Rohingya, who have faced systematic oppression in mainly Buddhist Myanmar for years.

Its statement on Sunday added that "Rohingya people must be consulted in all decision-making that affects their humanitarian needs and political future".

ARSA's fighting capacity at this point is unknown.

But a report last month from International Crisis Group said the organization "appears determined to regroup and remain relevant" and may draw on desperate Rohingya refugees languishing in camps for future operations.

Any uptick in violence in Rakhine will deepen concerns about plans to begin repatriating refugees later this month.

Bangladesh and Myanmar signed an agreement in November allowing for repatriations from January 23.

But many aid groups and diplomats have expressed doubt that fearful Rohingya will agree to return to country where they face severe discrimination from other communities and the state.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Jakarta  Sun, January 7, 2018 15:45 1336 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c031a71 2 National animals,species,pig,Java-island Free

Rare images of the "world's ugliest pig" have been captured in Indonesia, researchers said Friday, offering a window into a little-known species believed to be on the brink of extinction.

The number of endangered Javan warty pigs -- males are distinguished by large warts on their faces -- has plunged since the early 1980s due to hunting and forest habitat loss, according to the UK-based Chester Zoo.

British and Indonesian researchers laid camera traps in the forests of the Southeast Asian nation's Java island in the hopes of capturing images of the elusive creature.

Their goal was to get a clearer sense of population levels and find ways to boost conservation of a "highly threatened species".

"It was even feared that many, if not all, populations had become extinct until their existence was confirmed by the zoo's cameras," the zoo said as it released the images.

The research "could eventually be used to establish new protection laws for the species as, currently, they are not protected by Indonesian law", it added.

The pigs -- which are only found on Java -- are similar in size to European wild boars but are more slender and have longer heads, the zoo said.

"Males have three pairs of enormous warts on their faces," said Johanna Rode-Margono, Chester Zoo's Southeast Asia field program coordinator.

"It is these characteristics that have led to them being affectionately labelled as 'the world's ugliest pig' but, certainly to us and our researchers, they are rather beautiful and impressive."Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post)  Mon, January 8 2018

This year, Slovakia, a dynamic Central European country, is celebrating its 25th anniversary. On Jan.1, 1993, after the dissolution of Czecho-Slovakia in a peaceful manner often referred to as The Velvet Divorce, the present Slovakia was born. The country has achieved a lot economically and politically over the last 25 years. It wants to reach more heights in the coming 25 years. In order to know more about Slovakia, its achievements and more details about its relations with Indonesia, The...Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Dona Z. Pazzibugan (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) Manila  Sun, January 7, 2018 15:11 1336 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c030733 2 SE Asia #Philippine,#Philippines,#Indonesia,#education,#Islam,#Islamicteachings Free

The Philippines will collaborate with Indonesia to enhance Islamic education in the country as part of efforts to counter religious extremism in the aftermath of the occupation of Marawi City by Muslim extremists last year.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Indonesia had offered to share its best practices in Islamic education within the context of regional efforts to prevent the spread of extremism.

Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano called Indonesia one of the models of Islamic education that the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations could consider.

While the Philippines and Indonesia have an existing agreement on education, the two nations are discussing another form of cooperation on Islamic education, according to the DFA.

Our Indonesian friends do not want to see another Marawi happening and are offering to help us counter radicalization through education, Cayetano said.

Topics :

This article appeared on the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Postminister

By Gurdip Singh

Singapore, Jan 6 (PTI) There are great opportunities for collaboration between India and ASEAN nations, including in the areas of infrastructure, innovation and start-ups and the digital economy, Singapores Trade and Industry Minister S Iswaran said today.

He cited the Amaravati project, the proposed capital city of Andhra Pradesh, where planners from Singapore helped devise the master plan, as "an example of what we can do together", the Straits Times reported.

He was speaking at the two-day ASEAN-India Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) conference, which began today.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also arrived here today for the summit.

The opportunity for collaboration partnership between India and the ASEAN is self-recognised, Iswaran told some 3,000 delegates at the two-day gathering.

"Both regions have strong growths, coming out of relatively modest pace but anchored by fundamentals whether in terms of demographic or the evolution of the economies and the needs of the population.

"What we see is the opportunity for continue investment in growth in both regions," he said.

Iswaran said that India and ASEAN nations have identified innovation as a priority, and they should study how to "build connectivity" so start-ups have access to markets in both regions.

He also highlighted the importance of the digital economy and e-commerce as another area of "common priority" as it serves as an enabling tool for small and medium enterprises to access markets that were once "out of their reach", the paper said.

The economic growth driving efforts in India are showing results, he said.

"We are seeing the results? of the efforts that are underway under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Iswaran said.

"It means those who invest their time and efforts in developing deeper understanding of the (Indian) market and its nuances and variations are the ones for whom the awards will be greatest," said Israwan.

The ASEAN comprises of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. PTI GS NSAThe book was published ahead of Trumps meeting with republicans to outline their 2018 policies at Camp David this Friday. In Wolffs words, Fire and Fury offers a front-row view of Trumps presidency, from his improvised transition to his first months in the Oval Office. The book and e-book both reached top of the sales tables on both Amazon.com and Apple iBooks store, and there were huge queues for it anticipating its release on 5th January. For a President who likes to brag about his popularity based on  huge crowds , despite the fact that polls have shown him to have  the lowest approval rating of any post-war US President at the end of their first calendar year in office , this has been received as a major insult. Fire and Fury first made headlines for its instant success, and its attacks against Trumps intellect and mental health. Allegations against leaders based on their proposed psychological state, as have also been launched against current UK PM Theresa May in the past year do not hold much worth, because arguments based on the slippery subject of a persons mental health are bound to be open to irresolvable dispute. More damaging to Trumps political integrity are Wolffs recorded conversations between Trumps aides which suggest that Trump never expected to win the 2016 election; and that once he was in power his own government officials began to query his fitness for office. Furthermore, evidence of Trumps traits revealed from sources inside the White House which make him certifiably unsuitable for presidency, such as his inability to read state documents, also help create an ironically-written case for termination of his time in office. The book has also received much attention for the audacious statements from Trumps former aides such as Steve Bannon who was quoted to have criticised the meeting of the Presidents son with members of the Kremlin as treasonous, as well as myriad other activities in the Trump Tower. Wolff states that his evidence is sourced from a three hour long interview at the White House with the President himself. Trump has hit back particularly against Bannon and the legitimacy of Wolffs claims, with a characteristic bombardment of defensive tweets and counter-criticisms. The President claims that he never had an interview with the journalist Wolff and that his work is fiction. If statements made in the book are proven false as the President claims, this could have the opposite effect of bolstering Trumps claims that the media are taking shots at (him) with their  fake news . Trump claims that Fire and Fury is: full of lies, misrepresentations and sources that dont exist. He urged his followers to look at this guys (Wolffs) past and watch what happens to him and Sloppy Steve [Bannon]!' The book has also been dubbed by journalist of The Independent Andrew Griffin as a gossip book which reveals trivial details of Trumps life, but that it still has use in providing a condensed history of Trumps chaotic first year which acts as leverage against him. Furthermore, the new rift between the Presidents first and last  White House Chief Strategist  Steve Bannon and Trump already suggests that Wolffs most damning piece of evidence: that Bannon amongst other aides, has hinted at the activation of the 25th Amendment  in other words impeaching the President on the grounds that he is disabling his office  is true. The fact that Trump contradicts himself on whether or not he knows Wolff also confirms that the President has something to hide concerning the journalist. As broadcast on BBC News, Trump said:  I dont know this man and I guess sloppy Steve brought him into the White House quite a bit and thats why sloppy Steve is now looking for a job . But he had previously also stated that: I authorized Zero access to White House (actually turned him down many times) for author of phony book! proving that contrary to his claims, Trump did know who Wolff was. It seems that after sifting through the sensationalism, Wolffs book could provide useful leverage for those willing his impeachment, as it has successfully sparked an official conversation around the idea which seems to place Trump as the bigger proponent of fake news, not least through the backlash only just begun by President Trump himself.Italy has long been regarded as being backwards when it comes to gender rights and sexual harassment. So in many ways, its reaction to the recent wave of revelations about sexual harassment by men in positions of power all over the world was depressingly familiar. But, at the same time, it also revealed the strength and diversity of grassroots feminism there, despite the odds.

Asia Argento with her father Dario Argento iat Cannes n 1993

Simona Siri, a US-based Italian journalist, pronounced recently in The Washington Post that the already present and strong sexist Italian culture now seems almost impossible to reverse. This came following the startling backlash against Italian actor Asia Argento after she gave an an interview to Ronan Farrow for The New Yorker in which she accused Harvey Weinstein of a horrific sexual assault. Siri argued that Italys entrenched misogyny, embodied by the figure of Italys former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, made fighting back futile for Italian women.

Argentos story was one of the accounts that ignited the #metoo movement internationally. But in Italy, she was attacked, and left Italy, troubled by persistent social media victim-blaming.

Many asked why she had continued to have a relationship with the producer after the alleged assaults. One particularly harsh headline in the right-wing paper Libero read Prima la danno poi frignano e fingono di pentirsi  first they put out, then they whine and pretend to regret it. The article featured a particularly provocative photo of Argento and questioned why she hadnt asked her powerful father, acclaimed horror director Dario Argento, to help her expose Weinstein.

The bunga bunga legacy

Italys image as lacking in feminist culture is in no small part due to Silvio Berlusconis tenure as prime minister  a period marked by multiple sex scandals . But this also unleashed a successful, popular social movement called Se Non Ora Quando (If Not Now, When?) in 2011. Nearly a million Italians took to the streets to protest against the objectification of women and the so-called bunga bunga culture propagated by those in power.

Alongside the street movement came social media activism. In one project, Italian women shared 142 videos under the heading A Country for Women: Words to Say It. Each reflected on their lives in Italy and their own experiences of sexism, such as the woman who talks about losing her job due to pregnancy, or the woman who, trafficked to Italy, works to help other vulnerable immmigrant women

Now, many established Italian second-wave feminists are speaking out strongly in support of Argento. Ida Dominijanni, left-wing journalist and feminist philosopher, and prominent academic author Michela Marzano are among them.

The group Non Una di Meno (Not One Woman Less), which campaigns against violence against women, organised a huge protest in November that brought tens of thousands of people to Rome. They also wrote an open letter in support of Argento. Intersectional feminist blogger Abbatto i muri (I Break Down Walls) also spoke out in support.

Meanwhile, radical collectives from all over Italy such as the Cagne sciolte (Wild Bitches), which fights for LGBTQ and migrant rights, often in an uneasy relationship with their more bourgeois sisters, added their voices too. Cagne sciolte tweeted out in support of Argento: Here how well explain it. NO MEANS NO. IF YOU TOUCH ONE, YOU TOUCH ALL OF US.

A breakthrough

It is important to pay attention to these voices. They are too often neglected in the rush to paint Italy as hopelessly behind the times on gender politics. And while it may feel like change is impossible in a country where 69% of female university students report having suffered sexual harassment , incremental improvements are happening.

The international context of #metoo provided impetus for the Italian hashtag #quellavoltache to take off. This gave Italian women the opportunity to recount their own experiences. Now, ten women have accused successful director Fausto Brizzi of harassment. It may not seem like much, but it does represent progress within a sexist film industry that the allegations were immediately perceived to be damaging to Brizzi.

It is clear that Italian women still have a long way to go in the struggle against sexual violence, harassment, and gender inequality at an institutional level. But the movement is building: as the Cagne sciolte collective wrote before the November protest in Rome (little reported outside Italy):

We will flood the public space to assert our rights, our practices of daily change, mutual support, and solidarity: the strength of thousands of women, trans and queer together who acknowledge one another in #Metoo, to transform it into #WeTogether. We will flood the public space to assert our rights, our practices of daily change, mutual support, and solidarity: the strength of thousands of women, trans and queer together who acknowledge one another in #Metoo, to transform it into #WeTogether.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.New Delhi, Jan 7 (PTI) The Delhi High Court has set aside the censor boards decision of refusing public viewing of a documentary chronicling the high-voltage 2014 campaign for the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat involving Narendra Modi, Arvind Kejriwal and Congress candidate Ajay Rai, saying it does not have hate speeches.

Modi won the elections comfortably.

The court said that while viewing "Battle for Banaras", one does not get an impression that the documentary film tries to divide people on caste or communal lines.

"After having viewed the film, I am of the view that the broad general finding rendered by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) as well as Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) that the film is full of hate speech and inflammatory speeches is not sustainable.

"The film merely reproduces the speeches made by various leaders and party candidates at the time of the general elections. It is not the case of the board or the FCAT that what the petitioner has sought to project is an incorrect depiction or portrayal of what has transpired," Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva said.

The court further said it was not the case of the board that what the petitioner, the documentarys producers, projected is not extract of the speeches of the candidates.

It said that the petitioner has tried to project through the film the views and extracts of speeches of various candidates, workers or leaders of different parties.

It added that though some words used or some portion of the film may be in conflict with the guidelines framed by the central government in terms of the Cinematograph Act, neither the board nor the FCAT has clearly spelt as to which part or dialogue of the film would violate the guidelines.

The court sent the matter back to the FCAT to re-examine the film and pass a speaking order within four weeks.

It asked FCAT to pin point the scenes or dialogues which may be in conflict with the guidelines for film certification framed under the Act.

The court quashed the 2015 and 2016 orders of the board and the FCAT saying they are not sustainable.

It said that a viewing of the film, which is unpartisan, and a reading of its script clearly showed that there is no language or scene that is either defamatory, derogatory, abusive or likely to offend or affect public order, decency or morality or the sovereignty or integrity of India.

The petition had sought quashing of the April 4 order of the FCAT and the October 16, 2015 decision of the CBFC refusing to certify the documentary "Battle for Banaras", saying no reasons were given for rejecting their plea for certification.

The petition alleged that the censor board and FCAT orders contained no mention of what parts of the film were objectionable and violated the guidelines of film certification issued under the Cinematograph Act. PTI SKV HMP PPS ZMNUnfortunately, The Content Is Not Here

You have arrived at this page because the page or post you were looking for no longer exists. Please check our main navigation pages for other content: 

Home PageBy Gurdip Singh

Singapore, Jan 6 (PTI) Indian ports are expected to generate a profit of Rs 7,000 crore this year, Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari said today.

Addressing some 3,000 delegates at the Asean-India Pravasi Bhartiya Divas here, he highlighted the profitability of investments in Indian projects, and underlined the potential of a wide range of projects.

"For this year, we are expecting a profit of 7000 crore from port operations (as) all ports are making profits," said Gadkari, pointing out that it would be more than double from Rs 3,000 crore three years ago.

Six new port projects were being planned, said Gadkari, who inaugurated the gathering where over nine sessions are being held on all aspects of business opportunities in India.

He invited Asean investors to participate in Indian infrastructure projects, as the pace of development is accelerated.

He pointed out the 28 km per day of road completion, up significantly about three years ago. The target is to complete 40 km per day, added Gadkari.

He also gave a progress update on projects, saying 60-70 per cent of work has already started on Indias road connection to Myanmar, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal.

The Mumbai special economic zone has attracted 40 companies, including one from Taiwan which has offered Rs 6,000 crore investment.

Gadkari has also appealed to the Indian diaspora community to donate as well as participate in the Clean Ganga Project.

He shared with delegates the strong support received from London-based diaspora, who have pledged 3,000 crore for 155 Ganga projects. PTI GS AMSWhat irked you the most this year as a fan in 2017? Come on! Was it really that surprising?

Well, this was a light year of hate. Oh, who am I kidding? You guys made this one an enjoyable year to tally all the votes for the Most Maddening Moment of 2017. This year was a down year in voting (442), but let's face it compared to last year this was a cake walk.

Unlike previous years there were A TON of write-in votes and here were my personal favorite ones that were given to me:

YOUR DUMB WEBSITE EXISTING!!!!!!!

Oooooh the HATE is STRONG with this one! But my personal favorite is...

Batman Comics Nearly Always Inning Moment of the Week

The voting was anonymous, yet I SO KNOW who cast that vote. The other personal favorite was basically two votes for the write-in: ALL OF THE ABOVE. It can never be that easy if all of them won. But this year had some ones that made us curl our lips and want to scream. Like animated movies about Magical Little Ponies being put into theaters because WHY?! WHY DO THAT?! WHY? WHY MUST ONE CREATE AN ABOMINATION AS SUCH?! WHY! WHHHHHY!!!!?

*ahem*

Your four runners-up for Most Maddening Moment of the Year are:

#5 This very website crashing nightly for three months straight. - 18 Votes

2017 was not kind to our front page. Starting in August and running all the way to October our front page has been down more times than that Jude Terror on Ricch Johnston. There were times I'd be done with an article and BAM the entire website would be down forcing me to wait an entire day or more till the issue was fixed. So I can attest the frustration many had this issue. And if I was ready to scream at the web server hosts (instead I had my fun with it all on the Facebook page for the site). I can only imagine what the owners of this very site were doing trying to bring this place back up and running. And so it is. I would post the THEOUTHOUSERS.COM hasn't Crashed Counter, but I kind of broke that one too. Hey, with the shit I have to deal with. I need a drink. A BIG drink.

#4 Eddie Berganza FINALLY doesn't have a job at DC Comics. - 20 Votes

AFTER YEARS OF ACCUSATIONS OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT, DC FIRES EDDIE BERGANZA

EDDIE BERGANZA TELLS DC THAT BUZZFEED IS WORKING ON ARTICLE ABOUT HIM

Our #2 from last year returns, but with an end at long last, and our only Has DC Done Something Stupid moment this year. The skeleton in DC editor's closet continued to heat up as another tell-all article was published this year detailing more allegations involving the now-former editor on the Superman comics.

#3 More Sequel Events from Marvel (World War Hulk II, Countdown to Infinite, Enemy of the State II) - 24 Votes

WARNING: THERE WILL BE A 'WORLD WAR HULK II'

MORE INFO ABOUT MARVEL'S 'INFINITY COUNTDOWN' "EVENT"

THESE CHARACTERS GOT SOME STONES IN THIS 'INFINITY' TEASE

MYCOMICSHOP.COM LATEST SHOP TO NOT ORDER MARVEL LENTICULAR COVERS

ALL NEW COMICS SAYS NO MORE MARVEL LENTICULAR COVERS, EH?

MARVEL TURNS INTO 2013 DC WITH LENTICULAR LEGACY HOMAGE COVERS

Just when you thought Marvel had a bad year the prior year. There came THIS YEAR. Hot on the heels of Civil War II (our winner last year) came more Marvel putridness.

#2 The Emoji Movie - 25 Votes

THE EMOJI MOVIE REVIEW

.....

I saw A LOT of movies this year. Some good. Some bad. But this movie? This movie was of a different variety. A variety you had to ask, "WHY? Who thought this was a good idea? Why was this approved? OH GOD! THIS MOVIE ISN'T GONNA END?! WHY CAN'T THIS MOVIE END? OH GOD! I PAID FOR THIS MOVIE! I PAID FOR THIS MOVIE!!

*ahem*

Sorry, I'm still haunted by my viewing of this film. So yeah. This abomination of a film was our #2 and runner-up to the most maddening moment of the year. But let's face it. How can this movie even compete with our #1? The moment that drove you so very mad.

The MOST MADDENING MOMENT OF 2017 is...

Secret Empire: The Event That Wouldn't End - 46 Votes

DURNKIN REVEEWZ: SECRET EMPIRE #3

BLACK WIDOW LEADS A 'SECRET EMPIRE: UPRISING'

MORE 'SECRET EMPIRE' TIE-INS STARTING WITH U

MARVEL BRAVELY ANNOUNCES 'SECRET EMPIRE: BRAVE NEW WORLD' SERIES

SECRET EMPIRE #6 IS SO GOOD MARVEL UPPED PRICE, ADDED 8 PAGES, DELAYS A WEEK

SHOWING NICK SPENCER IS STICKING TO ORIGINAL PLAN, SECRET EMPIRE ADDS EXTRA ISSUE

MARVEL FINALLY SPOILS PLOT POINT TO SECRET EMPIRE #10!

DURNKIN REVEEWZ: SECRET EMPIRE #10

How does Marvel top last year's Most Maddening of the Year? By recapturing it with yet another horrific event. Just when you thought the levels of Civil War II couldn't be topped, Secret Empire lets us know from the very beginning to hold it's beer by starting with #0 as well.. then a FCD comic. Then the actual #1. Then the delays hit. Then the overpricing on some issues. GODDAMIT THIS EVENT!

And thru it all the event dragged on for what felt like an entire year (it was only four months not counting all the build-up or aftermath which would make it more than a year), and fans of the company just want to forget the nightmare.

So there you have it. The moments that drove you mad with furious anger and probably demanding righteous fury. Me? I will still be here collecting these moments. For once more at the end of this year to settle WHAT WAS THE MOST MADDENING MOMENT OF THE YEAR!!!

Until next time folks...External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said Sunday that wherever she goes, she's told that Non Resident Indians (NRIs) are hard working, good neighbours, and law-abiding citizens, ANI reported.

Swaraj, who was speaking at an event in Singapore, said this filled her with "immense pride," the news agency added.

Sushma Swaraj is in Singapore to inaugurate the Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) of ASEAN countries.

Her trip to the island city is part of a three-nation visit - a part of New Delhi's efforts to hold bilateral interactions in various sectors with countries of the South East Asian region within the framework of India's Act East policy.

Wherever I have gone, I have been told a few things about Non Resident Indians - Indians are a good neighbor, Indians are hard working people, Indians are law abiding citizens. This fills me with immense pride: EAM Sushma Swaraj in Singapore pic.twitter.com/kR5uy1nuSI - ANI (@ANI) January 7, 2018

Swaraj added that India's increasing dominance and reputation on the world stage could be attributed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's personality.

"In whichever country he goes, he makes strong individual friendship in addition to establishing good relations between two countries," ANI quoted her as saying.

The increasing dominance & reputation of India in the world is because of the personality of Prime Minister Modi. In whichever country he goes, he makes strong individual friendship in addition to establishing good relations between two countries: EAM Sushma Swaraj in #Singapore pic.twitter.com/P6lZot1mJn

ALSO WATCH | Sushma Swaraj responds to Pakistan PM Abbasi, slams Islamabad on terrorism at UNGAKamala Mills fire accused Yug Pathak, son of senior retired IPS officer KK Pathak and owner of the Mojo pub, was produced in the Bhoiwada court on Sunday.

Mumbai Police today arrested Yug Pathak in connection with the Kamala Mills fire case which claimed 14 lives on Saturday.

Police recorded Yug's statement twice. He will be in police custody till January 12.

The defence lawyer stated in the court, "Yug was not present on the day of accident. The managers of Mojo's Bistro escorted customers to safe place. No causalities or injuries were reported from Mojo's Bistro. We have co-operated in the investigation. He was available for investigations whenever needed."

"We have submitted all the necessary documents for the investigation asked by the police. Yug was never a suspect in the case. He is being made an accused based on a preliminary Mumbai Fire Brigade report. Yug doesn't know anything about the absconding accused," he added.

The Mumbai Fire Brigade on Friday, in its preliminary probe report on the fire which had engulfed Mojo's Bistro and the adjacent 1 Above pub at the Kamala Mills compound in Lower Parel on December 29, had said the fire possibly started at Mojo's due to the flying embers from a hookah.

The prosecution said that, "Yug is the owner of Mojo's Bistro and so is the prime accused and his custody is required. We need to interrogate him to find information about the absconding accused. It's a serious case in which 14 people have died and so we need maximum police custody."

ALSO WATCH | Mojo's Bistro owner Yug Pathak arrested in Kamala Mills fire caseA U.N. Security Council emergency meeting on the protests roiling Iran showed Tehran the world will be watching its actions, the U.S. ambassador said Friday. But Russia and some other countries said the U.N.s most powerful body had no business weighing in on the demonstrations.

The U.S. called the meeting after giving moral support to the anti-government protesters in a week of demonstrations and counterdemonstrations.

U.S. President Donald Trump and members of his administration have praised the anti-government demonstrators as people standing up to a repressive and corrupt regime that is trying to silence them.

The world should applaud their courage and amplify their message, said U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, portraying the protests as a human rights issue that could spill over into an international problem. The Iranian regime is now on notice: The world will be watching what you do.

But Russia and Iran complained tartly that the U.S. was dragging a council focused on international security into what they called a domestic matter.

The United States is abusing the platform of the Security Council, said Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia, whose country has close ties to Iran. Let Iran deal with its own problems.

Envoys from several other countries, from China to newcomer Equatorial Guinea, expressed reservations about whether the council was the right forum for the issue.

The U.N. charter empowers to the council to investigate any dispute, or any situation which might lead to international friction, and the U.S. wasnt alone in thinking the Iranian protests qualified.

It is right and proper  indeed, our responsibility  to assess whether a situation like this could become a threat to international peace and security, British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said before the meeting.

Dutch Ambassador Karel van Oosterom said his country hoped the meeting could work as a preventive measure to avoid further escalation of violence. He called on the Iranian government to set up a process to address any serious human rights violations and hold accountable anyone involved.

At least 21 people have been killed and hundreds arrested amid the anti-government protests and unrest over the countrys economic woes. Up to 42,000 people took part in the protests, according to Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, who has said the clerically overseen government exhibited tolerance toward the demonstrations.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people have attended pro-government rallies in recent days. Authorities say the anti-government protests are waning.

French Ambassador Francois Delattre urged the council to react carefully, with all the vigilance required  but guarding against any exploitation of this crisis, which would only reinforce the extremes.

Irans prosecutor general, Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, alleged Thursday that an American CIA official was the main designer of the demonstrations. And Iranian Ambassador Gholamali Khoshroo  whose country isnt a Security Council member but was invited to participate Friday  said the protests had gotten direct encouragement by foreign forces including by the president of the United States.

The Trump administration has denied having any hand in the demonstrations, saying they arose completely spontaneously. The CIA declined to comment.

The president has tweeted to commend the protests, expressing such respect for the people of Iran as they try to take back their corrupt government and pledged great support from the United States. He also has described Iran as failing at every level and declared it is TIME FOR CHANGE!

Trump vowed as a candidate to tear up the 2015 nuclear deal in which world powers lifted some sanctions in return for Iran curbing its nuclear program. He refused this past fall to certify Irans compliance with the pact and said the benefits to Iran were disproportionate to the concessions it made.

The U.S. imposed new sanctions Thursday on five Iranian entities over their involvement in developing ballistic missiles. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said more sanctions targeting human rights abuses are coming.

(AP)Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday advised Yogi Adityanath to visit ration shops and Indira canteens in Karnataka for ideas to tackle starvation deaths in Uttar Pradesh, on the pretext of tweeting a message of welcome.

Within hours, Adityanath replied with a tweet bursting with allegations. "I heard (the) number of farmers committing suicide in Karnataka was highest in your regime, not to mention the numerous deaths and transfer of honest officers," he wrote. He didn't forget to thank his Congress counterpart for the welcome.

Today's visit to poll-bound Karnataka isn't a first for the Uttar Pradesh chief minister. He recently attacked Siddaramaiah in Hubballi for supporting beef consumption and staging celebrations for Tipu Sultan's birth anniversary.

Today, in his tweet, Adityanath told Siddaramaiah that as Uttar Pradesh's leader, he was "working to undo the misery and lawlessness unleashed by your allies."

I welcome UP CM Shri @myogiadityanath to our state. There is a lot you can learn from us Sir. When you are here please visit a Indira Canteen & a ration shop. It will help you address the starvation deaths sometimes reported from your state. #YogiInBengaluru https://t.co/lj0m4fMphC - Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) January 7, 2018

Thank you for the welcome @siddaramaiah ji. I heard number of farmers committing suicide in Karnataka was highest in your regime, not to mention the numerous deaths and transfer of honest officers. As UP CM I am working to undo the misery and lawlessness unleashed by your allies. January 7, 2018

Last month, the Congress and the BJP, the parties Siddaramaiah and Adityanath represent, wrapped up a bruising, no holds-barred campaign in Gujarat. After its slender win in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state, the saffron party will swap roles with the Congress in the Karnataka election: Here, the lotus is the challenger, the hand of the INC the incumbent.

The Karnataka is one of the two large states still governed by the Congress, the other one being Amarinder Singh's Punjab.

Siddaramaiah has said BJP president Amit Shah's "magic" won't work in his state. Will the veteran strategist prove him wrong?

WATCH | Yogi Adityanath: Congress worships Tipu Sultan instead of Lord HanumanFund manager Job Curtis has no intention of letting go of his position as the manager with the best record of delivering dividend growth for his investors.

For the past 26 and a half years, he has managed the assets of The City of London, an investment trust, in what he describes as a conservative fashion  never taking unnecessary risks and always running a diversified portfolio, albeit predominantly exposed to the UK stock market.

But come hell or high water  for example, the financial crisis of 2008  the 56-year-old has always managed to increase the annual dividend payments to shareholders in the trust. It means an unbroken run of 51 consecutive increases in the trusts annual dividend. A record unrivalled in the investment trust industry.

Income story: The trust has seen 51 consecutive increases in annual dividend

Crucially, as far as investors are concerned, Curtis sees no reason why 51 cannot become 52.

He believes the equity income story is as powerful as ever  if not more compelling.

He says: There are plenty of positives out there. You have solid earnings growth across swathes of UK industry, particularly in oil and mining stocks and the banks. It is good to see Lloyds Banking Group back on the dividend trail and the likes of BP and Shell benefiting from strong oil prices, global economic growth and cost cutting.

'With the dividend yield on the FTSE All-Share Index at 3.6 per cent, there are not many more attractive income stories out there.

Like all investment trusts, The City of London has the tools available to keep growing its income payments to shareholders  financial mechanics that are not available to unit trust managers.

They come in the shape of income reserves and the ability of a trust to put aside a maximum 15 per cent of all income received in the year and divert it into this income piggy bank.

This then allows trusts to dip into these income reserves in the tough years in order to keep the dividend payments to shareholders growing.

Curtis says that in seven of his 26 years at the trusts helm, he has used these income reserves to top up dividend payments. Currently, the income tank has enough reserves to pay the equivalent of three quarters of an annual dividend.

Although Curtis likes the turnaround in the fortunes of banks and the mining and oil companies, it is consumer goods businesses that provide the trusts core  the likes of tobacco giant BAT, multi-brands business Unilever and drinks company Diageo, famous for brands such as Guinness and Smirnoff.

He says: Businesses that provide consumer staples are consistent. They invest in their brands and they often have exposure to emerging markets. Unilever is a case in point.

'Some 60 per cent of its turnover is generated in emerging markets and following the failed bid last year from American rival Kraft Heinz, it has become more shareholder focused.

Consistent: Job Curtis favours big consumer brands

Last week Unilever announced the closure of its Colmans mustard factory in Norwich. With 116 holdings, the trust has positions in a broad church of companies. Curtis would not have it any other way.

It means the funds overall performance  income and capital return  does not sparkle against rivals (especially those with a bent towards smaller companies) although it has proved a more rewarding investment than simply buying a fund tracking the FTSE All-Share Index.

One further endearing feature is the trusts low ongoing charge of 0.42 per cent a year, a fee that will reduce as the trusts assets grow.PRIME Minister Sibusiso Barnabas Dlamini was reportedly said to be feeling good about the Kingdom of Eswatinis readmission to the United States trade regime enabled by the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) yet one does not recall him apologising to the nation when government took bread from the mouths of thousands of textile workers and their dependants about three years ago.

As quoted by the press, the PM was responding to the announcement on the eve of Christmas that US President Donald Trump had restored the kingdoms eligibility to AGOA. The kingdom lost its AGOA eligibility at the beginning of 2015 owing largely to governments traditional lack of respect for human rights and not because either the US or Trumps predecessor, President Barack Obama, hated the Swazi Government and its leadership.



Surprisingly, the Swazi leadership sought to retaliate by apparently boycotting the US Government that year, 2015. During the Fourth of July Independence Celebrations at the ambassadors residence in Mbabane not a single ranking government official was in sight but the show went on irrespective. Paradoxically, it has now been reported that since then government has been splashing money on public relations consultants and lobbyists in a bid to worm its way into the warm embrace of the US Government. Yet another typical case of government wasteful expenditure for which, alongside poverty, the PM can claim credit.



And as I see it, it is not that President Trump has a love affair with this country. It could well be that most of the issues culminating with the kingdoms ejection from AGOA, as articulated by the US Embassy, have since been addressed primarily by amending requisite legislation. Be that as it may, this has not stopped the mind wondering if Trumps decision is part of a well orchestrated grand project to undo anything done by Obama simply out of hatred for his predecessor. After all Trumps racist tendencies in general and towards Obama specifically, including questioning his nationality, are well documented.



Also, the timing of the announcement of the kingdoms readmission to AGOA was not lost coming as it came on the eve of a vote by the United Nations on Israels decision to make Jerusalem its new capital. The US, which had already publicly endorsed Israels decision by announcing that it would be relocating its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, had warned of its preparedness to use economic sabotage to get UN member countries to vote in Israels favour.

All but nine UN member countries voted against Israel while the others abstained. Consequently we have since been informed that the kingdom was among the nine that abstained although this would be difficult to verify independently. It might just as well have been a case of Trump using the economic carrot (AGOA) to buy votes in furtherance of the superpowers foreign policy exploits in the Middle East.

And before setting off into the political sunset with an ill-placed smirk  erroneously thinking he is the best thing to have ever happened to the Swazi nation  the PM should consider that AGOA, which brought a number of Asian-owned textile industries to these shores, was not an economic nirvana it was often flouted to be. The only time when government could have done something meaningful and positive for the people when the US gifted Africa with AGOA, it blundered terribly by promising slave labour to textile investors as a carrot to bring them here. And slave labour the desperate workers migrating from rural areas provided and are still providing out of desperation for jobs. Textile workers are paid such low wages that they cannot even sustain themselves let alone their dependants back home in the rural areas yet often work under harsh and inhuman conditions. The by-product of this has been the burgeoning prostitution trade in and around Matsapha Industrial Site where a majority of the textile firms are based. This poses all sorts of social challenges from the spread of HIV/AIDS to drug abuse, not to speak of unplanned pregnancies. In fact the latter scourge manifested itself at some stage when a depository of foetuses was discovered in some marshes around the sprawling residential areas supplying the textile firms with cheap labour.

As I see it, the reopening of textile firms with the return of AGOA is not a panacea to the wide scale unemployment especially among the youth. Government has failed to lead from the front by creating an enabling environment and climate for investors, particularly foreign direct investors, to create the much needed jobs. While there is talk of increasing the number of tertiary institutions around the country, this has not been matched with policy directives and reforms that would spur economic activity that in turn would create jobs for graduands. It does not require rocket science, unless of course one falls within the phalanx of leeches comprising bootlickers, sycophants, etc feeding off the carcass of the Tinkhundla Political System, to figure out that fundamental political transformation is what this country urgently requires right now to unlock its potential. But even that will require to be driven by fearless men and women who are not embarrassed by talking truth to power. These are individuals of high moral pedigree who would not place their personal and retirement agendas before national imperatives and the people. The future of this country lies in a pluralistic body politic and not the corrupting Tinkhundla Political System.Sir,



While I was undertaking several motivational talks this past Russian winter, I was mesmerized by the dreams, aspirations and goals young people have.



Believe it or not, the future of our country is clearly bright, only if we are going to stand up as a nation and empower our own children.

The time of us waiting for boNkosazana to come and empower our own children has to come to an end.



Swazis say ligotjwa lisemanti, of which God says, in Proverbs 22:6; Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it, NLT version. Let us come close to our childen, recognise their talents , dreams and goals at their tender age and then guide them , support them and give them all what they need to achieving them.



You empower a child; you have empowered the whole nation. Let us stop being stereotyped because we are burying our childrens dreams.

Let us empower children even when it looks they do not understand anything because they actually pick very well at that age, recognise their talents and then nurture and support them.



If this country is going to experience change with the Kings Vision 2022, it will be by the same young people the country ignores and does not take priority in nurturing and empowering.



Children are not future leaders, they are current leaders. Let us practically involve our children in things that will help them nurture and pursue their dreams.



A tree is not strong because of how big or tall it is but because of how deep the roots are, in that way it survives the storm and the wind.

If our children are well empowered, motivated and well nurtured and well guided, we are sure of a healthy and economically stable future of Swaziland.



Dr Senzo Mndzebele

LOBAMBA  Can Swaziland play a role in making the African continent become the next cannabis powerhouse?



This question arises from an article published by UK Magazine, Dope, last Thursday to the effect that Africa was poised to be the worlds next dagga powerhouse.



The magazine, which covers the development of the legal cannabis industry globally, mentioned that as of 2005, the continent had produced more than 10 500 tonnes of cannabis each year in 19 out of 53 countries.



It said the amount accounted for roughly 25 per cent of the total global production of cannabis and that an estimated 38.2 million African adults (77 per cent of the adult population) used the herb each year, which it said was far more than the world average of 3.8 per cent.

The magazine stated that most African countries had been hesitant to embrace the rapidly expanding market for legal cannabis despite that the continent had produced cannabis for generations.



Reference was made to the poverty situation in most African countries including Swaziland and it was argued that the business of cannabis could play a major role in improving the lives of thousands.



For example in Swaziland deep poverty can still be found in many rural areas and cannabis is already responsible for helping some families survive, it stated.



In the magazine, Swaziland was listed as one of the countries where there was a possibility of cannabis becoming the saviour of the economy.

It stated that the tide was turning in countries such as Swaziland, Morocco and Malawi in that the economic argument in favour of legal cultivation was eventually likely to win out.



Furthermore, the magazine acknowledged that while the impact would be different for each country on the continent, there was no doubt that for some of the poorest residents, the benefits would be substantial.



In Morocco, the hashish trade employs more than 800 000 people, according to Bloomberg, and its worth US$10 billion a year in sales. Malawi is known for high quality marijuana production, including the Malawi Gold strain. Plus, the country is now cultivating hemp on a trial basis. In Swaziland, prominent public figures have come out in favour of cannabis to help boost the struggling economy, reads part of the article.



The magazine made reference to the latest United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Report titled Cannabis in Africa which highlighted how the highest levels of cannabis production in the world took place on the African continent in all the sub-regions, with major seizures made in North Africa (Morocco and Egypt), West Africa (Nigeria and Ghana), East Africa (Tanzania and Kenya), and Southern Africa (South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho, Malawi, and Zambia).



Swaziland is known for producing high-quality cannabis and the seed stock has been marketed internationally. In 2001, the Swazi police noted cannabis exportation to the United Kingdom, the United States, the Netherlands, and Japan, and this situation does not appear to have changed much more recently, the UN report stated.Alleged notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi has issued a chilling threat against Bollywood actor Salman Khan.

"I am a student leader, otherwise... what we will do, will do it openly. Will kill film actor Salman Khan in Jodhpur. Then, they will get to know," Lawrence Bishnoi said.

Infamous as an inter-state gangster, Lawrence Bishnoi was produced in Jodhpur Court under heavy police presence on Friday, where he issued the sensational threat.

Rajasthan police had brought Bishnoi to Jodhpur on Production warrant where he was produced in Court.

Lawrence Bishnoi has several cases of murder, extortion and firing registered against him in various states. A few days ago, he had allegedly shot dead Vasudev, a trader.

It is being speculated that the threat issued by Lawrence Bishnoi could be connected with the ongoing Black Bucks case in Jodhpur in which Salman Khan is an accused.

The Bishnoi community is known to worship the Black Buck animal and had protested against the actor due to his alleged involvement in the case.

Lawrence Bishnoi has been charged in over 20 cases of attempt to murder, carjacking, extortion, snatching and under the Arms Act in Punjab-Haryana belt.

Salman Khan had appeared in Jodhpur's Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Rural Court on January 4 in connection with the 1998 Black Bucks case.

While Salman was in the Court, a CD of an eyewitness, Poonamchand, was played in his presence, by the Defence counsel.

Salman, as per information, got visibly emotional while the CD was being played inside the Courtroom.

Salman appeared a bit uneasy during his Court appearance. He stayed inside the Court for close to 35 minutes. After his Court appearance, Salman left for the hotel.

Several fans of Salman thronged the Court premises to see their favourite actor. Salman Khan had reached Jodhpur to take part in a private programme.

Salman reached the CJM Court directly from the Jodhpur Airport.

Present alongwith Salman Khan during his Court appearance was his bodyguard Shera.

Salman is accused of killing two black bucks in October, 1998 in Jodhpur's Kankani area.

Other actors of the movie, Hum Saath Saath Hain, including Sonali Bendre, Saif Ali Khan, Tabu and Neelam were allegedly present with him.Albany

The U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division is examining New York's controversial system of civil confinement for sex offenders.

The probe was revealed when an attorney with the Justice Department's special litigation office recently interviewed a sex offender confined at the Central New York Psychiatric Center in Oneida County.

Under New York's decade-old Sex Offender Management and Treatment Act, convicted sex offenders can be kept in secure psychiatric hospitals indefinitely after their prison terms expire. If an offender is found to have a mental abnormality that makes the person likely to commit another sex crime, the state can  after a court hearing  order the offender committed as a patient in a secure psychiatric hospital. (There are currently no women in civil confinement.)

The system has drawn a number of legal challenges in recent years, and some of those who are committed have said they aren't receiving the kind of treatment that was contemplated when the law was passed 10 years ago. They characterize their confinements as little more than extensions of prison terms, albeit in a hospital rather than a correctional facility.

In a series of interviews with the Times Union in recent months, numerous men who are being held at the Central New York Psychiatric Center after having served prison terms for crimes ranging from sexual abuse to rape said they are receiving little meaningful treatment. They said that sexual activity often goes unpunished, that there is access to pornography, and that mental health sessions often devolve into debates about who controls the television.

"These so-called social workers who run these groups are not psychologists," said Enrique Torres, who was first convicted at age 14 when he raped a 4-year-old girl who his mother was babysitting. "Real psychologists are not participating in these programs."

Torres said that he believes his abuse of children stemmed from the fact he was repeatedly sexually abused as a child.

"I thought this was a normal thing," Torres said. "I'm not saying that treatment doesn't work  I'm saying that this place doesn't provide treatment."

Torres' case is unique. After he served a prison term for a second conviction for sexual abuse, he was confined to a mental health facility. A state Supreme Court justice reviewed his case and ruled the state's confinement program was unconstitutional. But the case, State of New York v. Enrique T., was overturned by an appeals court that rejected the argument that the "statute is unconstitutional as applied to him and those sex offenders who may ultimately be approved for civil management under strict and intensive supervision and treatment, a less restrictive alternative to confinement."

But Torres and others being held indefinitely said they are effectively locked up in a prison-like setting. Torres said that he was living in the community following his second release from prison without re-offending and was undergoing voluntary mental health counseling that he said was working.

"I understand nobody wants to be the advocate for the sex offenders," he said. "It's a really disgusting situation we brought upon ourselves. But 17 years ago I committed that offense. I've been in the community. I didn't commit another sex offense."

In general, the process for confining an offender to a mental facility begins with a state-funded psychiatrist or psychologist examining the person for a few hours. If the psychologist determines the person has a mental abnormality that makes them likely to re-offend, the state Attorney General's office files court proceedings to have them confined.

The Justice Department attorney recently interviewed another offender who is confined with Torres at the state's Marcy psychiatric hospital, where multiple patients have filed civil rights lawsuits trying to unravel the confinement program.

"They called me up and we spoke for about two and a half hours," Charlie Gerena said of a conversation he had with the Justice Department official, Julie Abbate, in November.

Gerena said overcrowding in the facility was one of the topics they discussed.

"We have people in side rooms," he said, explaining that offenders are in rooms that used to be reserved as "time-out" spaces where people could get away from others and have some quiet time by themselves.

Additionally, he said, they discussed meals and changes in phone-use policies that have made it more difficult for those in confinement to contact the outside world.

Recently, Gerena said, the hospital has been serving pre-prepared "cook-chill" meals like those offered in prison kitchens rather than food that is prepared on the premises.

"Our conversation covered everything that is wrong with this civil confinement program, especially the punitive nature and treatment meted out by the staff and administration," he said in a letter to the Times Union. "We also talked about the high cost of using the phones, and how the administration refuses to allow us to have our own phones (cell), even when the cost to use them would be the cheapest to the residents."

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Gerena was convicted and sent to prison in 1984 for molesting an underage girl.

He was sent to civil confinement after finishing his prison term and released. But he was recommitted after contacting an old girlfriend on Facebook and viewing pornography on his cellphone  which were violations of his parole conditions.

Officials from the state Office of Mental Health, which runs the Central New York facility, declined to comment and referred questions to the Justice Department.

Justice Department officials also did not respond to requests for comment.

In recent years, Justice Department investigations have prompted prisons, jails and youth-detention facilities to change the way they operate.

In 2010, the Justice Department entered an agreement with then-Erie County Executive Chris Collins under which operators of the county jail improved their suicide prevention tactics and ramped up their mental health and medical care treatment.

Collins, a Republican, has since gone to Congress where he was one of Donald J. Trump's earliest Congressional backers.

Seven years ago, the Justice Department also reached an agreement with the state Office of Children and Families to correct problems at the now-closed Tryon youth prison in Fulton County.

Donald Brusso, who spent 25 years in prison for a 1986 sodomy conviction, has been held in civil confinement at Marcy since 2010. He said in an interview last year that the counseling sessions are often recycled.

"I've been in programs in prison that are a lot better than this place," he said. "I've been in this program five years and seems like ... they just put a different name on the same class. ... It's just a front to house people. We had more privileges in prison than we do in this place."

Joseph Gallagher, 52, was imprisoned in the 1980s and 1990s for sexual assaults involving teenagers when he was in his 20s. He returned to prison in 2005 for a forgery conviction. Although the forgery case did not involve sexual abuse, Gallagher said he "fell into" the civil confinement program after his release from prison on that charge. He echoed Brusso's contention that the counseling programs are ineffective.

"They have a habit of taking certain programs they've used in the past, re-titling them and putting those out again in order to say those are new programs and they're not," Gallagher said. "They seem to think that I'm still this dangerous person. As far as this program here I end up giving more than I learn. Anybody who's taken the (state prison) program can pretty much walk through this program because it's a step below. ... Out of 150 people in this building, probably 30 to 35 percent shouldn't be here. There are others that should be here."

rkarlin@timesunion.com 518 454 5758 @RickKarlinTUActor Shrivallabh Vyas died this morning in Jaipur after prolonged illness. He was 60 years old. Vyas, a National School of Drama alumnus, had been a character actor in films like Lagaan, Sarfarosh and Aan: Men At Work. He has also dabbled in regional films and theatre.

The actor, however, is best remembered for his role as Ishwar in Ashutosh Gowariker's Lagaan.

Vyas suffered a brain stroke a few years ago and was paralysed, even unable to move and speak. Due to financial constraints, his family had shifted to Jaipur. Aamir Khan, Akshay Kumar, Irrfan and a few other Bollywood celebrities were taking care of his medical expenses.

He is survived by his wife, Shobha Vyas and two daughters.Guilderland

Gio Mariah was adamant about the photograph.

It's glamorous. She is lying on her side in grass of fluorescent yellow and green shades, her skin glistens in the sun, her red hair glows.

When she asked the Times Union to consider writing a profile about her, Mariah insisted that be the featured portrait.

"I want this to be authentic to myself and my journey and how I represent as a female," she wrote.

Mariah eventually agreed to the paper's use of its own more realistic photographs, in keeping with journalistic protocol. Her concern over her image is nonetheless telling in light of her journey, which has much to do with how she is perceived.

What the 23-year-old wants is to shout out that she is a successful woman who is comfortable in her own skin. Having overcome hurdles in her transition from a man, she sees herself as a role model for transgender people working to conform their internal sense of gender to their appearance.

What she doesn't want is to harp on her struggle to get here. In fact, the greatest adversity in her young life had nothing to do with gender or sexuality, but with the loss of her beloved sister, Jacquelyn Porreca. A 32-year-old barber, Porreca was senselessly killed two years ago by a man seeking to rob her Colonie salon for money to buy heroin.

Yet it would be a lie to suggest that Mariah's path to womanhood was smooth. Even as celebrities like Caitlin Jenner and Laverne Cox have brought increased visibility to male-to-female transitions, and state regulations have ensured transgender patients' right to treatment and insurance coverage, Mariah's transformation required tenacity.

"Besides what happened with Jackie, health insurance was my one big heartbreak," Mariah said.

Mariah did not always identify as a woman. At Guilderland High School, she came out as an androgynous male, living as a gay man but expressively feminine. She suggested David Bowie or Boy George as an analogy to her high school persona. But her feminine characteristics went beyond the way she dressed. She recalled, for instance, getting moody at the same time each month that Porreca and her two other sisters had premenstrual syndrome.

Porreca, 11 years older, was Mariah's biggest fan, the person whose love was unconditional. Mariah describes her late sister as her perfect complement: "We were mirror images of each other." It was Porreca who supported Mariah in becoming an aesthetician, helping to pay for her training. She urged Mariah to strike out on her own after a fire in 2014 destroyed a building where they had shared space. Mariah opened Gio Expressions Private Spa, off Western Avenue.

Porreca encouraged Mariah to embrace her authentic self. She would gently nudge her sibling, "Gio, if you're happy, do whatever you want." Sometimes she'd be more direct: "Do you want to be a girl?"

Porreca was supportive in early 2015 when Mariah started therapy for gender dysphoria, a disorder marked by distress that results when a person does not identify with the gender assigned at birth.

There is no one right way to remedy this dissonance, experts said. For those who transition from one gender to another, the change can take many forms, said Lyndon Cudlitz of Albany, who trains organizations on LGBTQ issues. Some people want talk therapy only. Others seek hormone treatments, with or without gender reassignment surgery. Some want certain procedures  breast augmentation or genital reconstruction or facial feminization  but care less about others.

The goal in whatever treatment is chosen is to address the anxiety and depression that are the hallmark of gender dysphoria, said Acey Mercer, a psychotherapist at Choices Counseling and Consulting in Albany.

For Mariah, the aim was to look and feel "female and pretty," she said. But just months into therapy, she hit a psychological block that few people could even imagine.

"My sister was murdered, and that destroyed my life," she said.

There are details of Porreca's final hours in August 2015 and the months that followed that are burned into Mariah's memory in the vivid way only trauma can forge: The cryptic "911" text message she got from a client of Porreca's who saw the barber walk out of her salon after being stabbed. Standing at Porreca's bedside, when Mariah believes her sister relayed that she knew her assailant. The terror she and the rest of the family felt afterward, as police kept a lookout on the salon. Her disgust at the narrative that developed around the murderer's heroin addiction, as if that made his murder of her sister less evil.

Mariah lived afterward with the hypervigilance of post-traumatic stress, and her anxiety contributed to her breakup with her boyfriend of three years, she said.

It took a year after Porreca's death for Mariah to start hormone therapy to feminize her appearance  to give her breast tissue, and change her hairline and the distribution of fat and muscle, among other things. Before beginning treatment, genetic tests confirmed what she had to some degree intuited: Her testosterone levels were low for a male, her estrogen levels closer to the average female's. There was also something unusual about her chromosomes. Though men have XY chromosomes, Mariah also had XX chromosomes, like a woman. Doctors told her she was "intersex."

The hormone treatments effected some concrete changes that made Mariah less muscular and sizable. Her breasts developed to a B cup and she lost a couple of inches in height, she said. Her senses, especially hearing and taste, were heightened.

It was not enough for Mariah. She looked and sounded like a trans woman. But she felt like a woman, period. That's how she wanted others to see and hear her. So she underwent voice modification therapy at the College of Saint Rose in Albany and sought surgery to make her appearance more feminine.

Perhaps surprisingly, given how open Mariah is about most actions she had taken in her transition, she will not answer the question she is most frequently asked: Has she had genital reconstruction surgery? She is silent on it, she said, because people are too quick to associate genitals with gender. Her reproductive organs are irrelevant to who she is, she said.

Yet while she believes the most private aspects of her physique to be insignificant, it was of utmost importance to Mariah that her outward appearance be feminine. While somewhat smaller and softer after hormones, she still had the face of a man. Her hairline was farther back than a woman's, her brow bone too strong, her nose, chin and jaw too big.

More Information Facial feminization Without being conscious of it, we identify some facial features with men, others with women. Here are features that may be changed as part of facial feminization surgery, according to Dr. Sherman Leis, a plastic surgeon outside Philadelphia who performed surgery on Gio Mariah. Forehead: Men's are bigger. Women's are smaller and flatter. Men's hairlines are lower in the middle and elevate to a bald area around the temples. Browbones are more prominent in men. Plastic surgeons can move hairlines to lessen the forehead area and elevate the brows while reducing the browbone. Nose: Women's are smaller, narrower and with a higher tip. Lip: Women's tend to be fuller. The distance between the nose and the lip is larger in men. Men's upper lips are thinner. Chin: Men's chins are generally more square, women's are narrower. Jaw: Women's jaws are generally more narrow toward the chin. Shape: Women's faces are usually more triangular. Cheek implants can achieve this effect. Adam's apple: Thyroid cartilage is often prominent in men. Source: Dr. Sherman Leis, The Philadelphia Center for Transgender Surgery The cost of gender reassignment Here's what Dr. Sherman Leis charges for some male-to-female surgeries. Prices include anesthesia and hospitalization. Genital reconstruction$19,750 Breast augmentation$8,200 Forehead/brow lift with browbone reduction$6,200 and hairline advance Rhinoplasty (nose job)$7,500 Adam's apple reduction$3,600 Source: Dr. Sherman Leis, The Philadelphia Center for Transgender Surgery See More Collapse

So she sought surgery to feminize her face. It was at this point that Mariah ran into problems with insurance, with an apparent conflict over what is medically necessary versus cosmetic.

To Mariah, there was no question: She needed facial feminization surgery, first, to relieve her dysphoria by allowing her to look like the woman she is, and second, as a matter of safety. Transgender people are often targets of violent crime.

"If my face doesn't match my gender, that puts me at risk," Mariah said.

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Local experts in transgender care agreed with her assessment, at least for some people.

"Presenting as the gender that you identify with is a really big issue," said Emma Corbett, a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood Mohawk Hudson, which provides medical services to transgender patients. "When we see so many instances of trans phobia and trans crime in the media, it's really easy to see how passing helps."

Mariah's health insurer, CDPHP, however, would not initially cover surgery to change her face. A spokeswoman for the Albany-based company, Ali Skinner, would not comment on Mariah's case, citing privacy rules. But she said there is a formal process for getting such major surgeries authorized, and customers can become frustrated if they don't follow it precisely.

In general, gender reassignment surgeries are being performed more often and are covered more often than ever, experts said. Transgender-related surgery rose 20 percent from 2015 to 2016, according to a May report from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. State regulations required Medicaid to cover surgeries as well as hormone therapy for gender dysphoria in adults in 2014, and then for minors two years later. Private insurance companies were also put on notice in 2014 that they could not deny medically necessary treatment to New Yorkers with gender dysphoria.

Genital reconstruction surgery is now mostly covered, said Cudlitz, the LGBTQ educator, and while trans patients had to fight for coverage for breast augmentation in the recent past, that is more commonly covered now, too. But trans people looking to get facial feminization surgery should be prepared to receive a coverage denial notice, he said.

"We shouldn't be doing that," Cudlitz said. "You shouldn't have to go through that (appeals) process and have to have the stamina and resources to fight it."

A spokeswoman for the state's health insurer trade group, Leslie Moran, said that unlike other gender reassignment surgeries, facial feminization falls into a gray area. It's clear, for instance, that removing an Adam's apple from a trans woman is necessary, she said, but less so is moving a hairline or re-shaping a brow bone.

"You could make that argument for a non-trans woman who says, 'I have this really prominent nose, or I inherited my dad's really strong chin, and I want to look more feminine,'" said Moran, of the New York Health Plan Association. "But it falls under that cosmetic classification."

Trans patients who believe their insurance companies have wrongly classified a procedure as cosmetic have a right to appeal, Moran said.

That's what Mariah did. She got letters of support from nine professionals she had seen for care, including her primary care doctor, psychologist and endocrinologist, she said. CDPHP relented, and Mariah had the facial feminization surgery done in July by a plastic surgeon outside Philadelphia. (Most trans patients must travel to big cities for these procedures, Cudlitz said.)

The facial feminization has made all the difference in the world, according to Mariah.

"Everyone knew I was transgender, and people don't anymore," she said.

Now she's fighting for breast augmentation. While Cudlitz said that procedure is increasingly covered, Mariah said CDPHP denied her request because she has already developed breast tissue through hormone treatments. Her breasts are small in proportion to her body, however. Mariah has filed a complaint about the denied coverage with the state Health Department's Managed Care Unit.

Despite that pending matter, she does not talk about her transition as if it is incomplete. She defines herself as a woman, with no qualifying adjective. She has for all intents and purposes reached her destination.

Missing at the end of her journey, of course, is Porreca. Her presence remains in Mariah's daily life, however. Her name is itself a reminder: While she has always been Gio, once short for her given name Giovanni, she took Mariah, Porreca's middle name, during her transition. Mariah's long locks are also a tribute to Porreca, the last person to cut her hair.

Working to heal from that loss, she described her most fundamental rule about living as if it were simple.

"Why not be happy in life?" Mariah said. "That's what Jackie would want  for me to be happy."

chughes@timesunion.com  518-454-5417  @hughesclaireBethlehem

On a small mound of earth behind the old Mangia restaurant in Slingerlands, hidden from view, sits a monument to local history, the Slingerland family burial vault.

Inside the 1852 structure are former congressman and famous anti-slavery champion John I. Slingerland and his brother William Henry, Slingerland's first postmaster, along with several of their family members, including their father, John A. Slingerland.

While the structure is one of the most important historical artifacts in Albany County, it has become so run-down it could be mistaken for a pile of rocks in a stand of trees, not the sacred final resting spot of two of the most important local civic leaders of the 19th century.

And no one may be feeling more angst these days over the condition of the vault than Sue Virgilio of Niskayuna. Virgilio, who visited the vault for the first time this past summer, is a direct descendant of John I. Slingerland and is part of a small movement to have the vault restored.

"It broke my heart to see the condition of the vault," Virgilio said. "And that's why I wanted to be involved."

Virgilio discovered just within the past year that John I. Slingerland is her great great great grandfather. She figured out the connection after her mom got her an AncestryDNA kit last Christmas and she began looking into her family's history on Ancestry.com.

Her mom's maiden name is Slingerland. But Virgilio and her mom never knew their exact connection to the Slingerland family after several male relatives, including Virgilio's grandfather, who was an only child, died young.

"Our side of the family kind of dwindled. The Slingerland name kind of dwindled," Virgilio said. "So I was shocked at what I found. A congressman. How cool is that? An abolitionist! He gave land to a slave."

John I. Slingerland, in addition to serving in both Congress and the state Assembly and helping to ensure that the Albany & Susquehanna Railroad was built through the town of Bethlehem, was also a leading voice in the anti-slavery movement in the decades leading up to the Civil War. Slingerland supported an early version of the Homestead Act, the law that President Lincoln signed in 1862 granting federal land to small family farmers. Southern slave owners viewed the act as a threat to their existence. Slingerland also gave three-quarters of an acre of land in his will to a man believed to have been a family slave, and he supported the rights of farmers

Virgilio is now part of a committee trying to save the vault and raise money from the public for its repair. Others on the committee are Susan Leath, the town historian, Virgilio's mom, other Slingerland family descendants and neighbors who live near the vault, which isn't just a symbol of the Slingerland brothers, but also the rest of the Slingerland family and the community itself.

Virgilio met Bob Mullens, a Slingerland family member and carpenter from Feura Bush who grew up knowing he was part of the Slingerland family and joined the committee after taking a walking tour with Leath.

Mullens has also researched John I. Slingerlands extensively and worries his story and those of other important figures can easily be lost through time.

"That's the problem, everyone dies," Mullens said. "That's why history and writing is good because it is some sort of record."

The Slingerland family traces its local roots back to a Dutch trader named Teunis Slingerland, who came to Albany around 1650 and later purchased 10,000 acres along Onesquethaw Creek in present-day New Scotland, Bethlehem and the town of Coeymans from the Mohawks.

Today, descendants like Mullens still make their home on the same land, and Virgilio spent her early years there, with some of her most cherished memories visiting her grandmother's mid-1700s farm house in Coeymans Hollow.

What would become the future hamlet of Slingerlands, however, was not part of that original Teunis Slingerland tract. John A. Slingerland, the father of the congressman John I. Slingerland, built a home around 1790 at what is now 1575 New Scotland Road on land leased from a Van Rensselaer patroon, the ancestral landowner who controlled much of the land in Albany County until the breakup of the manor in the mid-1800s.

John I. Slingerland died at that house on Oct. 26, 1861, just months after the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln and the breakout of the Civil War, long after the last patroon died, setting off the anti-rent wars that led to the breakup of the patroon manor and more widespread land ownership.

In 2012, the Slingerlands Historic District, consisting of roughly 100 buildings, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The hamlet was originally named Normanskill before being renamed Slingerlands in 1870 in honor of the Slingerland family. The Slingerlands had spurred an era of growth and development, including bringing the Albany & Susquehanna railroad that connected it to the city of Albany in 1863.

Despite this rich history, the Slingerland burial vault has not been well preserved. For decades there has been worry over what to do with the burial plot, a 60-by-85-foot piece of land that is owned by the town of Bethlehem but is in desperate need of repair and landscaping.

Although the vault is accessible from the former Mangia parking lot by foot, it actually sits directly behind the property of Georgia Fishburn, whose home was built in 1890, nearly 40 years after the vault was erected.

When the vault was built, there was nothing blocking the view of the structure from the road, and there likely were no trees around it like today, making it an impressive monument that rose from the ground for all to see coming through Slingerlands. That's not the case now.

"Most of the residents of Bethlehem are sadly not aware of the Slingerland family vault," said Fishburn, who is a member of the group. "It is hard to see from the road especially during the summer months. I would like to see this vault restored and protected for our future generations."

Committee members also worry about the future of the Mangia site. In September 2016, the owner of the property showed town planners an informal proposal to build apartments and a bank on the former restaurant site. However, the project has yet to move forward and the Mangia building has since been filled with two new tenants, including a dance studio.

Noting that the soil above the burial vault is sinking, Leath said much restoration work would be needed at the site, although she declined to reveal the estimated cost. The hope is that private funding from the public will pay for the work.

Susan Virgilio, left, with Robert Mullens, right, at the Slingerland family burial vault in Slingerlands in the town of Bethlehem on Dec. 6, 2017. The two Slingerland family members are part of a group trying to restore the vault but didn't know one another until a few months ago. less Susan Virgilio, left, with Robert Mullens, right, at the Slingerland family burial vault in Slingerlands in the town of Bethlehem on Dec. 6, 2017. The two Slingerland family members are part of a group trying ... more Photo: Larry Rulison Photo: Larry Rulison Image 1 of / 14 Caption Close Saving the Slingerland vault 1 / 14 Back to Gallery

"It's not too bad, but we'd like to get it restored, a nice fence around it and a historical marker, all those things," Leath said. "You know it costs money of course. There's such a large extended Slingerland family, and I'm not so much worried about the money, frankly. The town can only do so much. They have their limitations. So it will take the community coming together with donations, and it's going to be a long-term thing. And then there's just the long-term maintenance of the area as well."

lrulison@timesunion.com  518-454-5504  @larryrulisonSan Francisco

This week's announcement that the U.S. Justice Department was ditching its hands-off approach to states that have legalized marijuana initially sent some in the industry into a tailspin, just days after California's $7 billion recreational marijuana market opened for business.

But for long-term marijuana purveyors accustomed to changing regulatory winds, the decision was just another bump in a long and winding road to proving their business legitimacy.

Many in the industry said they're keeping a wait-and-see attitude because the effect of Attorney General Jeff Sessions' announcement depends on whether federal prosecutors crack down on marijuana businesses operating legally under state laws. Sessions provided no details other than saying individual U.S. attorneys are authorized to prosecute marijuana operators as they choose.

Stocks of publicly traded marijuana-related companies plunged Thursday after Sessions announced the Justice Department's new policy. On Friday, though, many of those stocks recovered.

"The announcement was largely symbolic," said Patrick Moen, general counsel of Privateer Holdings, a Seattle-based venture capital firm that invests in marijuana businesses. "This kind of stunt will not have a substantial effect on the industry."

Moen noted Sessions' action doesn't change federal law, which includes a congressional provision barring authorities from spending federal money to prosecute medical marijuana operations that abide by state laws.

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He conceded that the action would have a "near-term chilling effect" on the industry's lobbying effort to compel banks and insurance companies to accept its business. Banks and insurance companies refuse to do business with cannabis companies because marijuana is illegal under federal law and most financial institutions are federally insured, forcing marijuana businesses to operate in cash.

Most of Seattle-based Privateer's $150 million in investments are in companies based outside the United States, and Moen conceded that Sessions' action Thursday would keep it that way for the short term because of regulatory uncertainty in the United States.

Online news and marijuana information site Leafly is the firm's biggest U.S. investment.[January 06, 2018] Elastagen to Feature Breakthrough Tissue Repair and Aesthetic Platform at Upcoming Dermatology Summit and Biotech Showcase Conferences in San Francisco, CA

Elastagen, a clinical-stage medical technology company with an advanced tissue repair platform based on tropoelastin, today announced that it will showcase the latest clinical developments and progress in its pioneering treatments at the Dermatology Summit, January 7, 2018 at The Palace Hotel in San Francisco, and the Biotech Showcase, January 8, 2018 at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square. Now in development, Elastagen's tropoelastin tissue repair platform will include breakthrough treatments for acne scars, stretch marks, aesthetic skin repair and wound repair. In a presentation titled, "Bringing tissue repair and regeneration to medical aesthetics and plastic surgery," Elastagen Director and CEO Robert Daniels will offer new study data on tropoelastin. Among the findings of a new feasibility study of injectable tropoelastin for stretch marks were high safety outcomes and an 80% reduction in stretch mark depression volume, resulting in skin's smoother look and feel. Presentation details: Dermatology Summit Date/ Time: Sunday, January 7 at 5:19pm Location: Grand Ballroom, Palace Hotel,

Biotech Showcase Date/ Time: Monday, January 8 at 10:45am Location: Hilton San Francisco Union Square-

A full study will be submitted fr publication in Q1 2018.



Elastagen executives are available for on-site meetings to update investors and media of the progress that Elastagen has made since it completed a $13M Series B equity financing. Additionally, the Company will share new data on the technology's mechanism of action and how it improves skin's structure and texture, as well as recent patient feedback. The Company is in the process of closing a Series C funding round, which includes current shareholders as well as new participants, and will raise $30M. "We are pleased to begin 2018 at the Dermatology Summit at Biotech Showcase, sharing exciting new data on our tropoelastin platform," Robert Daniels said. "Elastagen is gearing up for a pivotal year, when we expect to submit stretch mark, acne scar and aesthetic products for EU approval, in addition to making an IDE submission for a US clinical study for acne scars. We look forward to talking directly with physicians engaged in wound healing and aesthetics about the pioneering technologies developed by Elastagen."

About Elastagen Elastagen is an exciting clinical-stage medical technology company with an advanced tissue repair platform based on tropoelastin. Tropoelastin is the building block of elastin, a key protein component of the skin, arteries and lungs that gives tissue its elasticity. Elastagen's revolutionary technology is based on recombinant human tropoelastin, which is identical that present in human tissue. Other products that "contain elastin" use animal-derived elastin fragments; Elastagen's synthetic tropoelastin-based biomaterial platform has greater potential for healing and other beneficial goals. The Elastagen tissue repair platform, a single technology with many clinical applications, will include effective breakthrough treatments for acne scars, stretch marks, aesthetic skin repair and wound repair. Elastagen's products will follow the Class III medical device regulatory pathway for both the US and Europe, leveraging the company's years of industry knowledge and experience to drive product approval and commercialization. To learn more, visit www.elastagen.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180106005027/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]In a revenge attack, a Muslim man was allegedly attacked and killed by seven youths belonging to the Sangh Parivar. This comes after a Hindu activist named Deepak Rao was hacked to death on January 3.

The victim has been identified as 47-year-old Ahmed Bashir.

Bashir was shifted to a private hospital in a serious condition but succumbed to his injuries on Sunday.

His assailants who were caught after a surveillance camera caught the dastardly act, confessed to the police that they wanted to take revenge for Deepak Rao's death.

TR Suresh, Mangaluru Police Commissioner, identified the accused as 25-year-old Shrijith PK and 21-year-old Sandesh Kotyan of Uppala and Kasaragod district. Also, the brothers - 22-year-old Dhanush Poojary and 21-year-old Kishan Poojary of Padil, Mangaluru.

The four decided to avenge Rao's death by targetting a person from the minority community. Unfortunately, it was Bashir who fell victim to their insanity.

Near and dear ones of Ahmed Bashir with his dead body at AJ Hospital's mortuary. Near and dear ones of Ahmed Bashir with his dead body at AJ Hospital's mortuary.

The news of Bashir's death spread like wildfire. Crowds assembled outside Mangaluru's AJ Hospital mortuary. His mortal remains were handed over to his family members after autopsy. However, the last rites have been delayed since his brother Isrhan is yet to arrive from Abu Dhabi. Minister UT Khader, immediately rushed to the hospital upon hearing the news.

Meanwhile, the state government has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakhs to the bereaved family.

CM Siddarmaiah who is in the district to inaugurate various development projects said that nobody should play politics over deaths, hinting at the BJP and other Sangh groups.

"To maintain and restore peace, all must work together. Don't rub salt into the wound. People in the coastal part are educated and such things should not happen in these places. They should stop killing innocent people and politicising the issue," he said.

Siddaramiah also added that people who kill others lack humanity and respect for life in general.

(With inputs from Namratha SS)

Mangaluru: Muslim man killed in alleged revenge attack[January 07, 2018] Living in Digital Times to Kick Off CES 2018 with the Latest in Lifestyle Technology at CES Unveiled Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 7, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- At CES 2018, Living in Digital Times (LIDT) returns to kick off CES Unveiled Las Vegas with some of the coolest and engaging lifestlye tech on displayfrom a coding robot to an augmented reality makeup app to a smart pet bed to immersive virtual reality gear. CES Unveiled Las Vegas celebrates the beginning of the CES 2018 on January 7 from 5:00 PM-8:30 PM at Mandalay Bay in the Shorelines Exhibit Hall. Living in Digital Times is located at Booths #137-138. "Unveiled gives journalists that first look at the products that will best reflect another exciting year of revolutionary tech, and Living in Digital Times is here to help them contextualize how this tech fits into real life," said Robin Raskin, founder and president, Living in Digital Times. "We hope that what we're showcasing encourages them to seek out more at our Marketplaces throughout the show." Robin will be available at Unveiled to offer commentary about 2018 lifestyle trends. Pick up a brochure that can guide you through all LIDT lifestyle technology conferences, Marketplaces, events, and awards during CES 2018. Catch a preview of the products featured at the booth: FOR EARLY LEARNING

Botley the Coding Robot (Learning Resources) is a STEM toy that enables kids as young as five to learn early coding fundamentalsall without the use of a smartphone, tablet or computer! Its 77 pieces provide endless hours of fun and activities straight out of the box using coding cards, detachable arms, interactive obstacles, kids' coding games, and more. FOR A FLAWLESS LOOK

YouCam Makeup (Perfect Corp.) continues to revolutionize beauty with its powerful augmented reality technology and artificial intelligence. Users can take a photo of the brand's makeup look in the real orld, and YouCam's AI software will automatically recognize the look and match it with the virtual look.



FOR HEALTHIER PETS

Petrics Smart Pet Bed (Petrics) is the first of its kind with sensors that track, analyze, and recommend optimal health solutions unique to each pet. Its companion app recommends healthier food options based on each pet's personalized needs like breed-specific health risks, age, activity levels and pre-existing medical conditions through any computer, mobile device or connected home product. FOR IMMERSIVE FUN

MERGE 6DoF Blaster (Merge VR) merges the digital world with the real world using sophisticated positional tracking technology, for the most immersive gameplay ever experienced on a mobile device. Even better, the MERGE 6DoF Blaster does not require a VR headset. The platform will be open to developers and game studios worldwide, and manufacturers can soon create their own VR/AR Blaster-compatible products. Additionally, MERGE Mini is fusing the best features of its MERGE Goggles for a smaller and lighter version. Younger users have an accessible and affordable way to experience high-quality mobile VR and AR experiences.

When the show floor opens on Tuesday, be sure to check out the latest in cutting-edge innovations at Living in Digital Times' lifestyle technology Marketplaces from January 9 through 12: BabyTech, BeautyTech, Family & Technology, Fitness & Technology, Health & Wellness, Kids & Technology, Sleep Tech, and Wearables at Tech West, Sands, Level 2, Halls A-D, as well as the Retail Innovation Lounge at the LVCC, South Hall 3, Booth 31600. About Living in Digital Times Founded by veteran technology journalist Robin Raskin, Living in Digital Times brings together the most knowledgeable leaders and the latest innovations impacting both technology and lifestyle. It helps companies identify and act on emerging trends, create compelling company narratives, and do better business through strong network connections. Living in Digital Times produces technology conferences, exhibits and events at CES and other locations throughout the year by lifestyle verticals. Core brands include Digital Health Summit, Digital Money Forum, FitnessTech, Baby Tech, Kids@Play, Family Tech Summit, FamilyTech TV, Beauty Tech, Wearables and FashionWare runway show, Last Gadget Standing and the KAPi Awards. The company also works with various foundations and manages the Young Innovators to Watch awards recognizing student STEAM innovations. For more information, visit www.LivinginDigitalTimes.com and keep up with our latest news on Twitter, Linkedin and Facebook. About CES CES is the world's gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. It has served as the proving ground for innovators and breakthrough technologies for 50 years-the global stage where next-generation innovations are introduced to the marketplace. As the largest hands-on event of its kind, CES features all aspects of the industry. Owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), it attracts the world's business leaders and pioneering thinkers. Check out CES video highlights. Follow CES online at CES.tech and on social. Media Contact: Kristen Joerger

LKPR, Inc. for Living in Digital Times

Kristen@LKPRinc.com

646-484-4577, 603-494-3295 (mobile) View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/living-in-digital-times-to-kick-off-ces-2018-with-the-latest-in-lifestyle-technology-at-ces-unveiled-las-vegas-300578691.html SOURCE Living in Digital Times

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann: I am asking our priests, deacons, religious and laity during 2018 to pray for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Catholic community in northeast Kansas.





Specifically, I am asking everyone to pray for the Holy Spirit to guide our efforts to create within the archdiocese and all of our parishes and ministries a culture of evangelization. At the same time, I ask that we beg the Holy Spirit to help each of us become, what Pope Francis terms, missionary disciples!





A culture of evangelization means for our parishes, institutions and ministries to become less focused on merely maintaining the status quo and more and more dedicated to sharing the truth, beauty and goodness of our Catholic faith with others.





With a large number of nonpracticing Catholics and an even larger number of individuals who claim no religious affiliation, those of us blessed with the joy that only Jesus and life in his church can bring to our hearts have an obligation to share the gift of our faith with others.

In his latest note to followers, a sometimes controversial local cleric offersRemember that recently this leader hasandso there's no doubt that he's committed to his beliefs . . .You decide . . .UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT: Life after prison for 3 men now free after wrongful conviction Three men from the Kansas City area are the same age and spent time together in the Lansing Correctional Facility. They are all free after a wrongful conviction. They sat down with our investigativ...

One of the top stories of the past few months was recently republished to the KCTV5 website and deserves a look for those who haven't seen it yet . . . Across demographic and cultural lines, here's a story of justice delayed, redemption and reconciliation. Checkit:ALREADY OUR TKC BLOG COMMUNITY IS CONFRONTING CRASHES AND SLICK CONDITIONS ON KANSAS CITY ROADS THROUGHOUT THE METRO!!!

SUNDAY OUR TKC BLOG COMMUNITY REPORTS WORD OF A FEW SERIOUS CRASHES IN MIDTOWN AND THE CROSSROADS WITH SLICK HIGHWAY CONDITIONS AS WELL!!!

As usual, best advice is to take it slow as the ice on local streets is just going to get worse after dark and overnight.

Quick word of warning from the denizens of our blog community sending us real world reports that contradict a lot of what we're hearing from local news . . .While the winter weather advisory has been cancelled, the still doesn't mean that local streets aren't a hot mess . . .More to the point . . .Moreover, KCMO typically doesn't take any responsibility for lackluster street conditions in neighborhoods or off main streets near downtown.Developing . . .Political stability in Greece is very important for the recovery of the crisis stricken economy as well as the strengthening of the tourist industry

Greek government must present a united position on the dispute over the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) , New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Thursday in an interview with news website capital.gr, ANA reports.

"In order to comment on whether there really is a missed opportunity, we need to know what the official position of the majority is. So far, I've heard nothing. When the government formally states its position through the Prime Minister, expressing both government partners, then we will be able to comment on the details of any solution the government will finally negotiate on," he wnoted.

Asked whether he believes the proposal will be a composite name with geographic qualifiers, he clarified that he preferred "not to speculate", adding that it remains to be seen whether the government will follow that line.

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: enikoslive License: CC-BY-SASrinagar, Jan 7 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today advocated strong and friendly India- Pakistan relations, while appealing to the leadership of both the countries for steps for the betterment of ties to reduce acrimony, violence and for an atmosphere of friendship between the two neighbours.

"For how long should humanity be left to bleed? The leadership of both the countries should rise to the occasion and change the hate mongering between the two into a peace narrative," she told a gathering at the mausoleum of her father and former chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed at Bijbehera in south Kashmir on his second death anniversary.

Mehbooba said a friendly relationship between the two countries would have a positive bearing on the situation in the state, which had seen enough bloodshed over the last three decades.

"Violence has inflicted only miseries upon the people and the state needs to be taken out of this vicious cycle. This is the main objective to stitch the alliance (with the BJP) to form the government in the state and my government will continue to pursue this goal with all seriousness," the PDP leader said.

She added that the people of Jammu and Kashmir were the worst sufferers of the Indo-Pak hostilities.

"Deaths on both sides of the border and killings inside the state rob us of peace and only the graveyards are getting filled, devouring the sons of the soil.

"Dialogue is the only way out and I appeal to the governments of India and Pakistan to resume the talks and resolve the mutual issues amicably. Dialogue alone will end mayhem and destruction and bring peace," Mehbooba said.

Paying rich tributes to Sayeed, the chief minister said he was the architect of a vision and mission, the sole objective of which was to get Jammu and Kashmir out of the miseries and give its people prosperous and peaceful times.

"Opening of more routes, better neighbourly relations between the two countries and more people to people contacts were the immediate results of this doctrine. Regretfully, these things were not taken so seriously after the late leader demitted office in 2005.

"The vision and philosophy of the late leader are becoming more relevant with every passing day as the situation in the subcontinent obtains," she said.

On the occasion, Mehbooba also outlined the measures taken by her government for the welfare of the people.

The chief minister said she honoured the promise of withdrawal of cases against the youth and regularisation of 60,000 casual and daily rated workers.

She claimed that she had secured an adequate financial assistance from the Centre, which would change the development scenario in the state and create huge employment opportunities.

"But it all requires a peaceful atmosphere. Many works could not be executed in 2016 due to the unrest and unfortunately, the funds got lapsed," she said.

Earlier, the chief minister paid floral tributes at her fathers mausoleum and offered prayers there.

State ministers, MPs, MLAs, senior officers and a large number of people had also come to the Dara Shikoh Park to offer prayers to the former chief minister. PTI SSB RCThe Arabian Gulf University has awarded the first of the contracts for the construction of the multi-million King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Medical City, a multiple-phased development to come up on a one-million-sq-m area in Bahrain, said a report.



A mixed-use development, the project comprises academic and medical facilities, a research centre, on-site accommodation and other communal facilities to create a self-sustained campus.



Under the $260-million first phase, a 288-bed hospital supported by on-site staff housing and other communal facilities will be developed, followed by the setting up of medical clinics, medical services building, specialised research centres in the prevailing diseases in the GCC region, including cancer, diabetes and obesity in the next phase, reported the BNA.



The signing of the contract coincides with the festivities in the Gulf such as the third anniversary of the ascension of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Bahrains National Day, and the ascension His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, remarked Dr Khalid Abdul Rahman Al Ohaly, the president of AGU at the signing ceremony.

The contracts were awarded to Hafeera Contracting Company and Partners Contracting Company, according to a Gulf Daily News report.



The signing ceremony was attended by the Minister of Education Dr Majid bin Ali Al Nuaimi and the ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to Bahrain Dr Abdullah Abdul Malik Al Shaikh.



"This signing is the actual beginning and launch of construction work on the medical city project, as the project contractor has begun the work of building the medical city on the site," stated Dr Al Ohaly.



Lauding the Saudi monarch for the giant healthcare project and King Hamad for the donation of a million sq m of land at a strategic location for the construction of the Medical City, Dr Al Ohaly said the medical city was designed by expertise and competencies from various medical specialisations from all GCC countries, stated the BNA report.



"Over 60 workshops have been held, attended by more than 100 experts to design the medical city, working closely with the National Health Regulatory Authority in order for the Medical City to meet high standards," he noted.



"We are currently working side by side with the Supreme Council of Health to include the medical city under the health services covered by the health insurance of Bahrain, to provide medical services to all residents of the kingdom," he added.



He affirmed that the medical city will be a distinctive addition to the residents of the southern governorate, as well as the residents of Bahrain and the Gulf community.



Once operational, the medical city will boast 300 beds and a full range of outpatient clinics, in addition to 15 operating rooms and quality support medical services such as advanced laboratories and a pharmacy.



According to him, the three objectives of the project are: the education and training of the students of the College of Medicine in the University who hail from GCC countries; providing the faculty at the College of Medicine of AGU to practice their medical professions and also to establish centres for clinical research to address health issues prevalent in GCC such as diabetes, obesity, cancer and cardiovascular diseases.



Dr Al Ohaly also commended the efforts of Shaikh Khalid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, Deputy Prime Minister for the strategic medical city project.Swaraj

By Gurdip Singh

Singapore, Jan 7 (PTI) One direct phone call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Saudi King in 2015 turned out to be a decisive game changer and facilitated a massive evacuation of Indians and foreigners stranded in war-torn Yemen, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said today.

Operation Rahat was launched by Indian Armed Forces to evacuate more than 4,000 Indian citizens and other foreign nationals from Yemen during the 2015 military intervention by Saudi Arabia and its allies. The 11-day evacuation by sea started on April 1, 2015 from Aden port.

Addressing the Indian diaspora at the ASEAN-India Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) here, Swaraj said that relentless Saudi bombing of Yemenese locations had made evacuation of Indian civilians next to impossible.

She gave a blow-by-blow account of how the Operation Rahaat in Yemen was successfully carried out.

Swaraj said that she approached Modi and suggested that the excellent rapport he enjoyed with Saudi King (Salman) be put to good use.

Modi then made a direct phone call to the King in Riyadh, requesting a safe passage for Indian nationals and evacuation efforts and sought a halt in bombings for a week, she said.

According to Swaraj, the Saudi King replied that Indias request was too important to be ignored but also expressed his inability in bringing about a total halt to the bombings.

The Saudi King, due to the friendship with Modi, agreed to halt bombings between 9 AM and 11 AM daily for a week, the minister said.

Seizing the opportunity, Swaraj claimed that she requested the Yemenese authorities to open their Aden port and airport in Sanaa, so that civilians could be evacuated to Djibouti with alacrity for two hours daily for a week.

"Yemenese told me they will do anything for the Indians," Swaraj said, addressing the gathering of over 3000 people, mostly belonging to the Indian diaspora, in the presence of Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean.

This coordination set in motion a critical evacuation exercise of not only 4,800 Indians but also 1,972 people from other countries in Operation Rahat which was led from the front by Minister of State for External Affairs and former army chief General (retired) VK Singh, she added. PTI GS CPS(Eds: Updating toll)

New Delhi, Jan 7 (PTI) Five men, including a national- level powerlifter, died and one other person was injured after their car met with an accident in the early hours today near the Delhi-Haryana border, police said.

The athlete, Saksham Yadav, who was admitted in "extremely critical" condition at the AIIMS Trauma Centre here succumbed to his injuries this evening.

"He died at 6:38 pm of a cardiac arrest," a senior doctor at the Trauma Centre said, adding that "the family told us that he was revived twice at the Max Hospital".

He had sustained grievous head injuries and severe internal bleeding. He was being attended by a team of doctors, the doctor said.

The accident took place near the Singhu border in Alipur police station area in northwest Delhi, police said.

The driver lost control of the speeding vehicle that first hit a road divider and then a pole, they said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Rohini) Rajneesh Gupta said, the deceased were identified as Tikamchand, Saurabh, Akash and Harish Roy.

The other injured person was identified as Rohit, he said.

Yadav was first taken to the Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, in northwest Delhi.

"He was taken to the emergency department where he was administered first-aid and stabilised. He was later taken to the AIIMS Trauma Centre," a hospital source said.

It was Rohits birthday and the friends were out celebrating it, the police said.

It is being probed whether it is a case of drunken driving since some liquor bottles were found in the vehicle, they said. PTI SLB KND PLB KJeditorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, January 6

The police conducted a raid at three illegal distilleries in Nangal village here late last evening. Acting on a tip-off, the raid was conducted near a drain in the village.

The cops seized 480 kg of lahan (raw material for making liquor) and 16.5 litres of illicit liquor. However, no one was arrested as the accused managed to flee before the arrival of the cops.

The accused may caught a whiff of police action in advance so they managed to escape in no time.

In another raid at Chamiari village, the police recovered 15 litres of illicit liquor and arrested Malkeet Masih of the same village.singhking99@yahoo.com

Q. I am a government employee and NPS deduction from my salary is Rs 52,000 per annum. Am I still eligible for extra Rs 50,000 deduction under NPS u/s 80CCD (1B) for tax purpose this year? Please advise.

 Pramod Thakur

A. Yes, you are entitled to claim additional deduction of Rs 50,000 under Section 80CCD (1B) of the Income-tax Act 1961 (The Act) apart from the deduction allowable to the extent of Rs 1,50,000 under Section 80C of the Act.

Q. I have read that one can remit up to $2,50,000 to another country in a financial year. Is it rupees or dollars? Please confirm.

 Kuldip Parmar

A. A remittance outside India is allowed for specific purpose to the extent of US dollar 2,50,000 under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme.

Q. Both my wife and my son are Canadian citizens. They have a plot in Amritsar. If they sell that plot, can they bring the proceeds to Canada and buy a house there? Please update on latest laws concerning foreign nationals selling their property in India and transferring money to Canada.

 Kulbir Singh Kahlon

A. The amount of capital gain arising on the sale of plot situated in Amritsar shall be taxable. In case the plot has been held for more than three years, such land shall be treated as a long-term capital asset and any gain arising on sale of such land shall be taxable @20% plus education cess of 3%. However, in case the period of holding is less than three years, the amount of capital gain shall be treated as short-term capital gain which would be taxable at the normal slab rates applicable to the total income of an assessee. It will be possible for your wife and son to remit the sale proceeds of the plot to Canada to the extent of $1 million per financial year after the taxes leviable on the gain arising on sale of such a plot have been paid. Please note that such remittances shall have to be made though the NRO bank account of your wife and son.

(Readers can send their queries at info@scvasudeva.com)editorial@tribune.com

Chandigarh, January 6

A local court dismissed the bail petition of one of the accused in the Panchkula violence case who is said to be a security guard of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim. Sukhwinder Singh of Haryana was arrested with five others with a pistol and live cartridges by the Chandigarh Police after dera followers resorted to violence in Panchkula on August 25, 2017.

The court dismissed the bail application today. The police had arrested the six accused at the Mani Majra border on August 25 when they were trying to enter Chandigarh from the Panchkula side.

The six accused were allegedly commandos of the Dera Sacha Sauda and were trying to enter Panchkula to take part in the violence. Bail applications of four of the six accused have already been rejected by the court.  TNSeditorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 7

The Chandigarh Police have arrested a total of five persons, including a juvenile, in different cases of theft.

The police have also recovered three two-wheelers from one accused and six two-wheelers from two other accused.

DSP (East) Satish Kumar said Rajesh Thapa, a resident of Mani Majra, was arrested by a team of the Sector 19 police station for stealing Rs 9,400 and a mobile phone from a temple in Sector 19. His arrest also led to recovery of two motorcycles and a scooter, which was stolen from different parts of the tricity.

The DSP said in another case, two youths, identified as Mohit Verma, a resident of Sector 21, and Balbir Singh, a resident of Sector 22, were arrested for stealing a laptop from a PG (paying guest) accommodation in Sector 21.

During the investigation, the police also recovered six motorcycles from the accused, which were stolen from various parts of the tricity.

In another case, Nadeem, alias Nadu, of Mani Majra was arrested against whom two cases of thefts are registered at the Mani Majra police station. The police have also recovered one LED, two speakers, 42 taps and other raw material from the accused.

The cops have also apprehended a juvenile for stealing a purse regarding which a case was registered at the Industrial Area police station.vinaymishra188@gmail.com

Gagan K Teja

Tribune News Service

Patiala, January 6

Narendra Modi is my favourite leader. So, when I got an opportunity to meet him, it was like a dream come true for me. The kind of appreciation and respect he gave me is something I will treasure all my life.

Patiala artist Arun Bajaj, who is popular as Needle Man, could not have asked for more when he personally gifted his Narendra Modi embroidery work to the PM. It took Arun six months to finish the work and he finally handed it over to Modi at New Delhi recently.

Speaking to Patiala Tribune, the 34-year-old said he wanted to make a career with his painting brush and colours, but destiny pushed him towards sewing machine and threads. However, he did not give up and ended up making a perfect mix of his passion and obligation.

Arun had made it to the India Book of Records for his unique Lord Krishna embroidery work. He was passionate about painting since childhood and wanted to be a world-renowned painter. However, following the death of his father, who was a tailor, he had to take over his fathers shop. His brush made way for sewing machines and needles.

Soon, he started experimenting with needle and thread. With his will and practice, he became a master at making colourful embroideries using a sewing machine. His unique technique earned him the moniker Needle Man. One can rarely judge if his works was a painting or embroidery.editorial@tribune.com

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 7

Crisis within the Chandigarh BJP ended this evening with Asha Kumari Jaswal, outgoing Mayor, and Ravi Kant Sharma agreeing to withdraw their candidature for the posts of mayor and senior deputy mayor, respectively, in the presence of Sanjay Tandon, president of city BJP, councillors and senior leaders of the party.

Jaswals decision came after Davesh Moudgil submitted an unconditional apology in writing to her and the party president.

Sources said Tandon had held meetings for more than six hours with both groups to end the crisis. Jaswal called a meeting of her group at her residence which was attended by Arun sood, former mayor, Vinod Aggarwal, Rajesh Kalia, Bharat Bhushan, Jagtar Singh Jagga, Sunita Dhawan, Ravikant Sharma, Satish Kainth, Shakti Prasad Devshali and Gurpreet Singh Dhillon. Later, Sanjay Tandon, party president, also joined the meeting, which had continued for over an hour.

After listening to the grievances of the councillors, Tandon reached the BJPs Punjab office in Sector 37 where he, along with Dinesh Kumar, organisation general secretary, held a long meeting with Davesh Moudgil. Party leader Chandrashekhar was also present during the meeting.

At the meeting, Tandon apprised him of the councillors grievances and made him agree to sign the mafinama. After the meeting, Tandon took Moudgil to Jaswals residence where he read out the apology written by Moudgil before all councillors and assured all of them that the BJP official candidate for the post of mayor would take all councillors along and would take decisions in consultation with the former mayors and the party president. Tandon said the BJP was like a family an any differences should be sorted out within the family.

The meeting followed the councillors visit to Delhi to meet senior leaders of the party where the central leadership gave stern instructions that they all should work together to ensure the victory of the official candidate. The party leadership told them to withdraw nominations, said sources.

The sources said Tandon would hold an all-councillor meeting on Monday.

The drama started soon after party in-charge Prabhat Jha declared Davesh Moudgil as the official BJP nominee for the post of mayor. Unhappy over the decision, outgoing Mayor Asha Jaswal and councillors Ravi Kant Sharma and Vinod Aggarwal filed their nominations for the posts of mayor, senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor, respectively, as independents.

I accept my mistakes: Moudgil

In the apology letter addressed to city BJP president, Davesh Moudgil has said he accepts that on many occasions, he took stand against the party line and kept the Mayor away from the functions organised in his ward. Today, I realised that my behavior was not in the interest of the party. I accept my mistakes from the core of my heart and for this, I tender an apology to Mayor Asha Jaswal, fellow councillors and workers of the party. I assure all of you if given a chance for rectifying the mistakes, I will try my best to live up to the expectations of the party. I will also hold all functions with the approval and in the presence of the party president. I will take all decisions with the approval of the party president, says Moudgil.

Quotes

"I am thankful to Asha Kumari Jaswal and all councillors who listened to my request and saved the party from getting divided. I have called a meeting of all councillors at the party office for Monday. All councillors will support the partys official candidate, Davesh Moudgil."  Sanjay Tandon, Chandigarh BJP president

"I agreed to withdraw the name after Moudgil accepted his mistakes and regretted his actions. I was not against the partys decision but I opposed giving chance to someone who had indulged in anti-party activities. As a mother, I forgave him after he submitted his mafinama to the party president. But, I will keep a watch on his activities in the future also. "  Asha Kumari Jaswal, outgoing Mayor

"I thank the entire leadership for ending the crisis. Because of them, I will be able to fulfil the policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "  Davesh Moudgil, mayoral candidate of BJP

"I am happy that the unfortunate episode has ended. I thank party leadership and all councillors for resolving differences amicably. Now, the party will win the election with a thumping majority."  Satya Pal Jain, former MPeditorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 7

The Crime Branch of UT police has arrested two members of a gang that was involved in cases of carjacking and robbing people at gunpoint in the city on a stolen Ritz car. The police claimed that the miscreants had also robbed a Toyota Crysta at gunpoint on December 17, which is being used by a gangster in Punjab. The accused, both drug addicts, committed robberies to fund their daily dose of drugs.

The accused, identified as Yodha Singh, alias Jodha (24), and Lovepreet Singh, alias Happy (20), were arrested at Kaimbwala by a team led by Inspector Amanjot Singh, in-charge of Crime Branch.

The SP (Operations), Ravi Kumar, said five other persons who were involved in the carjacking and robbery cases had absconded. The involvement of the accused has been found in six cases registered in the city recently, the SP added.

The police said the accused returned to Punjab after committing crime. They also stayed in Kansal at a relatives house on a few occasions.

The police claimed that Yodha and Lovepreet were earlier booked in a case under the NDPS Act in Punjab.

The police are conducting raids to nab the remaining accused who have been identified. The accused had also robbed a scooterist of Rs 60,000 in Faridkot last month. The pistol used in the robberies is yet to be recovered.

Many cases have gone unreported

The police said the accused also used to pose as taxi drivers and passengers. They used to lure their victims into their car at the ISBT-43 by offering them taxi on a sharing basis. The victims were then robbed on the way. The accused robbed a Ludhiana resident of Rs 40,000. Such cases were not reported in Chandigarh.

Modus Operandi

The accused used to stop their victims on the pretext of asking way and then rob them at gunpoint. In two incidents, the victims were even kidnapped and robbed in the car. Those who didnt have money with them were made to reveal the ATM pin and cash was later withdrawn from their accounts.Lt-Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (retd)

Lt-Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (retd)

ON the last day of 2017, three well-armed terrorists intruded the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) training complex at Letapur, near Avantipur on the Anantnag-Srinagar road in Kashmir. In the ensuing attempts to neutralise them, five CRPF jawans were martyred and all three terrorists were killed, but not before offering stiff resistance which included firing some armour-piercing munitions seen for the first time in the hands of terrorists. Post-operation analysis revealed that two of the three terrorists were local Kashmiris. The death of Fardeen Ahmad Khanday, the 16-year-old son of a policeman, and Manzoor Baba, both locals from South Kashmir, revealed a new ploy by the Pakistani Masood Azhar terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), under the guidance of the Pakistani proxy controllers: that of inducting local Kashmiris into fidayeen suicide squads. This is a phenomenon rarely seen in the 28-year-old proxy war.

In J&K's bleak proxy conflict scenario, the term fidayeen came into being in 1999. It is borrowed from the lexicon involving the vocabulary of the Palestinian resistance against the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) and supposedly alludes to thosewho sacrifice themselves in the name of god. Before commenting on the entry of local terrorists into the ranks of a JeM fidayeen squad, the entire concept of fidayeen in J&K set up by proxy controllers of Pakistan needs to be outlined.

It was in1999 (10 years after the proxy conflict commenced in J&K) that the situation in J&K really came to a head. Till then, terror in the state flowed and ebbed; from only local terrorists in 1989-90 to the introduction of foreign mercenaries, made available after the end of the Soviet-Afghan war, to the drying up of that pipeline in 1996 and thence the dominance of the Pakistani terrorists.

In May 1999, a larger Pakistani strategy unfolded with the Kargil intrusion. It forced the redeployment of some formations of the Indian Army, deployed in the Valley for counter-terror operations (CT), to the Kargil sector, vacating the space in North Kashmir and segments of the South.

In July 1999, infiltrated Pakistani elements along with a few SSG regulars, launched a series of small two- to four-men squads to sneak into the camps of the security forces (SF) and their bases through the weak perimeter security that existed. Some smart ruses were also used to target sentry posts employing effective disguise as Indian soldiers. The intruded elements inflicted as many casualties as they could and came equipped for the long haul and eventual death. Some high-profile actions included the targeting of the 15 Corps PRO offices near the Batwara entry gate, headquarters of Rashtriya Rifles (RR) units and sectors and civil institutions.

In December 2000, the Srinagar airport was targeted by a six-man squad of the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT); all six were killed at the gate along with six brave CRPF personnel. In all these cases, the fidayeen suicide squads comprised Pakistani terrorists infiltrated into the Valley or in the Jammu region. These actions did succeed temporarily in placing the Indian SF on the defensive with deployment of greater resources on the perimeter and entry point security of establishments. Counter-measures for these were partially found, but mostly resulted in limiting damage rather than preventing terrorist actions. Only in a few recorded cases had local Kashmiris, mostly acting alone, conducted such operations; a car bomb blast at the HQ 15 Corps gate and another against an Army bus in 2000 and 2003, respectively, were the handiwork of local elements.

Fidayeen as a concept faded through the years of this millennium until it got revived after July 8, 2016, the fateful day in the history of the proxy war when BurhanWani, the young Kashmiri terrorist leader was killed.

A strong counter-infiltration posture was adopted by the Indian Army 2004 onwards after the LoC fence came into being. This has progressively made it much more difficult for proxy controllers to induct trained and motivated Pakistanis willing to sacrifice their lives for the radical Islamic cause for which they have been brain washed.

Besides these, suicide missions which intend to achieve something out of proportion in Kashmir need to be executed by extremely well-trained and equipped terrorists. They needed to be infiltrated from the PoK and kept secure in safe houses before being moved to the target area for execution. This could take many months with considerable risk, unlike in the Jammu-Kathua segment where actions could be much faster.

The localisation of the composition of fidayeen suicide squads makes the missions easier but also requires religious fervour in the youth volunteers. It is something that experienced J&K hands have always feared. Such religious motivation is already evident in much of South Kashmir in particular, where radical Islam is known to have found root and mosque power is high.

Training camps for local terrorists are known to exist well away from the surveillance of SF, in the higher reaches around Tral, Kulgam and Shupiyan. Local terrorists (LT) have been recruited, motivated and trained; their movement is far less difficult than that of FTs as they can merge and receive much greater local support.

Although the Letapur fidayeen action could well be a one-off incident, it has caused enough concern. That is because with ready availability of LTs willing to be a part of fidayeen squads, the scope of multiple strikes enhances much like the campaign in 1999-2003. This and the employment of armour-piercing munitions would considerably transform the nature of conflict with VIP security and security of all establishments, HQs and units becoming far more vulnerable.

Pakistan's proxy conflict managers and controllers continue to improvise whenever necessary. The natural next step that can be perceived as part of potential devious planning by the Pakistan deep state could well be the preparation of human suicide bombing squads making use of highly radicalised and alienated young locals. This is the concept employed in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan. The experience of foreign armies has shown that for this threat usually there are least counters.

It may be premature yet, but the Indian SF must be trained and geared to face such threats which the Pakistani deep state could bring to bear. The fidayeen threat from local youth will remain in place unless the counter-radicalisation process meets some success and alternatives are provided to wean away the youth from the path of self-destructive violence.

Recent events have shown that some youth who picked up the gun did return to normal life after appeals by their parents. It had created hope and some cheer among the SF. However, the Letapur incident has brought in a new challenge for which social handling skills and greater outreach to parents and youth alike is necessary with the help of professional counsellors.MK Bhadrakumar

THE Indian media discourse on foreign policy, customary to New Year, once again couldn't see the wood for the trees. To be sure, in January, foreign policy discourse will narrow down to two glamorous events  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit and the motorcade of ASEAN leaders to witness the spectacular Republic Day parade on Rajpath. But in the brouhaha of event management, the 'big picture' gets lost. The year 2018 has begun trotting toward the canter in what promises to be an extraordinary period in regional politics.

The 'big picture' becomes important because compared to the bipolar Cold War era when the struggle was ideological and power flowed through the barrel of the gun, the alchemy of Sino-American rivalry is different. It harks back to the 17th century  or, more appropriately, to the later 18th century when the struggle in the Age of Discovery morphed into the colonial rivalry between Great Britain and France seeking dominance over the subcontinent through proxy native rulers and also by direct intervention. Tipu Sultan's defeat in 1799 marginalised the French influence and led to the rapid expansion of British power. The war in Afghanistan has become an analogous event. Trading rivalries have been at the root of the ebb and flow of modern history.

However, Indian diplomacy revels in viewing Afghanistan through the geopolitical prism and pays scant attention to the economic dimension, although good politics is invariably about the creation of wealth. Arguably, what provokes the Trump administration most regarding Pakistan could be its acquiescence to the Chinese agenda to extend the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to Afghanistan and Central Asia, and connect it with the China-Central Asia-West Asia Economic Corridor. China's far-reaching move to bring Pakistan and Afghanistan under its BRI canopy makes complete nonsense of the raison d'etre of the establishment of permanent American bases in the region. China will be the real 'winner' now, whether the US wins the Afghan war or not.

The mother of all ironies is that Beijing simply borrowed and finessed the underpinning of the American strategy labelled as 'New Silk Road' (outlined first in July 2011 in a speech at Chennai by US secretary of state Hillary Clinton), which intended to link up Central Asia with South Asia, but in reality aimed at creating transportation routes to evacuate the vast mineral resources of Inner Asia to the world market. It was only one year earlier, in June 2010, that the New York Times first reported the existence of "an internal Pentagon memo" based on the secret findings of a small team of Pentagon officials and American geologists regarding "nearly $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan, far beyond any previously known reserves The previously unknown deposits  including huge veins of iron, copper, cobalt, gold and critical industrial metals like lithium are so big and include so many minerals that are essential to modern industry that Afghanistan could eventually be transformed into one of the most important mining centres in the world.

Clearly, India is missing the plot time and again  be it in Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh or Afghanistan  because its obsessively security-centric regional strategy based on geopolitics, with an eye on China, is out of sync with what the Germans would call 'zeitgeist' (spirit of the times.) China is playing a much bigger game. The tools are quintessentially the same as of the Great Britain in the 19th century (transfer of wealth from colonies to 'mother ship') or the US' (Marshall Plan, Breton Woods, etc)  namely, economic tools. China's style varies, inevitably, because this is a globalised world. Basically, China is unlikely to use military power to establish hegemony and will rely on economic tools. The spirits of Jallianwala Bagh or the ghost of Salvador Allende will not haunt China's banquet table. The BRI may not be philanthropy but is not usury by a stretch, either. There is, admittedly, a 'win-win' content to it. We may expect China to chip away at dollar's artificially propped up status as world currency, and when that gains traction, America's decline will accelerate dramatically. The BRI, by creating a new supply chain, provides a platform. On January 2, interestingly, Pakistan's Central Bank announced that Chinese Yuan will be an approved foreign currency for trade and investments.

Suffice to say, the 'militarisation' of our foreign policy is not going to take us far. We are getting all dressed up with nowhere to go. During former PM Manmohan Singh's leadership, we began relying on economic diplomacy as the key template of foreign policy. The respect Manmohan Singh commanded from Barack Obama and Wen Jiabao alike was due to the forward-looking vision he displayed. (The RIC, BRICS, membership of SCO, AIIB, G20, etc. belong to that era.) Alas, the Indian foreign policy has since been regressive. Prime Minister Modi has the ingenuity to figure a way out of the present impasse without quite appearing to follow his predecessor's path-breaking footfalls. The all-too-apparent dichotomy during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Ahmedabad and New Delhi exposed India's present-day predicament.

The US is doomed to lose the struggle in our region because it has nothing in its repertoire to match the BRI. The US is caught in a time warp. The elites refuse to see that American exceptionalism is over and imperialism has overreached. Thus, the impetus to retool is simply not there. India too lacks the capacity to create a counter-narrative to the BRI, which also has a staggering global dimension to it. Our intellectual challenge lies in making use of the BRI to India's best advantage. If China could persuade a reluctant Pakistan to let the CPEC run through the Khyber across the disputed Durand Line into the seamless Central Asian steppes, it should be possible for Beijing to propose a small loop in an easterly direction somewhere to bring it into our Punjab. The optimal way to address problematic relationships is always by making the adversary a stakeholder.

The writer is a former ambassadorBy Shirish B Pradhan

Kathmandu, Jan 7 (PTI) Over 30 energy sector players from around the world including India today converged in Nepal to explore the countrys hydropower potentials.

The aim of the expo was to assist the Nepal government in achieving its objective of generating 17,000 megawatt (MW) of hydro electricity in the next seven years, said Vijaya Sagar Pradhan, managing director of Expo and Event Management private limited, the main organiser of the event.

Over 30 hydropower generators, producers of electrical equipments, investors, consultants and designers from Nepal, India, China, South Korea, Norway, Germany, Brazil, Italy, Sweden and Austria showcased their products and services at the three-day expo Himalayan Hydro Expo 2018.

Italys CMC, Germanys VOITH; BFL, CRYSTAL, FLOVEL from India, VAPTECH - Bulgaria, MAVEL - Czech Republic, Powerchina, CSEC from China among others participated.

President Bidya Devi Bhandari inaugurated the exhibition on Friday and said Nepal could not utilise its huge hydropower potential due to various reasons and that, it produced only 700 MW of hydro-electricity in the last one hundred years.

The president urged private players to join hand with the government in harnessing Nepals immense hydro potentials.

She also called for more foreign investment in the sector for attaining economic prosperity. PTI SBP CPSsinghking99@yahoo.com

Any country that repeatedly calls upon its armed forces to take care of active security threats finds itself having to concede resources, honours and space to the uniform brass. The state of civilian-military relationship in India is getting marked by an increased testiness; particularly elusive remains a satisfactory protocol of equivalence between the serving military officers and the civilians working in the Ministry of Defence. In October 2016, an order was passed and it was intended to address the perceived anomalies in the rank-parity; instead, it ended up aggravating matters. The military brass felt offended. The disciplined force members flagged their objections at the administration level, while their ex-fauji comrades took to the social media, even invoking an affront to izzat.

Last week, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman ordered the withdrawal of the October 2016 order. The minister's belated action, in effect, calls for a truce in the Armed Forces Headquarters (AFHQ). Created about 50 years ago, the AFHQ was to provide continuity in the functioning of the Integrated Headquarters, Defence Staff Headquarters and the Inter-Service Organisation under the Ministry of Defence. The restoration of status quo ante will not resolve the crux of the grievance. The civilian and the military officers work in close proximity on a daily basis. Familiarity does not always produce admiration and mutual respect.

The armed officers remain a part of a disciplined, and hierarchical organisation, and they are not unaffected by the increasing sense of impatience among the military officers towards the civilian and bureaucratic leadership. All bureaucracies in India  civilian or military, federal or state  have issues of promotions, pay, perks, parity; each pay commission becomes an occasion for another round of bad blood between the civilian and uniformed bureaucracies. In the last decade, as the political leadership has come to depend for its success on the competence, dedication and professionalism of the armed forces, there is an all too discernible angst among the soldiers' fraternity. Political opportunism has also encouraged the glorification of the soldier. Yet, it would be worth our while to keep in mind that we still have in place something called the Constitution of India.editorial@tribune.com

Our Correspondent

Kaithal, January 7

Senior INLD leader and former CPS Ram Pal Majra alleged that the BJP government had failed miserably in governance and all sections of society were affected by its misrule.

The farmers were not getting remunerative prices for their produce, jobless youth were frustrated, employees were on roads and business community felt burdened by heavy taxes, he said while talking to mediapersons here yesterday.

He said the agriculture sector was not getting enough power, whereas electricity charges had been increased indiscriminately. Debt-ridden farmers were committing suicides and the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission report was not on the priority of the government.

The crime graph was on the rise and people felt insecure due to increase in number of rapes, murders, dacoities, robberies and kidnappings, but the Chief Minister and the entire Cabinet were busy in self-praise, he said.editorial@tribune.com

Bijendra Ahlawat

Tribune News Service

Palwal, January 7

The District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) today handed over cheques for Rs 1 lakh each to four families whose members were murdered by a mentally disturbed ex-serviceman last week. The financial help is in addition to Rs 3 lakh each announced by the state government.

District and Sessions Judge Manisha Batra and Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Kavita Kamboj visited the houses of the families and handed over the cheques.

The accused, Naresh Kumar Dhankar (45), SDO with the Agriculture Department, bludgeoned six persons to death in the wee hours on January 2.

Batra and Kamboj said the families could get more help under the Haryana Victim Compensation Scheme, 2013. Not many know about the scheme. Any person who becomes a victim of an unnatural incident becomes eligible for a minimum compensation of Rs 3 lakh till the case is decided. The compensation can increase depending upon the merit of the case and the judgment, Kamboj said.

As the victims in the Palwal case were unaware of such a help, a team deputed by the DLSA visited the families and collected the required documents for release of interim relief of Rs 1 lakh, the CJM said.

She further said the DLSA could even pay for the funeral in such cases. No one had approached us till we contacted the families and this was mainly due to lack of awareness among people.

Those who received the cheques today were Dawood Khan, the father-in-law of Anjum; Kamla, the widow of Khemchand; Ramwati, the widow of Munshi Ram; and Draupati, the widow of Sita Ram. All four are from Palwal district.

The compensation to the families of other two victims  one is from Uttar Pradesh and the other from Bihar  will be released after they will submit the documents, Kamboj said.editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 7

The state government has framed the Slum-in-Situ Rehabilitation Policy to provide residential facility to persons living in slums on government land in urban areas of the state. Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has approved the policy.

Urban Local Bodies Minister Kavita Jain has said the government would allot houses to such persons living in Municipal Corporations, Municipal Councils and Municipalities by developing colonies under private-public partnership (PPP) mode.

The policy will be applicable to slums identified under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana survey to be conducted by the state government and situated on the land belonging to the Centre, state government land or urban local bodies. She said that private partner for slum redevelopment would be selected through open bidding process.

Kavita Jain said the developer would pay rent to every household so that the beneficiaries could move to other location making way for the construction to start. The rent for such households in Gurugram and Faridabad MCs would be Rs3,000 per month, whereas, it would be Rs2,000 per month for other MCs. Similarly, Rs1,500 per month and Rs1,000 per month would be the rent for all the municipal councils and the municipal committees, respectively. The rent would be paid by the developer to the project beneficiaries till the project is handed over to the municipality concerned after completion.

She said that the allotment of units would be held under Commissioner, Municipal Corporation and Deputy Commissioner in case of Municipal Council and Committee. For 15 years, the unit would be given to the beneficiary on lease. The beneficiary would be given ownership right after 15 years of the allotment on payment of Rs1 lakh for Gurugram and Faridabad MCs, and Rs75,000 for other MCs. Similarly, beneficiaries in all the municipal councils and municipal committees will have to pay Rs50,000 and Rs25,000, respectively. The lease money would be Rs20,000 for Gurugram and Faridabad MCs, whereas, it would be Rs15,000 for other MCs. Similarly, Rs12,000 would be lease money for all the municipal councils and Rs10,000 for all the municipal committees.

The minister said that the municipality concerned would ensure that the Resident Welfare Association (RWA) be constituted within one year from allotment of flat or dwelling unit to the beneficiary. The RWA will be responsible for maintenance of the Slum Redevelopment Component.

Interim relief

Civic body Rent

Ggram, Faridabad MCs Rs 3,000

Other MCs Rs 2,000

Municipal Councils Rs 1,500

Municipal Committees Rs 1,000editorial@tribune.com

Vishal Joshi

Tribune News Service

Pipli (Kurukshetra), Jan 7

The wholesale price of potato has reached up to Rs 2.25 per kg this week, the farming community feels that the Haryana governments newly introduced Bhavantar Bharpai- a price deficit compensation scheme for four vegetable crops would be a breather for them.

Vegetable growers said the state government should further cap on vegetable cultivation in each field to ensure financial benefit to marginal landowners. They also demand to regulate the functioning of arthiyas.

Ramesh Singh, a potato grower from Jhansa Singh, said he had taken four acres on lease in his native village but he had hardly earned anything substantial despite three crops in a year.

In the last 10 days, he has transported four consignments of potatoes that brought him the highest rate of Rs 361 per quintal.

Ramesh said the existing potato pricing was causing him a loss of Rs 10,000 per acre.

Between paddy and wheat cycles our family has been sowing potatoes for the last 14 years. We get good returns from wheat and paddy due to the MSP. As the potatoes rates in the wholesale market have seen drastic fall for the third consecutive season, my financial system has collapsed, he said.

However, he hoped the Bhavantar scheme may ensure the recovery of the cost input.

Another farmer from Lukhi village Gurdyal Singh said the government should prefer start mapping of the cultivable land and regulate vegetable farming.

Farmers with large land holdings have several options to earn but the marginal farmers have no means to sell his produce in an innovative manner. A monitoring agency may determine the area for horticulture crops to eliminate the problem of a glut in the mandis, he said.

Another farmer Harpal Singh said the government should extend the secured prices for the peas and other vegetables. He said food processing units should be opened in clusters for the benefit of farmers.

Market prices are manipulated by arthiyas. Today we are being offered up to Rs 3.50 per kg for the best quality potatoes at the mandis whereas the medium grade vegetables are sold for Rs 10 per kg, he said.pardeepdhull@gmail.com

Shimla, January 7

Its a taboo no one really talks about in remote villages of Himachal Pradeshbut could soon end.

Women in many remote parts of the mountain state are virtually ex-communicated when they are menstruating. They are forced to sleep outside the house, in cattle-like sheds known as menstruation sheds. The reason: A woman is considered unclean when shes bleeding or in a post-natal state.

The so-called unclean women, during their periods and after childbirth, are barred from touching cattle or men and they are even denied access to toilets, walking miles from their villages daily to take a bath.

Taking up cudgels to fight this social stigma, the administration in Kullu district has set up a task force comprising reproductive health workers to conduct sensitisation programmes at the grassroots.

We have identified 92 out of the 204 panchayats where the problem is still prevalent, Kullu Deputy Commissioner Yunus Khan, the brain behind the launch of a Naari Samman or Respect Women campaign, told IANS.

He said the taboo is of greater prevalence in one particular caste.

The one-year campaign was launched on January 1 and aims reach out to all the 92 problem villages within six months. Fanning out for the campaign is a backbreaking task in the mountains.

Many of the villages in the district are located in the interiors where anganwadi workers and Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) have to trudge miles across rugged, cold and inhospitable terrain of the trans-Himalayas.

Officials involved in the campaign say the staff has to traverse distances ranging from 10 to 25 km on foot, or sometimes on horseback, from the road-head to reach some of the villages.

Womens rights activist Subhash Mendhapurkar blamed the government for the persisting taboo that is still prevailing all over the hilly and inaccessible areas of the country.

He favours changing young minds.

If the school-level curriculum includes menstruation, why is the educational level of the students so low, asked Mendhapurkar, Director of Shimla-based NGO Social Uplift Through Rural Action (SUTRA), while speaking to IANS.

The problem, he said, is that the teachers are not appropriately educating the students. Moreover, sanitary napkins are not provided in the toilets of rural schools.

Mendhapurkar, who wrote a book Bitya Badi ho Gayi Hai (The Daughter has Grown Up), said the tradition of keeping the women in isolation during their periods also prevails in the interiors of Kangra, Sirmaur and Kinnaur districts.

According to him, there are some rural communities that do so because of religious reasons. Others do so because they live in tiny helmets where its normally practiced and those areas are almost out of bounds owing to tough topography.

After educating the womenfolk that, like defecation, menstruation is also a natural process and that menstrual blood is not poison, the discrimination has been somehow ended in many areas of Solan, Sirmaur, Bilaspur and Una districts, Mendhapurkar said.

No legislation can change the mindset, its only education that can bring an end to this social practice and help change attitudes, he added.

The practice of isolating women during their monthly bleed is now illegal in Nepalwhere it was once widely prevalent.

Under the law, there is provision of a three-month jail sentence or a Rs 3,000 fine, or both, for anyone forcing a woman to follow the custom.  IANSsinghking99@yahoo.com

Suresh Dharur

Within nine months of floating a regional party on }Telugu pride} plank, the legendary film star NT Rama Rao had stormed to power in Andhra Pradesh in 1983, ending the Congress monopoly in the state. NTR, as he was known to Telugus across the world, might have entered politics at the ripe age of 60, but he blazed a new trail during his rather short political stint of 12 years. His unexpected debut in politics in 1982 after an illustrious and impactful career in cinema changed the political contours of Andhra Pradesh forever. Almost 35 years after he had established Telugu Desam Party (TDP), his political legacy still lives on.

The actor-turned-politician created history by founding a party and breaking the Congress bastion in a matter of nine months, a feat unrivalled to this day. It was widely seen as a political tsunami of sorts when he single-handedly trounced the grand old party which had been ruling the state without interruption since independence. Chiranjeevi, another super star in Telugu, later tried a repeat of NTRs feat but failed miserably, indicating that it was not merely the star power that led to TDPs triumph.

An accomplished actor who assayed a variety of roles during his more than three decades of acting career, NTRs nuanced portrayal of Hindu puranic characters such as Krishna and Rama broke new ground in the genre. However, people did not vote for NTR because they mistook him for Hindu god, as some analysts interpreted in the past. NTRs ability to connect with the people and the tireless manner in which he undertook the campaign remain milestones in the states political history. The people saw in him a harbinger of hope and change. His transformation from abhineta to neta was dramatic.

It was his rigorous campaign across the length and breadth of Andhra Pradesh on what came to be known as }Chaitanya Ratham}, a refurbished Chevrolet van, that created a groundswell of support for him. NTR had a charismatic personality. He had a strong political message - the subjugation of Telugu pride by Delhi and the need to uphold Telugu self-respect. And he walked the extra mile to take his message to the last person in the state. That is why NTR was successful though he did not have any political background unlike MG Ramachandran in Tamil Nadu, who had been actively involved in politics for many years before he became chief minister.

Another credit to NTR was that he was the only chief minister in the country who had to be reinstated in September 1984, exactly a month after he was dethroned in a bizarre manner at the behest of the Congress Government at the Centre.

NTR, like any regional party leader, ran a highly personalised style of politics, was criticised for being authoritarian and faced several setbacks in his tumultuous political career. But he is credited even today for bringing an identity to Telugus, who were earlier clubbed with Madrasis. He is also highly regarded even by his detractors for his genuine desire to do good to the common man.

Though defeated in 1989, he came back with a thunder in 1994. This victory was also very unconventional, like all NTRs achievements. At the ripe old age of 71, being the chief of a political party, NTR married a second time in the face of stiff resistance from his family members. He took his new wife Lakshmi Parvathi, his biographer, to election meetings and contrary to political predictions, got the endorsement from the public. But soon, he became a victim of palace intrigues and was replaced as CM by his own family members in a political coup, led by son-in-law N Chandrababu Naidu. NTR vowed revenge in the 1996 Lok Sabha elections, but passed away in January, 1996 before he could realise his dream.

It was an irony that the man who founded the party, and captured power not once but thrice, was finally ousted from his own party and stripped of power by kith and kin. NTR died a bitter man, but his legacy continues to be invoked by the present day TDP led by Chandrababu Naidu.

As both an actor and a political leader, NTR still commands great respect among Telugus. He strode both the worlds-films and politics-like a colossus.singhking99@yahoo.com

Politics and cinema may seem to make strange bedfellows. However, nothing stops them from courting each other. Superstar Rajinikanth also takes a political plunge. Will he be able to translate his starry aura into votes? Nonika Singh explores the possibility.

Politics has been one of the options for ageing stars. So when Souths demigod Rajinikanth made his intentions clear on the New Year Eve, few were taken aback. For one, it was in the works for a long time and, secondly in the south, especially Tamil Nadu, it is rather smooth for film-stars to make the transition to politics.

In the rest of the country, political parties try to encash the star charisma and fan following of a Hema Malini or a Dharmendra or the late Vinod Khanna. But in the south, the ballgame is remarkably different. The rise and reign of MGR and Jayalalithaa are case studies in how politics and cinema can coexist and how fan clubs can translate into enduring political bases. Many other politicians in the South have had their moorings in cinema. NT Rama Rao ruled in as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh for seven years over three terms and Tamil Nadu CM C.N. Annadurai used regional cinema for political propaganda. M. Karunanidhi, five -time CM of Tamil Nadu, is called Kalaignar (artist) for his powerful film scripts.

In 1991, when Jayalalithaa became chief minister she turned into a Caesar and her aide Sasikala Natarajan, the high priestess. They behaved like the East India Company, slowly colonizing Tamil Nadu. The states public life sank to new lows. MGR was a great influence on Jayalalithaa. Yet, she had imbibed none of his selflessness or greatness.  MGR: A Life by R Kannan, penguin books, 2017

Dravidian politics, in fact, is like no other in the country nor is their cinema that thrives on cult culture and mindboggling hero worship. Therefore to equate Rajinikanths foray into politics with that of a Raj Babbar or even the failed political innings of yet another matinee idol Amitabh Bachchan would be erroneous.

Undeniably, when it comes to star power the adulation heaped upon Rajinikanth is unmatched. The frenzy his films whip up finds few parallels even in an otherwise cinema-crazy nation. Indeed, Rajnis stupendous cinematic success does not automatically guarantee political triumph. MGR may have straddled both politics and cinema simultaneously, but it was spurred by long slogs in the interiors, film scripts that equated him with the ideal Tamil man padded by charity work. Behind, Jayalalithaas metamorphosis from a heroine living under the shadow of MGR into a powerful mother figure Amma rests solid hard work preceded by an intensive tutelage by MGR. Rajnikanth who has played the reel champion of the underdog to the hilt time and again too can possibly emulate these success stories. Or he might not because questions are already being asked about his political idiom which many fear right now is nebulous if not misplaced.

Indeed, like his cocky avatar onscreen he is being rather presumptuous when he proclaims, I will launch a new party and contest from 234 constituencies across Tamil Nadu in the coming election. His speech marked by bravado and chutzpah that so defines his characters on the silver screen is driven by hyperbole, I dont want party men, but guards. Guards, who will ensure that benefits and rights reach the common man. Alas, political revolution doesnt come through spiffy dialogues alone.

Naan eppo varuven eppadi varuvennu yarukkum theriyathu. Eppo varunumo appo correctaa varuven (No one can say when or how Ill come, but I will come at the right time), he thundered in Muthu. Is it the right time? Is he the change Tamil Nadu politics currently in flux and desperate to fill the void created by the demise of Jayalalithaa and ailing Karunanidhi? The questions are too many. So are the answers and opinions.

Political pundits feel that Rajinikanth missed the bus some 20 years ago when he enjoyed far greater political clout. It is widely believed that his rather condescending remarks against Jayalalithaa ensured her electoral wipeout in 1996. Thereafter his influence on the electorate has been wavering if not completely missing. Can his star status outweigh the obvious disadvantages which his non-Tamil origins and his religious bent pose?

Certainly Rajni would know that flipping cigarettes onscreen and winning the confidence of voters is not the same. As a first step he has launched a website and a mobile app to enroll members for his party and decided to consolidate his registered and non registered fan clubs. More important signal comes from his meeting the DMK patriarch, M Karunanidhi whose party incidentally he will be fighting against in the ensuing assembly elections. His detractors think he will meet the same fate as yet another famous actor Sivaji Ganeshan, known as the Marlon Brando of Tamil cinema.

Those eager to dismiss Rajnikanths political ambitions as the product of media hype need to understand that he is no political lightweight. His is not a token entry, as is evident from the sharp, even acerbic reactions, that are coming in. Subramaniam Swamy mocked the superstar and his }illiterate credentials; Comrade Sitaram Yechury is taking potshots at his brand of politics which Thelavuur himself has dubbed as spiritual politics. The use of the epithet spiritual has triggered a debate in itself and many see the birthing of right wing politics in a state that has traditionally voted for atheist Dravadian parties DMK and AIDMK. And all this fuss before he has announced the name of the political party he intends to float.

To borrow a cliche, time alone will tell. At this moment he seems to have plenty at hand for assembly elections in the state are due in 2021 which is when his political alchemy and mettle will be truly tested. From abhineta Rajinikanth to neta Rajinikanth, its not going to be a simple equation of another image makeover. Invincible on screenbut to be unconquerable in politics he would require far more than borrowing wisdom from Bhagwad Gita. For in the karambhoomi of politics foes are well foes but you never know when friends can turn foes. And we are not just talking of Kamal Haasan whose political aspirations became known a few months ago and who has welcomed brother Rajinis entry into politics rather effusively. Within every diehard cinemaholic always lurks a potential political baiter.editorial@tribune.com

Jammu, January 7

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) today observed the second death anniversary of former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed here.

Minister for CAPD and Tribal Affairs Choudhary Zulfikar Ali, who was the main speaker at the function, described Mufti as ambassador of peace in J&K, whose demise had created a void in the state.

He said the biggest tribute to Mufti was to carry forward his mission of peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue and friendship with neighbours. On Muftis death anniversary, I appeal to India and Pakistan to come closer and strengthen friendship, said Zulfkar said, adding that the relations between the two countries were directly affecting the atmosphere in the state, especially on the border and Line of Control.

Before 2002, the people were being harassed but Mufti gave relief to them because he wanted peace with dignity, he said, adding, he gave a dignified life to the people of the state by creating a conducive atmosphere.

The minister said Muftis decision of forming the government with the BJP was historic as it was to respect the mandate of the people of all three regions of the state. He said although there was a huge difference with the policies and ideologies of the PDP and BJP, still the government was functioning very well under the leadership of Mehbooba Mufti. Other prominent persons who were present on the occasion included Haji Anayat Ali, Bhushan Lal Dogra, Vijaya Dogra, Chowdhary Qamar Hussain, zonal presidents and party workers from various areas of the region.  TNSeditorial@tribune.com

Arun Joshi

It must be said that Pakistani diplomats have an expertise and can play their charm to turn the bad situation into a good one. A Pakistan foreign office spokesperson made such a powerful presentation on Friday, virtually proving that US President Donald Trump was not aware that how Pakistans fight against terrorism had served American interests. The illustration was simple that Pakistan had helped decimate Al-Qaida and other extremist groups that had shot into global fame because of the 9/11  without, of course, making a mention that Al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden was found in Pakistan before he was killed by Americans in a daring raid.

Pakistans foreign secretary Tehmina Janjua while delivering a lecture on Pakistans Foreign Policy issues at the Institute of Business Administration, Karachi, on Saturday made a very significant point that Trumps New Year tweet in which he accused Pakistan of lies and deceit in return for $33 billion aid over the past 16 years, was being analysed. The diplomats analyse each and everything, and then work out the things in favour of their country. Tehmina said, President (Trump) might have got some feedback that he was prompted to tweet in the manner in which he did against Pakistan.

Having said that Pakistani politicians and diplomats claimed that its fight against terrorism has worked for the regional stability and it wants to work more on the front by continuing engagement with the US. Pakistan understands the strategic and logistic compulsions of the US. It wants to milk this cow as much as it can. The serious point is that it is mainly responsible for the regional instability in South Asia. It created a terror monster in Afghanistan and on its own soil to bleed its neighbours  India and Afghanistan. Its angry with India on losing East Pakistan forever as Bangladesh appeared on the global map as an independent and sovereign nation. India did help the agitating people who were fighting against injustice and denial of democracy to them by the rulers and military of West Pakistan. Afghanistan, it believes, is its backyard, and any Indian presence there is that of an enemy. This kind of thinking is against the international law.

Kashmir offers a classic example where Pakistan is using its terror machine to destablise the regional stability. Pakistan-trained terrorists are spilling blood of innocents. J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti reminded the world, including Pakistan, on the second death anniversary of her father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, No cause can be achieved by bloodletting.

Pakistan knows that its claim of working for the regional stability is a hoax and only a way to get more dollars from the US. Pakistan has bled Kashmir and continuously brands it as a nuclear flashpoint. Its troops have made the Line of Control that divides Jammu and Kashmir between India and Pakistan, hot. Alongside, it supports and funds the Haqqani network that is responsible for endless terror attacks in Afghanistan.

Rawalpindi trusts terrorism more than dialogue. If Pakistan wants to sound genuine in maintaining regional stability, the least it can do is to stop ceasefire violations. Killing soldiers and civilians on the Indian side has its consequences. That doesnt help the cause of regional stability.

Pakistan owes an explanation to the international community that whose interests is it serving by making India and Afghanistan target of its terror networks. It should better learn a lesson by the advice of the then US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave to the Pakistani establishment. She said: Its that old story  you cant keep snakes in your backyard and expect them only to bite your neighbours. Eventually those snakes are going to turn on whoever has them in the backyard. That message is more relevant today. And Delhi needs to note that if Pakistan gets into deeper trouble, it would cause more terror and trouble for India as well. It is better that the two engage and sort out their issues bilaterally. That can lead to regional stability in reality.By Lalit K Jha

Washington, Jan 7 (PTI) North Korea has reached out to South Korea to begin talks because it is being "strangled" by President Donald Trump who has made clear that their behaviour is "unacceptable", CIA Director Michael Pompeo said today.

South Korea offered to hold high-level talks with North Korea this week after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he was open to negotiations as his country aims to strengthen its nuclear weapons programme.

"The North Koreans are behaving out of fear, that is they are very concerned that America for the first time in an awfully long time is serious about denuclearizing the peninsula," Pompeo was quoted by Fox News.

Responding to a series of questions on the recent North Korean behaviour, Pompeo said the North Koreans are trying to find a foothold, trying to find a place to reach out.

"Well just have to wait and see how the conversations going Tuesday," he said, referring to the scheduled talks between the North Korea and South Korea.

North Koreans, he said, are in a tough spot.

"President Trump has made very clear that the US policy is denuclearisation of the peninsula and that we are going to achieve that," he said.

"So, the North Koreans doing what they have historically done, reaching out, trying to find space, trying to come up for air when they are being strangled by a president whos made very clear that their behavior is unacceptable. This his is certainly part of that," he said.

"Well see how the talks go on Tuesday of this week and what they are able to resolve with respect to the Olympics. But the American position is unchanged," Pompeo said. PTI LKJ UZMeditorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, January 6

The police booked two persons after recovering 1,620 spools of banned Chinese string, also known as plastic string, from a store of NBC Transport Company, Heera Nagar, in Ludhiana on Friday.

The banned string is very harmful as it can easily cut the skin of animals and humans. The string spools were packed in 27 boxes, while each box contained 60 spools. The accused have been identified as Mani of Ludhiana and Sonu of Dhariwal in Gurdaspur. According to the police, the accused had brought the string from Ghaziabad. They allegedly used to sell Chinese string spools by telling customers that it was a thread-based string, the police claimed.

Following a tip-off, a team led by ASI Dilbagh Singh conducted raid at the store of NBC Transport Company. He said, We got information that a large stock of banned Chinese string was stored there. We are making efforts to arrest the accused.

The ACP (North), Sachin Gupta said, We recovered 1,620 spools of banned Chinese string, which is very dangerous. Earlier, we had recovered 500 spools of plastic string.

Gupta said, We are also investigating the role of the transport company where the string was stored. The Focal Point police have registered a case under Sections 188, 336, 420 of the IPC and Section 15 of the Environment Protection Act, 1986, against both accused.

In December, Police Commissioner RN Dhoke had imposed a ban on selling, using and storing of plastic and synthetic strings under Section 144 of the CrPC. Despite ban, many people commonly use banned plastic strings for flying kites.singhking99@yahoo.com

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 7

Media fraternity from across the region has condemned the Union Governments decision to register an FIR against The Tribune reporter Rachna Khaira for her investigative story on Aadhaar data availability for Rs 500.

In separate statements, prominent journalists and various media employees unions called it an act of crushing the freedom of expression.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Several press clubs in the region, too, flayed the government for shooting the messenger and ignoring the message.

Chandigarh Press Club secretary-general Barinder Singh Rawat said in a statement that instead of taking action against those involved in the data breach, the government agency had opted to lodge an FIR against the reporter who had exposed loopholes in the system. The club announced a protest at 12 noon on Monday.

The Punjab Press Club, Jalandhar, too gave a call for a protest. Calling it a crude attempt to gag the media, a statement by the club read: Lets unite to fight against such blatant attacks on the freedom of media by the Union Government.

The Press Club of Jammu called it an attempt to gag the media. Club office-bearers Ashwani Kumar (president) and Zorawar Singh Jamwal (secretary general) said instead of plugging loopholes and taking action against the real culprits responsible for the data leak, the government agency, had unfortunately, lodged an FIR against the reporter who had exposed those loopholes.

The Patiala Media Club and the Sangrur Press Front passed resolutions condemning the action against the reporter. They called it an attempt to eliminate the fourth pillar of democracy.

Demanding withdrawal of the case against The Tribune reporter, they said action instead should be taken against UIDAI officials.

Sachin Dhanjas, president of the Sangrur Press Front, said the reporter had done her job honestly and exposed a major scam. Action should be initiated against UIDAI officials responsible for lodging an FIR against her.

Hoshiarpur Press Club president Baljinderpal Singh said the journalists exposing such loopholes should be honoured as they helped the government improve its functioning. But the government seemed bent on crushing the freedom of the press.

Chairman of the Punjab and Chandigarh Journalists Union Balbir Jandu said there had been a long history of governments trying to crush voices of dissent, but the truth had always prevailed in the end. The same would happen in this case too, he added.

Tribune Employees Union president Anil Gupta and general secretary Balwinder Jammu, condemning the UIDAI move, said, Whether it was standing against the British or facing Emergency, we have fought for more than a century and will continue to do so.singhking99@yahoo.com

New Delhi, January 7

In an offshoot of the Bofors guns purchase case, two executives of a private company have been convicted by a Special CBI court, Mumbai, in a 25-year-old matter pertaining to criminal conspiracy and cheating in exports to the Swedish company.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Laxmi Kant Bidwai has convicted Abhay V Udeshi, director of Jayant Oil Mills, and Harish Pandya, an employee of the company, for criminal conspiracy and cheating and sentenced them to two years of imprisonment.

In a recent order, Bidwai said it was a case of cheating to cause damage or harm to the reputation of the Indian government in the international market. This is not only an attempt to commit cheating but it is a complete act of cheating, he said.

India had inked a deal with Swedish company Bofors for the supply of 400 155-mm Howitzer guns for the Army worth Rs 1,437 crore in 1986 through a counter trade agreement.

One of the conditions of the agreement was that in return of the sale of guns, Bofors would import from India commodities such as coffee and castor oil and its byproducts. The Indian government had nominated the State Trading Corporation (STC) as the nodal agency to monitor the import of castor oil and other commodities by Bofors from India.

Similarly, Bofors had nominated London-based Alexander Crichton Associates Limited to import various commodities from India on its behalf under counter trade obligation. Jayant Oil Mills agreed to export castor oil and its byproducts to Bofors through the London-based company. As part of the trade, Jayant Oil Mills had to pay 0.5 per cent of the Free On Board value of the export to the STC as a service charge.

In 1989-90, Abhay V Udeshi and Vithaldas G Udeshi  both directors of Jayant Mills  along with Harish K Pandya, an employee of the company, entered into a criminal conspiracy to cheat the STC. The trio submitted the forged documents to Alexander Crichton Associates Ltd which forwarded those papers to STC, without the actual export of a goods consignment.

The STC officials noticed the fraud and informed the CBI which started the investigation in 1992.  PTI

25-year-old export frauduttara@tribuneindia.com

Shahira Naim

Tribune News Service

Lucknow, January 7

Samajadi party national president Akhilesh Yadav has demanded use of paper ballots for two upcoming by-elections in Uttar Pradesh.

Speaking to the press on Sunday, Yadav, a former chief minister of the state, said that the Election Commission should do away with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMS) for by-elections at Gorakhpur and Phulpurforerunners to next years Lok Sabha elections.

Yadav called an all-party meeting on Saturday to discuss strategies to push for paper ballots. Senior leaders of Nationalist Congress Party; the Communist Party of India; the Communist Party of India (Marxist); Apna Dal (Krishna Patel faction); the Peace Party; AAP, Rashtriya Lok Dal; and Rashtriya Janata Dal attended the meeting. Interestingly however SPs alliance partner Congress and rival Bahujan Samaj Partywhich has been in the forefront in demanding that the Election Commission do away with EVMs, chose to skip the meeting.

Refusing to elaborate if the meeting was the beginning of another front to collectively take on the BJP in the Lok Sabha election, Yadav remained non-committal, saying only that the parties had decided to continue holding such meetings.

We will decide the contours of the agenda as we go along. Till now we have agreed to continue meeting regularly. A platform is important to build a working relationship, he said

Commenting on the possibility of EVM tampering, he said: When the highly sophisticated Aadhar data is not safe and ATM cards and even petrol pump meters are being tampered with through remotely controlled chips then what is so special about EVMs that they cannot be tampered with?

He also used the occasion to criticise the state government under Chief Minister Adityanath for not having distributed sweaters in government schools despite having funds and a BJP government in the Centre.

The BJP (state) government had cut down funds of the mid-day meal reportedly to distribute sweaters. But where are the sweaters?

He also criticised both the central and state governments for not keeping their promises to farmers as well as youth, to whom they promised jobs.

He also announced that the Samajwadi Party would conduct yatras to help build the party at the national level before the next years general elections.

Rival parties have frequently accused the BJP of tampering with Electronic Voting Machines to help win elections.pardeepdhull@gmail.com

Darjeeling (WB), January 7

Officials of a college community radio in Darjeeling on Sunday set out on an Indo-Nepal Friendship Tour, with a team of radio jockeys visiting seven institutions in the Himalayan nation.

The week-long tour, essentially a road show on car, is managed by the alumni of Salesian College Sonada (SCS) here, and marks its 80th year celebrations, as well as the 25th year of the Don Bosco Society, Nepal.

The event also marks the first anniversary of Radio Salesian  considered to be the first college radio in Bengal and the entire North East India.

The journey began this morning from Sonada, passing through the Indo-Nepal Kakrabitta border near Siliguri and proceeded to Dharan from where the Don Bosco Centre, Nepal, took over and reached Kathmandu in West Nepal.

The team members include station director and SCS vice-principal Prof C M Paul, along with programme coordinator and radio jockey Samir Chhetri, senior radio jockey Sagar Rai and driver Kabi Rai.

The programme will consist of visiting Don Bosco institutions, as well as plus-two (senior secondary) schools along the way (Kakrabitta, Birtamod, Dharan, Biratnagar, Ithari and Kathmandu) to promote higher education in Salesian College, Darjeeling and the Siliguri campus, said Paul.

Chhetri added, We will also make radio programmmes on 25 years of Nepal Don Bosco Society and interact with community radio stations, especially in Dharan - the cradle of Don Bosco Society in Nepal.

The Nepal Don Bosco Society began in 1992 with the Dharan centre, in eastern Nepal, initiated by the late Fr George Alakulam, who ventured out from Don Bosco School, Mirik.

The Salesians then reached Sirsia (1996), followed by the capital, Kathmandu, with two centres - in Lubhu, established in 1996, and Thecho in 2001  after which came Baroul and Chakkarghatty (2014) in East Nepal.

This was followed by Biratnagar in 2017, and the total of seven houses are managed by 18 Salesians from various states across India.

The Society is engaged in a variety of ministries (activities) dedicated to the countrys young people. PTIsinghking99@yahoo.com

Jitendra K Shrivastava

Patna, January 7

A day after RJD chief Lalu Prasad was sentenced to three and a half years of imprisonment in a fodder scam case by a special CBI court, his only sister Gangotri Devi died here today.

Devi, 75, who had been fasting throughout the day yesterday hoping for a lighter sentence, apparently could not bear the shock and died, claimed family members.

The special CBI court in Ranchi on Saturday sentenced him to three and a half years of imprisonment and slapped a fine of Rs 5 lakh in connection with fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from Devghar treasury between 1994 and 1996 of undivided Bihar (now in Jharkhand). Fifteen others were also sentenced by the court.

Had Lalu got less than three years of jail, he would have immediately got bail from the court. He will now have to move the Ranchi High Court for bail.

Asked about whether Lalu would attend the final rites of his sister or he would come out on parole, Leader of Opposition and Lalus younger son Tejaswi Yadav said: We have yet to see the legal complexity. We have tried to inform Lalu ji about the sudden demise of his only sister. Now, arrangements are being made to take the body to her native village Chakrapan of Gopalganj district where her funeral be performed.

Gangotri died at the official residence of her son Rudal Yadav on Vetenary College campus in Patna.

She is survived by two sons and a daughter.

Soon after Gangotris death, Lalu family, including his sons Tejaswi and Tej Pratap Yadav, and wife Rabri Devi rushed to the deceaseds residence.uttara@tribuneindia.com

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 7

Journalists on Sunday condemned an FIR against The Tribune and its reporter over a story that exposed security breach in the Aadhaar scheme.

As criticisms over an FIR by the Unique Identification Authority of India continued to mount, The Editors Guild of India, The Press Club of India, Indian Women's Press Corps and Press Association issued separate statements condemning the action as an attack on free press.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

In a statement issued on Sunday, the Editors Guild called the FIR an attempt to browbeat the reporter.

The Guild condemns UIDAIs action to have the Tribune reporter booked by the police as it is clearly meant to browbeat a journalist whose investigation on the matter was of great public interest. It is unfair, unjustified and a direct attack on the freedom of the press. Instead of penalising the reporter, UIDAI should have ordered a thorough internal investigation into the alleged breach and made its findings public, the statement said, asking the Union Ministry to have cases against the reporter withdrawn and conduct an impartial investigation into the incident.

A joint statement by the Press Club of India, Indian Women's Press Corps and Press Association said UIDAIs FIR was reflective of its misplace priorities.

This move runs counter to the UIDAI's claim that "the Aadhaar data including biometric information is fully safe and secure". If there is no breach, what is the offence they have supposed to have committed?

The UIDAI filing criminal complaints against the reporter and her sources is clearly reflective of its misplaced priorities, the statement said, adding that the actions were intimidatory, obstructionist and inimical to free, fair and independent journalism, and demanding withdrawal of the criminal charges.

Patiala Media Club and Sangrur Press Front condemned police action in resolutions passed on Sunday. PMC called the action an attempt to "murder of fourth pillar of democracy" and demanded withdrawal of the case, as well as action against UIDAI officials.

Sachin Dhanjas, president of the Sangrur Press Front said in a statement: "Its (sic) injustice with all media (sic) as reporter (sic) has done her job honestly and exposed such a big scam. We demand immediate action against UIDAI officers".

Chandigarh Press Club

Chandigarh Press Club condemned police action. A statement issued on Sunday read: Instead of taking action against people, who were involved in data breach, the Government Agency preferred to lodge FIR against reporter, who exposes the loopholes in the system. In an act of Shoot the messenger, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) had filed an FIR against the reporter of The Tribune for an article on how anonymous users accessed Aadhaar details and sold it for a fee.

The club also announced it would hold a protest on Freedom of Press at 12 pm on Monday.

Press Club Jammu

Strongly condemning the registration of an FIR against a reporter of The Tribune for exposing loopholes in the system through investigating reporting, Press Club of Jammu (PCJ) called this decision as an attempt to gag the media.

In a statement issued here, PCJ strongly condemned the action of UIDAI for lodging an FIR against The Tribune reporter over a story on Aadhar data breach.

Mumbai Press Club

Mumbai Press Club strongly condemns the unilateral action of UIDAI and said this will be treated as nothing short of an attack on the privileges and rights of a free press.

Mumbai Press Club demands an impartial inquiry on the Aadhaar data sale and take action against those involved in the data breach instead of taking action against the journalist who exposed it.

The Brihanmumbai Union of Journalists also condemned the FIR lodged against the journalist and The Tribune.

The move is a crude attempt by the complainant, i.e. the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), to intimidate and silence the reporter and her newspaper for their significant expose, it said in a statement.pardeepdhull@gmail.com

Singapore, January 7

Indias dialogue partnership with ASEAN has evolved into a strategic partnership and the Indian diaspora provides a platform for stronger ties with the grouping, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Sunday.

Addressing the Indian diaspora at the ASEAN-India Pravasi Bharatiya Divas here, Swaraj reaffirmed Indias commitment to ASEAN.

We are here to reaffirm our commitment and to share the course of our journey ahead to the future of India and ASEAN in the world, Swaraj told some 3,000 delegates.

Our diaspora provides a platform for a stronger relationship between India and ASEAN countries, she said.

Noting the 25-year milestone of ASEAN-India partnership, she said, Our dialogue partnership has evolved into a strategic partnership.

Indias engagement with the ASEAN region lies in the clarity of the principles that we share. We believe that when all nations adhere to international rules and norms and when we conduct on the basis of sovereign equality and mutual respect, our nations feel secure and our economies prosper, Swaraj said.

As Indias economy grows its ties will deepen, its trade and investment flow will grow, she said, emphasising that ASEAN was a part of Indias Act East Policy.

She said states play a vital role in Indias progress and advancing the countrys economic ties with the world.

She highlighted the presence of Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal at the gathering and underlined that the North East will grow and become a bridge to South East Asia.

Our North-East region will prosper when it is better connected to South East Asia and when the North East becomes our bridge to South East Asia, we will be closer to realising our hopes for India and ASEAN ties, she said.

She called for addressing the common challenges in the region like creating skills for the digital age, generating jobs in the age of disruption, meeting the need of rapid urbanisation, protecting the bio-diversity and making the energy sources cleaner.

We are moving from industrial age to information age.

The global power balance is shifting, and the relation between nations is changing, said Swaraj.

There is interesting new technology but unsettled question of history still divides us. At the same time, we see progress and opportunities as never before, said the minister.

It is the time for India and South East Asia to work for prosperity for its people and secure a peaceful future for new generation, she stressed.

ASEAN is Indias 4th largest trading partner, accounting for 10.2 per cent of Indias total trade.

India is ASEANs 7th largest trading partner. Trade is back on track and registered an 8 per cent increase in 2016-17, as compared to the previous year.

New Delhi will host a commemorative summit on January 25 to mark the 25th anniversary of the Dialogue Partnership between India and the ASEAN in which all the leaders of the grouping are expected to participate.

ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. PTIpardeepdhull@gmail.com

New Delhi, January 7

Five men, including a national-level powerlifter, died and one other person was injured after their car met with an accident in the early hours on Sunday near the Delhi-Haryana border, police said.

The athlete, Saksham Yadav, who was admitted in "extremely critical" condition at the AIIMS Trauma Centre here succumbed to his injuries this evening.

"He died at 6:38 pm of a cardiac arrest," a senior doctor at the Trauma Centre said, adding that "the family told us that he was revived twice at the Max Hospital".

He had sustained grievous head injuries and severe internal bleeding. He was being attended by a team of doctors, the doctor said.

The accident took place near the Singhu border in Alipur police station area in northwest Delhi, police said.

The driver lost control of the speeding vehicle that first hit a road divider and then a pole, they said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Rohini) Rajneesh Gupta said, the deceased were identified as Tikamchand, Saurabh, Akash and Harish Roy.

The other injured person was identified as Rohit, he said.

Yadav was first taken to the Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, in northwest Delhi.

"He was taken to the emergency department where he was administered first-aid and stabilised. He was later taken to the AIIMS Trauma Centre," a hospital source said.

It was Rohit's birthday and the friends were out celebrating it, the police said.

It is being probed whether it is a case of drunken driving since some liquor bottles were found in the vehicle, they said.  PTIgspannu7@gmail.com

Islamabad, January 7

Pakistan on Sunday freed 147 Indian fishermen who were imprisoned in Karachi eight months ago for allegedly fishing in its territorial waters, according to a media report.

Their release follows a December announcement by Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal that nearly 300 Indian fishermen would be freed in two phases till January 8.

On December 28, Pakistan had released the first batch of 145 Indian fishermen, who were held there on similar charges.

The process for returning the 147 fishermen has been initiated, as they were set to travel to Lahore this afternoon on the Allama Iqbal Express from the Karachi Cantonment railway station, the Dawn reported.

From Lahore, the fishermen will cross the Wagah border and return home, the report quoted Karachis Malir jail officials as saying.

They said the travel expenses of the fishermen were being borne by the Edhi Foundation, a Pakistan-based not-for-profit welfare organisation.

Some 262 Indian fishermen remain imprisoned at Malir jail still, jail superintendent Hassan Sehto said.

Fishermen from Pakistan and India are frequently detained for illegally fishing in each others territorial waters since the Arabian Sea does not have a clearly defined marine border and the wooden boats lack the technology to avoid being drifting away.

Owing to prolonged bureaucratic and legal procedures, the fishermen usually languish in jail for several months.

A number of non-governmental organisations in both India and Pakistan have raised the issue, pressing their governments to release arrested fishermen without much delay.  PTIFormer Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav believes that his successor in the state Yogi Adityanath and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will taste defeat in the next elections.

Akhilesh Yadav's remark came in the view of a superstition among UP politicians that a chief minister visiting Noida during his/her tenure does not get re-elected.

No CM before Yogi Adityanath had stepped into the city in last decade.

Hitting out at Yogi and Modi for not inviting him for inauguration of Delhi Metro's Magenta Line on December 25 last year, Yadav said, "We are to witness the outcome of visiting Noida. And this time the both of them have been to Noida. We will see the outcome."

Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav today targeted the Yogi government. Yadav said that in the past nine months, the Yogi Adityanath-led government has done nothing significant for Uttar Pradesh. The former chief minister said that the BJP government failed to provide assistance to the farmers in distress.

"Farmers are committing suicide. Sugarcane farmers did not get adequate price for their produce. Paddy did not get the adequate price and potatoes have been wasted," said Akhilesh.

Calling out on the tall claims made by the BJP government, Akhilesh asked about the statistics projected by the party during election campaigns. "What happened to the numbers? They promised many things, but they have done nothing," asked Akhilesh.

The Samajwadi leader also questioned the BJP's poor performance in providing jobs in the state. The party had promised jobs in lakhs to the youth, however, the state continues to grapple with unemployment according to Akhilesh.

Akhilesh also accused Yogi government of taking credit for the work done by Samajwadi government. He also rued the fact that his partymen were not invited for the inauguration of Metro line in Noida.

When asked about Lucknow Haj house being painted saffron, Akhilesh said that the government should focus on other important things.amansharma@tribunemail.com

Smita Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 7

The Standing Committee on External Affairs has sought an incremental approach towards revival of dialogue with Pakistan in its report submitted last week to Parliament, while acknowledging the Pakistan armys hostility as big obstacle to peace.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Headed by Shashi Tharoor, the committee report says, The committee were of the considered opinion that peace process should not be held hostage to the acts of terrorism and both the countries must keep the channels of communication open, even during the worst of crises and not let non-state actors and their state sponsors derail or dictate the foreign policy objectives of sovereign nations. They further believed that the engagement between neighbours cannot be stopped indefinitely.

It further adds, The committee would recommend an incremental approach to such a resumption of the dialogue process by starting with less contentious issues.

The government in its response stated that it is committed to resolving all outstanding issues bilaterally through peaceful means in accordance with Simla Agreement and Lahore Declaration but added this can only be achieved in environment free from terror, hostility and violence.

Underlining that there can be no compromise on cross-border terrorism, the ministry in its reply has said, The government has maintained the channels of communications open with Pakistan, including through respective diplomatic missions, and regular contacts between the border guarding forces on both sides.

Interestingly, the two National Security Advisers met one on one in Bangkok last December soon after Kulbhushan Jadhavs controversial meeting with his family. As per sources, despite no structured dialogue in sight, the NSAs have remained in touch interacting in Paris, Dubai and Moscow too since their first delegation level talks in Thailand in 2015.

The committee has called regrettable the lack of a National Security Framework so far outlining a broad doctrine, response mechanism and Standard Operating Procedures on all possible aspects of national security concerns. It seeks establishing a joint coordination mechanism of Army, Navy and Air Force and security forces guarding borders. It advocates pursuing a pro-active and assertive position on Indias rightful claims to PoK.

In view of the fact that India is currently occupying strategic heights and advantage at Siachen, it was Pakistans agenda to push for demilitarisation of the glacier. Moreover, the committee observed that the present cooperation between China and Pakistan has assumed worrying proportions, says the report.

The committee flagged the China-Pak axis on contentious issues. The committee would also desire the Government of India to continue making concerted efforts through diplomatic outreach to sensitise China about the manner in which CPEC and non-listing of Masood Azhar in UN Sanction List impinges on our sovereignty and security interests, says the report.

It also raises serious concerns about physical safety and security of Pakistans nuclear technology and infrastructure.gspannu7@gmail.com

New Delhi, January 7

A yogic symbol made popular by Rajinikanth may well be seen by the superstars fans as his calling card, but has got a young startup all worked up.

The hand position that the actor-and-would-be politician is known for is often likened to apana mudra, a yoga finger and palm posture.

And now, Mumbais Voxweb, an 18-month-old social networking app, says that it is similar to its logo.

If another company or brand has a similar logo, it will not matter much. But social media and political parties have quite a few similar traits  they have mass adoption, they are really close to their user base and so on. This creates a conflict, Voxweb founder Yash Mishra said.

The mudra is seen by Rajinikanths legion of followers as his trademark gesture, ever since he raised two fingers and folded two in his 2002 film Baba.

The actor holds the two middle fingers down with his thumb and raises the little and index fingers in a broad v.

The symbol figured prominently on the stage at a series of meetings addressed by the mega star recently. Fans also carried placards with the hand symbol.

Voxweb, Mishra said, has a similar brand logo, but with the thumb left free.

Social media platforms are being accused of favouring political parties during elections and using their algorithms to promote that kind of content. People are already asking us if we are favouring Rajnikanths outfit or if we have any common investors, Mishra told PTI.

The startup has written to the actor over the issue, but is yet to hear from him. There was no response to messages sent by PTI to the stars publicity team.

Asked what measures he planned to take to save his logo from the Rajini juggernaut, Mishra said his moves would depend on the new political outfits reactions.

We are open to suggestions and would ask them to make some alterations. All that we have to say is there is absolutely no relationship between the company and the party or its ideology, he said.

Rajinikanth had said last month that he would soon launch a political party in Tamil Nadu.  PTIuttara@tribuneindia.com

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 7

The UIDAI's action of filing a First Information Report (FIR) against The Tribune and its reporter Rachna Khaira over an investigative story citing loopholes in the UIDAIs Aadhaar scheme met with protests from various quarters on Sunday.

Twitter as usual was the first off the block, besides media persons and press clubs across the country condemning the development.

Here are a few reactions:

Tribune follows up it report on the Aadhar data leak. Read and hear what the whistleblower has to day. https://t.co/WnHO2oicVI  ParanjoyGuhaThakurta (@paranjoygt) January 6, 2018

Totally wrong for UIDAI to file an FIR against the journalist who exposed #AadharLeaks If a loophole is pointed out Govt should work on fixing the flaw rather than try to shoot the messenger. Dont intimidate journalists. Not on. https://t.co/6mxDrZlrLC  Rahul Kanwal (@rahulkanwal) January 7, 2018

Ditto. Refute disagreements. If you think Tribune story defamatory or inaccurate argue it- on fact- but whats with the FIR against a reporter doing her job? https://t.co/yVUC2NSRZo  barkha dutt (@BDUTT) January 7, 2018

Dear @rsprasad - how does filing FIR against journalist make sense? Shdnt FIR be against @UIDAI for allwng ds loophole 2 b left unguarded n 4 allwng violatn of privacy of enrollees whch is their fundamental right? Copy: @PMOIndia https://t.co/Eze4OFHAQr  Rajeev Chandrasekhar (@rajeev_mp) January 7, 2018

Tribune reporter blew the whistle on Aadhaar showing how easy it is to steal personal info from Aadhaar database.Instead of rewarding her as a whistleblower,the govt has registered an FIR against her!This is why Modi govt has not notified Whistleblower lawhttps://t.co/0szECv3dLD  Prashant Bhushan (@pbhushan1) January 7, 2018

FIR by @UIDAI authorities against @thetribunechd reporter who exposed the leak in Aadhar Data is condemnable.Instead of acting against the journalist,action should be taken against people responsible for the data leak.Why is BJP Government trying to shoot the messenger?  Partap Singh Bajwa (@Partap_Sbajwa) January 7, 2018

Shoot the messenger,

Ignore the message!

This typifies the culture & character of BJP Govt.



FIR against @thetribunechd reporter is arrogance of power at its worst.



Every Indian must condemn this mindless act of Modi Govt & @UIDAI https://t.co/To88cCbBbO  Randeep S Surjewala (@rssurjewala) January 7, 2018

FIR now means - FREEDOM to INTIMIDATE REPORTERS

https://t.co/GR9pcFyB1f  Atul Khatri (@one_by_two) January 7, 2018

Editors Guild of India

The Editors Guild condemned the FIR as a direct attack on the freedom of the press.

READ: FIR against Tribune reporter attack on free press, says Editors Guild

Withdraw the FIR against @thetribunechd reporter, UIDAI. You can refute what you find unfair or wrong. But throwing cops at reporters is, as stupid as it is unsustainable https://t.co/o3vNtqFUsq  Shekhar Gupta (@ShekharGupta) January 7, 2018

Disgrace.



If there was no data breach what is UIDAI filing this FIR for?



They should be thanking the reporterhttps://t.co/vlhMUZeIUa  Hartosh Singh Bal (@HartoshSinghBal) January 7, 2018

Its a Sunday & your outrage switch may be off - but do consider this.

A reporter has been slapped with an #FIR for a legitimate #AadhaarDataLeak story that was published in a century old newspaper. A story that has been proved true by other channels too. https://t.co/DLaDtDL7pm  Akash Banerjee (@akashbanerjee) January 7, 2018

This is really bizarre ! After denying any data breach, Govt files FIR against Tribune reporter for " Aadhaar Data Breach ". https://t.co/KlLoLDLVro  Shakeel Ahmad (@Ahmad_Shakeel) January 7, 2018

Filing FIR against reporter for exposing Aadhar breach, suing journalists for fact-based stories, calling them names are all part of the same trend: the msg to journos is, dont ask questions, become chamchas. Well, some will never do that  Sidharth Bhatia (@bombaywallah) January 7, 2018

#2GScamVerdict The real winner is the Congress nurtured ecosystem. And, even after 3years of NDA rule they are alive and kicking. That is what BJP and @narendramodi should be worried and wary about. #2GVerdict The BJP govt is filing an FIR against a journalist for bringing out the truth. Aadhaar is a compromised system which has been proven time and again. Is reporting about a serious breach and flaw in the system a crime now? pic.twitter.com/xtyPBSgxbz  Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) January 7, 2018singhking99@yahoo.com

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 7

A First Information Report (FIR) was lodged by a deputy director of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) with the Delhi Police Crime Branch cyber cell yesterday against The Tribune and its reporter Rachna Khaira, Joint Commissioner of Police Alok Kumar (Crime Branch) said today.

The FIR also names Anil Kumar, Sunil Kumar and Raj, all of whom were mentioned in The Tribune report as the people Khaira contacted in the course of her investigation, the officer said.

An FIR was lodged with the Crime Branchs cyber cell under Sections 419 (cheating by impersonation), 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery) and 471 (using forged document) of the IPC, Section 66 of the IT Act and Section 36/37 of the Aadhaar Act, he said.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

The complainant, BM Patnaik, who works with UIDAIs logistics and grievance redressal department, in his FIR wrote: An input has been received through The Tribune dated January 3 that the The Tribune purchased a service being offered by anonymous sellers over WhatsApp that provided unrestricted access to details for any of the more than one billion Aadhaar numbers created in India thus far.

In a fresh statement today, the UIDAI maintained that it respects free speech, including the freedom of the press and media... however, filing an FIR with full details of the incident should not be viewed as UIDAI targeting the media or the whistleblowers or shooting the messenger.

It went on to say: It has to be understood that whenever a crime is noticed, the person concerned is required to report in the form of an FIR in which the entire details of the crime and the incident have to be disclosed to the police.

The full details of the incident, as available, need to be provided with the names of persons known or unknown connected with the incident in the FIR complaint so that the police or the investigating agency can take up a full and fair investigation.

Further, it does not necessarily mean that everyone mentioned in the FIR is a culprit unless after a thorough and fair investigation the person is charge-sheeted and proved to be guilty beyond doubt in the court of law. But all those who have been there in the chain of incident in which the crime has been committed have to be mentioned, including unknowns, in the FIR so the police can make proper investigation.

Citing the views of the Supreme Court in another matter, the UIDAI said the judgment had underlined the basic principle that a crime does not stand obliterated merely because its commission is claimed to be in public interest.editorial@tribune.com

Gagandeep Sharma

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, January 7

The police arrested former special judicial magistrate HL Kumar and his son, advocate Pardeep Kumar, from New Delhi last night for allegedly duping chit-fund investors of Rs 10.3 crore.

Both were today produced in the court of duty magistrate Rajwinder Kaur. They were remanded in three-day custody.

HL Kumar served as a special magistrate in the local court a few years ago after retirement from the PCS. The duo was booked under Sections 420 and 34 of the IPC and Sections 4 and 5 of the Prize Chits and Money Circulations Scheme (Banning) Act on the complaint of Gursewak Singh, a resident of Bhucho Khurd.

Several investors were present today when the father-son duo was produced in the court. Gursewak had lodged a complaint with the SSPs office two years ago against six persons, including the Kumars, alleging that they had defrauded investors of over Rs 10 crore.

Swapan Sharma, then SSP, marked an inquiry to SP (Headquarters) Nanak Singh. After the probe, a case was registered against HL Kumar, Pardeep Kumar, Sherry, Ajay Maheshwari, Sandeep Singh Maan and Vishal Sharma.

According to the complainant, the accused had formed Perfect Trading chit fund company and collected crores from clients by offering higher interest of rate compared to the banks. They also gave cheques to the clients.

Gursewak alleged that when people demanded their money back, the accused refused to do so and threatened the investors, besides shutting down their office.

According to investors, the company had offices in New Delhi and Bathinda, where Pardeep used to meet them. Most of them invested money following surety by HL Kumar, said Bhupinder Singh, an investor.

Kuldeep Singh Bhullar, SHO, Civil Lines, said the police had started an investigation. He added that the names of Sherry and Maan had been removed from the FIR, while Sharma and Maheshwari were on the run.editorial@tribune.com

Kulwinder Sandhu

Tribune News Service

Moga, January 7

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) will soon approach Interpol to corroborate the evidence that Pakistans Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) was allegedly involved in the targeted killings of Hindu leaders in Punjab during the past two years in a bid to revive terrorism in the state.

Sources in the Punjab Police, who are assisting the NIA in the ongoing investigation, confirmed this to The Tribune. They said the interrogation of Sikh hardliners and gangsters, who were earlier grilled by the Moga police, had revealed that funds were routed from Pakistan to radicals in the UK, Italy, France, Germany, Canada, US, UAE and other countries, from where these were sent to India through hawala operatives to carry out targeted killings.

Senior RSS leader Brig Jagdish Gagneja (retd), Punjab Shiv Sena labour leader Durga Prasad Gupta, Hindu leader Amit Sharma, Dera Sacha Sauda followers Satpal Kumar and son Ramesh Kumar, Christian leader Pastor Sultan Masih and Ludhiana-based RSS leader Ravinder Gosain were allegedly targeted by militants with the help of local gangsters.

About two months after taking over the investigations of these high-profile murders, the NIA has also come across reports of Sikh outfits association with militants in Jammu and Kashmir. The NIA team visited Jammu region recently. There were also intelligence inputs that the ISI was trying to revive militancy in Punjab by forging an alliance between Khalistani outfits and Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Sources said four militant organisations  Babbar Khalsa International, Khalistan Liberation Force, Khalistan Zindabad Force and International Sikh Youth Federation of Lakhbir Singh Rode  were still out to revive militancy. Based on Moga police inputs, the NIA has also confirmed that Pakistan-based Harmeet Singh PHD was a key link between ISI and Sikh militants.editorial@tribune.com

Muktsar: The Congress government used 23 buses of the New Deep Transport, which is co-owned by SADs Gidderbaha incharge Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon, to ferry farmers and Congress workers to the governments debt waiver programme in Mansa. The move has raised many eyebrows with area residents accusing both Congress and SAD of fooling people and working in tandem all this while. It seems the leaders of both the parties (Congress and SAD) have reached a pact. How can it be possible that the buses went without the permission of our local MLA Raja Warring said one of them. A Congress leader from Muktsar said, It is a shocking development. People are asking a number of questions from us regarding this controversy. Darshan Singh, Manager, New Deep Transport, said, The buses were sent on the directions of Transport Department officials.  Archit Wattseditorial@tribune.com

Perneet Singh

Tribune News Service

Mansa, January 7

Launching the farm debt waiver scheme at a state-level function here today, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh today said it was just the beginning and no eligible farmer would be left out of the scheme. He said the government had started implementing the scheme from five districts today.

Addressing a gathering of farmers from Mansa and nearby districts, Amarinder said his government had fulfilled another major promise with this launch, as he symbolically handed over waiver certificates to 10 farmers from the five districts of Mansa, Bathinda, Faridkot, Muktsar and Moga.

Acknowledging that some farmers might have got left out due to technical errors, he said these issues were being resolved and those who still ended up with complaints should approach their respective SDMs or DCs, whom he had directed to resolve such issues at the earliest.

The CM questioned the Akali Dal, AAP and some farmer unions over a false propaganda campaign, as to how they expected his government to give out more than it could afford to. He referred to yesterdays reported suicide of a Barnala farmer to point to the extent of shameless propaganda, which the Opposition parties and some unions had unleashed. He denied any such suicide on account of non-inclusion of the farmers name in the waiver list. The farmers name was included in the list from Barnala, he said, adding that it was a fraudulent campaign.

The CM cited figures to point out that not only had his government announced higher loan waiver than other states, including the ones ruled by the BJP, but had, in fact, done so despite the huge financial constraints faced by it. Nearly 47,000 farmers who had taken loans from 701 Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies of five districts were getting their money in their bank accounts, he said, describing the launch as a beginning towards solving the problems that were forcing the farmers to commit suicide.

A total of 5.63 lakh farmers will benefit in the first phase, which will provide relief to the tune of Rs 2,700 crore.

Asserting that their priority is to extend a helping hand to small farmers, Amarinder said 10.25 lakh farmers are being covered under the scheme while adding that bigger farmers like him and Parkash Singh Badal could manage their affairs on their own.

He said the entire loan waiver process would be completed in four phases. He promised to generate job avenues for the unemployed in rural areas while also stating that farm labourers too would be taken care of once the states fiscal condition stabilises.

Describing the CM as a man of his word, PPCC president Sunil Jakhar said former CM Parkash Singh Badal was resorting to dirty politics over the issue. Badal had earlier tried to mislead the people saying Amarinder would not fulfill this particular promise and was now trying to cover up his embarrassment by saying Rs 2 lakh was not enough, he said. What Amarinder has done in 10 months, the Akalis failed to do in 10 years, he claimed.

The Chief Minister also launched a development programme for the repair and upgrading of 16,000 km of link roads at a cost of Rs 2,000 crore. The project would be executed by the Punjab Mandi Board and completed by March 31, 2019.

Prominent among those present included Deputy Speaker Ajaib Singh Bhatti, Cabinet Ministers Manpreet Singh Badal, Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Rana Gurjit Singh, Sadhu Singh Dharamsot and Aruna Chaudhary.

Kept our word, says govtsinghking99@yahoo.com

An interesting speech was delivered by Sir John Woodroffe, Judge of the Calcutta High Court, as President of the Cow Conference which was held in Calcutta. The object of the Conference is to bring about an improvement in the quantity and quality of cattle and every one will agree with the President that this is an object which deserves the sympathy and support of all the several communities in India. "All communities," said Sir Woodroffe, "are, in varying ways, interested in the question we are about to discuss, whether they be Hindus, Mussalmans or Christians. To some cattle is food. For all it is the source of milk, butter and ghee." Referring to the neglect and cruelty from which the cow suffers, the President observed:-"From one point of view the worst cases are not the disgusting and cruel practice of 'goulas' who are mere tradesmen seeking to get all they can, humanity and morality notwithstanding, nor the callousness of ignorant carters but the indifference and neglect of one of the bhadralog who should know and do better."editorial@tribune.com

Jotirmay Thapliyal

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, January 7

While the man-elephant conflict stands as one of the biggest challenges before the Uttarakhand Government, technology, the Animal Intrusion Detection and Repellent System, popularly known as ANIDERS, has ultimately brought some relief to farmers.

Wild elephants raiding crops and even attacking humans are common, particularly in the villages. This has led to farmers abandoning farming. But the WWF-India has put the technology to use. It has introduced this system, a sort of early warning system, to help protect crops of farmers from getting vandalised by pachyderms.

To make a beginning, it had taken to Mankanthpur at Ramnagar, where a two-unit early warning system was introduced in January 2017, as a pilot project by the WWF-India. It brought relief to farmers. With the introduction of the system, a 100 per cent success rate has been reported in reducing elephant raids. The reported number of incidents in a year were as high as 30-40 (around 15-20 per crop season) which has now dropped down to 5 or 6.

The two units of the early warning system were placed around the farmlands to detect the presence of the animals within a 10 to 12 metre radius of the sensor. The system generates a spotlight at the intrusion spot and alarm through a hooter which effectively wards off wildlife.

The WWF-India is also evaluating the long-term efficacy of the system, by setting up camera traps to understand how well the system works. These traps have also resulted in fascinating footage regarding animal behaviour when faced with such systems and will contribute to the organisations understanding of how these systems should be designed and set up.

Earlier, farmers were trying many ways of preventing elephant raids that included from lighting firecrackers to maintaining a watch in the fields through night, but none of these were effective. But now the Animal Intrusion Detection and Repellent System is proving to be very effective, said Dr AK Singh, senior WWF-India official based in Uttarakhand. He apprised that after introduction of this early warning system, farmers have reported a major improvement in the harvest.

How it worksPakistan's interior ministry on Saturday blacklisted 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed's organisation Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD).

Pakistan, buckling under pressure from the US, at a press release also made public 72 groups that it has banned.

The move comes a day after the US suspended close to over $1 billion in security assistance to Pakistan for failing to clamp down on terror activity and dismantle their safe havens.

On January 1, the US President Donald Trump had said Pakistan, apart from "lies and deceit", gave the US nothing for the $33 billion in aid provided over the last decade and a half.

Pakistan's list of banned organisations also includes a sister organisation of JuD known as Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation.

The turn of the New Year didn't bode well for Hafiz Saeed as Pakistan's financial regulatory body had banned JuD from collecting donations.

Last year Hafiz Saeed was last placed under house arrest after Pakistan launched a crack down against his organisation.editorial@tribune.com

Ravi S Singh

Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, JANUARY 7

Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat announced here today that the Congress would intensify its campaign in the state, post Makar Sankranti festival, to press government to redress peoples grievances.

All sections of the people are reeling under various problems, but the government in the state appears to be oblivious. The Congress has been raising the issues, but the government has adopted a negative approach, Rawat said.

Rawat had hosted a public lunch with regard the coming Makar Sankranti festival. On the occasion he said the Congress had been compelled to step up its agitation and fan out among the masses to instill confidence among them.

He alleged that the government had not enunciated welfare policies. It had either abandoned or is weakening the policies started by the previous government which was headed by him. He cited the scheme of providing monetary help to poor girls under Chief Minister Health Insurance Scheme.

Rawat said employment generation avenues had dried up and agriculture and farming community was in distress. Development of the state had come to a standstill.

The BJP had made corruption a major electoral issue during the last Assembly election in the state. But corruption under the BJP government has increased manifold, Rawat said, and added that the law and order situation was far from satisfactory.

He said the Congress would adopt a two-pronged approach to strengthen itself organizationally and to further expand its social base.

With regard agriculture, he said this sector needed a positive intervention from the government without delay.

The farmers were not getting MSP of their prices and were under debt burden.

Farming has to be made lucrative, he said.

He suggested that the government must encourage change in crop pattern in keeping with states hilly geography so as to increase the income of farmers.pardeepdhull@gmail.com

Washington, January 7

With the Trump administration determined to eliminate terror safe havens in Pakistan, the US is hoping that China will play a helpful role in convincing its close ally that it is in its national interest to crackdown on these sanctuaries, a senior White House official has said.

The official said that dismantling terrorist safe havens in Pakistan is key to bringing stability in Afghanistan and in the region.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Pakistan already has deep historical ties with China going back to many years and they have close military ties. The economic relationship is also growing with China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the senior administration official said on condition of anonymity.

But, China shares some of the concerns of the US about the terrorism problem. The US is seeking to work with other regional players and China would be one of the main ones to deal with this issue. It wont serve Chinas interests to have terrorist sanctuaries in Pakistan, the official said.

The official was quick to point out that China has been playing a more helpful role in terms of encouraging better relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is taking a more active role in this regard.

So, I would disagree with the assertion that China will not play a helpful role in convincing Pakistan it is in its own interest to crack down on the terror sanctuaries, the official told a group of reporters on Friday.

Ultimately, China is also working towards a stable Afghanistan. Thats going to take them back to the same issue which is the sanctuaries in Pakistan, the official said.

China-Pakistan relationship is already very strong and appeared unconcerned over reports that the US decision to freeze approximately USD 2 billion in security assistance to Pakistan would push Islamabad towards Beijing, the official added.

That relationship is already very, very strong. But what we have seen is an interest by Pakistan in having a strong relationship with both the US and China. So thats one issue. And the second issue is that China is also concerned about terrorism and extremism in South Asia, the official said.

Noting that China has taken a more active role in trying to help stabilise Afghanistan, trying to improve relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, the official said the US believes that China is also interested in stability in Pakistan and also for the China Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Ultimately if they want to see stability in the region, and I think they do, they also will have an interest in seeing Pakistan crack down on the Haqqani and Taliban network, the senior administration official said.

The Trump administration has suspended about USD 2 billion in security aid to Pakistan for failing to clamp down on the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network terror groups and dismantle their safe havens.

The freezing of all security assistance to Pakistan comes after President Trump in a New Years Day tweet accused the country of giving nothing to the US but lies and deceit and providing safe haven to terrorists in return for USD 33 billion aid over the last 15 years.  PTIeditorial@tribune.com

Washington, January 7

China could play a helpful role in convincing Pakistan that it is in its national interest to crackdown on terror safe havens, a senior White House official has said.

The official said China shares some of the concerns of the US about the terror issue in Pakistan and Washington is seeking to work with Beijing and other regional players to convince Islamabad about the need to crackdown on terror groups.

The official said dismantling terrorist safe havens in Pakistan is key to bringing stability in Afghanistan and in the region.

Pakistan already has deep historical ties with China going back to many years and they have close military ties.

The economic relationship is also growing due to China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the senior administration official said on condition of anonymity.

But, China shares some of the concerns of the US about the terrorism problem. The US is seeking to work with other regional players and China would be one of the main ones to deal with this issue. It wont serve Chinas interests to have terrorist sanctuaries in Pakistan, the official said.

The official was quick to point out that China has been playing a more helpful role in terms of encouraging better relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is taking a more active role in this regard.

So, I would disagree with the assertion that China will not play a helpful role in convincing Pakistan it is in its own interest to crack down on the terror sanctuaries, the official told a group of reporters on Friday.

Ultimately, China is also working towards a stable Afghanistan. Thats going to take them back to the same issue that is the sanctuaries in Pakistan, the official said.

China-Pakistan relationship is already very strong and appeared unconcerned over reports that the US decision to freeze approximately $2 billion in security assistance to Pakistan would push Islamabad towards Beijing, the official added.

That relationship is already very very strong. But what we have seen is an interest by Pakistan in having a strong relationship with both the US and China. So thats one issue.

And the second issue is that China is also concerned about terrorism and extremism in South Asia, the official said.

Noting that China has taken a more active role in trying to help stabilise Afghanistan, trying to improve relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, the official said the US believes that China is also interested in stability in Pakistan and also for the China Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Ultimately if they want to see stability in the region, and I think they do, they also will have an interest in seeing Pakistan crack down on the Haqqani and Taliban network, the senior administration official said.

The Trump administration has suspended about $2 billion in security aid to Pakistan for failing to clamp down on the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network terror groups and dismantle their safe havens.

The freezing of all security assistance to Pakistan comes after President Trump in a New Years Day tweet accused the country of giving nothing to the US but lies and deceit and providing safe haven to terrorists in return for $33 billion aid over the last 15 years.  PTI

Russia does not have great influence on Pak

Washington: Amid increased bonhomie between Russia and Pakistan, the White House believes that Moscow does not have a great influence on Islamabad, a senior Trump Administration official has said. I dont particularly believe that there is a great deal of influence that Russia is asserting (over Pakistan) even though I do acknowledge they have a better relationship than they had five years ago, a senior administration official has said. The official was responding to questions on the recent increase in relationship between Russia and Pakistan and how much influence it has over Islamabad. But Russia as of now does not have a great deal of influence over Pakistan, with which its ties is relatively new, the official said who on condition of anonymity. PTIpardeepdhull@gmail.com

Kathmandu, January 7

At least nine people were killed due to an intense cold wave in Nepals Terai region, authorities said.

Six people died of freezing cold in Saptari district and three in Rautahat district, Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday.

The cold wave has badly affected daily lives, halting regular activities including closure of the educational institutions.  IANSpardeepdhull@gmail.com

Paris, January 7

Depending on who you ask in Europe, Chinas colossal East-West infrastructure programme is either an opportunity or a threat  and when French President Emmanuel Macron visits next week, Beijing will be watching to see how keen he is to jump on board.

Since China launched the New Silk Road plan in 2013, the hugely ambitious initiative to connect Asia and Europe by road, rail and sea has elicited both enormous interest and considerable anxiety.

Its the most important issue in international relations for the years to come, and will be the most important point during Emmanuel Macrons visit, said Barthelemy Courmont, a China expert at French think-tank Iris.

The USD 1 trillion project is billed as a modern revival of the ancient Silk Road that once carried fabric, spices, and a wealth of other goods in both directions.

Known in China as One Belt One Road, the plans would see gleaming new road and rail networks built through Central Asia and beyond, and new maritime routes stretching through the Indian Ocean and Red Sea.

Beijing would develop roads, ports and rail lines through 65 countries representing an estimate 60 percent of the worlds population and a third of its economic output.

Macron, who heads to China for a three-day state visit on Sunday, will notably be accompanied by some 50 company chiefs keen to do business with the Asian powerhouse.

So far France has been cautious on the Silk Road plan, but Courmont said Chinese leaders were waiting for a clear position from Macron at a time when they view the young leader as an engine for growth in Europe.

If Macron takes a decision on how to tackle the Chinese initiative, all of Europe will follow, Courmont predicted.

But, as Courmont acknowledges, Europe is divided on what to make of Chinas ambitions.

The continent could potentially benefit handsomely from increased trade over the coming decades, but in some corners there is suspicion that it masks an attempted Beijing influence grab.

They are notably asking themselves about the geopolitical consequences of this project in the long-term, Alice Ekman, who covers China at the French Institute of International Relations, said of France and Germany.

In Central and Eastern Europe the programme has been met with altogether more enthusiasm, given the huge infrastructure investment that China could bring to the poorer end of the continent.

Some consider the awakening of China and Asia as a threat, Hungarys Prime Minister Viktor Orban told a summit in Budapest in November which gathered China with 16 Central and Eastern European countries.

For us, its a huge opportunity, he said, with Beijing using the summit to announce three billion euros of investment in projects including a Belgrade-Budapest railway line.

Bogdan Goralczyk, director of the Centre for Europe at the University of Warsaw, noted there were divisions even within eastern Europe, with Poland hesitant due to its right- wing governments strong anti-communist stance.

Others to the west have made little effort to hide their concern.

Former Danish premier Anders Fogh Rasmussen fretted in a column for Germanys Zeit newspaper that Europe will wake up only when its too late, and when swathes of central and eastern Europes infrastructure are dependent on China. The former NATO chief noted that Greecea major recipient of Chinese largessehad in June blocked an EU declaration condemning Chinese rights abuses.

It came just months after Athens Piraeus port, one of the biggest in the world, passed under Chinese control.

Germany, Europes biggest economy, is favourable to Chinese investment, but has reservations.

If we do not develop a strategy in the face of China, it will succeed in dividing Europe, Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel warned in August.

France is meanwhile seeking to rebalance relations with China during Macrons trip, according to his officeeyeing a trade deficit of 30 billion euros, its biggest with any partner.

Our Chinese partners would prefer a win-win situation.

Why not? On the condition that its not the same party that wins twice, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Thursday.

It is not Frances intention to block China, he said.

But we should establish a partnership based on reciprocity when it comes to the opening of markets.  AFPpardeepdhull@gmail.com

Quito, January 7

Ecuadorian lawmakers have picked a new Vice-President, Maria Vicuna, to replace Jorge Glas, who has been jailed for six years for graft.

Vicuna, who has been in the post on an acting basis, won the support of 70 of the 137-member legislature. She was to be sworn in yesterday.

Glas, 48, automatically lost his title on Wednesday because he was absent from his post for more than the three months permitted under Ecuadors constitutionbecause of his incarceration and pre-trial detention.

He is the highest-ranking Latin American politician to be convicted and imprisoned in a regional scandal involving a Brazilian construction group, Odebrecht, which gave bribes to secure public works contracts.

He was given a six-year sentence on December 13 by Ecuadors Supreme Court after being found guilty of receiving USD 13.5 million in Odebrecht kickbacks. He says he is innocent and will appeal.

But, taking into account his detention since October 2 pending his trial, he has not been able to carry out his duties for over three months.

Odebrecht, which was investigated by the US Justice Department, agreed to pay a USD 3.5 billion fine after admitting to giving USD 788 million in bribes across 12 countries to secure contracts.

The scandal has ensnared politicians in several countries, including Mexico, Peru, Panama and Venezuela.

Ecuadoran prosecutors said Odebrecht spent USD 47.3 million in bribes in their country to get public contracts.  AFPgspannu7@gmail.com

Stockholm, January 7

One person died and another was slightly hurt on Sunday in a blast outside a metro station in a Stockholm suburb, police said.

A man in his 60s died after succumbing to injuries sustained when according to witnesses he picked up an object off the ground which promptly exploded, police spokesman Sven-Erik Olsson told AFP.

He died in hospital, police said on their website.

A woman aged 45 was also hurt, suffering facial injuries, police said.

The blast occurred mid-morning at the Varby gard station in Huddinge, a southern suburb of the Swedish capital.

Police cordoned off the station and the square where the blast happened as the bomb squad moved in to investigate.

The Expressen and Aftonbladet newspapers said the device was a hand grenade.

It is too early to say. Technicians are still working on it. Nothing indicates that the (injured) couple was targeted, said Olsson, adding there was nothing to suggest an act of terrorism.  AFPeditorial@tribune.com

Seoul, January 7

North and South Korea have agreed on the composition of the delegations which will participate in the first high-level meeting on Tuesday between the two countries after over two years, the Unification Ministry said here on Sunday.

Pyongyang informed Seoul of its five-member delegation earlier in the day, which will be led by Ri Son-gwon, head of his countrys Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea (CPRK), reports Efe news.

On Saturday, Seoul had proposed a delegation led by Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon and four other members.

On January 5, Pyongyang accepted Seouls proposal of holding the meeting in Panmunjom on to discuss sending North Korean athletes to the Winter Olympics, to be held in the South Koreas Pyeongchang county in February, as well as discussing a general improvement in relations.

The decision came after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un expressed a desire for rapprochement with the South and to send a delegation to participate in the Pyeongchang games, making Seoul and Washington postpone their annual joint military drill.  IANSeditorial@tribune.com

New Delhi, January 7

The Centre has suspended an American adoption agency for negligence in its assessment of adoptive parents of three-year-old India-born Sherin Mathews who died in the US, government sources said.

Sherin, who was adopted by an Indian-American couple in 2016, died in October last year allegedly from choking after her adoptive father physically assisted her with drinking milk.

Both the adoptive parents are in jail. An autopsy report recently ruled that Mathews died because of homicidal violence.

Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi took the decision to suspend the Authorised Foreign Adoption Agency (AFAA), Holt International, government sources said.

They added that the government has written to the Indian Embassy in the US, the Central Authority (CA), which is the nodal body for adoptions in the US, and Holt International, informing them about the decision.

We have suspended the operations of Holt International because we found it negligent in the assessment of the adoptive parents and also in the post placement assessment of the family, CEO, CARA (Child Adoption Resource Authority), Lt Col Deepak Kumar, said.

He added that a decision on cancelling the AFAAs authorisation will be taken after detailed reports from the Indian Embassy as well as the CA.

While the death of Sherin came to light in October, the government delayed acting against the AFAA because of Ivanka Trumps visit to India in November, it is reliably learnt from different government officials.

A top government official said India was treading cautiously because it did not want the ties between the two countries to be impacted.  PTIuttara@tribuneindia.com

Beirut, January 7

Syrian government forces and allied militiamen are advancing on the largest remaining rebel-held territory in the country's north, forcing thousands of civilians to flee toward the border with Turkey in freezing winter temperatures.

The offensive on Idliba large province in northwestern Syria packed with civilians and dominated by al- Qaida-linked militantswas expected after the defeat of the Islamic State group late last year.

Last week, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the main military operations against Islamic State in Syria have ended and signalled that the focus would shift to al-Qaida-linked militants.

The Idlib offensive carries significant risks.

The province bordering Turkey is home to an estimated 2 million Syrians, including tens of thousands of people who fled fighting elsewhere. A full-blown government offensive could cause large-scale destruction and massive displacement.

Turkey, a supporter of the rebels, has deployed military observers in the province as part of a de-escalation deal with Iran and Russia, but that has not stopped the fighting on the ground or Russian airstrikes against the insurgents.

It is not clear how far the current offensive aims to reach, and recapturing the entire province is expected to be a long and bloody process. Opposition activists say the main target for now appears to be the sprawling rebel-held air base of Abu Zuhour, on the southeastern edge of the province, and securing the Damascus-Aleppo road that cuts through Idlib province.

Over the past two months, troops backed by Russian airstrikes have captured more than 80 towns and villages in the northern parts of the nearby Hama province and breached Idlib itself for the first time since mid-2015.

The offensive gained more intensity on Christmas Day, when one of President Bashar Assad's most trusted and experienced officers took command of the operation to extend the government's presence toward Idlib and boost security for the road that links the capital, Damascus, with Aleppo, Syria's largest city.

Brig Gen Suheil al-Hassan, also known among his troops as "Tiger, has led elite forces to many victories against insurgents since the conflict began nearly seven years ago. He has been credited most recently with the defeat of Islamic State in much of eastern Syria, including the months-long battle for the city of Deir el-Zour.

"Conditions on the ground are wretched for the rebels," said an opposition activist based in northern Syria who asked to be identified by his first name, Hassan, for fear of reprisals by insurgents.

He said rebels are stuck in a two-front battle with government forces and remaining pockets of Islamic State militants. He said the Russian airstrikes have exacted a heavy toll.

Another opposition activist based in Hama province, Mohammed al-Ali, said the Russians and the Syrian government are "carpet bombing" villages before pushing into them.

"The Russian airstrikes, weak fortifications and Islamic State attacks in Hama" have all helped government forces, he said by telephone.

Hassan and al-Ali said it is highly unlikely that government forces would march toward the provincial capital, also named Idlib, because it would set up a costly battle with highly experienced and well-armed al-Qaida-linked insurgents.

The province is dominated by the Levant Liberation Committee, which claims to have severed ties with al-Qaida but is widely believed to still be affiliated with it.

Al-Hassan's chief mission for now appears to be securing the Damascus-Aleppo road.

In December 2016, Assad's forces captured rebel-held parts of the city of Aleppo, marking the government's biggest victory since the conflict began. The main road to the capital remained perilous, however, with insurgents attacking it from the west and IS from the east. The troops have since driven IS back, but the western side remains exposed.

Four days after al-Hassan took over operational command, troops managed to break through the militants' heavy defences and capture the town of Abu Dali, a link between Hama, Idlib and Aleppo.

Since then, thousands of people have been fleeing with their belongings amid harsh cold weather toward safer areas further north, including Idlib city and areas near the border with Turkey. Pro-opposition media say that more than 5,000 families have fled the violence over the past two weeks, some renting homes or staying in tents in open fields, others left homeless. APPalestine's foreign ministry has denied reports that Walid Abu Ali, its former ambassador to Pakistan, was reinstated after being recalled for attending a rally where he shared a stage with 26/11 attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed.

"We deny this information. Our ambassador in Pakistan, he is in Palestine and our position was declared by our official statement which we have published last week," the ministry said.

"We don't know from where you got this information about (the) Palestine Ambassdor to Pakistan being reinstated. As per our knowledge he is very much in Palestine as of now," the ministry told the news agency ANI.

Palestine's Ambassador to India Abu Alhaijaa, too, refuted reports that Ali was reinstated. "Mr Walid Abu Ali is still in Palestine and there is no change in the decision," he said.

The Pakistani news channel Geo News had quoted the Pakistan Ulema Council's (PUC) chairman, Maulana Tahir Ashrafi, as saying he'd asked Palestine to reinstate Ali, and that the envoy would be back on duty in Pakistan on Wednesday.

In fact, the Council issued a press release in which it claimed Ali had been put back on duty.

"Tahir ul Ashrafi had contacted the Palestinian government officials, the President and the Chief Justice and requested them (to) reinstate Waleed Abu Ali to his position as Ambassador in Islamabad. His request was honored and immediately, orders for his return were handed out by the Palestinian President. Waleed Abu Ali will resume his position within the next two or three days," the press release read.

CONDEMNATION

India issued a strongly worded condemnation after Ali attended the Difa-e-Pakistan rally in Rawalpindi. The Modi government summoned Palestine's envoy to India.

Palestine, on its part, assured India that the Palestinian Authority had taken serious cognisance of the matter.

Hafiz Saeed, who was photographed sitting right news to Walid Abu Ali at the rally, has been designated an international terrorist by the United Nations and the United States.

However, he roams free in Pakistan, and participates in political activities.

(With inputs from Hamza Ameer)

WATCH | Palestine recalls its envoy, India objected to his presence in Hafiz Sayeed's rallyGwalior, Jan 7 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here today to address a conference of top police officers from various states.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar, MP ministers Narottam Mishra, Jaibhan Singh Pawaiya and Maya Singh, and city Mayor Vivek Shejwalkar welcomed the prime minister at the airport.

Modi will address the two-day annual conference at the Border Security Forces Academy at Tekanpur in the district.

Top police officers share and discuss security-related issues at the conference of the directors general of police (DGPs) and the inspectors general of police (IGPs) of various states.

The prime minister had earlier addressed the conferences at Guwahati in 2014, Dhordo in Gujarats Rann of Kutch in 2015 and at the National Police Academy in Hyderabad in 2016.

The event was postponed from its December schedule last year due to administrative issues and tight work schedule of the prime minister and the home minister, official sources had earlier said.

"At the last meeting, issues such as cross-border terrorism and radicalisation were discussed in detail. The prime minister had emphasised the importance of leadership, soft skills and collective training. He specifically mentioned the importance of technology and human interface for the police force," a release said. PTI COR LAL GKThe ambit of investigations into the operations of self-proclaimed godman accused of human trafficking activities Virendra Dev Dixit has expanded to Rajasthan's Sirohi district.

Abu Road police reached the Santpur Naya kheda branch of 'Aadhyatmik Vishvavidyala' or 'Academic University' on Saturday and began its investigations there.

The police spoke with 72 girls and enquired about whether they were staying there forcibly. As per the police, the girls mentioned that they were staying there out of their own wish and without any pressure.

The police has informed its senior officials about the investigations that went on for approximately one and a half hours there.

"As per directions of senior officials, we physically checked at the branch of Academic University centre being operated here in Santpur. Orders had been received to check about its activities," Midulal, Abu road Station incharge, said.

"Documents regarding its registration will be produced tomorrow and in that, it has been mentioned that there were 72 girls studying. We will approach the Sirohi Child Welfare Committee to visit again. We are taking information about the building owner", he added.

Investigation into the situation at the Abu Road centre in Rajasthan's Sirohi district was directed on the orders by high ranking police officials.

All the girls staying at the Abu road centre were less than 18 years of age.

Earlier, in December last year, at least three centres that were being operated by Virendera Dev Dixit were raided in various parts of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.

ALSO WATCH | Ram Rahim is a sex addict, claims doctor who examined himEach sakura plant was nurtured with great care for months solely for the flowery event of the year, which is usually held in late December or early January (Source: Vnexpress)

Apart from the sakura beds, the all-about-flora festival also offered curious minds numerous activities, such as sake tasting and learning the Japanese tea ceremony with the locals

The great mass of cherry blossoms tinged with pink enfolded the tranquillity of Pa Khoang lake, a sight anyone with a love for wild natural beauty needs to behold at least once in their lives

Despite the heavy drizzle, visitors from all over the country came to admire the stunning Japanese cherry blossoms in the middle of Northwestern Vietnam

Thanks to the weather conditions, featuring temperature differences of at least 10 degrees Celsius between night and daytime, as well as being located at an altitude of over 1000 metres, Dien Bien resembles the mile-long sakura parks in Hakone, Japan overlooking the grand view of Mount Fuji

Aside the cherry blossoms the festival is famous for, the event also embraced other species of flowering plants, such as mimosa, orchid, tulip, lily and daisyNew Delhi, Jan 7 (PTI) The Delhi Police has registered an FIR on a complaint by a deputy director of the Unique Identification Authority of India in connection with a newspaper report on the breach of details of the over one billion Aadhaar cards, naming the journalist behind the story.

UIDAI Deputy Director B M Patnaik informed the police that an input was received from The Tribune that the newspaper purchased a service being offered by anonymous sellers over WhatsApp that provided unrestricted access to details of any of the more than 1 billion Aadhaar numbers created in India, the police said today.

On January 5, a complaint was received from Patnaik and the FIR was registered the same day, they said.

The police was informed by the UIDAI official that the correspondent of The Tribune, posing as a buyer, had purchased the details.

The FIR mentions the names of the journalist and the people the reporter reached out to purchase the Aadhaar data, but they have not been shown as accused, the police said.

The police said that they will be questioned.

Under fire for filing the FIR, the UIDAI said it respects free speech, including freedom of the press, and its police complaint should not be viewed as i"shooting the messenger".

In a statement, it said that its act should not be viewed as one targeting the media or a whistleblower.

Justifying its stance, the UIDAI said criminal proceedings have been initiated as it was an act of unauthorised access.

Reacting to the development, the Congress attacked the Centre over the UIDAI registering the FIR.

The opposition party accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of shooting the messenger instead of probing the matter.

The Congress also raised questions over the "intentions" of the government on privacy issues.

"Intent, & Intentions of Modi Govt on Privacy were thoroughly exposed when it had proclaimed that no citizen can have an absolute right over his/her body," Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeted.

"In SC, Modi Govt had accepted Aadhaar data leak! Now instead of investigating, an evasive Modi ji shoots the messenger!" he said.

The Editors Guild Of India sought government intervention for the withdrawal of the case and called for an "impartial" investigation into the matter.

Criticising the lodging of the FIR, the guild said it was "deeply concerned" over reports that the UIDAI deputy director had registered a complaint in which the reporter of The Tribune has been named. PTI SLB ASK SC ASKThe St. Clair County Drug Task Force kicked off 2018 with a pair of raids that resulted in the seizure of multiple drugs and the arrests of three men.

Members of the DTF ended an investigation into the sales of narcotics in the Port Huron area with a search of a residence at the Dulhut Village Apartments on 22nd Street in Port Huron at 11 p.m. Jan. 2.

Police confiscated about $200 worth of heroin from the residence and arrested a 24-year-old Detroit man, St. Clair County Sheriff Tim Donnellon said.

The man was lodged at the St. Clair County Intervention and Detention Center on charges of possession with intent to deliver heroin and being a habitual offender.

A second DTF investigation ended the next day with a raid at a residence in the 900 block of Pine Street in Port Huron at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 3.

Police found heroin and drug packaging materials inside of the home and arrested a 39-year-old Port Huron man.

Members of the DTF located and stopped a second suspect, a 32-year-old Port Huron man, who was found walking in the area while carrying about $500 worth of heroin, $200 worth of crack cocaine and a small amount of marijuana, the sheriff said.

Both Port Huron men were taken to the St. Clair County Intervention and Detention Center, where they face charges including possession with intent to deliver heroin, possession with intent to deliver crack cocaine and being a habitual offender.

Members of the St. Clair County Special Response Team assisted in the 22nd Street investigation, police said.

 Katelyn Larese, The VoiceIt seemed like the river froze almost overnight.

Several days of near-record cold and sub-zero wind chills choked area waterways with ice, flooding some waterfront neighborhoods, blocking shipping traffic and closing down two area ferry services.

The entire Great Lakes system is experiencing heavier ice cover than usual for this time of year as frigid temps fuel the rapid buildup of ice, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Ice cover was 2.6 percent on Jan. 3, 2017; the agency reported 22.7 percent ice cover one year later.

U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard cutters were out clearing paths for freighters making their way through the ice-filled river and attempting to prevent blockages from causing flooding upriver.

The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for southeast St. Clair County last week as ice blockages caused water levels to rise up to 16 inches in some areas.

In East China Township, canals flooded over area roads, flooding backyards and turning some residents driveways into sheets of ice.

In Marine City and Algonac, chunks of ice stacked up along the rivers edge, forming mounds that topped seawalls and stood as tall as waterfront railings in some places.

The accumulated ice brought traffic across the border to a halt as both ferries to Canada were forced to close due to conditions on the river.

(Video courtesy of JIM STIEBER/YOUTUBE)

The Walpole Algonac Ferry closed on New Years Day as ice piled up at the docks on both sides of the river.

The Bluewater Ferry, which carries cars and passengers between Marine City and Sombra, Ontario, Canada, closed at 7 p.m. Jan. 2. Both remained closed over the weekend.

Champions Auto Ferry, which connects Harsens Island to the mainland, continued operating on its normal schedule.

Colleen Kowalewski is a staff writer for The Voice. She can be contacted at 586-273-6197 or ckowalewski@21st-centurymedia.com.Madrasas in Uttarakhand have refused to comply with a state government's order of installing PM Modi's portrait in all educational institutions.

Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat, on the other hand, criticised the madrasas for their refusal to put up a portrait of the prime minister inside their premises, asking them to give up their "conservatism" on the issue.

"Installing the prime minister's portrait in all government institutions and those being run on government grants has been an established practice. The madrasas should give up their conservatism on the issue," Rawat told PTI.

"Madrasas are also educational institutions. They should not have any objection to installing a portrait of the prime minister. They should view the issue from the Indian point of view," Rawat added.

However, the madrasas have denied state government's order on the basis of religious grounds.

"The madrasas in the state have not installed pictures of the prime minister because of religious beliefs as Islam prohibits installation of pictures of living beings inside mosques and madrasas," Deputy Registrar of Uttarakhand Madrasa Board Akhlaq Ahmad had told PTI yesterday.

Ahmad also added that the refusal to install the picture of the prime minister inside the madrasas should not be interpreted as their opposition to an individual.

"They are not opposed to any individual in particular. It is purely due to religious beliefs. Islam does not permit us to install pictures of living things or individuals, including those of religious leaders, inside the mosques or madrasas," Ahmad had said.

The order was issued post Independence Day, last year, to all the government-run educational institutions in order to implement his vision of building a new India by 2022.

With inputs from PTIA fire burns inside a Freemason Lodge in downtown Huntsville.

Huntsville Fire and Rescue responded to Masonic Helion Lodge on Lincoln Street.

Firefighters say the blaze was confined to an office inside the lodge. The firefighters removed books and paperwork inside the office before putting out the fire.

Toward the back of the buildings exterior, there are some burned areas.

Right now, no cause of the fire has been determined.

Someone going into the building for a 2 pm event spotted smoke and called for help.



The Helion Lodge #1 is the oldest lodge of Freemasons in Alabama.

According to historian Joseph Abram Jackson's, its "the birthplace of Freemasonry in Alabama."

The building was constructed in 1911.govt hospitals

New Delhi, Jan 7 (PTI) NCP MP Supriya Sule has proposed a private members bill for providing free treatment to all women suffering from breast cancer in government hospitals.

The Breast Cancer (Awareness and Free Treatment) Bill, 2017 was introduced in the recently concluded winter session, but it is yet to be taken up for consideration.

The Bill urges the central government to take steps for creating awareness among the people about the symptoms and treatment of breast cancer.

"The central and state governments shall provide free medical screening to diagnose cases of breast cancer and free medical treatment to every breast cancer patient in government hospitals," it reads.

Sule said it is estimated that one in 28 women is likely to develop breast cancer during her lifetime.

In India, breast cancer among women has seen a rapid rise in the last decade. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 1.5 lakh cases were reported in 2016, she added.

The ICMR recognises breast cancer as the most common cancer among women in India. It accounts for 27 per cent of all cancers in women in the country.

The Centre and states should work together to provide free diagnosis and treatment to women suffering from breast cancer, Sule said.

A private members bill can be introduced by any member of Parliament who is not a minister. PTI JTR GVSDays after the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorists stormed the CRPF group centre in Pulwama and killed 5 jawans, the security forces claim to have decoded the mode of attack.

The fidayeens were armed with Kalashnikovs and Under-barrel Grenade Launchers (UBGL) during the December 31 attack. The bullets used by these terrorists were Armour Piercing (AP), which can pierce body armour. The rounds proved fatal for one CRPF personnel as the bullet pierced his bulletproof shield.

Armour Piercing bullet Armour Piercing bullet

While it was reported that "Such bullets have been used by terrorists for the first time in India", CRPF DG RR Bhatnagar confirmed it wasn't the first instance.The same bullets, said Bhatnagar, were used in another encounter on the District Police Line (DPL) Pulwama. At least 8 jawans had lost their lives in the encounter.

"AP bullet is being used leading to penetration of the improvised ballistic shield," said a source, effectively meaning that the bullet had pierced the bullet proof jacket.

We are aware about the bullet piercing the shield. It is now being examined by ballistic experts in Delhi, said the DG while adding that the same is being simultaneously studied by the Jammu and Kashmir Police as well.

White gypsy from August 2017 attack White gypsy from August 2017 attack

CRPF Inspector General, Ravideep Shahi, confirmed that in both instances, armour piercing bullets were used. "In the CRPF camp attack, the shield was pierced only because the bullet was fired from close range. In August 2017, three bullets were fired from the AK, two on the sides and one right on the gate, but the bullets did not penetrate the vehicle." Shahi, who was inside the vehicle, was shot from a distance of 800 metres in the August 2017 Pulwama encounter. The recent Lethpora attack was from a close range, which sources in the security force now see as security hazard.

"There is level four protection but in this case we are still in process of upgrading the level of security," he said.

The IG mentioned that as a step to enhance safety measures, CRPF has already been provided the new light weight bullet proof jackets. "Thenew bullet-proof jackets have been distributed while some are still on its way to Kashmir. Similarly, the force is processing bullet-proof vehicles as well," said Shahi.High level sources also indicate that there has been anxiety about Lethapora Camp being under terror radar. The officer said that though there is an audit done internally and by an external agency about security of the parameter, the headquarter could have given them advice on sprucing up security in a better way. Defending the soldiers, the top officer said, "The CRPF men fought valiantly. There is always scope for better security grid."

Since the death of Burhan Wani, security forces have had two tough years 2016 and 2017. But the force believes 2018 will be no different and their aim is to be prepared in a better manner.

While the CRPF looks to plug in loopholes, Jaish has reinvented its strategy using IEDs. The force suspects that Saturday's attack, which claimed lives of four cops, will be part of series of attacks unleashed by the Pak-based terror organisation.

Jaish sources have hired IED experts which will help the terror organisations hit out at security forces with lethal strike without indulging in stray grenade attacks or suicide or fidayeen attacks.

ALSO WATCH | Pulwama encounter: Shocking details reveal that CRPF were warned about the impending attackIn the end, it didn't quite break the record for Sydney's hottest day, but that was hardly cool comfort for Penrith residents who sweltered through 47.3-degree temperatures on Sunday.

On a scorching day that saw international tennis cancelled and residents flock to the beach in droves, the Bureau of Meteorology also felt the heat after mistakenly announcing it as metropolitan Sydney's hottest day.

That record still stands - a now-closed Richmond weather station recorded 47.8C in 1939.Dakar: Gunmen shot dead 13 people and wounded seven others on Saturday in the forest of Senegal's southern region of Casamance, the army said.

It was not clear who was responsible or what the motive was for the attack on a group of civilians searching for firewood near the town of Borofaye and about 10 kilometres from the Guinea Bissau border, said army spokesman Abdoul Ndiaye.

Senegal's President Macky Sall. Credit:AP

The area is home to separatist rebels who in 1982 formed what is now one of Africa's oldest rebellions in their search for independence from northern Senegal.

The Movement of Democratic Forces for Casamance is active in the area of southern Senegal, which is separated from the more affluent north by Gambia.Dalit groups protesting at Thane railway station during the Maharashtra Bandh earlier this week following clashes between two groups in Bhima Koregaon near Pune. (Photo: PTI)

Hundreds of Dalit community members today took to streets in Rajasthan's Dholpur district in protest against the violence perpetrated in Maharashtra's Bhima Koregaon area on January 1.

Agitators took out the protest march from several main arterial roads of Dholpur while indulging in sloganeering against the Maharashtra government.

"In 1818, there was a battle between the Mahars and Peshwas in which the former emerged victorious. To celebrate the 200th anniversary of the win, members of the Bahujan community had gathered in Bhima-Koregaon area. They were attacked in a planned manner under the leadership of Sambhaji Bhide. Petrol bombs were hurled and stones were pelted in which thousands of people sustained injuries. Several people were killed, at least 45 vehicles were destroyed and the loss incurred was worth over lakhs," Mangilal Arya, Dalit community leader, said.

After the protest march, members of the community submitted a memorandum addressed to President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding high-level inquiry into the violence.

They also demanded financial assistance of Rs 20 lakh for the kin of the deceased and Rs 5 lakh for the injured.

According to the agitators, they were celebrating the 200th anniversary of the victory of Mahars over the Peshwas on January 1 in Maharashthra's Bhima-Koregaon area when the saffron clad indulged in violence and attacked unarmed people.

"We have submitted a memorandum addressed to the President stating our demands. We have requested the President to provide an aid of Rs 20 lakh to the kin of those who lost their lives. We have also mentioned in the memorandum that at least one person from the family of the deceased be offered government job. All of us want immediate action against the culprit. We have sent the memorandum through the district collector," added Arya.

ALSO WATCH | Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani questions Prime Minister Modi's silence on Bhima Koregaon violenceA yogic symbol made popular by Rajinikanth may well be seen by the superstars fans as his calling card, but has got a young startup all worked up.

The hand position that the actor-and-would-be politician is known for is often likened to "apana mudra", a yoga finger and palm posture.

And now, Mumbai's Voxweb, an 18-month-old social networking app, says that it is similar to its logo.

"If another company or brand has a similar logo, it will not matter much. But social media and political parties have quite a few similar traits - they have mass adoption, they are really close to their user base and so on. This creates a conflict," Voxweb founder Yash Mishra said.

The mudra is seen by Rajinikanth's legion of followers as his trademark gesture, ever since he raised two fingers and folded two in his 2002 film Baba.

The actor holds the two middle fingers down with his thumb and raises the little and index fingers in a broad way.

The symbol figured prominently on the stage at a series of meetings addressed by the mega star recently. Fans also carried placards with the hand symbol.

Voxweb, Mishra said, has a similar brand logo, but with the thumb left free.

"Social media platforms are being accused of favouring political parties during elections and using their algorithms to promote that kind of content. People are already asking us if we are favouring Rajnikanth's outfit or if we have any common investors," Mishra told PTI.

The startup has written to the actor over the issue, but is yet to hear from him. There was no response to messages sent by PTI to the stars publicity team.

Asked what measures he planned to take to save his logo from the Rajini juggernaut, Mishra said his moves would depend on the new political outfit's reactions.

"We are open to suggestions and would ask them to make some alterations. All that we have to say is there is absolutely no relationship between the company and the party or its ideology," he said.

Rajinikanth had said last month that he would soon launch a political party in Tamil Nadu.

ALSO WATCH | The Rajini roundtable: Can Thalaiva become the CM in 2021?Proposed Paducah Ordinance Unfair, Unnecessary

By Richard Nelson, Commonwealth Policy Center

Paducah wasn't the first city to consider an ordinance change in the past year. Bardstown, Georgetown and Bowling Green also considered changes to their laws but local leaders rejected the proposals when they learned how such ordinances have been used to hurt others.

Advocates of the ordinance make it sound like Paducah is in dire need of an ordinance protecting sexual orientation and gender identity. However, the SOGI ordinance raises more questions than anything.





Why is the ordinance necessary? How many documented cases of sexual orientation or gender identity discrimination are there in Paducah? Could it punish business owners who refuse to materially participate through their products or services in gay weddings? Does this ordinance protect crossdressing in the workplace? Would it affect restrooms and locker rooms at parks and other properties owned by the city? How about public schools?





Troubling questions, certainly. But they deserve answers.





Paducah has yet to document a single case of such discrimination based on sexual orientation. In fact, such laws have been used across the country to punish florists, photographers and bakers like Jack Phillips, a Colorado bakery owner whose religious convictions prevented him from baking a cake for a gay wedding. The U.S. Supreme Court recently heard his case.





A Lexington SOGI law is being used to punish Blaine Adamson for refusing to print T-shirts for a gay pride event because it promoted a message contrary to his religious beliefs. This case is now being heard by the Kentucky Supreme Court, which brings us to this question: why would the Paducah City Commission push ahead with a controversial ordinance when the issue is being litigated at both the state and federal level?





SOGI ordinances make a minefield of a company's hiring and employment termination process. Here's how: if an openly homosexual or transgender employee is fired for poor job performance, they can simply claim sexual orientation discrimination, bring it before the Human Rights Commission and tie up an employers valuable time and resources on scurrilous claims. How is this fair?





When it comes to hiring, private sexual behavior becomes an issue by forcing employers to somehow consider a prospective employees sexuality. Consider that an employer cannot be sure of every applicant's sexual orientation or gender identity unless they specifically ask. And why should they ask, unless the law makes it an issue? It's a catch 22 and could be entirely avoided by keeping an individual's private sex life out of the interview process.





Some have argued that the ordinance would not affect religious organizations. However, SOGI laws have been used to threaten pastors operating in pastoral capacity outside a nonprofit church facility. Consider Idaho Pastors Donald and Evelyn Knapp who were prosecuted under a SOGI ordinance in 2014 for refusing to marry a homosexual couple in their for-profit wedding chapel in Couer dAlene, Idaho. Clearly, recent history indicates that SOGI laws bring trouble to a community.





There will be claims that opposition to the SOGI ordinance will hurt the LGBT community. Truth is, one can be for an individual and respect their humanity without embracing and agreeing with all their personal choices. SOGI laws unfortunately allow no room for such distinctions. Since this is the case, Paducah City Commissioners should reject this inherently dangerous and divisive proposal.



Richard Nelson is the executive director of the Commonwealth Policy Center. He resides in Cadiz with his wife and children.



PADUCAH, KY -Paducah's City Commission will vote this Tuesday to modify the human rights ordinance to include sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) language. The idea is to protect members of the LGBT community from unjust discrimination in areas of housing, employment and public accommodations. Who's for unjust discrimination anyway?Sims Seeks Another Term as McCracken Jailer

By West Kentucky Star Staff

MCCRACKEN COUNTY, KY - McCracken County Jailer Dan Sims is seeking another term in office.

Sims filed his candidacy papers Friday in McCracken County. Sims, who has served as jailer for the last 22 years, says his first priority has and always will be the safety of his employees, inmates, and the citizens of McCracken County.

Sims says his goals are better pay for employees, promotions from within based on seniority and evaluations of all job performance.

Three others have filed in the jailer's race, David Knight, Paula Riley and Tonya Ray. The deadline to file is Jan. 30.Escaped Inmate Arrested in Graves County

By West Kentucky Star Staff

GRAVES COUNTY, KY - Police have located and arrested an escaped inmate from the Marshall County Detention Center.

Kentucky State Police, with assistance from the Graves County Sheriffs Department, arrested 27-year-old Jeremy Meadows of Water Valley on Saturday. He was found hiding in a closet at a home on Highway 408 East in Graves County.

Meadows was taken into custody and charged with 2nd degree escape. He was lodged in the Graves County Jail.

Meadows walked away from a work detail on Dec. 7. Surveillance cameras captured him getting into a vehicle and fleeing the area. Troopers later arrested 44-year-old Tammy Lamb after locating the vehicle at a home on Ledbetter Road in Calloway County. Lamb was charged with second degree escape.Winter Weather Advisory SE Missouri, Southern IL

By National Weather Service

PADUCAH, KY - The National Weather Service office in Paducah continues a special weather statement for the possibility of some freezing on cold roadways Sunday afternoon as rain moves into the region.Meteorologists expect a solid area of precipitation will overspread the region from west to east through Sunday night. A brief period of light snow or sleet may be possible at the onset especially in southern Illinois, but it should quickly become all rain.Temperatures are above freezing throughout the area, but road temperatures may still be cold enough for the potential for some icing in some locations.A winter weather advisory in southeast Missouri from noon til midnight, and in southern Illinois north of Carbondale from 6pm today until 6am Monday could see up to a tenth of an inch of ice or freezing rain. Elsewhere a possible brief wintry mix will become rain into the evening.Confidence in the impact of cold road temperatures on the freezing potential is quite low at this time. Please stay tuned to the National Weather Service in Paducah Kentucky for the latest forecasts and statements on any potential winter precipitation or freezing.NEW IAM BUILDING DEDICATED TO DAVID COOK

NEW INTERFAITH CRISIS CENTER LOCATED OFF JACK STREET

Interfaith Assistance Ministry officials today dedicated its new $3-million crisis services center in honor of David R. Cook, the retired executive director of the 34-year-old nonprofit.

Lynn Pope, immediate past president of IAMs board of directors, presented a bronze plaque honoring Cook.

Cook led IAM for 17 years and oversaw the capital campaign for the 17,500-square-foot facility at 310 Freeman St., Hendersonville.

The nonprofit helps thousands of local residents facing a financial crisis with a hand up each year.

IAM helps struggling Henderson County residents with vouchers for utility bills, heating fuel, rent, prescriptions, transportation, budget counseling, an action plan and provides food, clothing, blankets and linens free of charge.

Financial donations can be sent to IAM at P.O. Box 2562, Hendersonville, NC 28793, or donate online, visit www.iamhendersoncounty.org.

To volunteer, call 828-679-7029.Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone returned to the country last night after a romantic getaway in Maldives, where the rumoured couple rang in the New Year together. It is being said that Ranveer and Deepika's families also accompanied them; in fact, speculation was rife that the couple will make the most of this holiday and get engaged.

Although it looks like the engagement rumours were false, SpotboyE reports that Ranveer's parents showered Deepika with lavish gifts on her birthday (on January 5). A source told the publication, "Deepika was gifted an expensive diamond set and a Sabyasachi sari by Ranveer's family. Her happiness knew no bounds. This was indeed a special occasion for the actress."

Incidentally, Deepika's father Prakash Padukone had already given his consent to their relationship. When Ranveer called his daughter "marriage material" on a chat show, the former badminton player said, "As a father, I have given Deepika the freedom to take her own decisions. Even in this case, she is free to decide whatever she wants to do."

On the work front, Ranveer and Deepika will be seen next in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's period drama Padmavati, which is reportedly set to hit the screens as 'Padmavat' on January 26.By Lalit K Jha

Washington, Jan 7 (PTI) Amid increased bonhomie between Russia and Pakistan, the White House believes that Moscow does not have a great influence on Islamabad, a senior Trump Administration official has said.

"I dont particularly believe that there is a great deal of influence that Russia is asserting (over Pakistan) even though I do acknowledge they have a better relationship than they had five years ago," a senior administration official has said.

The official was responding to questions on the recent increase in relationship between Russia and Pakistan and how much influence it has over Islamabad.

"But Russia as of now does not have a great deal of influence over Pakistan, with which its ties is relatively new," the official said who on condition of anonymity.

"I think the Russia-Pakistan relationship is still something relatively new," the senior administration official said noting that Pakistan, being an independent country is making its own assessment and doing what it considers is in its own interests.

However, the official said that the Russian thinking that the Taliban can help fight ISIS is a flawed approach.

Most of the US soldiers who perished last year were in operations against ISIS in Afghanistan.

"So we take threat (from ISIS) very seriously. That brings me to Russia. Yes, we see Russia and Pakistan having better relations and they have had in the past. We also see Russia asserting unhelpful propaganda trying to say we created ISIS and support ISIS," the official said.

ISIS is a threat to Pakistan. And we see Pakistan seeking to deal with the ISI threat. This is an area where we would like to cooperate with Pakistan," the official added. PTI LKJ AJRTrump fatigue and voter outrage could lead to big changes in the mid-term elections this year in Washington, DC and in Wisconsin.New Delhi, Jan 7 (PTI) Solar power tariff fall seems to have bottomed out and may not drop beyond an all-time low of Rs 2.44 per unit in absence of well structured bids and rising solar panel prices on demand pressure.

The solar power tariff fell to an all-time low of Rs 2.44 per unit in May last year during an auction for 500 MW capacities at Bhadla (IV) in Rajasthan. It had the viability gap funding component, as per the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy data.

According to data, the solar tariff rose to Rs 3.47 per unit for 1,500 MW capacities in Tamil Nadu under a state scheme in July and then dropped again to Rs 2.66 per unit in an auction for 500 MW capacities in Gujarat.

In an auction of state-run power giant NTPC for 250 MW capacity, the tariff was Rs 3.14 per unit. But it dropped again with viability gap funding to Rs 2.47 per unit and Rs 2.48 per unit for 500 MW Bhadla-III and 250 MW Bhadla-IV auctions in December 2017.

"High global demand has pushed up prices of solar modules. Also, the recent bids are not that well structured as previous ones and bidders are factoring that risk in," said Kameswara Rao partner (energy and utilities) PricewaterhouseCoopers said.

Many experts are also of the view that solar tariff has bottomed out and may not fall further.

During 2017, solar power tariff hovered around Rs 2.4 per unit level only in auctions for capacities, where viability gap funding component was there.

Earlier last year in April, the tariff was Rs 3.15 per unit in an auction for 250 MW capacities in Andhra Pradesh.

Similarly, the tariff was Rs 2.97 per unit in an auction for 750 MW capacities in Madhya Pradesh in February last year. But the levelised tariff in the case was Rs 3.30 per unit.

Therefore, the reasonable solar tariff on basis of data available with the ministry was around Rs 3 per unit. It fell sharply only when viability gap funding component was there. PTI KKS MKJWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI)  The city of West Lafayette is getting closer to adding an indoor aquatics and recreational center.

The facility is now in the initial stages of planning.

The West Lafayette community is excited about the healthy trend that the city is promoting. Plans are to break ground on the new building at the corner of Kalberer and Salisbury in West Lafayette.

The city is looking for feedback on how to design the building from the public. Dennis said they are coming into this project with the community in mind.

"So it's a community-driven project," said Dennis. "So the more information we get the better empowered we're going to be to make a decision that's going to be acceptable to the most people."

Purdue student Alex Smith said this will be a great resource for folks who have run out of other options on campus.

"We'll like every Wednesday go and play wallyball, and it's no longer an option for people that have graduated," said Smith.

Dennis said he's leaving everything open for opinion on this project.

"What they would like the facility to look like, and maybe the size of the pool," said Dennis. "Maybe other amenities within the facility and move forward from there."

City officials hope to break ground on the rec center within the next year. They hope to be finished with the project by 2020.(EDS: Correcting typo in headline)

Hyderabad, Jan 6 (PTI) Eminent agriculture scientist M S Swaminathan has appreciated the Telangana government for supplying power 24 hours a day to farmers in the state.

"I am very happy to see your announcement that Telangana will provide farmers with 24/7 power supply. This will be a great boon to the farmers particularly since Telangana is by and large a dry farming state," Swaminathan wrote in a letter addressed to state Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.

The letter added that "crop life saving irrigation is vital for the success of agriculture." The letter was released to the media here today.

The Telangana government began supplying 24/7 free power to farmers since January 1 this year. PTI SJR BNM BNM



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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A young woman from New York filed a lawsuit after a police officer allegedly asked her to lift up her shirt and show him her huge breasts, according to court documents.

25-year-old Jasmine Campbell of Brooklyn said that she is being harassed by police officers all the time because they want to see her 36DD breasts.

In one incident, she and her friend were driving when Officer Javier Munoz pulled them over.

Munoz ordered Campbell to get out of her car with her hands up in the air.

After following the officers instructions, Munoz asked Campbell whether she wanted to give him a hug.

Campbell declined.

Munoz then asked her whether she would lift her shirt and show him her breasts in exchange for not getting arrested.

When Campbell said no, Munoz arrested her.

Campbell was charged with resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration, and criminal possession of marijuana.

The charges were later dropped by the District Attorneys Office.

Campbell filed a lawsuit against the city, the police officer, and the police department.

She is demanding $2 million for her trouble.

Munoz and the City of New York have denied any wrongdoing.

However, the city offered the woman $2,500 but she rejected the money.A married police chief admitted that his life was totally over after being caught trying to meet a young girl for sex, according to police in Pennsylvania.

Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced charges against 40-year-old Michael W. Diebold, who was the Leechburg Chief of Police in Armstrong County.

Diebold was charged with unlawful contact with a minor and criminal attempt to commit involuntary deviate sexual intercourse.

Diebold of Forks Church Road was arrested for soliciting sex from an undercover agent from the Attorney Generalas Office, who posed as a 14-year-old girl online.

aThis case is particularly heinous because the perpetrator is a public official, who swore to serve and protect the community,a Shapiro said.

aWe have a zero-tolerance policy for the sexual abuse of children and my office will prosecute any offender to the fullest extent of the law, no matter who they are,a Shapiro added.

The undercover agent told Diebold he was a 14-year-old girl on multiple occasions.

The undercover agent reached out to Diebold after he posted an ad, looking to have sex with a woman of any age, race, or status.

Diebold sent inappropriate pictures to the undercover agent and solicited the girl for unlawful sexual contact.

He then made plans to meet the undercover agent.

Upon arriving at the designated meeting location in Westmoreland County, Diebold was taken into custody without incident by agents with the Child Predator Section.

While being taken into custody, Diebold allegedly admitted that he knew having sex with a 14-year-old girl was illegal and wrong.

He also said: my life is totally over.

Diebold was booked into the Westmoreland County Prison and his bail has been set at $500,000.North Wales councils launch multi-million pound Growth Bid for the region

This article is old - Published: Sunday, Jan 7th, 2018

A Growth Bid that could create thousands of jobs and pump millions into the region, has been submitted to the UK and Welsh Governments

Wrexham Council, along with the five local authorities across the region, have formed a new body, The North Wales Growth Board, to finalise the Growth Deal and manage its delivery once agreed with the two Governments.

The new body is a Local Authority Joint Committee with representatives of key partners: the North Wales and Mersey Dee Business Council, universities and further education colleges.

Negotiations on the submission will commence this year and if successful, the proposals would enable investment of 1.3billion in the North Wales economy from growth deal monies of 328m capital and 55.4m revenue, totalling 383.4m, a return of 3.40 for every pound spent.

Over 5,000 jobs will be created. Other outcomes are being estimated and will include the creation of new businesses, housing units built, including affordable housing and placing workless households into work.

The funds for the Growth Bid, if approved, will be provided jointly by the UK and Welsh Governments.

Cllr. Aaron Shotton, Chair of the North Wales Growth Board said: I am delighted to announce the formal launch of the North Wales Growth Bid with my fellow Council Leaders and the representatives of our key partners in Business, Higher Education and Further Education.

We have delivered our outline proposals to Guto Bebb MP, UK Government Minister for Wales and Ken Skates AM, Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport in the Welsh Government.

We have set up a Shadow Joint Committee which will be called the North Wales Growth Board. The new board thanks the members of the North Wales Economic Ambition Board for their contribution to building the platform for a credible and ambitious Growth Bid over the past 18 months.

We are in the process of appointing a bid development team to work up detailed business cases to the standards required by effective delivery. We mean to do what we say.

Our proposals have been developed in partnership with the private sector, our universities, (Bangor and Wrexham Glyndwr) and our Further Education Colleges, (Cambria and Grwp Llandrillo Menai). We have had support and encouragement from the UK and Welsh Governments, our Assembly Members and Members of Parliament. It has been a genuine team effort to get to this point.

North Wales is a united and ambitious region. We aim to develop a new, more prosperous, innovative and productive economy that is smart, connected and resilient and provides opportunities for better employment across the whole region.

Cllr. Dyfrig Siencyn, Vice Chair of the Growth Board added: The Growth Bid is only one part of our Growth Vision. We will continue to press for improved transport links outside of the Growth Bid. We will campaign for the Department of Transport to fund improved rail infrastructure and the Welsh Government to fund improved rail services.

We will work with the Welsh Government to deliver a North Wales Metro and an improved road network.

Our proposals will also sit alongside UK and Welsh Government programmes to improve digital and wireless connectivity in the region.

The Growth Bid taken together with support from governments to improve transport and digital connectivity will drive economic growth, ensure a fair distribution of benefits across the region and help retain young people in the region.

There is a lot of hard work and tough negotiations ahead of us before we can finalise a growth deal with the two governments.

The work we have done so far through the Bid Process has given us momentum, unity and a determination to succeedLondon, Jan 7 (PTI) Taking paracetamol - an over-the- counter treatment for pain relief - during pregnancy may impair the fertility of female offspring, a study has warned.

Researchers reviewed three separate rodent studies that report altered development in the reproductive systems of female offspring from mothers given paracetamol during pregnancy, which may impair their fertility in adulthood.

Paracetamol, or acetaminophen, is commonly taken by pregnant women worldwide.

Recent studies have linked paracetamol use during pregnancy with disruptions in the development of the male reproductive system but the effects on female offspring had not yet been investigated.

David Kristensen and colleagues from Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark, reviewed findings from three individual rodent studies that evaluated the effects of paracetamol taken during pregnancy on the development of the reproductive system in female offspring.

In rodents and humans, females are born with a finite number of eggs for reproduction in the future.

In these reviewed studies, rodents given paracetamol during pregnancy, at doses equivalent to those that a pregnant woman may take for pain relief, produced female offspring with fewer eggs.

This means that in adulthood, they have fewer eggs available for fertilisation, which may reduce their chances of successful reproduction, particularly as they get older.

"Although this may not be a severe impairment to fertility, it is still of real concern since data from three different labs all independently found that paracetamol may disrupt female reproductive development in this way, which indicates further investigation is needed to establish how this affects human fertility," said Kristensen.

Although there are parallels between rodent and human reproductive development, these findings have yet to be firmly established in humans.

"As scientists, we are not in the positon to make any medical recommendations and we would urge pregnant women in pain to consult with their general practitioner, midwife or pharmacist for professional advice," said Kristensen. PTI MHN MHNA day of airstrikes in the Syrian enclave of Eastern Ghouta killed at least 17 civilians and damaged 10 medical facilities, according to groups working in the region.

The White Helmets volunteer rescue group reported dozens of airstrikes in the area on Saturday, saying that four children were among the dead and 40 more people were injured.

It said government airstrikes, backed by Russian air power, had begun nine days ago. The latest strikes come as the government steps up its offensive against the country's last rebel-held areas.

A resident in Eastern Ghouta told CNN that airstrikes and shelling were continuing Sunday, adding that he heard four airstrikes in the space of 10 hours.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitor of the conflict, also reported the death toll of 17, adding that Syrian and Russian aircraft had targeted several residential areas. The monitor said that a coalition of rebels and jihadists had surrounded the only Syrian-regime base in the enclave several days ago.

Video provided by the White Helmets shows rescuers digging through mounds of rubble to reach a man, and in a separate video, they dig to recover a little girl.

In other footage, residents are heard screaming as they try to escape heavily damaged buildings, and the injured are seen being laid on stretchers and loaded into the back of vans to be taken away for treatment.

10 medical facilities hit

But treatment now is becoming increasingly difficult to find in Eastern Ghouta, and other areas where rebel groups are still trying to hold ground.

At least 10 medical facilities, including a crucial women and children's hospital, have also been hit by airstrikes and artillery shelling over a nine-day period in Eastern Ghouta, and the provinces of Idlib and Hama, the Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations said, calling the attacks "sickening and unacceptable."

The UN said that the women and children's hospital in Idlib, the largest-remaining rebel-held area, had been repeatedly taken out of service.

"For the third time in less than a week, the Maternity and Pediatric Hospital in Ma'arrat An Nu'man... (Idlib) had been damaged and taken out-of-service. Such actions are utterly unacceptable and must stop," wrote UNOCHA, which coordinates the humanitarian response in Syria, on Twitter Saturday.

Eastern Ghouta, Idlib and Hama have all been designated "de-escalation zones" as part of an agreement brokered by Russia, Turkey and Iran aimed to reduce violence in remaining rebel-held territory for at least six months. Fighting and airstrikes in those areas violate a truce proposed by Russia, which was accepted by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in November.

Rebels took full control of Idlib province, which borders Turkey, in 2015.

Violence erupted in Eastern Ghouta, which sits on the outskirts of the Syrian capital, Damascus, several weeks ago, and airstrikes have resumed there.

Eastern Ghouta area was seized by rebel groups after the Syrian civil war erupted with the Arab Spring, but it has been besieged by government forces since 2013.

The regime's chokehold on the enclave has led to a desperate humanitarian situation there, with the government repeatedly refusing aid into the area or to allow civilians to easily leave.

In late December, however, the government allowed more than 80 people to leave Eastern Ghouta to be taken to hospitals in Damascus for medical treatment, in a one-off people swap deal, in which prisoners were swapped for critically ill civilians.

A critically ill six-month old baby died while waiting to be evacuated, according to Mohamad Katoub, advocacy manager for the Syrian American Medical Society.Investigative reporter Carl Bernstein says the task of reporting on President Trump's fitness for office is a challenge for journalists.

"We're in a real constitutional crisis, in an unprecedented place, where we as a country and where we as journalists, have never been before, in which a huge part of the citizenry of our country and the leadership of the country in Congress, privately and in public, openly question the fitness and stability of the president of the United States," Bernstein told CNN's Brian Stelter on "Reliable Sources" Sunday.

He added: "So it raises a great question: How do we report on this reality?"

Bernstein, a CNN contributor, urged journalists to dig in to the topic. While he suggested that all outlets should report on the issue, he also singled out the conservative Fox News -- the president's favorite channel.

"This is a great challenge for Fox News because they have the kind of credibility with Republicans in Congress that perhaps other news organizations don't have," Bernstein said. "This is a chance to show that they can be fair and balanced."

Questions about Trump's fitness for office have been circulating for months. One Democratic member of Congress even introduced a bill that would use the 25th Amendment of the Constitution to create a "body" to determine whether Trump is unable to do his job.

The amendment establishes procedures for replacing the President or Vice President in the event of death, removal, resignation or incapacitation.

Bernstein has said for months that many people privately question Trump's ability to serve. He said Sunday that he has talked to "many Republicans in Congress."

Discussion about the topic exploded last week after the release of Michael Wolff's new book, "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House." It paints the president as someone who neither knows nor cares about policy and doesn't seem to perceive the vast responsibilities of his role.

Related: Bernstein says this is the Trump story reporters need to cover

Some details in the book have been corroborated, while others have been debunked. CNN has not independently verified all the book's details.

Trump allies staunchly deny that questions about Trump's mental fitness hold any merit.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said last week that such questions are "disgraceful and laughable." Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said he's "never questioned" the president's mental fitness.

Trump took to Twitter on Saturday in his own defense. He said he's a "very stable genius" who is "like, really smart."

Bernstein -- who is best known for partnering with Bob Woodward to report on the Watergate scandal that toppled President Richard Nixon in the 1970s -- said reporters need to start talking to members of Congress about their personal views on the subject.

Related: Trump tweets, I'm a 'very stable genius'

"All of these news organizations need to be flooding the Hill with reporters who ask every single Republican member of the House and Senate, what do you really think?" he said. "And come back to the American people as viewers and readers with what their reporting shows."

Indira Lakshmanan, the ethics chair at the Poynter Institute, a journalism advocacy group, agreed that it is a worthwhile subject. But she also cautioned that it can be "politicized."

"How do you write it in a way so that you don't fall into the president's so-called 'enemies of the people' trap?" she asked, adding that it's important for journalists to tackle the topic in a "clear-eyed way."INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - A group of Indiana health and business organizations are pushing for a repeal of some legal protections given to smokers.

The Indianapolis Business Journal reports that the Alliance for a Healthier Indiana wants to get rid of state law that bans employers from screening job candidates for tobacco use.

The group supports a bill introduced by Republican Sen. Liz Brown of Fort Wayne to repeal the 1991 law. The measure would allow companies to require employees to stop using tobacco products, even when not on the clock.

The Indiana Chamber of Commerce says smoking is the only voluntary action that state law protects during the hiring process.

Indiana is among more than 20 states that have smoker-protection laws. Some Indiana employers complain that smokers raise their insurance costs.

Information from: Indianapolis Business Journal, http://www.ibj.com

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.A group of 11 Saudi princes was arrested Thursday after staging a sit-in at a palace in Riyadh, the kingdom's attorney general said Saturday.

The princes were protesting a recent royal order that "halted payments by the state to members of the royal family to cover their electricity and water utility bills," Sheikh Saud Al Mojeb said in a statement.

They also want compensation for the 2016 state execution of a cousin who was convicted of murder, the statement said.

Authorities had told the princes their demands were unlawful, but they refused to leave and public peace and order was disrupted, the attorney general said.

The princes were being detained at Al-Hayer prison south of Riyadh, the capital, pending trial.

"No one is above the law in Saudi Arabia. Everyone is equal and is treated the same as others," the statement said.

Two months ago, authorities arrested dozens of royals, businessmen and senior government officials as a part of a corruption crackdown. Those detained included the former head of the royal court, Khaled Al-Tuwaijri, and Saudi media mogul Waleed Al-Ibrahim.

The investigation is being overseen by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who was appointed head of a new anti-corruption committee hours before the arrests began November 4.

The royal decree said the committee was needed "due to the propensity of some people for abuse, putting their personal interest above public interest, and stealing public funds" and will "trace and combat corruption at all levels," according to the release.

More than 200 people were questioned at one point, officials said then. One of the people who was questioned and released was son of the late King Abdullah, Prince Miteb. An undisclosed financial settlement was agreed upon. The government said at the time it expected to release more people as other settlements were reached.

Saudi officials estimate that corruption and embezzlement has cost the kingdom at least $100 billion over decades.

The crown prince has already introduced sweeping changes including subsidy cuts, new taxes and the lifting of a controversial ban on women driving.

Also this week, King Salman announced new cost-of-living allowances for military personnel, government employees and students, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported.

Government employees will receive a monthly cost-of-living allowance of 1,000 riyals ($266) for one year. Military personnel serving in the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen will receive a payout of 5,000 riyals ($1,333).

The decree also increases the stipend for students by 10% for one year and increases retirement allowances, the SPA reported.The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) which manages the famous hill shrine of Lord Venkateshwara in Tirumala of Andhra Pradesh has issued notices to 44 non-Hindu employees asking them to submit their explanation before removing them.

Till the year 1989, there was no restriction on recruitment process in TTD, but between 1989 to 2007, the recruitment of persons professing Hindu religion was implied only to non-teaching category.

However, after the amended rule of 2007, non-Hindus can't be employed in either teaching or non-teaching categories of TTD.

The rationale behind this amendment is that Tirumala Tirupati does not allow anyone from 'alien faith' inside the temple without making a signed declaration that they believe in the deity Lord Balaji.

Recently, the TTD vigilance and enforcement head Ake Ravi Krishna submitted a report which found that 44 non-Hindu men and women were working in different wings of the temple.

"Among them, 39 were recruited between 1989-2007. Majority of them are employed under compassionate category while some Nominal Muster Rolls escalated to regularisation," said executive officer Anil Kumar Singhal.

Now TTD is planning to deploy them to other Andhra Pradesh government departments in the equivalent cadres and scales.

The board that manages the world's richest Hindu shrine is also preparing to make wearing 'Thiru Namam' (a mark on middle of the forehead having thin vertical vermilion line in middle surrounded by a U shape white clay line) mandatory for all its employees.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-07 00:30:34|Editor: Zhou Xin

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Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi (R) shakes hands with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita during a meeting on Jerusalem in Amman, Jordan, on Jan. 6, 2018. King Abdullah II of Jordan on Saturday called for intensified Arab efforts to support the Palestinians following a decision by U.S. President Donald Trump recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the state-run Petra news agency reported. In a press conference following a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Amman, Jordanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi reiterated the Arabs' rejection of the U.S. decision. (Xinhua/Mohammad Abu Ghosh)

AMMAN, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- King Abdullah II of Jordan on Saturday called for intensified Arab efforts to support the Palestinians following a decision by U.S. President Donald Trump recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the state-run Petra news agency reported.

At a meeting with several Arab foreign ministers, the king said there was a need for more efforts to support the rights of the Palestinians in preserving their legal and historic rights in Jerusalem and in creating their independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The Jordanian leader said the issue of Jerusalem should be settled through negotiations and as part of a lasting peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis based on the two-state solution, the international resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.

He underlined the need for supporting the Jerusalemites and protecting the Arabic identity of the city as well as the holy Islamic and Christian sites.

Jordan, he said, will continue to safeguard the holy sites in the city.

Discussions also covered best means to face the consequences of the U.S. decision that violates international resolutions.

In a press conference following a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Amman, Jordanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi reiterated the Arabs' rejection of the U.S. decision.

Rejecting any Israeli unilateral measures, he said the Arabs will push for a global recognition of Palestine.

The minister added that the Arabs will exert more efforts to curb any further recognitions of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, adding that there will be no peace and security in the region without creating an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

"The situation is difficult and we are taking well-studied steps ... our message is that Arabs are committed to peace and that is through the two-state solution," said Safadi during the conference.

Arab League Secretary General Ahmad Aboul Gheit said during the conference that the Arab states made several successes at the Security Council and the UN General Assembly.

There are no options but to commit to peace and peace treaties, Aboul Gheit said, adding that the Arab foreign ministers discussed in their Amman meeting means to deal with the U.S. decision.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-07 06:46:28|Editor: Zhou Xin

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QUITO, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Ecuador's National Assembly on Saturday elected Maria Alejandra Vicuna to serve as the country's vice president, after her predecessor Jorge Glas was sentenced to six years in prison for corruption.

Vicuna, 39, was minister of Urban Development and Housing until President Lenin Moreno designated her to fill in as acting vice president in October.

Saturday's legislative session was attended by 106 lawmakers, out of a total of 137, and 70 voted in favor of Vicuna, one more than the needed legislative majority of 69.

Moreno had also submitted the names of Foreign Affairs Minister Maria Fernanda Espinoza and Justice Minister Rosana Alvarado to the assembly, but Vicuna, who has served in the public sector for 10 years, led the list.

Glas was accused of illicit association within the bribery scheme run by Brazilian construction firm, Odebrecht. The firm, which admitted to U.S. prosecutors to operating a multinational bribery operation, won five major public works contracts in Ecuador.A woman attends a commemoration event for the ill-fated Flight MH370 in Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur March 6, 2016. (Xinhua)

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian government has agreed to an offer by a U.S. exploration company to resume the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 on a "no cure, no fee" basis, Transportation Minister Liow Tiong Lai said Saturday.

The U.S. company, Ocean Infinity, said earlier this week that it was "hopeful of receiving the final contract award for the resumption of the search for MH370 over the coming days."

Liow told reporters on Saturday that the Malaysian government has agreed to resume the search. "Now we have approached Australia and China, and we are working together to resume the search for MH370," he said.

Liow confirmed that the search would be on "no cure, no fee" basis, adding that the contract would be finalized by next week.

Ocean Infinity said it was moving Seabed Constructor, the vessel that the company uses for the search, towards the vicinity of the possible search zone given that the weather window would be relatively narrow.

MH370, carrying 239 on board, went missing en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014.

The governments of Malaysia, Australia and China suspended the search operation in January 2017 after almost three years' efforts in a 120,000-square-km area in the Southern Indian Ocean failed to find any sign of the wreckage of the plane. But a report from the Australian Transport Safety Board released later in the year pointed to a new search area where the plane could be found.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-07 09:00:46|Editor: ZD

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Officers and soldiers take an oath during a mobilization meeting held by the Central Military Commission on Jan. 3, 2018. Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, issued an order at the mobilization meeting. (Xinhua/Li Gang)Workers arrange during the handover ceremony of China Aid Assembled Board House for displaced persons in Myanmar's Rakhine state in Yangon, Myanmar, Jan. 6, 2017.(Xinhua/U Aung)

YANGON, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- China on Saturday handed over to Myanmar authorities about 100 prefabricated houses for displaced persons in Myanmar's western Rakhine state at the Myanmar Industrial Port.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Chinese Ambassador Hong Liang pledged to continue China's assistance to the conflict-displaced people in the region.

China is also willing to help develop the Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone to boost the region's economy, he added.

The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) extremist terrorists launched coordinated attacks on police outposts in Rakhine on Aug. 25, displacing residents in Maungtaw area.

Union Minister for Construction U Win Khaing expressed his thanks to China for providing aid to Myanmar people.

Each assembled-board house can accommodate eight people and can be used for at least 20 years.

The houses can endure a 8.0-magnitude earthquake.

China also donated about 132 prefabricated houses for flood victims in the country in February 2016.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-07 10:37:00|Editor: Zhou Xin

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By Feng Yingqiu

YANGON, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar's Second Vice President U Henry Van Thio recently called for exploring sustainable tourism development plan, stressing the need to create new tourism routes and attractions and to combine innovation with its abundant natural resources to create more choice for tourists.

U Henry Van Thio, who is also Chairman of the Central Committee for the Development of the Natural Tourism Industry, urged for laying down systematic plan for developing the tourism sector.

"Despite the abundance of natural scenery and tourist attractions, the number of visitors to Myanmar still remained below expectation," he said.

While promoting Myanmar to the world as a place of interest, he emphasized the need to provide convenient and safe services and safe food to visitors.

He highlighted the points including the availability of visa-on-arrival, direct international flights and visa-free entry to nationals of targeted countries.

President of Myanmar Tourism Federation U Yan Win suggested that the government supply funds for tourism development, open border entrances and give visa exemption to visitors from member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as well as from China, Japan and South Korea.

According to statistics, more than 2.9 million foreign tourists visited Myanmar in 2016 and as of the end of October 2017, the figure stood at 3.1 million, an year-on-year increase of 20 percent.

Myanmar expects 3.5 million tourist arrivals in 2017.

In accordance with the theme of the world tourist organization of last year, which is "Sustainable Tourism -- a Toll for Development," Myanmar has adopted a policy of sustainable development of tourism.

Myeik Archipelago in southern Tanintharyi region, made up of more than 800 islands, is attractive for eco-tourism, such as hiking, bird watching, diving, trekking and snorkeling.

The visitors also used to enjoy sightseeing trips on luxury motor boats.

However, visitors are banned from touching natural coral reefs and taking the shells of sea snails.

According to the tourism authorities, nine local and foreign companies have been granted to build more hotels on 12 islands of Myeik, expecting 200 more hotel rooms to be added in the current open season.

Meanwhile, Myanmar's Tourism Federation has called for preserving Indawgyi Lake, the country's largest fresh water lake northernmost Kachin state, also a heaven for birds, to promote eco-tourism.

Visitors were exploring the area by boat or on hikes or bikes.

Myanmar is also striving for enlisting Bagan as one of the world's cultural heritages lying in the central part of the country with thousands of religious edifices and pagodas.

Cooperation is being made with intellectuals and technicians for the maintenance of Bagan, which has over 3,000 Buddhist temples, monasteries, stupas and monuments.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-07 11:07:05|Editor: Zhou Xin

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by Peter Mertz

DENVER, the United States, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- With the announcement this week that U.S. longest-serving Senate Republican Orrin Hatch will retire soon, political pundits weigh in on a major shift in the country's political landscape.

Utah, a large western state with a small population, is traditionally conservative with a history of producing famous national politicians including Hatch, who has been serving in the Senate for 41 years.

Hatch's announcement on Tuesday was no surprise, but when he named his successor, highly-regarded, former presidential candidate Mitt Romney - the profound differences between the two men took center stage.

"Romney had the character to stand up to (President Donald) Trump and denounce him as unfit to serve in the office of the presidency," policy analyst David Richardson told Xinhua Friday.

"Events have borne out his warnings, so he has a lot of credibility with voters," said Richardson, a Seattle lawyer who previously worked in the U.S. Congress.p Utah's politicians have been open, vocal critics of the president - except for Hatch - and political moderates from coast to coast hailed the political shift in Utah as indicative of future political cooperation.

"Romney will help bring the GOP back to the center where it belongs," said Republican strategist Al Rickard in Washington, D.C.

"Romney is younger and much more open to the outside world - not parochial like Hatch - and strong enough to stand his own ground rather than blowing like a weather vane in the political winds - as Hatch has done for his career," Richardson said.

The announcement is seen as a direct blow to Trump, who had asked retiring Hatch, 83, to stay on to block Romney's ascension.

"Trump hates Romney and he begged Hatch to stay on," said Colorado businessman Glenn Nemhauser. "This is definitely a shift in American conservative politics and bad news for the president."

Romney, 70, a former governor of Massachusetts, was his party's nominee against Democrat Barack Obama in the 2012 presidential election, losing by 51-47 percent of the vote.

"If Trump were ever impeached and stood trial in the Senate to be removed from office, Romney, given his unabashed criticisms of Trump's character, could not be counted on as a vote to retain Trump in office," Richardson said.

Hatch was a key player in Trump's decision to slash the size of Utah's Bears Ears National Monument protections by 80 percent last month - even handing the president a pen at the White House to sign the legislation.

That act inspired the wrath of a number of groups across America, including Native Americans, environmentalists, and even giant corporate businesses, who filed immediate lawsuits and are actively fighting the reversal of Obama era policies.

"Romney may think twice before giving up sacred Native American land for oil and gas exploration," Nemhauser told Xinhua.

"Trump's oil and gas drilling friends are already lining up to puncture a hole in the earth and destroy this beautiful, pristine area," said Loni Keppa of the Native American Sioux tribe.

"We hope and pray that Romney will be more moderate," Keppa told Xinhua, "toward preserving land sacred to Native American groups for thousands of years."

During most of his career, Hatch was seen as a traditional conservative who hammered out bipartisan compromises.

"None of that sort of detente today," Nemhauser said. "The Republican Party has shifted to the right and Hatch went along for the ride. Romney can't possibly be worse."Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-07 11:42:09|Editor: Mengjie

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WASHINGTON, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday that he is willing to talk with Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), and supports the talks between the two Koreas next week.

"I always believe in talking," Trump told reporters at the David Camp resort when asked whether he was willing to engage in phone talks with Kim right now. "Absolutely I would do that. No problem with that at all."

However, Trump added that any talks will come with prerequisites, saying, "We have a very firm stance."

Trump's remarks have shelved his often-bellicose rhetoric on Kim. Since he took office last January, the Trump administration has resorted to hawkish and threatening rhetoric against the DPRK, and sent warships and conducted joint military drills with South Korea.

Such moves, plus the DPRK's several missile or nuclear tests, have sent the situation on the Korean Peninsula to a simmering extent.

Among their numerous wars of words, Trump and Kim recently staged another one about their nuclear arsenals.

In a New Year's address, Kim said he has a "nuclear button" on his office desk and warned that "the whole territory of the United States is within the range of our nuclear strike."

Trump responded: "Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!"

Speaking of the coming talks between Pyongyang and Seoul, Trump said he hoped "it works out" and would "absolutely" love to see Pyongyang and Seoul take their conversation "beyond the Olympics."

"It's a start," he said, adding that "if something can happen and something can come out of those talks, that would be a great thing for all of humanity."

Trump also noted that "at the appropriate time, we'll get involved."

The DPRK on Friday agreed to hold senior-level and inter-governmental talks with South Korea on Tuesday. The hotline of direct dialogue between the two nations was reopened earlier this week for the first time in almost two years.

Signs of a thaw were seen on the Korean Peninsula as Kim said in his New Year's address that his country was willing to dispatch a delegation to the South Korea-hosted Winter Olympics set to kick off in February.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in agreed earlier this week with Trump that the two allies would not conduct the annual springtime war games during the Winter Olympics period.Tom Hanks' first short story collection is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get. Over the course of the 17 stories in Uncommon Type, a billionaire and his executive assistant go on a life-changing journey, a European immigrant tries to escape his country's violent past in New York City, and a man becomes a celebrity for his extraordinary bowling skills.

Also read: Haruki Murakami's latest short story collection is about life as it is lived

Through it all, you can't help but hear Hanks' voice in your head as you read each and every word written by the actor. Some protagonists, irrespective of their gender, seem to be an amalgamation of characters Hanks has played on screen over the years. Their mannerisms, their vocabulary and even the decisions they take have a Hanks-like idiosyncrasy to them.

Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks, Penguin Random House; Rs 599. Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks, Penguin Random House; Rs 599.

Coming to Hanks' idiosyncrasies, the one major quirk of the actor that stands out in the book is his fascination with typewriters. Each story features a typewriter - in small or big roles - and creates a common thread between the stories that endears the reader ever more to the actor-turned-writer.

Also read: JK Rowling is releasing 3 new Harry Potter short stories this September

On the whole, the stories aren't extraordinary, and Hanks' writing style isn't something to rave about either. But just like his films, there is a certain wholesomeness to his stories. You can't help but get swept up in their comfortable companionship.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-07 12:42:17|Editor: Mengjie

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BEIJING, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Thirty-two crew members, including 30 Iranians and two Bengalese, have gone missing after two vessels collided off China's east coast on Saturday evening, China's Ministry of Transport said Sunday.

The collision, between a Panama-registered oil tanker and a Hong Kong-registered bulk freighter, occurred at around 8 p.m. Saturday in waters about 160 sea miles east of the Yangtze River's estuary, the ministry said.

The 32 missing crew members were all from the oil tanker. All the 21 crew members on the bulk freighter -- all Chinese nationals -- have been rescued, according to the ministry.

Chinese maritime authorities have dispatched eight vessels for search and rescue. After the coordination of China Maritime Search and Rescue Center, the Republic of Korea has dispatched a coast guard ship and a fixed-wing aircraft to assist in the search and rescue.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-07 13:07:20|Editor: Zhou Xin

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DAKAR, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Thirteen youths were killed and at least six others were injured on Saturday by a group of armed separatist rebels in the southern region of Casamance in Senegal, security authorities said.

The victims were collecting firewood in a forest near the principle town of Ziguinchor in the region when they were attacked, said Abdou Ndiaye, an Senegalese army spokesperson.

The attack was carried out by a group of 15 rebels from the separatist Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC) in the region bordering Guinea Bissau to the south.

The military is devoting full efforts to search for the attackers, Ndiaye said.

On Friday, government forces had released two prisoners belonging to the separatist group following negotiations as the rebel group has agreed to a ceasefire with the government.

The restive area of Casamance has seen armed conflicts between government forces and the MFDC since 1982 as the MFDC rebels have been seeking independence from the West African nation.

The two parties arrived at a peace agreement by the end of 2004, but some hard-line rebels continued to fight with the government. They restarted peace talks in 2013.

Long-time confrontations in the region have claimed thousands of lives of both civilians and soldiers.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-07 13:52:24|Editor: Zhou Xin

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FARAH, Afghanistan, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- At least 20 insurgents including their three local commanders were killed and eight others injured during airstrikes conducted by Afghan air forces in Farah province, west of Afghanistan on Saturday, defense ministry said in a statement released Sunday.

"The air forces targeted insurgents' hideouts in Khak-e-Safid district of Farah province on Saturday, killing at least 20 militants including their three commanders and injuring eight others," said the statement.

During the strikes three vehicles, nine motorbikes and an ammunitions cache of insurgents were completely destroyed, the statement added.

Taliban militants, who have been fighting the government forces over the past more than a decade haven't commented.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-07 14:02:26|Editor: Liangyu

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A Chinese vessel (R) is dispatched to rescue crew members after a Panama-registered oil tanker and a Hong Kong-registered bulk freighter collided in waters about 160 sea miles east of the Yangtze River's estuary, Jan. 7, 2018. Thirty-two crew members, including 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis, have gone missing after two vessels collided off China's east coast on Saturday evening, China's Ministry of Transport said Sunday. (Xinhua)

BEIJING, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Thirty-two crew members, including 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis, have gone missing after two vessels collided off China's east coast on Saturday evening, China's Ministry of Transport said Sunday.

The collision, between a Panama-registered oil tanker and a Hong Kong-registered bulk freighter, occurred at around 8 p.m. Saturday in waters about 160 sea miles east of the Yangtze River's estuary, the ministry said.

The 32 missing crew members were all from the oil tanker, which capsized after the collision. All 21 crew members on the bulk freighter -- all Chinese nationals -- have been rescued, according to the ministry.

The 274-meter-long oil tanker SANCHI, owned by an Iranian shipping company and with 136,000 tonnes of condensate oil on board, was traveling from Iran to the Republic of Korea (ROK). It caught fire after the collision and was still burning, according to the ministry.

The ministry said oil spilled into the sea, but did not specify the area of contamination.

The 225-meter-long bulk freighter CF CRYSTAL carried 64,000 tonnes of grain and was partly damaged. It is owned by a Chinese shipping company and was traveling from the United States to Guangdong, China.

Chinese maritime authorities have dispatched eight vessels, including three specialized cleansing vessels, for search and rescue. After coordination by the China Maritime Search and Rescue Center, the ROK dispatched a coast guard ship and a fixed-wing aircraft to assist in the search and rescue.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-07 14:32:30|Editor: Zhou Xin

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CANBERRA, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Australia's peak medical body has renewed calls for a tax on sugary beverages to counter obesity.

In a position paper released on Sunday, the Australian Medical Association (AMA) proposed sweeping changes that it said would decrease obesity, including banning advertising for junk food for children.

"Improving the nutrition and eating habits of Australians must become a priority for all levels of government," AMA President Michael Gannon said in a media release on Sunday.

"The AMA is alarmed by the continued, targeted marketing of unhealthy foods and drinks to children."

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) found that 60 percent of Australian adults were either overweight or obese in 2012.

Gannon previously called for a 20 percent tax on beverages with added sugar in September, a proposal that was rejected by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

In addition to implementing the tax and banning advertising, the AMA also called for increased nutrition education for new and expecting parents.

It said that as a start, healthy eating practices should be promoted in public institutions such as schools, hospitals and aged care homes.

"Hospitals and other health facilities must provide healthy food options for residents, visitors, and employees," Gannon said.

"Vending machines containing sugary drinks and unhealthy food options should be removed from all health care settings, and replaced with machines offering only healthy options."

"Water should be the default beverage option, including at fast food restaurants in combination meals where soft drinks are typically provided as the beverage."Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-07 15:17:37|Editor: Lifang

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Afghan security force members take part in a military operation against Islamic State (IS) in Chawkay district of Kunar province, Afghanistan, Jan. 7, 2018. At least three people have been confirmed dead and nine others injured as clash flared up between security forces and militants loyal to the IS group in Chawkay district on Sunday, a local official said. (Xinhua/Emran Waak)

ASSADABAD, Afghanistan, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- At least three people have been confirmed dead and nine others injured as clash flared up between security forces and militants loyal to the Islamic State (IS) group in Chawkay district of the eastern Kunar province in Afghanistan on Sunday, a local official said.

The clash, according to the official who declined to be identified, erupted at 06:00 a.m. local time on Sunday when a group of IS insurgents attacked some security checkpoints in Chawkay district triggering gun battle which has been continuing.

According to the official, over a dozen people have been killed and injured in the ongoing fighting.

Meantime, Azizullah the director of health department in provincial capital Assadabad said that three dead bodies and nine injured persons including police and army personnel had been taken to hospital in Assadabad city.

IS militants who have intensified activities have yet to make comment.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-07 15:22:39|Editor: Liangyu

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WUHAN, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- A bus overturned on a highway in central China's Hubei Province Saturday evening, leaving three dead and another 36 injured, local authorities said Sunday.

The accident occurred at around 6:50 p.m. Saturday in Suizhou City of Hubei, the city government said.

The bus was traveling from Shanghai to Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province. Its driver, surnamed Yang, works for a Shanghai transport company. The bus was carrying 46 people.

Four people were seriously injured, according to the government.

The local public security bureau, safety supervision department and transport department participated in the rescue and handled the aftermath of the accident.

An investigation into the cause of the accident is under way.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-07 15:57:47|Editor: Liangyu

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HANGZHOU, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- East China's Zhejiang Province has approved a regulation to tie credit information to garbage sorting.

The regulation on the management of household garbage in cities and towns stipulates that organizations, enterprises and individuals all have a responsibility and obligation to sort household garbage. Violators will not only be punished, but also have the infraction recorded in their credit histories.

Zhejiang is one of the most densely urbanized regions along China's east coast. As cities expand and the population increases, Zhejiang faces severe problems in dealing with household garbage.

The regulation brings the management of household garbage in cities and towns into line with the provincial economic and social development plan.

The performance of governments at different levels will be assessed based on garbage sorting.

It said that organizations, enterprises and individuals that throw away litter in accordance with the regulation will be rewarded, while those who violate the regulation will be ordered to correct and face penalties. Penalties on one's credit file could affect the ability to secure bank loans.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-07 16:22:51|Editor: Lifang

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TUNIS, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Described as a "dangerous terrorist", Bourhan Boulaabi was captured alive, on Saturday evening by a Tunisian army unit in the heights of Kasserine province in Tunisia, announced the Tunisian Ministry of Defense.

The captured religious extremist was shot in an ambush by a military unit, in the heights of "Salloum" mountain in Kasserine.

According to the Ministry of Defense, Bourhane Boulaabi is one of the leaders of "Jund Al-khilafa" (Soldiers of the Caliphate), an extremist armed group very active in Algeria.

Boulaabi was in the company of other jihadists who were still on the run and hunted by military units in the "Salloum" mountain.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-07 16:42:55|Editor: Lifang

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GAZA, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. administration's threats to cut aid to the Palestinians is a new approach to impose conditions on the Palestinians to end the prolonged Israeli-Palestinian conflict, experts said on Sunday.

The threats are clear financial and political blackmail aimed at twisting the arm of the Palestinians in order to make them accept the U.S. demands to end the conflict with Israel, observers said.

On Friday, Israeli media reported that the United States has frozen 125 million U.S. dollars of 346 million it donates annually to the United Nations agency caring for Palestinian refugees after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas refused to get engaged in U.S.-led peace negotiations with Israel.

The aid cuts came days after U.S. president Donald Trump threatened to do so to the Palestinians if they refuse to return to the negotiations table with Israel.

Trump said Tuesday on Twitter that "we pay the Palestinians hundreds of millions of dollars a year and get no appreciation or respect. They don't even want to negotiate a long overdue peace treaty with Israel ... with the Palestinians no longer willing to talk peace, why should we make any of these massive future payments to them?"

In response, the Palestinian presidency condemned the U.S. threats, saying that negotiations and real peace should be based on the international and Arab legitimacy.

"The U.S. threats mainly aim at submitting the Palestinians to the U.S. dictations," said Ahmed Awad, a professor of political science with Beir Zeit University.

The United States has adopted a new policy based on imposing financial sanctions and embargoes in addition to threats of use of force, which is extremely a new style that has never been used by previous U.S. administrations, Awad said.

"The United States and Israel do not really seek to negotiate with the Arabs or the Palestinians; they only want to impose their conditions by the force of money," he pointed out.

The Palestinian side, on the other hand, should also follow new policies, Awad said.

Ties between the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and the United Stated have worsened since Trump's December acknowledgment of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a move that has angered millions of Arabs and Muslims across the globe.

The Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of their future independent state, while Israel wants all Jerusalem to be its eternal capital.

While Israel took over East Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 war and declared the whole city as its eternal indivisible capital in 1980, it has not been recognized by the international community.

The Palestinians insist that they should establish an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital in the final settlement.

Under the previous Israeli-Palestinian peace accord, the status of Jerusalem should be determined through the final-status talks between Israel and the Palestinians. All countries have so far located their embassies in Tel Aviv, in order to advance the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

"The policies of the United States and Israel have blocked the road to the serious peace process after they have openly confronted the Palestinians and all their backers," Gaza based political observer and writer, Talal Okal, said.

Okal believes that the Palestinians should put their differences aside and adopt a unified strategy to counter the growing challenges that endanger the future of the Palestinian cause.

"The international community should support the Palestinians by all means against the U.S. blackmail in order to make comprehensive and fair peace," Okal added.

Peace talks between the Palestinians and the Israelis have been stalled since 2014 due to Israel's continued expansion of Jewish settlements in the Palestinian territories.In a bid to rescue her personal law from the grip of perverse custom, Shayara Bano petitioned the Supreme Court of India to declare talaq-e-biddat (instant triple talaq) illegal.

None of the opponents was in favour of triple talaq either, but they cautioned against political motivations in the name of the 'Muslim woman's cause'. They argued that strengthening her economic rights would be more empowering than keeping her in a marital bond that survived only because the husband could not declare talaq three times in quick succession. Such opponents were declared 'anti-abolitionists' or 'pseudo-secular'.

Eventually, the Supreme Court declared talaq-e-biddat as illegal in a balanced judgment that maintained the right to freedom of religion even while trimming the perversities of custom. Bano's purpose was served by the judgment.

Now the government has made good the concern of the 'anti-abolitionists' with a proposed bill that does not just reiterate the Supreme Court judgment but also seeks to criminalise the pronouncement of triple talaq.

The 'statement of objects and reasons' for the bill is misleading: it claims the judgment vindicates the government position. No bill requires such an assertion except for propaganda, which is not the purpose of legislation.

The statement also proclaims that the Supreme Court judgment has not been a deterrent to the practice of "triple talaq" and that the custom continues. Thus, it is proposed that the offence now be made punishable.

There is no statistic or detail or explanation as to the purpose served by criminalising an act that has no legal effect after the judgment.

The bill establishes the case of the so-called "pseudo-seculars": it is not about Muslim women. In its patriarchal thickness, the bill reduces the Muslim woman's existing rights in the following ways.

First, it declares triple talaq illegal (which it already is), then proceeds to compensate a woman subjected to it with a mere subsistence maintenance allowance from the husband. The bill thus limits her expansive economic rights which, under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, encompass needs and reasonable wants in consonance with the lifestyle in the matrimonial home.

Second, the bill awards women thus (non) divorced custody of their minor children. This provision betrays an ignorance of phenomenal changes that have occurred in secular custody law. It infringes upon the inherent parens patriae jurisdiction of guardianship courts that are empowered to rule on custody matters in accordance with the welfare of child principle.

Third is the additional perversity of punishing a man with imprisonment and (as opposed to or) a fine for an offence that cannot be committed since pronouncing triple talaq has no legal effect anyhow.

The 'offence' of saying talaq three times is treated as of the same gravity as continual physical, mental or sexual abuse of the wife, also punishable with a maximum of three years of imprisonment under Section 498A of the IPC. In addition, the bill makes such triple talaq a greater offence than any other under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act.

Considering the noise around the "misuse" of the law, the point of targeting Muslim men is made good when you consider that a man can now be convicted based on the wife's oral testimony of him having pronounced triple talaq. Meanwhile, marital rape (which men of all communities commit) is not criminalised for fear of misuse of law by wives since their allegation too would be supported by her oral testimony.

In keeping with the facade of skewed optics is the recent announcement by the Government of India that women may now travel for Haj unaccompanied by men. The government has neglected to mention that this is an advisory from Saudi Arabia and nothing to do with India. There would be no point in women travelling from India and not being allowed entry in Saudi Arabia without a male escort.

The point is that the government wants to target the Muslim community while pretending to be a messiah for its women. Were Muslim women truly consulted while drafting this bill?

Malavika Rajkotia is an advocate and author of Intimacy Undone, a book on the law of marriage and divorce in India.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-07 17:02:58|Editor: Lifang

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NEW DELHI, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Four powerlifting players were killed and two others injured seriously Sunday after a car they were travelling in hit road divider and crashed into a roadside pole, police said.

The accident took place on the Delhi-Chandigarh highway.

"This morning six athletes were going from Delhi to Panipat in their car, carrying their powerlifting kits, when they met with the accident at Alipur village, near Singhu border between Delhi and Haryana," a police official said.

"The impact of crash was so severe that the car rolled over several times with its roof getting completely blown off, before hitting a pole and killing four of them on the spot."

Police officials suspect over-speeding to be the reason behind the accident.

The injured athletes were admitted at a private hospital in Delhi.

Reports said there was dense fog during the time of accident.

Police have registered a case and ordered investigations to ascertain the actual reason behind the accident.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-07 17:58:05|Editor: Liangyu

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VIENTIANE, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to Laos Wang Wentian has visited Lao former President Khamtay Siphandone, during which the latter spoke highly of the Laos-China ties, according to the Chinese embassy in Laos on Sunday.

During the visit last Wednesday, Wang extended his New Year greetings to Khamtay, and introduced the achievements of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) as well as the visit to Laos by Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee.

They also reviewed the development of China-Laos relations and exchanged views on consolidating and developing China-Laos friendship and jointly building a community of shared future with strategic importance between China and Laos under the new situation.

The Lao former president spoke highly of Laos-China ties and expressed gratitude for China's support to Laos over the years. Laos will always work with China in the spirit of good neighbors, good friends, good comrades and good partners to jointly build an unbreakable community of shared destiny.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-07 18:03:06|Editor: Liangyu

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WAJIR, Kenya, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Suspected Al-Shabaab militants early Sunday destroyed a communication mast in Kutulo in northeast's Wajir County, paralyzing communication in the area.

Wajir County Police commander, Stephen Ngetich, confirmed that gunmen used a rocket propelled grenade to attack mobile service provider, Safaricom mast at 2 a.m. on Sunday before engaging in gunfight with four officers who were manning it.

"The militants wanted to cut off communications in the area between El Wak and Kutulo and prevent reinforcements by security officers to enable them carry out terrorist attacks in the area. But we thwarted this," Ngetich said.

The police commander however confirmed that none of the security officers whom the insurgents engaged in the fight was injured and they had all been traced. He added the attackers escaped into a bush.

"All our officers are safe for now but the mast was completely burnt down in the incident," Ngetich said.

He said a major manhunt had been launched in the area for the suspects who fled in the bush.

Wajir County had enjoyed relative calm for the past four years.

The police commander warned that they will not allow criminals to disrupt peace and tranquility which was returning to the remote town after attacks witnessed in 2013.

Northeastern Kenya has suffered grenade and gun attacks in recent years since Kenya took its troops to Somalia to fight the Al-Shabaab militia group in October 2011.

Several attacks believed to have been carried out by Al-Shabaab have occurred in Mandera, Wajir, and Garissa and Dadaab districts of northeastern Kenya even as the military reports gains against the Islamist group by capturing their military bases and killing scores of them.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-07 18:13:08|Editor: Liangyu

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WASHINGTON, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump's recent tweets have once again thrown the businessman-turned-politician into spotlight, as his remark calling himself as a "very stable genius" has drawn backlash on social media.

Trump's tweets are in response to doubts over his mental health raised in an explosive new book called "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House" by Michael Wolff. Trump called the author "a total loser who made up stories," describing the book as "fiction".

"Actually, throughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart," Trump Tweeted, adding that he would qualify as a "very stable genius," as he made his way to president from a "VERY successful businessman" and a "top T.V. star".

Trump's self evaluation is, however, met with ridicules and sarcasm.

CatHaloMovies tweeted: "Amazing. Every word in that sentence is wrong. There is a yogurt at the back of my fridge that is smarter than you." Michael Meyerhofer commented: "Yes, because Einstein, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs always went around calling themselves geniuses and talking about their own stability. God help us."

Some even made fun of the president's grammar, like always. Kyle Rector tweeted:" '...and being, like really smart.' Seriously, there's some, like, really great English classes being taught in the D.C. area."

Some questioned Trump's capability as a leader. Tami commented on Twitter: "No control of your impulses + no humility = a temperament that would NEVER define a leader."

Others don't agree with the criticism, showing their firm support for the president.

Violet Lester tweeted: "Where are the Patriots that support our elected government... makes me so sad to see so many non supportive Americans. Praying for our leaders. God Bless America!" Janet A. Seltzer tweeted: "If you only knew how many of us love you, and pray for you and your family!"

In his tweets, Trump also lambasted former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon over book quotes, calling him "Sloppy Steve." Bannon had accused the president's eldest son Donald Jr. of "treasonous" behavior in meeting with Russians.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-07 18:53:14|Editor: Lifang

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FARAH, Afghanistan, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- The airstrikes conducted by Afghan forces have left up to 31 militants dead in the war-battered country since Saturday, officials said Sunday.

The security forces in latest sorties, targeted Taliban's hideouts in Dawlatabad district of the northern Faryab province early on Sunday, killing seven insurgents and injuring five others, Nasratullah Jamshidian, an army spokesman in the northern region, said.

According to Jamshidian, aircraft, acting upon intelligence reports, struck Taliban hideouts in Bazaar Qala and Zarshoi villages of Dawlatabad district on early morning, killing seven insurgents, destroying their arms and ammunition.

In similar sorties, aircraft of government forces pounded Taliban positions in Janat Bagh area of Khan Abad district in northern Kunduz province late Saturday night, killing four armed militants including a group commander Mullah Aziz on the spot and wounding five others.

The government forces, moreover, launched air attacks on Taliban hideouts in Khak-e-Safid district of western Farah province on Saturday morning, killing at least 20 insurgents including three local commanders and injuring eight others, Afghan Defense Ministry said in a statement released on Sunday.

Afghan security forces backed by the U.S. and NATO-led Resolute Support personnel, according to security officials, would intensify attacks against militants in the chilly winter to weaken the armed opposition groups elsewhere in the war-torn country ahead of spring.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-07 19:03:15|Editor: Lifang

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MANILA, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- At least 10 people, including an army soldier, have died in clashes between government troops and anti-government militants in southern Philippines, an army officer said on Sunday.

Army Capt. Arvin Encinas said government forces foiled an attack of some 50 Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) on Saturday night, triggering a firefight that killed nine members of the notorious extremist group.

He said a soldier was also killed and another wounded in the clash that took place around 7:20 p.m. local time in Maitumaig, a remote village in Datu Unsay town in Maguindanao province in southern Philippines.

Encinas said soldiers and the BIFF men traded fires until around midnight, until the rebels withdrew. The military used aircraft and artillery assets to fight the BIFF rebels.

"We were able to hit the group that is planning to harass our army detachment," Encinas said.

The military has stepped up operations against the BIFF since August last year, in collaboration with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) which signed a peace accord with the government in 2014. BIFF is a MILF splinter group which opposes the peace pact.

The military classifies the BIFF as a terrorist organization. Like the Abu Sayyaf and the Maute Group, the BIFF has also pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) group.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-07 19:08:16|Editor: Liangyu

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A baby rhino is seen at the premises of National Trust for Nature Conservation at Chitwan National Park, Nepal, Jan. 7, 2018. The rhino was rescued after an attack by a tiger in the jungle of western part of Chitwan National Park. (Xinhua/Sunil Sharma)

by Shristi Kafle

CHITWAN, Nepal, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Nepal is a happy home of 645 one-horned rhinoceros as per the 2015 census, out of which, 605 are in Chitwan National Park, rhino's largest habitat in the country.

However, the massive flood in Nepal's southern region in August last year washed away various wildlife including over a dozen of endangered rhinos from the park.

Authorities joined hands with the bordering Indian national park officials and rescued 11 rhinos altogether. Among them, three baby rhinos were rescued from the tiger attacks in the park.

Out of these, the adult rhinos have already been sent back to the natural habitat after treatment while baby rhinos are receiving special care and attention within the premise of National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC).

"Two rescued baby rhinos have been kept under our surveillance and they are in healthy state," Ram Kumar Aryal, an official at the Biodiversity Conservation Centre under NTNC, told Xinhua on the spot.

Out of two male baby rhinos, the elder one was rescued from the tiger attack by a team of authorities from a place called Meghauli, located in the park. The rhino was found in an abandoned condition with severe wounds all over the body.

Later, he was brought to the NTNC and provided with medical treatment and care. Today, the rhino named after the place of rescue Meghauli gazes around the nearby forest during day while stays in human friendly environment during night.

The younger one, rescued from flood from Triveni, some 70 km away, stays inside the special enclosure for whole day. The age of this rhino is estimated to be seven months old, which got departed from his mother during the massive flood.

During the time of rescue, the park officials found that this baby rhino was living in a forest for whole day while used to live with buffaloes in the shed located in a nearby village during night.

"The story of this baby rhino is very touching and compelled us to believe that even wildlife seek family environment and safety during darkness," Aryal explained.

The rescued rhinos are looked after by 25-year-old caretaker Lakhan Chaudhary, who pays special attention to their daily life, meal and nutrition and behavioral change.

Despite of the cold winter morning, dressed in a light jacket, Lakhan was found preparing a meal of fruits and milk for the mammals.

"I am attached with these baby rhinos. Though they don't allow others to stand nearby, they regard me as their friend. I don't get scared at all rather I feel happy to take care of them", Lakhan Chaudhary, who joined the office three months ago, told Xinhua.

Lakhan serves the rescued rhinos during both day and night while offers them two meals a day. The rhinos are provided with milk, fruits and special nutrition supplements.

Officials informed that the rescued wild lives will be left in forests for re-wilding after keeping in observation till they reach the age of two years.

Till then, they are kept under the monitoring of technicians and vetnary doctors.

Dr. Amir Sadaula, a wildlife vetnary doctor, told Xinhua, "The elder rhino had severe wounds so we treated him with regular dressing, painkiller and antibiotics. Now, it's comparatively better and safe. The younger one is in regular supervision and its health condition is good."

The authorities believe that rescue and protection of wildlife in such human friendly and special manner contributes to the growth rate of one-horned rhinos, which are on the verge of extinction globally.

"Within nine months, we rescued 14 rhinos including that of trans-boundary, which is a great achievement in the wildlife sector," the NTNC official Aryal said.

His statement comes at a time when the Nepali government has recently adopted The Greater One-horned Rhinoceros Conservation Action Plan (2017-2021).

With this, the government estimates the total number of rhinos in Nepal to be 750 to 800, till the end of the action plan.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-07 19:08:17|Editor: Lifang

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DAMASCUS, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army captured on Sunday a key stronghold of al-Qaida-linked militants in the country's northwestern province of Idlib, as part of a major military offensive to capture a strategic air base in that province, a military source told Xinhua.

The town of Sinjar fell to the army after the al-Qaida-linked Levant Liberation Committee (LLC), otherwise known as the Nusra Front, was defeated in nearby towns and villages in the southern countryside of Idlib, a major stronghold of the LLC and like-minded militant groups.

Also, the towns of Mutawasita, Khiara, and Kafrya al-Ma'ara have fallen to the army west of Sinjar, the military source said on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, activist groups said the LLC militants withdrew from the town after all of the surrounding areas had fallen.

Sinjar is the latest major stronghold to fall in the southern countryside of Idlib since the army unleashed an operation in that part of the country over two months ago.

The town will be a key launching pad for further military operation in Idlib, and it's only 14 km from the key Abu al-Duhur Air Base, whose recapture is a major goal behind the military operations in Idlib and it would enable the Syrian army to regain the upper hand in carrying out airstrikes in Idlib.

Idlib has emerged as the main destination of the rebel groups, which have evacuated several positions across Syria after surrendering to the Syrian army.

The area has become a home to several rebel groups from different affiliations, some of which are supported by Turkey, while others, such as the Nusra Front, are designated as terrorist groups.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor group said recently that over 70 towns and villages in southern Idlib have fallen back to the Syrian army forces during the current operation in Idlib.South Sudan's Health Minister Riek Gai Kok (L) talks with Zhang Yi, Economic and Commercial Counselor at the Chinese Embassy in South Sudan during a tour of the China-aided project for expansion and modernization of Juba Teaching Hospital in Juba, South Sudan, Jan. 5, 2018. Riek Gai Kok hailed China's continued efforts to support the country' health sector. (Xinhua/Gale Julius)

JUBA, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan has commended China's continued financial and technical assistance to the health sector of the war-torn east African nation.

Health Minister Riek Gai Kok said health cooperation between South Sudan and China in the past six years has had enormous impact on the country's health sector.

China has become South Sudan's leading donor of pharmaceuticals, grants and a major partner in capacity building for South Sudanese health professionals, the minister said.

A grant of about 33 million U.S. dollars provided by the Chinese government in 2013 to modernize and expand health facilities in the war-ravaged country has greatly improved health care across South Sudan, he said.

Last year, China offered short training programs to over 250 South Sudanese doctors in different areas of specialization.

"Our relations with China is very excellent and we have seen what China has done to this country in the past six years," Kok told reporters during an inspection visit to a China-aided project for modernization and expansion of Juba Teaching Hospital, South Sudan's biggest referral hospital.

"The health facilities constructed by Chinese grants will go for generations providing services and standing very firm as a symbol of our relationship with China," he said.

The minister also lauded China's donation of 28 containers consisting of transport and communication devices, medical equipment to support the Boma Health Initiative, a community-based project that seeks to bring health services to grass-root communities.

"When we launched the community health initiative (Boma Health Initiative) last year, the first country to come to our support was China. They supplied us with tools, equipment, which were delivered quickly," Kok said. "That shows China's commitment to our country's health sector."

Economic and Commercial Councilor Zhang Yi at the Chinese Embassy in South Sudan said Beijing is committed to improving South Sudan's health sector by offering financial assistance and capacity building to health professionals.

"With all our struggles and efforts, the cooperation between the two countries can move the whole health sector in South Sudan and improve the livelihood of the South Sudanese people," Zhang said.

Zhang urged the South Sudanese people to embrace peace for development to take place in the country devastated by four years of civil war.File photo shows South Sudanese soldiers accused of gang-rape, murder and looting during an announcement of a court verdict by a military court in Juba, capital of South Sudan, Oct. 25, 2017. (Xinhua/Gale Julius)

JUBA, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- At least 30 people have been killed in rebel attacks on government positions across South Sudan since the beginning of the year amid continued violation of a truce warring parties signed last month, the military has said.

Lul Ruai Koang, spokesman for the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), said in a statement that attacks by rebels loyal to former deputy president Riek Machar and those linked to former deputy army chief, Thomas Cirilo, killed at least six people in the southern parts of the country on January 3.

Koang said another 24 people were killed in related attacks in northern Liech state since the start of 2018.

"SPLA once again renews call for CTSAMM (Ceasefire Transitional Security Arrangement Monitoring Mechanism) to investigate the latest repeated violations of the cease-fire agreement by rebels loyal to Riek Machar and Thomas Cirilo. IGAD and TROIKA (United States, Britain and Norway) should hold the rebel leaders and their field commanders accountable," he said.

The SPLA said it recorded eight violations of the cessation of hostilities agreement since it was signed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, last month.

The warring factions had previously violated several cease-fires since the conflict erupted four years ago.

Koang said the SPLA is committed to the cessation of hostilities agreement and other provisions aimed at restoring of peace and stability in the country, calling peace monitors to investigate the truce violations and hold perpetrations accountable.

On Tuesday, the main rebel group, the Sudan People's Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO) denied that it violated the cease-fire and said it had set up its own team to monitor the fragile truce.

The United States, Britain and Norway on Tuesday condemned the latest truce violation and warned that any violator of the pact will be held accountable.

South Sudan has been embroiled in four years of conflict that has taken a devastating toll on the people, creating one of the fastest growing refugee crisis in the world.By Lalit K Jha

Washington, Jan 7 (PTI) US President Donald Trump has asked Pakistan to "cease" being a safe haven for terrorists that threaten the US, the CIA Director Mike Pompeo said today.

The US has suspended about USD 2 billion in security aid to Pakistan for failing to clamp down on the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network terror groups and dismantle their safe havens.

The freezing of all security assistance to Pakistan comes after President Donald Trump in a New Years Day tweet accused the country of giving nothing to the US but "lies and deceit" and providing "safe haven" to terrorists in return for USD 33 billion aid over the last 15 years.

"We see the Pakistanis continuing to provide safe harbour, havens inside of Pakistan for terrorists who present risks to the United States of America," Pompeo was quoted as saying by the CBS.

"We are doing our best to inform the Pakistanis that this is no longer going to be acceptable. So this conditioned aid, we have given them a chance. If they fix this problem, we are happy to continue to engage with them and be their partner. But if they dont, were going to protect America," Pompeo said.

He was responding to questions on the recent decision of the Trump administration to suspend approximately USD 2 billion in security assistance to Pakistan.

"The president has made very clear that he needs Pakistan to cease being a safe haven for terrorists that threaten the United States of America, end, period, full stop," Pompeo said, reflecting the stand taken by Trump.

The security assistance can be restored if Pakistan takes decisive actions against terrorists. PTI LKJ UZMSource: Xinhua| 2018-01-07 19:28:22|Editor: Lifang

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ANKARA, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Six members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) were killed in airstrikes by Turkish jets in northern Iraq, the military said on Sunday.

The operation was carried out by Turkish Air Force in Kani Rash town in Iraq, Turkish General Staff said in a written statement.

The militants were planning an attack on Turkish military posts and bases, according to the statement.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the EU, resumed its 30-year armed campaign against the Turkish state in July 2015 after a brief reconciliation period.

The Turkish military has been carrying out anti-terror operations against PKK positions in northern Iraq since July 2015, with main focus on Qandil region, where the group's main base is located.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-07 20:03:32|Editor: Lifang

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STOCKHOLM, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Two people, were injured, one seriously, when an object exploded Sunday outside a subway station in southern Stockholm, the capital of Sweden.

The blast, at the Varby Gard station in the municipality of Huddinge, which is about 11 kilometers south of Stockholm, took place when someone picked up an object, which then exploded, Swedish Television reported on Sunday.

"Someone has used some kind of explosive. That's all we know," a local fire service chief told Swedish Television, which also reported that police and medics were at the location.

On Sunday morning, police searched the area around the station, which was cordoned off as a bomb squad was called in to carry out an investigation.

Police told news agency TT that the two injured were a man in his 60s and a woman in her 40s. They were a couple and have been brought to hospital. The man is reportedly seriously injured. The woman's condition is unclear.

Sven-Erik Olsson of the Stockholm police told reporters that he could not say what kind of explosive material was used or how powerful the explosion was, only that it was "powerful enough for the couple to be taken to hospital".

The Varby Gard station was cleared on Sunday and the Stockholm subway was partially shut, with replacement buses serving part of the route on the affected line.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-07 20:23:35|Editor: Lifang

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ISTANBUL, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov pledged on Sunday to exert more efforts to help normalize relations between Turkey and the European Union.

"Turkey is the EU's largest neighbor and has the largest army in the region," Borisov said at the reopening ceremony of a historic Bulgarian church in Istanbul, calling on all sides to do their best to make 2018 a year in which Ankara and the bloc fix and normalize their relations.

Bulgaria holds the EU's rotating presidency for the next six months.

For his part, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim voiced hope for additional cooperation opportunities to emerge during Bulgaria's presidency. Saying Turkey is determined to pursue EU membership, he said, "I believe that during Bulgaria's EU term presidency, additional cooperation opportunities will emerge and will gain momentum."

During his visit to France last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke of Turkey's growing impatience following a bid for EU membership that started in 1987, as the accession talks have been stalled and French President Emmanuel Macron suggested a "partnership" with Turkey instead of a full membership.

"Bulgaria holds the rotating EU presidency," Erdogan said in Istanbul. "Having this reopening ceremony at this period would deliver an important message to the international community."

Ankara's relations with the EU and some of its member states are strained over issues including democracy and human rights, in particular after Turkey survived a coup plot in July 2016.

Erdogan and Yildirim joined the Bulgarian premier for the reopening of St. Stephen Church, a historic Bulgarian church which went through a seven-year restoration.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-07 20:38:38|Editor: Liangyu

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DHAKA, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh is looking to China for help to build a 12-billion-U.S. dollar major power hub at Payra, 204 km south of capital Dhaka, Bangladeshi State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said.

In an exclusive interview with Xinhua recently, Hamid said the Bangladeshi government plans to develop the power hub which has a combined electricity generation capacity of about 9,000MW.

"We're thinking of generating at least 9,000 MW of power from here, investing 10-12 billion U.S. dollars in this area. China can be one of the big investors to make finance of this construction and take the advantage of this huge infrastructure."

In March 2016, Bangladesh signed an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract with the consortium of two Chinese firms for the installation of some 1.56-billion-U.S. dollar coal-fired power plant in the Payra Power Hub.

The Chinese consortium has already started constructing the country's first eco-friendly power plant with ultra modern clean coal technology at the electricity hub.

Officials of the consortium of the Chinese firms -- China Energy Engineering Group Northeast No. 1 Electric Power Construction Co., Ltd. (NPEC) and China National Energy Engineering & Construction Co., Ltd. (CECC )-- and the Bangladesh-China Power Company Limited (BCPCL), a joint venture of China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CMC) and Bangladesh's North-West Power Generation Company Limited (NWPGCL), had then signed the agreement on behalf of their respective sides.

The 1,320 MW Thermal Power Plant Project (1st phase will be eco-friendly with clean coal technology and have two units which are expected to be commissioned in April and October, 2019 respectively.

Hamid, while recently visiting the plant construction site, told Xinhua that "This is the first time I am visiting Payra. Actually the main concern of coming over here is to see how the Chinese good friends of ours are doing the construction."

He said there are several companies which are working with Bangladesh here. "Actually we have the government nominated company Northwest Power Plant which is actually the 50 percent shareholder with the Chinese company CMC."

He expressed his thanks and appreciation to China, saying, "Chinese companies were helping to build this power plant. This is a 1,320 NW power plant. Other power plants will be constructed over here."

"Also different (Chinese) companies are working with government side by side. So it's wonderful that Chinese workers are also working here. Main engineers already work here. And quality seem to be very world class."

He said, "I invite all other Chinese companies who already missing the train should be aboard in the train and come to Bangladesh for investment."

The first plant of the electricity hub which is being built on a 397-hectare piece of land is part of the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina government's plan to set up a series of coal-fired power projects to generate 40,000 MW electricity by 2030.

Officials say the consortium has a schematic plan for implementing another mega project of the same capacity and technology, 100 MW solar and 50 MW wind power plants at the same location.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-07 21:13:42|Editor: Liangyu

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BEIJING, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- A total of 159,100 people were punished in 2017 for violating the Party's code of conduct and corruption in China, according to the top anti-graft body of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

They were involved in 122,100 cases, of which 48,700 were related to poverty alleviation work, said the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI).

Some 61,000 officials were punished for violating the Party's eight-point frugality code from January to November last year in 43,400 cases.

In order to have a deterrent effect, the CCDI also made public 670 cases of violating the Party's code of conduct and corruption on its website last year, based on reports from local Party disciplinary commissions.

A recent public opinion poll showed that 93.9 percent of those surveyed in 2017 were satisfied with the Party's anti-graft work, up from 2012's 75 percent.

Moreover, since the start of 2017, 1,300 fugitives have returned to China, including 347 Party members and state functionaries, as well as 14 who are on the list of 100 "red notice" corruption suspects.

Around 980 million yuan (151 million U.S. dollars) of illicit money has been recovered in the process.

China also held more than 50 consultations with foreign law enforcement departments in 2017 on major cases involving fugitives and illicit money, according to the CCDI.

At least 18 centrally-administered officials have been investigated and nearly 40 others have been punished since 2017, it said.

In 2017, Party organizations of 29 centrally-administered universities were inspected, 4 provincial-level regions were re-examined and flexible inspections over four institutions were carried out, it said.

The anti-corruption and strict Party governance drive continued its momentum after the 19th CPC National Congress, showing the CPC Central Committee's firm determination to consolidate the crushing momentum and secure a sweeping victory in the fight against corruption, it said.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-07 21:48:47|Editor: Lifang

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KUALA LUMPUR, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- In the first days of 2018, Malaysia's parties on both political spectrums are strengthening preparation for the general elections due in August.

Prime Minister Najib Razak unveiled the official campaign website for his ruling coalition of Barisan Nasional, or National Front, on Jan. 3 before chairing a meeting attended by component parties to discuss issues widely believed to be related to the elections.

Najib, who has been prime minister since 2009, is eyeing to regain the ruling coalition's long-held two-thirds majority that it lost in the previous two elections held in 2008 and 2013, respectively.

The main opposition alliance, Pakatan Harapan or Pact of Hope, held its convention meeting on Sunday when it named Mahathir Mohamad, who served as Malaysia's prime minister for 22 years, as its candidate for the premiership should it win the elections.

But the opposition alliance would be without one of its key components - the Pan Malaysian Islamic party (PAS), compared with the past two elections. PAS has stated its intention of heading to elections alone.

Malaysia's Hong Leong Bank Research said in a recent report that the political landscape change amongst the opposition will likely result in heightened three-corner fight, which could benefit the ruling coalition.

Ta Securities expects a "fiercely contested" general election. It said the ruling coalition would have to win a stronger mandate than before to make it easier to cope with post-election blues and instill greater investor confidence in the government and the economy.

Wan Saiful Wan Jan of Malaysia's Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs told Xinhua earlier that cost of living could be one of the key detrimental issues in the upcoming elections.

Despite Malaysia's economic growth has outperformed forecasts in 2017, Wan Saiful believed that most Malaysians are struggling amid the rising cost of living.

"If the opposition can capitalize on anger against the rising costs of living, they might be able to make a mark," he said.

In the 2018 budget, Prime Minister Najib announced several initiatives including cash handouts for lower income households.

The term of the current parliament ends on June 24 and an election must be held within 60 days. But it is widely expected in Malaysia that Najib would seek to dissolve parliament after the Chinese New Year in mid-February.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-07 22:13:51|Editor: Liangyu

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SHENZHEN, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese academics and lawyers Sunday discussed revisions to the lawyers' law and reform of the lawyer system at a forum in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province.

Zhang Jun, minister of justice, called for efforts to standardize the lawyer practice and promote innovation in developing the lawyer system, at the opening of the forum attended by nearly 900 academics and lawyers.

As a decision by the top legislature to revise the lawyers' law came into effect on Jan. 1, Zhang stressed the reform of the lawyer system by taking the opportunity of the law revision.

Attendees of the forum said that Chinese lawyers embrace better opportunities amid the country's deepened judicial reform over the past years.

Wang Shougui, a lawyer from northeast China's Liaoning Province, said that previous revisions to the law guaranteed the steady development of the lawyer group and promoted democracy and rule of law in China.

He Baojian, a lawyer from east China's Zhejiang Province, suggested that the revision should specify lawyers' business scope while lawyer Su Wen from south China's Hainan Province called for standardized management of lawyers associations.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-07 22:23:52|Editor: Chengcheng

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STOCKHOLM, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- A man was killed and a woman injured when an object exploded Sunday outside a subway station in southern Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, Swedish Television reported on Sunday.

The blast, at the Varby Gard station in the municipality of Huddinge, which is about 11 kilometers south of Stockholm, took place when someone picked up an object, which then exploded, the report said.

The man in his 60s, who was severely injured in the explosion, died later in hospital, Swedish Television reported.

Police told news agency TT that the killed man and the injured woman were a couple.

The report quoted police sources as saying that there was "no indication that the explosion was directed against the people". The man and the woman simply "were at the wrong place and at the wrong time".

Police also said the woman in her 40s, also taken to the hospital, had wounds on her face and both legs.

"Someone has used some kind of explosive. That's all we know," a local fire service chief told Swedish Television, which also reported that police and medics were at the scene.

On Sunday morning, police searched the area around the station, which was cordoned off as a bomb squad was called in to carry out an investigation.

Sven-Erik Olsson of the Stockholm police told reporters that he could not say what kind of explosive material was used or how powerful the explosion was, only that it was "powerful enough for the couple to be taken to hospital".

The Varby Gard station was cleared on Sunday and the Stockholm subway was partially shut, with replacement buses serving part of the route on the affected line.

So far, police did not say whether the explosion was a terror-related incident.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-07 22:28:53|Editor: Lifang

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STOCKHOLM, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Sweden saw a drop in asylum seekers last year, compared to the two previous years, new figures from the Swedish Migration Agency showed.

In 2017, around 25,000 people sought asylum in Sweden, down from around 29,000 in 2016. In 2015, during the refugee crisis, there were around 163,000 asylum seekers, Swedish Radio reported Sunday, quoting statistics from the agency.

According to Fredrik Bengtsson of the Migration Agency, the fact that Sweden receives fewer asylum seekers now is a result of policy changes "at the national and EU level" rather than of improved conditions in unstable countries like Syria and Iraq. "Millions of people are still on the run. What has changed are the possibilities of making it to Sweden and Europe," Bengtsson told Swedish Radio on Sunday.

During the refugee crisis, the Migration Agency had a hard time keeping up with the influx in asylum applications and many migrants have had to wait a long time for their cases to be processed.

In the past two years, the Migration Agency has made over 200,000 asylum decisions and its prognosis submitted to the government in October, the Agency stated that the target for 2017 was to process 80,000 cases. That target was reached, according to a statement published on the Agency's website, and 56 percent of those 80,000 people were granted asylum.

A majority of asylum seekers in Sweden in 2017 were from Syria, followed by Iraq, Eritrea and Afghanistan. Over 1,000 of them were unaccompanied minors, mainly from Morocco, Afghanistan and Somalia.People march during "Alilo", a religious procession, to celebrate the Orthodox Christmas in Tbilisi, capital of Georgia, on Jan. 7, 2017. (Xinhua/Giorgi Induashvili)

YEREVAN, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Unlike most Christians in the world who celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25, Armenians wait about two weeks more to mark the most notable day in Christianity.

Founded in the early 4th century, the Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates Christmas and the Epiphany on Jan. 6.

Saturday started in Armenia with a big mass delivered in Holy Etchmiadzin, by the Catholicos of all Armenians, Karekin II. The Etchmiadzin Cathedral, recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and arguably the oldest cathedral in the world, draws Armenians from all across the world every year as the main shrine of religious Armenians.

The city of Etchmiadzin is also home to a number of other medieval churches and the oldest university in modern Armenia - the Gevorkian Theological Seminary that was founded in 1874.

Armenians take a lot of pride in being the first nation to have adopted Christianity as their state religion in 301 AD. In 2001, Armenia celebrated the 1700th anniversary marking the adoption of Christianity as state religion.

Most popular dishes on a Christmas holiday table in Armenia traditionally include rice pilaf with raisins, and fish.A woman goes through the process of eye scanning for the Unique Identification database system in the outskirts of Ahmedabad in 2013. (Photo for representation: Reuters)

The Editors Guild of India has condemned the the Unique Identification Authority of India's decision to have a reporter booked over a story on how anonymous users accessed Aadhaar details and sold them for a fee.

Rachna Khaira, a reporter from The Tribune, was booked under sections 419 (punishment for cheating by impersonation), 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery) and 471 (using forged document) of the Indian Penal Code, section 66 of the IT Act, and section 36/37 of the Aadhaar Act.

The move was "unfair, unjustified and a direct attack on the freedom of the press," the Editors Guild said in a press release.

Editors Guild condemns FIR against Tribune reporter who exposed Aadhar Leaks PRESS RELEASE 7 Jan 2018 The... https://t.co/eqkoVsxFpG - Raj Chengappa (@rajchengappa) January 7, 2018

"Instead of penalising the reporter, UIDAI should have ordered a thorough internal investigation into the alleged breach and made its findings public," the Guild's president, general secretary and treasurer said in their statement.

They asked the Modi government to intervene and "have the cases against the reporter withdrawn apart from conducting an impartial investigation into the matter."

The Broadcast Editors Association (BEA), too, condemned the FIR, and demanded an immediate withdrawal of the police case against Khaira.

"Such FIRs against journalists exposing systemic flaws is a spiteful kick in the teeth of Indian democracy and the right to free speech and expression," the BEA said.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala slammed the Modi government over the FIR.

Shoot the i??messengeri??,Ignore the i??messagei??!This typifies the i??culturei?? & i??characteri?? of BJP Govt. FIR against @thetribunechd reporter is i??arrogance of poweri?? at its worst. Every Indian must condemn this mindless act of Modi Govt & @UIDAI https://t.co/To88cCbBbO - Randeep S Surjewala (@rssurjewala) January 7, 2018

'Intent',& 'Intentions' of Modi Govt on Privacy were thoroughly exposed when it had proclaimed that 'no citizen can have an absolute right over his/her body'. In SC, Modi Govt had accepted Aadhaar data leak! Now instead of investigating,an evasive Modi ji shoots the messenger! pic.twitter.com/tojZYOFx0A - Randeep S Surjewala (@rssurjewala) January 7, 2018

The UIDAI said in a statement that its FIR "should not be viewed as UIDAI targeting the media or the whistle-blowers or "shooting the messenger."" (See image below)

Here is the Editors Guild's full statement.

The Editors Guild of India is deeply concerned over reports that the Deputy Director of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) had registered an FIR against Rachna Khaira, a reporter of The Tribune, in the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police. The reporter has been booked under IPC sections 419 (punishment for cheating under impersonation), 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery), 471 (using a forged document) and also under sections of the IT Act and the Aadhar Act.

The Tribune report of January 3 by Khaira had exposed how, for a small sum of money made to a payment bank, an agent of a private group would allegedly create a gateway to access details contained in an individual's Aadhar card. Using a false identity, Khaira had posed as an interested party and claimed in her report that she had easy access to details that individuals had listed in their Aadhar cards. The UIDAI in a statement had subsequently denied that any data breach was possible.

The Guild condemns UIDAI's action to have the Tribune reporter booked by the police as it is clearly meant to browbeat a journalist whose investigation on the matter was of great public interest. It is unfair, unjustified and a direct attack on the freedom of the press. Instead of penalising the reporter, UIDAI should have ordered a thorough internal investigation into the alleged breach and made its findings public. The Guild demands that the concerned Union Ministry intervene and have the cases against the reporter withdrawn apart from conducting an impartial investigation into the matter.

Signed

Raj Chengappa, President

Prakash Dubey, General Secretary

Kalyani Shankar, Treasurer

The UIDAI's statement

ALSO WATCH | UIDAI condemned by Editors Guild for booking journalist over data breach storyThe subway station of Varby Gard in the municipality of Huddinge, 11 kilometers south of Stockholm, Sweden, was closed after an explosion killed one man and wounded a woman on Sunday, on January 7, 2018. (Xinhua/Wei Xuechao)

STOCKHOLM, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- A man was killed and a woman injured when an object exploded Sunday outside a subway station in southern Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, Swedish Television reported on Sunday.

The blast, at the Varby Gard station in the municipality of Huddinge, which is about 11 kilometers south of Stockholm, took place when someone picked up an object, which then exploded, the report said.

The man in his 60s, who was severely injured in the explosion, died later in hospital, Swedish Television reported.

Police told news agency TT that the killed man and the injured woman were a couple.

The report quoted police sources as saying that there was "no indication that the explosion was directed against the people". The man and the woman simply "were at the wrong place and at the wrong time".

Police also said the woman in her 40s, also taken to the hospital, had wounds on her face and both legs.

"Someone has used some kind of explosive. That's all we know," a local fire service chief told Swedish Television, which also reported that police and medics were at the scene.

On Sunday morning, police searched the area around the station, which was cordoned off as a bomb squad was called in to carry out an investigation.

The Varby Gard station in the municipality of Huddinge, which is about 11 kilometers south of Stockholm, Sweden, was reopened after an explosion killed a man and wounded a woman on January 7, 2018. (Xinhua/Wei Xuechao)

Sven-Erik Olsson of the Stockholm police told reporters that he could not say what kind of explosive material was used or how powerful the explosion was, only that it was "powerful enough for the couple to be taken to hospital".

The Varby Gard station was cleared on Sunday and the Stockholm subway was partially shut, with replacement buses serving part of the route on the affected line.

So far, police did not say whether the explosion was a terror-related incident.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-08 00:39:16|Editor: Yamei

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The Panama-registered oil tanker is seen on fire in waters about 160 sea miles east of the Yangtze River's estuary, Jan. 7, 2018. Thirty-two crew members, including 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis, have gone missing after two vessels collided off China's east coast on Saturday evening, China's Ministry of Transport said Sunday. (Xinhua)

BEIJING, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Thirty-two crew members, including 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis, have gone missing after two vessels collided off China's east coast Saturday evening, China's Ministry of Transport said Sunday.

The collision, between a Panama-registered oil tanker and a Hong Kong-registered bulk freighter, occurred at around 8 p.m. Saturday in waters about 160 sea miles east of the Yangtze River's estuary, the ministry said.

The 32 missing crew members were all from the oil tanker, which caught fire and tilted toward the right side after the collision.

All 21 crew members on the bulk freighter -- all Chinese nationals -- have been rescued, according to the ministry.

The 274-meter-long oil tanker SANCHI, owned by an Iranian shipping company and with 136,000 tonnes of condensate oil on board, was traveling from Iran to the Republic of Korea (ROK), according to the ministry.

The ministry said that as of 9 a.m. Sunday, SANCHI was still floating and burning, and the oil on board spilled into the sea, without specifying the area of contamination.

The 225-meter bulk freighter CF CRYSTAL carried 64,000 tonnes of grain and was partly damaged. It is owned by a Chinese shipping company and was traveling from the United States to Guangdong, China.

Chinese maritime authorities have dispatched eight vessels, including three specialized cleansing vessels, for search and rescue. After coordination by the China Maritime Search and Rescue Center, the ROK dispatched a coast guard ship and a fixed-wing aircraft to assist in the search and rescue.

"The Chinese government attaches great importance to the accident," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said Sunday, adding that the cause of the accident is still under investigation.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-08 01:24:27|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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ARUSHA, Tanzania, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania plans to install a tracking system to monitor speed and general movement of buses that ply upcountry routes, a senior official said on Sunday.

Gilliard Ngewe, director general of the Surface and Marine Transport Regulatory Authority (Sumatra), said in an interview that plans are underway to review transport schedules to allow upcountry buses to travels within 24 hours.

"But this will be only possible when the new Vehicle Tracking System (VTS) will be installed in the buses," the official said. "We are now reviewing the system to track all long-distance buses operating within the country and from neighboring countries so as to minimize accidents."

According to Ngewe, all buses' owners will be required to install VTS devices in their vehicles.

The new system will be monitoring buses' speed, routes and scheduling for the betterment of the services.

"If the vehicle is moving at a high speed, you will be informed and you can warn the authorities to monitor them to avoid accidents," he said, adding that it will be also an effective monitoring tool for the conduct of drivers and conductors.

The system will also be monitoring and giving alerts if there is any problem with the vehicles, Ngewe said.

Sumatra legal services manager Leticia Mutaki said that under the new Transportation Act, anyone who tampers with the new vehicle tracking system would face stern measures.

"Under the law, bus conductors and drivers are also directed to behave well along the routes by ensuring that they avoid playing videos which are against traffic regulations and ethics," she said.

With the VTS, it will be easier to monitor and track all reckless drivers and those trafficking products or people illegally, Mutaki added.

"The major aim of establishing this system is to improve the transport sector and this will reduce accidents that have been taking hundreds of innocent people in the country," she said.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-08 01:49:33|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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AMMAN, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Jordan said Sunday it would allow the entry of humanitarian assistance to Syrian refugees living near Syria's border with Jordan.

Mohammad Kayed, spokesperson of the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a press statement that Jordan would allow the entry of the aid for one time to the Syrian refugees.

The humanitarian assistance will be provided to the refugees by cranes, he said.

Jordan accepted an earlier request submitted by the United Nations to provide aid to the Syrian refugees in the Rukban camp from within the Syrian territories.

Jordan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi said recently that to take care of the Syrian refugees in the no man's land is the responsibility of the international community and it is not the sole responsibility of Jordan.

He added that the refugees are living inside the Syrian territories and the UN can provide them with aid from inside Syria.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-08 01:54:34|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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KUWAIT CITY, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Kuwait and Saudi Arabia on Sunday vowed to boost the bilateral cooperation and lift their relations to a new level.

The discussions were held by Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Khaled Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah with his visiting Saudi counterpart Abdulaziz bin Saud.

The Kuwaiti minister hailed the "exceptional" ties between the two countries, stressing their common desire to take their relations to a new level.

Describing the talks as "productive," Abdulaziz bin Saud said that both sides discussed the issues of mutual interests and reached consensus on a number of regional and international issues.

They also touched on current security conditions in the region as well as the fight against terrorism.

The Saudi interior minister arrived in Kuwait on Saturday for a three-day visit.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-08 02:04:36|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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CAIRO, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- A 13-meter-long rare fin whale was found dead Sunday on a beach in Egypt's Mediterranean coastal city of Alexandria.

The finback whale was about seven or eight years old, and weighed less than four tons, the official MENA news agency reported.

The whale, found on a beach in the Roshdy district in Alexandria, was handed over by the authorities to a branch of the National Institute for Oceanography and Fisheries (NIOF) in Alexandria.

A NIOF report said on Sunday that the whale died two days ago before being washed offshore by a sea storm.

It might have lost trace of its herd in deep water and was pushed by the sea storm and rough waves to shallow water near Alexandria and could not find its way back, which eventually led to its death, the report suggested.

The institute will bury the whale in limestone to get its skeleton for scientific research and for future display at the NIOF's museum.

In May 2016, a dead sperm whale was found on a beach in Egypt's Mediterranean shore of Matrouh province.

Finback whales are a rare, endangered species that live in several waters around the world including the Atlantic Ocean. They are the second largest mammals on earth next to the blue whales, yet harmless to humans unless provoked.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-08 02:24:40|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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RABAT, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Terror suspicion has delayed the repatriation of some 330 illegal Moroccan migrants from Libya, local media reported on Sunday.

The Moroccan authorities had sent an official delegation to identify the Moroccan nationals stranded in Libya's detention centers, Hespress.com news site said.

It added that the process of identification and background checking is still underway before their repatriation.

During the last few years amid the rise of Islamic State (IS) group in Libyan territories, Moroccan security services have busted several cells over recruiting Moroccan sympathizers to join terror groups in Libya.

Hundreds of Moroccan migrants, who sought to enter Europe illegally, are stuck in Libyan detention centers.

Morocco has already repatriated 425 of its stranded nationals in Libya in 2017.Smoke rises as Yemenis inspect the damage at the site of air strikes in the northwestern Huthi-held city of Saada, on January 6, 2018. (AFP PHOTO)

SANAA, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi rebels on Sunday claimed they shot down a fighter jet of the Saudi-led military coalition, though Saudi media reported it only crashed due to technical problem.

The jet was shot down in the northern province of Saada on Sunday, the Houthi-controlled Saba news agency reported.

"The air defense of the army and popular forces (Houthi fighters) shot down a Saudi-led coalition combat aircraft today," the report said, citing a Houthi military official.

The report added that the plane is a "Tornado GR4," without providing further details.

But the Saudi media reported Sunday that a plane of the Saudi-led coalition crashed in Saada of Yemen, and its pilots were later rescued.

The jet crashed because of a technical fault and the two pilots were rescued after a joint search and rescue operation, the Al Akhbariya TV reported.

The Saudi-led coalition has been conducting regular surveillance operations and airstrikes on Yemeni territories controlled by the Houthi rebels as part of its war on Yemen that began in 2015.

The coalition began a military air campaign in March 2015 to roll back Houthis' gains and reinstate exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and his government to power.

It has also imposed an air and sea blockade on Yemen to prevent weapons from reaching the Houthis, who seized the capital Sanaa and most of the northern Yemeni provinces.

UN statistics show more than 10,000 people, most of them civilians, have been killed since the coalition intervened in the Yemeni civil war.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-08 03:24:49|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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MOSCOW, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Russia registered five violations in two Syrian provinces over the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday.

The breaches were recorded in the provinces of Aleppo (3) and Lakatia (2), the ministry said in its daily bulletin published on its website.

In the same period of time, the Turkish party has registered 4 cases of ceasefire violations, the ministry added.

Both Russia and Turkey are guarantors of a nationwide Syrian ceasefire regime which came into force on Dec. 30, 2016.

Most cases of unselective firing from small arms were registered in the areas controlled by insurgents of the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group, the bulletin said.

One ceasefire agreement has been signed with a settlement in the Homs province over the last 24 hours, making the total number of such settlements reach 2,323, the document said.

Last month, the Russian military announced that Syrian troops supported by Russian servicemen have completed the destruction of Islamic States (IS) terrorists in the war-torn country.

Later, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the beginning of a partial withdrawal of Russian troops in Syria.

Russia reportedly spent an average of 156 million rubles (2.6 million U.S. dollars) every day in past few years on military operations against terrorist groups in Syria.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-08 03:44:53|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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DAMASCUS, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- At least 18 people were killed Sunday by a blast that targeted a rebels' position in the northwestern province of Idlib, a monitor group reported.

Civilians were among those killed and wounded by the car bomb that targeted a position of Agnad al-Caucaus rebel group.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the blast was heavy, stopping short of giving details on the number of civilians among the killed militants.

The Syrian army has been on a wide-scale offensive in the southern countryside of Idlib, capturing tens of towns and villages over the past two months.

The recent military victory was achieved on Sunday when the Syrian army captured the strategic town of Sinjar, which enables the government forces to advance toward capturing the key airbase of Abu al-Duhur.

Idlib has emerged as the main destination of the rebel groups, which have evacuated several positions across Syria after surrendering to the Syrian army.

The area has become a home to several rebel groups from different affiliations, some of which are supported by Turkey, while others, such as the Nusra Front, are designated as terrorist groups.After receiving flak from the Allahabad High Court over noise pollution in Uttar Pradesh, the state government today set Jan 15 as the deadline to seek permission to install loudspeakers at public places in the state.

The government also issued detailed directives on the use of permanently installed loudspeakers at these places.

The Allahabad High Court last month had asked the UP government whether the loudspeakers or public address systems installed at mosques, temples, churches, gurdwaras etc. were installed after obtaining a written permission from the authorities concerned.

Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar said, "On the directions of the court regarding ensuring implementation of noise pollution control rules, a government order giving detailed instructions has been issued".

"This practically implies that sound should not go beyond the periphery of the public or private place," Kumar said.

The 10-page-order requires survey of loudspeakers permanently installed and issuance of show cause notice to those using it without requisite permission.

If the permission to install loudspeakers at religious or public places is not sought before January 15, the government would start removing it from January 20 to avoid action under noise pollution control laws.

A format for applying for permission, issuance of permission and action against those who neither apply for permission nor comply with terms and conditions of permission has also been issued.

It also requires DMs to categorise areas into industrial, commercial, residential and silence zones. Each area has separate maximum limits for permissible sound levels.

The loudspeakers installed in public places cannot have sound level more than 10 dB above ambient noise level at the periphery of a public place and 5 dB above ambient noise level at the periphery of a private place, Kumar said.

The Lucknow bench of the high court had on December 20 sought to know as to what action has been taken against such unauthorised installations and also against the officers who failed to ensure mandatory requirement of obtaining written permission in their area.

It directed the principal secretary (home) and the chairman of UP Pollution Control Board to file their personal affidavits along with the aforesaid information on February 1.

The division bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Abdul Moin issued the directions on a PIL moved by lawyer Moti Lal Yadav, seeking strict compliance of the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules that had been framed in 2000.

Reiterating that right to live in freedom from noise pollution and right to sleep being a facet of Article 21 of the Constitution, the bench cautioned the officials to appear in person before it, if their personal affidavits were not filed till the next hearing.

ALSO WATCH | Sonu Nigam tweets about Azaan, asks when 'forced religiousness' will endSyrian government soldiers celebrate victory against the Islamic State (IS) in the eastern city of al-Bukamal in Syria, Nov. 20, 2017. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani)

MOSCOW, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Russia registered five violations in two Syrian provinces over the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday.

The breaches were recorded in the provinces of Aleppo (3) and Lakatia (2), the ministry said in its daily bulletin published on its website.

In the same period of time, the Turkish party has registered 4 cases of ceasefire violations, the ministry added.

Both Russia and Turkey are guarantors of a nationwide Syrian ceasefire regime which came into force on Dec. 30, 2016.

According to the bulletin, most cases of unselective firing from small arms were registered in the areas controlled by insurgents of the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group.

One ceasefire agreement has been signed with a settlement in the Homs province over the last 24 hours, making the total number of such settlements reach 2,323, the document said.

Last month, the Russian military announced that Syrian troops supported by Russian servicemen have completed the destruction of Islamic States (IS) terrorists in the war-torn country.

Russian President Vladimir Putin later announced the beginning of a partial withdrawal of Russian troops in Syria.

Russia reportedly spent an average of 156 million rubles (2.6 million U.S. dollars) every day in past few years on military operations against terrorist groups in Syria.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-08 04:24:59|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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TRIPOLI, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Head of the Libyan Higher Council of State Abdurrahman Swehli on Sunday called on fighting parties in western Libya to calm down and refrain from military actions in civilian area.

Swehli made his remarks during a meeting with mayors of western cities in the capital Tripoli, where they discussed military developments in western Libya following the military operation launched by the UN-backed government against smuggling and insecurity in the area.

"The Head of the Council called on all parties to calm and resort to reason, stressing rejection to intimidation of civilians and any acts that might provoke ethnic or regional conflict," The Council's media office said in a statement.

"He also stressed support for the state's control over all vital installations and land, air and sea ports, in accordance with proper legal procedures," the statement added.

Swehli and the mayors agreed to hand over the Tunisian border to the Government's presidential guards service and the Ministry of Interior, the statement said.

"The Head of the Council called upon the Government of National Accord to rise up to its responsibilities regarding the current events, in accordance with the provisions of the political agreement," the statement said.

The Government on Friday launched a military operation against insecurity and smuggling networks in western Libya, where armed groups smuggle fuel and illegal immigrants.

The Government's forces and the Municipal Council of the western Libyan city of Zuwara on Saturday reached an agreement to stop all military operations in the area.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-08 04:45:03|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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ALGIERS, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Algeria and Tunisia on Sunday discussed ways and means to strengthen security cooperation, as part of the visit of Tunisian Interior Minister Lotfi Brahem to Algiers.

"My visit is part of usual bilateral dialogue between Algiers and Tunis aiming at examining and building on previous experiences for the service of the security of both countries and people," Brahem told reporters after his meeting with Algerian Interior Minister Noureddine Bedoui.

Bedoui noted that the meeting "was an opportunity to discuss bilateral relations and to highlight the need for cooperation and permanent coordination between Algerian and Tunisian security services to protect our countries, given the interdependence of their safety and security."

Security cooperation has always been at the heart of the Algerian-Tunisian relations, amid the increasing terrorist threat on their shared borderline.

To effectively respond to the upsurge of terrorist acts throughout the Maghreb and Sahel region, the two countries have strengthened their intelligence and military operations to deal with trans-threat.

In fact, the armies of the two countries have conducted several joint operations against terrorist groups that are active along the borderline.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-08 04:50:04|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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DAMASCUS, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Turkish army is preparing to unleash an offensive against the Kurdish-controlled Afreen region in northern Syria, pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV reported on Sunday.

The Turkish army has set up field hospitals in a Turkish border area of Kumlu close to Syria's Idlib province in northwestern Syria as part of the preparation to wage an offensive on Afreen in the countryside of Aleppo province in northern Syria, said the report.

Citing sources, the report said 15,000 Turkish soldiers have been amassing in the Kilis area in Turkey to take part in the offensive.

Turkey has for long expressed its stance regarding the growing Kurdish influence in northern Syria. Afreen is a strategic Kurdish-controlled area, whose capture will deal a strong blow to the Kurdish Syrians and their plan to have an autonomy stretching along the Syrian-Turkish border.

The Syrian government has repeatedly condemned both Turkey and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The Syrian Foreign Ministry has vehemently condemned the Turkish role in Syria on several occasions, while also slamming the SDF and their plans to play outside the umbrella of the Syrian government.

Late last month, Syria's Foreign Ministry held Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan responsible for the bloodbath in Syria.

In a statement, the ministry said the "aggression of Erdogan and the entry of his forces into Syria is one form of supporting the terrorists."

On Dec. 20, Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad described the SDF as "new Daesh (Islamic State)," saying the SDF should be a part of Syria.

The sharp comments came as the government perceives the Kurdish activities as separatist, despite the repeated remarks from the Kurds that they were not seeking independence.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-08 05:45:11|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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DAMASCUS, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army managed on Sunday to make the first breach into the siege imposed by ultra-radical rebels on a strategic military base in the eastern countryside of the capital Damascus, pro-government al-Ekhbaria TV reported.

The Syrian army broke the siege imposed on the Vehicle Management base in the northeastern city of Harasta in the Eastern Ghouta region of Damascus, according to the report.

The achievement came following a days-long military campaign to break the siege imposed by the al-Qaida-linked Levant Liberation Committee (LLC) and like-minded groups on that key base.

Late last month, the LLC militants waged a major offensive in Harasta to capture the strategic base, managing to lay a siege on the facility and capturing surrounding buildings.

The attack triggered a counter-offensive by the army and intensifying military showdown and airstrikes in that area.

The base is the largest military facility in the Eastern Ghouta region, stretching from Harasta to Arbeen.

It hosts a large number of soldiers, including Republican Guards, as well as big weapon depots.

During the war, the base has become a major operation center and supply facility for the Syrian forces inside the Eastern Ghouta region, which has many towns and neighborhoods.

On Jan. 5, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor group said that 77 rebels were killed during the week-long battles in Harasta.

The UK-based watchdog group added that 79 civilians have so far been killed in the battles there.Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III attend an Orthodox midnight mass at the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, January 6, 2018. Picture taken January 6, 2018. (Reuters Photo)

RAMALLAH, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian officials said they had been making an effort to gain European Union's (EU) recognition of the state of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital, after the U.S. recognized Jerusalem as Israeli capital.

Well informed Palestinian sources said that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will meet with EU's foreign ministers on Jan. 22 in Brussels, during which he is expected to ask them to recognize the Palestinian state on the territories occupied by Israel in 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The sources added that EU's recognition would revive the internationally-backed two-state solution and help the Palestinian bid to get a full UN membership.

A committee from the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) has been preparing documents for discussion during the meeting of the organization's Central Council next week, deciding the future Palestinian political steps.

"The moves to be discussed include defining the relations with Israel in addition to the political and legal steps the Palestinians may take," Ahmed Majdalani, member of the PLO Executive Committee, told Xinhua.

The Palestinian official stressed that next steps are based on the reality that the interim period with Israel had come to an end, and there must be a new political formula with multilateral sponsorship for the peace process.

"The general trend is to focus on how to deal with the emerging situation, considering Palestine as a state under occupation and requesting full UN membership for Palestine, which requires extensive international support," he said.

Joining the United Nations as a member state requires support by nine out of the 15 UN Security Council members, while the five permanent members (the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France) have the veto power.

Meanwhile, Secretary of the Revolutionary Council of Abbas' Fatah Party, Majid al-Fitiyani said that political and technical preparations are underway in full swing to make the Council's meetings successful.

"The Council has a number of major challenges facing the Palestinian cause and the political process following the U.S. president's decision on Jerusalem," he told Xinhua.

He pointed out that the Council will comprehensively review the entire political process, including the form and content of Palestinian relations with Israel and the development of a strategy for the future Palestinian action.

The Fatah official added that future Palestinian approach is based on the declaration of the State of Palestine under occupation, after discussing all aspects of legal and possible consequences.

Last December, U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and decided to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to the disputed city.

The Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of their future independent state, while Israel wants an integral Jerusalem to be its eternal capital.

While Israel took over East Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 war and declared the whole city as its eternal indivisible capital in 1980, it has not been recognized by the international community.

Under the previous Israeli-Palestinian peace accord, the status of Jerusalem should be determined through the final-status talk between Israel and the Palestinians. All countries have so far located their embassies in Tel Aviv, in order to advance the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

The Palestinians have repeatedly warned that changing the legal and political status of Jerusalem would undermine the peace process.

On Sunday, a meeting of foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, United Arab Emirates and Morocco, in addition to Arab League Chief, supported the rights of the Palestinians in preserving their legal and historic rights in Jerusalem and in creating their independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

They also stressed the necessity to confront Trump's decision.

Meanwhile, Palestinians are expecting the response of Hamas and Islamic Jihad movements to the invitation of the Palestinian Central Council to take part in its upcoming convention next week.

Hamas has announced that the movement's leaders are studying on their response to the invitation.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad movements are not represented in the PLO and had never participated in any of the meetings of its institutions.A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security agent takes a traveler's luggage for a second security check at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, U.S. on February, 29, 2012. ( REUTERS/Andrew Burton/File Photo)

WASHINGTON, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers conducted 30,200 searches of travelers' electronic devices in the fiscal year 2017, up nearly 60 percent from 19,051 in 2016, according to the newly published data.

About 80 percent of searches are of non-U.S. citizens, said an ABC News report, noting that only diplomats are exempt.

The number of searches of cellphones, laptops, tablets and other electronic data across U.S. airports spiked from 2015 to 2016 and the upward trend continued last year.

CBP released an updated policy directive earlier this month, which provided clarified guidance and standard operating procedures for searching, reviewing and retaining information found on these devices.

Under the CBP policies, U.S. custom officials are instructed to ask travelers to turn off their data transmission capability, such as putting a phone in airplane mode, before an officer looks at the phone, so that cloud data won't inadvertently be viewed.

They are also instructed to document passwords only for the purposes of opening a phone or other device, according to the directive. CBP officers must destroy the password once the device is opened.

The directive also distinguishes "basic" and "advanced" searches. A basic search is a review of the content on the phone. An advanced search is when CBP is required to conduct further forensic testing to retrieve the data based on "reasonable suspicion" of a violation of the law or a "national security concern."

If someone refuses to unlock a device, the device can be detained by CBP. U.S. citizens will always be allowed to enter the U.S., but their phones could be held back, generally for no more than five days.

For non-citizens, refusal to open a device could lead to denied entry. If incriminating information is found, CBP officers could refer the case to an investigative agency, like the FBI, or for non-citizens, deny them entry into the U.S.

CBP is authorized to search any device of any international traveler, no matter they are U.S. citizens or not, as they leave or enter the United States, similar to a bag search.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-08 06:30:19|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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JERUSALEM, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- A total of 35 rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip at Israel in 2017, compared with 15 in 2016 and 21 in 2015, according to the statistics from the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) issued said on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the number of "terror" attacks either in the West Bank or by "terrorists" who came from the West Bank totaled 99 in 2017, a substantial drop from 269 in 2016 and 226 in 2015, the IDF statistics reported.

The IDF said that 20 people were killed and 169 wounded in "terror" attacks in 2017, while 17 killed and 263 wounded in 2016. In 2015, in total, 28 people were killed and 360 wounded.

A total of 42 weapon workshops which were believed to have been used to manufacture firearms were uncovered or sealed, while 455 guns that were illegally owned by Palestinians were confiscated by the Israeli army, according to the IDF figures.

In retaliation to the rocket attacks, the IDF struck 59 targets in the Gaza Strip in 2017, including rocket launches and training camps, weapons production sites, observation posts and more, according to the IDF's figures.

As for the rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, the IDF said it holds Hamas responsible for all rockets fired from the Gaza Strip.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-08 06:30:20|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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NICOSIA, Jan 7 (Xinhua) -- Turkish Cypriots voted on Sunday in an election which analysts will closely examine for signals about the possibility of restarting negotiations for an end to the over 40 years partition of Cyprus.

The vote was for 50 members of the so-called parliament of a breakaway state that is only recognized by Turkey.

A change in the electoral system, which gave the right to voters to choose candidates among several parties, will result in a delay in the counting.

The electoral office said first official results are not expected before Monday morning but it promised that it will be able to announce final results before early afternoon.

The results are anxiously awaited by the United Nations, which preside over the Cyprus negotiations, and also by both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriot moderates for clues as to the possibility of resuming the reunification negotiations which collapsed in July.

The latest UN-mediated bid to put an end to the division of the Mediterranean Sea Island failed in July in Switzerland when the Greek and Turkish sides did not agree on security arrangements. Each side blamed the other for the failure.

Turkey maintains troops in Cyprus since it occupied its northern part in 1974, in reaction to a coup by the then military rulers of Greece.Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-08 06:40:22|Editor: Chengcheng

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By Peter Mertz

DENVER, the United States, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Trump administration's announcement that it would open up millions of acres of America's offshore waters for oil and gas drilling was met with incredulity as the news went viral Friday.

"AIN'T. GONNA. HAPPEN"

By Sunday, experts were dismissing the brash president's plans as untenable and ridiculous.

"Oil drilling off America's West Coast is simply dead in the water...pardon the pun," said Seattle policy analyst David Richardson.

"This is a clear case of our fake president generating fake news that will end up going nowhere," Richardson told Xinhua Saturday.

America's 45th president, unafraid to generate controversy and take on opponents, this time has taken on 23 U.S. states that border ocean or gulf waters. Thus far, none say they want more drilling off their shores.

And America's three western states that border the Pacific Ocean and represent 1,293 miles of coastline (2,080 km) are mounting resistance that may stop Trump offshore drilling plans, and could represent the biggest re-election pothole for the embattled president.

"We'll do whatever it takes to stop this reckless, short-sighted action," said a statement signed by the governors of California, Oregon, and Washington.

California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, considered a top candidate for this year's governor election, tweeted Thursday: "Hey @realDonaldTrump, I've got a message for you from California: Ain't. Gonna. Happen."

Newsom said California's coastline is managed by the state's land commission and they have been actively working since April 2016 to "create an environmental rampart" to stop the expected executive action.

California effectively blocked new drilling operations after 1969 when a Union Oil Co. spill off Santa Barbara drenched 35 miles (59.5 kilometers) of coastline with more than three million gallons of crude oil.

"California's door is closed to President Trump's Pacific oil and gas drilling," Newsom said in a written statement Thursday.

"AMERICAN ENERGY DOMINANCE"

U.S. Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke glorified the plan as part of a larger, federal goal of "achieving American Energy Dominance" and competing with other oil-rich nations.

Studies say that at least 18 billion barrels of oil can be produced from areas that are currently off-limits - enough to fuel the country for almost three years - and thereby reduce America's dependence on foreign oil.

Zinke told reporters that those restrictions have cost America billions of U.S. dollars in lost revenue and said the new proposal would make about 90 percent of those waters available for leasing.

After the wake of a 1980 spill that gushed five million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico, Congress imposed a moratorium on drilling in 1981 that shut down most of the nation's coastlines.

The BP-Deepwater Horizon accident killed 11 workers triggering the biggest offshore oil spill in U.S. history and one of the country's worst environmental calamities.

In 2016, the Obama administration blocked drilling on about 94 percent of the outer continental shelf - the submerged offshore area between state coastal waters and the deep ocean.

The Zinke's plan follows data released by the biggest oil industry lobbying group, the American Petroleum Institute, which proclaimed Thursday that oil and gas support 10.3 million U.S. jobs and added 1.3 trillion U.S. dollars to the nation's economy in 2015.

Thursday, the Institute published five separate articles on its website, saying the economies of Virginia, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, would benefit from the proposed drilling.

However, almost immediately, the governors of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia officially announced they opposed the plan.

RESISTANCE ON ROAD

Resistance to the Trump plan has flowed past upcoming state government roadblocks as 60 leading environmental groups signed a statement this week and are sharpening their swords.

"Litigation is definitely on the table but we have to get through the public process first," Friends of the Earth (FOE) spokesperson Marcie Keever told Xinhua.

It is predicted that the public input process, "with hearings in every state where there is drilling proposed," will dominate American media coverage during the next 90 days, according to Keever.

"And, after more Trump bashing, the state governments will rise up and slap him down...again," Richardson said.

"This president's shortsightedness and ignorance are unparalleled in U.S. history, and he is certainly a glutton for punishment," he added.

Atop the list of absurd Trump realities is the assertion that fossil fuel extraction and consumption are "not yesterday's news," according to America's leading environmental groups who represent millions of people.

"This move is not a path towards 'energy dominance' but a shortsighted and reckless ploy that furthers the destruction of our climate and the long-term wellbeing of communities," said Thanu Yakupitiyage, U.S. Communications Manager for 350.org.

"But like every proposal Trump has made to rollback climate protections, we are ready to block it every step of the way and demand the fossil free future that we deserve," Yakupitiyage told Xinhua Friday.

Oakland, California-based 350.org was founded in 2008 author Bill McKibben and says its "network extends into 188 countries."

While Zinke promised to "responsibly developing our energy resources on the Outer Continental Shelf in a safe and well-regulated" in the statement, naysayers responded in chorus "No."

"It' s not a matter of if a spill will happen, it's when," Heal the Bay Vice President Sarah Sikich told the Los Angeles Times.

LACKS ECONOMIC REALITY

Sikich says the now clean waters around Santa Monica Bay and the California Coast support a billion-dollar economy that is directly threatened by the president's action.

Although Zinke said the announcement "lays out the options that are on the table and starts a lengthy and robust public comment period," oil and gas experts think the plan lacks economic reality as well.

"Considering all the potential financial, regulatory and legal problems oil companies would face in drilling off California, oil prices would have to go far higher to make that enticing, said pro-oil ClearView Energy Partners in Washington, D.C.

Industry experts agree that drilling in deep waters for offshore oil and gas is extraordinarily risky and expensive, with a one-billion-U.S. dollar price tag per well, and a 10-year timetable before production.

And renewable energy groups such as Colorado's Rocky Mountain Institute point to studies showing solar energy becoming more cost effective than fossil fuel burning by 2023.

"The Trump Administration continues to uphold fossil fuel billionaires and their profit mongering over the realities of science and climate change," Yakupitiyage said.By Lalit K Jha

Washington, Jan 7 (PTI) China shares some of the concerns of the US, about the terrorism problem in Pakistan and Washington is seeking to work with Beijing and other regional players to convince Islamabad, about the need to crackdown on terror safe havens, a senior White House official has said.

As Trump Administration is determined to eliminate terrorist safe havens in Pakistan, which is key to bring stability in Afghanistan and in the region, the official hoped that China will play a helpful role in convincing Pakistan that it is in its own national interest to crackdown on these sanctuaries.

Pakistan already has deep historical ties going back to many years and they have close military ties, the official said, adding that the economic relationship is also growing with the China Pakistan Economic Corridor.

"But, China shares some of the concerns of the US about the terrorism problem. The US is seeking to work with other regional players and China would be one of the main ones to deal with this issue. It wont serve Chinas interests to have terrorist sanctuaries in Pakistan," the senior administration official said on condition of anonymity.

The official was quick to point out that China has been playing a more helpful role in terms of encouraging better relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

It is taking a more active role in that regard.

"So, I would disagree with the assertion that China will not play a helpful role in convincing Pakistan its in its own interests to crack down on the sanctuaries," the official told a group of reporters on Friday.

"Ultimately, China is also working toward a stable Afghanistan. Thats going to take them back to the same issue which are the sanctuaries in Pakistan," the official said.

China-Pakistan relationship is already very strong and appeared unconcerned over reports that the US decision to freeze approximately USD 2 billion in security assistance to Pakistan would push Islamabad towards Beijing, the official added.

"That relationship is already very very strong. But what we have seen is an interest by Pakistan in having a strong relationship with both the US and China. So thats one issue. And the second issue is that China is also concerned about terrorism and extremism in South Asia," the official said.

Noting that China has taken a more active role in trying to help stabilise Afghanistan, trying to improve relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, the official said the US believe that the Chinese are also interested in stability in Pakistan and also for the China Pakistan Economic Corridor.

"Ultimately if they want to see stability in the region, and I think they do, they also will have an interest in seeing Pakistan crack down on the Haqqani and Taliban network," the senior administration official said. PTI LKJ AJRSource: Xinhua| 2018-01-08 06:45:23|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday mourned the death of Peter Sutherland, who served as special representative of the UN chief for international migration for more than a decade.

"Peter Sutherland rendered indispensable service to the United Nations. He was fearless and forceful in his advocacy for some of the world's most vulnerable people," said Guterres in a statement.

Sutherlands' efforts were crucial in establishing the Global Forum on Migration and Development, in ensuring that migrants and refugees were represented in the Sustainable Development Goals, in the convening of the first ever UN summit on migrants and refugees in September 2016, and in the inclusion of the International Organization for Migration in the UN family, said Guterres.

Sutherland, an Irishman, was special representative of the UN secretary-general for international migration between 2006 and 2017.

Sutherland had served as Attorney General of Ireland, European commissioner for Competition Policy, founding director-general of the World Trade Organisation, and former chairman of Goldman Sachs International, as well as other business executive positions.

He died in Dublin on Sunday at the age of 71.Yuma News

Yuma, Arizona - Last night, at approximately 11:00 p.m., Yuma Police Officers responded to the 600 Block of S. 20th Avenue for a reported home invasion.

The investigation revealed the suspect forced entry into a residence and displayed a knife while demanding money. The suspect fled on foot when the victim stated they were calling the police. The suspect was last seen running west bound on 6th Street. The suspect is still outstanding.

The suspect is described as a Hispanic male, approximately 58, average build, and wearing a gray flannel with a blue bandanna over his face.

There was no reported injuries reference to this case. No money or property was reported taken.

This case is still under investigation.

The Yuma Police Department encourages anyone with any information about this case to please call the Yuma Police Department at 928-373-4700 or 78-Crime at (928) 782-7463 to remain anonymous.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...Like during the past several years, Jaipur will once again witness a flurry of literary activities during the latter part of January in this year as well.

However, this year, the famous Jaipur Literature festival (JLF), to be held this month, shall have competition to face.

Another festival, named the Parallel Literature Festival (PLF), to be organised around the same time, intends to hold various sessions and give afficionadoes of literature even more options than they earlier had.

Thousands of writers, authors, avid followers of all things literary used to converge in Jaipur city from different parts during the first month of the year to witness and take part in stimulating discussions, invigorating sessions, meet their favourite authors, poets, influencers, etc.

Also read: Kumaon lit fest: India's first travelling literary festival starts from Delhi

The idea behind holding PLF, however, is to give space and platform to vernacular or regional writers, so that they are not left out in a sea of literary activities. JLF has been accused of bias against writers who delve into literature in various languages other than English, and hail from different parts of India.

"The purpose behind Parallel Literature Festival is that, what good literature is about, should reach the people, they identify it, understand it and respect it. Jaipur Literature Festival has always been happening for the past 10 years. We have nothing against it. But what we want is, the respect that Indian languages should get there, that could not happen, and mainly, rich literature like that of Rajasthan, is insulted there. That should not happen and all Indian languages should be respected there. We oppose the domination of English there," Farooq Afridy, spokesman, Parallel Literature Festival (PLF), said.

The dates of PLF will clash with that of JLF. The former is scheduled to be held on three days, that is, from January 27 till January 29, whereas JLF is scheduled to be held from January 25 till January 29, 2018.

Also read: India will be hosting its first Military Literature Festival this winter

"There will be two stages in the premises. The first stage will be named after the name of eminent poet Gajanand Madhav Muktibodh, as 'Muktibodh Manch', while the second stage will be named after the great Rajasthani writer, Vijay Daan Detha, as 'Bijji Ki Baithak'. Along with these stages, there will be one reading corner named after peoples poet, Harish Bhadani, as 'Bhadani Nukkad'," a note issued by Parallel Literature Festival (PLF) mentioned.

The venue for PLF will be the Youth Hostel. PLF will be organised by the Progressive Writers' Association.

"All progressive powers and all writers who believe in literature are with it. Amongst organisers, we have 10 to 15 people," Afridy added.Ahmedabad: Several anti-social elements carried out a deadly attack on two ZEE media journalists who were reporting on triple talaq in Gujarat's Ahmedabad on Sunday.

ZEE 24 Kalak's correspondent Javed and photojournalist Arvind Solanki were covering women's protest on triple talaq when the assault took place.

Javed was on-air, talking to some women, when some men suddenly attacked him, repeatedly hitting on the stomach.

The police at the scene immediately rushed in to save the journalist and took him to a nearby hospital.

The incident has been reported to police, said Solanki.

A case has been registered and the hunt for absconding attackers is on. The Home Minister of Gujarat has also ordered a high-level inquiry into incident.

According to Solanki, the attackers seemed intent on killing Javed.

This is not the first time that anti-social elements have attacked Zee reporters.

On November 14, Zee journalists and the production team were attacked by several Congress workers in Gujarat's Jamnagar. The incident took place when the crew was filming the talk show 'Game of Gujarat' and questions on Hardik Patel's sex CDs cropped up during the discussion.

In July 2017, as Gorkhaland protests led by Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) intensified, several GJM supporters set ablaze the car in which Zee reporters were travelling.NEW DELHI: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday engaged in a war of words on Twitter, signalling the beginning of a political battle between the Congress and the BJP in poll-bound Karnataka.

Hours after Adityanath entered the poll battleground with a massive rally in Bengaluru, Congress leader Siddaramaiah took to social media raking the issue of 'starvation deaths' in UP.

I welcome UP CM Shri @myogiadityanath to our state. There is a lot you can learn from us Sir. When you are here please visit a Indira Canteen & a ration shop. It will help you address the starvation deaths sometimes reported from your state. #YogiInBengaluru https://t.co/lj0m4fMphC  Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) January 7, 2018

Responding to the jibe, the UP chief minister tweeted back, reminding Siddaramiah of the high number of farmer suicides in the state:

Thank you for the welcome @siddaramaiah ji. I heard number of farmers committing suicide in Karnataka was highest in your regime, not to mention the numerous deaths and transfer of honest officers. As UP CM I am working to undo the misery and lawlessness unleashed by your allies.  Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) January 7, 2018

While addressing the rally, BJP leader Adityanath accused Siddaramaiah of intermixing religion and politics and following the footsteps of Congress President Rahul Gandhi ahead of the assembly polls in Gujarat.

He further questioned Siddaramaiah on why he was "endorsing beef eaters" if he was a Hindu.

In an earlier tweet, Siddaramaiah had said, "Yogi Adityanath should first get rid of Jungle Raj in Uttar Pradesh and save children who are dying in the hospital. Let us understand then," he tweeted in Kannada.

Assembly elections in Karnataka is expected to be held in the first half of 2018.

With agency inputsThe Supreme Court while hearing a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in Rajesh Sharma vs. State of UP 2017 has provided safeguards against alleged misuse of Section 498-A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Section 498 A deals with marital disputes however, many groups working for protection of mens rights have been critical of its frequent misuse and want it to be scrapped.

The section was enacted to combat the menace of dowry deaths. It was introduced in the code by the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1983 (Act 46 of 1983). By the same Act section 113-A has been added to the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 to raise presumption regarding abetment of suicide by married woman. The main objective of section 498-A of IPC is to protect a woman who is being harassed by her husband or relatives of husband.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau, only 1,13,403 cases were registered in the country during 2015 under Section 498A. That is a mere 0.1 per cent of the women who have faced marital violence. Of the 1.13 lakh cases filed under the Section in 2015, 90 per cent were charge-sheeted while only 3,314 cases fell through for being mistake of fact or of law.

The Supreme Court held that it had earlier noticed the fact that most of such complaints were filed in the heat of the moment over trivial issues. Many of such complaints are not bona fide. At the time of the filing of the complaint, implications and consequences are not visualised. This results in harassment of family members and may hamper any possible reconciliation and reunion of a couple.

In this backdrop, the court has issued directives to prevent the misuse.

1. All the state governments will instruct the police officers not to arrest automatically when any case under section 498-A of IPC is registered. They will make sure that such arrest must satisfy the provisions laid down under section 41 of Civil Procedure Code.

2. All the police officers will be provided with check list containing specified sub-clauses under section 41(1)(b)(ii).

3. The police officer shall forward the check list along with the reasons and materials which necessitated such arrest, while producing the accused before the Magistrate for any further detention.

4. The Magistrate while authorising detention of the accused shall examine the report furnished by the police officer and only after being satisfied will authorise further detention.

5. If the police officer decides not to arrest any accused, then such decision should be forwarded to the Magistrate in writing along with the reasons behind such decision within two weeks from the date of the institution of such case. A copy of it shall be forwarded to the Magistrate which may be extended by the Superintendent of police of the district.

6. Notice to appear in terms of Section 41-A of CrPC shall be served to the accused within two weeks of the institution of the case which may be extended by the superintendent of police of the district for the reasons to be recorded in writing.

7. If the police officer fails to comply with the aforesaid directions, then they will be liable for departmental actions and shall also be liable for to be punished for Contempt of Court. Such cases should be instituted before the High Court having territorial jurisdiction.

8. If a Judicial Magistrate authorises detention without recording the reasons as aforesaid, then he shall be liable for departmental action by the appropriate High Court.

9. The aforesaid directions shall not only apply to cases under section 498-A of Indian Penal Code,1860 and section 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act,1961 but also in such cases where offence is punishable with punishment for a term which may be less than seven years or which may extend to seven years, whether with or without fine.

10. A copy of this judgment shall be forwarded to the Chief Secretaries as also the Director Generals of Police of all state governments and the Union Territories and the Registrar General Of all High Courts for onward transmission and ensuring its compliance.

There have also been judgments that have laid down procedural safeguards to prevent any possible misuse of Section 498A. For instance, in Arnesh Kumar versus State of Bihar (2014) 8 SCC 273, the Supreme Court restrained police from making automatic arrests until they were satisfied that it was necessary to prevent such persons from committing any further offence, or for proper investigation of the case, or to prevent the accused from making any inducement or threat etc.

Similarly, in Lalita Kumari versus State of Uttar Pradesh (2014) 2 SCC 1 the Court said police have to conduct a preliminary enquiry before registering an FIR under 498A. In Sushil Kumar Sharma versus Union of India AIR 2005 SC 3100, the apex court went to the extent of stating how through misuse of the provision, a new legal terrorism can be unleashed and exhorted the legislature to come up with deterrents in the law to prevent such frivolous complaints.

In Rajesh Sharma case, the main issue brought up before the court was whether there was a mandate to check the provisions reach when it came to roping in all family members to settle a matrimonial dispute and cruelty under section 498A. The court states that if complaints are filed under this legal provision, it would not just be harassment against the innocent husband and his relatives, it would also mean that reconciliation and reunion of the couple wouldnt be possible if such a complaint is filed.

Albeit, few critics appear to be dissatisfied over the language of the Bench, yet one thing is crystal clear that the apex court has tried to strike a balance between the right of the victim and right of the accused.NEW DELHI: Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is all set to preside over the Indian Navy's showcase of operational might and maritime prowess at sea on Monday.

In the event, scheduled to be held along the western coast of the country, the Navy will showcase more than ten ships, including aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, a submarine and various Naval aircrafts.

The event, starting tomorrow, will exhibit Navy's combat capabilities and battle readiness along the Western coast of India.

Smt @nsitharaman will preside over the @indiannavy 's showcase of operational might and maritime prowess at sea on January 8-9, 2018 (1/2)  Raksha Mantri (@DefenceMinIndia) January 7, 2018

In the programme, more than ten ships, including aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, a submarine and various Naval aircraft will exhibit their combat capabilities and battle readiness along the Western coast of India. (2/2) @nsitharaman  Raksha Mantri (@DefenceMinIndia) January 7, 2018

In the programme, more than ten ships, including the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, a submarine and various naval aircraft will exhibit their combat capabilities and battle readiness, a Defence Ministry statement said today.

The event will be held on January 8 and January 9.New Delhi: Backing the electoral bond scheme, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Sunday that it aims at making the system of political funding transparent.

He also said that the government was willing to consider all suggestions to further strengthen the cleansing of political funding in India.

In a bid to clean election financing, the government had on January 2, 2018, outlined contours of the new electoral bonds that donors can buy from SBI and said that receiving political parties can encash only through a designated bank account.

The electoral bonds, which are being pitched as an alternative to cash donations made to political parties, will be available at specified branches of State Bank of India (SBI) for ten each in months of January, April, July and October.

The bonds, which would be valid for 15 days, will not carry the donor's name even though the purchaser would have to fulfil KYC norms at the bank.

Following is the full text of the blog that Jaitley posted on Facebook:

India is the largest democracy in the world. However, despite strengthening various institutions for the last seven decades, India has not been able to evolve a transparent political funding system. Elections and political parties are a fundamental feature of Parliamentary democracy. Elections cost money. The round the year functioning of the political parties involves a large expenditure.

Parties run offices throughout the country. Staff salaries, travelling expenses, establishment cost are regular expenditures of political parties. There has not been a single year where election either for the Parliament or state Assemblies has not been held. Besides expenditure of individual candidates, political parties have to spend money on election campaigns, publicity, tours, travels and election-related establishments. These expenditures run into hundreds of crores. Yet there has not been a transparent funding mechanism of the political system.

The conventional system of political funding is to rely on donations. These donations, big or small, come from a range of sources from political workers, sympathisers, small business people and even large industrialists. The conventional practice of funding the political system was to take donations in cash and undertake these expenditures in cash. The sources are anonymous or pseudonymous. The quantum of money was never disclosed.

The present system ensures unclean money coming from unidentifiable sources. It is a wholly non-transparent system. Most political groups seem fairly satisfied with the present arrangement and would not mind this status-quo to continue. The effort, therefore, is to run down any alternative system which is devised to cleanse up the political funding mechanism.

A major step was taken during the first NDA government led by shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The Income Tax Act was amended to include a provision that donations made to political parties would be treated as expenditure and would thus give a tax advantage to the donor. If the political party disclosed its donations in a prescribed manner, it would also not be liable to pay any tax. A political party was expected to file its returns both with the income-tax authorities and Election Commission. It was hoped that donors would increasingly start donating money by cheque.

Some donors did start following this practice but most of them were reluctant to disclose the details of the quantum of donation given to a political party. This was because they feared consequences visiting them from political opponents. The law was further amended during the UPA government to provide for 'pass through' electoral trust so that the donors would park their money with the electoral trusts which in turn would distribute the same to various political parties. Both these reforms taken together resulted in only a small fraction of the donations coming in form of cheques.

In order to make a serious effort to carry forward this reform process, I had announced in my Budget Speech for the year 2017-18 that the existing system would be substantially widened and donations of clean money could be made to political parties in several ways. A donor could enjoy a tax deduction by donating in cheque. Donors were also free to donate money online to political parties. A cash donation to a political party could not exceed an amount of Rs 2000. In addition, a scheme of electoral bonds was announced to enable clean money and substantial transparency being brought into the system of political funding.

I do believe that donations made online or through cheques remain an ideal method of donating to political parties. However, these have not become very popular in India since they involve disclosure of donors identity. However, the electoral bond scheme, which I placed before the Parliament a few days ago, envisages total clean money and substantial transparency coming into the system of political funding. A donor can purchase electoral bonds from a specified bank only by a banking instrument. He would have to disclose in his accounts the amount of political bonds that he has purchased.

The life of the bond would be only 15 days. A bond can only be encashed in a pre-declared account of a political party. Every political party in its returns will have to disclose the amount of donations it has received through electoral bonds to the Election Commission. The entire transactions would be through banking instruments. As against a total non-transparency in the present system of cash donations where the donor, the donee, the quantum of donations and the nature of expenditure are all undisclosed, some element of transparency would be introduced in as much as all donors declare in their accounts the amount of bonds that they have purchased and all parties declare the quantum of bonds that they have received.

How much each donor has distributed to a political party would be known only to the donor. This is necessary because once this disclosure is made, past experience has shown, donors would not find the scheme attractive and would go back to the less-desirable option of donating by cash. In fact the choice has now to be consciously made between the existing system of substantial cash donations which involves total unclean money and is non-transparent and the new scheme which gives the option to the donors to donate through entirely a transparent method of cheque, online transaction or through electoral bonds.

While all three methods involve clean money, the first two are totally transparent and the electoral bonds scheme is a substantial improvement in transparency over the present system of no-transparency. The government is willing to consider all suggestions to further strengthen the cleansing of political funding in India. It has to be borne in mind that impractical suggestions will not improve the cash denominated system. They would only consolidate it.Chandigarh: Four national-level power-lifters were killed and two others, including a world champion, were seriously injured when the car that they were travelling met with an accident near the Delhi-Haryana border on Sunday, police said.

The accident took place at around 4 am, near Alipur village of Delhi, close to the Singhu border between Delhi and Haryana.

The victims were travelling on the Delhi-Panipat National Highway-1 in a Swift Dezire car.

While four were killed in the accident, Saksham Yadav, who won a gold medal in 2017 for the country, was seriously injured along with another weightlifter, a police official said.

Yadav and the other injured weight-lifter were rushed to the Max Hospital in New Delhi's Shalimar Bagh for treatment.

The car, according to the official, first hit a divider and then crashed into an electricity pole.

Due to severe impact, the car's roof was blown away.

The official said that the driver was speeding despite dense fog in the area.

They were travelling from Panipat towards Delhi.NEW DELHI: For the first time, 32 Muslim women are all set to leave for Haj pilgrimage without a male guardian or relative.

Out of these 32 women, 12 are from Lucknow, 12 from Kanpur, four from Amethi and Gonda each.

Earlier, the Ministry of Minority Affairs had said that Muslim women aged above 45 will be allowed to go for the pilgrimage without 'mahram' or male guardian in a groups of four.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his last Mann ki Baat radio address on December 31, 2017, had said the government has removed the restriction that made it compulsory for women to travel with a male relative or guardian.

The decision was taken after hundreds of women applied for travelling alone for Haj, said Modi.

"I am happy to note that this time about 1300 Muslim women have applied to perform Haj without 'mahram' and women from different parts of the country from Kerala to north India, have expressed their wish to go for the Haj pilgrimage," he had added.

The Centre's move to allow women above 45 go on Haj did not go down well with some Muslim clerics.

If you want equality, why don't men and women carry pregnancy for 4.5 months each, the Secretary of Jamiat Ulama had said.Singapore: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday attributed India's fast-growing 'reputation' and 'dominance' across the world to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The increasing dominance and reputation of India in the world is because of the personality of Prime Minister Modi. In whichever country he goes, he makes strong individual friendship in addition to establishing good relations between two countries, said Swaraj at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-India Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Singapore.

Praising the Indian diaspora across the world, she added, Wherever I have gone, I have been told a few things about Non Resident Indians - Indians are a good neighbor, Indians are hard working people, Indians are law abiding citizens. This fills me with immense pride.

Speaking about Jawed Ashraf, the Indian ambassador to Singapore, Swaraj said, Your ambassador Jawed Ashraf, sitting here, is an epitome of sensitiveness. He reaches whenever and wherever an organisation of any community or religion calls him. All organisations celebrate their festivals accordingly. India is a land of festivals.

Kerala celebrates Onam, Tamil Nadu celebrates Pongal, Bengal celebrates Durga Puja, Assam celebrates Bihu, Punjab celebrates Baisakhi and Telugu community celebrates Ugadi, Gujarat participates in Garba while Maharashtra celebrates Ganes Utsav. Holi, Diwali, Eid and Christmas are the festivals of the entire India. Wherever Jawed (Ashraf) be called, be it a temple, mosque or a church, he not only comes there but also celebrates it enthusiastically, said Swaraj.

Reaffirming India's commitment to ASEAN, Swaraj said that India's dialogue partnership with the organisation has evolved into a strategic partnership and the Indian diaspora provides a platform for stronger ties with the grouping.

"We are here to reaffirm our commitment and to share the course of our journey ahead to the future of India and ASEAN in the world," Swaraj told some 3,000 delegates.

"Our diaspora provides a platform for a stronger relationship between India and ASEAN countries," she said.

"As India's economy grows its ties will deepen, its trade and investment flow will grow, she said, emphasising that ASEAN was a part of India's Act East Policy.

ASEAN is India's 4th largest trading partner, accounting for 10.2 per cent of India's total trade. India is ASEAN's 7th largest trading partner. Trade is back on track and registered an 8 per cent increase in 2016- 17, as compared to the previous year.

With agency inputs

New Delhi will host a commemorative summit on January 25 to mark the 25th anniversary of the Dialogue Partnership between India and the ASEAN in which all the leaders of the grouping are expected to participate.

ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and VietnamNew Delhi: Senior Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram on Sunday hit out at the Centre for failing to restore peace in the Kashmir Valley saying that Modi government`s "hard, muscular and militaristic" approach had failed to end militancy in the state.

He quoted statistics to say that the number of civilians and terrorists killed in Jammu and Kashmir had almost doubled from 28 to 57 and from 110 to 218 from 2014 to 2017 respectively.

"If you are one of those who had thought that the hard, muscular, militaristic approach of the government should be given a chance, you may change your view," Chidambaram said.

1.From time to time we are rudely reminded that there is an issue concerning the state of Jammu & Kashmir.  P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) January 7, 2018

2. The last reminder came on the night of 30-31 December 2017, when militants attacked the CRPF Training Centre at Lethpora in Pulwama district killing five CRPF personnel and injuring three.  P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) January 7, 2018

3. On the eve of the election in Gujarat, the government appointed Mr Dineshwar Sharma as Special Representative (SR), but his mandate was not clear.  P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) January 7, 2018

4. Subsequently, it was indicated that the SR will talk to anyone who was willing to meet him, and therein lies the catch.  P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) January 7, 2018

5. It was claimed that the hard, muscular, militaristic approach will put an end to infiltration and militancy. Has it? pic.twitter.com/AkT6ESrbJe  P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) January 7, 2018

The Congress leader added that wisdom lay in actively working towards a political solution to the issues of J&K, where a separatist campaign raging since 1989 has claimed thousands of lives.

"Both AB Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh will be remembered for the diligent efforts to find a solution to the issue", he said.

6. Wisdom lies in actively working to find a political solution to the issue of J&K. Both Mr A B Vajpayee and Dr Manmohan Singh will be remembered for their diligent efforts to find a solution to the issue.  P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) January 7, 2018

7. The way forward is to invite all stakeholders for talks.Unfortunately, the stakeholders have perceived the appointment of the SR as a pre-election gimmick and have totally rebuffed the good fellow.  P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) January 7, 2018

8. Still, all is not lost. I support the idea of interlocutors, but that step has to be part of a set of measures.  P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) January 7, 2018

9. If you are one of those who had thought that the hard, muscular, militaristic approach of the government should be given a chance, please look at the table once again. You may change your view.  P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) January 7, 2018

On Saturday, four policemen on patrol duty were killed in an improvised explosive device blast by militants in a market in Sopore township, the first IED attack in Kashmir since 2015.

The four personnel belonging to Indian Reserve Police-3rd battalion were on law and order duty in the township in north Kashmir, when the IED planted by militants in the market, which was shut due to a separatist sponsored strike, had gone off, police had said.

Earlier, on December 31, 2017, five Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans were killed when heavily armed terrorists had launched a pre-dawn attack on a CRPF camp in Pulwama district of south Kashmir.

(With Agency inputs)The Hague, Jan 7 (PTI) A virtual reality tour of Indias famous monuments will be the major attraction for visitors to the Netherlands largest holiday fair beginning here from Tuesday.

"Virtual reality offers immersive, 3-D experiences via videos with 360-degree perspectives through which visitors will be able to enjoy the experience of visiting the Qutub Minar, Amer Palace, Khajuraho, Nalanda, Kailashnath Temple, Athirappiliy Waterfalls, Alappuzha backwaters and various other cultural and natural landmarks in India," a statement issued today by the Indian Embassy here said.

The India tourism and Kerala tourism stalls and virtual reality displays at the Vakantiebeurs (holiday fair) will be inaugurated on January 9 by Indias Ambassador of India to the Netherlands, Venu Rajamony and the Mayor of Utrecht Jan van Zanen.

Traditional lighting of lamps will be followed by Bhangra dance performances and Indian refreshments throughout the day to showcase Indias cultural richness to visitors, it said.

Staff of the Indian Embassy in the Netherlands, India tourism and volunteers from the Indian community will facilitate virtual reality tours of India for visitors during the six-day fair using devices specially procured for the purpose, the statement said.

Vakantiebeurs is held every year in the city of Utrecht at the heart of the Netherlands and attracts a large number of visitors with 1,050 companies participating in 2018.

Around 10 travel companies from India are co-exhibitors at the India tourism and Kerala tourism stalls this year. PTI AKV KISHere's a quick look at the top news of the day:

For stable Afghanistan, US to work with China over terror safe havens in Pakistan

China shares some of the concerns of the US, about the terrorism problem in Pakistan, a senior White House official has said. Read More

PM Modi to attend top-level police conference in Gwalior today; terrorism, radicalisation of youths on agenda

Modi is expected to meet top police officers from all states and central police organisations and speak on new-age crime like cyberterrorism and radicalisation of youths. Read More

Uttarakhand madrassas have not refused to display PM Modi's photos: Board

The Uttarakhand Madrassa Education Board (UMEB) rubbished the allegations that claimed that madrassas across the state have refused to display a photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in their respective offices. Read More

Dense fog continues to disrupt rail traffic, more than 20 trains cancelled

Cold waves have been sweeping parts of north India. Read More

Donald Trump says willing to talk with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un

US President Donald Trump said Saturday he would be willing to speak directly with Kim Jong-Un, voicing hope that rare talks between North and South Korea could help de-escalate the crisis over Pyongyang`s nuclear drive. Read MoreNEW DELHI: As cold wave grips North India, schools will remain closed in northern states like Haryana, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.

With Haryana reeling under chilly weather condition, all government and private schools will be shut until January 14.

District Magistrate in Uttar Pradesh's Etah ordered classes of students upto standard 8 will not be held for two days - January 6 to January 8.

In Uttarakhand, schools and Anganwadis in Nainital will also remain closed until 10th January due to cold wave and heavy fog.

Last week, there were reports that the north-western plains, including Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and West Uttar Pradesh, were covered under a dense fog.

The weather conditions have led to the disruption of trains and flight services, reducing visibility.

Entire north India seemed to have come under the grip of severe cold waves and harsh weather conditions that have affected the normal life.

Over the last month, a dense fog covered several parts of North India with the temperature dropping in Delhi, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh.NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Sunday attend the three-day annual conference of top police officers that began in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday, an official said.

Modi is expected to meet the police officers of the rank of Director General of Police (DGP) and Inspector General of Police (IGP) from all states and central police organisations and speak on new-age crime like cyberterrorism and radicalisation of youths, an official said.

The Prime Minister addressed similar conferences in Guwahati in 2014, Dhordo in Rann of Kutch of Gujarat in 2015 and National Police Academy in Hyderabad in 2016.

He has been emphasising the importance of leadership, soft skills and collective training, specifically mentioning the importance of technology and human interface for the police force.

Holding the Annual DGP Conference outside the national capital is in line with Prime Minister`s vision that such conferences should be held across the country, and not just confined to Delhi.

On Saturday, top police officers from all over the country shared and discussed security-related issues, cyber terrorism, the impact of social media on the society, cross-border terrorism, the radicalisation of youths besides a host of other issues during the conference held at the BSF academy in Tekanpur of Madhya Pradesh.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh left Delhi on Saturday to join the conference and was likely to give an assessment of the internal security situation. Union Ministers of State for Home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir and Kiren Rijiju also joined the event.

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba also joined the conference on Saturday.

About 250 senior police officers attended the conclave in which issues such as the security situation in the major combat theatres of Jammu and Kashmir, Left Wing Extremism (LWE) and the Northeast are discussed.

The implementation and activation of decisions taken during the last few conferences will also be reviewed during the three-day meeting.

The subject of issuance and cancellation of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) registration of the non- governmental organisations and others could also be put on the agenda.New Delhi: Powerlifting world champion Saksham Yadav, who met with a car accident on Sunday morning, has succumbed to his injuries.

Yadav, along with five other powerlifters, were travelling from Panipat towards Delhi in their Swift Dzire car, when the car hit a road divider.

The accident took place at around 4 am, near Alipur village of Delhi, close to the Singhu border between Delhi and Haryana, reported IANS.

Four players died while Yadav and another weightlifter were seriously injured. They were rushed to the Max Hospital in New Delhi's Shalimar Bagh.

Yadav died later in the evening.

According to the police, the car first hit a divider and then crashed into an electricity pole. Due to severe impact, the car's roof was blown away.

The official said that the driver was speeding despite dense fog in the area.

Yadav had won a gold medal for the country in Moscow in 2017.NEW DELHI: Ahead of his Bahrain visit, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday took to Twitter praising the Indian diaspora across the world.

He called the NRIs the true representatives of the country's soft power and the brand ambassadors of the nation across the globe.

"NRIs are the true representatives of our soft power and the brand ambassadors of our nation across the globe," he tweeted.

"Looking forward to meeting and addressing fellow countrymen in Bahrain tomorrow, tweets Congress President Rahul Gandhi," he added.

Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's footsteps, the Congress president on Monday will address an NRI conclave in Bahrain.

This will be his first visit abroad as the party president and comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the region.

The Gandhi scion has reached the country today evening and will depart from there on tomorrow.

NRIs from 65 countries are expected to attend the meeting.

Rahul will also meet Bahrain Prime Minister Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa and other local leaders.

Later in the day, Rahul will meet local business communities as well.SRINAGAR: In an open plea, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan to bury the hatchet and become friends for the sake of local Kashmiris and jawans on the border.



Sarhad paar Pakistan ko bhi main guzarish karti hun, apne mulk ke wazire-e-azam ko bhi guzarish karti hun- Jammu Kashmir ke logon ko is daldal se nikalne ke liye, hamare jawano ki hifazat ke liye, aapas me sulah karo, baatcheet karo, dosti karo (I request Pakistanis across the border and my country's Prime Minister to help the people of Jammu and Kashmir come out of this mess and protect our jawans by finding solutions, holding dialogues and becoming friends), said Mufti while addressing a rally in Kashmir's Anantnag district on Sunday.

Mufti's statement comes a day after four policemen died and two seriously injured in an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion in Sopore township of Baramulla district.

Taking to Twitter, Mufti wrote:

Pained to hear that four policeman have been killed in an IED explosion in Sopore. My deepest condolences to their families.  Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) January 6, 2018

The policemen were on patrol duty when the IED, planted by militants, went off near a shop in a lane between the 'Chotta Bazaar' and 'Bada Bazaar' in Sopore.

In a pre-dawn strike on December 31, 2017, five CRPF men were killed when heavily armed terrorists stormed the camp of the paramilitary force at Lethpora. The attack was claimed by Pakistan-based Jaish-e- Mohammed.BHOPAL: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a two-day visit in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior, will participate in a yoga session along with top cops on Monday.

The Prime Minister will also address a valedictory ceremony at the ongoing high-level police conference.

Here's the Day 2 schedule of the Prime Minister -

6 am - 7 am: Modi to participate in yoga session

7 am - 9 am: Reserved time for internal programmed

9 am -4:15 pm: DGPs and Igs in conference

4:20 pm: Presentation in Auditorium by Participants

4:30 pm: Modi to Leave for Gwalior Airport from Tekanpur Academy

5 pm: Modi to leave for Delhi

PM Modi visited Gwalior to chair a conference with Director Generals of Police (DGPs) and Inspector Generals of Police (IGPs).

The Annual DGP Conference will be held at the Border Security Force (BSF) Academy at Tekanpur in Gwalior. In the previous DGP conference, the Prime Minister had discussed cross-border terrorism and radicalization in detail.Agartala: Kicking off Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP's) election campaign in poll-bound Tripura, party president Amit Shah launched a scathing attack on Manik Sarkar-led ruling Left Front.

I would like to tell the Manik government that BJP will not be cowed down by violence. The more you spread the mud of violence, the better will the Lotus blossom, said Shah to a large gathering in Agartala.

Raking up the stats on unemployment, Shah said, More than 7 Lakh people, out of the 37 Lakh population of Tripura, are registered under unemployment list. The health facilities here are inadequate. This is what was done here in 25 years.

"Those in the CPI(M) say, (Tripura) Chief Minister Manik Sarkar is a good man. We know that the unemployment problem is acute here, but they say Manik babu is a good man. What I want to know is, if he is good, why is the condition of the people of the state not so good," he said.

Shah also claimed that the Left Front government is not changed, Manipur will be reduced to a backward state in terms of protection of women, unemployment and economic development of the poor and the working class.

Asserting that BJP will form the next government in the state, Shah added, The countdown has begun. Even if the corrupt goes underground, BJP will dig the earth and bring them out.

The Left Front government in Tripura has four parties in coalition  the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Revolutionary Socialist Party and the All India Forward Bloc. The CPI(M) is the dominant party in the coalition.

Shah is on a two-day visit to Tripura, where the Assembly polls are due in the early months of 2018. The term of the current House is scheduled to come to an end on March 6, 2018.ALLAHABAD: The Allahabad High Court on Sunday directed the Uttar Pradesh Police to remove loudspeakers installed at all the religious places in the state in an attempt to curb the noise pollution.

The court directed the police to take down all the loudspeakers that have been installed without the requisite permission from authorities, said a report.

In addition, it maintained that on any particular occasion, prior permission has to be taken from authorities to play loudspeakers.

As per a report, the court had earlier questioned the Uttar Pradesh saying, "Who has given the order for the use of loudspeakers at religious places".

Following the court's direction, the Uttar Pradesh IG (Law and Order) issued an instruction to the SP-SSP to follow the order of the High Court.

Last month in December, tension prevailed in Bijnor's Madanpur after the Allahabad high court ordered the administration to remove loudspeakers, installed without the requisite permission, from a mosque and the Ravidass temple with immediate effect.

The order, however, invited objections from the Muslim community, who attemtped to prevent the police from taking down the loudspeaker. It was removed later only after heavy deployment of police force.

It should be noted that the villagers had approached the High Court in this regard as they had clashed with each other over loudspeakers installed at each other's religious sites.

There has been a long dispute between the two communities over the installation of loudspeakers on the mosque and the temple in the village.

During the hearing of one of the petitions on the matter, the Allahabad High Court had ordered the administration to find out if the temple and the mosque had permission to install loudspeakers in their premises, and if not, these be removed.Amid the fight in Rajya Sabha over the triple talaq bill, a woman in Uttar Pradesh has been given the same by her husband on telephone. The woman was given talaq by her husband because she sought money for the treatment of their differently-abled daughter.

Gonda: Woman given #TripleTalaq by husband on phone after she asked for money for the treatment of their differently-abled daughter pic.twitter.com/Q2Ch9dBaoN  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 7, 2018

This comes just a day after reports of another case in Uttar Pradesh wherein the husband, working in Saudi Arabia, sent an SMS to her wife pronouncing triple talaq.

The man, who belongs to Nandauli village in UP's Sultanpur district, has been married to the victim - Ruby - for two years. The couple has a son.

Alledging harassment, the victim claimed that her in-laws have been demanding dowry for some time.

My in-laws used to harass me demanding for a vehicle. My husband ill-treated me as well. I received a message from him, where he gave me divorce, said the victim.

The victim's father has not registered a police complaint, claiming that the divorce process is complete.

I have a son and somehow want us to survive.This is my house now and I will not move away from here, said the victim.

The controversial triple talaq bill that seeks to criminalise instant talaq with a provision of stringent punishment for the accused husband, could not be tabled in Rajya Sabha, which was adjourned sine die on Friday.

The bill seeks to criminalise triple talaq and suggests up to three years in jail as punishment.

The government is most likely to introduce it during the budget session that begins on January 29.

In view of strong resistance to the bill by Congress-led Opposition parties in the Rajya Sabha, where the Narendra Modi-led government lacks numbers, the Centre has the option to take the ordinance route.

However, the chances of it are grim as the government is keen on getting the bill passed with a voice vote in the Rajya Sabha.

(With agency inputs)DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand Madrassa Education Board (UMEB) rubbished the allegations that claimed that madrassas across the state have refused to display a photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in their respective offices saying they have no problem in complying with the government directive.

"According to Islam, the prayer room must not have a photograph of any living being. Any place other than the prayer room can have a photograph of the prime minister. Why would any madrasa have a problem with that?" Akhlaq Ahmad Ansari, deputy registrar of the Board said on Saturday.

The issue erupted when media reports on Friday stated of several Uttarakhand madrasas have refused to display a photograph of PM Modi in their educational institutions.

An official of the UMEB said, "Since Islam outrightly disapproves putting up any picture inside a madrassa, there is no question of putting up a photo of the Prime Minister inside its premises."

Another madrassa teacher claimed that the direction may give rise to political colours at educational institutions.

On the other hand, Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat yesterday condemned the madrassas in the state for their refusal to put up a portrait of the Prime Minister, asking them to give up their 'conservatism' on the issue.

"Installing the prime minister's portrait in all government institutions and those being run on government grants has been an established practice. The madrassas should give up their conservatism on the issue," CM Rawat said.

"Madrassas are also educational institutions. They should not have any objection to installing a portrait of the prime minister. They should view the issue from the Indian point of view," Rawat added.

Last year, shortly after the Independence Day, the state government sent a circular to all 'government offices' asking them to display a photograph of Modi.

"All departments are expected to ask the sections, establishments, educational institutions under them to put a photograph of the prime minister," the circular stated.

The government directive was also accompanied by an instruction to educational institutions to submit reports on the progress made. Uttarakhand's Minority Welfare Directorate also asked its officials to ensure compliance.

Accordingly, madrassas were informed by district minority welfare officers to "put up a picture of PM Modi in your respective madrassas."

When questioned about the non-availability of photographs of Prime Minister Modi inside madrassas, District minority welfare officer of Dehradun said, "the order has been issued to all the government-run educational institutions."

He added that they, however, cannot force anyone to comply with the order if it is against their religion.DAKAR: Gunmen shot dead 13 people and wounded seven others on Saturday in the forest of Senegal`s southern region of Casamance, the army said.

It was not clear who was responsible or what the motive was for the attack on a group of civilians searching for firewood near the town of Borofaye and about 10 km (six miles) from the Guinea Bissau border, said army spokesman Abdoul Ndiaye.

The area is home to separatist rebels who in 1982 formed what is now one of Africa`s oldest rebellions in their search for independence from northern Senegal.

The Movement of Democratic Forces for Casamance (MFDC) is active in the area of southern Senegal, which is separated from the more affluent north by Gambia.

The movement has been largely dormant since a ceasefire in 2014. However, many areas remain off-limits because of landmines and arms stockpiles.

President Macky Sall called in his New Year address for dialogue with the rebels and a lasting peace.Mazar-i-Sharif: A stand-off between Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Atta Mohammad Noor, the powerful provincial governor he is trying to remove from his northern stronghold, is increasingly turning into a battle over next year`s presidential election.

Noor, a leader in the Jamiat-i Islami party and governor of the strategic province of Balkh, is defying Ghani, denouncing the "weak, lazy and corrupt" Kabul government in daily rallies with thousands of supporters and warning the government against trying to remove him by force.

The deadlock, which has alarmed Western embassies and sparked fears of civil violence, has highlighted a fractious political climate that threatens to undermine recent battlefield successes from the sharp increase in U.S. air strikes last year.

Noor accuses Ghani of trying to remove a potential rival and divide Jamiat ahead of a presidential election likely to be shaped by the ethnic faultlines that dominate Afghan politics, notably between Pashtuns and Persian-speaking Tajiks.

"This is about the 2019 presidential election," he told Reuters in an interview at his office in the provincial capital Mazar-i Sharif, where his portrait adorns streets and buildings across the city. "They have no grassroots support among the people and they are afraid of public figures who do."

Ghani has not explained an announcement last month that he had accepted a letter of resignation from Noor, signed earlier last year during negotiations over a possible national role for the governor who has ruled Balkh for more than a decade.

But Noor says the letter, which has not been made public, was conditional on steps that Ghani has not taken and has refused to go.

Ghani has not said anything publicly about the stand-off. His spokesman did not answer calls seeking comment.

Noor, a former commander in the anti-Soviet Mujahiddin considered one of the richest men in Afghanistan, has faced repeated accusations of corruption, which he denies. In 2015 Human Rights Watch said there was "strong evidence that he controls and funds local militias implicated in serious abuse".

But Balkh, which sits on vital trade routes into central Asia, is also one of Afghanistan`s most stable and prosperous provinces, with a much smaller Taliban and Islamic State presence than in other northern regions.

Noor enjoys strong support, notably from a business community that has done well out of the lucrative transit trade through Hairatan, the border crossing into Uzbekistan that handles hundreds of millions of dollars worth of goods a year.

"People have been very unhappy about the problems between the president and the governor," said Khairuddin Mayel, who runs a large cooking oil and foods business. "The governor has been very successful and people don`t want this province to become like the others. They do not want to lose this governor."

As the stand-off in Balkh has continued it has become a national issue, with Noor now demanding wider concessions, including what Jamiat sees as proper implementation of the accord underpinning Ghani`s national unity government.

Like many of the political problems of the past three years, the crisis stems from the fraud-marred presidential election in 2014 that left no agreed winner.

Under a US-brokered deal, Ghani, an ethnic Pashtun, was appointed president while his rival Abdullah Abdullah, from Jamiat, was given the specially created post of chief executive.

Ever since, Jamiat supporters have bitterly resented what they see as Ghani`s betrayal of the deal and favouritism towards Pashtuns, traditionally the strongest group in Afghan politics.

While Noor has been angry with Ghani, he has also been incensed by Abdullah, his long-time party rival, whom he describes as a "snake".

"Jamiat will never trust Dr Abdullah," he said. "He has shown he is weak and a partner in the incompetence and crimes of the government."

Abdullah has confirmed he had approved the decision to oust the governor but has had little to say about Noor`s reaction.

The dispute has also highlighted the role of a clutch of regional leaders, of whom Noor is one of the most prominent, whose strong local support have made them difficult for the central government to control.

Over recent months, Ghani has sidelined several of them, forcing ethnic Uzbek vice-President Rashid Dostum into exile following a torture scandal.

He has also clashed with General Abdul Raziq, a powerful police commander whose successes against the Taliban in the southern province of Kandahar have given him a growing national profile.

In June, Noor joined Dostum, currently in Turkey, in forming a "Coalition for the Salvation of Afghanistan", uniting figures from the Tajik, Hazara and Uzbek communities. Pictures of the two, together with Hazara leader Mohammad Mohaqiq, are on prominent display in Mazar.

Noor said they, and other regional leaders, represented a reality that could not be ignored.

"We have powerful political parties, influential figures, those who have grassroots support among the people," said Noor. "They will remain in Afghanistan and will fight against terrorism as they fought in the past."New York: United States President Donald Trump needs to take a step back, exercise caution and patience, and focus more on having quiet diplomatic negotiations with Pakistan on the issue of neutralising support to terror elements operating from its soil, says an editorial in the New York Times.

The editorial is of the view that President Trump can ill afford walking away from Pakistan at this juncture of his presidency, and will need to acknowledge that Islamabad has and will continue to be a source of vital intelligence. He would also have to keep in mind that Pakistan has the world's fastest-growing nuclear arsenal, which has always been a matter of regional and global concern.

"Whether Pakistan will cooperate after the aid freeze remains to be seen. Initially, some Pakistani officials reacted harshly to the announcement, which came as a surprise, but on Friday, a Foreign Ministry statement talked about the need for mutual respect and patience as the two countries address common threats," says the editorial, suggesting that tone and engagement is now even tempered.

"Mr. Trump could marshal other diplomatic tools to see if more constructive cooperation with Pakistan is possible. One idea would be to harness his new friendships with the leaders of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to shut down Haqqani and other Taliban fund-raising efforts in the Persian Gulf. This would, of course, require quiet negotiations, not shouting," the editorial adds.

It further goes on to say that Pakistan has posed a dilemma for the United States for long, and the Trump administration's announcement this week that it would freeze nearly all military aid to Pakistan, roughly USD 1.3 billion annually, should for now just be seen as an act of initial frustration and bombast.

It warns that Pakistan has the potential to retaliate by denying access, shutting down supply lines to Afghanistan, ally more closely with China and be more hard-line in its rivalry with India. China could once again be the beneficiary of a Trump decision whose signature tune is estrangement with and from long-time partners.

The NYT editorial says that while Trump may have highlighted a real point, "he has given no assurance that he would not make matters worse."

Americans last cut off assistance to Pakistan in the 1990s after it tested a nuclear weapon and underwent a military coup, creating distrust between the two countries that has never dissipated. But after September 11, 2001, the relationship transformed overnight. Washington has demanded that Islamabad perform on counter-terrorism in return for new aid.

Since then, Pakistan has played a double game, accepting American funding while backing militants who protect Pakistani interests in Afghanistan and Kashmir.

President Trump is not the first to call a spade a spade. In 2011, Admiral Mike Mullen, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a Senate committee that the Haqqani Network was a "veritable arm" of the Pakistani security service. "Extremist organisations serving as proxies of the Government of Pakistan are attacking Afghan troops and civilians as well as U.S. soldiers," he said.United Nations: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is deeply concerned by a spike in tensions in a buffer zone in disputed Western Sahara, his spokesman said.

Morocco has accused the Algerian-backed Polisario Front of carrying out incursions in the buffer zone near Guerguerat, an area in southern Western Sahara near the Mauritanian border.

The UN chief "is deeply concerned about recent increased tensions in the vicinity of Guerguerat in the Buffer Strip in southern Western Sahara between the Moroccan berm and the Mauritanian border," said a UN statement.

Guterres "calls on the parties to exercise maximum restraint and to avoid escalating tensions."

"Regular civilian and commercial traffic should not be obstructed and no action should be taken, which may constitute a change to the status quo of the buffer strip," it added.

A previous incursion of the Polisario at Guerguerat last year prompted the United Nations to intervene to force both Morocco and the Polisario to withdraw.

The spike in tensions come as new UN envoy Horst Kohler is working to restart talks between Morocco and the Polisario on ending the decades-old conflict.

Morocco and the Polisario fought for control of Western Sahara from 1974 to 1991, with Rabat taking over the desert territory before a UN-brokered ceasefire in the former Spanish colony.

Rabat considers Western Sahara an integral part of Morocco and proposes autonomy for the resource-rich territory, but the Polisario Front insists on a UN referendum on independence.Open source

January 7 in the Donbas conflict area passed without violations of the ceasefire. As of 18:00 on the Nativity of Christ day along the entire line of delineation no provocations were reported, informs the press center of the antiterrorist operation headquarters on its Facebook page.



The Headquarters emphasizes the need for peace and tranquility in connection with the Christmas holidays and reaffirms the commitment to the implementation of sustainable ceasefire reached at the meeting of the Tripartite Contact Group.



"Units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the area of Donbas conflict ensure the implementation of all measures to maintain the armistice along the entire line of delineation of the parties and strictly adhere to the Minsk agreements," the headquarters said.

Related: Russian air base in Syria second time in a week attacked by drones



As reported, over the past day, on January 6, the militants violated the truce three times. The wound was received by one Ukrainian soldier, now he is in a satisfactory condition.

Since midnight on December 23, a new, pre-holiday, armistice came into force. The parties agreed on it during the meeting of the Tripartite Contact Group in Minsk on December 20. At the same time, the sides reaffirmed their commitment to the Minsk agreements. Later it was reported hat the militants continue to violate the truce, firing Ukrainian positions.

Related: Explosion in Stockholm: Police reported death of one of the victimsOpen source

Illegal Armed Forces of ORDLO continue to restrict the freedom of movement of OSCE observers and create a threat to their work. This is reported by the Ukrainian side of the Joint Center for Control and Coordination, said on the page of the headquarters in Facebook.



"Since early 2018, the OSCE SMM continues to register cases of threats, restrictions on access to military facilities and freedom of movement of its patrols on the territory temporarily uncontrolled by the government of Ukraine," the report said.



It is noted that at the same time "populists from the ORDO / ORLO simulate activities", having issued the second "order" for the last 6 months on prohibiting the unjustified restriction of the freedom of movement for OSCE observers.

Related: List of Akhmetovs assets to be frozen by courts decision



"The special impudence is the fact that after the publication of the previous" order "at the end of August 2017, the number of these restrictions not only did not diminish, but even increased: for example, during the first month of its" action ", the OSCE SMM reported 46 cases of such violations," emphasize in the JCCC.



The Ukrainian side of JCCC notes that this indicates the populist nature of the published "orders" and the lack of interest of "the leaders of quasi-state entities and their Russian curators" in monitoring of the implementation of the Minsk agreements by the militants and compliance with the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine.

Related: Akhmetov's company to appeal against court decision to "freeze" 820 million dollarsThe EU demands to claw back from Russia 1.39 billion euros annually because of restrictions on the importation of pork.





According to Politico with reference to its sources, the World Trade Organization (WTO) has already sent the demand of Brussels to the arbitration court.

The publication reminds that in 2016 WTO decided that Russia had introduced an illegal ban on the import of pork from the EU.

These measures have become a "heavy blow to farmers from Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands."





"Sanctions have become the opportunity for Russia to increase production of meat after the competition with foreign companies in the market has disappeared," the article reads.

Brussels, by its actions, as the newspaper notes, begins to actively challenge the legitimacy of politically motivated food sanctions against the EU. "





The compensation required by Brussels - 1.39 billion euros is equal to the total value of exports of pork from the EU to Russia in 2013.

It is planned that the amount of penalties each year will increase by 15%.This was stated on Sunday by the first deputy head of the economic committee of the Council of Federation, Sergei Kalashnikov, the RIA Novosti reports.





"If the EU's suit is satisfied, we, probably, will have to limit our participation in the World Trade Organization, possibly completely," he believes.





Kalashnikov stressed that the EU's introduction of sanctions against Russia and the reciprocal embargo on the supply of food from the EU is "absolutely out of the logic of legislation related to the WTO."





"Sanctions are not at all in accordance with the rules of the World Trade Organization," said Kalashnikov.According to Ambassador Judith Gough, pressure on anti-corruption bodies may jeopardize the international support for Ukraine

Pressure on anti-corruption bodies may seriously influence the reputation of Ukraine, which the country was forming over the past few years, Ambassador of the United Kingdom in Ukraine Judith Gough told Novoe Vremia in an interview.

According to the ambassador, further pressure on anti-corruption bodies may jeopardize the international support for Ukraine. Gough also noted that Ukraine wont receive investment without an effective fight against corruption.

Many famous British companies are represented in Ukraine - and Rover, JCB, Mark & Spencer, and many others, they always tell me that their development here is slowed down by corruption, lots of regulations, and high taxes, the diplomat said.The Art of Christmas: New Mexico Style

PLEASE NOTE!

Due to the March 23, 2020 NM DOH Public Health Order, These Event Listings Are Not Accurate!

All non-essential businesses are closed, public gatherings are prohibited!

(One day some of these events will be rescheduled or will resume, but they are not happening now!)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!)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 issues.Gossip "Journalist" Michael Wolff

This week, the Trump administration responded to revelations in Michael Wolff's new book, Fire and Fury, in two ways. One of those ways was fully merited and praiseworthy; the other was counterproductive and dunderheaded. The first response came in the form of President Trump publicly disemboweling the leading leaker against Trump, former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon. Bannon had glorified himself over Trump, attempted to pose as the head of a Trumpist "nationalist populist" movement, and suggested that actual criminal - and therefore impeachable - activity took place in Trumpworld. Trump rightly smacked Bannon with a rhetorical brick.That made a good deal of sense: Bannon has been a net negative for the president since the election. Bannon was responsible for the utter botchery of the first travel ban rollout; he was responsible, reportedly, for Trump's disastrous handling of the Charlottesville white supremacist rallies and murder; he spent his days on the phone with various media outlets undercutting his boss and glorifying himself.Then there was the second response.The Trump administration decided to go to all-out war with Wolff, thereby elevating his book dramatically in the public mind. Trump's lawyers sent a wildly ill-advised cease-and-desist letter to Wolff's publisher, which only served to make it seem like Trump wanted to silence the book from the White House. If Obama had tried to do the same with an Edward Klein book, the Right would have lost its mind. This isn't activity in which the White House should be participating.What's more, the White House could have easily shifted the burden of proof onto Wolff, given that the book seems filled with anecdotal second-hand nonsense (Trump didn't know who John Boehner was, Stephen Miller is a policy illiterate), apparently drawn directly from the brain of Steve Bannon. The White House should have said that Bannon talked smack about the White House, that most of that smack was false, and that Sloppy Steve's disingenuous musings undermined the credibility of the book itself.Instead, they fell directly into the Streisand Effect, drawing attention to the book and making it seem that Wolff was telling forbidden truths rather than half-baked stories largely confirming general public perception about dysfunction and chaos in the West Wing.So, where should the White House go from here? They should go back to the strategy of ignoring the book, and disparaging its chief source. That, after all, is more reflective of the truth than any attempt to shut down its distribution.News / Education

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Zim Scholars Trust in conjunction with Cyprus International University (CIU) a fully accredited and Internationally recognized University located in North Cyprus, is inviting you to attend a Recruitment Seminar to be held in Bulawayo for the February/ March 2018-2019 Spring intakeVenue: Rainbow Hotel Date : 17 January 2018Time : 0900Hrs- 1700Hrs50% Discount on Tuition Fees and Double Major Opportunities3+1 Progression Agreements with University of Wolverhampton and University of Sunderland..Admission will be on Spot....Meet with Hazal Aripinar the CIU Regional Manager for Central and Southern Africa she be available for any issues you need to be clarified .NB Degrees offered by Cyprus International University are recognized in Zimbabwe and I nternationally Passport/ ID and Academic Certificates44 Undergraduate Programs29 Masters Programs15 Doctoral Programs10 Associate Degree Programs Why North CyprusRegister for the Seminar at Zim Scholars Trust Offices 102 Fort Street/ 8th Avenue next to Bulawayo Public Library Zimdef House 6th Floor West Wing ..Registration is free For more detailsWhats-app /Call+263774 007 046+263784240791+2639 62072News / Education

by Staff Reporter

The government through the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education said it has noted concerns raised by different stakeholders on the new education curriculum and will continue doing assessments to ensure effective implementation.The Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Professor Paul Mavima said there is no going back on the implementation of the curriculum and that they are working on modalities that will improve strategies thereby addressing concerns by stakeholders.The Ministry of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services has since partnered the Primary and Secondary Education Ministry to help disseminate critical information in the implementation of the curriculum through their different platforms.There have been concerns by stakeholders in the education sector on the new curriculum which includes the need to train teachers, reviewing tasks and projects undertaken by students to meet the demands of the new curriculum.News / National

by Staff Reporter

Norton MP Temba Mliswa has acknowledged that MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai is an icon of democracy in Zimbabwe but warned that the divisions in his party will lead to them handing election victory to Zanu-PF.Indications are that there are divisions in the MDC Alliance as to whether for Tsvangirai to remain their sole candidate while others say his health makes him not fit to stand for presidency.Tsvangirai is battling cancer of the colon."At a time when MDC must consolidate its membership, factionalism is at its worst. No matter how incompetent people may feel MT is he's respected for his democracy. But bhora musango is so rife that there will be a split. Some will stay with MT but final nail will be the loss to Zanu-PF," Mliswa said.News / National

by Stephen Jakes

A political analyst Pedzisai Ruhanya has warned that the opposition political parties cannot be at this time ruled out from garnering victory during elections considering the effects of former President Robert Mugabe's ouster in the ruling Zanu-PF.Claims had been made that the opposition is in shambles and cannot win elections against a re-organised Zanu-PF.Ruhanya said: "As I go back to the University of Johannesburg to carry out my research, my short stint in Zimbabwe suggests that it is premature to dismiss the opposition in the 2018 election."The effect of Mugabe ouster in Zanu PF by the military particularly in Mashonaland provinces should not be under estimated."More so the opposition took its voter registration to another level, a statistical approach where the youths analyse data and numbers in the campaign."I like one young man; Madhuku's approach in Harare's ward 16. Came across proof of residence affidavits for voter registration signed by Prof Welshman Ncube in Zaka, Tendai Biti in Bikita, Nelson Chamisa in Mutoko, Tabitha Khumalo in Binga."I saw Hons James Maridadi, Zizwai, Jessy Majome, Machingauta virtually camping in Harare and physically taking people to registration centres using personal resources," he said.News / National

by Stephen Jakes

A political commentator Pedzisai Ruhanya has advised the MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai to let the members of the party who opose the alliance of the party with others explain what is wrong with it to the ordinary members.Party's Vice President Thokozani Khupe and other senior members from Matabeleland have been against the formation of the coalition saying the party has never lost election in Matabeleland hence no need to have a coalition including Matabeleland."MDC-leader Morgan Tsvangirai should subject his lieutenants who oppose the opposition alliance to the sovereign structures of the party than the executive will. Let them tell the ordinary members of the party why unity is wrong. At the UZ, we used to subject those who opposed demonstrations and protests for pay out rise to the AGM at the UZ clinic to tell ordinary students why we should not be paid more and Cde Mao would say the GENERAL knows how?" Ruhanya said."Time is running out while tolerating tomfoolery behaviour by petty politicians. Who is telling them to oppose unity of opposition forces and why; where are they getting the instructions from; Tsvangirai must subject the politicians to the PEOPLE!"News / National

by Simbarashe Sithole

There was drama at Mvurwi police station when a "habitual thief" allegedly wept in front of police officers begging to be released after instant justice had been meted on him by an angry mob.Allegations are that George Gandiwa stole a satchel and rain suit in a shop at Suoguru Township.Gandiwa was reportedly caught trying to hide the stolen property in his big pair of trousers by a man identified as Choko Choko."I saw this guy trying to steal a rain suit and a satchel in a shop and ordered him to surrender the stolen property."The alleged thief tried to resist prompting an angry mob to discipline him before surrendering him to the police," said Choko Choko.However, the police did not show up in time after a report was made allowing the crowd to exercise karate on the suspect.After a good one hour without police presence the complaint surrendered the suspect to the police.Apparently, Gandiwa has less than one week out of prison on similar offense.News / National

by Staff Reporter

Kenyan government has denied giving former Zimbabwean Higher Education minister Jonathan Moyo political asylum.Government Spokesman Eric Kiraithe denied claims that Moyo, who was the Higher Education minister in former President Robert Mugabe's government until two months ago, is in the country as a political refugee."I would have known if he was in the country," Kiraithe told the Nation newspaper on Saturday. "Political asylum is a security issue and his request would have been processed by the NSAC (National Security Advisory Council) and the Cabinet."Mugabe was toppled by the military in November after he sacked his vice-president Emmerson Mnangagwa, ostensibly to clear the path for his wife Grace to succeed him. Mnangagwa was later installed as president.The Nation Newspaper reported that the whereabouts of a number of powerful but unpopular ministers in Mugabe's government have been the subject of much speculation, with some suggesting that they had been detained by the military.Moyo is believed to have been the brains behind Generation 40, (popularly known as G40), which was a faction within the ruling Zanu-PF party that was scheming for Mugabe's wife, Grace, to be president against his VP Mnangagwa.However, ever since Mugabe's ouster, there has been speculation in the Zimbabwean media that Moyo escaped to Nairobi together with one of the deposed leader's close allies Saviour Kasukuwere.Moyo once worked for an international NGO in Nairobi in the 1990s which he was accused of defrauding of thousands of dollars.Zimbabwean media report that he has family members in the city as well.From his alleged base in Nairobi, the Southern African country media report that Moyo has waged a vicious campaign against the government of President Mnangagwa on Twitter.On Thursday, Zimbabwe's Daily News website reported that President Mnangagwa's government is putting pressure on the Kenyan authorities to rein in Moyo to cease his repeated attacks on the president."The Daily News can report that government functionaries are now leaning heavily on Kenyan authorities to rein in the former Higher Education minister seen as the brains behind Mugabe and his pesky wife, Grace's shenanigans," the website reported.However, Mwenda Njoka, the Interior ministry spokesman, denied Moyo was in the country. "I have asked our immigration guys and they said he is not here," he said. "I think the Zimbabwean media are doing some fishing to try to find out where he is. But the website reported that President Mnangagwa's spokesman George Charamba professed ignorance over the matter, saying the action might have been taken by other ministries without his knowledge."Edwin Limo, the spokesman for Foreign Affairs ministry, said he was not aware of such a request from the Zimbabwean government to the Kenyan authorities over Moyo.The Daily News further claimed that Moyo is currently under investigation for allegedly siphoning over $400, 000 (Sh41.3 million) from the Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund (Zimdef).In 2001, Moyo was implicated in a corruption scandal involving about $6 million (Sh619.9 million) while he was the programme director in Nairobi for the American-based charity organisation, Ford Foundation. The money was meant for a Nairobi-based NGO, the Series on Alternative Research in East Africa Trust, which was founded by political scientist Mutahi Ngunyi.An audit report carried out in 2000 revealed that Moyo used the money for unclear purposes. Ngunyi did not answer our calls and text messages on whether he knows of Moyo's whereabouts.A top security source in the country, who declined to be quoted, said Moyo fled the country before the case was concluded and, therefore, remains a wanted man in Kenya.News / National

by Stephen Jakes

The social and political commentators have accused the opposition leaders for being so greedy that they willingly go against their political parties' principles by representing Zanu-PF officials and former ministers accused of corruption in courts.Revelations are that former Tourism Minister Walter Mzembi, accused of corruption, is being represented by MDC-T senior official Job Sikhala.Former Finance Minister Ignatius Chombo's lawyer is National Constitutional Assembly leader Lovemore Madhuku.Gedion Gono's Lawyer has been People's Democratic Party Leader Tendai Biti.Former Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko, who is being sued by MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai over Gukurahundi claims, is being represented by the leader of MDC, Welshman Ncube.A social network user Stewie Musarapasi asked if the purpose of Opposition to represent the same people they accuse of corruption was to genuinely free them or to betray them."Do what you preach opposition parties towards Zanu PF fugitives," he said.The opposition politicians are on record as accusing Zanu PF officials of corruption which they say have grounded the country's economy.Updates throughout the day at http://calevbenyefuneh.blog spot.com. If you enjoy "Love of the Land", please be a subscriber. Just put your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the upper right-hand corner of the page.Twitter updates at LoveoftheLand as well as our Love of the Land page at Facebook which has additional pieces of interest besides that which is posted on the blog. Also check-out This Ongoing War by Frimet and Arnold Roth. An excellent blog, very important work.

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..Israel Hayom..06 January '18..Finally, someone is shaking the foundations beneath one of the biggest charades, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency. Thanks to the twisted mandate it got from the U.N. in the 1950s, it has perpetuated the plight of Palestinian refugees from one generation to the next. The mandate prohibits UNRWA from resettling those "refugees" and find them a permanent home, ensuring that they keep entertaining the idea that one day they will get the "right of return."Now the Trump administration has taken steps to defund the organization, perhaps not for the right reasons, if the Palestinians fail to return to the negotiating table. It has so far put on hold half of the funding it normally gives each year.Unlike UNRWA, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has been properly tasked with ending the plight of refugees, but UNRWA has perpetuated the status of refugees and has been essentially tasked of ensuring the Palestinians remain displaced. There is not other agency in the world that does that.The U.N. has never asked that Hindus be allowed back to Pakistan or that Greek Cypriots be allowed back to the Turkish-controlled Cyprus, nor has insisted that Muslims be allowed to return to Bulgaria after being expelled.Over the years, tens of millions of refugees from a whole host of ethnicities have been resettled in their new countries and rebuilt their lives.But the sanity ends when the refugees  I mean the descendants of refugees  want to "return" to Tiberias, Lod, Nazareth, Acre, or Jaffa. In a way, UNRWA has created a lineage of displacement, almost genetic, that passes from father to son, and from one generation to the next.The original Palestinian refugees totaled no more than 500,000 to 800,000, and their numbers are constantly in decline. But the Palestinian displacement industry is thriving because the sons, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren have received eternal refugee status. This is in accordance with what the U.N. has decided when it gave UNRWA its mandate.It's no surprise, then, that Palestinian refugees number 5.5 million people and counting. Unlike other displaced people who lose their refugee status once they receive citizenship from their new country, the Palestinian refugees continue to hold that status as refugees even after they are naturalized.UNRWA may be doing humanitarian work, but it has acted more like a large pharmaceutical corporation that makes sure the public never adopts a healthy way of life, thus ensuring that its profits continue.The drug is addictive, and so is the refugee status. UNRWA should have been eliminated and financially depleted regardless of the state of the peace process. Its very existence is designed to maintain the notion of the right of return, another name for Israel's destruction.Even the descendants of the original Palestinian refugees in Iraq who have recently been settled in Chile by the UNHCR because of the hardships they faced cannot relinquish their refugee status. Many of the Palestinian refugees have been leading successful and happy lives around the world, but because of the ongoing perpetuation of UNRWA, there are 59 refugee camps in Lebanon, Gaza, Judea and Samaria, Syria, Jordan and Jerusalem. These camps have ensured that a large Palestinian population would continue to entertain the illusion that they would one day return to Israel, on our backs, and kick us out.UNRWA has made sure their problems would never end, by ensuring continued pain and by focusing attention on younger generations that still live in the camps. Billions of dollars of U.N. funds have been used over the years to ensure that the lives in camps stay as they are rather than to resettle them or shut down the camps.It is no wonder then, that Zakaria al-Agha, who sits in the Palestine Liberation Organization's Executive Committee and is a senior official at UNHCR, told the Israeli media that defunding UNRWA would "breach a red line for the Palestinians." It is also hardly a surprise that the Palestinians have asked Arab states to apply pressure on Washington.Without the charade called UNRWA, the Palestinians would find it extremely hard to define themselves as refugees. Without being refugees, their leaders would be unable to demand their "return" to Israeli cities.FRIDAY, Jan. 8, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- As temperatures plummet across the northern half of the United States this weekend, gas heating use goes up. So does the risk for accidental carbon monoxide poisoning.

That's because carbon monoxide exposure is both highly toxic and very hard to detect. The gas is colorless, tasteless and odorless.

As a result, more than 20,000 Americans seek emergency care each year for carbon monoxide poisoning, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 400 die.

To prevent carbon monoxide incidents, the experts from the Nebraska Regional Poison Center say you should:

Install carbon monoxide alarms on every floor of your home. This is the most important thing you can do.

Inspect all fuel-burning equipment every year. Make sure that all gas heaters are properly vented to the outside. Gas generators should be placed at a good distance from the home, not near a window, door or vent.

Don't use a gas range or oven to warm up your home.

Don't use a gas or charcoal grill indoors.

Never leave your vehicle running while parked in a garage attached to your home.

Have your vehicle's muffler and tailpipes checked on a regular basis.

Though carbon monoxide is a quiet killer, signs of actual poisoning are very noticeable, according to the Poison Center. They include sleepiness, headache, dizziness, blurred vision, vomiting, shortness of breath and convulsions.

Anyone experiencing such symptoms should be immediately pulled out into the open air. It's important to seek medical help right away: Call 911 or the Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222.

More information

The National Safety Council has more on carbon monoxide poisoning.WILKES-BARRE  Susan Major entered the courtroom Friday morning sobbing uncontrollably as the man accused of murdering her three sons sat shackled, waiting to learn if he would face the death penalty.





When Preston Daquen Bonnett, 27, found out prosecutors would not pursue capital punishment, he remained defiant and asserted his innocence.





Because they know Im not guilty, Bonnett said in court.





Bonnett, of Wilkes-Barre, is facing three counts each of arson and criminal homicide over the Oct. 25 fire at 60 Oakwood Drive, Laflin, that claimed the lives of brothers Erik Dupree, 16, Devon Major, 12, and Ezekiel Major, 7. Prosecutors allege Bonnett set fire to the familys home because of an ongoing dispute he had with their mother, his ex-girlfriend Susan Major, 48.





The announcement that prosecutors will not seek the death penalty came during Bonnetts formal arraignment Friday morning, during which he pleaded not guilty to the charges.





Citing the pending criminal case, Luzerne County District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis declined to discuss specifics about the decision to forgo a capital prosecution, but said her team unanimously agreed to do so and that the victims family supported the move.





As horrific as this case may be, when determining whether or not we should seek the death penalty we dont simply just look at the crime and the tragic result that may empower emotions in everyone, especially myself, Salavantis said. As district attorney, I have an ethical obligation to look at the standard and whether or not we can seek the highest charge by law.





For prosecutors to have secured a death sentence, they would first have needed to get a first-degree murder conviction against Bonnett. Legal experts say that would mean proving he knew the boys were inside and intended to kill them, not that he merely sought to burn down the house.





During Fridays hearing, Bonnett alleged his rights were being violated because the arraignment proceeded in the absence of his lawyer and called out First Assistant District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce as well as the news media for not using the word alleged freely enough during descriptions of the allegations against him.





Theyre trying to paint a picture of me, saying I did do these things, Bonnett said.





Vough assured Bonnett that the charges against him are allegations that must be proven before a jury.





According to court documents, Bonnett met Major through a personal ad on Craigslist in 2015. A few months later, they were charged with using fraudulent debit cards to buy gift cards and other items, and they each pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor theft charge.





Court documents show that over the summer, Major agreed to let Tyla Marie Griffin, 28, of Wilkes-Barre, stay in her home. But after Griffin brought Bonnett in without permission, Major kicked the pair out, initiating a heated exchange during which Griffin allegedly punched out a window.





Major called the police, and as a result of materials found in Bonnetts possession  including a device used to make fraudulent credit cards, blank cards and legal documents  Bonnett and Griffin were charged with felony counts of access device fraud and conspiracy.





Prosecutors allege that less than two weeks before the deadly fire, Bonnett returned to the home and threw a beer bottle through a window.





The evening of Oct. 25, he was back, according to prosecutors. At 7:09 p.m., an audibly distressed Erik made a call for help.





Hes not supposed to be here, sir. Im very scared, Erik said in a recording of the 911 call previously played in court. Please hurry. Please.





Surveillance footage taken from inside the home shows smoke rapidly filling the building as the sound of banging and crashing grows, along with the voice of someone screaming.





Help! Help! Please save us! the voice shouts mere seconds before the lights of an emergency vehicle appear in the street out front.





According to police, Erik reached the front door, leaving blackened hand prints behind on the door before he was overcome by smoke.





Bonnett is being held without bail at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility pending trial.

 | 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The Administration of President Donald Trump has placed a focus on womens economic opportunities, empowerment and entrepreneurship.

Thats because even though there is no better way to strengthen the economy than to boost womens participation in the workforce, still, too often women face barriers to success. One persistent problem is womens lack of access to digital technology, said USAIDs Senior Coordinator for Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment, Michelle Bekkering.

In developing countries it is estimated that 70 percent of women-owned small and medium size businesses are still denied access to the capital they need. Nearly one in two women are shut off from the internet.

In all of our conversations were recognizing that technology is  the great equalizer. Technology is offering us an acceleration of impact in areas where change had been taking a very long time, said Ms. Bekkering.

Unfortunately, even as the world becomes ever more digital, women and girls lag far behind boys and men in access to technology, particularly the internet. If you look right now at the gap around the world, 1.7 billion women in the developing world are still unconnected to the internet. And so if you look at the figures  [the] Intel[Corporation] has predicted that if you could even bring 600 million women online, that could add an average of between 13 to 18 billion dollars in GDP to 144 developing countries, said Ms. Bekkering.

Although this is a common problem globally, the reasons for the digital gender gap vary. A recurrent one is high costs of mobile phones and service. In the developing world, some 200 million fewer women than men own a mobile phone, the most common means of Internet access there.

USAID is looking at solutions to bring down the costs, such as offering two SIM cards for the price of one, and using-solar powered charging stations in off-the electric grid regions. We are also working with people who live under these conditions who have a lot of great ideas for improvements.

USAID, said Senior Coordinator Bekkering, is working to break down these barriers to allow women the opportunity to achieve their full potential.Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 8

Trend:

Estonia is prepared to cooperate with Azerbaijan to establish joint production ventures, Estonia's charge d'affaires ad interim in Azerbaijan Indrek Kiverik said, Estonian media reported.

One of the directions in which we can cooperate is mutual investment, joint production projects, so in the future we can export output to neighboring regions. There is a number of Estonian companies that are prepared to invest in agriculture and the keeping of animals as well as in other fields for subsequent export to Central Asia, India and Turkey," Kiverik said.

He added that Estonian entrepreneurs are also interested in participating in logistics projects, joint carriage and transport services.Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 8

Trend:

Estonia can join to the international transport route North-South, Estonia's charge d'affaires ad interim in Azerbaijan Indrek Kiverik said, Estonian media reported.

For Azerbaijan, Estonia is a jump ramp into the Scandinavian market. On the other hand, Azerbaijan is a possible ramp for our businessmen towards the market of Iran, Near East and India. We are pleased with the fact that Azerbaijan is building both a political and a railway contact with Iran. If this route works, for our investors and entrepreneurs will be very easy to reach the mentioned markets right through Azerbaijan, he said.

Kiverik noted that the volume of Azerbaijani export to Estonia is increasing and economic cooperation is progressing well.

The turnover is small, even slight I would say. As far as Azerbaijans investments into Estonia are concerned, they are growing. It happens because the number of Azerbaijani entrepreneurs opening offices in Estonia is getting higher. They are engaged in logistics, consulting services, IT, wholesale distribution and restaurant business, Kiverik said.

The International North-South Transport Corridor is meant to connect Northern Europe with Southeast Asia. It will serve as a link connecting the railways of Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia. At the initial stage, it is planned to transport 5 million tons of cargo per year through the corridor and more than 10 million tons of cargo in the future.Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 7

Trend:

The troops of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces must be always ready for carrying out combat missions, Azerbaijani Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov said.

Hasanov made the remarks at the meeting in Baku, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said in a message.

The deputy defense ministers, commanders of the armed forces, chiefs of the main directorates, departments also attended the meeting.

The minister also set tasks for commanders and stressed that the combat and moral-psychological training of personnel must be improved.Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 7

Trend:

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has signed an order to provide funding for construction of Charkhi-Galaghan-Hajilar-Khanligoba-Sayad-Mammadkhanli road in Khachmaz district.

Under the order, 10.1 million manat is allocated from the state budget for construction of the road connecting eight residential areas with a total population of 8,000 people.Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 7

Trend:

Details added (first version posted on 13:16).

A Daewoo passenger bus #175 (license plate 99-XM-581) fell into a ravine after the driver lost control of the bus on Zikh highway in Baku on January 6.

Policemen and representatives of the prosecutors office of Bakus Khatai district immediately carried out investigative and operational-search measures, a joint statement of Bakus Main Police Department and the city prosecutor's office says.

As a result of these measures, a passenger bus driver, who was involved in the accident and disappeared from the scene, was detained.

A passenger bus accident occurred on Zikh highway in Baku.

Policemen and representatives of the prosecutors office of Bakus Khatai district immediately carried out investigative and operational-search measures, a joint statement of Bakus Main Police Department and the city prosecutor's office says.

As a result of these measures, a passenger bus driver, who was involved in the accident and disappeared from the scene, was detained.

13:16 (GMT+4) A passenger bus accident occurred on Zikh highway in Baku.

Policemen and representatives of the prosecutors office of Bakus Khatai district immediately carried out investigative and operational-search measures, a joint statement of Bakus Main Police Department and the city prosecutor's office says.Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 10

By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) intends to hold an international tender for TV channels broadcasting.

Tender No.: 96/122-124/3 



Subject: Broadcasting the networks English Ifilm, Press TV and Hispan TV on Galaxy 19 Satellite for three years in accordance with the technical specification and other terms and conditions mentioned in the tender documents.

Place to obtain the documents: Purchasing (KALA) Dept., 4th Floor of IRIB Administration Complex, Hotel Esteghlal St., Vali-e Asr Ave., Tehran Iran.

The fee of the tender documents and how to deposit it: Submission of payment receipt for the amount of 3 million rials to account No.2172918037001 Meli Bank Amaniyeh Branch in the name of IRIB. 

In order to obtain the documents it is necessary to submit an introductory letter by company or its representative and the receipt of paying the documents fee. 

Deadline for receiving documents: Jan. 18, 2018.

The completed tender documents should be submitted to the aforementioned address no later than 16:00 on Sunday, Feb. 18, 2018.

The amount and type of tender participation guarantee: $82,185 in the form of bank guarantee.

For more information, please call: +98-21-22167464Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 7

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

The High-Tech Park of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences will create a portal that will become a platform for establishing business relations between Chinese and Azerbaijani entrepreneurs, the High-Tech Park told Trend Dec. 28.

A marketing specialist of Azerbaijans High-Tech Park will visit the China-Russia Innovation Tech Park located in Yantai, China in January 2018 to thoroughly study the format of cooperation.

Earlier, the management of the China-Russia Innovation Tech Park visited Azerbaijans High Tech Park. The prospects of cooperation between the two high-tech parks were discussed and a memorandum of cooperation was signed.

According to the memorandum, the sides jointly implement scientific and technical programs and innovative projects. Moreover, joint laboratories, scientific, technical and innovation centers are planned to be established, as well as mutual visits are planned to be organized.

The China-Russia Innovation Tech Park has rich experience of cooperation with post-Soviet countries and offers residents joint innovation development in China.

The China-Russia Innovation Tech Park has 350 residents.

Cooperation between Azerbaijani and Chinese entrepreneurs was also discussed during the opening of a technology transfer center at the High-Tech Park in November. The sides discussed the deployment of LED lamp and lithium-ion battery production in Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijani entrepreneurs were invited to China to review the production capacities.Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 7

By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

Iran's non-oil exports, including gas condensate, reached $31.64 billion during the first nine months of the current fiscal year (started March 20, 2017).

The figure indicates a fall by 2.4 percent, compared to the same period of the preceding year, Iran's Customs Administration said in a statement.

The volume of the exported goods reached 88.58 million tons in the 9-month period.

Iran includes gas condensate and some raw hydrocarbon products, like propane, butane, etc. in its non-oil export basket.

During the period, the country exported $5.1 billion worth of condensates.

Liquefied propane (worth $1.1 billion), methanol (worth $835 million), light oils and products (excluding gasoline) - (worth $810 million), and iron ore (worth $765 million) were the other top exported goods in the 9-month period (March 20-Dec. 22, 2017).

China was the main importer of the Iranian goods during the period. Irans non-oil exports to China registered a rise by 12.78 percent and stood at $6.527 billion.

Iraq ($4.63 billion, increase of 0.4 percent), the United Arab Emirates ($4.46 billion, fall of 18.4 percent), South Korea ($3 billion, an increase of 29 percent) and Afghanistan ($2 billion, rise of 6.3 percent) were other top importers of Iranian non-oil goods during the first nine months of current Iranian fiscal year.Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 7

By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

Exports of Irans minerals and mineral industry products valued at $6.86 billion during the first nine months of the current fiscal year (March 20-Dec. 22), accounting for 22 percent of the countrys overall non-oil exports in terms of value.

The figure indicates a rise by 3 percent compared to the same period of the preceding year, the countrys Industry, Mines and Trade Ministry announced Jan. 7.

The volume of exports surpassed 48.663 million tons in the 9-month period, 1 percent more year-on-year, according to the report.

Minerals and mineral industry products made 55 percent of Irans total non-oil exports in terms of volume.

The products covers steel and iron products, aluminium, copper, molybdenum, lead and zinc chain products as well as cement, ceramic and tiles, all types of stones, coal and coke, chromium, mica, nickel, precious metals and titanium.

China, Iraq, Afghanistan, the United Arab Emirates, India, Kuwait, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Oman, Qatar, Thailand, Indonesia, Italy, Turkmenistan, Taiwan, Turkey, Somalia, Russia And Egypt were among the main destinations for Irans mineral sector exports.

The Islamic Republic also imported $4.084 billion worth of mineral industry products in the period, 33 percent more year-on-year.

However, the volume of the imports increased by 86 percent to 9.115 million in the first nine months of the current fiscal year.

Mineral sector imports accounted for 34 and 11 percent of the countrys overall imports in terms of volume and value, respectively.

Steel, aluminium, copper, lead and zinc chain products, iron ore, all kinds of ceramic products and tiles, chrome, coal and coke were among the main imports in this sector.

China, the UAE, Turkey, India, South Korea, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Russia, Sweden, Belgium, Spain, Australia, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Japan and Taiwan were the top exporters of minerals and mineral industry products to Iran in the 9-month period.Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan.7

By Farhad Daneshvar  Trend:

Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari-Dowlatabadi has said that 70 suspect rioters have been released on bail after interrogation over the past 48 hours, Mizan news agency reported.

Media reports suggest that security officials have detained at least 1000 rioters during the last weeks unrests in Iran.

Iran saw turmoil and political unrests in several cities across the country which eventually took the lives of at least 21, including the law enforcement forces.

The unrests began after some groups joined demonstrations to protest against high prices but the economic protests soon turned into anti-government demonstrations.

Jafari-Dowlatabadi further blamed the US for plotting the riots which were planned to overthrow the countrys political establishment within 40 days.Iran has banned the teaching of English in primary schools, a senior education official said, after the countrys Supreme Leader said early learning of the language opened the way to a Western cultural invasion, Reuters reported.

Teaching English in government and non-government primary schools in the official curriculum is against laws and regulations, Mehdi Navid-Adham, head of the state-run High Education Council, told state television late on Saturday.A man has died and his wife injured in an explosion outside a metro station in the southern suburbs of Swedish capital Stockholm, Sunday Express reports.

Police in the city said the 60-year-old man and a 45-year-old woman were injured int the blast at the Varby Gard metro station in the Huddinge district.

The man was rushed to hospital in a serious condition but later died from multiple injuries sustained in the blast.

Police confirmed he had died in a statement on their website.

The condition of of the second blast victim, believed to be the man's wife, is unknown.

Officers said initial reports suggested the man was injured when he picked up an object, possibly a hand grenade, which then exploded in his hands.

They said there was no evidence to suggest the bast was terror-related.00:16 (GMT+4) Two car bomb explosions have taken lives of dozens in Syrian Idlib governorate, Sputnik reported, citing local media.

First car bomb, fitted with several tonnes of explosives, exploded near a supermarket and killed and injured more than 30 people, according to Al Mayadeen TV channel.

Another bomb has been set off by the terrorists near the headquarters of one of the local fringe groups, killing at least 20 people.

23:15 (GMT+4) At least 18 people were killed and tens more injured, including civilians, in an explosion in Syrias northwestern city of Idlib, Reuters reported, citing a war monitor.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the explosion targeted the headquarters of a minor rebel faction in Idlib. It was not immediately clear what the nature of the attack was.

Ambulances and rescue teams rushed to the explosion site and efforts are under way to pull out the bodies and rescue the injured trapped under the rubble of the targeted building and neighboring houses, the monitor added.Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Sunday he wants Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda to keep up efforts to reflate the economy, but added he was undecided on whether to reappoint Kuroda for another five-year term,, Reuters reported.

Governor Kuroda has met my expectations with job availability at a 43-year high, Abe said in a program by public broadcaster NHK.

I want him to keep up his efforts. But I havent made up my mind on who should be next BOJ governor when Kurodas current term ends in April next year.All residents have been evacuated from a long-dormant volcanic island in Papua New Guinea which burst into activity on Friday, Radio New Zealand reports.

Kadovar Island, located some 25 kilometres north of PNG's mainland has sent smoke clouds kilometres high and billowing over East Sepik.

The volcanic activity has suprised locals after over forty years of inactivity by Kadovar.

Afer starting mildly around midday Friday, the volcanic activity appeared to be intensifying late Sunday, by which time local authorities had helped move people off the island.

The almost 600 residents of Kadovar have been evacuated by a flotilla of boats to nearby islands, according to the provincial government.

The government also conducted a flyover assessment with the help of Samaritan Aviation.

It describes the volcanic activity at Kadovar as a "critical situation", while around 50 pecent of the small island is reportedly covered by lava.

The 2-kilometre-wide island has a steep 365-metre-high dome, from which a large fissure appears to have opened on one side, reaching down to at least sea level.

Kadovar is around 40 kilometres northwest of Manam Island, from which residents were evacuated in 2004 following a significant eruption in 2004.The theft of a baby's body on Christmas Eve has been linked to a satanic sect, Daily Mail reports.

The parents of one-year-old Ciro Aranda discovered that the remains of their son had been stolen from a cemetery storage room the day before Christmas following the infant's death on December 10.

Now the parents' lawyer claims to have evidence pointing to a satanic cult in the small town of Otamendi, situated about 25 miles from the city of Miramar, in the Buenos Aires Province of Argentina.



Alberto Aranda and his wife Mara went to visit their son Ciro's coffin to place flowers. The baby boy died of pneumonia earlier in the month aged just one year and two months old.

As the cemetery did not have any available niches, the parents agreed to store their son's remains in a small locked room on the grounds until new spaces become available in the summer.

Dr Ana Maria Caro, the leading prosecutor in charge of finding the body, reported that authorities are presently searching local farms and surrounding countryside. 'The operation continues,' she told local media.

Dr Caro also stated that initial investigations point to a 'likely avenue'.Austrian prosecutors have indicted a teenager on several charges related to terrorism, Sputnik reportedc citing local media.

Lorenz K., 18, detained in Vienna in January 2017, has been accused of plotting terror attacks in Germany and Austria, as well as inciting a 12-year-old boy to carry out a foiled attack on a Christmas market in the German city of Ludwigshafen in 2016, the Kurier newspaper said.

The teenager also planned attacks on German military and police facilities, and some targets in Austria, according to the newspaper.

The 18-year-old, for example, after having pledged his allegiance to IS-terrorism in a pledge of allegiance, is said to have influenced from summer 2016 onwards via WhatsApp, a 12-year-old German with whom he regularly exchanged views that he wanted to carry out a suicide attack in Ludwigshafen.Description

"This audience-pleasing winner of eight Israeli Oscars, and inspiration for the new hit Broadway musical, follows the comic plight of an Egyptian police band headed to Israel to play at the inaugural ceremony of an Arab arts centre, only to find themselves lost in a remote Israeli village.

This crowd-pleasing winner of eight Israeli Oscars, and inspiration for the new hit Broadway musical, follows the comic plight of the Alexandrian Police Orchestra. These eight slightly bewildered Egyptian officers, after getting lost at the airport, arrive in a remote, slightly empty Israeli village, their powder-blue uniforms standing out against the desert landscape. Fortunately, they connect with Dina, a ballsy, sexy cafe owner (Ronit Elkabetz, three-time winner of the Israeli Oscar), who helps them find lodging for the night. From the very first images of his first theatrical film, writer-director Elan Kolirin displays a mastery of low-key deadpan visual humor in the manner of Tati and Jarmusch. With its precise portions of tact, irony and sweetness, Director Eran Kolirins film gives humanist cinema a good name, and offers yet another example of the resurgence of Israel's vibrant, provocative and increasingly varied film culture. (Israel/USA/France, 2007, 90 min., Hebrew/Arabic/English, PG-13, DCP | Dir. Eran Kolirin)"Forget 4G LTE (Long-Term Evolution); the stage is set for 5G wireless race in the U.S. telecom space. With the U.S. telecom industry continuously evolving, companies in the league are fighting it out to stay abreast of competition. Among them, two behemoths, Verizon Communications Inc. VZ and AT&T Inc. T are leading the race.



Verizon, which was the first to deploy 4G LTE network nationwide six years ago, plans to launch next-generation 5G wireless residential broadband services in three to five U.S. markets in 2018. The company announced a contract with Samsung to start commercial 5G fixed-wireless services. Samsung will provide Verizon with commercial 5G home routers, 5G radio access units comprising a compact radio base station and virtualized RAN elements, as well as 5G radio frequency planning services.



Also, AT&T is planning to offer standard-based mobile 5G services to consumers in various U.S. markets by late 2018. AT&Ts standard will be based on implementable 5G New radio (NR) specification of 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). This basically supports a non-standalone 5G standard that uses LTE to control 5G data connections. Since AT&T supports non-standalone and standalone options for the 5G standard, the new timeline will accelerate availability of hardware.



However, a full phased 5G wireless network will be offered only in 2020. By that time, other national telecom operators, such as T-Mobile US Inc. TMUS and Sprint Corp. S may join the 5G race. Additionally, United States Cellular Corp. USM is also preparing to deploy 5G wireless network.



AT&T carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). However, Verizon, T-Mobile US, Sprint and United States Cellular carry a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) each. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.



Large carriers are focusing on building a fiber and wireless infrastructure in a bid to deliver mobile video efficiently. Accumulation of dark fiber will bolster their cell network density consequently giving a boost to its mobile backhaul network. The densification of cell network will help the company install and build its upcoming 5G network.



Advantage of 5G



Latency period of 5G data delivery will be in single milliseconds. Further, 5G technology is designed to be more power efficient than any other standard wireless network available these days. Therefore, 5G-enabled mobile devices are likely to last a lot longer than their 3G or 4G counterparts.



According to a study commissioned by Qualcomm, 5G wireless technology could result in real global economic growth by $3 trillion cumulatively between 2020 and 2035. Per a report by Strategy Analytics, global 5G smartphone shipments are set to rise from 2 million units in 2019 to 1.5 billion in 2025, reflecting an average annual growth rate of 250%.The 5G category will be the fastest-growing sector of the global smartphone industry for the next decade, said the report.



Additionally, superfast 5G mobile networks will be of utmost necessity in managing the exponential growth of internet-connected devices, popularly known as Internet of Things (IoT). The U.S. telecom industry has lately emerged as an intensely contested space where success thrives largely on technical superiority, quality of services and scalability. Thus, in order to stay ahead of competitors, existing players need to be constantly on their toes to introduce innovative products.



According to a recent report by research firm International Data Corp. (IDC), worldwide spending on IoT is slated to grow 14.6% year over year to $772.5 billion in 2018. Moreover, the IoT space will witness a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.4% to reach nearly $1.1 trillion in 2021.



Bottom Line



In 2018, we expect 5G wireless network to be a game changer in the telecom space with a full-fledged deployment in 2020.



Zacks Editor-in-Chief Goes "All In" on This Stock



Full disclosure, Kevin Matras now has more of his own money in one particular stock than in any other. He believes in its short-term profit potential and also in its prospects to more than double by 2019. Today he reveals and explains his surprising move in a new Special Report.



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Zacks Investment ResearchBy Tom Polansek

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Exchange-operator CME Group Inc <CME.O> will allow a type of privately negotiated transaction in all its agricultural markets for the first time on Monday, splitting traders who predict the move will either improve or hurt transparency.

The company, which owns the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) and Chicago Mercantile Exchange, will expand the use of transactions called block trades in its grain and livestock futures and options, such as corn. It already permits the trades in other markets ranging from Black Sea wheat to Eurodollars.

Block trades are large, privately negotiated deals struck away from the broader market by phone or otherwise and cleared by the exchange. They must exceed exchange-set size limits and be reported publicly after completion.

The transactions help traders execute large-lot orders at a "fair and reasonable" single price and avoid disrupting prices in markets with lower liquidity, such as deferred-contract months, according to CME Group.

The company has lost liquidity in deferred futures spreads as the rise of computerized algorithmic trading has driven activity to front-month contracts, said Gary Sandlund, president of brokerage Futures International.

"The exchange is doing a very good thing here in attempting to try to bring that back into the exchange and create a bit more transparency on some of these back-end spreads," he said.

Block trading is the latest evolution of the agricultural markets, which trace their origins to grain merchants who formed the CBOT in 1848. The closure of open-outcry futures pits, in which traders shouted out orders to buy and sell, marked the end of an era in 2015, after most transactions went online.

CME Group talked with agricultural traders to gauge support for block trades, the company said in a letter to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The transactions should account for a small percentage of overall trading and not reduce liquidity, it said.

Story continues

Cargill Inc [CARG.UL], a major U.S. grain trader, told Reuters it will evaluate block trades for its business.

"We are encouraged that the exchange continues to look for ways the commercial trade can manage price risk exposures further out the curve," spokeswoman Antonella Bellman said.

However, the National Grain and Feed Association, a trade group, told CME Group and the CFTC in letters that the change threatens transparency by removing business from the public marketplace.

"It is our opinion that when large trades in deferred months are negotiated between parties 'off exchange' that price discovery is very likely compromised," the association said.

(Reporting by Tom Polansek; Editing by Leslie Adler)Author Michael Wolff rebutted criticism Friday of his bombshell book on President Donald Trump 's White House, saying many of the president's close advisors question his fitness for office. In an interview with NBC's "TODAY," Wolff contended that Trump has "less credibility than, perhaps, anyone who has ever walked on Earth." Wolff insisted that he talked to the president for the book "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House," despite Trump's denial on Thursday night in which he called the book "phony." Trump tweet The book features explosive quotes from former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon deriding Trump's children , as well as numerous claims of top advisors and friends calling the president terms like "idiot" and "dumb as s--t." It got released on Friday, four days earlier than originally planned, after early excerpts and Trump's attempt to stop it from getting published sparked massive interest . Wolff said Friday that Trump's advisors and even family members questioned the president's ability to do the job."I will tell you the one description that everyone gave  everyone has in common  they all say he is like a child," the writer said. "And what they mean by that is he has a need for immediate gratification. It is all about him."Today tweetHe added that "senior advisers, family members, every single one of them, questions his intelligence and fitness for office." Wolff says the book is based on more than 200 interviews with people around the president.In a tweet Friday morning, Trump called the book a "phony" attempt to discredit him. On Thursday, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders labeled it "trash," "fraudulent" and "tabloid gossip."Read the full NBC report here.Disclosure: CNBC and NBC are owned by Comcast.WATCH: What has 'Fire and Fury' taught us about Trump's White House? Axios' Mike Allen explains Author Michael Wolff rebutted criticism Friday of his bombshell book on President Donald Trump 's White House, saying many of the president's close advisors question his fitness for office. In an interview with NBC's "TODAY," Wolff contended that Trump has "less credibility than, perhaps, anyone who has ever walked on Earth." Wolff insisted that he talked to the president for the book "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House," despite Trump's denial on Thursday night in which he called the book "phony." Trump tweet The book features explosive quotes from former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon deriding Trump's children , as well as numerous claims of top advisors and friends calling the president terms like "idiot" and "dumb as s--t." It got released on Friday, four days earlier than originally planned, after early excerpts and Trump's attempt to stop it from getting published sparked massive interest . Wolff said Friday that Trump's advisors and even family members questioned the president's ability to do the job. "I will tell you the one description that everyone gave  everyone has in common  they all say he is like a child," the writer said. "And what they mean by that is he has a need for immediate gratification. It is all about him." Today tweet He added that "senior advisers, family members, every single one of them, questions his intelligence and fitness for office." Wolff says the book is based on more than 200 interviews with people around the president. In a tweet Friday morning, Trump called the book a "phony" attempt to discredit him. On Thursday, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders labeled it "trash," "fraudulent" and "tabloid gossip." Read the full NBC report here. Disclosure: CNBC and NBC are owned by Comcast. WATCH: What has 'Fire and Fury' taught us about Trump's White House? Axios' Mike Allen explains



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Kris Osborn

Security, Asia

Should Kim be worried?

F-35's Could Someday Help Kill North Korea's Nuclear Missiles

Described as multi-function array technology, the DAS system uses automated computer algorithms to organize and integrate target-relevant data from missile warning systems, radar, night vision and other long-range sensors; the array is able to track a BMD target from the air at distances up to 800 nautical miles. Such a technology, quite naturally, enables a wider sensor field with which to identify and track attacking missiles.

The F-35s Distributed Aperture Sensor (DAS) has performed airborne identification and target tracking of a ballistic missile in a test off the coast of Hawaii as part of ongoing development of the 5th-generation aircrafts ability to conduct airborne ballistic missile defense missions.

Northrop Grumman and the Pentagons Missile Defense Agency conducted a demonstration, using a ground-based DAS and a DAS-configured gateway aerial node to locate a ballistic missile launch and flight path. Target tracking information was sent using advanced data links to relay information between the aerial gateway and ground-based command and control locations.

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According to Northrop engineers and weapons developers involved with the test, a sensor on the ground transmitted its tracking information to the DAS-equipped Airborne Gateway, which formed a three-dimensional space track which could be transmitted to San Diego.

DAS can perform its mission whether airborne in an F-35 or other aircraft, as well as on the ground or in a ship. In this case, the two DAS sensors in the air and on the ground, respectively, were able to individually recognize the ballistic missile event and generate a two-dimensional track, Northrop experts told Warrior.

Story continues

Described as multi-function array technology, the DAS system uses automated computer algorithms to organize and integrate target-relevant data from missile warning systems, radar, night vision and other long-range sensors; the array is able to track a BMD target from the air at distances up to 800 nautical miles. Such a technology, quite naturally, enables a wider sensor field with which to identify and track attacking missiles.

DAS communicated precise BMD data from Pacific Missile Range in Hawaii to a test-bed location in San Diego. Seconds after launch, the DAS sensor categorized the rocket and located a ballistic missile launch, said John Bama Montgomery, 5th Generation Derivatives and Improvements, Northrop Grumman. This re-organizes, re-imagines and re-shapes the battlespace.

Although the test was in 2014, it has only now been determined that the F-35 can perform BMD - due to years of analysis and test data examination, Northrop developers said. Such a defensive technical ability is of great relevance currently, as many express concern about North Korea short and medium range ballistic missile threats.

An airborne DAS, networked with ground-based Patriot and THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) weapons, could offer a distinct tactical advantage when it comes to quickly locating incoming missile threats. Air sensors in particular, could be of great value given that, in some envisioned threat scenarios, it is unclear whether there would be enough interceptors to counter a massive North Korean ballistic missile barrage into South Korea. Accordingly, air based detection and target tracking, it seems, could go a long way toward better fortifying defenses - as they might increase the time envelope during which command and control could cue interceptors to locate and destroy attacking enemy missiles.

Using early applications of artificial intelligence, computers and aircraft relied upon advanced algorithms to organize sensor information - which was then transmitted to a pilot.

As a key element of the F-35s much-discussed sensor fusion technology, the DAS draws upon a 360-degree sensor field of view generated by six cameras strategically placed around the aircraft. The sensor autonomously fuses data from all of the sensors into a single field of view for the pilot.

With an automated picture, we can get the pilot everything he needs without him needing to go through every step, Bama said.

Using F-35 DAS sensor technology, emerging technology can perform BMD sensing functions without needing to rely purely upon space-based infrared systems. Using LINK 16 and other data-link technologies, an F-35 can relay targeting data to other 5th and 4th-Generation aircraft as well as ground stations. Montgomery explained that MDA laboratory-generated detection, tracking and discrimination algorithms were able to provide 3-D tracking information.

An MDA statement said program officials have been evaluating system performance based upon telemetry and other data obtained during the test.

As part of this emerging technical configuration, it has been determined that the F-35s DAS can perform a wide range of non-traditional ISR functions to include not only BMD but other kinds of air or ground-fired enemy weapons. This includes an ability to detect artillery fire, enemy fighter aircraft, incoming air-launched missiles and, of course, ground launched rockets and missiles.

DAS provides imagery. Instead of looking through a tube, this is a broader perspective of the combat environment, allowing a pilot to act more decisively. It provides a protective bubble to ensure that no aircraft can approach an F-35 without the F-35 knowing it is there, Montgomery added.

Weapons developers describe this technical advance in terms of something entirely compatible with ship-based Aegis radar, which is also configured to perform BMD functions. Aegis radar was used to track the ballistic missile target as well.

In fact, F-35 BMD sensor technology aligns closely with the Navys now-deployed Naval Integrated Fire Control - Counter Air (NIFC-CA), an integrated system which uses ship-based Aegis radar, an airborne platform relay sensor and an SM-6 missile to track and destroy approaching enemy cruise missiles at distances beyond the horizon.

The concept is to give commanders a better window for decision-making and countermeasure applications when faced with approaching enemy fire. The Navys layered ship defense system, involving SM-3s, ESSMs, SeaRAM, Rolling Airframe Missiles and closer-in systems such as Close-in-Weapons System using a phalanx area weapon, can best track and destroy targets when a flight path of an attacking ballistic missile can be identified earlier than would otherwise be the case.

The Navy and Lockheed have specifically demonstrated this system using an F-35 as an airborne sensor relay platform. NIFC-CA can be used both offensively and defensively, as it draws upon the SM-6s active seeker which can discern and attack fast-maneuvering targets.

The Navy is already building, deploying and testing a fleet of upgraded DDG 51 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers with NIFC-CA - as a way to bring an ability to detect and destroy incoming enemy anti-ship cruise missiles at farther ranges from beyond the horizon.

The technology enables ship-based radar to connect with an airborne sensor platform to detect approaching enemy anti-ship cruise missiles from beyond the horizon and, if needed, launch an SM-6 missile to intercept and destroy the incoming threat, Navy officials said.

NIFC-CA has previously operated using an E2-D Hawkeye surveillance plane as an aerial sensor node; it has also been successfully tested from a land-based "desert ship" at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. from an F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Should the Navy's future plans materialize, the system would expand further to include the F/A-18 and F-35C.

NIFC-CA gives Navy ships the ability to extend the range of an interceptor missile and extend the reach sensors by netting different sensors of different platforms -- both sea-based and air-based together into one fire control system, Navy developers told Warrior.

NIFC-CA was previously deployed on a Navy cruiser serving as part of the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group in the Arabian Gulf.

Operating NIFC-CA from an F-35B improves the sensor technology, reach, processing speed and air maneuverability of the system; previous tests have also assessed the ability of the system to identify and destroy air-to-air and air-to-surface targets. A report from earlier this year from the U.S. Naval Institute news quoted Lockheed officials saying an "at-sea" assessment of this NIFCA-CA/F-35 pairing is planned for 2018.

NIFC-CA has previously operated using an E2-D Hawkeye surveillance plane as an aerial sensor node; the use of an F-35B improves the sensor technology, reach, processing speed and air maneuverability of the system; the test also assessed the ability of the system to identify and destroy air-to-air and air-to-surface targets. A multi-target ability requires some adjustments to fire-control technology, sensors and dual-missile firings; the SM-6 is somewhat unique in its ability to fire multiple weapons in rapid succession. An SM-6 is engineered with an "active seeker," meaning it can send an electromagnetic targeting "ping" forward from the missile itself - decreasing reliance on a ship-based illuminator and improving the ability to fire multiple interceptor missiles simultaneously.

Unlike an SM-3 which can be used for "terminal phase" ballistic missile defense at much farther ranges, the SM-6 can launch nearer-in offensive and defensive attacks against closer threats such as approaching enemy anti-ship cruise missiles. With an aerial sensor networked into the radar and fire control technology such as an E2-D Hawkeye surveillance plane or F-35, the system can track approaching enemy cruise missile attacks much farther away. This provide a unique, surface-warfare closer-in defensive and offensive weapons technology to complement longer range ship-based ballistic missile defense technologies.

Once operational, this expanded intercept ability will better defend surface ships operating in the proximity or range of enemy missiles by giving integrating an ability to destroy multiple-approaching attacks at one time.

NIFC-CA is part of an overall integrated air and missile defense high-tech upgrade now being installed and tested on existing and new DDG 51 ships called Aegis Baseline 9.

The system hinges upon an upgraded ship-based radar and computer system referred to as Aegis Radar - designed to provide defense against long-range incoming ballistic missiles from space as well as nearer-in threats such as anti-ship cruise missiles, he explained.

Developers said integrated air and missile defense provides an ability to defend against ballistic missiles in space while at the same time countering air threats to naval and joint forces close to the sea.

The NIFC-CA technology can, in concept, be used for both defensive and offensive operations, Navy officials have said. Having this capability could impact discussion about a Pentagon term referred to as Anti-Access/Area-Denial, wherein potential adversaries could use long-range weapons to threaten the U.S. military and prevent its ships from operating in certain areas -- such as closer to the coastline.

Having NIFC-CA could enable surface ships, for example, to operate more successfully closer to the shore of potential enemy coastines without being deterred by the threat of long-range missiles.

Defensive applications of NIFC-CA would involve detecting and knocking down an approaching enemy anti-ship missile, whereas offensive uses might include efforts to detect and strike high-value targets from farther distances than previous technologies could. The possibility for offensive use parallels with the Navys emerging distributed lethality strategy, wherein surface ships are increasingly being outfitted with new or upgraded weapons.

The new strategy hinges upon the realization that the U.S. Navy no longer enjoys the unchallenged maritime dominance it had during the post-Cold War years.

During the years following the collapse of the former Soviet Union, the U.S. Navy shifted its focus from possibly waging blue-water combat against a near-peer rival to focusing on things such as counter-terrorism, anti-piracy and Visit, Board Search and Seizure, or VBSS, techniques.

More recently, the Navy is again shifting its focus toward near-peer adversaries and seeking to arm its fleet of destroyers, cruisers and Littoral Combat Ships with upgraded or new weapons designed to increase its offensive fire power.

The current upgrades to the Arleigh Burke-class of destroyers can be seen as a part of this broader strategic equation.

The first new DDG 51 to receive Baseline 9 technology was the USS John Finn or DDG 113. The ship previously went through whats called light off combat testing in preparation for operational use and deployment.

The very first Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, the USS Arleigh Burke or DDG 51, is now being retrofitted with these technological upgrades as well.

NIFC-CA technology is also being back-fitted onto earlier ships that were built with the core Aegis capability. This involves an extensive upgrade to combat systems with new equipment being delivered. This involves the integration of new cabling, computers, consoles and data distribution systems.

Existing destroyers and all follow-on destroyers will receive the Aegis Baseline 9 upgrade, which includes NIFC-CA and other enabling technologies. For example, Baseline 9 contains an upgraded computer system with common software components and processors, service officials said.

In addition, some future Arleigh Burke-class destroyers such as DDG 116 and follow-on ships will receive new electronic warfare technologies and a data multiplexing system which, among other things, controls a ships engines and air compressors, developers said.

The Navys current plan is to build 11 Flight IIA destroyers and then shift toward building new, Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyers with a new, massively more powerful radar system.

The new radar, called the SPY-6, is said by Navy officials to be 35-times more powerful than existing ship-based radar.

Flight III Arleigh Burke destroyers are slated to be operational by 2023.

Existing destroyers and all follow-on destroyers will receive the Aegis Baseline 9 upgrade, which includes NIFC-CA and other enabling technologies. For example, Baseline 9 contains an upgraded computer system with common software components and processors, service officials said.

In addition, some future Arleigh Burke-class destroyers such as DDG 116 and follow-on ships will receive new electronic warfare technologies and a data multiplexing system which, among other things, controls a ships engines and air compressors, developers said.

The Navys current plan is to build 11 Flight IIA destroyers and then shift toward building new, Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyers with a new, massively more powerful radar system.

The new radar, called the SPY-6, is said by Navy officials to be 35-times more powerful than existing ship-based radar.

Flight III Arleigh Burke destroyers are slated to be operational by 2023.

This first appeared in Warrior Maven here.

Read full articleThe Institute of International Finance reported that global debt reached over $230 trillion at the end of the third quarter. That is up $16 trillion from the end of 2016. By comparison, the U.S. national debt is $20 trillion.

The debt includes national, personal and corporate figures.

The number is shocking given that it exceeds the gross domestic product of the world's 100 largest nations. These are led by the United States. In the second place, the United Kingdom has debt of $7.9 trillion. At number three, France has debt of $5.4 trillion. Rounding out the top five, Germany has debt of $5.1 trillion and the Netherlands has debt of $4.3 trillion.

ALSO READ: America's 24 Dying Industries

U.S. household debt is just shy of $13 trillion. According to Reuters:

Total U.S. household debt was $12.84 trillion in the three months to June, up $552 billion from a year ago, according to a Federal Reserve Bank of New York report published on Tuesday.

The proportion of overall debt that was delinquent, at 4.8 percent, was on par with the previous quarter. However a red flag was raised over the transitions of credit card balances into delinquency, which the New York Fed said ticked up notably.

China's foreign exchange reserves, the largest of any country in the world, are approximately $3 trillion.

Norway's sovereign wealth fund, often said to be the world's largest, has a value of $1 trillion.

Because of debate about how much debt is too much debt, whether it be national, student or credit card debt, it is impossible to say if the Institute of International Finance figure should be regarded as something of a warning. Given its vastness, there is no way to tell.

Related ArticlesGoogle Is Struggling With Friendly Neighborhood Bike Thieves Google's campus bikes have made their way as far as Nevada.

Between 100 and 250 company bicycles are stolen from Google's campus every week, out of a fleet of around 1,100 so-called Gbikes. Or maybe 'borrowed' is a better word than 'stolen' - it's complicated.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the bikes wind up in odd places, like schools, tavern roofs, and Burning Man. The people who take them are often residents of Mountain View, the town that's home to Google's headquarters. They often view the bikes as a kind of community service, even though they're ostensibly meant for Google employees to use on the Google campus.

Google has been trying to control its losses, using roving teams to collect the bikes from around town, and recently installing GPS trackers. That's how they learned one had made it all the way to the Burning Man festival in Nevada.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune's technology newsletter.

But according to comments to the Journal from Mountain View residents, the deeper issue may be mixed feelings about the corporate giant. Some locals didn't realize the bikes were supposed to be for Google employees only, suggesting they regard Google as a benevolent part of the community.

But others - perhaps including a man who claimed to have an entire garage full of the bikes - regard their borrowing as a kind of retributive justice against the massive company. One woman specifically cited the annoyance of Google Buses, which bring employees to work from around the San Francisco Bay, saying she borrowed the bikes to balance it out. The Google buses have been the target of protests in San Francisco, as a kind of proxy for income inequality and rising rents that have been blamed on the tech boom.

The bike situation is subtler and more complex, as befitting lower-key Mountain View. But it still reflects, in the words of one local speaking to the Journal, a sense among residents that "Google owes them somehow, someway."

Story continues

See original article on Fortune.com

More from Fortune.comOne week of anti-government protests across Iran has posed the greatest existential threat to the Islamic Republics theocratic regime in almost a decade.

The spontaneous protests, often taking place in smaller provincial cities, have taken not only the Iranian government by surprise, they have also shocked traditional opposition groups and analysts.

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As the demonstrations appear to falter in the face of pro-regime counterprotests and a crackdown by Irans brutal security forces, the countrys interior minister has admitted, in a conservative estimation, that 42,000 people took part in the rallies.

The protests began in the city of Mashhad, and by the end of the week anti-regime slogans rang out in the streets of the working class neighborhoods of Tehran. At least 21 have been killed, demonstrators have attacked police stations and the buildings of the judiciary, and 450 have been arrested. Videoed cell-phone footage of government buildings set ablaze have been shared on social media.

The speed with which the demonstrationsseemingly without any leadership or traditional hierarchywere able to shake the Iranian establishment to its foundations while bringing together diverse grievances has left the world asking what, exactly, the Iranian opposition is, and who could potentially run the country of 80 million people if the mullahs were to fall.

GettyImages-899781384

STR/AFP/Getty Images

The Protesters

Unlike any previous demonstrations in Iran, this most recent wave appears to have been been sparked by the convergence of two unlikely groups: disaffected millennials and the working poor.

Story continues

Sanam Vakil, a lecturer in the Middle East Studies department of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, told Newsweek that protests by the working classes and labor groups had been taking place sporadically in Iran in recent years.

We have been seeing their protests for years now. They have been growing and waxing and waning depending on the issues but protesting against unpaid wages, for example and labor conditions or the lack of labor rights. Thats been a consistent trend with strikes but nothing that anyone thought was particular, she explains.

But increased economic hardship and simmering public anger in neglected areas such as Kermanshah, in northwestern Iran, where 600 died in poorly built public housing in November 2017 in an earthquake, have brought their weight to bare in recent days. The second day of protests exploded in the mountain region on the countrys frontier with Iraq.

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This second group of protesters, most of them under 25, had also been discounted in recent years. This particular group of millennials are not as urban focused. They are from small towns and the peripheries of big cities. I think this group has had access to fairly good education but feels hopeless about their prospects for the future, Vakil said.

This group is very savvy with technology, active on social media and has limited employment prospects for the future, she added.

GettyImages-71888860

(Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

The Monarchy

Over the last seven days the protests have united Iranians discontented with wages, unemployment, a lack of labor laws, police brutality and corruption. But among the most surprising slogans heard in the streets of Iran were those calling for the reinstatement of the Pahlavi monarchy, ousted in 1979.

Crown Prince of Iran Reza Pahlavi, who fled Iran with his father Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the former shah, has seized upon what appears to be at least some support for his return.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4, the prince suggested a form of constitutional monarchy would offer stability in Iran following the collapse of the Islamic Republic.

Who then do you think people are chanting for today? I think they realize I am a person they can trust, a person they can recognize that has a particular political capital associate with this name. They attribute it to the modernity and progress that Iran had, he said.

The crown prince has said he is not a monarchist and instead a democrat, but he ruled out returning to Iran until his safety can be assured. While he may have seen some smattering of support in recent days, this is most likely because of support among younger protesters who have no memory of pre-revolution Iran.

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The Tehran-based intelligentsia that would have to back any meaningful revolution against the current regime would be unlikely to support his cause.

GettyImages-88566161

Photo by Getty Images

The Green Movement

The 2009 protests over elections that returned to power hard-liner President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad presented a far greater threat to the regime in Tehran than the last weeks protests have thus far.

The protests that disputed Ahmadinejads victory and backed opposition candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi became known as the Green Revolution. As the demonstrations were principally driven by anger over vote rigging, the movement inherited a hierarchy that included Mousavi and Karroubi, journalists and intellectuals around which others could coalesce.

You had a big circle of activists, a womens movement, a labor movementto name the most prominentbut also smaller scale activisms around the country, on environmental issues growing out of the larger student body that didnt have permanent activists but to a certain degree but were very active in the civil society sphere, Vakil explained.

The middle class, urban-based Green Movement was taken largely by surprise by the last weeks protests. However, calls for more demonstrations in Tehran on social media in recent days, followed by a swift government crackdown, and specific warnings against certain activists in the capital not to take part in the demonstrations has shown that the movement, which less than a decade ago brought hundreds of thousands on to the streets, still has potency.

GettyImages-181745214

Mario Tama/Getty Images

Mujahedeen-e-Khalq

The Mujahedeen-e-Khalq (MEK), or Peoples Mujahedin Organization of Iran, has proven popular with many in the corridors of power in Washington and in European capitals.

The MEK has found supporters in the GOP from backers like Rudy Giuliani and Newt Gingrich but also from Democratic figures such as former Florida Governor Howard Dean. In January 2017, Reuters reported, the groups backers asked President Donald Trump to open a dialogue with the MEK.

While many in Washington may support the group in its ambition to overthrow the regime in Iran, it has courted controversy since the 1970s. The MEK supported Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, pursuing a guerilla war against the Shah, but then parted ways with the revolution in 1981, vowing to topple the Islamic Republic. From 1997 to 2012, and after the group formed an alliance with Saddam Hussein, the MEK was designated a terrorist group by the State Department.

During this weeks protests, Maryam Rajavi, MEKs leader, pledged her solidarity with the demonstrators, saying in a statement to Newsweek: This uprising has tolled the death knell for the overthrow of the totally corrupt dictatorship of the mullahs, and is the rise of democracy, justice and popular sovereignty.

Some of the MEKs banners have been seen at demonstrations in Iran, but the group remains deeply divisive inside the country. It also remains the perpetual boogey man of the regime. Iranian State television reported Friday, according to the Associated Press, that three MEK members were arrested 185 miles southwest of Tehran for engaging in sabotage.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekIntel CEO Brian Krzanich

Rick Wilking/Reuters

CES is usually full of boring announcements about products that fail to catch on with the public after the show ends.

But the giant tech-industry confab will highlight several key trends, including ones involving connected cars and voice-controlled devices, that will influence consumer technology in the coming year and beyond.

Additionally, all eyes will be on Intel CEO Brian Krzanich, who will be giving the show's opening keynote days after his company disclosed a security flaw that affects nearly all devices that use its processors.



CES, the annual gathering in Las Vegas of 100,000-plus techies, analysts, journalists, and celebrity representatives, is often remembered more for what happens off the show floor than among the endless booths of whacky gadgets.

It's rare for a product unveiled or an announcement made at the confab to become a big deal in the wider world. Did you buy a 3D television? A Faraday Future car? A Palm Pre smartphone? CES is replete with products and announcements that were hyped at the show but failed or disappeared from the public consciousness soon after.

Every year, though, a handful of things from CES resonate after it. These typically aren't gadgets or gizmos you'll go out and buy but underlying trends that will shape how the consumer-technology industry develops. This year's event, which runs Tuesday to Friday, will be no different in highlighting those trends.

But that's not all that is likely to stand out at CES. This year, for the first time in a long time, the event's opening keynote will be worth paying attention to.

Here are some of the ideas and trends I expect to take center stage at CES:

5G is coming to the fore  and it will offer more than just faster download speeds

A new wireless broadband standard that is in the works, dubbed 5G, will not only be a big overarching theme at CES but will be the particular focus of announcements from companies such as Qualcomm, Intel, and Ericsson.

Story continues

Most people probably equate the debut of a new wireless standard with just being able to download things faster on their phones. 5G will definitely deliver faster phone-data connections. But it could also mean a lot more.

Because of the speed it will offer, 5G has the potential to replace wired broadband connections in your home, which could finally give you another option for internet access in addition to the old cable and landline telephone companies. This year, Verizon and AT&T are expected to launch their first 5G networks in some parts of the US.

The data standard will also be used to allow many new smart devices including self-driving cars and home appliances to connect to the internet. In the process, it could boost lots of different industries, as Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf explained when I interviewed him last year.

"If we have a much more secure network and a much more robust network, then you can put mission-critical services on there  remote delivery of healthcare, control of physical plant items in some kind of industrial Internet of Things that actively make decisions. You can have autonomous cars," Mollenkopf told me then.

5G may sound somewhat nebulous today, but it is likely to be the way almost every gadget we use gets online in just a few years.

Augmented reality is overhyped, but today's devices are laying the foundation for the future

In its quest to find the next big thing after smartphones, the tech industry is focusing ever more closely on augmented reality, the technology that overlays virtual images on top of actual ones via a smartphone screen or smart eyewear. CES will be packed with various AR concept devices and gizmos, mostly from smaller players trying to get ahead of expected moves by Apple, Google, Microsoft, and other tech giants.

While I think the AR bubble will burst this year once reality catches up to the hype, efforts like those that will be on display at CES will lay the groundwork for future devices we'll actually want.

Voice-controlled computing and digital assistants are becoming ubiquitous

Thanks to Amazon's Alexa-fueled record holiday season and Google's own impressive success with its Google Assistant-powered smart speakers, voice-controlled digital assistants haven't just reached the mainstream but are becoming ubiquitous.

Expect to see lots of other players scrambling to catch up with Amazon and Google. At CES, I'm expecting to see smart speakers from just about anyone with access to a soldering iron and the money to buy a plane ticket to Las Vegas.

And that's not necessarily a bad thing.

The fervor around smart speakers and the digital assistants that power them is bringing us closer to the concept of ambient computing, where most of our electronics have some sort of smarts built into them and can be controlled by voice. A lot of the voice-based gadgets on display at CES won't sell. But voice-based computing in general is here to stay.

The transportation industry is now part of the tech industry

Every car company is now a tech company.

Ford, Mercedes, Toyota, and just about every other major car manufacturer not only participate in CES but have been occupying more and more of the showroom floor each year. If there's one CES trend that has flourished in recent years, it's the marriage of tech and transportation.

Many of the major car companies plan to announce new tech initiatives at CES this year. Those announcements will most likely be more important and potentially transformative than those of Samsung, LG, Sony, and other traditional tech companies.

Car companies use CES to showcase their latest technologies, including self-driving cars, navigation systems undergirded by software from Apple and Google, and Alexa-powered infotainment systems that can interact with smart-home devices. Consumers will be able to use many of the features soon, unlike many of the other things that are announced at CES.

The opening keynote will be worth watching for the first time in years

Every year CES begins with a keynote presentation from a tech-industry leader. For years, the honor went to Microsoft CEO Bill Gates and then to his successor, Steve Ballmer. But since Microsoft pulled out of CES after the 2012 show, the opening keynote has featured a rotating cast of executives from other tech giants.

It has been a snoozefest.

This year should be different. Intel CEO Brian Krzanich will be giving the opening presentation. His appearance comes at the best possible time  for all the wrong reasons.

On Wednesday, Intel disclosed that it found a security vulnerability that affects nearly every processor it has made in the past two decades. The flaw could allow a hacker to access just about anything on any device you own. (Software updates that address the vulnerability are rolling out now, so make sure your devices are up to date.)

That news would be bad enough. But it turns out that Krzanich sold off about $24 million in Intel stock and options after Intel learned about the flaw but months before it disclosed the vulnerability to the public. Intel's stock dropped a few percentage points once the company made the bugs public, so Krzanich's cash-out seemed conveniently timed. (Intel says the stock sale was unrelated to knowledge of the vulnerability, but that didn't stop many from questioning his move.)

Those issues will loom over every syllable Krzanich utters from the stage, and the industry will be watching to see how he handles it. Assuming he doesn't back out, of course.

NOW WATCH: Here's what Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak thinks of the net-neutrality battle  and why it matters

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SEE ALSO: Mark Zuckerberg's personal challenge for 2018 is to fix all the bad things happening on FacebookTwo planes from separate airlines collided at Toronto Pearson Airport on Friday evening causing chaos among passengers.

A WestJet aircraft with 176 passengers and crew aboard was in queue for the gate when a Sunwing plane carrying no passengers backed into it, the CBC News reports.

Out of nowhere there was an audible crunch and the plane rocked slightly, Gustavo Lobo, a passenger aboard the WestJet plane told CBC News. We looked out the window and saw that the plane had backed up into us. Everyone was a little shocked and kind of chuckling at the situation.

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Shortly after, chaos ensued.

Panic set in when [we saw] what seemed to be fuel spewing from the crash. After a couple of seconds the entire thing ignited and it was chaos inside the plane. People screaming and panicking all while the flight attendants shouted to try and control the situation, Lobo said.

A video of the incident shows a small fire on the outside of the aircraft, as passengers are heard yelling inside. Quickly after the fire started, the travelers were forced to evacuate the jet via slides.

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Due to the position of the aircraft on the laneway, WestJet guests required evacuation via emergency slide. Emergency crews were on hand and responded immediately, Westjet said in a statement, according to The Associated Press.

There were no injuries among those on the WestJet plane; however, one person from the Toronto Pearson Fire and Emergency Service sustained injuries, which were not specified, and was taken to the hospital, CBC reports.

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Story continues

The incidentwhich happened at 6:25 p.m. ETcaused passengers to be delayed for hours. At around 9:00 p.m., everyone was finally safely inside, according to a tweet posted by Toronto Pearson Airport.

Following the incident at Toronto Pearsons Terminal 3 this evening, all Westjet passengers aboard Flight WS2425 have been safely returned to the terminal and are being cleared by Canadian Border Services Agency, the airport announced on their website.

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While the incident didnt cause widespread delays at the airport, the extreme cold weather has posed ongoing delays.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekPro-regime rallies were held around Tehran Friday with authorities seeking to put the recent violent unrest to bed, as Washington slapped fresh sanctions on Iran and called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting.

Iranian officials blamed a plot by the CIA, Israel and Saudi Arabia for the unrest that convulsed much of the country for five days  part of the increasing tensions playing out between Iran and its neighbors since President Donald Trump came to power.

For a third straight day, there were large pro-government rallies, this time in 40 locations around Tehran province and several cities including Tabriz and Kerman after Friday prayers, as authorities declared the unrest over.

The U.S. imposed sanctions against five Iranian firms alleged to have been working on an illegal ballistic missile program, linking the move to the protests. (AFP)

See more news-related photo galleries and follow us on Yahoo News Photo Twitter and Tumblr.In a moment of desperation, President Donald Trump called on his top fixer to come to his aid as Attorney General Jeff Sessions made the move to recuse himself from the Russia investigationthe only catch, his right-hand man was dead.

Wheres my Roy Cohn? the president demanded in March, calling on his former personal lawyer who once served as Senator Joseph R. McCarthys chief counsel into the 1950s-era communist investigations, according to The New York Times.

Cohn has been dead since 1986, but that didnt stop the president from invoking his name. Trump called on Cohn after a top White House lawyer could not keep Sessions from removing himself from the investigation into whether Russian officials worked with members of his campaign to interfere in the 2016 election. Trump expected Sessions to stand by and protect him, just as he perceived attorney generals had done with previous presidents. The president thought wrong, and was reportedly visibly angry in front of White House staff, according to the Times.

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Cohn could do little from the grave to help Trump. During his time, Cohn was recognized as the ruthless lawyer who stood side by side with Senator McCarthy in the investigation of alleged communists during the Red Scare.

01_05_RoyCohn_01

GETTY

Trump once described Cohn as brutal and vicious in his protection of the president.

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If you need someone to get vicious toward an opponent, you get Roy, Trump told Newsweek in 1979.

There was a time when the two spoke 15 to 20 times a day, according to Vanity Fair. Cohn served as Trumps close mentor, helping him climb political social circles in New York to become the businessman and politician the world knows him as today.

Story continues

The two were so close that Trump once testified in Cohns disbarment hearing in the 1980s as a character witness. After a four-year legal battle, he was later disbarred from the New York bar for "dishonesty, fraud, deceit and misrepresentation, according to The Washington Post.

In his disbarment hearings, a panel found that Cohn went to visit multimillionaire Lewis Rosenstiel as he lay in a Florida hospital room drugged and semi-comatose and held his hand to sign a document that made Cohn the co-executor of his will, according to the Post.

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Cohns attorneys tried to stop the disbarment proceedings, claiming that Cohn was suffering from a life-threatening disease.

Trump eventually dropped Cohn after discovering that his friend had AIDS, according to Politico. He began ending his business relationship with Cohn in 1985, shocking his once-close friend.

Cohn reportedly responded to the revelation by commenting that, Donald pisses ice water.

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This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekNew payments to civil servants were credited to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman - AFP or licensors

Saudi Arabia has ordered new monthly payments to civil servants and soldiers in an effort to soften the impact of price hikes and new taxes introduced under the kingdoms economic reform plans.

The Saudi monarchy - driven by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman - this week doubled petrol prices and introduced a VAT tax to try to take on a 195 billion riyal (38 billion) budget deficit caused by years of low oil prices.

But wary of public anger over the price rises, the government announced Saturday that it was taking steps to address the increase in the cost of living on some segments of our population as a result of the necessary measures taken by the State to restructure the economy.

The populist measure was framed as an initiative by Crown Prince Mohammed, often known by his initials MBS, who is expected to take over from his 82-year-old father King Salman in the near future.

The new deal means that soldiers and civil servants will receive monthly payments 1,000 riyals (197), while troops serving on the Yemeni border would receive a one-off bonus of 5,000 riyals.

Saudi officials sitting in a high-speed train, ahead of their trip, at a station in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca. Credit: BANDAR ALDANDANI/AFP/Getty Images

Other measures were introduced to help students, pensioners and some people seeking specialist medical care.

It was not clear how much the package would cost but the Saudi government insisted that economic reforms are proceeding as planned.

A calculation by Reuters estimated that it would cost the treasury around 23 billion riyals, compared to a projected budget deficit for 2018 of 195 billion riyal.

The announcement came in the same week as thousands of protesters in neighbouring Iran took to the streets in anger over rising prices and unemployment among other grievances.

Saudi police reportedly arrested 11 princes this week after they gathered at a royal palace in Riyadh to protest against the governments austerity measures - which included no longer paying royal utility bills.

Women are expected to begin legally driving in Saudi Arabia in 2018 Credit: REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser/File Photo

The online news website Sabq said the princes had gathered at the Qasr a-Hokm, a historic royal palace, demanding the cancellation of a royal decree that stopped state payment of water and electricity bills for royal family members.

Story continues

They were also demanding compensation for a death sentence issued against a relative, the site said.

Crown Prince Mohammed ordered the arrest of dozens of senior princes and businessmen in November in what the government said was an anti-corruption drive. Critics said the arrests were a manoeuvre by the 32-year-old to crush potential rivals and consolidate his own power.

Crown Prince Mohammed has presented himself as a moderniser and a scourge of the corruption which has plagued Saudi Arabias economy for decades.

However, it has emerged that he shares a taste for luxury with many of his fellow Saudi princes. In 2015 he reportedly bought a 452m yacht on an impulse purchase. He reportedly also owns a 221 chateau outside Paris - the worlds most expensive home.Videos from the wedding show the groom being forced to place a ring on - CEN/Youtube

Indian police are investigating after a groom says he was abducted and forced to marry a woman at gunpoint.

Dubbed a literal shotgun wedding, the nuptials took place in the eastern state of Bihar, according to police and video clips that surfaced online on Friday.

The family of Vinod Kumar, an engineer at the steel plant in the town of Bokaro, claim he was abducted and coerced into the pakadua vivah, or forced wedding, in Bihar.

The case is unusual even for a relatively volatile state like Bihar as the protagonists are from middle-class, urban, high caste families. Typically forced marriage cases involve lower caste, rural families and more often than not the abductee is a bride, not a groom.

Although cases are rare, grooms are known to be coerced into marriage to force them to enter legal agreements over property or business with the brides family, or simply so the womans relatives do not have to put up an expensive dowry to attract a suitor.

Police say Mr Kumars relatives approached them a few weeks after the incident for protection, as they feared reprisals from a local underworld chief. Mr Kumars brother also said one of the brides family was holding a gun during the ceremony.

Senior Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj. from Patna, the state capital, then ordered officers to free Kumar from the village where he was kept after the marriage. The groom is currently under police protection and the bride and her relatives are said to be on the run, local media reported.

The saga came to light when video clips of the marriage ceremony surfaced this week, showing a distraught Kumar being coerced into performing traditional Hindu wedding rituals.

When the 29-year-old engineer refused to put vermillion, the traditional red dye used in Hindu weddings, on the brides forehead, members of her family are heard saying in the local language of Bhojpuri: Are you being hanged? We are solemnising your wedding only. Which mountain is being placed on your head?.

Story continues

Kumars brother Sanjay alleges Surendra Yadav, described as a gangster by local media, orchestrated the events at the behest of the brides family.

News18 interviewed the brides brother, Umesh Prasad, who denied that it was a forced marriage and said it was a normal wedding. However, he became irritable when asked about the video clips that surfaced on the web, in which the groom was seen being manhandled. I do not know about any video. He is now opposing this marriage at the behest of his brother. I wish they live a happy married life, said Mr Prasad.

Mr Kumar added that local police were unhelpful, which is why he went to the police in Patna. Mr Kumar hinted that they were in cahoots with the local strongman Mr Yadav, who in the past has been linked to the disgraced former chief minister Laloo Prasad Yadav, (no relation).

Superintendent Amarkesh of Patna Police, in charge of Mr Kumars protective detail, said: We are looking into it and will take action against the culprits. We are also probing the role of the local police.

Forced marriage remains a major problem for India, various estimates put the number of kidnaps related to marriage between 2,800-3,000 last year, and several websites and phone hotlines are available for potential victims.Here are 5 stocks added to the Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) List today:

American Eagle Outfitters (AEO): This multi-brand specialty retailer has seen the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 2.7% over the last 60 days.

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. Price and Consensus

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. Price and Consensus

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. price-consensus-chart | American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. Quote

Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation (BGFV): This sporting goods retailer has seen the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 2.3% over the last 60 days.

Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation Price and Consensus

Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation Price and Consensus

Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation price-consensus-chart | Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation Quote

Winnebago Industries, Inc. (WGO): This manufacturer of recreation vehicles has seen the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 6.6% over the last 60 days.

Winnebago Industries, Inc. Price and Consensus

Winnebago Industries, Inc. Price and Consensus

Winnebago Industries, Inc. price-consensus-chart | Winnebago Industries, Inc. Quote

Bazaarvoice Inc (BV): This company that provides marketing tools to retailer and brand clients for understanding consumer voice has seen the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 37.5% over the last 60 days.

Bazaarvoice, Inc. Price and Consensus

Bazaarvoice, Inc. Price and Consensus

Bazaarvoice, Inc. price-consensus-chart | Bazaarvoice, Inc. Quote

Eni S.p.A. (E): This company that engages in the oil and gas, electricity generation and sale, and petrochemicals businesses has seen the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 5.5% over the last 60 days.

ENI S.p.A. Price and Consensus

ENI S.p.A. Price and Consensus

ENI S.p.A. price-consensus-chart | ENI S.p.A. Quote

You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here

Zacks Editor-in-Chief Goes ""All In"" on This Stock

Full disclosure, Kevin Matras now has more of his own money in one particular stock than in any other. He believes in its short-term profit potential and also in its prospects to more than double by 2019. Today he reveals and explains his surprising move in a new Special Report.

Download it free >>



Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report



Winnebago Industries, Inc. (WGO) : Free Stock Analysis Report



ENI S.p.A. (E) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Bazaarvoice, Inc. (BV) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation (BGFV) : Free Stock Analysis Report



American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (AEO) : Free Stock Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.The American economy gained 148,000 jobs in the final month of 2017, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics report released Friday morning. The unemployment rate remained at 4.1% for a third month.

This marks the 87th consecutive month of employment growth. Nonfarm employment increased by 174% per month on average from January to November 2017, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

2017 was a very strong year for the labor market, said Jed Kolko, chief economist at Indeed.

The biggest gains in employment went to workers with less education. The unemployment rate dropped more than one full percentage point year-over-year for workers with a high school education or less. Meanwhile, joblessness dropped only 0.3% and 0.2% for those with college and bachelors degrees.

Manufacturing jobs grew 1.5% year-over-year, putting them in line with overall national employment growth and bucking the trend of consolidated employment loss in the sector over the last few years, according to Kolko.

President Donald Trump took credit for the falling unemployment rate in a tweet on Wednesday, though most economists agree that presidents have minimal influence in determining the course of the economy.

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The unemployment rate was 4.4% on average in 2017, excluding December, but theres still room for job growth.

Wages grew by an average of 9 cents in December, bringing year-over-year pay gains to 2.5% for 2017.

Elise Gould, senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute, argues that ten years after the Great Recession, the economy has still not returned to 2007 benchmarks or the healthier levels of economic indicators in 2000.(UNITED NATIONS)  The U.N. Security Council is planning an emergency meeting about Iran on Friday, after the U.S. asked the world body to show support for Irans anti-government protesters.

With council members divided in their views of the demonstrations that have roiled the Islamic Republic, its not yet clear how the discussion will take shape or what might come out of it.

Alma Konurbayeva, a spokeswoman for current council president Kazakhstan, confirmed that Friday afternoons meeting is about Iran. The U.S. called on Tuesday for such a session, but council members could insist on a vote before taking up the topic, and it would take nine of the 15 votes to go forward.

This is a matter of fundamental human rights for the Iranian people, but it is also a matter of international peace and security, the U.S. envoy, Nikki Haley, said in a statement Thursday night. She added that it would be telling if any country tries to deny the Security Council from even having this discussion.

Irans interior minister said up to 42,000 people took part in the week of protests and unrest sparked by economic woes. At least 21 people have been killed and hundreds arrested. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people took part in counter-demonstrations Wednesday backing the clerically overseen government, which has accused the U.S. of instigating the protests.

Irans prosecutor general, Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, said Thursday that an American CIA official was the main designer of the demonstrations. And Irans U.N. envoy, Ambassador Gholamali Khoshroo, complained in a letter to the Security Council president Wednesday that U.S. President Donald Trumps absurd tweets had incited Iranians to engage in disruptive acts.

Trumps administration has denied having any hand in the demonstrations, saying they arose completely spontaneously. The CIA declined to comment.

The presidents tweets havent called for violence or disruptive acts, but he has commended the protests, expressing such respect for the people of Iran as they try to take back their corrupt government and pledging great support from the United States. Haley praised the anti-government protesters as brave and said the U.N. must speak out to support them.

Story continues

The people of Iran are crying out for freedom. All freedom-loving people must stand with their cause, she said at a news conference Tuesday.

Not all council members see a need to weigh in.

Russias U.S. embassy warned Monday against external interference in what it views as a domestic issue in the Islamic Republic; the two nations have close ties. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova went on to mock the U.S. call for a U.N. discussion.

The U.S. delegation undoubtedly has something to share with the world. For example, Nikki Haley could share the American experience of dispersing protest rallies, Zakharova said on Facebook Wednesday, mentioning mass arrests during the Occupy Wall Street protests, among other things.

Russias and Irans U.N. missions didnt immediately respond to requests for comment on Fridays Security Council meeting. Iran isnt a member.

The Iranian protests have given Trump a fresh avenue to try to muster world opinion against a nation he has decried since he ran for president.

After taking office last year, Trump refused this past fall to certify Irans compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal that lifted some sanctions in return for Iran curbing its nuclear program. Trump said Tehran was getting disproportionate benefits, considering its concessions.

The U.S. imposed new sanctions Thursday on five Iranian entities over their involvement in developing ballistic missiles. While those sanctions were unrelated to the ongoing protests, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said more sanctions targeting human rights abuses are coming.Shares of JetBlue Airways Corporation JBLU have rallied 10.5%, outperforming the Zacks Airline industrys gain of 8.7% over the last three months.





Stocks exhibiting such impressive price movements are generally considered lucrative investment options. This is because the stock price rise is generally attributed to some positive development(s) surrounding the company and is certainly not out of the blue or arbitrary. Likewise, JetBlue stock witnessed a slew of positive factors, leading to its commendable stock price appreciation.



Lets delve deep into the factors that drove the shares up.



Catalysts Behind the Surge



The recently initiated tax law is expected to aid JetBlue by significantly reducing its tax bill. Under the new law, corporate tax rate has been lowered from 35% to 21%. Since most airline companies are almost entirely exposed to the statutory corporate tax rate, the massive tax cut is expected to help them save a considerable amount in tax payment in the United States. This will in turn leave JetBlue with more cash in hand to fund its capital expenditures, acquisitions, share repurchases among others.



Moreover, in December 2017, JetBlue provided an improved guidance for fourth-quarter RASM (revenue per available seat mile). The carrier now expects RASM in the range of down 0.5% to up 1.5% (on a year-over-year basis). The revised view reflects an increase from the prior outlook of a decline of 3% to flat year over year. The low-cost carrier now estimates hurricanes Irma and Maria to hurt its fourth-quarter results to the tune of approximately 50 basis points. This projection is also a progress over the previous forecast of one-two percentage points.



In a move to further enhance shareholders' wealth, the companys board of directors approved a new share repurchase program last month. This initiative in turn confirms the companys sound financial position and its favorable prospects. The new authorization permits JetBlue to buy back its common stock worth up to $750 million. The program spanning two years, commenced on Jan 1, 2018.



The companys efforts to deleverage itself by decreasing debt levels are also impressive. Evidently, its long-term debt-to-equity (expressed as a percentage) stands at 24.9. This compares favorably with its industrys figure of 86.3 as well as the S&P 500 indexs measurement of 82.9.



Additionally, the company's attempts to modernize its fleet are encouraging.



A Broker Favorite



JetBlues earnings estimates highlight a healthy uptrend. The stock has witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for fourth-quarter 2017 earnings being revised 10% upward in the last 30 days. Also, the earnings estimate for 2017 has been raised 1.1% over the same time frame.



Given the wealth of information at the brokers disposal, it is in the best interests of investors to be guided by a prudent broker advice and the direction of estimate revisions lent by an analysts expertise. For estimate revisions serve an important pointer to determine the stock price.



Zacks Rank & Style Score



JetBlue has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and a VGM Score of B. The commendable VGM score further bolsters its attractive status. Here V stands for Value, G for Growth and M for Momentum and the VGM Score is a weighted combination of all three aspects. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.



Key Picks



Some better-ranked stocks in the airline space are Deutsche Lufthansa AG DLAKY, Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes S.A. GOL and SkyWest, Inc. SKYW. While Deutsche Lufthansa and Gol Linhas sport a Zacks Rank #1, SkyWest carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).



Shares of Deutsche Lufthansa, Gol Linhas and SkyWest have soared more than 100%, 200% and 45%, respectively, in 2017.



Zacks Editor-in-Chief Goes "All In" on This Stock



Full disclosure, Kevin Matras now has more of his own money in one particular stock than in any other. He believes in its short-term profit potential and also in its prospects to more than double by 2019. Today he reveals and explains his surprising move in a new Special Report.



Download it free >>



Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report



JetBlue Airways Corporation (JBLU) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes S.A. (GOL) : Free Stock Analysis Report



SkyWest, Inc. (SKYW) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Deutsche Lufthansa AG (DLAKY) : Free Stock Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis says he's not worried about Islamabad retaliating against Washington over its suspension of as much as $2 billion in military aid this week.

"I'm not concerned, no," Mattis told reporters at the Pentagon on January 5, when asked about concerns that the U.S. move might push Pakistan closer to China or prompt it to cut off the principal supply route for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, which runs through Pakistan.

During a period of high tension between Washington and Pakistan six years ago, Islamabad closed overland routes into Afghanistan for several months.

Even before this week's suspension of military aid, Pakistan was developing closer ties with China, which has sold Islamabad military hardware and is financing major infrastructure projects in the country as part of Beijing's "Silk Road" initiative.

But Mattis dismissed those concerns, saying he got no indication from Pakistan that it might cut off the supply route for U.S. forces in Afghanistan when he visited Pakistan last month.

"We're still working with Pakistan, and we would restore the aid if we see decisive movements against the terrorists, who are as much a threat against Pakistan as they are to us."

U.S. officials have said the United States is prepared to withhold as much as $2 billion in military assistance and counterterrorism aid until Pakistan takes "decisive action" against Afghan Taliban and Haqqani Network militants residing within its borders.

The Pakistani reaction to the suspension of aid so far been limited primarily to harsh rhetoric and some street demonstrations.

Some small protests broke out in Pakistan on January 5, including in Chaman, one of the two main crossings on the border with Afghanistan, where several hundred people gathered to chant slogans against the United States.

Pakistan's Foreign Office early on January 5 warned the United States that arbitrary deadlines, unilateral pronouncements, and shifting goalposts are counterproductive.

The ministry also sought to minimize the impact of the aid cut, saying Pakistan has spent more than $120 billion during the past 15 years on counterterrorism, largely from its own resources.

We are determined to continue to do all it takes to secure the lives of our citizens and broader stability in the region, the Foreign Office said.

A senior U.S. official briefing reporters in Washington on the condition of anonymity said on January 5 that "approximately $2 billion worth of equipment and coalition support funding is in play" in the aid suspension.

This official said Washington is also considering taking other measures to pressure Pakistan to go after militants, such as stripping Pakistan of its status as a "major non-NATO ally" or withdrawing U.S. support for International Monetary Fund financing for Pakistan.

The senior official acknowledged that Islamabad could make life difficult for the United States by cutting of its military supply routes to Afghanistan.

But he insisted that "unless we deal with the Pakistan sanctuary issue, it will undermine all of our other efforts in Afghanistan...We can no longer accept Pakistan's dual policies of fighting some terrorists while supporting others."

With reporting by AP, AFP, Radio Mashaal, and ReutersMichael Kugelman is deputy director of the Asia Program at the Wilson Center think tank in Washington. In an interview with Radio Mashaal, he assesses what lies ahead for relations between Islamabad and Washington after U.S. President Donald Trump said his country received lies and deceit after giving Pakistan more than $33 billion in assistance since 9/11.

RFE/RL: What kind of action does the United States want Pakistan to take as the country says its security forces are already taking across-the-board action against militant groups?

Michael Kugelman: It is unclear exactly what the U.S. is expecting Pakistan to do. But as I understand it, the U.S. wants Pakistan to essentially sever its [ties] to Haqqani network fighters, and it is also expecting that those individual Pakistan intelligence and military [personnel] especially known to have ties with groups should basically be sanctioned by Pakistan. The broader expectation is that Pakistan would simply stop dealing with terrorists targeting the United States in Afghanistan.

RFE/RL: The recent aid cut is mostly a decision by the White House. What is the mood on Capitol Hill?



Kugelman: The mood on Capitol Hill is much more hostile toward Pakistan. I am hearing a lot of criticism coming from Congress. There will be much more support than there used to be for the idea of an extended if not a permanent aid cut. And it was only yesterday [January 4] that Senator Rand Paul said he will be coming up with a bill for a ban on future aid to Pakistan.

RFE/RL: What about Pakistan's status as a non-Nato U.S. ally?

Kugelman: This is one of the possible measures that I heard the U.S. may take next. If you look at the U.S. policy tool kit, there are several things they could do to tighten screws more. And certainly revoking the non-NATO ally status could be on the table. I don't know if that is imminent, [but] I certainly think its a possibility.

RFE/RL: Pakistans finance minister recently said the "aid cut will not affect us." What could be other possible measures on the table with the United States if the aid cut does not work and Pakistan refuses to comply?

Kugelman: I think the finance minister is true and his aid statement is not just bravado. Pakistan has gone without U.S. aid before. It can look to the Chinese and Saudis. There are many other options [for] the U.S.; they can revoke the non-NATO ally status; there is the possibility of expanding the drone war into Balochistan and other places where top U.S. terrorist targets are located; it could also involve placing sanctions on individual Pakistani military and intelligence officials.

RFE/RL: What future do you see for U.S.-Pakistan relations?

Kugelman: It depends on how each country responds to this aid cut. If Pakistan comes out with angry statements, the relationship would settle into a typical uneasy status of coexistence. If Pakistan has to retaliate with closing the NATO supply routes, that could make things worse. More importantly, the U.S. itself takes additional measures such as those I mentioned before. Pakistan would definitely retaliate to those and there could be a really big crisis. I don't think the relationship is going to fall apart. But much more depends on how each side responds in the coming days and weeks and what additional measures would be taken by the U.S., and I think that would help determine the trajectory.kaiser wrote:

Thanks for the info Shiva. I know the job market is really bad in Phoenix at the moment. However, do you know what area/s would be good to go into if I would like to stay in the Phoenix area upon graduation? One would imagine that ASU caters more to the local job market than Thunderbird, however, I can't be sure. I also don't know the right people to ask. Is Supply Chain Management in high demand in the Phoenix area or does ASU just happen to have a strong program in that specialty? Also, do you have any recommendations for local internships?

Yes the job market right now is bad all over the country and Phoenix likes to be one of the top on such things. I am actually an IT major and have been in that field only. So I am not sure which one will give you better options. As you mentioned I too am imagining that ASU caters more to the local job market than Thunderbird. Given that you are from Phoenix area, you might want to visit ASU and talk to some of the current students. I did that with the schools I am applying to and it did gave me additional insight on the college. Not sure of local internships too ... Sorry couldnt be of much help here.gmatFalcon wrote:

Divers have discovered the wreckage of an unidentified ship about thirty miles from the shore near Boston. Scholars believe that the ship sank during a devastating hurricane that swept through the northeastern United States and down the coast in 1872, but there are no records of the ship available to confirm this hypothesis.



The scholars hypothesis is most strongly supported by which of the following, if true?



A. Among the cargo found on board the wreckage of the ship were several trunks of woodworking tools of a kind that were popular from about 1850 to 1890.

B. Among the munitions discovered on board the wreckage were several trunks of guns of varieties that were popular in the late 1860s; no munitions manufactured subsequent to 1870 were discovered.

C. It is widely accepted that Hurricane Bridie caused significant damage in the northeastern United States in 1872.

D. Ceramics and pottery glazed in a style that was popular during the latter half of the 19th century were found among the wreckage of the ship, along with assorted items of cutlery.

E. Divers found clay pipes in the cargo hold that were of a kind sold in tobacco shops in the early 1900s.

The answer is B.

after

This means it's possible that it sank in 1872, but doesn't strengthen it much - it could still have sunk after

This narrows it down, making more likely the possibility that the ship did not sail after 1872 - strengthens!

WE already knew that

This is just like A - this means sinking in 1872 is possible, but still only one option out of many

This means it's impossible it sank in 1872 -

greatly weakens

Logically, what will most significantly strengthen the hypothesis that the ship sank due to the 1872 hurricane is something tying it to that storm or that year. Tying it to that year could mean proving that it definitely wasn't activethe hurricane - which is exactly what (B) does.Another way to solve is USING THE ANSWERS and weighing the affect of each one on the hypothesis:A. Among the cargo found on board the wreckage of the ship were several trunks of woodworking tools of a kind that were popular from about 1850 to 1890.B. Among the munitions discovered on board the wreckage were several trunks of guns of varieties that were popular in the late 1860s; no munitions manufactured subsequent to 1870 were discovered.C. It is widely accepted that Hurricane Bridie caused significant damage in the northeastern United States in 1872.D. Ceramics and pottery glazed in a style that was popular during the latter half of the 19th century were found among the wreckage of the ship, along with assorted items of cutlery.E. Divers found clay pipes in the cargo hold that were of a kind sold in tobacco shops in the early 1900s._________________Prashant10692 wrote:

What is wrong with C?



It even carries the meaning and intent of the original sentence.



How to know when parallelism is sneaking in between the meaning.

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On a Chippewa reservation in Wisconsin, young members of the tribe are using computers for learning their ancient language that was nearly forgotten.



(A) for learning their ancient language that was nearly forgotten



(B) for learning their ancient language that they nearly forgot



(C) to learn their ancient language, which they nearly forgot



(D) to learn their ancient and nearly forgotten language.



(E) to learn their language that was ancient and nearly forgotten

by the young members of the tribe.

in general

was

You can eliminate (A) and (B) easily enough based on the idiom error, but there's actually a pretty huge meaning difference between (C), (D), and (E).In (C): "they" refers back to "young members of the tribe," so we have: "... young members of the tribe are using computers to learn their ancient language, which [young members of the tribe] nearly forgot." Wait -- that's suggesting that the problem is that the ancient Chippewa language was forgottenBut that's not what the sentence is trying to say: the heart of the sentence is that the ancient language has nearly been forgotten-- not just by young members of the tribe -- and that's why it's noteworthy that young Chippewas are learning the language on computers now. (D) conveys that meaning much more clearly.I don't think anybody was all that worried about (E), but for what it's worth: it doesn't make sense to use the past tense in the phrase "their language thatancient", since "ancient" is a general characteristic of the language -- not a characteristic that was only true in the past.I hope this helps!_________________During an event Friday titled, The Iran Protests: Implications for the Islamic Republic and Beyond Reuel Gerecht, a senior FDD fellow who focuses on Iran said, Rouhani is one of the architects of the national security state [in Iran]. Hes got so much blood on his hands, hell never be able to wash it off. He added that President Rouhani, and the ruling Iranian regime as a whole, are incapable of employing moderate policies.

If Rouhani is being labeled a moderate then you need to have a new lexicon because it just historically makes no sense. So the regime fundamentally cant [be] moderate. Its had numerous opportunities to do so, Gerecht said.

Irans Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri argued that the presidents detractors, as well as the Islamic Republics enemies, including the United States, may have triggered the protests.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reports that Tehrans Islamic leadership may have found a scapegoat in the form of an ultra-hard-line cleric and Khamenei ally in Irans fundamentalist heartland  Ayatollah Ahmad Alamolhoda. Irans National Security Council reportedly suggested that some elements of Tehrans theocracy hold the hard-liner, a staunch critic of President Hassan Rouhani, who came to power and won reelection last year pressing for mild social reforms and an opening up of Iranian society, responsible for the protests.

Alamolhodas office has dismissed reports that the council summoned him as rumors, according to the New York Times (NYT).

Taleblou a senior Iran analyst at FDD, during the discussion on Friday, declared, There were some economic grievances, but as some of the media are trying to continue to frame it as such, these protests are not only economic. They are distinctly political and they follow a trajectory of social and political protests in the Islamic Republics history. He suggested that the rallies might prove to be the death knell for the ruling regime in Iran.

In fact, reports say that protesters chanted death to the dictator and death to Rouhani, suggesting that anger towards the government is intensifying.

He continued, No one has been more detrimental for the national interest of Iran than the Islamic Republic [regime]. No on has bucked the interest of the Iranian state more than the leadership of the Islamic Republic.  Ultimately, I think it could be the death knell. This leadership has failed them. Thats why its death to Rohani. Death to Khamenei.

Although there are reports that the demonstrations are fading, they have entered their 9th day, and the FDD experts predicted that they will continue to rage into the foreseeable future. The protests are still continuing despite the regimes best efforts to say that theyve been crushed, said Taleblu.

U.S. President Donald Trump has pledged support of the anti-establishment protesters in Iran, tweeting, Such respect for the people of Iran as they try to take back their corrupt government. You will see great support from the United States at the appropriate time!Over a hundred cities and towns, some of which were not previously familiar to many Iranians, have been the sites of the protest, which suggests that the regime is faced with a nation who believes their government is corrupt.

It has been reported that on the ninth consecutive day, Friday, more demonstrations broke out under the slogan The Friday of Anger for our Martyrs  referring to the 50 protesters who were killed so far by Iranian security forces, according to daily reports provided by the network of the Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) the popular grass-root opposition movement that the regime has been accusing of organizing the protests.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps are said to have begun a house-to-house search in many smaller towns, and are arresting people associated with the rallies, and threatening people to not to take part in any protests. Officials have announced over 1,800 arrests so far, but the real figure is believed to be closer to several thousand.

Amnesty International claims that two days into the demonstrations, some 423 detainees were registered in the notorious Evin prison in Tehran. The human rights organization stressed that the Iranian authorities have an appalling track record of carrying out mass arbitrary arrests of peaceful demonstrators. Given the alarming scale of the current wave of arrests, it is highly likely that many of those held are peaceful protesters who have been detained arbitrarily and now find themselves in prisons where conditions are dire and torture is a common tool to extract confessions and punish dissidents.

Footage of Iranians risking their lives on the streets has been published online, and the world has born witness, however, response from the international community has been unclear.

The U.S. administration quickly declared support for the demonstrators and advocated in favor of the protesters over the past week, but the European Union has been cautious with their support. Federica Mogherini, EU diplomacy chief, waited five days before reacting.

Mogherini retweeted comments made by her spokesperson. The EU is following the demonstrations in Iran. We have been in touch with the Iranian authorities. We expect that the right to peaceful demonstration and freedom of expression will be guaranteed, following President Rouhanis public statements. We will continue to monitor the situation Iran, the EU spokesperson tweeted on Monday.

Amnesty International has stressed that despite President Hassan Rouhanis assurance on Sunday, 30 December, 2017 that protesters have the right to criticize the government, the authorities subsequent rhetoric has suggested they intend to respond to the unrest in an increasingly ruthless manner.

Meanwhile, Iranian Judiciary Chief Sadegh Larijani demanded a strong action from all prosecutors, and the Head of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran, Mousa Ghanzafar Abadi, warned that the Ministry of Interior had declared the protests illegal and that those who continued to engage in demonstrations would face severe penalties. He warned that the protest leaders and organizers could be charged with enmity against God (moharebeh), which is punishable by the death penalty.

Supreme leader Ali Khamenei accused the countrys enemies of stirring the unrest, and Abadi claimed that the protesters are connected with foreign intelligence services and are implementing their agendas.

In an op-ed in The Washington Post on Wednesday, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence criticized European allies. Unfortunately, many of our European partners, as well as the United Nations, have thus far failed to forcefully speak out on the growing crisis in Iran, Pence wrote. Its time for them to stand up.

U.S. Congress and Senate Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, as well as former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, have all declared support for the Iranian freedom movement, in a show of bi-partisan support for the people of Iran.

Many Iranians are shocked, and have expressed anger on social media on the lack of support from the EU.Work-At-Home Offer Could Turn Seniors into Money Mules

Seniors on a fixed income often welcome any chance to earn extra money around the holidays. However, an offer to make additional cash while working from home may land law-abiding seniors and others on law enforcements naughty list.

In the Money Mule Scam, criminals advertise or directly offer their targets lucrative work-at-home jobs as money-transfer agents. These ads usually state that an overseas company is seeking local representatives to act on their behalf to avoid high transaction charges or local taxes.

The fake employer then persuades victims to deposit money into their own bank accounts, then transfer the funds to the employers account in exchange for a commission.

ADVERTISEMENT

In reality, the scammer is transferring money obtained illegally through identity theft and other criminal means. They use the seniors legitimate bank account and information to make the money appear to be legally earned when transferred back into another account.

Without realizing, the victim is now part of a criminal enterprise.

TIPS:

If a high-paying work-at-home job sounds too good to be true, it likely is.

Independently research the person or company offering work before agreeing to take the job.

If you believe you are a victim, stop transferring money immediately and notify law enforcement.

ADVERTISEMENT

Deputy District Attorney Angela Brunson from the Cyber Crime Division explains the scam on this video: http://vimeo.com/244102551.

For more information on scams that target seniors, go to the Elder Abuse/Financial Fraud pages of the District Attorneys website (http://da.lacounty.gov/seniors/financial-fraud) or http://vimeo.com/150942366.1+ days ago

| September 3rd | 2021 6:43 PM

What is the Wifedoge? Meet the cryptocurrency 'wife' of Dogecoin that grew more than 3,000% in one day and Elon Musk already 'liked' it

Last July they launched the cryptocurrency Wifedoge , which is presented as the 'wife' of Dogecoin , but in essence it is a clone of it. In addition to being a curiosity of the 'crypto' world and having the 'like' of Elon Musk , the token surprised everyone this week with a growth of more than 3,000% in market capitalization in just one day, according to data from CoinMarketCap .Important stuff you won't get from the liberal media! We do the surfing so you can be informed AND have a life!YEREVAN.  No one else but the government of Armenia can be responsible for the state debt, its accumulation, distribution and redemption, economist Tatul Manaseryan told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

According to him, this state debt is divided by years and months.

So only the government has a government debt structure. The government has never provided information on the use of a public debt, Manasaryan explained, adding that the executive authorities did not provide detailed information on the part of using public debt.

It is for this reason, according to the expert, that Armenia has such a sad situation with the size of the national debt.

The publi debt of Armenia in 2017 reached 6 billion 813 million dollars, and in 2018 it will be 7 billion 209 million dollars.Political analyst: It is decided in Moscow who will or will not visit Artsakh

Another fallen Armenian soldiers remains found during Artsakh search operations

President confers Hero of Artsakh title

Le Drian: France will continue assisting Armenia in overcoming consequences of Karabakh conflict

Armenias Aronian: I never wanted to play under flag of another country (PHOTOS)

More than 5,000 people evacuated in China after damage to dam

UK government denies Manchester United request over Ronaldo

Over 70 people killed or wounded in Afghanistan aerial gunshots

Deputy chief of North Macedonia mission to OSCE detained at Armenia's request

Taliban say they have taken control of 4 districts in Afghanistans Panjshir province

EU assists Armenia enterprises engaged in dried-fruit production, export (PHOTOS)

Grape growers reopen road in Armenias Ararat

17 people killed after indiscriminate shots fired in Kabul

2022 World Cup qualifiers: Armenia hold first training in Germany (PHOTOS)

4 new cases of coronavirus reported in Karabakh

Blinken to Mirzoyan: US Embassy in Yerevan ready to assist you, your government

7 injured in New Zealand supermarket knife attack

Rihanna introduces her Savage x Fenty new collection (PHOTOS)

Artsakh presidential adviser dismissed

Grape growers block road in Armenias Ararat Province

Female passenger dies on the spot after car hits horse in Armenias Syunik Province

621 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Dead body of man, 45, with gunshot wounds found on Yerevan street

Ronaldo greeted by United former teammate at Manchester airport

Armenia army General Staff chief heads for Moscow

Google locks Afghanistan government accounts

2022 World Cup qualifiers: Matches of the day

Meghan Markle 'killed' in new biographical film (PHOTOS)

City to be built in US desert for millions of people

Denmark to build giant 'energy island' at sea

Newspaper: 'Soros' NGOs to bring 2 large-scale education programs to Armenia

Newspaper: Satellite footage of 44-day Artsakh war could make scandalous revelations

Some 6,000 Islamic extremists surrender to Nigeria authorities

Atletico president: We had no hope to be able to return Griezmann for next 2 years

Aram Khachaturian's Violin Concerto to be performed in Dubai

Digest: Trial on Armenian soldiers death to begin, footballer who played in Armenia commits suicide

Mongolia exploring possibility of signing free trade agreement with EEU

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Armenia receives donation of 27,500 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines from Lithuania (PHOTOS)

Hysteria brewing in Azerbaijan media: Russia MOD making purchases to send to Nagorno-Karabakh Republic

Security Council chief: Armenia ready for border delimitation, demarcation

Lavrov reveals content of 2009 letter he sent to then Armenia FM

Rapper Lil Nas X announces new album with sharing his 'pregnant' photos

Lavrov: Karabakh conflict settlement agreements being successfully implemented

Italian researcher searching for Noah's Ark is laid to rest near Mount Ararat

Sputnik Armenia: Commander of Russia peacekeepers in Karabakh visits arrested Azerbaijan soldier

Armenia serviceman posthumously awarded Combat Service Medal

Afghanistan's new government to be headed by Taliban co-founder Mullah Baradar

Serbia footballer who played in Armenia for many years commits suicide

Iranologist: Armenia-Iran-Russia format can be created on Goris-Kapan road issue

Justin Bieber 'wears' Kim Kardashians Skims in billboard accident

Goris mayor's lawyers file motion with Armenia court to release him on bail

Pentagon says US military mission in Afghanistan completed

Trial over death of 18 Armenia soldiers in 44-day war to begin

Yerevan-Tbilisi flight not operated since Thursday

3 new cases of coronavirus reported in Artsakh

Armenian side denies firing on a position in Azerbaijan-occupied Shushi of Karabakh

Jennifer Aniston announces her beauty brand

Armenia Defense minister receives Russia MOD delegation

North Macedonia manager: Breaking resistance of quality, well-organized team like Armenia not easy task

US Congressman Schiff says he will continue fight for Artsakh international recognition

595 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Britney Spears' boyfriend provokes engagement rumors

World oil prices Friday do not deviate from Thursday's closing level

Russia peacekeepers provide drinking water to more than 1,500 residents of Artsakh

ABBA to release new album after 40-year hiatus

US to impose cryptocurrency tax

2022 World Cup qualifiers: Brazil, Argentina win

Classical music to be played in Dubai for a month, including by Armenian musicians

Storm Ida death toll in US northeast rises to 45

Newspaper: 44-day wars satellite footage to end up in Armenia oppositions hands?

Music for Future Foundation scholarship recipients to participate in Middle East Classical Music

Newspaper: Armenia NSS, Prosecutor's Office make internal deal in arms suppliers criminal case

2022 World Cup qualifiers: There is equal battle in our group, says Armenia manager

2022 World Cup qualifiers: Match results of the day

2022 World Cup qualifiers: Armenia play draw, still leaders of Group J

Ronaldo to again wear No. 7 shirt at Man United

Armenian PM Pashinyan receives a carte blanche, he will do whatever he wants: Why are international partners silent?

Digest: Artsakh marks 30th anniversary of republic, UK allocates 500,000 for demining in Artsakh

Dollar holding steady in Armenia

Spanish MP: Today is the 30th anniversary of the independence of Artsakh

2 bodies found in Karabakh searches

Aleppo to receive the first international flight from Yerevan on Saturday

US embassy in Armenia has new deputy chief of mission

Pontifical delegation office of the Holy See starts operating in Yerevan

Armenia official on chances of reconciliation with Azerbaijan: That basis has always been, it exists today too

UN: humanitarian catastrophe looms for Afghanistan

Residents of Azerbaijan-occupied Kashatagh region of Artsakh protesting outside Armenia government building

Two new loan agreements are signed between ARMSWISSBANK and EBRD

Armenia health minister: Young man infected with coronavirus has died

UK allocates 500,000 for demining efforts in Artsakh

Mikis Theodorakis dies aged 96

15 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines thrown away in US since spring

Brad Pitt files another custody petition against Angelina Jolie

Armenia government announces 3-month military training camps for reservists

Health minister: Armenia ready to receive, distribute vaccines requiring ice chain

Roberto Benigni receives Golden Lion for his contribution to cinema

Opposition Armenia Faction MPs case goes to court

Iran introduces 3-dimensional radar capable of registering up to 300 targets

Karabakh President visits Stepanakert memorialLOVE the whole "Made in Heaven" album, esp "Mother Love", when he knows he's dying it's equally heartbreaking and beautiful!

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I can't listen to Mother Love sometimes because I know it's a way-one ticket to tears. The lyrics are so haunting and knowing Brian had to sing the last verse of the song because Freddie didn't make it... Made In Heaven is a very nice album and I think it balances the sad with the uplifting. And A Winter's Tale is beautiful, I'm glad Freddie finished it.

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Mine is probably Killer Queen or Under Pressure, but I do love Bohemian Rhapsody!



The bottom half of this list is all songs I don't know, though.

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my favorite is "Don't Stop Me Now."



and yeah #1 was easy lol.

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This is the song that never fails to put me in a good mood

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Don't Stop Me Now is so far underrated it's not even funny.

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Thank you, it's my favorite, too. I would put it on 3., mainly because 2. We Will Rock You and 1. Bohamian Rhapsody are more important, I just LIKE Don't Stop Me Now more.

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I dont care for Queen and I love how shook people get when I state that.

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Ice cold, bish. Ice cold.

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that's how i feel about the beetles

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Same about Michael Jackson, Selena, Elvis and Morrissey

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Sucks that you can't enjoy the Queen tribute with Spanish covers, but I'll leave this here because Soda Stereo's Algun Dia is a lesson in how to do a great re-interpretation/translation of a song that even surpasses the original:





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Ha, that's me and The Beatles.

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lol whatever mod approved and minutes later deleted the Tom Daley nudes leak post (maybe because i said his lawyers are going after people who post the nudes??) should be fucking ashamed. as should all the weirdos defending posting something like that. this comm is disgusting



oooo sorry OT ban me



Edited at 2018-01-07 01:01 am (UTC)

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omg, you're such a prude. This comm used to be FUN where dick pics were posted all the time and, I guess, revenge porn was posted and laughed over on the daily.



Those lawyers claiming people have a right to their privacy and personal images are prudes too!

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my #1 will always be princes of the universe

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yass iconic!

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SUCH a good song. I like to play this when I'm still hyped up after a work out.

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I didn't like at first but I had to listen to it several times while traveling hours and hours in buses and now it's one of my favorites.

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Same. I'm not sure I could make it through all of the movies now that I would recognize how bad they are lmao

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I went to a symphonic Queen tribute a couple of years ago and completely lost it when they played this. My favorite song from that album, it just brings it on.

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I like killer queen and the bike song is fun but generally I think stadium rock is the worst music genre of all time



Theyre not as bad as journey tho so Ill give them that

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That's fair but Queen's 70 discography until News of the World (so a good 5 albums) couldn't be any further from stadium rock.

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wow when you're wrong you go all the way 100%

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Excuse me 4 dismissing corny breeder music !

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Don't Stop Me Now. Just because of Shaun of the Dead lol



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Truly an iconic scene. Edgar Wright knows how to use a tune.

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I love Shaun & Hot Fuzz so much.

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lmao, i love this scene so much.

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I started laughing just from the still. I love this movie so much.

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Same, I'm mad that it's #22

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that was my blog name when i was like 15

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I LOVE this song.

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my fav after bohemian rhapsody

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This is it, right here.

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yep. the vocals on this are so perfect

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Their Live Aid performance is just untouchable. I love that shot of the Wembley crowd from the stage, its goose bump inducing.

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EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEhhhhhhooooooooooooo ooooooooooooEEEEEEEEEEEEhhhhhooooooooooo oooo



Sorry couldn't resist. I love how they redid it with the hologram at the 2012 Olympics closing Ceremony (minus Jessie J obv).

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"The Miracle" is my favorite song, but I have a special place in my heart for "Don't Stop Me Now".

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The Miracle video is probably my favorite Queen video. It's just so precious, the kids were on point.





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the prophet's song is the greatest queen song of all time, closely followed by my fairy king



these are facts



70s queen >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 80s queen



Edited at 2018-01-07 01:06 am (UTC)

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Loooooooove The Prophets Song!!!

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Honestly though I'm very meh at this list, it's like they three a couple of early 70s songs to be less mainstream but then went full-on predictable at the end.



But that's because imo a list without Spread Your Wings and Innuendo is automatically invalid.

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you can always tell when someone just pushed shuffle on a greatest hits playlist and farted one of these articles out tbh.

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LOL, very true. And on the other hand, you know the author is probably a Queen fan whenever I see anything from Queen II listed (outside of Seven Seas of Rhye) or something like Was It All Worth It.

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LinkOh no. Who signed off on this?

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Trash casting

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That looks like a lot of guyliner, yikes.

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LOL, that Zero Dark 30 comparison. The pics do look weirdly modern



Eve is way too good and pretty for this flop

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I thought that was Krennic. Poor guy is going to get typecast as a villain. Hes working that coat though.

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Of course we got the oblig guy teaches girl how to shoot a bow and arrow and simultaneously flirts with her because they're seeeew in luv

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Taron looks like Josh Hutcherson in that Last still.

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can't unsee

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Hes stealing all his roles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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i've always thought they looked kinda alike. it's the face shape

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Why does the Marian actress look familiar?

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she's bono's daughter and was in The Knick (rip) and Bridge of spies

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Bono

Heroin addict on the knicker, she was a nurse too.

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I thought it was Keira Knightley for a sec.

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Her hair and make up look like she just walked in off the street. No attempt at historical accuracy. This is gonna suck.

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But the arrows are fired like they're machine gun bullets! You're not ready for this, astrobrit!

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the only robin hood i recognize

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same

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lol disney-damaged furries

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sexy

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dreamy tbqh 

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i had such a crush on many characters from ths

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I liked the songs.

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How many "gritty" Robin Hoods do we need? Just give me Cary Elwes and Toby Stephens and let me call it a day.

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I really want that sequel to Men in Tights they mentioned at the end of the movie. I still remember seeing it in the theater.

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Seems like something guy ritchie would be doing

I'll see it

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It looks exactly like something Guy Ritchie would do, and if it's as bad as King Arthur, I'll skip it. King Arthur is unwatchable.

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But liked KA and guy's style.

That voice over talk scene stuff and action flow. Anyway i figured he would give this a sherlock holmes treatment.

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Looks worse than the BBC show.

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Lol the bbc show was utter trash. Fucking Richard Armitage made me suffer thru that until I couldnt take it anymore lmao.

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Jamie Dornan as Robin's brother, Will Scarlet.



Wait, what? Brother?



And LOL, the actress playing Marian looks like Lucy Griffiths in that still.

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Oh, the comment wasn't about Jamie, but Will Scarlet as Robin's brother.

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It sounds like a reboot of the Kevin Costner Robin Hood, which I fully admit to loving the most cheesy of manners because I like watching Alan Rickman get sliced.

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I love Taron, him in the first Kingsman was like Yass.



But his career :/ choices are just so blah

I honestly wonder if he took the Han Solo role, what would have occurred...



For British actors- its usually be in period films, receding hairline (which it looks like its happening :(( )

or action films. Sigh. Taron pick it up!! U are talented, U iz smart, U iz hot.

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Didn't we just have an attempt at an ~updated~ Robin Hood a few years ago, or is my memory all messed up?

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LinkOne of these days I will watch more than the first five episodes of this show.

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Oh you have to. It's so good. Maybe skip season 2 ...

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lmao i say that all the time. i think i've seen the pilot 4 or 5 times...i just never get past it

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I have to think that the fact that I hate football isn't helping!

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If it helps, the first episode is probably the most focused episode on football that you'll get. The show is really more about a small town and the people that are involved in that football world. Football at some point really just becomes a backdrop the further and further you get into the season. There's still definitely football but it's not the driving story.

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Between this and being a Matt Saracen stan, Leslie's taste was on point!

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Landry, ftw. Minus that whole season 2 misstep.

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Be still my heart. FNL is still my favorite show of all time.

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this is so cute!

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I'm waiting for it to show up on Hulu.

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wtf, I didn't know they had taken it off and now I'm really pissed.

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*cries blood*



jesse and zach are still bffs too. i hope they all go to his and kiki's wedding.

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Taylor said recently he's still close with Jesse, Jesse just did a movie again with Kyle, the wedding is in Austin where Kyle, Connie and Taylor live. It better happen!

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lemme book a trip to austin

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omg I was finally going to restart and finish Friday night lights (I actually watched it live when it was airing, and loved it so much that I couldnt handle watching the final season???? does anyone else do that?? like I wanted to save it forever and have it never end but now its 2018 and I need it) and its not on Netflix anymore?!?

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This was me. I didn't watch the final episode for a good six months after it aired. If I didn't watch it, it wasn't over. It is a really great finale though. I cried through the final game.

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I met Riggins, Matt, and Lyla a couple of years ago - it was magical.



Julie was there too, but I didn't care about her.

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Were you at the Spartan Race? Also, jealous.

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Yep!



I think I was the only one at the finish line that knew who they were. I was weeping at the flop taste of everyone around me.



Also, Minka was covered in mud (obviously) but was still ridiculously gorgeous.



Taylor looked homeless.

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LMFAOO JULIE WAS THE WORST

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kyle is still so hot.

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dilf king

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I've reached the age that when I rewatch Coach T is hotter than any of the "kids" even Riggins.

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Yeah, he gives me....feelings.

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I legit say this to so many people and they always look crazy at me and I go "just watch the damn show" lmao.



I legit almost hooked up with a dude because he was basically kyle chandler 30 years younger haha but I restrained myself because damn I knew nothing about the dude lol

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Kyle Chandler can still get it. I just love the feeling I get when I watch this show, it's so cozy and perfect. I need to do a re-watch sometime soon for sure.

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I honestly wonder whether the goodwill for this show will ever run out.



probs not Texas Forever

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It's so loved. I don't know. I hope not.

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Kyle Chandler was so great. I grew up in AL and he reminds me of all the teachers/coaches there. The casting was just so great

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I never watched the show but i want to



Too bad its off Netflix 

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LOL



you are so kind to offer :) u can send it express overnight kthx

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The whole season is worth buying, tbh.

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Bless this trifecta. I must rewatch soon.

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LinkSasha is a lunatic

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yeah she says some weird shit but this wouldnt surprise me

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she always makes me laugh during awards season, thanks sasha.

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She's iconic tbh. Truly says some crazy, stupid shit.

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This comment made me realize the post didn't say Sharon Stone lol oop

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she truly is. I wouldn't believe anything she says tbh.

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Her hypocrisy is what kills me. One post she's claiming Mudbound isn't winning anything because it has a female director, the next post is her ragging on Lady Bird claiming it's only winning because it has a female director...lol.

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The HFPA is always and has always been bullshit.



This is the first I've heard their idea to put Get Out in the comedy/musical category, I assumed it was something the studio did in order to max its award chances. That really sucks if Jordan Peele didn't want it placed there (and he should have gotten a director nom)

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theyre mad a black man criticized them

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HFPA is such a little group of random people, pretty crazy what kind of impact they have tbh

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right? why do people care? they love stars and nominate thinking of that.



but I do follow a brazilian journalist that is HFPA. She is very nice and always makes fun of the way her colleagues vote.

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The problem is that the Globes don't have a sci-fi or fantasy category. So stuff like Get Out and the Martian get put in comedy and musical. They should add one.

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yeah I hate their categories. I also think they need to remove musicals from the comedy category. they should go wherever is more appropriate, like Les Mis should have been under drama.

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of course there is! they can't vote for too many poc movies in less than 10 years.

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I still have yet to watch Get Out. I dont get the appeal of people saying its such an amazing movie.



Ive read the plot, I dont think its that special

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well watch it and then form an opinion. you wont know the appeal until you watch it.

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lmfao

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omg

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ok congrats

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I didnt like the trailer, but I saw it opening night due to the hype and loved it. Its my favorite movie of the year tbh. You should give it a chance.

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Its really not that great. Id watch it but dont expect a masterpiece like people are saying.

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Are you white?



Maybe you don't realize your phrasing is off btw but it would've made more sense to say something like, I'm not interested in seeing this movie, the plot doesn't appeal to me. Your comment makes no sense. "I don't see the appeal of people saying it's an amazing movie". Huh.

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Its one thing to write that you don't get the appeal of a film you have personally watched, but it's non sensible to state that you do not get the appeal of people's reaction towards a film they have watched but that you have not watched yourself.

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Yeah, it's the only contender that I haven't watched yet. I don't think I'm going to like it :/

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lol, some people are taking your comment too personally.

I thought the movie was good on its own. I'm not from the USA, but I imagine what makes it special is the context in which it was released.

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At least you were nice enough to vote for Obama twice!

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I've seen it and it was ok, pretty good like any other thriller it's not a masterpiece, they way people go on about it.

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I mean I'm not surprised.



Also at this point Get Out/Lady Bird/Three Billboards ARE the frontrunners.

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I'm just... flabbergasted by the 3BOEM love. I can see why people would go for McDormand's acting, but outside of that, what did I miss while watching?

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The theory that its because a majority of film critics are men ... i believe it.

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I didn't even think McDormand was that great tbh. But I guess if you had to nominate something from the movie, it'd be her. I just really really really hated the movie. Everything was just so bad.



Edited at 2018-01-07 04:22 pm (UTC)

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IMO the script has a lot of witty moments (why awards voters are responding to it) but it falls kinda flat when you think about it afterwards (why the movie as a whole fell a little flat for me too.) Sam Rockwell's character's arc in particular is really silly, though I think he acted the part well.



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I thought it was great, but I think that The Shape of Water was better tbh.

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I really like Lady Bird and Get Out so if that ends up being true I'm good.

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What is so amazing about Lady Bird? It was so boring.

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That's very common at this time of the year with all the promo tours for the award race, a lot of people will come up with hurtful gossips and bs trying to harm them, absolutely awful, and these types of movies and actors are the most affected by it (women/poc/indies).



You'll see in next the Oscar ballots that will "leak" with voters writing things like "I didn't like this actor" or "I don't know this director". BS.

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Tapley has much better intel than her

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IA. Tapley knew it was gonna be snubbed in some areas at the GG. When are Oscar nominations announced?

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january 23

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his tea has been weak all season tho

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i feel less strongly abt this movie than i did moonlight so i'm not sure i'm as upset that this movie is seemingly underrated, but i'm def not surprised.

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I wonder if the comments Gary Oldman made about Jews while defending Mel Gibson will be revisited this awards season - especially given that he's playing Winston Churchill: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jun/24/gary-oldman-playboy-interview-antisemitism-mel-gibson

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w t f

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maybe she's taking the Jeff Wells rant and giving it more weight than it deserves, since he has been very vocally out there as Get Out's number 1 hater.

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It was the studio that submitted it as a Comedy. TBH, if they submitted it as a Drama it probably would've gotten like no nominations.

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whoops my bad sis. I couldve sworn someone said it was the HFPA

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lol I love when Sasha gets obsessed with movies and stuff like this, always makes for fun award seasons.



but this could be true for all movies. can I ask for a campaign against I,Tonya please?

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yes please

blow that painful white mediocrity outta the sky

if i hear one more person gushing about alison janney playing the same tough no nonsense gal (+bonus abuse) she's been playing for the past 4000 years and insisting she deserves an oscar 4 it then i'm gonna lose my MIND!!!!

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the existence of that movie and the acclaim it gets puzzles me. it's just a fancier lifetime movie w overwrought performances esp by margot robbie. it needs to die, same with trying to excuse everything tonya was complicit in

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Laurie Metcalf >>>>

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I, Tonya's press tour has been so weird to me. They legit got Tonya Harding out here doing interviews and shit, like... ????

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Ask and you shall recieve. This blind item was posted yesterday concerning I, Tonya. Consider the source though. And well...everything else.

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LinkSHOCKING

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Getting ready for those Solo: StarWars reviews.

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I think of him every time I see the toilet section at Home Depot lmao

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Jafar is better looking than Aladdin

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MTE she's fucking half white

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Nnnn

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Lmfao for real.

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lmao

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LMAO

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I'm so glad nobody i'm invested in is in this movie. It's going to be more mortifying than batb.

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its gonna make BATB look like well done and faithful masterpiece.

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I seriously couldnt even sit through ten minutes of batb

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your icon tho <3

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Batman: Bold and the Brave?

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I still haven't seen BatB but the trailer alone looked messy, lol. No way am I wasting my time (or more importantly, money) with this Aladdin remake.



Edited at 2018-01-07 08:43 pm (UTC)

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Literally there have been so many Asian dancers on So You Think You Can Dance alone. They could have had their pick of past contestants.



Disney is just drowning in bullshit.

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oh yeah because camels are natively from countries of white people...

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and there's NO asian people in england. NONE AT ALL

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lmao assuming theyre using asian in the british way that means south asian, thats such bs when there is a sizable south asian population in britain and if theyre just casting extras, bollywood could send over dozens of highly talented brown dancers.

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lies. shut the fuck up guy ritchie

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Not surprised.



Here for that Tahani gif though. She is so damn cute.

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I wouldn't put it past them ... It's from a daily mail headline but if Deadline has picked it up there's probably some legitimacy to it.



Stick to what ur good at, Ritchie, leave brown people alone.

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You dont have to consider her brown for her to be a person of color.

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This comment is just as ridiculous as Disney putting make-up on white actors. You don't get to "not consider" someone brown just because they don't fit your own personal standards. Her mother is Indian.



You want to say that it's problematic that they didn't cast an Arab actress, that's one thing but she's definitely brown.

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Her mother is half indian lmao. she's a whitepassing mixed girl playing a dark brown middle eastern character. it's gross whichever way you look at it

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Drop it, Disney. Put Guy on Sherlock 17 so we can have a bit less Tony/Rdj and dust off Lock 2 while you're at it.

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Mess. Either leave them as they are since they're extras and not the focus of the scene, or hire more brown people. There's no need to go down the brownface route.

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I watched an ep of 'come fly with me' (from the makers of little britain) over christmas on tv for the first time & I was genuinely shocked that they did skits in brownface.

1. this was filmed in 2010

2. this was shown on one of the most popular british tv channels as a rerun



entertainers in the uk have always appeared in blackface/brownface. they dgaf if it's racist because they can use 'art' as an excuse.



Edited at 2018-01-07 06:58 pm (UTC)

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i believe Matt Lucas apologised recently and said he'd never go back and do it again beause of how messed up it was





David Walliams on the other hand remains a dick

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Yeah, he did yellowface again for Halloween iirc. Awful person.

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Yup, there's a bunch of UK comedy acts that have done it til fairly recently (Lucas and Walliams, Mitchell and Webb, Katy Brand off the top of my head.)

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I have been an extra in commercials, and it's true that sometimes you can't get the type of person you want for a role so you make people wear wigs or make up to look what the part demands. It's not so terrible, chill people.



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Here you go. Since you're so thirsty for a comment. Be hydrated and blessed in 2018 sis!

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I've been an extra for shows and it's very, very easy to limit the demand for extras to only middle eastern, Asian, Saudi Arabian. If there's some extremely stupid reason as to why they needed to hire some useless white people, then it's easy NOT to darken their skin and have them be in the very very very back of whatever scene, so you don't even see their faces

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"I have been an extra in commercials, and it's true that sometimes you can't get the type of person you want for a role so you make people wear wigs or make up to look what the part demands. It's not so terrible, chill people."



all your racism in a box to the left, please

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So disney, a multibillion, international corporation cant find who they're looking for?

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Link23 YA authors on the 2018 books you need on your radar. https://t.co/MymX0CBidE  B&N Teen Blog (@BNTeens) January 6, 2018

Love, Hate & Other Filters, by Samira Ahmed

Heart of Iron, by Ashley Poston

Dread Nation, by Justina Ireland

Mosquitoland

The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik,

Picture Us in the Light, by Kelly Loy Gilbert

Mondays Not Coming, by Tiffany Jackson

Here are books that 5 YA authors are excited about!Publication Date: January 16American-born seventeen-year-old Maya Aziz is torn between worlds. Theres the proper one her parents expect for their good Indian daughter: attending a college close to their suburban Chicago home, and being paired off with an older Muslim boy her mom deems suitable. And then there is the world of her dreams: going to film school and living in New York Cityand maybe (just maybe) pursuing a boy shes known from afar since grade school, a boy whos finally falling into her orbit at school.Theres also the real world, beyond Mayas control. In the aftermath of a horrific crime perpetrated hundreds of miles away, her life is turned upside down. The community shes known since birth becomes unrecognizable; neighbors and classmates alike are consumed with fear, bigotry, and hatred. Ultimately, Maya must find the strength within to determine where she truly belongs.Publication Date: February 27Seventeen-year-old Ana is a scoundrel by nurture and an outlaw by nature. Found as a child drifting through space with a sentient android called D09, Ana was saved by a fearsome space captain and the grizzled crew she now calls family. But D09one of the last remaining illegal Metalshas been glitching, and Ana will stop at nothing to find a way to fix him.Anas desperate effort to save D09 leads her on a quest to steal the coordinates to a lost ship that could offer all the answers. But at the last moment, a spoiled Ironblood boy beats Ana to her prize. He has his own reasons for taking the coordinates, and he doesnt care what hell sacrifice to keep them.When everything goes wrong, she and the Ironblood end up as fugitives on the run. Now their entire kingdom is after themand the coordinatesand not everyone wants them captured alive.What they find in a lost corner of the universe will change all their livesand unearth dangerous secrets. But when a darkness from Anas past returns, she must face an impossible choice: does she protect a kingdom that wants her dead or save the Metal boy she loves?Publication Date: April 3Jane McKeene was born two days before the dead began to walk the battlefields of Gettysburg and Chancellorsvillederailing the War Between the States and changing America forever. In this new nation, safety for all depends on the work of a few, and laws like the Native and Negro Reeducation Act require certain children attend combat schools to learn to put down the dead. But there are also opportunitiesand Jane is studying to become an Attendant, trained in both weaponry and etiquette to protect the well-to-do. Its a chance for a better life for Negro girls like Jane. After all, not even being the daughter of a wealthy white Southern woman could save her from societys expectations.But thats not a life Jane wants. Almost finished with her education at Miss Prestons School of Combat in Baltimore, Jane is set on returning to her Kentucky home and doesnt pay much mind to the politics of the eastern cities, with their talk of returning America to the glory of its days before the dead rose. But when families around Baltimore County begin to go missing, Jane is caught in the middle of a conspiracy, one that finds her in a desperate fight for her life against some powerful enemies. And the restless dead, it would seem, are the least of her problems.Publication Date: April 10Danny has been an artist for as long as he can remember and it seems his path is set, with a scholarship to RISD and his family's blessing to pursue the career he's always dreamed of. Still, contemplating a future without his best friend, Harry Wong, by his side makes Danny feel a panic he can barely put into words. Harry and Danny's lives are deeply intertwined and as they approach the one-year anniversary of a tragedy that shook their friend group to its core, Danny can't stop asking himself if Harry is truly in love with his girlfriend, Regina Chan.When Danny digs deeper into his parents' past, he uncovers a secret that disturbs the foundations of his family history and the carefully constructed facade his parents have maintained begins to crumble. With everything he loves in danger of being stripped away, Danny must face the ghosts of the past in order to build a future that belongs to him.Publication Date: June 5Monday Charles is missing, and only Claudia seems to notice. Claudia and Monday have always been inseparablemore sisters than friends. So when Monday doesnt turn up for the first day of school, Claudias worried. When she doesnt show for the second day, or second week, Claudia knows that something is wrong. Monday wouldnt just leave her to endure tests and bullies alone. Not after last years rumors and not with her grades on the line. Now Claudia needs her bestand onlyfriend more than ever. But Mondays mother refuses to give Claudia a straight answer, and Mondays sister April is even less help.As Claudia digs deeper into her friends disappearance, she discovers that no one seems to remember the last time they saw Monday. How can a teenage girl just vanish without anyone noticing that shes gone?Book icon made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com and is licensed by CC 3.0 BY Happy Sunday! Book post???Steve Bannon is sorry. After days of increasing acrimony between President Donald Trump and his former chief strategist, Bannon finally issued a statement apologizing for his words against the commander in chiefs eldest son. Bannon also expressed regret that it took him so long to speak up and made clear that despite the recent insults from the commander in chief, he still believes in Trump and his agenda.

Donald Trump, Jr. is both a patriot and a good man, said Bannon, who is quoted in Michael Wolffs Fire and Fury calling a 2016 meeting with Russians as treasonous. He has been relentless in his advocacy for his father and the agenda that has helped turn our country around. Bannon insisted that his mention of treason didnt refer to Trump Jr. but rather to Paul Manafort, a seasoned campaign professional with experience and knowledge of how the Russians operate. Manafort, who was briefly Trumps campaign manager, should have known better. He should have known they are duplicitous, cunning and not our friends. To reiterate, those comments were not aimed at Don Jr, Bannon said in the statement that was first reported by Axios.

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Bannon said he regretted that it took him five days to personally respond to the book that has sent shockwaves around Washington. I regret that my delay in responding to the inaccurate reporting regarding Don Jr has diverted attention from the presidents historical accomplishments in the first year of his presidency, Bannon said. The former chief strategist also insisted that his support for Trump and his agenda is unwavering.

Anyone who doubted his commitment to the president hasnt been paying attention, he said, noting that he shows his support for the president daily in my national radio broadcasts, on the pages of Breitbart News and in speeches and appearances from Tokyo and Hong Kong to Arizona and Alabama. Bannon also praised Trump with one issue that he knows is hard for the commander in chief to resist: his presidential election victory. President Trump was the only candidate that could have taken on and defeated the Clinton apparatus, Bannon wrote. I am the only person to date to conduct a global effort to preach the message of Trump and Trumpism; and remain ready to stand in the breach for this presidents efforts to make America great again.

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Bannon also took the opportunity to reiterate that he thinks the investigation into ties between Moscow and Trumps presidential campaign is ridiculous, categorically writing that there was no collusion and the investigation is a witch hunt.

Although Bannons apology may not seem like much, it is very unlike him. Hes as stubborn as Trump when it comes to apologizing and admitting he has made a mistake, writes Axios Mike Allen. He views any concession as a sign of humiliating weakness.

Earlier in the day, Trump continued his campaign against Wolffs work, describing Fire and Fury as a fake book on Twitter that was written by a totally discredited author.

AdvertisementThe interview was tense from the beginning. President Donald Trumps senior policy adviser, Stephen Miller, went to the CNN studio to defend his boss and, hey, while he was at it, blast the cable news network as well. Miller seemed to have a script in his head and largely ignored Tappers questions until the CNN anchor had enough and abruptly ended the interview: I think Ive wasted enough of my viewers time. Tapper then went on to introduce the next segment of State of the Union while Miller could still be heard spouting his talking points in the background.

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Miller had gone to CNN to dismiss Michael Wolffs Fire and Fury as a work of fiction while criticizing former chief strategist Steve Bannon. It reads like an angry, vindictive person spouting off to a highly discreditable author, Miller said of the explosive book that has shaken up Washington. The author is a garbage author of a garbage book. Miller also dismissed Bannons role in the White House, saying his influence in the administration had been greatly exaggerated.

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"His role has been greatly exaggerated," White House senior policy adviser Stephen Miller says of Steve Bannon, who served as Trump's chief strategist #CNNSOTU https://t.co/HnORsqFPE7  CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) January 7, 2018

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The Trump aide also praised the president and didnt hold back, calling Trump a political genius. Echoing the tweets Trump sent the previous day, Miller charted the course of Trumps career noting that he is a self-made billionaire, who revolutionized reality TV, and who has changed the course of our politics. But during the interview, Miller also accused Tapper of being condescending and said CNN broadcast 24 hours of negative, anti-Trump, hysterical coverage that has led to embarrassing false reporting.

White House senior policy adviser Stephen Miller says of his experience with President Trump during the campaign: "I saw a man who is a political genius" #CNNSOTU https://t.co/XS79MYOuIp  CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) January 7, 2018

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Thats when what was already a tense interview turned contentious as Tapper accused Miller of trying to impress his boss. Theres one viewer that you care about right now and youre being obsequious, Tapper said. Miller pressed the issue, saying all he wanted was three minutes to defend the president from 24 hours of negative anti-Trump, hysterical coverage on CNN. And thats when Tapper cut him off.

"There's only one viewer you care about," CNN's Jake Tapper tells Trump aide Stephen Miller during fiery interview #CNNSOTU https://t.co/22AbdbBeSk pic.twitter.com/YPp4h6z9sB  CNN (@CNN) January 7, 2018

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It seems, however, that Miller got what he wanted and impressed his boss. Trump quickly took to Twitter to praise Miller, saying that he destroyed Tapper. Watch the hatred and unfairness of this CNN flunky! Trump wrote.

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Jake Tapper of Fake News CNN just got destroyed in his interview with Stephen Miller of the Trump Administration. Watch the hatred and unfairness of this CNN flunky!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018

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Tapper also responded on Twitter, linking to the interview and calling on viewers to judge for yourself.President Donald Trump took a break from discussing strategy with Republican leaders at Camp David to hold a news conference where he defended his fitness for office, criticized the ongoing Russia collusion investigation, and blasted Michael Wolffs Fire and Fury.

Everything Ive done is 100 percent proper, Trump said when asked about a recent New York Times story that he pressured Attorney General Jeff Sessions not to recuse himself from the Russia investigation. That is what I do, is I do things proper. The president went on to say that the Times piece was way off, or at least off, but he refused to elaborate when he was asked about what was wrong with the story. Youll find out, he said. But the story was off.

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"Everything that I've done is 100 percent proper. That's what I do, is I do things proper. - Trump on whether he directed White House aides to tell Attorney General Jeff Sessions not to recuse himself from the Russia probe https://t.co/RvWMXXc1GM https://t.co/xjOLLltJML  CNN (@CNN) January 6, 2018

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At one point, Trump appeared to say that he would be willing to meet with special counsel Robert Muellers team, responding yeah when he was asked but then seemingly realizing he may have said something inappropriate. Just so you understand, theres been no collusion, theres been no crime, and in theory everybody tells me Im not under investigationmaybe Hillary (Clinton) is, I dont knowbut Im not, he told reporters. But we have been very open. We could have done it two ways. We could have been very closed, and it would have taken years. But you know, sort of like when youve done nothing wrong, lets be open and get it over with.

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"If Robert Mueller asks you to come and speak with his committee personally, are you committed still to doing that?"



President Trump: "Just so you understand, there's been no collusion. There's been no crime. And, in theory, everybody tells me I'm not under investigation." pic.twitter.com/qxLquXKksA  NBC News (@NBCNews) January 6, 2018

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The investigation is very, very bad for our country. Its making our country look foolish, he said. And this is a country that I dont want looking foolish. And its not gonna look foolish as long as Im here.

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When the president was asked why he felt the need to defend his mental capacity in a series of tweets Saturday morning, Trump said he just wanted to set the record straight. Only because I went to the best colleges, or college, Trump said. I had a situation where I was a very excellent student, came out, made billions and billions of dollars, became one of the top business people, went to television and for 10 years was a tremendous success, which youve probably heard.

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Trump, asked why he tweeted about his mental stability this AM, responds: "Only because I went to the best colleges... I had a siutation where I was a very excellent student... Ran for president one time and won. And then I hear this guy that does not know me..." (via CBS) pic.twitter.com/zmZwyNrNNV  Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) January 6, 2018

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The commander in chief also took the opportunity to once again blast Wolff, calling his book a work of fiction. The commander in chief knows just what is to blame for the publication. Libel laws are very weak in this country, Trump said. If they were stronger, hopefully, you would not have something like that happen. The commander in chief also said that Wolff did not interview me for three hours, it didnt exist, OK? Its in his imagination.

Trump says he was never interviewed by Michael Wolff for "Fire And Fury": "The libel laws are very weak in this country. If they were strong, it would be very helpful." pic.twitter.com/rscfQHnzfU  BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) January 6, 2018

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Separately, Trump also noted he would be willing to hold a phone conversation with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Our stance, you know what it is. Were very firm, Trump said. But I would beabsolutely, I would do that. No problem with that, at all. He later recognized there would have to be preconditions before any talks could take place.Vietnams Ministry of Transport has proposed a series of conditions to tighten the management of Uber and Grab in the country.

The transport ministry has submitted a draft decree to the central government, which is expected to replace the current Decree No. 86/2014/ND-CP on the conditions for the auto transportation business.

According to Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The, the provisional decree highlights the addition of new requirements for the operations of passenger transport businesses via digital contracts and software, namely Uber, Grab, and similar services.

The proposed regulations are aimed at striking a balance with the conditions that have been applied to local taxi companies, Minister The continued.

The transport ministry previously collected feedback from taxi firms and transport associations before finalizing the decree, the official added.

Pursuant to the tentative legislation, businesses such as Uber and Grab would have to get legitimate licenses and complete the registration for e-commerce services, which is certified by the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Uber and Grab have yet to carry out such registration.

A deal with specific terms would have to be signed between technology firms and transport companies.

A logo with the minimum size of 90x80 millimeters would have to be placed on the front and back windows of the cars.

Businesses that provide ride-hailing software will need to cooperate with transport firms to provide sufficient and accurate information regarding their rides in order to facilitate tax collection.

The electronic receipt of each ride would have to be sent to the General Department of Taxation under the Ministry of Finance.

Meanwhile, transport businesses that sign electronic contracts with technology firms would be granted the licenses for auto transportation business.

They must ensure that the age of their vehicles does not exceed 12 years from the date of production.

Such a requirement would be applied to cars with nine seats and below, which is similar to the current condition for local taxi firms.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!Authorities in the central Vietnamese city of Da Nang are hunting for the owner of a Facebook page that faked the news about the collapse of the citys iconic bridge.

The municipal Department of Information and Communications confirmed on Saturday that the name of the Facebook page was Tin tuc hang ngay - VTV Online (Daily news - VTV Online).

The avatar of the page contained the logo of national broadcaster Vietnam Television (VTV), the department stated, adding that the bogus Facebook page had been deleted.

On Saturday morning, the page uploaded a status claiming that the Dragon Bridge, Da Nangs symbolic bridge that spans over the Han River, had been broken due to heavy downpours and strong gusts.

The status added that there were 10 people traveling on the bridge at the time of the incident, along with several photos, which seemed to be edited, as proof.

The citys Department of Information and Communications is working with other agencies to look into the case and hunt for the owner of the Facebook page that faked the news.

In early June, police in Lien Chieu District, Da Nang, imposed a fine worth VND12.5 million (US$550.6) upon Nguyen Thi Ngoc, who lives in the same neighborhood, for spreading untrue news about kidnapping.

In July, Nguyen Kim Anh was fined VND5 million ($220.2) by officers in Thanh Khe District for posting fake news to advertise her online shop.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!Internet traffic through the Asia Pacific Gateway (APG) cable system from Vietnam has been restored to normal since Saturday afternoon, more than 30 hours earlier than expected.

According to an announcement made by Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT), the cable system would experience a temporary shutdown from 12:00 am on Saturday to 10:00 pm on Sunday for its relocation in Singapore.

The relocation was reportedly to facilitate a project to expand the city-states Changi International Airport.

However, the works were finished much sooner than anticipated, and the full capacity of APG was restored as early as 3:45 pm on Saturday, VNPT said.

APG, which runs about 10,400 kilometers underwater across the Pacific Ocean, connects Vietnam with mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, and Singapore.

The cable system was launched in 2016 with a traffic capacity of 54.8 terabits per second  the largest of any other cables in Asia  and had been expected to guarantee more stable connection for Vietnamese Internet users.

However, the cable has since its launch suffered from multiple ruptures and technical issues, with the latest being on December 23, when a problem was reported on the section of APG connecting Vietnam and Singapore, affecting ten percent of Vietnams international connectivity.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!Railbird Report: "BERRI SWEET" Becomes Biggest 2017 High-Stakes Winner

January 07 2018 Yori Epskamp

2017 is done and dusted and the scores have been tallied. "BERRI SWEET" and Timofey "Trueteller" Kuznetsov were locked in a fierce battle throughout the year to claim the top spot, but a late slump by Kuznetsov gave "BERRI SWEET" one of his tastiest victories yet. The high staker recorded a profit of $1,769,395 at the PokerStars high-stakes cash tables, while Kuznetsov finished the year with $1,454,838 in winnings. "BERRI SWEET"s monster 1.7M year puts him at $2,330,314 in winnings lifetime.

"BERRI SWEET" follows in the footsteps of Alexander "joiso" Kostritsyn, who was last year's biggest winner with $1,466,568. Kostritsyn wasn't able to follow up on his stellar 2016 and finished 2017 with $457,729 in the red. 2015's top money winner Viktor "Isildur1" Blom ($3,497,527 in 2015) had another one of his fabled rollercoaster years and eventually finished $645,327 in the black, after surpassing the $1M mark earlier this year.

On the other side, Sami "Lrslzk" Kelopuro posted the biggest loss of the year and ended $1,277,737 in the red. However, the Finnish pro posted in his blog (found here, in Finnish) that he actually was a big winner in 2017. According to Kelopuro, he made $580,000 in profit in 2017, with a massive $800,000 in winnings on partypoker standing out. Kelopuro also noted that the cash games on PokerStars went great up until 50/100, but that he lost a ton on the bigger ones, skewing the results as posted here.

The 2017 Leaderboard

Behind "BERRI SWEET" and Kuznetsov, it was Carlo "Ravenswood13" van Ravenswoud who claimed the bronze medal at the end of the year. The Dutchman residing in Malta had a stellar year at the high stakes tables and won $814,543. "ActionFreak" ($790,920) and Linus "LLinusLLove" Loeliger ($650,695) rounded out the top 5. The aforementioned Blom ($645,327) finished in 6th place, before Jordi "prot0" Urlings ($624,265), "RaulGonzalez ($574,768), "Mongano" ($438,392) and "donthrnmepls" ($389,426).

"8superpoker" won't remember 2017 as fondly, as he posted the second biggest loss behind Kelopuro. "8superpoker" finished $826,554 in the red, followed by Dani "supernova9" Stern (-$777,373), who announced his retirement from poker, "ImagineKing" (-$525,044) and Bill "GASTRADER" Perkins (-$517,020). Kostritsyn, 2016's biggest winner, posted the 6th biggest loss in 2017 with -$457,729. Dan "W00ki3z." Cates, better known as "Jungleman", dropped $362,952 at the highest stakes online in 2017.

(user)name hands 2017 profit/loss 2017 profit/loss per hand 2017 profit/loss all time most played game Winning Players 1 BERRI SWEET 55,120 +$1,769,395 +$32.10 +$2,330,314 PLO 2 Timofey "Trueteller" Kuznetsov 59,505 +$1,454,838 +$24,45 +$3,345,605 NL Hold'em 3 Carlo "Ravenswood13" van Ravenswoud 57,502 +$814,543 +$14,17 +$32,264 PLO 4 "ActionFreak" 75,218 +$790,920 +$10,52 +$802,211 PLO 5 Linus "LLinusLLove" Loeliger 104,092 +650,965 +$6,25 +$630,581 NL Hold'em 6 Viktor "Isildur1" Blom 198,340 +$645,327 +$3,25 +$2,145,101 PLO 7 Jordi "prot0" Urlings 48,062 +$624,265 +$12,99 +$552,156 NL Hold'em 8 "RaulGonzalez" 96,439 +$574,768 +$5,96 +$1,317,218 NL Hold'em 9 "Mongano" 13,232 +438,392 +$33,13 +$453,381 Draw 10 "donthnrmepls" 14,212 +389,426 $27,40 +$420,086 NL Hold'em Losing Players 1 Sami "Lrslzk" Kelopuro 55,654 -$1,277,737 -$22,96 -$1,980,900 PLO 2 "8superpoker" 41,356 -$826,544 -$19,99 -$2,837,608 Limit 3 Dani "supernova9" Stern 10,039 -$777,373 -$77.43 -$1,439,781 PLO 4 "ImagineKing" 31,003 -$525,044 -$16,94 -$1,565,651 PLO 5 Bill "GASTRADER" Perkins 4,598 -$517,020 -$112,44 -$850,353 NL Hold'em 6 Alexander "joiso" Kostritsyn 34,138 -$457,729 -$13,41 +$3,961,870 8-Game 7 Dan "W00ki3z." Cates 28,466 -$362,592 -$12,74 +$983,381 8-Game 8 Mikael "ChaoRen160" Thuritz 17,286 -$335,394 -$19,40 +$986,163 8-Game 9 "totti1992100" 13,945 -$309,296 -$22,18 -$314,951 8-Game 10 Kristijonas "greezhool" Andrulis 13,217 -$298,239 -$22,56 -$311,950 NL Hold'em

Catching Up on High Stakes Action: Three Biggest Pots of The Week

On New Year's Eve, Ben "Ben86" Tollerene and Timofey "Trueteller" Kuznetsov locked horns at the 100/200 PLO 6-Max Tables, resulting in three of the biggest pots of the week.

1) Ben "Ben86" Tollerene wins an $89,929 Pot (450 Big Blinds) from Timofey "Trueteller" Kuznetsov

($100/$200 PLO 6-Max)

Kuznetsov raised to $680 first to act, Tollerene three-bet to $2,120 and Kuznetsov called. On the flop, Tollerene bet $950, Kuznetsov raised to $4,400 and Tollerene called. The turn was the and Tollerene check-called a bet of $8,800 from Kuznetsov.

The river brought the and Tollerene checked. Kuznetsov ripped it for $29,565, nearly equal to the size of the pot, and Tollerene called with for top two pair, kings and jacks. Kuznetsov was caught bluffing with and was forced to reload.

Click for replay via HighStakesDB

2)Ben "Ben86" Tollerene wins a $38,425 Pot (191 Big Blinds) from Timofey "Trueteller" Kuznetsov

($100/$200 PLO 6-Max)

Another three-bet pot to $2,120, this time with Tollerene in position. On the flop, Kuznetsov check-called $2,159 from Tollerene. The turn brought the and Kuznetsov lead out for $8,634, leaving himself with $6,220 behind. Tollerene stuck the rest in and Kuznetsov called.

Player Hand Equity Ben "Ben86" Tollerene 100% Timofey "Trueteller" Kuznetsov 0%

Although players agreed to run it twice, it didn't matter as Kuznetsov was drawing dead despite holding two pair and a flush draw. Tollerene had the hand locked up with a set of eights, a higher flush draw and a queen in his hand. The meaningless rivers were the and the to send the $38,425 pot to Tollerene.

Click for replay via HighStakesDB

3) Timofey "Trueteller" Kuznetsov wins three-quarters of a $34,679 Pot (173 Big Blinds) from Ben "Ben86" Tollerene

($100/$200 PLO 6-Max)

Another three-bet pot with Tollerene in position brought a flop. Kuznetsov bet $4,317 and Tollerene called, which left the latter with $10,823 behind. On the turn, Kuznetsov bet enough to put Tollerene all in and the American called it off.

Player Hand Equity Timofey "Trueteller" Kuznetsov 80% (20% tie) Ben "Ben86" Tollerene 0% (20% tie)

This time, Kuznetsov held a big lead, as Tollerene could only chop the pot if he hit one of the straight cards. On the first of two rivers, the , both players hit a straight to chop. The on the second river gave Kuznetsov three-quarters of the pot and left Tollerene with $8,649.

Click for replay via HighStakesDB

This Week's Online High-Stakes Biggest Winners and Losers

A new year provides a new opportunity, and it's Ben "Ben86" Tollerene who's claimed the early frontrunner spot after his winning session on New Year's Eve. Vice versa, his opponent Timofey "Trueteller" Kuznetsov posted the biggest loss of the week.

(user)name hands profit/loss 12/28 - 1/4 profit/loss all time Winning Players 1 Ben "Ben86" Tollerene 629 +$132,797 +$3,898,522 2 "cobus83" 1,663 +$96,576 +$932,021 3 "JayP-AA" 1,287 +$87,392 +$2,325,779 4 "EEE27" 1,971 +$79,139 +$57,091 5 "Yoghii" 107 +$54,460 +$530,260 6 Sami "LrsLzk" Kelopuro 328 +$48,682 -$1,980,800 7 "BlackFortuna" 1,897 +$43,566 +$146,565 8 Sergey "St1ckman" Vasiliev 4,101 +$39,435 +$753,010 9 "Danneville" 896 +$37,978 -$18,644 10 "Apotheosis92" 5,488 +$36,457 -$173,701 Losing Players 1 Timofey "Trueteller" Kuznetsov 1,418 -$196,107 +$3,345,605 2 Viktor "Isildur1" Blom 4,542 -$62,906 +$2,145,101 3 Ben "Sauce123" Sulsky 611 -$60,334 +$5,101,603 4 Tom "tjbentham" Bentham 2,482 -$55,942 +$231,119 5 "Singmakke74" 406 -$52,795 -$63,833 6 "8superpoker" 540 -$48,575 -$2,837,608 7 "RaulGonzalez" 226 -$39,269 +$1,317,218 8 Denis "aDrENalin710" Strebkov 5,966 -$38,980 -$56,512 9 "LFFF22" 353 -$34,505 -$31,482 10 "limitless" 825 -$30,355 +$94,584

The above top winning and losing players in online poker for 2017 and 2018 only takes PokerStars accounts into consideration. All public data courtesy of HighStakesDB.com. If you want to opt out of being listed in this PokerNews update on the high-stakes action, send an email with your username to [email protected]

The Stars Group is a majority shareholder in iBus MediaBerenberg raised Staffline Groups rating to buy from hold and its target price to 1,250p from 900p on Thursday.

Immediately after the UKs vote to leave the European Union on 24 June, Berenberg had downgraded the Staffline to hold as it felt uncertainty about the UK economic and political outlook would generate headwinds for both the recruitment division and the PeoplePlus division.

Now that the dust has started to settle, the political outlook appears somewhat clearer and Staffline has reported a solid set of first half 2016 numbers, we feel that 'hold' rating was too downbeat, said Berenberg.

Staffline, which specialises in logistics, e-retail, manufacturing, driving, food processing and white collar recruitment, last month reported a 39.5% jump in first half revenue to 414.7m, driven by its Staffing business. Underlying profits before tax soared 50.5% to 15.2m and the interim dividend was raised 40% to 10.5p.

Given the clear long-term track record of the firm, the focus on temporary recruitment in less cyclical areas of the economy and good progress made in reducing leverage at the business, we upgrade the stock back to Buy with a price target of 1,250p, Berenberg said.

The broker said while it continues to believe uncertainty has increased following Brexit and ahead of the Welfare to Work review, the shares remain 40% below peak despite no change in consensus earnings forecasts.

We feel this potentially underestimates the scale of the business that management is trying to build.

Berenberg added: The high level of uncertainty surrounding the business outlook and hiring was one of the principal reasons behind our early July downgrade. However, Staffline has confirmed it has traded well since Brexit and that its focus on blue-collar temporary workers in less cyclical industries should provide resilience versus recruitment peers.

Shares fell 0.10% to 1,009p at 1026 BST.A wave of seemingly coordinated blasts in tourist resorts in Thailand killed four people and injured dozens on Thursday and Friday.

Four bombs exploded over 23 hours in resort town Hua Hin, which killed two people.

There were two blasts in the space of half an hour in Surat Thani in front of police stations, killing one person and a blast in Trang which also killed one person.

There were were two blasts in Patong, a beach town on Phuket island and a blast in Phang Nga, where dozens of people were injured.

No group has claimed responsibility, and Thai police ruled out Islamist or international terrorism, but it is suspected that it may have been carried out by separatists insurgents.

Thai police said that 10 foreigners were injured. The Foreign & Commonwealth Office said tourists in Thailand should listen to local authorities in the region and advised against nonessential travel to Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and Songkhla on the Thai-Malaysia border.

We are seeking further information following incidents in Hua Hin in Thailand. We stand ready to provide assistance to any British nationals involved.

The bombings could affect the countrys tourism, which accounts for 10% of Thailand's gross domestic product.

The first blast in Hua Hin, home to the summer palace of the Thai royal family, was also on the eve of Queen Sirikits birthday. Succession to the ailing 88-year-old King is causing concern in Thailand.

In May 2014 the military took control of government and martial law was enforced across the country until April 2015 when it was lifted except in the southern provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, the Sadao district of Songkhla and some border areas. Before the military coup there were large demonstrations and protests in the capital Bangkok.

Thailand had been on alert for a possible terrorist attack, as the bombing comes a few days before the first anniversary of a bombing at a Hindu shrine in Bangkok, which killed 22 and injured 100 people.

Only a few days ago Thailand's generals won a referendum for a new constitution which will establish their power even after an election next year, which they had pledged.London's FTSE 250 was down 0.7% to 19,662.79 in afternoon trade as investors sifted through corporate news.

Outsourcer Mitie was the best performer on the index after it said it will take a hit of as much as 50m following an accounting review but that trading before the impact of the review was largely in line with previous expectations.

RBC Capital Markets said:" Whilst clearly Mitie was in a mess, the key with this statement is that trading is in line, the FY net debt position is better than expected and the balance sheet review has been completed without any significant negative cashflow or ongoing impacts.

"Hence we would not expect any changes to 2018 forecasts today."

Pub operator JD Wetherspoon rallied as it said its trading outcome for the year is likely to be ahead of previous expectations following better-than-anticipated sales so far this year. In a trading update for the 13-week period to 23 April, the company said like-for-like sales were up 4% with total sales 1.3% higher. Year-to-date, LFL sales have increased 3.5% and total sales are up 1.4%.

IP Group was on the front foot after announcing that its portfolio company, Ultrahaptics, had completed a 17.9m fundraising.

On the downside, Galliford Try shares tanked as the company said it has had to set aside 98m to cover the cost of two major legacy contracts. In a trading update for 1 January to 2 May, Galliford said that following a reappraisal, it now expects non-recurring costs of around 98m, 80% of which relates to its share of the two joint venture infrastructure projects.

Support services company Carillion was weaker despite saying that trading conditions have remained largely stable since its full-year 2016 results in March and that it has made a promising start to the year.

Aggreko was hit by a downgrade to 'underweight' from 'equalweight' by Morgan Stanley, while gold miner Centamin lost its shine after it said profit and production fell in the first quarter.

Halfords Group retreated as it lost another chief executive to a larger retailer, with Jill McDonald poached by Marks & Spencer to be managing director of its non-food business.

Risers

Mitie Group (MTO) 223.30p 5.63%

Cairn Energy (CNE) 195.00p 3.56%

Wetherspoon (J.D.) (JDW) 1,040.00p 2.97%

PayPoint (PAY) 1,039.00p 2.47%

Go-Ahead Group (GOG) 1,801.00p 2.04%

Foreign and Colonial Inv Trust (FRCL) 576.50p 1.95%

Worldwide Healthcare Trust (WWH) 2,359.00p 1.94%

Inmarsat (ISAT) 838.50p 1.57%

IP Group (IPO) 139.40p 1.46%

AO World (AO.) 140.90p 1.44%

Fallers

Galliford Try (GFRD) 1,319.00p -9.78%

Carillion (CLLN) 216.50p -4.96%

Ferrexpo (FXPO) 150.10p -4.15%

Aggreko (AGK) 840.50p -4.11%

Centamin (DI) (CEY) 166.70p -3.92%

Rotork (ROR) 241.20p -3.17%

Booker Group (BOK) 189.50p -3.17%

Allied Minds (ALM) 150.70p -3.15%

Kaz Minerals (KAZ) 488.90p -2.90%

Halfords Group (HFD) 364.40p -2.77%Veritiv Corp. engages in business-to-business distributor of print, publishing, packaging, facility solutions, print and publishing products and services. The firm provides logistics and supply chain management solutions to its customers. It operates through the following segments: Print, Publishing, Packaging and Facility Solutions. The Print segment sells and distributes commercial printing, writing, copying, digital, wide format and specialty paper products, graphics consumables and graphics equipment primarily in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The Publishing segment involves in sale and distribution of coated and uncoated commercial printing papers to publishers, retailers, converters, printers and specialty businesses for use in magazines, catalogs, books, directories, gaming, couponing, retail inserts and direct mail. The Packaging segment provides standard as well as custom and comprehensive packaging solutions for customers based in North America and in key global markets. The Facility Solutions segment sources and sells cleaning, break-room and other supplies such as towels, tissues, wipers and dispensers, can liners, commercial cleaning chemicals, soaps and sanitizers, sani

Read MoreTop high school performers for Week Four of fall sports

Already a big week for fall athletes as they start to hit their stride during the high school sports season.10 held on question leakage charge

More than 10 people have been arrested on suspicion of their involvement in leaking questions of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) examination. The IELTS is a popular English proficiency test. Police, however, have not revealed the details of the arrestees.If Robert Leonard Reid isnt on your reading list of Western writers of nonfiction, you should place him on it. Hes that important.

Reid writes about nature in ways that are clear-eyed, incandescent and provocative. His most recent book is a collection of pieces bearing the title Because It Is So Beautiful, Unraveling the Mystique of the American West.

Its 19 essays explore the startling beauty of the natural world.

Beauty, however, is also the essays connective tissue to other equally vital issues.

One essay that quickly draws in the reader is The Fire and the Rose.

It opens with the authors recollection of growing up and accepting that a great darkness dwelt at the core of the human soul, and its name was Nature.

That opinion was later confirmed to him, Reid wrote, in American literature, science, philosophy and other sources.

But Reid reveals a mystical encounter under a starless sky amid the black precipitous forests of Yosemite National Park that flipped his long-standing view of humanity 180 degrees from dark to light. The encounter was with a bear and her cub.

Another essay, Intruders on a Lifeless Ridge, is about man overcoming the forces of nature. The challenges are in the context of two ascents of Mount Logan, one in 1925 and the other in 1965, that were dangerous and memorable. Logan is Canadas tallest peak and the second tallest in North America.

The 1925 ascent on Logans East Ridge was, Reid writes, in the annals of mountaineering an astonishment of the first order. The author also describes the initial ascent of Logans South Ridge in 1965, calling it a luminous achievement in mountaineering history.

Some essays remarkably employ nature as a vehicle to probe sociopolitical issues of our time and of our nation. The probes seem unlikely because they sometimes cover so much territory, yet Reid makes them work.

In three other essays New Mexico takes center stage, contrasting the attraction of its landscape with upsetting, sometimes violent, human events.

In one of those, set in Santa Fe, the word shelter means a homeless shelter, the sheltering effect of Christmas Eve in the City Different and at pueblos and the only shelter we will ever know, this grand spinning planet we inhabit, one and all, our lifelong refuge from the storm

In another, the plight of the Dine in the streets of Gallup is linked to the painful remembrance of The Long Walk.

And in the third essay is an underlying hope in spite of the spread of nuclear weapons, viewed from the Manhattan Project research and the atomic bomb explosion on July 16, 1945,at White Sands. On the opposite shore, Reid writes, is the work over decades of war of organizations like the Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice and the fundamental peaceableness of New Mexico, its habit of addressing the deepest concerns of people through the language of mountains and deserts has not vanished; it has merely been overshadowed.

These three essays first appeared in Reids 1998 collection America, New Mexico.

The author, a Pennsylvania native, is also a pianist, a composer, a former high school math teacher and a former mountaineer. Reid and his family lived in Albuquerque and Corrales between 1987 and 1995 before moving to Carson City, Nev., where he resides.If you are looking for a vintage Mickey Mouse watch, a cast-metal model car or a well-wrought landscape painting on canvas Warren Fine Art and Collectibles offers one stop shopping for all three items.

It is a fun place to visit with a lot of to-be-taken-seriously fine art hanging among southwest memorabilia, the aforementioned collectibles and the occasional knickknack.

This months featured artist is George H. Hayes III, a talented draftsman whose skillful paintings range in subject from surrealism and fantasy to realistic flowers.

Hays is a genuine talent who revels in imaginary places, people and things. The Pearl depicts a strange airship reminiscent of something one might see in The Golden Compass a film based on Philip Pullmans first novel in his alt-reality Oxford, England, based Dark Materials trilogy.

The composition in Hays painting includes an elaborate castle improbably perched atop a huge column of stone surrounded by a roiling sea. The airship seems about to moor at the castle but I for one would not step off that vessel onto the precipice toward which its headed.

Another less threatening albeit very nocturnal place is found in Hays Soldiers on Juniper Peak a rendering of juniper trees growing  or marching, to the top of a boulder-strewn outcrop under a magical moon in an iridescent cloud filled night sky.

In Lepidopteransapien, Hays revisits Leonardo da Vincis Vitruvian Man as well as the Christian crucifixion. The image of a man crucified on the wings of a gigantic butterfly is surrounded by pale winged moths in a circular motif. Mysterious writings float in the background acting as notations much like Da Vincis own manuscript pages.

Hays is an interesting illustrator and solid fine artist.

The gallery represents work by 30 local artists and a few notable out-of-state entrants. One of whom is New Jersey realist Mark Oberndorf who has several finely detailed urban scenes on the wall.

A quietly composed close up of an art shop titled Portraits Inc by Oberndorf is beautifully painted with a touch of nostalgic irony.

As if chosen as a critique of contemporary urban development the Victorian era three-story red brick building is scrunched down among much larger structures. Breathing room on a summers day is provided by one small deciduous tree in the left foreground.

Among local artists are childrens book writer and illustrator Rex Baron who has focused on fine art for many years, retired Albuquerque Journal illustrator Russ Ball and landscape painter Phyllis McGuire.

One of my favorites is Barons Night Thoughts an ambitious and well executed painting that shares a kinship with The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters a 1799 etching by Francisco Goya. Please note, Barons nocturnal deliberations are beautifully and thankfully far less dire than Goyas.

Ball has always had a second career in fine arts and has produced works for numerous exhibitions for decades. His Ebony  Raven is one of several gorgeous bird paintings at the gallery. Ball is an excellent fine artist who is highly skilled at detailing and breathing life into his imagery.

McGuire is a wonderful landscape painter who focuses on atmospherics to create believable illusions. In Pastoral Solitude two buildings in the background and a few fence lines indicate a human presence but her abstract triangulated composition draws its slightly out of focus realism from an unusually humid atmosphere.

My suspicion is that McGuire has spent a serious amount of time in the Midwest or on the East Coast. Most of her paintings are far moister than the high dry desert land in which she now resides.

Artist and gallery owner Jeff Warren is a retired actor and theater arts professor from California who is a high functioning eclectic. Hes amassed a great collection to peruse. Two thumbs up.Borders, bottles and barbed wire.

Artists working along the U.S.-Mexico border bring both the danger and terrible beauty of these arbitrary political crossings to life through sculpture, printmaking, photography, installation and film.

These borders divide both cultures and families. Indigenous people who traditionally straddled both sides can no longer hunt game across these borderlines.

The U.S.-Mexico Border opens on Saturday, Jan. 13 at the Albuquerque Museum. The show is being presented in conjunction with the companion exhibition at 516 ARTS opening Jan. 27. The museum show features works by two Los Angeles artists augmented by works from the permanent collection and major loans.

The colorful works of New Mexicos Luis Jimenez will hang alongside the stark border photographs by former Albuquerque photographer Delilah Montoya.

Jimenezs El Buen Pastor (1999) is a lithograph of a haloed goatherd gathering his flock as yucca-disguised border patrol agents loom in the background. The piece depicts the 1997 killing of 18-year-old Esequiel Hernandez in Redford, Texas; Hernandez was mistaken for a drug smuggler. Jimenez shows him as a Christ-like good shepherd cuddling a kid. The piece balances both propaganda and fine art, curator Andrew Connors said.

Now at the University of Texas at Austin, Montoya shot desert landscapes scattered with the ghostly remnants of those who made the sometimes deadly border crossing. An empty water bottle, a dry arroyo, a childs pink backpack all tell stories amid the donated water tanks above them.

The Native American Postcommodity art collective filmed an installation on the Arizona-Mexico border marked by giant balloons in Repellent Fence (2015). Postcommodity member/conceptual artist Raven Chacon lives in Albuquerque. A large eye and/or target splashes each oversized yellow orb to the hum of drone music.

The artists lifted the circular design from agricultural signs mounted on flexible steel to scare away owls, Connors said.

Were treating human beings as pests, he added.

Located in both Douglas, Ariz., and Agua Prieta, Mexico, in the Sonoran Desert, the two adjoining areas once shared cultures, including a horse race along the border wall. The installation was featured at the 2015 Whitney Biennial.

Chiricahua Apache sculptor Bob Haozous painted steel Border Crossing (1991) features the bucolic image of a road through a cloud-flecked desert on one side, with a surveillance plane, a border guard and tangles of barbed wire on the back.

His voice is so powerful and necessary for us to hear, Connors said. The reason is Bob often tells us things we dont want to hear.Kirtland Air Force Base is now home to the U.S. Air Forces top nurse.

Maj. Cindy Callisto, a nurse practitioner at the 377th Medical Group, was named the 2017 Top Nurse in the United States Air Force. She said she is proud of her award.

It was shocking and amazing, Callisto said. I was cool with just winning for Air Force Global Strike Command, but then they told me I won at the Air Force level; I was in shock. I really enjoy my patients and my staff. I feel like I owe it to them to do my best.

Callisto, who is originally from Worcester, Mass., joined the Air Force in 2000. Callisto credits her team for helping her through an undermanned summer at Kirtland. The nurse staff was at 50 percent during one of the most critical times of the year.

This team is incredible, Callisto said. I got really lucky when I inherited this team. We had a rough summer, but everyone just really helped each other out. We didnt say, You cant take time off because were short. We instead said, What can you go do to recuperate? and that really helped us a lot.

Coming from a military background, Callistos father was very supportive.

He hadnt worn a uniform in a while, being a retiree, so he drove down to Fort Belvoir (Virginia) from his Fairfax (Virginia) home to get a brand-new one so he could attend the awards banquet in uniform with me, Callisto said. We were able to get the only picture of the two of us in uniform.

Callisto doesnt want to stop here, though, as she has aspirations of leading other nurses in a clinic.

I would love to be a chief nurse, Callisto said. I love mentoring and teaching. I feel like it would be a better role for growing new nurses for the Air Force. I want to change the culture in the nursing field so we can retain more young airmen.The birds of New Mexico have a new advocate well versed in forming community partnerships to enhance conservation efforts.

The National Audubon Society announced in early December that it has named Jonathan Hayes as executive director of Audubon New Mexico. Hayes office is located at the Historic Randall Davey Audubon Center & Sanctuary in Santa Fe. The 140-acre sanctuary sits in the Santa Fe National Forest and was once the property of artist Randall Davey.

Birds are a means to conserve ecosystems, Hayes said. I know coming here and helping birds Im going to help the natural world.

Hayes, 34, is a native of Michigan and grew up enjoying outdoor activities. A backpacking trip to Oregon as a child solidified his love for the natural world and his desire to protect it.

I realized how valuable the lands are, he said. That put the hook into me.

The Audubons main focus is to conserve native bird species and their habitats, which in New Mexico are rivers, grasslands and forests. Hayes said New Mexico has 542 bird species. As the new director, Hayes is responsible for bird conservation efforts around the state, managing the sanctuary, and building relationships with private citizens, other government organizations, community groups and private corporations.

Strong partners

The New Mexico organization is part of the National Audubon Society. Brian Trusty, the Central Flyway vice president, called Hayes a rising star in the conservation field. He said Hayes strengths lined up with the societys values.

Hes extremely entrepreneurial and creative in building strong partnerships with both private and public interests, he said. Its such a complex challenge that solutions must include an inclusive approach.

Hayes attended college at the University of Colorado-Boulder where he earned his wildlife biology degree. He met his wife while living in Colorado and the two moved to Missoula, Mont., where he attended graduate school.

I became interested in not just wildlife but the human proponent, he said. We do not have much luck telling animals where and how to live but we can with people. We need to be able to work with people to find solutions.

For his thesis, he studied ranchers in the area and what impacts their decisions when it comes to resources and wildlife. Hayes said he learned a valuable lesson. He said conservation is almost always the goal for both groups but how they get there is sometimes the sticking point that lands the two on opposing sides of conservation efforts.

They (ranchers) really have a sense of stewardship, he said. Theres common ground. Eighty percent we agree on but we get caught up in the 20 percent.

Focus on education

The Pacific Legal Foundation, which represents several farming and ranching groups in New Mexico including New Mexico Wool Growers Inc., New Mexico Cattle Growers Association and the New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau, filed a petition in 2015 with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service requesting the removal of the Southwestern willow flycatcher from the endangered species list. The willow depends on a healthy riparian, or river, environment to thrive. Fish and Wildlife denied the request in December, saying that although some improvements have occurred, the birds and their environment are still threatened.

Ranchers have argued that protective measures they took on their own before the species was listed as endangered actually helped secure the birds continued existence. Ranchers must also fence off livestock from streams and rivers to protect the flycatchers habitat, a costly task.

Audubon approaches conservation issues in a solution-oriented way, Hayes said. They want to help wildlife and people at the same time. That appeals to me.

He said one of the best ways to secure conservation efforts is through education.

When I look at the long game and how we are going to have tangible outcomes I think its by supporting a generation that is connected to the outdoors and cares about it, he said. The most immediate impact is to build a community of people who are conservation minded.

Hayes and his wife relocated to central Texas after graduate school where he once again was in a position to interact with the public. He was an on-staff biologist for the state of Texas, working with private landowners to restore grassland habitats. Just a year ago he took a job with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in New Mexico as a wildlife biologist. He said he decided to make a change when the new president was elected because he was unsure how much support there would be for the work he wants to do.

What were the priorities going to be? he said. I want to do work where we are talking about and can talk about climate change and looking to find solutions.WASHINGTON  Lynn Tran and Richard Hazen built a Florida beachfront treehouse that would be the envy of any child. Its got two levels, hammocks and windows looking out on the Gulf of Mexico.

But the hangout has cost the couple a handsome sum: about $30,000 to construct and probably five times that in legal fees as theyve fought local authorities over it, Tran said. Now, theyre at their last stop, the Supreme Court. Unless the high court intervenes, the treehouse must be torn down.

The justices had their first opportunity to consider taking the case at a closed-door conference Friday, and a decision on whether they will weigh in could come as early as Monday.

The couples lawyer, David Levin, acknowledges the case is unlikely to be accepted by the justices, who only hear argument in about 80 of the thousands of cases theyre asked to take each year. But he argues that his clients rights were violated when a Florida court rubber stamped a ruling proposed by the city of Holmes Beach without any evidence of independent consideration.

Tran and Hazen havent been willing to give up on the structure she calls their getaway.

Part of me still believes theres got to be justice out there and we didnt do anything wrong, Tran said in a telephone interview.

Tran and her husband run a rental property called Angelinos Sea Lodge on Anna Maria Island on Floridas west coast. They have a house on their property and four rental units.

Before they began constructing the treehouse around an Australian Pine on their property in 2011, Hazen asked the city whether they needed a permit. The answer: No.

So, with some help from the internet, Tran dreamed up the structure, which took six months to build.

Soon, however, the city got an anonymous complaint about the treehouse. After an investigation, the city found the couple did actually need to go through the permitting process. And it turns out the treehouse was in an area where building is prohibited because of a city setback. The couple hoped to get around that by having local voters weigh in, but courts told them no.

Holmes Beach Mayor Bob Johnson noted in a telephone interview that courts have sided with the city and he called the continued legal wrangling quite honestly a waste of time.

For some reason these people have this fixation on it, he said.

Tran says she never expected such a drawn-out fight and that in hindsight the couple could have taken the money theyve spent on the treehouse, gone somewhere else and built an actual house.

Its still costing the couple. Theyre accumulating a $50 a day fine for not taking down the treehouse, a fine thats now tens of thousands of dollars.

Tran says shes afraid to think about it. Until the high court acts, shes enjoying the treehouse on sunny days, meditating there or napping in a hammock. The couple doesnt have any children of their own enjoying the treehouse and renters arent allowed up for liability reasons, but Tran says guests and beachgoers often admire the structure.

Its kind of fun to have around, she said.

If the treehouse ultimately has to go, theres a lurking irony for the couple. To take down the structure, theyll need the one thing they didnt have before they began putting it up: a city permit.

___

Follow Jessica Gresko on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jessicagreskoA SWAT situation came to an end Saturday evening when police arrested a man who they say pointed a rifle at neighbors in southwest Albuquerque.

Officer Simon Drobik said the man, who is not being named at this time, was taken into custody without incident after hours of negotiations with police.

He said reports came in around 1 p.m. of a man, armed with an AK-47 rifle and holding a bottle of alcohol, threatening neighbors near the 900 block of Pacific SW.

He said when police arrived the man ran inside a home and refused to obey officers orders.

The SWAT team was called out soon after.

Multiple agencies were on scene as State Police could be seen in tactical gear as a Bernalillo County Sheriffs helicopter circled overhead. Police vehicles, both patrol and tactical, lined Eighth Street from Pacific to Santa Fe.

Drobik said the area will reopen to traffic shortly.New Mexicos vibrant energy sector, which helped lead the states economic recovery, is facing a new threat.

Despite being a critical source of jobs and providing millions of dollars of revenue for the states schools, the energy industry is being challenged, not only through regulation, but through little-known lawsuits funded by deep-pocketed special-interest groups aimed at ending the industry altogether.

One group in particular is seeking to initiate a federal case and proceedings in all 50 states, filing lawsuits in eight of them, including Oregon, Colorado and right here in New Mexico.

Behind the activist activity is a group called Our Childrens Trust. They are financially backed by the whos who of wealthy anti-fossil fuel foundations, including the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Wallace Global Foundation. They even have the support of Hollywood elites like Leonardo DiCaprio and climate alarmists like James Hanson.

In an attempt to make their case a little more PR-friendly, theyve enlisted dozens of kids to file the complaint as plaintiffs, deemed the Climate Kids in media reports.

The overall purpose of this campaign amounts to a coordinated attempt to legislate through the courts  using legal avenues to set climate and energy policy. All the while, their legal maneuverings are exhausting judicial resources and tying up courts throughout the country.

We saw this process unfold firsthand here in New Mexico in just the past few years.

Back in 2011, a teenage activist sued Gov. Susana Martinez and the state government alleging they did not do enough to protect the Earths atmosphere, and thus were in violation of the public trust doctrine  a principle that resources must be protected for use by the public.

The case made it to the New Mexico State Court of Appeals, which sided with the state, ruling in 2015 that the courts cannot independently regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

But that hasnt marked the end of Our Childrens Trusts actions in New Mexico. This summer, 28 young people submitted a petition to the states Environmental Improvement Board (EIB) demanding drastic cuts in New Mexicos emissions. The petition makes the intent of the lawsuit clear  this is about attacking the energy industry, not about protecting resources or alleged rights. The proposal by the new crop of young petitioners  to mandate a 91 percent cut in emissions by 2050  is unrealistic and would harm business, manufacturing and job creation in our state.

While New Mexicos Court of Appeals saved the state from undue hardship, the push by activists to bring these frivolous lawsuits forward is nowhere near the end. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals is set to decide whether or not a federal case will proceed to trial in the new year after hearing arguments on the matter in December.

This ongoing federal case, Juliana vs. United States, asserts that the governments actions have led to climate change and that those impacts have violated their Constitutional rights to life, liberty, and property, as well as failed to protect essential public trust resources.

The case also argues that the young people are being discriminated against, since future impacts of climate change will disproportionately affect that generation.

But, as weve seen in other states, many arent buying that argument. In an editorial about the related case in its own state, the Colorado Gazette wrote, What the students asked for in their petition is beyond unreasonable. If turned into a rule, it would cripple Colorados oil and gas industry, which seems to be their intent.  All human activity has a cumulative effect on the environment. One cannot power a city without affecting the environment.

We dont yet know if the federal case will proceed or how far each state case will progress. But as this legal campaign wages on, we should remember that those behind it are trying to destroy the source of many jobs and livelihoods in New Mexico  and we should be prepared to fight back.

The New Mexico Business Coalition (NMBC) is the state affiliate for the National Association of Manufacturing. NMBC focuses on improving the business environment for companies and the quality of life for all New Mexicans. Its nonpartisan educational efforts focus on providing New Mexicans the facts about issues impacting business opportunities and job creation in our state.As lieutenant governor these past seven years, I have made it a priority to preserve and promote our states military bases and defense investment in New Mexico. As a member of the Military Base Planning Commission, I have made numerous trips to the Pentagon fighting for the priorities important to so many of our communities. It has been a precious honor to advocate for all of the airmen, soldiers, civilians, maintainers, administrators and support personnel.

New Mexicos unique role in securing Americas national security stands at a crossroads regarding our military training airspace. The Special Use Airspace (SUA) has remained virtually unchanged for decades, despite major leaps forward in military aircraft technology and tactics. Larger parcels of airspace are required to effectively train current and future pilots for combat. Optimizing southern New Mexicos SUA is crucial for the states economy, as well as the defense of the nation.

Holloman currently trains approximately 170 new and re-qualifying F-16 pilots per year before sending them to their operational units. In the midst of a severe fighter pilot shortage, Holloman has been chosen to play the pivotal role. Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson recently selected Holloman as the interim location for 45 additional F-16s to augment the 55 F-16s currently at the base, resulting in nearly half of all Air Force fighter pilot production occurring in New Mexico. Availability of adequate airspace is critical to the selection process as the Air Force evaluates other bases to determine the permanent location for these F-16s.

The FAA Military Operations Areas (MOA) allow participating military aircraft the freedom and safety to maneuver without having to de-conflict from traffic such as commercial airliners. The FAA cautions traffic not on instrument flight plans to remain clear of active MOAs. MOAs do not encroach on or limit any activities on the ground below them, even when military aircraft are operating within their boundaries.

Military aircraft in a MOA do not drop live or inert bombs, launch rockets or missiles, or shoot guns. They operate at high speeds and conduct aggressive maneuvers. While most fighter aircraft carry external fuel tanks, they are never jettisoned during training. On the rare occasion where tanks are jettisoned in an emergency, that typically occurs close to the end of the departure runway. Jet fighters routinely deploy defensive chaff and flares in MOAs since they are an important part of realistic combat training. However, altitude restrictions are always in place based on the fire danger status provided by the U.S. Forest Service. This ensures the flare is completely consumed and extinguished well before reaching the ground.

White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), with its primary mission of conducting test activities, has limited availability to support F-16 pilot training.

To the east of WSMR, between Roswell and Carlsbad, the Air Force is proposing to expand the existing Talon MOA. Other MOAs in southern New Mexico and West Texas, such as Pecos, Bronco, Valentine and Cato, are too far from Holloman. The Talon MOA expansion was intended to support the original two F-16 squadrons and was underway well before the decision was made to move additional F-16s to Holloman.

To the west of WSMR, the Air Force is proposing to expand the Cato and Smitty MOAs, as well as to create a new MOA. This airspace is essential to support the expanding F-16 training mission, which will generate long-term and sustainable job growth throughout New Mexico.

This mission at Holloman AFB brings over 600 direct jobs, thousands of regional employment opportunities and currently over $412 million in economic impact to our state. Combined with the Remote Piloted Aircraft operations, we are in a position to become the nations fastest-growing mission.

The benefit to our entire state is substantial and real. Now is the time to embrace this opportunity, and secure the future of defense and national security aviation Right here in New Mexico.Copyright  2018 Albuquerque Journal

More than 70 years ago, U.S. Army Pvt. Henry Bretton disobeyed orders while serving in Germany during World War II.

His decision earned him a Bronze Star.

Born Hans-Heinz Bismark in 1916 in Berlin, Albuquerque resident Bretton emigrated to the United States in 1938.

Before he left Germany, he was in danger of being sent to a re-education camp since he had traveled abroad to more than five countries without government permission, which was prohibited in Nazi Germany, he said.

In 1943, he ended up back in his home country, this time to fight against it.

Think of the American Civil War, he said at his residence at Montebello Retirement Home in Albuquerque. Then you know how I felt.

Bretton, now 101, was a valuable member of the Military Intelligence Service (MIS), because he spoke fluent German and was familiar with the culture. MIS was comprised mostly of Americans of German, Austrian and Japanese descent who were trained and used in interrogations, and to interpret and translate.

Bretton said that, after Hitler declared that all former German citizens caught serving in American uniform were to be shot on the spot, he decided to change his name.

In March 1945, Bretton found himself near Hilden, Germany, where he was attached to an armored division.

He was ordered to investigate the killing of three American soldiers who had been shot after surrendering after their tank was disabled.

He examined the three bodies on the side of the road, each with a bullet wound to the temple.

After searching for evidence and interviewing German civilians nearby, he determined the likely culprit, who he had learned was called Lt. Bubi, had been shot in the heel and taken to a hospital.

It was then that Bretton broke protocol.

He should have reported back to his superiors, procured assistance and asked the commanding officer for permission to pursue the suspect.

I had decided to go after him because he was only shot in the heel, Bretton said. I figured if I dont go immediately after him, he may be fixed up and released and we will never find him.

Bretton eventually located the Catholic hospital where the German officer was being cared for and used a cover story to gain entry.

I regret lying to the Mother Superior who was in charge at the hospital, he said. I had a fake story, and I managed to persuade him to come back with me.

Again breaking protocol, Bretton took the prisoner directly to headquarters instead of first to his immediate commanding officer.

After being recommended for the Bronze Star, a superior officer refused to sign the citation due to Brettons breaches of protocol.

Instead, he ordered the award to go to Brettons immediate commanding officer, who refused unless Bretton also received the award.

Private Brettons high devotion to duty is in keeping with the finest traditions of the Armed Forces, his citation reads.

The German officer, Bretton learned after the war, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the murders.

Sent to hell

Bretton would break the rules one more time before his service was finished.

In May, with the war in Europe all but won, Bretton was moved to Simbach, a town near the Austrian border.

As he was heading to the town hall to assist in negotiating the towns surrender, a German civilian stopped him. She said a German officer was waiting just around the corner in a tank that was inoperable but still had functioning guns.

He said the first Americans coming around the corner will be sent to hell, Bretton said. And we were the first Americans in town.

Grateful for the womans warning, Bretton located her a few days later at the apartment she lived in near her professional photography shop.

He embraced the woman, whom he knew only as Frau (Mrs.) Gruber, and gave her kiss on the cheek, a violation of the militarys anti-fraternization rules at the time.

She then looked at me, tipped my helmet a little and said, I would like to take your photograph,  Bretton said.

The resulting photo hangs in Brettons room.

Both were married and did not keep in touch after the war.

Bretton recently published an autobiography, A Dream, Shadows and Fulfillment, which details his life from being the child of a single mother in Germany, serving in the war, attending Yale University and eventually becoming a distinguished professor at the State University of New York.

Bretton retired to Albuquerque, where his daughter lives, in 1988.WASHINGTON  The U.S. Justice Departments decision last week to clamp down on legal marijuana use is unlikely to cause trouble for those involved in New Mexicos medical marijuana industry, according to experts.

Meanwhile, all four Democrats in the states congressional delegation said they support keeping marijuana lawful for medicinal purposes.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Thursday rescinded an Obama-era policy that kept federal authorities from cracking down on the pot trade in states where the drug is legal. The Justice Department will now leave it up to federal prosecutors to decide what to do when state rules clash with federal drug law.

It is the mission of the Department of Justice to enforce the laws of the United States, Sessions said in a statement.

But experts told the Journal on Friday that the decision appeared to be aimed more at the eight states that have moved to legalize recreational marijuana and not those, such as New Mexico, that have legalized marijuana only for medical purposes.

Current federal law prohibits the U.S. government from using tax dollars to interfere with medical marijuana programs in states such as New Mexico that have legalized it.

But that provision, which was sponsored by Republican California Rep. Dana Rohrabacher and approved in 2014, expires Jan. 19, along with legislation to fund the government.

The law protecting medical marijuana in the states will become void unless Congress renews it as part of a new spending bill. Its not certain that will happen, but several Capitol Hill sources told the Journal on Friday that the medical marijuana issue is unlikely to trigger a fight in the upcoming showdown over keeping the government operating.

A Justice Department spokesman told the Journal on Friday that the department wont interfere with medical marijuana operations as long as Congress keeps it lawful.

The Justice Department will not violate any federal laws in order to pursue marijuana related prosecutions, including in the context of the Rohrabacher amendment (medical marijuana), the Justice Department spokesman said in an email.

Unlike with medical marijuana, Congress has not passed a law protecting recreational marijuana.

Last week, Sessions rescinded the Cole Memorandum, a 2013 directive from the Obama administration stipulating that the Justice Department place a low priority on enforcing marijuana laws against businesses and organizations that comply with state law.

The memo stipulates that the federal government would not stand in the way of states that legalize marijuana, so long as officials acted to keep it from migrating to places where it remained outlawed, and out of the hands of criminal gangs and children.

New Mexico launched its medical marijuana program in 2007  the law is officially called the Lynn and Erin Compassionate Use Act  and the number of people enrolled in the program has skyrocketed in recent years. There were 46,645 active patients around the state as of last month, up from 9,950 in September 2013, according to the New Mexico Department of Health.

Melissa Novel, a spokeswoman for Ultra Health, a leading medical marijuana dispenser in New Mexico, said Friday that her company is not overly concerned by the Justice Department action because providers are protected under state law.

We dont see that there is a whole lot to worry about, she said. We abide by the state law. Attorney General Jeff Sessions actions are troubling, indeed, and the reality remains that in the absence of federal laws that could and should be passed to resolve this industrys legitimacy, nothing is really guaranteed.

Morgan Fox, spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, told the Journal on Friday that federal prosecutors are unlikely to target medical marijuana.

I dont think that will happen, at least not for medical (marijuana), and particularly not for patients because state and local law enforcement arent going to do the job and the feds dont have the resources to start going after patients, Fox said. Its also a PR nightmare for the Justice Department, he said.

A Pew poll released Friday showed that 61 percent of Americans believe marijuana use should be legal for both recreational and medicinal purposes. That number mirrored a 2016 Journal poll, which found 61 percent of New Mexicans also thought the drug should be legalized.

Fox predicted the Justice Departments move to crack down on the legal pot industry could backfire on Sessions, a longtime drug warrior who has characterized marijuana as being as only slightly less awful than heroin.

After Sessions announcement Thursday, some Republicans who champion states rights  most notably Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado  harshly criticized the policy shift.

What this could result in is Congress taking a renewed interest in passing really comprehensive legislation that would allow states to determine their own marijuana polices without federal interference, Fox said.

All four Democrats in New Mexicos congressional delegation said Friday that they support states rights to legalize medical marijuana. A spokeswoman for Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat running for governor of New Mexico, said the congresswoman supports the inclusion of the (Rohrabacher) amendment into any new spending bill and is supportive of the (medical marijuana) industry.

Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., supports states rights on these issues, his spokeswoman told the Journal on Friday.

Rep. Ben Ray Lujan and Sen. Martin Heinrich, both New Mexico Democrats, said they have both voted to prohibit federal crackdowns on medical marijuana and supported allowing Veteran Affairs providers in states where medical marijuana is legal to recommend the plant as a potential treatment.

Ive looked closely at this position and met with cancer patients who told me how medical marijuana helped them cope with the pain and allowed them to eat, Lujan said.

A spokeswoman for Rep. Steve Pearce, the delegations only Republican and also a candidate for governor, said: The congressman has heard many stories of the positive value for some patients in medically prescribed marijuana  often called medical marijuana. It is the job of Congress to fund the government, and tacking on legislation like this (the Rohrabacher amendment) to make or break an important spending bill is a complicating factor.LOS LUNAS  Hes about 80 pounds with soft brown eyes, and he just volunteered at the Valencia County Sheriffs Office.

His name is Bo, and hes an American Kennel Club registered German shepherd therapy dog.

Bo, who has AKC Canine Good Citizenship training and credentials with the Alliance of Therapy Dogs, is the main ingredient in the new VCSO therapy dog program, a first for the office. It was initiated in December and is part of the Community Response Impact Team under Sgt. Lawrence Montano.

Im really excited about the program, and Im grateful the sheriff is initiating the program, said Bos handler, Joseph Krcal.

Krcal is a reserve deputy who has been with the VCSO for more than three years. He has also been a New Mexico Ranger and a reserve deputy with the Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office for seven years, five of which were spent with its canine team.

Bo is no stranger to the sheriffs office, because Krcal has brought him around. He proposed using the therapy dog for VCSO operations, said Undersheriff Mark R. Shea.

We looked at all the certifications, credentials and everything that Joseph provided for us and then we put together a policy, Shea said.

Some of the tasks Bo will perform include assisting behavioral health personnel with crisis intervention, comforting children of domestic violence, soothing victims during law enforcement interviews and assisting in times of crisis, such as during natural disasters. Bo will also participate in community outreach and public events.

Hes probably a lot more trained than an average therapy dog needs to be, Krcal said, because he took the dog on as a project when the canine was just a puppy.

Hes very well trained; hes up to 24 commands now, Krcal said.

Bo is not trained for police work, but strictly as a therapy dog.

The thing thats unique about a shepherd, and Ive had shepherds all my married life, which has been 38 years, they were actually bred to guard sheep, and so at the same time theyre very gentle, he said. Ive never had any trouble with any of my shepherds with my kids because they have this sense 

Some of the countys children and parents have already met Bo at the annual VCSO Toyland event. Several children gravitated to the dog, who willingly extended a paw.

Hopefully, county residents will soon get a chance to meet the gentle canine at neighborhood watch and other community events.

Lying at his handlers feet, Bo rises and whines softly and a little nervously. Krcal explains that Bo is having trouble sitting still because, when hes got his canine therapy vest on, he understands that hes going to work.

So, now hes got the vest on and were sitting here. Its like, Come on Dad, what are we doing?  Krcal said.

When Bo first started working as a therapy dog in hospitals, he had a little trouble with elevators. Krcal said he looked like a drunken sailor while in the elevator, but now, Bo lies down immediately.

It was pretty funny watching him get used to elevators, Krcal said. Hes gotten over it pretty good though.

Reserve deputies work on a volunteer basis. Krcal is self-employed as a remodeling contractor. Thats how hes able to volunteer. His schedule is flexible and thats what has allowed him to volunteer for so long.

Joseph is one of our most active deputies, Shea said. Hes probably one of our most dedicated reserve deputies from a standpoint of giving back to the community.

Using dogs for therapy was originally promoted by a registered nurse, Elaine Smith, back in the 1970s when she noticed patients who received visits from a chaplain who brought a dog seemed to recover better than patients who didnt see the dog.

Smith founded Therapy Dogs International after it was clear that therapy dogs have a calming and comforting effect on patients who like animals.

The research shows that if people do like animals, they do actually have a calming effect on individuals; they actually can release endorphins that stimulate a calming effect on people, especially children, Krcal said.

Therapy dog joins the VCSffs Office

Reserve deputy and Bo to help victims of crime and community outreachCLOVIS  Two Air Force service members were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on Friday for their roles in making a combat resupply drop of ammunition to ground forces in Afghanistan who were in danger of being overrun during an enemy attack on a forward operating base.

Officials of the 27th Special Operations Wing at Cannon Air Force Base in eastern New Mexico said Capt. Charlotte A. Raabe was a combat systems officer on a MC-130J special operations aircraft and Staff Sgt. Gary P. Bjerke the planes loadmaster during the Jan. 5, 2016, engagement.

A morning ceremony for the two went off beautifully before dozens of fellow service members, according to Cannon Air Force Base spokesman JP Rebello.

Their award citations said enemy fire hit the aircraft multiple times as it successfully dropped the ammunition to a Special Forces team at the base, enabling a successful counterattack.

Bjerkes identification of ground threats prevented further successful emergency engagement with the aircraft, while Raabes decisive actions and expeditious recalculation of the combat airdrop was key to the missions success, the citations said.

Cannon base officials said Raabe is 29 and from Indian Harbour Beach, Fla. Bjerke is 25 and from Waukesha, Wisc.

The MC-130J is a commando version of the four-engine C-130 transport plane. It is used for low-level of refueling special operations aircraft and to resupply, deliver and pick up special operations personnel by airdrop and landing on remote airfields.Copyright  2018 Albuquerque Journal

Former District Attorney Kari Brandenburg said her office in the summer of 2016 decided to charge a former Albuquerque police lieutenant with multiple felonies for shooting a fellow officer during a botched drug sting, but she later turned the case over to the Attorney Generals Office after the unexpected death of the prosecutor who was working the case.

Attorney General Hector Balderas announced last month that his office wouldnt bring charges against former Lt. Greg Brachle for shooting and gravely injuring former Detective Jacob Grant. In a letter to interim Albuquerque Police Chief Michael Geier, Balderas said the statute of limitations had run out and Brachle couldnt face charges.

The statute of limitations is only two years or less for misdemeanors, such as negligent use of a firearm.

But Brandenburg said last week that the statute of limitations hasnt run out on charges of shooting at or from a motor vehicle, a second-degree felony, and aggravated battery with a firearm enhancement, a third-degree felony.

She said her office had planned to file a criminal information against Brachle to charge him with those crimes. The statute of limitations for those charges is six and five years, respectively.

Prosecutors would then have had to present evidence to a judge, who would have determined whether Brachle would stand trial.

The shooting occurred in January 2015 in a parking lot near Central and Tramway. Brachle fired on the car in which Grant and another officer were meeting with two suspected drug dealers.

Brandenburg said she and Deputy District Attorney Chris Lackmann consulted with an expert witness with extensive experience researching undercover drug stings before deciding on charges against Brachle.

Lackmann, who would have prosecuted the case, died unexpectedly in June 2016 of a heart attack, prompting Brandenburg to ask the attorney general to take over.

No attorneys from the Attorney Generals Office were made available to interview for this story, but a spokesman said staff reviewed the case after taking it over in September 2016.

No one should politicize this tragedy, James Hallinan, a spokesman for Balderas, said in an email.

Hallinan said the Attorney Generals Office determined that, because Brachle was acting in his capacity as a law enforcement officer at the time of the shooting, the felony charges couldnt be filed against him under New Mexico law.

Brandenburg, in an interview and in a letter she sent the Journal for publication, disagreed. She said Brachle was reckless during the drug sting, so felony charges could be filed against him.

Had Brandenburg moved forward with the charges, it would have been the second time she charged officers with a crime for an on-duty shooting.

In 2015, Brandenburg charged former Detective Keith Sandy and officer Dominique Perez with murder for the 2014 fatal shooting of James Boyd, a mentally ill homeless man. That trial ended in a hung jury, and the current district attorney declined to retry the case.

I dont know what (AG) Hector (Balderas) was thinking or what his reasoning was (for not prosecuting Brachle).  They may have thought the (felony) charges were inappropriate, Brandenburg told the Journal in an interview. I suffered pretty extreme repercussions (after) Boyd.

Brandenburg has said she feared for her safety after she charged the officers.

Brachle shot Grant when he was in a car parked in a McDonalds parking lot near Tramway and Central. Grant had just broken his cover and drawn his weapon on two suspects when Brachle rushed the car, opened the door where Grant was sitting and opened fire, according to police reports.

Im sorry, man, Brachle said upon realizing his mistake, according to a redacted lapel camera video released by the city more than a year after the incident. I didnt know it was you.

Grant, who survived, settled a lawsuit against the city for $6.5 million plus his medical expenses. His attorney couldnt be reached for comment Friday.

Brandenburg said Brachle wasnt acting lawfully and should face felony charges, in part because he was so reckless during the operation. He skipped the briefing before the operation, where police officials discussed where Grant and the other officer would be sitting.

From what we could understand from police procedures, there seemed to be recklessness, Brandenburg said.

John DAmato, Brachles attorney, confirmed that Brandenburg had notified him during the investigation and told him she planned to move forward with charges against Brachle.

I gave her my argument for the lack of criminal intent. In my opinion, it could have at most been charged, and probably successfully prosecuted, as a negligent use (of a firearm), DAmato said.

In his letter to Geier, Balderas said that while no charges would be filed against Brachle, he said he had serious concerns that Albuquerque police never reported Brachles conduct to the state Law Enforcement Academy Board, which can suspend or revoke police certifications.

Gilbert Gallegos, a police spokesman, said the department has since turned those records over to the board.

Brachle retired from Albuquerque police in March 2016. He said in a sworn affidavit that his police certification has lapsed and he does not intend to recertify it.Copyright  2018 Albuquerque Journal

Fidel Castillo drew a pistol and ordered everyone to the floor. He wanted more money. Terrified bank employees and customers dropped to the tile.

The 45-year-old had done this before.

The FBI says it was one of eight bank robberies Castillo committed in a five-month span.

Castillos spree came at a time when New Mexico was at a five-year-high, with 56 such crimes last year, 47 of those in Albuquerque.

In 2011, the total also reached 56 but then it plunged to 20 in 2012. Since then, the number has declined steadily.

Thats in contrast to national bank robbery numbers, which have plateaued and hovered around 4,000 per year since 2012.

The crime is often spurred by drug use  particularly in the Land of Enchantment  and offers little reward at a huge risk.

Robert McCrie, a professor at the John Jay Institute in New York, said modern day cases are far removed from the dramatic, frightening and dangerous acts committed in the early 20th century by household names, such as John Dillinger, Baby-Face Nelson, and Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker.

Theyre not shootouts that weve experienced in the past.  Thats really gone out of style, he said.

Less violent today

Although Castillo is charged in two takeoverstyle robberies  in which the suspect orders everyone around, usually with a weapon  it is seldom seen.

McCrie, an urban historian specializing in criminal justice for 47 years, said that nowadays bank robbers often act without serious violence or intimidation.

According to the FBI, of the more than 4,000 bank robberies committed nationally in 2016, only 37 resulted in injuries and seven ended in death for the robber. Over half were committed by demand, either spoken or written, and less than 300 involved a takeover.

On most occasions, McCrie said, a note is passed and no guns are shown.

These are loners, for the most part, he said.

National FBI crime statistics from 2016 show that 40 percent of the perpetrators are drug users. FBI Special Agent Paul Wright said that in New Mexico, its more like nine out of 10.

Without exaggeration, said Wright, FBI bank robbery coordinator. Here in Albuquerque, its going to be heroin or meth every time, or both.

Drug use driver

This is the way of getting cash for a physical need that is very compelling, McCrie said, adding that repeat offenders are common. Theyll stay with what works for them.

According to the FBI, nearly 30 percent of bank robbers in 2016 had previously been convicted, either locally or federally, of bank robbery, burglary or larceny.

In the criminal world, they are not given much cred, or admiration, for their work, McCrie said.

Theres nothing intellectual or daring about what it is that they do, he said. Its not considered a smart kind of crime.

McCrie said such robberies are often spur of the moment, when the thieves need fast cash, and are not considering the consequences.

Wright said there is often big risk and little reward in the crime, where most suspects get away with at most a couple of grand but can face up to 20 years in federal prison.

Its a desperate thing to do, he said. You know youre being filmed, you have to know theres a higher likelihood youre going to get caught.

Average take

On average, they walk away with between $1,000 and $2,000 in New Mexico, but some may get only a couple of hundred or nothing at all.

Sometimes people will chicken out, he said.

Despite the small take, Wright said, almost every bank robbery is federally prosecuted  which often leads to a stiffer sentence than with state charges  and all have ended in prison time.

There is no minimum sentence, but a bank robber can serve up to life in prison. It all depends on the details, he said.

For instance, committing the crime with a gun in your pocket will get you at least five years, with a gun in your hand at least seven, and if you pull the trigger, at least a decade behind bars.

With three or more violent or drug felonies already on the individuals record, a robber is considered three strikes, youre out and can be put away for life, Wright said.

Those are the kind of people that really end up getting smacked in federal court, he said.

Guns add years

Men like 37-year-old Christopher Baum, who was sentenced last week to 20 years in prison for robbing several northeast Albuquerque banks in just over a weeks time.

The U.S. Attorneys Office prosecuted Baum, who had already served almost nine years behind bars for two previous robbery convictions, under the worst of the worst initiative, which the U.S. Attorneys office says targets offenders for federal prosecution based on criminal history with the goal of removing repeat offenders from communities in New Mexico for as long as possible.

Baums spree in 2016 began on Aug. 24 and came to an end Aug. 30, when he drew a pistol on a bank teller at a Bank of the West on Juan Tabo NE.

The FBI says Albuquerque police followed the getaway vehicle from the bank into the International District, where it stopped at a home, and Baum fled on foot as detectives surrounded the area. A detective arrested him after a foot chase.

The severe punishments for robbing a bank with a gun are well known on both sides of the counter, McCrie said. For that reason, it is a relatively safe crime, physically, in which robbers are hesitant to make a scene and bank tellers are often instructed to comply.

Take care of the note-passer, give him or her a little money and just get them out of the bank, he said.

Majority get caught

Despite the menagerie of disguises they use  including construction outfits, bandages, wigs and fake noses  around two-thirds of all bank robbers in New Mexico are caught, Wright said.

He said that the public can often be the most valuable tool in catching them, although many people are reluctant to say anything.

Its really hard to do something like rob a bank and keep your mouth shut about it, he said. But there are a lot of people who know who did it that wont come forward.

Wright said thats because they like or sympathize with the robber, or are intimidated by the person.

The biggest obstacle is people unwilling to be a snitch, he said.

Such was not the case for Castillo, who wasnt exactly flying under the radar.

When the FBI caught him, thanks to a confidential informant, he was driving a stolen car and coming down from a four-day meth binge.

The arrest came just two days after the bureau went public with a $5,000 reward for information.

According to court documents, two informants came forward, giving authorities the address where they could find Castillo.

At that address, the FBI found not only Castillo, but also the black handgun he is accused of using during two robberies.THURMONT, Md.  President Donald Trump says hes done campaigning for insurgents challenging incumbent Republican members of Congress.

Trump told reporters after meeting GOP House and Senate leaders at Camp David on Saturday that hes planning a robust schedule of campaigning for the 2018 midterm elections and that includes involvement in the Republican primaries. Hell campaign for incumbents, he said, and anybody else that has my kind of thinking.

But after a stinging loss in Alabama, Trump said hes done supporting challengers, declaring: I dont see that happening. Trump had supported Roy Moore after he won the GOP primary. Moores defeat in the subsequent special election handed Democrats another seat in the Senate.

Trump spent much of Friday and Saturday morning hashing out his 2018 agenda with GOP House and Senate leaders, top White House aides and select Cabinet members at the presidential retreat at Camp David. He described the sessions as perhaps transformative in certain ways.

A long list of high-stakes topics were on the agenda, from national security and infrastructure to the budget and 2018 midterm election strategy. Though Democrats were not included in the discussions, the leaders  some dressed casually in jeans, khakis and sweaters  said they were optimistic that more Democrats would be working with Republicans.

We hope that 2018ll be a year of more bipartisan cooperation, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters, predicting a significant number of Democrats would be interested in supporting Trumps agenda.

Its a reflection of reality: Republicans hold a razor-thin majority in the Senate and will need Democrats support to push through most legislation. Its unclear, however, the extent to which Trump is willing to work with Democrats to achieve that goal.

Trump, for instance, declared Saturday that he will not sign legislation protecting hundreds of thousands of young people who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children unless Congress agrees to fund his promised border wall as well as overhaul the legal immigration system. Trump last year ended the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which shielded more than 700,000 people from deportation and gave then the right to work legally in the country, and gave Congress until March to find a fix.

Trump said any deal must stop immigrants from being able to sponsor their extended family members and must end the diversity visa lottery, which draws immigrants from under-represented parts of a world . Thats in addition to funding for the southern border wall, a deeply unpopular idea among Democrats.

The administration on Friday unveiled a 10-year, $18 billion request for the wall that roiled the immigration talks and infuriated Democrats whove spent months in negotiations, increasing the prospect of a government shutdown.

But Trump appeared oblivious to the anger on Saturday. We hope that were going to be able to work out an arrangement with the Democrats, he said. Its something, certainly, that Id like to see happen.

Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise, the House majority whip, also expressed guarded optimism when he returned to his state after the retreat. For a few weeks now it seems like theres the ability to get an agreement reached but none has been finalized yet, he said of the effort to protect the young immigrants who came under Obamas program. I think the framework is there and the president is fully engaged.

Trump also appeared Saturday to back away from efforts to overhaul the welfare system, which just weeks ago had been identified as one of the White Houses top two legislative priorities, along with a massive infrastructure investment plan.

McConnell had argued that welfare reform was a no-go given Democratic opposition. And Trump appeared to have come around.

Its a subject thats very dear to our heart, Trump said. Well try and do something in a bipartisan way. Otherwise, well be holding it for a little bit later.

Republicans are eager to build on the victory achieved late last year with the overhaul of the nations tax code. But before moving on to infrastructure and other items, Trump and his GOP allies first must navigate a tricky landscape of leftover legislation from last year that promises to test party unity in the coming weeks.

The need to work with Democrats on a spending package, for instance, is sure to whip up opposition from many conservatives to a hoped-for catchall spending bill slated for next month.

The Camp David presidential retreat in Marylands Catoctin Mountains provides a woodsy respite from Washington. Its a place where presidents and lawmakers can bond over meals, hikes and movie nights.

Theres a feeling here that you dont have in very many places. There was a bonding, Trump said of the visit.

Trumps chief of staff, John Kelly, told reporters Saturday that lawmakers and top White House officials had enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine together last night and gathered with Trump to watch the new movie The Greatest Showman, starring Hugh Jackman. (He described it as very, very entertaining.)

Politics, too, were on the agenda, with talks about the midterm elections. Republicans are at risk of losing the majority theyve held in the House since 2011, and could also lose seats in the Senate, though many more Democratic incumbents are up for re-election this year.

Trumps former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, became a self-styled leader of an insurgency against Republican incumbents, arguing that Trumps agenda could only be passed with an influx of outsiders. But Bannon is on the outs with Trump and the presidents comments Saturday suggested hes washing his hands of any such uprising. Trump said he needs more Republicans in Congress.

___

Associated Press writers Andrew Taylor in Washington and Rebecca Santana in New Orleans contributed to this report.Prev 1 of 4 Next

A man is dead after at least one Albuquerque officer opened fire while responding to a residential burglary call in an East Central apartment around midnight Sunday, according to a police department spokesman.

Those officers were confronted with an individual with a weapon, a male, officer Simon Drobik said at a news conference Sunday morning. At least one officer fired upon that offender.

Officers were called about midnight Sunday to Luna Lodge, a historic motel converted into affordable apartments on Central east of Wyoming.

A Lodge resident said he called 911 to report that a suspicious character wearing a hoodie was inside of a vacant first-floor unit in the complex.

He saw me, and I presumed because he saw me, he left the property, the neighbor said, but when I doubled back, I heard a kick and he entered through the door.

The neighbor helped direct officers to the apartment, and, later gunshots rang out, he said.

Things went south very, very fast, he said.

After the shooting, police from multiple agencies descended on the property, and they remained on site through most of the morning.

Drobik said a multi-jurisdictional task force is looking into the officer-involved shooting  the first for the Albuquerque Police Department under interim Police Chief Michael Geiers leadership.

Geier appeared, but did not speak, at the brief news conference Sunday morning.

Its gonna be a huge investigation for us, Drobik said.

Police have not released the name or other details of the man who was killed. Nor has the department released additional information about how many officers or which officers fired duty weapons.

By Sunday evening, the door of the apartment, located in a newer section on the northwest side of the complex, was boarded up and crime scene tape had been taken down.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.Fresh protest in Kavre

Protests demanding state capital have spread in Kavre, with the local people taking out a rally in Banepa, demanding that the Kavre town be declared the capital of Province 3.GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  Economists say the Gaza Strip's economy has entered a phase of total collapse as the Israeli blockade continues into its 11th year and the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank has failed to lift sanctions, despite what Gazans hailed as a promise of relief weeks ago.

Gazans are strapped for cash and markets are suffering from an unprecedented recession. Last month, some economic experts called on Gazan citizens living abroad and businessmen to send money to their families in Gaza in the hope of improving the economy and stopping its collapse. Business-media organizations started an Arabic hashtag that translates into #Transferyourmoney. Meanwhile, on Dec. 30, for the first time in many years, shops in the southern Gaza Strip closed to protest the poor economic conditions.

According to a Dec. 31 Haaretz article, the number of trucks carrying merchandise into Gaza from the southern Kerem Shalom crossing declined during December, to around 530 per day from a peak of almost 1,000 in October 2015.

In the final quarter of 2017, the amount of merchandise entering Gaza was down around 20% from the same period last year, due mainly to the decline in Gazans purchasing power as a result of the worsening economic situation, the article said.

An official in the Ministry of Finance in Gaza, who asked to remain anonymous, told Al-Monitor that Gazas economy has been strangled by the Israeli blockade and the Palestinian Authority's (PA) harsh punitive measures that began in March. The situation was worsened when the PA cut the salaries of government employees in Gaza, estimated at $20 million a month. Gazas Ministry of Finance was also deprived of 20% of the total revenues it used to collect, ranging between 70 million and 75 million Israeli shekels (between $20.3 million and $21.8 million) per month.

The official also noted that Hamas in November handed over management of its border crossings to the PA, as per their reconciliation agreement. By doing this, Gaza's Ministry of Finance lost the tax revenues it collected monthly, estimated at 50 million shekels ($14.5 million). Before the crossings changed hands, the PA already collected more than $100 million in taxes a month; now it receives $114 million from the merchandise entering Gaza  without any allocations to the coastal strip.

The official also warned that the economic woes will continue, since the PA government of national consensus continues to stall lifting sanctions on Gaza and disbursing the salaries of employees appointed by Hamas after 2006. He also called on other Palestinian factions and Egypt to pressure the PA to save Gaza.

Hamas had handled Gaza's administration since 2007, when it split from the Fatah-ruled PA in the West Bank. Hamas agreed to turn over control of Gaza to the PA after Egypt brokered a multistep reconciliation agreement between them in October  and the world has been watching ever since to see if the deal holds.

According to the Palestine Monetary Authority (PMA) index for December 2017, the Gaza Strip's business cycle index is declining due to a drop in some industrial activities and sectors, such as the paper, furniture, plastics, construction, chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Moreover, production and sales levels also dropped compared with last month, which led to stock accumulation.

Mohammed Abu Jiyab is the editor-in-chief of local Al-Eqtesadia newspaper and one of the economic experts who called on Palestinian expats to transfer money to Gaza. He told Al-Monitor the call was an attempt to prevent the total collapse of the economy and pump some liquidity into Gaza.

Abu Jiyab also called on the Palestinian government to raise the level of government spending in the Gaza Strip, stop the salary cuts for government employees and reimburse them in full for the past months. He added that the situation in Gaza and the total collapse of the economy is not hyperbolic but is the reality of every citizen there.

He also explained that the ongoing sanctions imposed by the PA on Gaza caused local banks to set almost impossible conditions for borrowing, which affected more than 80% of employees who wanted to get financial loans.

Maher al-Tabbah, an economist and director of the public relations and media office of the Gaza Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told Al-Monitor that Gazan expats and businessmen are likely not to heed the economists calls, given the lack of security and financial stability in the Gaza Strip.

Tabbah seconded Abu Jiyab in saying the economic situation is indeed critical and requires immediate government intervention by the PA. He noted that the lack of liquidity makes things worse.

Chamber of Commerce figures through November show that salary cuts amounted to about $160 million, or $20 million per month, Tabbah said. This affected all economic sectors and caused the unemployment rate to soar, reaching 46.6%, while the number of bounced checks also increased as citizens and traders were unable to pay their bills.

According to the economic forecast for 2018 issued Dec. 27 by the PMA, the Palestinian economy's growth will decline for the second year in a row due to the economic uncertainty, which is closely related to the political situation at home and abroad.One notable absence in Irans current protests has been the lack of Reformist support. Irans last two major protests, the student protests of 1999 and the election protests of 2009, were both supported by Reformist figures. Having lost a great deal of political ground in each street protest, Reformists are naturally wary of the effectiveness of such demonstrations and of how the protests could spill over into violence.

In a statement signed by 16 Reformist figures, it seems that at least some within the Reformist camp are attempting to get ahead of the protests that have so far not included them. The letter was signed by some of the more outspoken and influential Reformist figures, including Saeed Hajjarian, often referred to as the main Reformist theoretician, Mostafa Tajzadeh, Feizollah Arabsorkhi, and Mohammad Reza Khatami, a brother of former President Mohammad Khatami and former secretary-general of the Islamic Iran Participation Front, a one-time powerful Reformist group.

The statement read, The discontent among the people continues and unless fundamental steps are taken to resolve the issues of the protests and the rightful complaints are not addressed appropriately, these events, with even more costs, will be repeated. The statement continued, The existing problems and discontent in society have various dimensions. A significant portion of the people are in pain over economic shortcomings, unemployment and low wages. Some are also protesting against political and social restrictions.

The statement also addressed the role of elections in the protests: The people have numerous times participated honestly and optimistically in elections and have given a stamp of constitutional and popular approval to the government but unfortunately a measured and timely response to their civic action was not given.

The statement continued that the lack of institutions to resolve complaints and differences and that the lack of recognition of the legal right to protest has led to street protests and a continuation of protests. We defend the right of citizens from any group to protest, the statement read. It added that protests and expressing discontent are not a danger for the government but rather the danger is hopelessness, lack of trust, anger and violence in place of  dialogue. The statement also condemned violence, calling it a lose-lose situation, and any type of foreign interference.

Given that the Reformists were not originally part of the protests, did not originally express support for the protests and that through their support for President Hassan Rouhani at the least have a friendly ear within the administration, some Iranians on social media did not welcome the news of the Reformists' statement. Some criticized the statement for claiming that a vote gave legitimacy to the government when in fact some people vote simply between bad and worse. Others criticized the statement for not mentioning the 21 killed in the protests. Others on social media mentioned that while the 16 Reformists called for open dialogue and defended the protesters' rights, three of the signers had originally made critical comments about the protests.

The statement had also called for the release of university students who were arrested during the protests. While the students were not visibly part of the protests across the country this past week, dozens were reportedly arrested. Mohammad Rahbari, the secretary of the Islamic Association of Students, said Jan. 7 that a number of university students had already been released and they expect more to be released shortly. Rahbari said the university students arrested did not belong to any one single political group but that they are pursuing their cases with the universities, the Science Ministry and members of parliament.BAGHDAD  Kuwait will begin importing natural gas from neighboring Iraq this year, a development welcomed in Baghdad as it could improve Iraq's relations with the Gulf countries  relations that ruptured when Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990.

Most of Iraqs gas is associated petroleum gas, also known as flare gas. Associated petroleum gas is a byproduct of oil production, as opposed to natural gas that comes directly from gas reservoirs in the ground. The Iraqi Ministry of Oil has decided to export associated petroleum gas from international oil companies operating in southern Iraq to Kuwait via a gas pipeline near Basra. Kuwait would then turn it into dry gas, condensates and liquid gas, among other types. According to the Ministry of Oil, Iraq flares 1.5 billion cubic feet of gas daily.

Ministry spokesman Assem Jihad told Al-Monitor, Iraq will export to Kuwait the associated gas, part of which is flared on a daily basis. Processing natural gas is a complex and expensive industrial process that requires building plants through local and foreign companies.

Jihad said, Iraq is set to supply Kuwait with 50 million cubic feet of gas daily, which will gradually increase to 200 million cubic feet [depending on] international prices. The gas will be exported through the three-decade-old pipeline linking the two countries. The pipeline, however, needs maintenance. Iraq will take care of maintenance over the 30 kilometers [19 miles] of pipeline stretching within its territory, while Kuwait will handle its part of the pipeline.

Iraq has lost billions of dollars annually as a result of wasteful gas flaring and its importation of diesel fuel for electricity. That's not to mention the low levels of energy efficiency because many Iraqi power stations run on dry gas, which is not produced locally.

What has compounded the problem is the reluctance of some oil companies to exploit associated gas despite the increase in Iraq's crude oil production from an average of about 1 million barrels per day in 2003 to roughly 4.3 million per day in December, which increased gas flaring from 700 million cubic feet to 1.5 billion cubic feet daily.

Kuwait will lay the pipeline to the neighboring Rumaila oil field, the largest in the world, under the supervision of the BP oil company. The agreement is likely to be implemented soon, since Kuwait has a demand for natural gas that exceeds its supply by an estimated 500 million cubic feet daily. Kuwait has been unable to curb this deficit in part because of tension among Gulf countries that has prevented Qatari gas from flowing into Kuwait via Saudi Arabia; Reuters reports that much of the shortfall is being covered by imports of liquefied natural gas.

The Iraq-Kuwait associated petroleum gas deal should help Iraq pay off the remaining reparations for the invasion of Kuwait, amounting to $4.5 billion.

Iraq's parliamentary Oil and Gas Committee criticized the government's energy policy for relying on the development of oil production and neglecting natural gas processing, which could put an end to the country's electricity crisis and launch petrochemical industries. Committee member Zaher al-Abadi told Al-Monitor, Iraq is losing billions of dollars in flaring gas, while the Ministry of Oil is standing idly by.

Oil expert Hamza al-Jawahiri, who is knowledgeable about the agreements between international oil companies and the Ministry of Oil, and between the ministry and various countries, said Kuwait will process the natural gas in Iraq and then transport it to its cities.

As per the agreement, Kuwait will bear the expenses of building plants, processing and piping the gas, he said. The gas will be processed in Iraq by separating impurities and non-methane hydrocarbons and fluids to produce dry natural gas.

Jawahiri added that Kuwait signed an agreement months ago with Basrah Gas Company, which is part of the latest gas export agreement, noting that other sources of gas will include rich oil and gas fields in southern Iraq. Basrah Gas is a consortium of three businesses including the majority shareholder South Gas Co., Shell and Mitsubishi. The consortium exploits gas from three oil fields.

Shaalan al-Daraji, Basrah Gas chief information officer, told Al-Monitor the companys plan, which runs until 2021, aims to end the flaring of gas in the Zubair, Qurna 1 and Rumaila oil fields. The company currently produces 700 million cubic feet of gas daily and has a strategic plan to stop gas flaring in oil fields," Daraji said.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi expressed great support for the Kuwait agreement, which could end Iraqs long-standing estrangement with the Gulf countries, as Kuwait has asked the United Nations Security Council to lift sanctions on Iraq.The mood in the West Bank city of Ramallah these days is one of doom and gloom. It seems that all diplomatic doors have closed as US President Donald Trump has decided to take the Israeli governments side and is apparently guided mostly by domestic considerations. The European Union is relatively isolated by the United States and is mostly concerned with the cohesion of the EU after Brexit. The sweeping majority at the United Nations General Assembly against the US Jerusalem proclamation did not produce any tangible results. The diplomatic process is hopelessly deadlocked.

According to a senior PLO official close to President Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president is losing hope that a diplomatic route could lead to statehood in the foreseeable future. Still, Abbas keeps communicating with his main Arab partners  Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia  on various initiatives, such as the recognition of a Palestinian state under occupation by the UN General Assembly. Speaking bitterly, the official admitted that while the Palestinians can collect a large number of diplomatic victories at the UN, on the ground there is only one process taking place  a process that includes the enlargement of Israeli settlements, the deepening of the occupation and a growing economic annexation.

The official told Al-Monitor that he took part in several high-level Fatah deliberations on a strategy for 2018. Abbas has repeatedly instructed not to engage in violence against Israel, but this option has not been taken off the table in any of the deliberations. In one of those meetings, the option of closer unity with Hamas was seriously contemplated. The participants of the meeting argued that with the increasingly frustrated Palestinian public opinion, it is essential to demonstrate greater Palestinian unity. The Palestinian source believes that moving closer to Hamas would enhance the possibility of a new cycle of violence in the Gaza Strip and possibly also in the West Bank.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the Palestinian source said that 2018 must be a year of decisions. Either a realistic diplomatic route to statehood will be launched by the United States, or we will be forced to return sooner rather than later to an armed struggle for independence. Otherwise another decade will pass without Palestinian statehood, and we will be forgotten by the international community. He then expressed Palestinian disappointment with the international community and the Arab world.

And so, the official, together with a group of Fatah members, is looking at an intifada of independence in 2018, 70 years after the creation of Israel. Still, he claims that Fatah does not want to have such a strategy imposed by Hamas or by outside players such as former Fatah senior member Mohammed Dahlan.

An intifada of independence in 2018 would take the form of an armed intifada against Israel with the endorsement of Hamas, in possible cooperation with Hezbollah and backed by inter-Arab public opinion. The official emphasized that such a violent campaign for independence would not take two to three months, but two to three years  a kind of war of attrition against the powerful Israeli army.

A senior Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs official confirmed that Abbas entourage is sending its Arab partners signals of despair over the US decision on Jerusalem and the end of any foreseeable two-state solution process. According to Israeli analysis, Hamas and Fatah are both in a crisis over these recent events. Given the humanitarian disaster in Gaza, Hamas is now working to strengthen its hold in the West Bank and incite violence. Hamas has also been allowing the more radical organizations in the Gaza Strip a free hand to some extent in firing rockets against Israel. Israel has warned both Abbas and Hamas that it will use a strong hand against any violence.

In the longer run, the senior Israeli official believes that Abbas regime is dependent on security cooperation with Israel for its survival. He does not take the talks of an independence intifada next year seriously; the Palestinians are far too preoccupied with their internal bickering, he said.

The Israeli officials usual self-confidence, reflecting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus state of mind since the Jerusalem proclamation, might be misplaced. The Palestinian leadership feels really cornered by the international community and to some degree by their Arab partners as well. At some point, the accumulation of such feelings would compel elements in Fatah to push for violent resistance, i.e., a third intifada, and a greater unity with Hamas is definitely possible. Violence generally breaks out as a surprise. The only way to prevent such a surprise is by deploying a serious diplomatic effort for a two-state solution.Acers Chromebook 11 line has proved to be a popular Chromebook range due its combination of a smaller form factor and powerful performance. This week at CES 2018 Acer will be showcasing the latest edition to its Chromebook 11 series, the new Acer Chromebook 11.

Following in the tradition of the previous Chromebook 11 options, the new Chromebook 11 looks to be a highly portable product. This is not only evident in its smaller size with its 11.6-inch display (along with a 1366 x 768 resolution) but also with its lightweight design, as the new Chromebook 11 weighs in at just 2.43 pounds and measures only 0.71-inches in thickness. In addition, the new Chromebook 11 looks to offer a competitive audio and social experience due to its inclusion of dual stereo speakers as well as a high-dynamic range (HDR) camera. Additional hardware aspects worth noting include a microSD card slot and no less than four USB ports. Two of which consist of the newer USB Type- C (3.1) standard while the other two are USB Type-A (3.0) ports. As is typically the case with Chromebooks, the battery capacity has not been announced although Acer suggests the new Chromebook 11 will be capable of operating for up to 10 hours off the back of a full charge, while connectivity comes in the form of support for 22 MIMO 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2 Padding out its feature list is the inclusion of support for the Google Play Store and Android apps. Making this an Android app-ready Chromebook from launch.

The new Chromebook 11 will be available in two different variants with the main difference being the addition of a touch display on the CB311-8HT model, compared to the non-touch version which comes with the CB311-8H model number. Within each model, the Chromebook 11 will also be available in different storage variants (16GB and 32GB) with both versions equipped with 4GB RAM. In terms of availability, the new Chromebook 11 is due to firstly become available in EMEA, starting from March, and priced as low as 249. Following which, the Chromebook 11 will become available to buy in North America in April, for $249. With the price in both regions rising according depending on whether opting for the touch display model and the level of storage. Acer has yet to confirm whether all options and variants will be available in all regions.The Alcatel 5 has shown up in new images that have leaked of what appears to be a live demo of the phone. While the image of the front shown up above does have the display on so you can see the main home page, the more important factor to take into account is that the design matches up with the design of the Alcatel 5 press render that was leaked just a couple of days ago, as the design carries the same soft gold color shown in that earlier leaked image in addition to the same look of the rear-facing camera and LED flash module as well as the fingerprint sensor.

The device also looks the same from the front, with next-to-nothing bezels on the left, right, and bottom edges of the display panel while keeping a rather large bezel up at the top for the ambient light sensors and the dual front-facing cameras. One other interesting detail is that the info card which is visible in the image above labels the phone as the TCL A5. This may be a different name but thats likely only due to the fact that this is the version of the phone for Asian markets, as TCL owns Alcatel which typically is the brand name for devices in Europe and North America. Then of course theres the giant Alcatel logo thats displayed across the center on the back of the device.

Theres not a whole lot of extra information to go on about this device just from the hands-on images as there is no details about the actual specs and features of the phone listed with the info card, at least not that can be seen in clear visibility due to the text on the card being out of focus. That said, the Alcatel 5 did recently show up in benchmark scores, and with that there was some information on a few of the specs. For example, the display was listed as being an 18:9 display, and coming powered by a MediaTek MT 6750T processor, and having a screen resolution of 1440 x 720. Though there was no information on internal storage or RAM, this has been said to be the flagship for Alcatel this year, so it should be fairly decent.Belkin has revealed its upcoming array of mobile charging solution just in time for CES 2018. The charging accessories, which are already listed on the companys official website, will range in function from wall chargers to power banks and wireless charging pads. None of the new products are currently available for purchase and arent meant to be released before late spring or early summer, and prices have not been posted for most of the items as of this writing. However, anybody interested in the updates on the products can visit the Belkin store to learn more via the source link below.

Belkin has five wireless charging accessories set to hit the market over the course of this year. Each falls under the companys BOOST UP brand and each offers 10W of output to ensure that devices compatible with Qi fast charging solutions can power up a bit quicker. Each is also said to be capable of charging through a 3mm case. The first of the new charging devices is an update to Belkins entry-level charging pad, which the company is marketing as the BOOST UP Bold. For those who need to be able to charge two devices at once, the company has also revealed a new Dual Wireless Charging Pad that has the same features as the first model but comes with a pair of pads. Thats followed up by the BOOST UP Wireless Charging Stand. The stand allows more usage flexibility as it can charge a compatible device in either a horizontal or verticle orientation and is said to feature built-in safety mechanisms and premium materials. For on-the-go charging, Belkin has also announced a new wireless charging car mount. The accessory includes an additional 1 Amp standard USB port to provide users with a second option for charging or for refueling Android devices that dont feature wireless charging support. The BOOST UP-branded Wireless Charging System, meanwhile, is designed to be mounted on top of a given surface or flush with it, but can also work with sub-surface mounting, the firm said.

Moving past the wireless charging solutions, there has also been a new portable power bank announced by the company. The device features support for Qualcomms Quick Charge 3.0 standard via an available USB Type-C port and a standard USB port. Its design is intended to be small enough to carry in a users pocket and is encased in a non-scratch material to prevent damage. Called the Pocket Power USB-C 10K, it can reasonably be assumed that this is a 10,000mAh battery bank. Finally, Belkin has announced two new Fast Charging wall chargers. Both are designed to be plugged into a wall outlet in order to manage power delivery from the socket to a device through a USB Type-C port. The first of the two is Belkins Home Charger 27W which features a single USB Type-C port and is meant to charge larger devices with a maximum output of 27W. The second product is Belkins Dual Port Home Charger 39W. Its features nearly mirror those of the Home Charger 27W but with the addition of a second, standard USB port set to an output of 12W.HP has announced its latest Chromebox, the HP Chromebox G2. It comes several years after the manufacturer released the HP Chromebox back in 2014, and was announced alongside two new Chromebook offerings from HP. The Chromebox G2 will be available in a number of configurations which contain Intel processors from the Kaby Lake and Kaby Lake Refresh generations, in addition to a variety of internal storage capacities and RAM configurations.

The device will be sold in units that contain an Intel Celeron 3865U, Intel Core i5-7300U, and an Intel Core i7-8650U. The Celeron 3865U includes an Intel HD Graphics 610 chip, while the Core i5-7300U and the Core i7-8650U are both equipped with a UHD Graphics 620 integrated GPU. Naturally, the Intel Core i7-8650U will likely offer better performance than both the Core i5-7300U and the Celeron 3865U. This is due to the fact that the Core i7-8650U is an 8th generation Kaby Lake Refresh chipset, while the other two Intel offerings are from the 7th generation of Kaby Lake processors. The Chrome OS-powered desktop computer comes with several ports including three USB 3.0 Type-A ones, a 3.5mm headphone jack, two USB 2.0 Type-A ports, one USB Type-C module, an ethernet port, and an HDMI connector. According to the manufacturers support website, it seems that the devices USB Type-C port can also be used for powering it.

The HP Chromebox G2 is equipped with up to 16GB of RAM, which is placed in two memory slots. Consumers may also choose between configurations that contain either 32GB or 64GB of M.2 SSD storage. The lightest configuration of the device weighs 670 grams and is 14.94 x 14.93 x 4cm in size. The Chromebox G2 will ship either with a 65-watt or 90-watt external power adapter. It seems that there is only one color option available for the Chromebox G2, which is black. There is still no available information on the pricing of the HP Chromebox G2 and the manufacturer already mentioned that they will not officially show the Chromebox G2 at CES 2018 next week. However, the device will start shipping in April, or at least some of its more affordable configurations will.As the Android 8.0 Oreo update for the HTC U11 continues to elude the device in Europe, HTC UK recently took to Twitter to issue an apology for the softwares delay in the region. According to an official Tweet posted by the OEM, the rollout in Europe has been delayed due to some complexities that havent been detailed. HTC was unable to give a concrete timeframe for when the situation might change but did promise more information on the matter will be shared as soon as possible.

The initial Android 8.0 Oreo rollout for the HTC U11 began in mid-November when the firmware was limited to the companys home country of Taiwan. HTC was relatively quick to push the update beyond the Taiwanese borders and roughly two weeks after its initial debut, the firmware began rolling out on unlocked variants in the United States and other regions, with more units following over the course of the next several weeks. Evidently, HTC U11 owners in Europe were expecting the Oreo update to land in their countries by now, and apparently, HTC did the same judging by its recent apology.

The HTC U11 was officially launched in the summer of 2017 running Android 7.1 Nougat out of the box. It fits in the high-end market segment and boasts a 5.5-inch Super LCD5 panel with a resolution of 2,560 by 1,440 pixels, a conventional 16:9 aspect ratio, and a pixel density of roughly 534 pixels per inch. The smartphones edges are sensitive to pressure thanks to a technology employed by HTC called Edge Sense; the same type of solution that was later used by Google for the Pixel 2 series, albeit under a different name. The HTC U11 is driven by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset which features the Adreno 540 GPU and either 4GB or 6GB of RAM. A 12-megapixel camera resides on the glossy back panel of the smartphone, whereas the front-facing sensor is of the 16-megapixel variety. The arrival of Android 8.0 Oreo should further improve the user experience with new UI elements and additional features, as well as better performance and stability. HTC may announce new Android devices come late February when MWC 2018 is set to take place.

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Were sorry for the delay in delivering your Oreo update for the HTC U11. We have started to roll out the update globally but have had some complexities that have caused a delay to our release in Europe. Please bear with us and well let you know more as soon as we can.  HTC UK (@HTC_UK) January 5, 2018New reports out of China now suggest that the battle between Samsung and TSMC may result in 5nm and even 4nm manufacturing processes by 2020. TSMC is claimed to have won the first round because it has already signed more than 40 customers this year for its own chips, including orders from Apple for its iPhone components and Qualcomms Snapdragon 855 SoC. Thats before factoring in that TSMC currently holds around 60-percent of the global market share in the industry, as compared to Samsungs 10-percent. However, both are expected to launch processors built on the 7nm process for 2018 and Samsung plans to capture 25-percent of the market share over the next five years while pushing the process down to 4nm.

Chipping away at the numbers involved, with regard to the manufacturing process chips are built on, generally tends to result in chips that are much more efficient and much more capable. However, for both Samsung and TSMC, that shift in production from the current 11nm process down to 7nm and then to 5nm or 4nm will take some time. TSMC reportedly plans to start things off by modifying its 7nm process and then integrate extreme ultraviolet into it. Thats said to be happening this year, pushing it toward a 5nm manufacturing process goal by 2020. If the information cited by the source is correct, the company will begin trials on those during the first half of 2019. On the other hand, Samsung has plans to use the interceding years in order to gradually move from 7nm to 4nm  pushing from 6nm to 5nm over the course of 2019, before hitting 4nm in 2020.

Taking things substantially further, industry insiders have also allegedly claimed that in 2020, TSMC will begin piecing together a 3nm manufacturing process within its own foundries in order to address Samsungs 4nm chip manufacturing. That will, according to the source, require a planned investment of around $200 billion. With all of that said, it is important to remember that there will almost certainly be challenges that must be overcome along the way. Those will obviously impact any schedules that have been set by either company. Moreover, there may even be technological boundaries to how small the process can be that simply havent been discovered yet and talking about chip technology progression over a 5-year scale is generally a speculative endeavor regardless of the accuracy of the reports. Bearing that in mind, it may be best to take the news with a grain of salt until Samsung or TSMC reveals more about their plans officially.Sprint Chief Executive Officer Marcelo Claure is joining Ubers board of directors as part of SoftBanks investment in the ride-hailing startup that will amount to over $10 billion, Recode reported Saturday. The largest private stock purchase in the history of trading is expected to clear by the end of the month and will see Ubers board grow to 17 directors, up from 11. SoftBank will receive two seats following its financial commitment, with the other one being given to its Vision Fund CEO Rajeev Misra. The Japanese tech giants tender offer from last month was a resounding success by most standards and is interpreted as a win for both parties; SoftBanks flagship fund received a significant stake in one of the worlds largest unicorn startups, whereas Uber found a partner that could help settle the global price war between various ride-hailing companies and push them toward finally making money due to its large investments in a number of such firms, many of which are directly competing with the San Francisco-based service provider.

Mr. Claures appointment to Ubers board has yet to be officially confirmed but is likely meant as a reward for Sprints chief who helped stabilize the SoftBank-owned mobile service provider since taking over the company in 2014, even though his first anniversary as CEO gave him little reason for celebration, having marked T-Mobiles rise that saw it surpass Sprint and take the title of the third largest wireless carrier in the United States which it still holds to this day. The other five seats set to be added to Ubers board are yet to be awarded, according to recent reports. Mr. Claure was understood to have previously been considered as a candidate for Ubers CEO role which was left vacant over the summer following the ousting of co-founder Travis Kalanick, having later been awarded to former Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi.

SoftBanks investment is expected to net the company at least 15 percent of Uber and is a relatively safe bet as far as record-breaking tech investments are concerned; despite discounting Ubers 2014 valuation of $68.5 billion by 30 percent, SoftBank is still likely to profit from the move due to the startups ambitions to hold an initial public offering next year. Even if its previously highest valuation doesnt hold up, the public markets are expected to be willing to recoup SoftBanks investment and pay at least a small premium on top of it, provided the investor would even be willing to sell its stake so early.Uber may soon introduce a loyalty program as part of its food delivery business called UberEats, as the taxi technology company is testing such an initiative, the firms UK country manager Toussaint Wattinne suggested recently. According to a new report, Wattinne confirmed back in December that Uber has been experimenting with the loyalty program in collaboration with a few partners in select areas. It is not immediately clear what rewards customers may get from the program if they sign up for Ubers food delivery service, but reports suggest they could be exempted from having to pay for delivery fees while being able to view promotional materials.

While Uber is apparently considering to release a loyalty program for its food delivery service in light of the recent developments of subscription models in the market, Wattinne also pointed out that the company does not intend to carry out that plan immediately as it acknowledges the fact that the move requires huge investment. In addition to that, Wattinne reiterated that the companys top priority is not rolling out a loyalty program for UberEats at the moment. It makes sense, however, for Uber to aim to attract more customers to its food delivery service through the addition of the loyalty program as UberEats is one of the most profitable areas for Uber, according to a report from The New York Times in September last year. The report claimed that Uber is gaining a sizable chunk of its profit from UberEats specifically in 27 out of the 108 cities where the service is available, with the food delivery service outpacing regular ride-sharing in cities like Tokyo and Seoul.

UberEats has been available for quite some time now, albeit in a small number of cities only. Its mobile app companion for Android devices was launched in March 2016 and has since received a number of updates, with the most recent one being its ability to recommend specific foods at restaurants based on several factors such as your preferences, monitor your favorite restaurants and foods, and prioritize your favorite establishments in searches. The mobile app also includes a ranking system that displays your most recent community rankings for a given restaurant when searching. The likely addition of the loyalty program to the service will mark a significant step in Ubers goal to become profitable before it can go public.

We are shocked and saddened by the tragedy that occurred at the Law Offices of Perona, Langer, Beck, Serbin and Harrison yesterday, leaving one of our partners dead and another injured in a senseless act of workplace violence. On behalf of our entire firm, we wish to extend our deepest condolences to the family of Major Langer, who was killed in this tragic incident. Major was a big part of the Law Offices of Perona, Langer, Beck, Serbin and Harrisons success. Major leaves his wife, children, and grandchildren a legacy that was truly as special as he was. Our thoughts and prayers are with Majors family, as well as with the family of Ronald Beck, who was injured and remains hospitalized at this time.

The holiday office party of a regional US firm turned deadly when a former name partner reportedly shot and killed a name partner before turning the gun on himself.John Alexander Mendoza, 58, of Redondo Beach, California, shot two other name partners, killing one, before fatally shooting himself on 29 December, according to The American Bar Association. Mendoza had reportedly been fired from the firm of Perona, Langer, Beck, Serbin, Mendoza and Harrison.Mendoza is said to have shot and killed Major Langer, 75, and wounded Ronald Beck, 64, at the firms holiday party in Long Beach, California. The firm has 11 offices, nine of which are in California and two of which are in Arizona.The firm has posted the following statement on its website:Langer was one of the pioneers of the firm. He joined in 1966 and was key to the development of the firms commercial business and the expansion of its civil litigation practice.Beck is a managing partner at Perona Langer Beck and an affiliated firm called Larry H. Parker. Beck and Langer have a long history, having represented rock band Motley Crue, band member Tommy Lee, and Lees former wife Pamela Anderson in various matters.Mendoza had worked at Perona Langer Beck for 10 years, said Michael Waks, a lawyer who also has offices in the same building where Perona Langer Beck is located in Long Beach. Mendoza specialised in workers compensation cases.Afghan officials have pleaded with three American presidents to reconsider their support for Pakistan, which was both receiving billions of dollars in American aid and harboring the leaders of a Taliban insurgency that the United States has struggled to defeat.





But when

on Thursday for what he called the countrys lies and deceit, any jubilation in the halls of power in Afghanistan  and there was some  was leavened with worry over how the move might affect a complex war that has pushed the Afghan government to the brink.





If there is one consensus among Afghan leaders and their American counterparts, it is that dealing with Pakistan is both vital and difficult.





American and Afghan officials accuse Pakistans powerful military intelligence service of maintaining influence with the Taliban and the groups most ascendant faction, the Haqqani network, which is behind many of the large-scale attacks on Afghan cities. Through those links, Pakistan has the ability to control at least some of the tempo of the fighting in Afghanistan  and it has done little to constrain it over the past two years, the officials say.





At the same time, Pakistan enjoys leverage over the American military response to that militant violence: The United States mission has always relied on Pakistani air and ground routes for supplies to the troops in Afghanistan.



There were 102 law firm combinations in the US last year, the highest number ever recorded in the 11 years since the launch of the Altman Weil MergerLine.The previous record was 91 in 2015 but last years new high was indicative of the changing face of the legal profession.The law firm merger market is white hot, says Altman Weil principal Tom Clay. Not only is there a broad-based, ongoing interest in acquiring small, high-quality firms to buy market share, but there is also a newly intensifying appetite for larger combinations as more law firms feel the pinch of flattening demand and look for new ways to differentiate themselves from competitors.The largest combination of 2017 was the transatlantic merger of UK firm Bond Dickinson and US firm Womble Carlyle. The deal created Womble Bond Dickinson, an international firm with 1,000 lawyers. The firm then further expanded through two small US acquisitions. Norton Rose Fulbright added US firm Chadbourne & Parkes 300-lawyer team to its global headcount and merged with Henry Davis York in Australia, and acquired a South African law firm. DLA Piper also expanded its US coverage and acquired firms in Denmark and Portugal.Combinations involving law firms with 21 or more lawyers represented 20% of total deals, while 80% were acquisitions of firms with 2 to 20 lawyers. International firms were involved in 40% of the larger deals.Hogan Lovells has promoted 31 lawyers to partner and 38 to counsel across its global footprint.The promotions, effective 1st January 2018, include 15 partners in Europe, 13 in the US and 3 in Asia."We are seeing real momentum with these promotions  in terms of diversity of our practices, our offices, by gender, and by ethnicity, said CEO Steve Immelt. They represent the globally diverse nature of our business. With that in mind, I am particularly pleased that more than a third of our new partners and new counsel are women. I congratulate all those who were promoted and wish them every success as they continue their career with us.The three new partners in Asia are: Sean Conaty Finance (Infrastructure, Energy, Resources and Projects) Tokyo (subject to regulatory conditions); Helen Xia IPMT, Beijing; Lu Zhou Corporate (Corporate Transactional) Beijing.Nixon Peabody CWL has added intellectual property lawyer Henry Wheare to its Hong Kong team.Wheare joins as a partner from Hogan Lovells with more than four decades of experience, especially in cross-border solutions. He has worked extensively with both civil courts and enforcement agencies spanning Greater China and other jurisdictions.John Young, NASAs longest-serving astronaut and the first to command the Space Shuttle, died Friday. He was 87 and died from complications from pneumonia. Young went to space six times, walked on the moon and was the only astronaut to take part in all of the Gemini, Apollo and shuttle programs. If anybody deserves the title of legend it would be John Young, Andrew Chaikin, who has written extensively on NASA, told NPR.

Young kept a low public profile but was a commanding presence within the organization. He retired in 2004 having served as the chief of the astronaut office, responsible for crew selection. Astronaut John Youngs storied career spanned three generations of spaceflight; we will stand on his shoulders as we look toward the next human frontier, NASA Acting Administrator Robert Lightfoot said in a statement. Young flew two Gemini, two Apollo and two shuttle missions and considered the first shuttle flight the most dangerous. It was the first time NASA had ever launched a manned mission without first testing unmanned versions of the same vehicle.By Trend

The train linking Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic to the Iranian holy city of Mashhad will resume operation as of January 11, a senior diplomat told Trend.

Iranian Consul General to Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic Mansour Airom has expressed hope that the operation of train would boost tourism cooperation between the two countries.

The train which was launched first in December 2016 stopped running due to technical reasons a few months ago.

Airom earlier told Trend that the sides have taken technical measures to increase the safety of passengers.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzTakeda Pharmaceutical submitted a voluntary conditional takeover bid for TiGenix, a biopharmaceutical company developing stem cell therapies for anti-inflammatory disease.

Here's what you should know:

1. Takeda announced it would acquire 100 percent of the securities related to TiGenix for approximately $2.14 ( $1.78) per share. Reuters reports the transaction is for $628 million.



2. Takeda made the bid conditional. For approval, the deal must meet these conditions:

Takeda must own at least 85 percent of TiGenix with voting rights

Adverse material must not come to light after the deal closes

TiGenix must obtain European Medicines Agency approval for Cx601

The waiting period associated with the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 must expire

3. TiGenix's board of directors unanimously support the takeover and are in the process of submitting a formal response to the proposal.

4. TiGenix CEO Eduardo Bravo said, "We believe the intended takeover bid of Takeda is a positive step for TiGenix' security holders and reflects the true value of our dedication to patients over the last few years. We believe that TiGenix's expertise would help accelerate Takeda's ambition to develop novel stem cell therapies. Takeda is a patient centric company that offers the best capabilities and resources to ensure access to Cx601 to patients worldwide."An investigation by USA Today found Cleveland Clinic knew a surgeon had been accused of rape by two patients, but kept him on staff while reaching a confidential settlement with one of the patients.

Patient Lachelle Duncan alleged Ryan Williams, MD, raped her during an appointment on April 11, 2008, according to the report. Ms. Duncan pressed charges, but a rape kit proved inconclusive and Dr. Williams passed a polygraph test. She later sued Cleveland Clinic and agreed to a confidential settlement.

Almost a year later, on Feb. 6, 2009, patient Kristin Fehr had an appointment with Dr. Williams in which she was given two unspecified white pills to take before having a hemorrhoid removed, according to the report. Ms. Fehr said she was groggy throughout the appointment, and it wasn't until October 2014 when memories of Dr. Williams raping her started to resurface, according to the report. She reported the case to the Cleveland Clinic ombudsman and later brought it to the police. Ms. Fehr, however, cannot press charges or sue Cleveland Clinic because the statute of limitations for medical malpractice and rape in Ohio is one year, according to the report.

Dr. Williams has not been criminally charged for either case, and he denied the allegations to USA Today.

Dr. Williams left Cleveland Clinic mid-2017 for reasons unrelated to the alleged sexual assaults, and he moved to The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, according to the report. He was placed on leave in December, after USA Today contacted OSU Wexner about the allegations. A spokesman told USA Today it was the first they had heard of the allegations, and the medical center performed background checks on Dr. Williams before he was hired.

In an emailed statement to Becker's, the Clinic said it "is strongly committed to protecting the rights and safety of our patients, visitors and caregivers from any type of inappropriate behavior. We have processes for employees and patients to report any concerns, which are then thoroughly investigated.

In these cases, we immediately reported the accusations to the appropriate law enforcement agencies and cooperated fully with the investigations. No charges were made against the physician and he passed a polygraph test.

We care deeply about patient safety and any form of misconduct is not tolerated."

Read the full USA Today story here.

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FDA to pilot new hiring process in spring 2018: 4 things to knowITV's Loose Women is set to visit Belfast next week, with the public asked to get involved with the programme.

The live broadcast of the daytime television stalwart will take place from Victoria Square shopping centre on Wednesday 10 January.

Denise Van Outen and Gloria Hunniford will be hosting the show, and a full replica Loose Women desk will be on display for people to have their photos taken with.

Northern Irish presenter Gloria Hunniford has been a presenter on the programme since 2014, having previously been a guest panalist.

The programme has been broadcast since 1999, and focuses on the experiences of its panelists with a range of topical issues.

It also features regular contributions from Northern Ireland's Christine Lampard.

The programme will be at Victoria Square shopping centre from 10am until the show airs from 12.30pm to 1.30pm.Noel Treanor is the Bishop of Down and Connor

A senior church figure has called for imaginative and courageous leadership to lift Northern Ireland politics away from fear and stagnation.

Catholic bishop of Down and Connor Noel Treanor said there was a "lethargic acceptance and tolerance" by people of the current state of affairs in the region.

In a homily delivered at the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Carryduff on Sunday morning, the cleric painted a bleak picture of the present political landscape.

He warned of a weak economy; a private sector bereft of dynamic support from political institutions; and a lack of creative political engagement with key issues.

"Our society in Northern Ireland, we as citizens and as a body politic, have urgent need of a renewed narrative for politics," he told the congregation.

His remarks come as the region approaches a year without a functioning powersharing executive.

The rift between the DUP and Sinn Fein looks no closer to resolution, with the real threat of a return to Westminster direct rule looming.

The bishop urged people to work together to banish the forces of fear and suspicion.

"Our times and world context require imaginative and courageous efforts in leadership to hone a vision, freed from fears and suspicions of the other, that carries us energetically as a community of citizens working for the good of all," he said.

"Known for our care for the stranger, for our response to disaster scenarios throughout the world, we urgently need leadership in offering a renewed narrative for a radically new future which is opening before us in a dwindling and every more interdependent world and here at home.

"We need prophetic, imaginative and courageous leadership which offers a new narrative for a dawning and challenging future in which we, all citizens of whatever ethnic, cultural, confessional, religious or other background, constitute together our primary resource and human wealth base.

"To build a viable future for us all, we need urgently and creatively to put our hands together to the plough and to abandon the crippling and stagnating forces of fear and suspicion in the name of building a new future for all citizens, and especially for the weakest and the newly arrived in our society."Constable Ronan Kerr was killed by a booby-trap car bomb in Omagh in 2011 (Police Service of Northern Ireland/PA)

Detectives investigating the murder of Constable Ronan Kerr in Northern Ireland believe tracing bomb parts may hold the key to putting his killers behind bars.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officer, 25, was killed by a booby-trap car bomb in Omagh, Co Tyrone, on April 2 2011.

Despite the largest probe in the force's history, charges are yet to be brought over the murder, and i nvestigators are appealing to the community to provide what they hope could be the vital clue.

Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell said: "Detectives have made a significant amount of progress in the investigation into the murder of Ronan, however we are particularly interested in the origin of some of the component parts of the bomb, and how they were sourced.

"We have already made good progress in tracking how the terrorists came into possession of these parts, as well as establishing their relationship with a local crime gang in the Omagh area.

"However, I believe there are still potential witnesses who may be able to assist police in this line of enquiry.

"The key to putting people before a court charged with Ronan's murder lies with local communities in Omagh and east Tyrone."

Police said more than 15,500 people have featured in the investigation, with more than 8,200 items seized and 122 searches conducted of houses, vehicles and land.

Some 19 arrests have been made and one person has been jailed for offences connected to the probe.

Mr Caldwell added: "Ronan's family deserve to see his terrorist murderers behind bars where they belong. They remain as devastated as they were when he was killed nearly seven years ago.

"This has been a lengthy and complicated investigation incorporating several linked incidents including attempts to murder other police officers, a bomb attack, arms finds and armed robberies.

"There is significant potential to bring other individuals before the courts and we need people in the communities of Omagh and east Tyrone to come forward with anything they know, particularly about the origin and sourcing of the component parts of the bomb.

"Although we have yet to bring charges for Ronan's murder, this investigation, which is the largest in the PSNI's history, is far from over.

"We will continue to pursue our live lines of enquiry.

"I would urge those people who know who was involved in the events and activities surrounding Ronan's murder to come forward.

"If you can assist in any way by providing information, please do so. It is the right thing to do. Ronan and his family deserve justice."Tributes have been paid to former Irish attorney general, leading businessman and international statesman Peter Sutherland, who has died at the age of 71.

Mr Sutherland, a former European Commissioner and United Nations' special representative on international migration, died in hospital in Dublin on Sunday after a long illness.

Irish President Michael D. Higgins said he had left an "important legacy".

"Tirelessly campaigning for global solutions to human trafficking and forced migration, he became a passionate and influential voice for the rights of the 65 million people who have been forced to flee their homes and homelands," he said.

"All of this came after a lifetime of contributions to public life at home and abroad.

"A passionate European, throughout his career Peter Sutherland remained deeply committed to peaceful co-operation and integration in Europe, promoting greater awareness of the importance and possibilities of Irish engagement in European decision making."

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar also paid tribute.

"He was a statesman in every sense of the word; an Irishman, a committed European and a proud internationalist," said the Fine Gael leader.

"Throughout his life he was a champion for individual and economic freedoms."

Tanaiste Simon Coveney said he was saddened by Mr Sutherland's death.

"I knew him as a compassionate, driven, global thinker, always willing to challenge views," he said.

Mr Coveney hailed Mr Sutherland's intellect, adding: "He used his talents to be one of Ireland's most influential people, in business, politics and human rights globally."

Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin said Mr Sutherland had given "outstanding public service".

"A true patriot who had the interests of Ireland at heart," he said. "Sincere sympathies to his family."

Born in 1946, Mr Sutherland was educated at Gonzaga College, Ranelagh in Dublin and University College Dublin.

A barrister by profession, he was appointed Ireland's attorney general in 1981 at the age of just 35.

During his tenure he clashed with then justice minister Michael Noonan over the wording of the 1983 referendum on abortion.

Mr Sutherland went on to serve as Ireland's representative in the European Commission.

In 1993 he became the first director general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), having overseen its formation out of another body he headed, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).

In a glittering business career, he also fulfilled roles as non-executive chairman of both Goldman Sachs and BP.

In his later life, he focused on his work on migration issues with the UN.

The former Allied Irish Bank chairman also acted for a period as financial adviser to the Vatican.

He also served as chairman of the board of governors of the European Institute of Public Administration and was honorary president of the European Policy Centre.

Accolades he received during his career included the French Legion d'Honneur, Spain's Grand Cross of Civil Merit and Belgium's Grand Cross of Leopold II.

In 2013, UCD's Law School was renamed the Sutherland School of Law in honour of one of its most famous students.

Mr Sutherland is survived by his wife of 46 years Maruja, and his three children Shane, Ian and Natalia.

Carl-Henric Svanberg, BP chairman, who succeeded Peter Sutherland in 2010, said: "Peter Sutherland was a great chairman of BP and an even greater champion of Europe.

"He led the BP board for twelve years, through a period of immense change, helping establish BP as one of the super-majors.

"On the broader world stage, Peter made a huge contribution to Europe and global trade.

"And through his volunteer efforts he helped improve the economic condition of millions of migrants.

"His life touched so many people in so many ways.

"I was privileged to work with him and to count him as a friend.

"Today all of us at BP are grateful for his leadership."Road construction gathers pace in areas surrounding Lumbini

Roads are rapidly being built or expanded in various towns of Rupandehi in a bid to connect Lumbini with other historical sites in the vicinity, lure more tourists and prolong their stay in towns around the birthplace of Lord Gautam Buddha.Theresa May was forced to make changes following the resignation of Damian Green as first secretary of state (Philip Toscano/PA)

Theresa May has said she will carry on as Prime Minister for as long as people want me to serve as she prepares to reshuffle her Cabinet team.

The Prime Minister confirmed that she wanted to lead the Conservatives into the next general election  due to take place in 2022  saying: Im not a quitter. Im in this for the long term.

But pressed on the BBC1s Andrew Marr Show on whether she would still be there the next time the country goes to the polls, she replied: Obviously I serve as long as people want me to serve.

Her comments came as Downing Street sources indicated she would begin her expected reshuffle on Monday amid reports that a series of senior ministers are set to be axed or moved.

Expand Close Theresa May could choose to bring junior ministers into the Cabinet (Leon Neal/PA) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Theresa May could choose to bring junior ministers into the Cabinet (Leon Neal/PA)

Mrs May has been forced to make changes to her top team following the resignation last month of Damian Green as first secretary of state after he admitted to lying about the alleged discovery of pornographic images on his Commons computer during a police raid.

But unlike the previous resignations of Sir Michael Fallon and Priti Patel  when consequent changes were kept to a minimum  his departure is expected to trigger a wider ministerial re-jig.

Downing Street sources indicated that it would continue into a second day on Tuesday with the middle-ranking and junior ministerial appointments.

Some changes do have to be made and I will be making some changes, Mrs May said.

Her most senior colleagues  including Chancellor Philip Hammond, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, Home Secretary Amber Rudd and Brexit Secretary David Davis  are reported to be safe.

However Education Secretary Justine Greening, Conservative Party chairman Sir Patrick McLoughlin, Business Secretary Greg Clark and the Leader of the Commons Andrea Leadsom are among those said to be vulnerable.

School standards are rising under this government, but thereas more to do. Today Iave announced new measures to boost literacy teaching, especially in disadvantaged areas, & a new A7.7m Curriculum Fund: https://t.co/CmgjsJx8SG pic.twitter.com/wlhGl3WzeT  Justine Greening (@JustineGreening) January 6, 2018

The Sunday Telegraph reported that Ms Greening was fighting to hold on to her position, posting a series of tweets highlighting her achievements in the education brief, twice declaring school standards are rising.

Downing Street sources sought to play down the reports, describing them as speculation and guesswork.

It is thought that Mrs May will take the opportunity to bring forward some more junior ministers, with Immigration Minister Brandon Lewis and Justice Minister Dominic Raab among those tipped for promotion.

It is unclear whether Mrs May will announce a direct replacement for Mr Green who was effectively her deputy prime minister.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt had been widely seen as the favourite for the post, although reports have suggested that she is reluctant to move him in the midst of an NHS winter crisis.Rupandehi banda in protest of local traders killing

Normal life was affected in Rupandehi district as youth and student wings affiliated to the CPN-UML enforced an indefinite general strike on Saturday in protest of the murder of trader Basanta Paudel aka Balu.Rupandehi shut down for second day in protest of trader's death

CPN-UML affiliated Youth Association Nepal (YAN) and All Nepal National Free Students Union (ANNIFSU) have enforced shutdown in Rupandehi for the second consecutive day on SundayCharleston and Harlow Candle Co. will soon have their wares in the hands of some of Hollywoods most famous players.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 5/1/2018 (1338 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Advertisement Advertise With Us

Charleston and Harlow Candle Co. will soon have their wares in the hands of some of Hollywoods most famous players.

The Brandon-based companys luxury candles will be included in the Oscar swag bags given out to nominees and host Jimmy Kimmel at the 90th Academy Awards in March.

SUBMITTED Andrea Varcoe and Jeff Reimer, owners of Brandon-based Charleston & Harlow Candle Co., will be sending their luxury candles to Hollywood, where they will be given out to nominees and host Jimmy Kimmel in the Oscars swag bags at the 90th Academy Awards in March.

Jeff Reimer and Andrea Varcoe, co-owners and "candle aficionados," say they are thrilled to be sought out for this opportunity. They look forward to seeing what type of impact this will have on their company, which they only started about 16 months ago.

"Some businesses have really reaped the rewards of it, some  not so much, but I think it really depends on how you embrace the situation and move forward from it," Reimer said. "I think itll definitely help us in the long run. I think it will bring some great exposure to Brandon."

The husband-and-wife duo were inspired to delve into the candle business while travelling in Croatia in 2015.

"We fell in love with the smells of the islands," Reimer said. "We were sitting on a pier one day and we were joking about how you can bring home pictures from your trip, you can bring home souvenirs, you can bring home sand in a bottle, but you cant bring home the smells of your trips."

The idea for Charleston and Harlow snowballed from there. They both considered themselves candle fanatics, and in previous years had looked into alternatives to paraffin wax.

SUBMITTED Brandon-based Charleston & Harlow Candle Co. will provide products for the Oscars swag bag.

They did some testing with soy wax and fragrance oils and almost overnight, they had retailers looking for their products. They rented a small workshop in downtown Brandon, and are thrilled to be opening a shop this spring at the historic 29 10th St.

"We are more than just a candle  we sell an experience," Reimer said. "Our scents are all based around travel and childhood memories, are multi-dimensional, true-to-scent and as such are transportive."

Charleston and Harlow  named after the couples French bulldogs  uses domestically grown pure soy wax, which is clean-burning, non-toxic, renewable and sustainable. Their fragrance oils are selected from "the finest sources to ensure the most rewarding experience."

As they advertise online, "everything is mixed, poured, labelled and packaged by hand in our studio in Brandon, Manitoba (Canada)."

SUBMITTED The Great Canadian Road Trip range features scents dedicated to some of Canadas favourite stops.

At any given time, the company has about 25 different scents available. In their Standards Range, scents include "Blushing Magnolia," "Moscato Mondays" and "Mid-Century Mod," to name only a few.

The Connoisseur Range is a collection of scents for men, while the Great Canadian Road Trip Range features "Wasagamazing," "Wham Bam, Thank You Banff" and "Squamish Bish."

"These are areas of the country that hold a piece of peoples hearts, and we thought why not make candles that smell like those areas?" Reimer said. "So we did the west part of the country first, and were going to do an eastern section next year as well."

Celebrity swag bags will feature the original "Croatian Scentsation," which launched Reimer and Varcoes journey. It featuresnotes of sweet olive, green grass, citrus leaf, ripe citrus, red apple, with an herbal infusion of eucalyptus & rosemary, and base of cedar and musk.

The company will include a second candle in each bag as well, but are still deciding on which scent. Their products will be sent out by the end of the month, to be ready for the Oscars on March 4.

Charleston and Harlow products are in many stores across the province, including 17 Winnipeg locations. They have expanded to retail shops in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and in Denver, Colo. In Brandon, they can be purchased at Vivid Beauty Boutique, Abby Rose, New Beginnings and Euphoria Salon.

 jaustin@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @jillianaustinRupandehi strike called off following tripartite agreement

The general strike enforced by CPN-UML affiliated Youth Association Nepal (YAN) and All Nepal National Free Students Union (ANNIFSU) in Rupandehi following the death of YAN's leader and entrepreneur Basanta Poudel has been called off on Sunday.The Catholic Primate of All Irelands addressed the issue of a possible referendum on the 8th amendment to the constitution.

Archbishop Eamonn Martins says repealing the Article "will leave unborn children defenceless, and completely at the mercy of whatever abortion laws are introduced in Ireland - both immediately, and in the future".Uber Technologies co-founder Travis Kalanick, who was ousted as chief executive in June, is selling nearly a third of his 10 per cent stake in the ride-services company for about $US1.4 billion ($1.8 billion), a person familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

Kalanick's sale is part of a deal struck by a consortium led by SoftBank Group Corp which is taking a 17.5 per cent stake in Uber, mostly by buying shares from early investors and employees.

Kalanick's sale is part of a deal struck by a consortium led by SoftBank Group Corp which is taking a 17.5 per cent stake in Uber. Credit:AP

SoftBank last week secured agreements from shareholders who were willing to sell, and the deal would close early this year, Uber said.

The SoftBank deal values Uber at $US48 billion, about a 30 per cent discount from its most recent valuation of $US68 billion. However, the investor consortium is also making a $US1.25 billion investment of fresh funding at the older, higher valuation.The ACT government has blocked off 30 spots in the Canberra Theatre carpark for politicians and a handful of senior staff while the carpark closer to the Legislative Assembly building is closed.

The London Circuit short-stay carpark closes on Monday for the construction of a new office block to house 1700 public servants.

The design for the proposed new building on the corner of Constitution Avenue and London Circuit, with the new building closer to the ACT parliament at right. The open-air carpark closes to the public on Monday for construction.

The $300 million, five-storey office block is being built by the Capital Property Group and will be leased to the government for 20 years. It is adjacent to the ACT parliament building, with a plaza and "retail laneway" between the buildings, in the area that has been used to date for free parking for politicians and some staff.

A second building will be built on the London Circuit carpark - on the corner of Constitution Avenue and London Circuit. The second building is to be 12 stories, including a hotel, commercial office space and possibly apartments.There's still not a lot happening around Canberra at the moment but the city's slowly starting to wake up. If you're at home with the kids on school holidays (hang in there, only three weeks left) or have some spare time yourself, here's a few ideas to fill in time this week.

Channel your inner ballroom dancer at Starstruck Summer Nights party.

Strictly Starstruck

Love is in the air at the National Portrait Gallery on Friday January 12 as the Starstruck Summer Nights program takes the floor. There's a 3pm screening of Baz Luhrmann's Strictly Ballroom at the National Film and Sound Archive and then tango over to the NPG at 5pm for an after-dark tour and a party inspired by all things Baz. There will be live ballroom dancing, a special performance, and a soundtrack to tempt you to move your feet. There's bar service and snacks available from Broadbean Catering.When 16-year-old Amali Harper tells people she wants to an engineer, they are usually surprised.

She's one of only a few girls in her engineering class at Kooringal High School in Wagga, but hopes times are changing.

Izzy Stonehouse, of Perth, Ellie Pearce, of Phillip Island and Amali Harper, of Wagga Wagga listen to Professor Liesl Folks, Dean of the University at Buffalo's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Credit:karleen minney

"I think the reason there aren't many girls involved comes down to culture and stereotypes," Ms Harper said.

"Girls think, 'oh that's a male dominated area they build the buildings and bridges', but now we're noticing those stereotypes are not real and we can break through it."The love of peaches (C8)  both fresh and canned  is strong among Column 8 readers. The consensus is that white peaches are too fragile for commercial preserving, as, in the words of Geoffrey Leeson of Stanmore, "they turn to mush when cooked". Both Geoffrey and Sue Ryan of Hamilton East identify the peaches that are found in canned peaches as the Golden Queen variety; Sue says: "They are a rich golden colour and firm fleshed, perfect for tinning but rarely sold for eating these days." Andrew Buchanan of Brisbane suggests that while white peaches cannot be commercially canned, if you "dig out the old Fowlers Vacola preserving equipment" you could "bottle some firm white peaches yourself".

"What about the special ticks (C8) of left handers?" asks Bruce Roberts of Windeyer. "Back ticks: very distinctive!"

This one's got legs. George Manojlovic of Mangerton was "reminded of a Herald headline during the Rudd years: 'China gives Rudd big tick' (C8). I still have no idea what he wanted with a giant arachnid."

A classic country driving tale. Trish Fraser of Balgowlah relates that her husband Bryce was taught to drive by his father in Stanthorpe in 1932. He was seven. At the age of 12, Bryce was handed the keys to take his pals to Scouts. He was spotted by a senior police officer, who asked Bryce's father: "Was that your boy I saw driving the other night?" "Yes," replied Bryce's father, "he's a very good driver." The reply: "Well just tell him to steer clear of the main street."

To close the discussion of the somewhat relaxed ways of obtaining drivers' licences (C8) in the past, Sue Bradley of Eltham recalls that in her youth she booked her motorcycle licence test in Eltham, which was more than 20 kilometres from where she was living in Carlton. Arriving at the small police station, she was told to "go down the hill, chuck a U-ie in a carpark, and come back". That was the licence test. "The kind police officer testing me said that the real licence test was getting to Eltham from Carlton in one piece, which proved I could ride my beloved 250cc Suzuki."A motorcyclist's leg has been severed above the knee in a horror crash on the Gold Coast on Sunday morning.

Emergency services were called to Elysium Road in Carrara, near exit 75 off the M1, just before 8am after the single-vehicle crash.

The crash scene off the M1 in Carrara. Credit:Isabelle Mullen - Nine News Gold Coast

A Queensland Ambulance Service spokesman said the rider, who police have identified as a 38-year-old man, had his right leg severed "above the knee".

The QAS spokesman said it took paramedics "a long time" to stabilise the victim at the scene, before he was taken to Gold Coast University Hospital in a critical condition.An 88-page document has been issued to 15,000 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games volunteers recommending they don't take selfies with athletes, don't ask for autographs and also suggests some "general words" which can be used in "uncomfortable situations".

Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington labelled the handbook as "political correctness gone mad" and "leftie overreach", but Commonwealth Games organisers insist the contents are only guidelines and that it was in response to questions from volunteers.

Cameron McEvoy arrives with the Queen's baton alongside Commonwealth Games mascot Borobi. Credit:AAP/Glenn Hunt

Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation chief executive Mark Peters said the guidelines were issued to help volunteers because 70 different countries would be arriving on the Gold Coast, which could present some cultural challenges.

As you would appreciate, we have a number of (volunteers) with different backgrounds and we have athletes, officials and spectators from 70 different countries coming here to experience what is great about the Gold Coast," he said.Saptari cold wave death toll reaches 15

The death toll from cold wave in Saptari district has climbed to 15 after six more people, including a seven month old infant, died within the last 24 hours.Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House is already dominating the charts on Amazon but the book, which documents explosive details from within US President Donald Trump's White House, has not yet reached Australian stores.

Written by Michael Wolff, the book has made outrageous claims about the first year in the Trump White House.

Fire and Fury will be on sale in Queensland from Tuesday. Credit:AP

Trump has fired back at the book tweeting. "Michael Wolff is a total loser who made up stories in order to sell this really boring and untruthful book."

The book hit the stands on Friday in the US after the series of angry tweets and legal threats from the President prompted the publisher release it early.Depending on how you look at it, 'The Gorilla Channel Incident' is either a sign of the imminent collapse of critical thought and public discourse or the first great meme of 2018.

For those just catching up: last week, cartoonist Ben Ward posted on Twitter what appeared to be a screenshot of an excerpt from Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, a new book by Michael Wolff.

Even among the various controversial excerpts circulating, which include descriptions of President Donald Trump asking who John Boehner, the former House speaker, was, and promising his wife, Melania, that he wouldn't win the election, this one stood out. It recounted the president supposedly complaining on his first night in the White House that his bedroom television was broken because it didn't have "the gorilla channel", which screened only videos about gorillas.

According to the excerpt, aides hurried to cobble together primate documentaries to create a "makeshift gorilla channel". When Trump bemoaned the lack of gorilla-on-gorilla fighting, they edited the documentaries to include only footage of the animals hitting one another. The president, the passage said, could watch for up to 17 hours a day.Vale de Salgueiro: The Epiphany celebrations in the Portuguese village of Vale de Salgueiro feature a tradition that each year causes an outcry among outsiders: Parents encouraging their children, some as young as five, to smoke cigarettes.

Locals say the practice has been passed down for centuries as part of a celebration of life tied to the Christian Epiphany and the winter solstice - but nobody is sure what it symbolises or exactly why parents buy the packs of cigarettes for their children and encourage them to take part.

Fernando, 6-years-old, smokes a cigarette in the village of Vale de Salgueiro, northern Portugal, during the local celebration. Credit:AP

The two-day celebrations, which start Friday and end Saturday with a Mass, include dancing around bonfires, a piper playing music and an elected "king" who distributes plentiful wine and snacks.

The legal age to purchase tobacco in Portugal is 18, but nothing prohibits parents from giving kids cigarettes, and Portuguese authorities don't intervene to stop the practice.Last May an article in The New York Times asked, "Is Iran a democracy or a dictatorship?" After more than a week of protests in as many as 80 Iranian cities, it's safe to say we have the answer. Again.

So much was apparent from the speed with which the demonstrations, initially about the rising price of eggs, morphed into calls for "death to the dictator". So much was apparent, too, from the force with which the regime cracked down. Real democracies don't live in fear of their own people.

It's too soon to say whether the protests have been stamped out, at least for now. But it's not too soon to start rethinking the way we think about Iran.

For the most part, Western attention focuses on what Iran has  centrifuges, ballistic missiles, enriched uranium  as well as what it does  fund Hezbollah, assist Bashar Assad, arm the Houthis, or imprison the occasional Westerner. Administrations of both parties have spent most of their Iran energies trying to cajole or coerce Tehran to relinquish and desist, without much success.The president's relentlessly appalling xenophobia, Islamophobia and racism invites such comparisons to unsavory regimes. So does his proud assumption of the motto "America First," a slogan with anti-Semitic overtones and Nazi-sympathizing origins. His attacks on the media (even individual journalists) and interference with the FBI and the Justice Department demonstrate disdain not only for commonly accepted ideas of what behaviors are "presidential" but even elementary standards of democratic citizenship.

Others see a more sinister possibility: that he intends to seize on a "Reichstag fire" moment to consolidate his power in a manner reminiscent of authoritarian rulers. (Google Trends search results suggest that US interest in the term "Reichstag fire" peaked in the frenzied first few weeks of the Trump administration.)

The difficulty of finding a plausible rationale for Trump's behavior leads some to conclude that he is irrational - literally unable to control himself. A few observers have speculated that he might be mentally deficient in a clinical sense, suffering from dementia or even a variant of syphilis. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un evoked this position when he described the president as a "mentally deranged dotard." But such armchair diagnoses run far beyond the evidence - including the fact that the president does not suffer the level of impairment required to diagnose a mental disorder.

Yet other instances of the president's freewheeling style seem ill conceived. What master persuader would have recounted his election victory and bashed the media for the umpteenth time in front of a Boy Scout National Jamboree? What strategic calculus informed the president's endorsement of two losing candidates in Alabama's Senate special election? And why spread baseless conspiracy theories about charges such as massive vote fraud in the 2016 election - which he won? In fact, the biggest political "distraction" involving Trump may have been how his lightning-rod-like ability to attract scandals and alienate potential allies made it harder for congressional Republicans to enact their policy agenda.

Yet it seems unlikely that Trump intends to institute a dictatorship. One factor - far from the most important, but overlooked in many Twitter jeremiads - is that he simply seems to be too lazy to do so. Someone who can (as the New York Times reported) routinely spend four to eight hours a day marinating in cable TV news makes for an unlikely candidate to overturn a constitutional order.

Another is that he has little incentive to do so while he is secure in his position and his family is free to profit without fear of reprisal. Were either of those factors to change, the story might be different - and we would have to hope that the institutions that were weak enough to allow Trump to become president would be strong enough to thwart such ambitions.

Seeking hidden plots misses the point. There is no real distinction between the onstage and offstage Trump. He is not acting. The Donald Trump who publicly ranted during campaign rallies about Mexican immigrants and refugees is the same one who, as president, privately ranted on phone calls to the Mexican president and the Australian prime minister about those issues. Even when his staff briefly succeed in getting him to stay on message, he soon flaunts his independence by going "off-script" to reveal that his good behavior was a charade.

He has no ideology besides a half-glimpsed vision of national "greatness." He has no grand strategy, just a profound need to demonstrate that he is a winner, a dealmaker and an influence wielder. And having suffered few consequences of importance to him for his behavior so far in his short political career, he recognizes few limits to his whims. He will ignore his critics and follow the applause he receives for his reckless behavior as far as he can.

The search for meaning in Trumpism reflects the desire of both his supporters and opponents for Trump to be what he is not: profound, larger-than-life, grandiose. The self-evident pettiness of Donald J. Trump defies those aesthetic sensibilities. Recognizing that there is no greater meaning in the man himself may help us address his challenge. Reflecting on how such a small man ever came to occupy such an office may inspire us to prevent a repeat performance.Latest News Two banks slash interest rates, despite widespread rises Big Four subsidiary and customer-owned bank buck market trends with sub-2% fixed rates

ABS stats lay bare major mortgage market shifts Major mortgage market movements as borrowers seek to lock in cheap rates while they still last

For UNSW Business School economics professor Richard Holden, the Australian property market has not learned from the meltdown seen in the US a decade ago.In an opinion piece published on the universitys website, Holden explained some bothering mortgage signs seen in Australia. For one, he said Australian lenders tend to let property owners borrow a lot compared to their incomes. He noted that Australian banks would lend about 25% more for the same income level than with what a major US bank would now lend.Holden added that the structure of loans in Australia is often on the risky side. Citing figures from the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA), 35.4% of home loans are interest-only. This figure has already dropped from above 40% following APRA's cap on the amount of new interest-only loans."Interest-only loans in Australia typically have a five-year horizon and to date have often been refinanced. If this stops then repayments will soar, adding to mortgage stress, delinquencies, and eventually foreclosures," Holden said, noting that in the US, one of the key triggers of the housing meltdown was when five-year adjustable rate mortgages could not be refinanced.Another troubling market Holden indicated is the increasing number of liar loans. To recall, a recent UBS survey found out that around 30% of home loans representing $500 billion could be affected by this trend.However, Holden said the biggest marker of all is the response from lenders to these issues. He took ANZ chief executive Shayne Elliot's statement as an example. In an interview, the ANZ chief said it is not in the banks interest to lend money to people who can't afford to repay."And if it was them lending their own money then I might believe it. But people act differently when they are playing with other people's money. That is the essence of the moral hazard problem," Holden commented. "One of the key lessons from the US experience was how highly correlated the risks on mortgages are. Do Australia's lenders really not get that?"For Holden, this seems to indicate that Australia is freely committing the same mistakes the US market carried out. "People borrow too much and banks let them; there are moral hazard and fraud in mortgage issuances; regulators finally do something  very little and very late," he said.For him, the only silver lining in this situation is the macro-prudential regulation and the improvement in underwriting standards."Even if that is true, we are still left with highly indebted households who have nearly $2 of debt for every $1 of GDP, a raft of interest-only loans that will soon involve principal repayments, and stagnant wage growth. Having lived in the US during the mortgage meltdown I'm sorry to say that I've seen this movie before. The question is: why haven't our bankers," he said.Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact.

Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here.

Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing.

You are our people. You Care. We Care2.SC reinstates Dr Sharma as IoM dean with 4 days left in his tenure

The Supreme Court on Sunday reinstated Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) Dr Shasi Sharma to the post of Dean of the Institute of Medicine (IoM).The Delhi University (DU) has released an official employment notification calling out for aspirants to the recruitment of various non-teaching posts in College of Vocational Studies. Interested candidates can check out the complete details of the recruitment like the various posts, salary scale, eligibility and more here. The registration process begins from January 13 only. For now, the link to download the application form is enabled to send it through post. The online application link will be valid only from Jan 13 and will be open till January 29.

Delhi University Recruitment 2018 Vacancy details

Post Details

Name Of The Post Number Of Vacancies Librarian 1 Section Officer (A/c) 1 Senior Personal Assistant (deputation only) 1 Senior Technical Assistant 1 Professional Assistant 1 Senior Assistant 1 Semi Professional Assistant 1 Assistant 2 Junior Assistant cum Typist 6 MTS (Library) 2 MTS (Computer) 1

Eligibility for Non-Teaching Staff Recruitment in Delhi University

Post Educational Requirement Librarian The candidates must have a degree in library science and information science/documentation science or an equivalent professional degree with at least 55 per cent marks (or an equivalent grade in a point scale wherever grading system is followed). He or she should have a consistently good academic record with knowledge of computerisation.

Qualification in UGC NET Section Officer The candidates must have a UG degree with minimum 50 per cent marks or PG degree with minimum 50 per cent marks, and should be holding diploma/certificate of minimum 6 months duration in computer application/office management/secretarial practice/financial management/accounts or equivalent discipline or

UG degree with minimum 50 per cent marks in computer application/office management/secretarial practice /financial management/accounts or equivalent discipline from a recognised university.

Minimum 6 years of administrative experience is mandatory Senior Personal Assistant The candidates must have a bachelor's degree from a recognised university along with relevant experience. Senior Technical Assistant The candidates must have a MCA or MSc (computer science/IT) degree from a recognised university/institute with one year experience or BTech/BE (computer science/information technology/ ECE) or equivalent degree with one year experience in relevant area. Professional Assistant (Library) The candidates must have a MLib Sc/ MLISc degree or equivalent with 50 per cent marks

or

Must have a PG degree in arts/science/commerce or any other discipline with 50 per cent and BLib Sc/ BLISc with 50 per cent marks.

Senior Assistant The candidates must have a UG degree with minimum 50 per cent marks or post graduates with minimum 50 per cent marks from a recognised university in any discipline with working knowledge of computers, and diploma/certificate of minimum 6 months duration in computer application/office management/secretarial practice/financial management/accounts or equivalent discipline

or

The candidates must have a UG degree with minimum 50 per cent marks in computer application/office management/secretarial practice/ financial management/accounts or equivalent discipline from a recognised university.

Semi Professional Assistant (Library) The candidates must have UG degree in arts/science/commerce or any other discipline or any other higher qualification with 50 per cent marks. They should have pursued BLib Sc/BLISc with 50 per cent marks. Assistant The candidates must have a UG degree from a recognised university in any discipline with working knowledge of computers and should possess diploma/certificate of minimum 6 months duration in computer application/office management/secretarial practice/financial management/accounts or equivalent discipline

or

The candidates must have UG degree in computer application/office management/secretarial practice/financial management/accounts or equivalent discipline from a recognised university

Junior Assistant The candidates must have a senior secondary school certificate (+2) or its equivalent qualification from a recognised board/university/institution with at least 50 per cent marks or should be graduates from a recognised university. They should possess diploma/certificate of minimum 6 months duration in computer application/office management/secretarial practice/financial management/accounts or equivalent discipline

or

UG degree in computer application/office management/secretarial practice/financial management/accounts or equivalent discipline from a recognised university.

They should also be having a typing speed of 40 wpm in English or 30 wpm in Hindi typewriting through computers.

Library Attendant (MTS) The candidates must have completed class 10 or equivalent examination from any state education board or government recognised institution. They should be holding a certificate in library science/library and information science from a recognised institution. Computer Attendant (MTS) The candidates must have passed class 10 or equivalent examination from any state education board or government recognised institution. They should be holding a certificate in computer science/application from a recognised institution.

Also Read: BHEL Recruitment 2018 for Supervisor and Executive Posts

Salary Scale

Librarian Rs 15600 to Rs 39100 plus gradepay Rs 6000 Section Officer (A/C) Rs 9300 to Rs 34800 plus gradepay Rs 4600 Senior Personal Assistant Rs 9300 to Rs 34800 plus gradepay Rs 4600 Senior Technical Assistant Rs 9300 to Rs 34800 plus gradepay Rs 4200 Professional Assistant Rs 9300 to Rs 34800 plus gradepay Rs 4200

Senior Assistant Rs 9300 to Rs 34800 plus gradepay Rs 4200

Semi Professional Assistant Rs 5200 to Rs Rs 20200 plus gradepay Rs 2800 Assistant Rs 5200 to Rs Rs 20200 plus gradepay Rs 2400 Junior Assistant cum Typist Rs 5200 to Rs Rs 20200 plus gradepay Rs 1900

MTS (Library) Rs 5200 to Rs Rs 20200 plus gradepay Rs 1800

MTS (Computer) Rs 5200 to Rs Rs 20200 plus gradepay Rs 1800

Selection procedure

Candidates will be selected based on their performance in written exam

How to apply for Delhi University Recruitment?

In order to apply for Delhi University Recruitment, follow the steps given here:

Step 1 Log on to the Delhi University official website Step 2 Under the Recruitment tab on the homepage, choose the Non-teaching option Step 3 A link of links will be displayed under Non-Teaching staff. Look for the relevant link. Step 4 Scroll down to find the Apply online for Non-Teaching Post link once the application date is over Step 5 If you want to apply offline through post, click on the link that reads Application form for non-teahing posts Step 6 Application form will be displayed on a new page. Take a print out of it and fill it offline

India Post Recruitment 2018 For Multi Tasking Staff Post: Apply Now!Photo: File Photo

The value of single-family homes in the Okanagan skyrocketed in 2017, and one economist said the demand is being fuelled by investors.

Ross Hickey, assistant professor of economics at UBC Okanagan, said much of the upward pressure on prices comes from people looking to retire and people looking to buy recreational properties.

"That's a little bit different than what's driving the demand in the Vancouver market, but we're feeding off of that demand as well."

Updated home values put out by BC Assessment last week showed a year-over-year average increase of about 16 per cent in Kelowna and Penticton, and 11 per cent in Vernon.

"What's driving the assessments is the value of recent sales. BC Assessment uses a fiscal model that relies on new information about improvements to properties," Hickey said.

"But also if other houses on your street were sold for a higher price than they were previously assessed at, that's going to increase the assessed value  not only for the properties that are sold, but also for other properties in the neighbourhood that are comparable."

Hickey doesn't think the current rate of increases is sustainable, but he expects it to persist for a while longer, based on the current buying attraction for people from larger metropolitan areas like Vancouver and Calgary.

"This demand, it's not based on the fundamental liveability of the communities."

But in terms of a "bubble bursting" for real estate, Hickey said that likely wouldn't happen here on its own.

As he noted how people from larger areas are helping fuel the increased property values in the Okanagan, he said it would take a bubble bursting in one of those bigger areas for a trickle effect to occur.

"If we see a dramatic reduction in the value of properties in Vancouver, I suspect we'd see the Kelowna market's bubble burst pretty rapidly as well."

Hickey added while the increased property assessments may look alarming, he said it would sting more if those values went the other direction.

"Imagine if we saw a 17 per cent decrease in assessed values... People would be screaming like crazy. It cuts both ways."US exit from Afghanistan It may be an indication that United State They don't want to be what they used...Sumargi files defamation case against Kantipur Publications

Ajeya Raj Sumargi has filed a defamation case at Kathmandu District Court against Kantipur Publications stating that the news articles published by Kantipur Daily on his properties have defamed him.The other way around

With the right policies, Nepal can be turned into a destination for foreign studentsIranian citizens are rising up against their oppressive Shiite government. They shout, Death to the Dictator! while enduring tear gas, water cannons, arrestand death.

The demonstrations initially had to do with the sagging economy, high unemployment, and the increased cost of basic foods. As one protester quoted in the Washington Post said, When we dont have bread to eat, we are not afraid of anything.

But these protests may have evolved into an open rebellion against Irans Islamic leadership itself.

The outcome of these protests of course will have enormous implications for the Middle East and for U. S. foreign policy. The Iranian government is a staunch ally of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, supports Hezbollah, the Shiite terrorist group and arch-enemy of Israel, and is fomenting unrest (and thats putting it mildly) throughout the Middle East.

And no doubt youve heard about the Iranian governments pursuit of nuclear weapons.

But theres another reason Americansand especially American Christianshould be following events there: the growth of Christianity in Iran.

In the online journal The Stream, my friend Michael Brown writes that Iranian converts, Christian leaders, and missiologists all tell him the same thing: Iranian Muslims are converting to Christianity at an unprecedented pace. Indeed, according to the Iranian Christian News Agency, Islamic clerics are alarmed at the growing number of Iranian youth who are abandoning Islam, converting to Christianity, and joining house churches. That despite the enormous risks of conversion in a country that openly suppresses the Christian faith.

The news comes as no surprise to Reza Safa, a Muslim convert to Christianity and the author of The Coming Fall of Islam in Iran. Safa, who now lives in the U.S., notes on his website that Despite severe persecution by the Iranian government against underground churches, Gods Word is spreading like a wildfire all over Iran.

Thats exciting news. And the protests against the regime raging across Iran may be a sign of hope for Christians, according to Iranian journalist and Christian convert Sohrab Amari. Amari told the Catholic News Agency that the Iranians who are pouring into the streets have had it with an ideological regime that represses them. Many are even chanting nostalgic slogans about pre-revolutionary Irana time when religious minorities like Christians, Jews, and Bahais could live well enough alongside their Islamic neighbors.

The outcome of the protests remains to be seen. Will they lead to more freedoms, or to even worse repressions?

And as the number of conversions continues to rise, will the government target churches even more fiercely, or will those who have tasted the freedom to become children of God through Jesus Christ act as leaven in Iranian society, inspiring more people to seek freedom from their authoritarian overlords?

We dont have to look far back in history to see epoch-shaking movements of Gods people. As Chuck Colson documented masterfully in his book Being the Body, the fall of communism in Poland, in Romania, and throughout eastern Europe was fueled by Christian faithand the human desire for freedom kindled by that faith.

At one time, those of us old enough to remember the Cold War couldnt have imagined the demise of European communism. But it happened. The fall of an authoritarian Islamist regime should not be beyond our hopes and prayers.

So please, join me in prayer for our brethren in Iranfor safety, for wisdom, and for the conversion of many more to freedom in Jesus Christ.

BreakPoint is a Christian worldview ministry that seeks to build and resource a movement of Christians committed to living and defending Christian worldview in all areas of life. Begun by Chuck Colson in 1991 as a daily radio broadcast, BreakPoint provides a Christian perspective on todays news and trends via radio, interactive media, and print. Today BreakPoint commentaries, co-hosted by Eric Metaxas and John Stonestreet, air daily on more than 1,200 outlets with an estimated weekly listening audience of eight million people. Feel free to contact us at BreakPoint.org where you can read and search answers to common questions.

Eric Metaxas is a co-host of BreakPoint Radio and a best-selling author whose biographies, children's books, and popular apologetics have been translated into more than a dozen languages.

Photo courtesy: Thinkstock/silverjohn

Publication date: January 5, 2018In 2020, we were the church on our heels. A global pandemic shut down much of our world. But the church has been on the move since it was birthed; it will continue to be on the move until God makes all things new.Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment

1. The Old Testament is profitable for Christians today. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work."Not only is ALL Scripture (Old Testament and New Testament) the very voice of God speaking to us, but Paul says that it is also ALL profitable for our growth and maturity. Without both the Old and New Testaments, we are ill-equipped to walk in the good works that God has called us to do.

2. We cannot understand the New Testament apart from knowing the Old Testament.The book of Hebrews demonstrates this truth better than any other New Testament book that I can think of. For example, in chapter 11, the writer presents various Old Testament saints in a beautiful, encouraging chapter that we call "The Hall of Faith." The stories of the men and women listed in The Hall of Faith are found only in the Old Testament. The power of this chapter, and much of the rest of the New Testament, loses its might apart from our knowing the Old Testament.

3. The Old Testament drips with symbolism and realities of Christ.Jesus is present from the very first chapter of the Bible (Genesis 1:26). When Jesus wanted to reveal himself as the risen Christ, "beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself." The "Scriptures" at that time that Jesus used to tell of Himself consisted only of the Old Testament. In John 5:39, referring to the Old Testament, Jesus said about the Scriptures, "It is they that bear witness about me." As we begin to delve into the Old Testament, we not only see Christ in a few cameo appearances, but we will begin to see Him on every page.

4. We cannot adequately understand and share the gospel apart from knowing the Old Testament.This may be the most crucial reason why we need to read and understand the Old Testament. The Bible is a story of redemption, but if we only read and cherish part of the story, we will never fully grasp the whole thing. We need to step back and see the big picture, and we can only do that by reading all of the chapters in the story.

Right after Adam and Eve distrusted and disobeyed God, God promised that one day He would send a Savior to rescue them and their descendants from the consequences of sin (Genesis 3:15). From that point on, the glorious story of mercy begins down the long road to Calvary's grace. As we see Jesus on every page, we trace that scarlet thread of redemption throughout the entire Bible, and our understanding of the gospel grows and our faith is strengthened.

5. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.There is no such thing as a "God of the Old Testament" that is different from the "God of the New Testament." Praise the Lord, He never changes! It is important for us to see certain aspects of God's judgment and anger in the Old Testament so that we worship God for who He really is. He is a God who judges sin and who will someday destroy the world with fire.

Peter tells us that, by remembering God's past judgment on the world (The Flood in Genesis 6-8), we understand that there is a future judgment coming. Knowing God in this way affects how we live as Christians, as Peter writes: "Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God... Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace" (2 Peter 3:11, 14).

6. The Old Testament was written that we might have hope.Paul says that "whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope" (Romans 15:4). There are so many ways that we can have hope through the Old Testament, but here are two ways that I trust will encourage you:

Prophecy. I hear so many people shrug off prophetic books, saying things like, "It'll all pan out in the end!" or "God says no one knows the day or the hour, so we're not supposed to understand these things," or "I don't want to reduce God down to a bunch of end-times charts and graphs." Friends!, over 25% of the Bible is prophetic in nature! That 25% of God's word is profitable for us. When we read prophecies in the Old Testament that have already been fulfilled (i.e., prophecies fulfilled during the 70 year captivity, or fulfilled at Jesus' first coming, etc.), our faith and confidence grows that ALL the promises of God are yes! He will fulfill every single one, and so we read prophecy and rest in His sovereignty over the future.

I hear so many people shrug off prophetic books, saying things like, "It'll all pan out in the end!" or "God says no one knows the day or the hour, so we're not supposed to understand these things," or "I don't want to reduce God down to a bunch of end-times charts and graphs." Friends!, over 25% of the Bible is prophetic in nature! That 25% of God's word is profitable for us. When we read prophecies in the Old Testament that have already been fulfilled (i.e., prophecies fulfilled during the 70 year captivity, or fulfilled at Jesus' first coming, etc.), our faith and confidence grows that ALL the promises of God are yes! He will fulfill every single one, and so we read prophecy and rest in His sovereignty over the future. The Law. Have you ever gotten bogged down in the books of Numbers or Leviticus? I know I do! But the glory of these books is Christ Jesus. Have you ever wished you were an ancient Israelite and could live under such strict laws about morality and sacrifice? No, we long for freedom! And that freedom is found in Jesus. Galatians 3:24 says that the Law is our schoolmaster, our teacher, to bring us to Christ, in order that we may be justified by faith. So we read the hard, long books of the Old Testament, rejoicing that Jesus satisfied the requirements of the Law.

I encourage you to mine the riches of the Old Testament! It can be hard work, but with every chapter, look for Jesus, rejoice in the gospel, rest in God's power and sovereignty, and praise God that Jesus kept the whole Law perfectly in your place. His righteousness is credited to the account of all who put their faith in Him.

Amanda is married to husband Jody and mom to 2 little ones. Her hope is to encourage other women to see the beauty of Christ in His word so that we will learn to rest in the gospel in our daily lives. Find her online at http://www.blessyourheartandhome.com/High school janitor stocked closet with food and clothes to help needy students

High school janitor Carolyn Collins is not the kind of person who would let a child in need pass by without offering to help.

Collins, who works at Tucker High School in Georgia, lost her son after he was murdered in a home invasion robbery. Because of this tragedy, she became determined not to let any child fall under the trap of crime.

Her humanitarian spirit kicked in three years ago after a couple of students approached her for help, according to Faith Wire. They told her they had nowhere to go, and despite having minimal resources, Collins decided to help them.

She later came up with the idea of transforming one of school's closets into a supply room, which she filled to the brim with food, clothing, and other resources students might need. Now, her brainstorm supports around 30 kids a year.

"These are our babies. They want to learn, and some of them are sleeping in cars, some of them are sleeping in hotels, and I just want to take care of them," Collins told 11 Alive. "I'm just trying to stop our young boys from stealing and killing. They are homeless, and they are crying out for help and love. I'm trying to give them all they need in this closet, so they don't have to go out and try to steal or take from anyone."

Collins does not only wait for the students to come to her for help, since she keeps her eye out for the ones who are hiding their abuse or neglect. She even enlisted some of the teachers to spot kids whose families are down on their luck.

"I tell the teachers a lot, if you see a child always with their head down, with the same clothes on day after day, let me know!" she said.

Collins buys all the stuff in the closet with her own money, which is a huge sacrifice. But a lot of people are now offering to help since her story is being shared more. And for the janitor, helping the kids out has its own rewards. "I'm doing something for the kids every day. It is part of my job," she said.John McMullan, who was first elected to The Woodlands Township Board of Directors in 2013, is the second most tenured member of the board. He serves as vice chairman of the board and also serves on the Ad Hoc Economic Development Committee and the Audit Committee. His current term on the township board is up in 2019.

An attorney with Winstead P.C. in The Woodlands, McMullan was previously a shareholder in the Global Energy and Infrastructure practice group of the international law firm Greenberg Traurig. According to his township bio, McMullan has considerable deal-making and contract negotiation experience in the energy market.

He holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a B.B.A. in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin. He and his wife, Kim, have lived in The Woodlands since 2008. They have four children.

McMullan sat down with The Villager for this week's Sunday conversation, where he offered his views on life in The Woodlands and shared his ideas on possible incorporation, the recent flooding and other matters.

Question: What makes The Woodlands a special community?

McMullan: So much was done right in the development of the Woodlands. It was a tremendously insightful thing that Mr. Mitchell did, not building homes, immediately off the freeway. And partly because of that foresight, we have this thriving business community here that helps to keep our taxes lower. And, many of us are able to work up here. This is the greater Houston area. It's more and more populated, it's taking much, much longer to get from point A to point B. Having these jobs, having these businesses here, is a real boon to our area. It's a unique thing that separates us from other parts, other portions of greater Houston

Question: How did you end up living in The Woodlands?

McMullan: My family moved to the Houston area in 1979, Bear Creek, right by, adjacent to Addicks Reservoir. Those homes got five, six feet, seven feet of water in them. [I] Went to Bear Creek High School, left for college and law school, but other than that, I knew I was coming home to Houston. When my wife and I married and we were without children, we lived just off Memorial Park, and we bought our first home in Fall Creek.

Fall Creek had envisioned itself as trying to become a little Woodlands, with many of the amenities we enjoy here. My wife and I watched the whole character of that neighborhood change when crime came. At the time my wife were both working downtown. The commute from The Woodlands to downtown was much, much worse than it was to Fall Creek.

We wanted to live somewhere, we wanted to raise our children somewhere where it was [safer]. We watched crime change the whole character of that community. That's a lot of the reason why I ran for office. When you see something, when you see a master planned community like that. It's one thing to be interested in public cause, you just study it to be a well informed person. It's another thing to live it and see some place where you have bought your first home and you saw the value of of those home prices rapidly decline. People who had the means to do so left that neighborhood. It was because of crime. I mean the commute from downtown Houston from there is much, much better than it is here in The Woodlands.

So that's part of my job. The Woodlands was wonderful place before I got here. And what I'm trying to do is serve with some humility, some decency and try to assure that when I am done serving The Woodlands that this remains a wonderful place to live.

Question: How did you enter local politics?

McMullan: You go to law school, you tend to be interested in government and public policy. What was appealing about serving the township, and is appealing, I can keep my job and still serve and make a difference. The township board has a lot of very capable, qualified people. I think if these were full-time paid positions I don't think you'd see some of us on that board because I've got to make a living, raising four children. What's wonderful about this is you can see the impact you have and it's rewarding. You try to make things better closer to your home without sacrificing your whole career path and becoming an actual politician.

Question: Do you have any long term political ambitions?

McMullan: If you had asked me 10 years ago I would have said "Yes." I've had people, an increasing number of people, asking me to run for greater office. I think that is unlikely to happen. I would do a better job [than professional politicians]. I have no doubt about it, but that's a difficult life for a family, particularly when you have four children, our youngest of whom just turned two. What I would like to do, I would like to find some candidates that I'm really excited about and support them, raise money for them and have them do that. It's a challenge because a lot of time the people that you want to be governed by look at the exact same incentives that I'm faced with and say, "You know I have a limited amount of time on this earth." That's a lot ask. So, you never say "Never" but I think it is far more likely that I will publicly support and raise money for candidates that I think are good and decent people.

Question: What do you think about the future of The Woodlands, including incorporation?

McMullan: A way to frame this is that we all paid a premium to live in The Woodlands. That's just a fact. To a real extent The Woodlands is not governed by the township board, but is governed by Montgomery County and in the case of Creekside, by Harris County. And I have stated many times publicly that the Montgomery County Commissioners Court is hostile to The Woodlands. So, our choice thus far is not to receive good government from Montgomery County, good thoughtful government that recognizes the things that makes The Woodlands unique. That option has not presented itself. These are easily very verifiable facts. In May of 2015 Montgomery County Commissioners Court unanimously voted to include The Woodlands Parkway extension on the May 2015 road bond. They asked our residents to pay for the privilege of making their traffic worse. That was absurd. That was absurd to include The Woodlands Parkway on that bond. And as badly as our area needs infrastructure, that bond failed because of their stubborness. And what to they do in the immediate aftermath? They voted themselves a 10 percent pay increase. This happened right as oil prices are collapsing. People are losing their jobs, these guys botch the May 2015 road bond and then they vote themselves a 10 percent pay increase. I think in the interest of full disclosure and accuracy, I guess some folks put some pressure on these guys and I think they eventually rescinded a good chunk of that increase.

That really shows you something. Montgomery County does not view The Woodlands as a partner. Montgomery County views The Woodlands as its piggy bank. It is the job of our board for people to stand up and protect our quality of living. This is not personal, but these guys, the Montgomery County Commissioners Court, their record is one of hostility towards The Woodlands.

Question: Any thoughts on the recent flooding?

McMullan: Wherever you sit on the political spectrum I think you should support flood infrastructure that will mitigate the impacts of future flooding in this area. The Chronicle put out a spectacular series, I think in article seven of the series, made a point that there is a window where you can get things accomplished politically. The floodwaters do not care if the homeowner is a liberal Democrat or a conservative Republican. What we need is, we need our federal and state legislators to authorize the money to, one, buy out the homes that frequently flood. And two, fund infrastructure to mitigate future funding. If they don't do that they should be replaced.

This is there job. And look what our board recently did. We hired an engineering firm. Now I'm not a drainage expert, or a flood engineer, hydrology engineer, so I'm not going to prescribe what the precise flood infrastructure that should be built. But this is a matter of political will. We get the government, we demand it. The legislatura, federal and state, need to, they need to fund these projects. That's their job.

Question: Anything else you would like to add?

McMullan: This term [township board term] I think this is a vitally important two-year term. In yesterday's [board of directors] meeting in a lot of ways framed up the next two years. We're going to try to answer, we're going to answer, what it costs for The Woodlands to become a city. We're going to answer what are the benefits, what will change when we become a city and what it's going to cost. And it's not up to the township board to decide if we become a city. We can vote to call an election, but it's up to the citizens of The Woodlands. That's a good thing.

Question: Is that part of the process? Will you call for an election, will the residents be able to vote on it?\

McMullan: I'm going to vote on an incorporation election at the first moment when I believe the benefits of doing so exceed the costs. We can't lose sight of the fact that is not just a quantitative analysis. How do you value the future harm the Montgomery County Commissioners is going to try to foist on us. Reasonable people will ascribe different values to that. But I think the point of going through this study process, the study is going to take about a year, is so that we can, with the light of day, tell the public, "This is what we believe changes. We believe these are the benefits. Our estimate of the cost is this." I think everybody board member, every resident of The Woodlands, if you call an incorporation election, has got to make that decision.Although most people list public speaking before large groups as one of their fears, the people in one local club see it as an opportunity.

Sara Cardiel, president of Woodlands Toastmasters that meets every Friday, said she enjoys the organization immensely because of the people who are in it.

"I just love the people. It is a community, and when you tap into that community of amazing people you get amazing things," she said.

Toastmasters International is a global organization made up of public speaking clubs. The Woodlands Toastmasters club will be celebrating its 30th anniversary in June.

"Toastmasters is a public speaking and leadership group focusing on how to improve communication and leadership skills," Cardiel explained.

The club's members follow a simple approach: at each meeting, two to four members will give a speech. Each speaker has their own evaluator who speaks at the end and gives an evaluation of the strong points a person has and some skills that need improvement. This system helps individuals to identify areas that need more work than others and can polish those areas in their next speech. The group encourages members by giving support and constructive criticism so that each person can conquer their fear of public speaking.

A club member for five years, Cardiel said she had just finished a master's degree program and gone into the workforce when she realized that she needed to work on her communication skills. At the suggestion of her husband, she attended a Toastmasters meeting.

"I went and they welcomed me with open arms. The next thing I knew I was sergeant at arms, which is the person who lugs things around and sets everything up (for each meeting), and then I was committed because I had to be there to set up the room each Friday," Cardiel laughed.

Cardiel is an instructional designer in Bellaire. She has two children-an eighth-grader and a sixth-grader-who she is also trying to get involved in public speaking. They have both joined a Gavel Club, a youth organization that focuses on developing public speaking skills.

Cardiel said she is excited that her sons are involved in the club because it will help them in the future.

Balancing work life, family life and her responsibilities to Woodlands Toastmasters doesn't present much of a challenge for Cardiel.

"I'm a good multi-tasker. I'm just really passionate about this organization. After being in a club for five years, I've had time to build up that experience and understand what needs to happen from week to week to make sure we have a successful meeting," she said.

What makes The Woodlands club unique, Cardiel noted, is that there are a lot of tenured members, or people who have been in the club since it started in 1988. The club also has a very diverse membership with members from Brazil, Australia and Texas who come from a wide range of backgrounds, careers and ages.

"You just walk in, people embrace you with a warm welcome. It's a super supportive environment. In this day and age people judge, criticize," she said. "To be in this kind of environment being supported, especially while you're doing something as vulnerable as public speaking, it's pretty amazing."

Toastmasters International has several clubs in the area, including one that meets on Market Street. To learn more about Woodlands Toastmasters and other Toastmaster groups in the area, go to www.toastmasters.org/find-a-club.

- Patricia Dillon is a features reporter for The Woodlands Villager. Contact her by phone at 713-362-4433 or on Twitter: @Dillon_Villager.Cat people, even a few people who would like to believe they are cats, strutted through the George R. Brown Convention Center in faux ears, detachable tails and cat-themed clothing worthy of a feline's curious stare.

The Houston Cat Club hosted its 65th annual charity show on Saturday featuring regional and national breed judging, an agility contest, pet supply sales and for the first time, a "Meet the Breed" booth where guests could learn about the origins and unique traits of more than 40 show breeds.

"This is my happy place," said Sarah Bailey, 12. "So long as there are cats all around me, I'm good."

PHOTOS: Cats who clearly don't understand why they're at the cat show

Within a few minutes of arriving with her mother Susan, Bailey purchased four books in a series on a cat with anxiety.

She cooed at an American Shorthair kitten as her tied on cat tail swished behind her.

All around, Siamese cat yowls, phone camera clicks and gasps at adorableness traveled through the air. Yet the volume in the center's Hall A was kept to a low hush all morning in an effort to keep from spooking any particularly wound-up cats, said show manager and cat club president Becky Galloway.

A fourth-generation Texan, Galloway has been breeding and showing cats since 1983. What started as a side hobby turned into a full blown commitment as her Maine Coon cats started reaping awards coast to coast.

She spent nearly every weekend of 2016 through April 30th traveling to shows, spending on first-class airfare, hotel rooms for herself and her felines, registration fees and equipment. One of the most notable perks of it all has been connecting with fellow breeders and competitors who become close friends.

"It's a hobby with a social aspect," she said.

Her pride and joy is named Crockett. Weighing in at 20 pounds and born on Texas Independence Day, the red-tabby- and white-colored Maine Coon was ranked 20th best cat in the nation in 2016 and best of his breed.

On Saturday, Crockett took to the sidelines as his nephew, Roland claimed the spotlight. A 4-month-old kitten weighing 8 pounds, Roland won best in breed twice at his first show that morning.

After lunch, it was time for the final round of kitten judging. Galloway held her breath, glancing over at the judge while also texting fellow show staff instructions on how to handle the line forming outside for entry.

The judge, Don Williams, former president of the national Cat Fanciers' Association, scooped Roland out of his cage, stretching him out to full length.

"Gorgeous condition," Williams concluded.

Roland placed 10th among the 46 kittens. A good run for his first time, Galloway said.

Just a few feet away, another first timer was giving it his all for a literal run.

Riverspots Jungle Boogaloo, a 4-month-old Ocicat, leaped over wooden stairs, twisted and turned through poles and scampered through plastic neon green tunnels at the agility course.

A crowd whispered cheers as the kitten did his best to reach the horsehair toy his owner dangled before him. He halted at the four-bar hurdle. The audience grew silent. During his first three tries, Boogaloo had failed to jump over, opting to run around it instead.

One tentative paw reached out at the top bar, followed by another. The next moment, his whole body flew over and across. The crowd erupted into soft claps.

At the opposite end of the hall, another celebration took place.

Noel, the calico kitten, was about to go home with her new forever mother.

Proceeds of the two-day cat show go to local animal welfare groups, with some offering adoptions on site. Nancy Kline, a foster mom for Homeless and Orphaned Pet Endeavor, burst into tears of joy as she greeted Baytown resident Tina Burton.

When Burton first laid eyes on Noel, she knew the kitten would be the best fit for her family after they lost their 7-year-old cat in Hurricane Harvey.

"I just want to say thank you," a tearful Kline said to Burton. "She's such a good kitty, you're going to love her."

"Thank you, I knew I had to have her," replied an equally tearful Burton.

While Burton finished filling out the necessary paperwork, Kline scooped Noel out of her cage.

"You be good OK?" she whispered to the kitten.

Snuggled in her foster mom's arms for the last time, Noel rubbed her head against Kline's cheek.Three die while warming themselves in bonfire

Three people have lost their lives after catching fire while warming themselves up in bonfire in southern plains.Source: TSA

Note to air passengers: Along with the list of prohibited items federal officials say you should never fly with, remember to leave things like inert grenades and throwing stars at home. Loaded guns, explosives and illegal narcotics are at the top of the list that the Transportation Security Administration asks travelers not to pack in their checked or carry-on bags. However, the TSA still encounters those items  and lots more  in passengers' luggage each year. The agency documents many of the odd and offbeat items on its blog and Instagram feed throughout the year, and this week released a top 10 list of verboten items it found in 2017. In a YouTube video, TSA's bearded, bespectacled "Blogger Bob" Burns ticks off the "best of" list of forbidden items in a countdown format.

No. 10 is an intimidating "face tenderizer" found in a carry-on bag at Buffalo-Niagara International Airport (BUF) in New York, which resembled a set of brass knuckles with a spiked facade used to tenderize meat. Continuing down the list, inert grenades were found tucked into a pair of sneakers in a checked bag at Milwaukee's General Mitchell International Airport; and then a menacing-looking pointed fidget spinner spotted in a carry-on bag at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport in Georgia. Also on the list: A small sculpture made with inert grenades, a throwing star, a scythe, "Satan's" pizza cutter, a bone knife and an umbrella that looks exactly like a rifle. Topping the list was festively wrapped narcotics found in a checked bag at Los Angeles International Airport.

Source: TSAThe U.S. military is a launching a new mission this year, one that aims to ensure more of those who serve are also saving for their financial future. Pentagon officials are calling the move the biggest update to the military's pension and benefits since World War II. The dramatic changes to its retirement system will impact millions of current and future service members. Military service has long brought with it a highly valued pension for members of the armed forces, who have made their careers in the U.S. Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy and Coast Guard. Until this year, all military members could potentially receive a guaranteed pension of at least 50 percent of their base pay for life. But to earn it, they must serve for at least 20 years. Most never stay that long. "Today people move from job to job and they need a retirement benefit that they can take with them," said Jeri Busch, director of military compensation policy for the U.S. Department of Defense.

Modernizing the system

Busch, who served for 22 years in the U.S. Navy, said the new retirement program will help jump start many members' long-term savings. She said it is also "a key step in recruiting and maintaining the talent we need to ensure military readiness." The new retirement program  called the "Blended Retirement System" or "BRS"  combines a traditional pension with a defined contribution plan, similar to a private sector 401(k) plan. As of Jan. 1, service members entering the military will automatically be enrolled in the new BRS program. Those who have served 12 years or more as of Dec. 31, 2017 will remain in the old legacy retirement plan, earning that guaranteed pension.

Facing a big decision

Meanwhile, about 1.6 million current active duty, Reserve and National Guard members have a big decision to make. By the end of this year, those who have served in the military less than 12 years must choose whether to opt into the BRS program, or remain in the legacy plan.

I know the value of a dollar and see it is important to save up for the future. Zachary Beckman Marine Corps reservist

Those who opt in will select how much money they'll contribute to the defined contribution plan, the federal government's Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), which has been offered to civilian government employees for decades. Depending on how much they contribute to the TSP, they can begin receiving matching contributions of up to 5 percent of their pay right away. They'll also still be eligible for a pension under the new system, as long as they reach 20 years of service. However, under the new system, the amount of the payout will be reduced by 20 percent. Pentagon officials say members are encouraged to make up the difference by making contributions to the TSP. For members who join the military on or after Jan. 1, they will get an automatic 1 percent government contribution that will begin 60 days after enrollment. Government matching contributions to the TSP won't begin until after two years of service. That delay of TSP matching contributions doesn't impact those who joined the military before Jan. 1, 2018 and opt in.

Shifting responsibility

While "opting in" requires making a choice that will put more of the responsibility for long-term savings on the members' shoulders, "it starts to cause them to learn how to contribute to their future, their own retirement," said John Bird, senior vice president of military affairs at USAA, a financial services firm that works with about 12 million current and former members of the U.S. military and their families. For some, it may be a tough decision. "If you know for a fact you are going to serve for 20 years then you should stay with the legacy system," said Bird, a retired vice admiral with the U.S. Navy. However, more than 80 percent of military members leave the service before reaching that milestone.

U.S. service members walk off a helicopter on the runway at Camp Bost in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Getty Images

Contributing regularly to a long-term savings account that they can take with them if they go to a new job is a valuable perk, even if their paycheck is a little less. "My strong belief is if they get education and start right away contributing, they won't miss the money," Bird said.

Financial education is key"Michael Wolff is a total loser who made up stories in order to sell this really boring and untruthful book," President Donald Trump says about the author of "Fire and Fury."

He's not the only one to challenge assertions in the tell-all book, which has shaken the White House with accounts and quotes from current and former Trump administration officials.

New York Times White House correspondent Maggie Haberman, and several other journalists and Washington insiders, do as well.

"I believe parts of it, and then there are other parts that are factually wrong," Haberman said Friday on CNN. "He believes in larger truths and narratives. So he creates a narrative that is notionally true, that's conceptually true. The details are often wrong."

In one example, she pointed out that the book says Rupert Murdoch called Trump "a f-----g idiot," but in a column, Wolff quoted Murdoch as saying Trump was "a f-----g moron."

She also noted that Wolff said CNN had published an unsubstantiated dossier compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele about Trump's alleged dealings with Russians. The dossier, however, was actually published by Buzzfeed.com.

"That's ... one fact check away from getting it right," she said.

According to vox.com, the book claims that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's staff had rejected a reconciliation meeting in August on grounds that the senator was getting a haircut. At the time, Trump was furious with McConnell over the Senate's failure to repeal and replace Obamacare.

McConnell's deputy chief of staff, Don Stewart, denied the report on Saturday.

I can confirm: this never happened. Neither the author nor vox bothered to check.

In another error, the book says Washington Post reporter Mark Berman was in the Four Season restaurant the morning Ivanka Trump showed up for breakfast. Berman, however, says he wasn't there.

An update for this thread: Wolff acknowledges mixing up Mark Berman (me) and Mike Berman (not me), apologizes for that error in the book

On Twitter, Trump claimed he "authorized Zero access to White House" for Wolff and "never spoke to him for book."

I authorized Zero access to White House (actually turned him down many times) for author of phony book! I never spoke to him for book. Full of lies, misrepresentations and sources that don't exist. Look at this guy's past and watch what happens to him and Sloppy Steve!

In an interview on NBC's "TODAY" on Friday, Wolff insisted that he had spoken with Trump for the book.

"Whether he realized it was an interview or not, I don't know, but it certainly was not off the record," he said. "My window into Donald Trump is pretty significant."

Wolff also defended the book's accuracy.TUs lingering in seat endorsement jeopardised medicine programme: IoM

The Institute of Medicine (IoM) has said that delay in endorsing allocation of seats to colleges the Tribhuvan University has jeopardised the admission process of its medicine programme.Top Trump aide Stephen Miller was booted off CNN on Sunday, after engaging in testy exchanges with network anchor Jake Tapper over the book "Fire and Fury."

During his appearance, Miller attempted to defend President Donald Trump against explosive claims made in a new book, "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House."

Miller took aim at comments attributed to Stephen Bannon, the former White House chief strategist whose quotes in Michael Wolff's book triggered acrimonious replies from Trump and his supporters. In the book, Bannon was highly critical of a meeting that took place between Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer, calling it "treasonous" and "unpatriotic."

On CNN's "State of the Union," Miller denounced Bannon's remarks as "grotesque" and described the president as a "political genius."

During a volley of last-minute exchanges in which the two men were talking over each other, Miller accused CNN of bias, while Tapper said Miller was trying to please only one person: Trump. "I think I've wasted enough of my viewers' time," Tapper said before shifting to another topic.Steve Bannon said Sunday he "regrets" his comments made to author Michael Wolff in his explosive book "Fire and Fury" that has shaken the Trump White House.

"My support is also unwavering for the president and his agenda," Bannon said in a statement, first reported by Axios, the political news website. NBC News later confirmed the statement.



Axios tweet 1

Bannon said he also regrets not speaking out sooner about

"inaccurate reporting" about President Donald Trump's son Donald Jr.

Axios tweet 2

In Wolff's book, which went on sale Friday, Bannon said the June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower between the president's eldest son and a Russian lawyer was "treasonous" and "unpatriotic."

Wolff also quoted Bannon as saying: "They're going to crack Don Junior like an egg on national TV.'"

In his statement, Bannon said: "Donald Trump, Jr. is both a patriot and a good man. He has been relentless in his advocacy for his father and the agenda that has helped turn our country around."

He said his comments were not aimed at Trump Jr.

"My comments were aimed at Paul Manafort, a seasoned campaign professional with experience and knowledge of how the Russians operate," Bannon said. "He should have known they are duplicitous, cunning and not our friends."

Manafort, Trump's campaign manager from June to August 2016, was indicted in October in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Russian collusion with the president's campaign in the 2016 presidential election.

Bannon's comments to Wolff, which were first reported Wednesday by The Guardian, provoked Trump to say that Bannon had "lost his mind."

Bannon, who headed the Trump presidential campaign, left his job as White House political advisor in August by mutual consent with the administration.

"When he was fired, he not only lost his job, he lost his mind," Trump said Wednesday in a statement.

The Guardian obtained a copy of the book nearly a week before it had been scheduled to go on sale. The publisher, Henry Holt & Co., moved up the sale date to Friday after attorneys for Trump threatened to seek a cease and desist order to stop the sales.

Wolff's book describes Trump's behavior as childlike, and it questions his mental fitness. That apparently prompted an extraordinary statement on Saturday by Trump defending his own mental health.

"Actually, throughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart," Trump tweeted.

"I went from VERY successful businessman, to top T.V. Star ... to President of the United States (on my first try). I think that would qualify as not smart, but genius....and a very stable genius at that!"

Trump tweet

In lambasting the book a day earlier, Trump derided Bannon as "Sloppy Steve."

"Michael Wolff is a total loser who made up stories in order to sell this really boring and untruthful book," Trump said. "He used Sloppy Steve Bannon, who cried when he got fired and begged for his job. Now Sloppy Steve has been dumped like a dog by almost everyone. Too bad!"

Trump tweet Sloppy Steve

Read Axios' full story here.Valley clean air rally draws hundreds

As the quality of air continues to worsen in Kathmandu Valley, people from all walks of life turned out in force for the second successive week on Saturday to mount pressure on the authorities to act immediately for curbing the menace.Reshuffle 1) May wants Cabinet to reflect modern and diverse Britain after next weeks reshuffle

plan to promote female and ethnic minority MPs into the ministerial ranks is an attempt to banish the Tory image as pale, male and stale. The cabinet reshuffle has been mapped out on a whiteboard in Mays private office in No 10; changes to lower ministerial ranks will be announced on Tuesday.  Sunday Times

Watch carefully as May shuffles the pack and see her change nothing  Adam Boulton, Sunday Times

Theresa May will move or sack at least six members of her cabinet in a reshuffle tomorrow designed to refresh her top team. An aide said she wanted to make sure the government reflects the modern and diverse country we live in The

>Today: ToryDiary: Who gains from the reshuffle will matter much less than what it does. Here are five priorities  including housing as its focus.

Reshuffle 2) Will Hunt replace Green as First Secretary of State?

On Saturday night, May was said to be preparing to appoint the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, to replace Green although it was also reported that the announcement may be delayed while the NHS winter crisis continues. Boris Johnson, who some said a week ago could be moved, is now thought to be safe in his role, at least for the time being. More sweeping changes in junior ministerial ranks on Tuesday are planned by the prime minister, it was claimed. May was said to be putting the finishing touches to a series of promotions for younger MPs to roles in government.  The Observer

Reshuffle 3) Greening amongst those fighting for their jobs

J

Education Secretary unveils new child literacy drive  The Observer

Reshuffle 4) Speculation that big four will be left in post

ustine Greening is fighting for her job as Theresa May prepared to appoint a new education secretary in a drive to reinvigorate the Governments approach to schools, The Telegraph can disclose. Ms Greenings successor will be tasked with leading a major push to convince voters that the Conservatives are the party of education ahead of the local elections in May. The inclusion of a new education secretary in a blueprint for a refreshed Government comes after private polling revealed that the Tories record in the sector was a significant factor behind the partys losses in last years general election. However, in an indication that Ms Greening could resist any attempt to move her, the Education Secretary posted a series of messages on Twitter heralding her achievements in the role and twice declaring: School standards are rising.  Sunday Telegraph

Theresa Mays cabinet reshuffle will see her seek to bring in new faces to her ministerial team in a bid to inject youth, energy and fresh thinking. Government source said the Prime Minister was not intending to move any of the big four  Chancellor Philip Hammond, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, Home Secretary Amber Rudd or Brexit Secretary David Davis. Justine Greening faces being demoted or sacked from Education Secretary as Mrs May tries to put schools at the heart of a Tory revival. Business Secretary Greg Clark and Commons leader Andrea Leadsom could also be moved, while Tory party chairman Sir Patrick McLoughlin has signalled privately he is ready to retire from front line politics.  Mail on Sunday

For the Tories to succeed, May and Hammond must learn to get on  Jacob Rees-Mogg, Sun on Sunday

Editorial:

Voters dont pay attention to personnel, May must win the policy battles  Sunday Times

Reshuffle 5) Kennedy, Ghani, Sunak, and Fernandes tipped for promotion

May disgusted by Youngs tweets

Those heading upwards probably include Brandon Lewis who is likely to be made Party chairman. Justice Minister Dominic Raab may be in line for a Cabinet post. Rising stars Seema Kennedy, Nusrat Ghani and Rishi Sunak are all tipped for ministerial jobs. Party managers are also keen for Kemi Badenoch, who only won her seat in June, to take on a senior role with the party The changes will also allow Mrs May to promote Tory MPs who were elected in 2015.  Sun on Sunday

Theresa May was last night engulfed in a row over obscene tweets sent by her controversial new university tsar  casting a huge shadow over her imminent Cabinet reshuffle. The Prime Minister last night voiced her distaste for a string of sexist and obscene tweets sent by Toby Young  whose position on the new Office For Students watchdog was put into deeper jeopardy as it was revealed that he posted a sick sexual joke about starving children on Comic Relief. The campaigners misogynistic Twitter messages threaten to undermine Mrs Mays attempts to rebrand the Tories as a women-friendly Party with the expected promotion of several female MPs to the Cabinet tomorrow.  Mail on Sunday

Prime Minister warns new watchdog over online conduct  Sunday Times

Fears for standards as new student fails exams at 11 top universities  Sunday Times

Comment:

Its time to rethink Toby Youngs appointment  Rob Halfon MP, Times Red Box

May must learn to face down Britains 140-character crisis  Dan Hodges, Mail on Sunday

as she scraps plans for hunting vote in green blitz

Theresa May has revealed that she has scrapped the Tory pledge to overturn the ban on foxhunting after a public outcry that contributed to the Conservative setback in last years general election. In an interview broadcast today, the prime minister said there would be no vote on a repeal of the law during this parliament, as disclosed last month by The Sunday Times. May told the BBCs Andrew Marr that her own support for foxhunting has not changed, but admitted that she had received a clear message from the electorate to change her governments approach to it as well as to school funding, tuition fees and housing. An aide made clear the next Tory manifesto would be unlikely to offer a vote on hunting: We want to focus on issues that matter most to people  building more homes, continuing to raise school standards, investing in the NHS and delivering a good Brexit.  Sunday Times

>Yesterday: ToryDiary: Modernisers Revisited. Meet Onward (Or perhaps Onward!)  the new C-Change.

Ministers 1) Lidington announces Parole Board review

Justice Secretary David Lidington has announced a review into the Parole Boards controversial decision to recommend the early release of Black Cab rapist John Worboys. The decision to release the 60-year-old nine years after he was jailed prompted anger from victims and questions around why not all of the 102 complainants had their cases brought to trial. Worboys was found guilty of 19 charges of drugging and sexually assaulting 12 female passengers, including one rape. It is feared Worboys could have carried out 100 attacks. The government faced significant pressure from opposition parties, with almost 60 Labour, Lib Dem and Plaid Cymru MPs writing to Mr Lidington to ask whether victims could appeal the Parole Boards decision before Worboys release.  Mail on Sunday

May orders action after public outcry  Sunday Express

Ministers 2) Rudd faces calls for action on Iran

Ordinary citizens pay the price of a new Persian Empire  Sunday Times

The world should rally against the regime  Sunday Telegraph

Ministers 3) Tobias Ellwood: We must maintain our military might, our freedom and prosperty depend on it

Amber Rudd is facing calls to designate Irans Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organisation over its suppression of protesters and support for militants. Dozens of MPs from across the Commons have backed a motion calling for the Home Secretary to include the regimes elite unit on an official list of proscribed organisations and impose sanctions on its officials. The disclosure comes after the group, formally called the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was deployed to put down anti-government unrest in Iran during a week of protests that left more than 20 people dead. Of 69 MPs backing the Commons early day motion, more than 30 are Labour backbenchers  a fact likely to embarrass Jeremy Corbyn, who has since been criticised for failing to personally condemn the actions of the Iranian regime.  Sunday Telegraph

So our defence spending debate is about more than just the number of warships, planes, tanks and personnel. As the new Defence Secretary has implied, its about retaining the convincing hard power that allows us to speak with authority to friends (including the US, our closest ally) and foes. Yet as the world moves faster and becomes more dangerous there is a tragic collective naivety about the durability of peace. Our country, our economy and our values are vulnerable to a range of growing dangers that have no respect for borders. We face a pivotal moment. What sort of nation do we want to be? Do we aspire to influence the world as a force for good, or are we happy to withdraw to a more reactive footing, with all the negative consequences that may entail  not only for our for security but our economy too? I choose the former.  Sunday Telegraph

I will not countenance more Armed Forces cuts, and Im not alone  Johnny Mercer MP, Sunday Telegraph

Sex-pest MPs may face by-elections

Corbyn under attack for failure to join pro-single market coalition

MPs accused of sexual harassment could be suspended or kicked out of parliament under plans being considered by a cross-party group of MPs. The group, set up by the prime minister to tackle sexual harassment in Westminster, is expected to recommend formal sanctions against sex-pest MPs imposed by an independent regulator. The ultimate sanction would see MPs face a by-election in their constituency if they refuse to resign from the Commons over their behaviour. The disclosure comes days after a leaked draft report suggested that MPs accused of sexual harassment would need only to apologise or complete an online training course as punishment.  Sunday Times

Jeremy Corbyn has been accused of a lack of leadership after rejecting a call to join a cross-party coalition to keep Britain in the EU single market after Brexit. The SNP said the Labour leader was failing millions of working families after he turned down an invitation to coordinate efforts with other parties to block government moves to take the UK out of the single market when it leaves the EU. Ian Blackford, the SNP leader at Westminster, is due to meet the leaders of the Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru and the Green party on Monday to discuss a common approach to the issue in the weeks ahead. But in a letter to Blackford, Corbyn declined an offer to take part, saying the initiative was based on a flawed assumption about the nature of the single market.  The Observer

Thornberry torn apart over Oppositions Brexit stance  Sunday Express

Remains Project Fear warnings about the economy have been wildly wrong to date  Sunday Telegraph

May to get tough are Brexit rebels victory  Sunday Express

Comment:

Ignore Blair and Clegg on Brexit, they are yesterdays men  Dia Chakravarty, Sunday Telegraph

Britains trading future lies across the Pacific  Daniel Hannan, Sunday Telegraph

Momentums latest victory poses a conquerors dilemma  Andrew Rawnsley, The Observer

>Today: Barnabas Reynolds in Comment: How to achieve a successful Brexit deal for financial services

>Yesterday: ToryDiary: There is scant evidence that May is about to u-turn on the Customs Union

Author of explosive new White House book stands by claims about Blair

Trump would resent not being invited to the royal wedding  Mail on Sunday

Michael Wolff has scoffed at Tony Blairs denial that he told Donald Trump MI6 may have leaked details of his teams contacts with the Russians. Repeating the allegation made in his book Fire And Fury, Mr Wolff said that the former Prime Minister may have made the claim to curry favour with Mr Trump, having once been so close to Bill and Hillary Clinton in the past. The row dates back to last March, when The Mail on Sunday revealed how Mr Blair had secretly visited the White House in a bid to win a new role as a Middle East adviser to the President. We reported how, weeks after Mr Trumps inauguration, Mr Blair held talks with the Presidents senior adviser Jared Kushner. Mr Kushner is married to the Presidents daughter Ivanka.  Mail on Sunday

Comment:

Toddler-in-chief is right where voters wanted him  Rod Liddle, Sunday Times

News in Brief:Attorneys for Marcus Hutchins, aka MalwareTech  the guy hailed as a hero after finding the WannaCry ransomware kill switch  filed a motion to compel the government to turn over five types of previously withheld discovery. They believe theres evidence to prove Hutchins was coerced into his alleged confession.

Hutchins faces various charges and is awaiting trial for creating the banking trojan Kronos. When Hutchins was arrested in August, he was at the airport awaiting a flight home after attending Def Con. His attorneys noted that while the government has not denied conducting pre-arrest surveillance, it wont turn over any discovery on that surveillance. That surveillance, they believe, likely included the fact that the agents knew Hutchins was both intoxicated and sleep-deprived when they came to arrest him. If youve ever attended Def Con, then you know that both of those states are highly probable.

The defense requested all materials and communications relating to Hutchins surveillance and arrest. The motion filed Friday stated:

The defense believes the requested discovery will show the government was aware of Mr. Hutchins activities while he was in Las Vegas, including the fact that he had been up very late the night before his arrest, and the high likelihood that the government knew he was exhausted and intoxicated at the time of his arrest.

In addition, the motion stated:

The defense intends to argue that the government coerced Mr. Hutchins, who was sleep-deprived and intoxicated, to talk. As such, his decision to speak with the agents was not knowing, intelligent, and made in full awareness of the nature of the right given up and the consequences of giving up that right, as the law requires.

Furthermore, the agents recorded audio of most of the interview with Hutchins. Yet they failed to record audio of them giving his Miranda rights. The U.K.s version of Miranda doesnt mention the right to counsel, and in the U.K., if the defendant doesnt talk, then their silence can be used against them. Since Hutchins was exhausted and drunk, his attorneys argued that if he wasnt advised of his Miranda rights, then he was coerced to waive his rights.

Defense wants discovery information about alleged WannaCry conspirator

The motion requested more discovery information about Hutchins unnamed co-defendant and alleged conspirator, as the governments theory has them joined at the hip. Five of the counts against Hutchins accuse him of acting in concert with this co-defendant who has not yet been apprehended.

If there is proof that the co-defendant operated independently of Hutchins  as the government alleges the other person advertised and sold Kronos malware independently of Hutchins  then that doesnt mean they conspired to commit computer fraud and abuse. The government, they argued, cannot hold back this information because it might impede the co-defendants arrest, as they need to prepare for Hutchins trial. After all, the government might be holding back information that could potentially exonerate Hutchins.

The defense is also seeking materials about Randy, the pseudonym referring to the government informant. Randy is expected to testify, as he allegedly had extensive online chats with Hutchins in which Hutchins purportedly talked about his criminal activity. So far, the only material handed over was a heavily redacted FBI interview of Randy.

Marcy Wheeler, aka @emptywheel, made an excellent point.

This Randy fella (the govt informant) isn't who you might think. It's someone who claims to have chats with @MalwareTechBlog back in the day. Cause no one ever invented a chat log before. MYGOD THIS IS FUCQUED. pic.twitter.com/RKqDytxYEX  emptywheel (@emptywheel) January 5, 2018

Hutchins attorney also asked for the portions of grand jury transcripts dealing with legal instructions for the crimes charged in the pending indictment. This is needed for potentially filing a motion to dismiss as at least two of the charged counts are defective on their face. They need to find out if the legal instructions given to the grand jury were correct, as the government didnt seem to grasp the laws and the indictment was misstated.

The last requested discovery item deals with all materials and communications relating to the search warrants and Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT). So far, the government handed over only one MLAT request and not the MLAT itself.As Labor Day nears, industry leaders bemoan ongoing worker shortage

Local labor industry leaders say there has been a worker shortage in Somerset County for years. The pandemic didn't help.ONEOK, Inc. engages in gathering, processing, fractionating, transporting, storing and marketing of natural gas. It operates through the following segments: Natural Gas Gathering and Processing, Natural Gas Liquids and Natural Gas Pipelines. The Natural Gas Gathering and Processing segment offers midstream services to producers in North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Kansas and Oklahoma. The Natural Gas Liquids segment owns and operates facilities that gather, fractionate, treat and distribute NGLs and store NGL products, in Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, New Mexico and the Rocky Mountain region, which includes the Williston, Powder River and DJ Basins, where it provides midstream services to producers of NGLs and deliver those products to the two market centers, one in the Mid-Continent in Conway, Kansas and the other in the Gulf Coast in Mont Belvieu, Texas. The Natural Gas Pipelines segment provides transportation and storage services to end users. The company was founded in 1906 and is headquartered in Tulsa, OK.

Read More1. Yes. An unvaccinated worker is a potential health liability for the entire workforce.

2. Yes. But it should only be required in some businesses, like health care or food service.

3. No. The requirement shouldnt be forced on employees; its a discriminatory practice.

4. No. Not only should they not require COVID shots , but no proof of vaccination either.

5. Unsure. Its a hard choice between public safety concerns and personal freedoms.

Vote

View ResultsAirBoss of America Corp., through its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and markets rubber-based products for automotive, heavy commercial, construction and infrastructure, oil and gas, and defense industries in Canada and the United States. The company operates through three segments: Rubber Solutions, AirBoss Defense Group, and Engineered Products. The Rubber Solutions segment is involved in the development and manufacture of custom rubber compounds, calendered and extruded materials, and molded products for use in various applications and industries, including mining, transportation, industrial rubber products, military, automotive, conveyor belting, and oil and gas; and sources chemicals. The AirBoss Defense Group segment develops, manufactures, and sells chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive protective equipment and products for military, first response, and healthcare applications. The Engineered Products segment designs, engineers, manufactures, and sells rubber, synthetic rubber, and rubber-to-metal bonded products that are used to eliminate or control undesired vibration and noise. The company was formerly known as IATCO Industries Inc. and changed its name to AirBoss of America Corp. in April 1994. AirBoss of America Corp. is headquartered in Newmarket, Canada.

Read MoreRSA Insurance Group plc provides personal and commercial general insurance products. It operates through Scandinavia, Canada, and UK & International segments. The company offers a range of personal insurance products, including home, car, pet, and travel insurance products directly to individuals and families, as well as through brokers and agents. It also provides commercial insurance products, such as property, vehicle and fleet, professional liability, and indemnity and travel insurance, as well as marine, renewable energy, construction and engineering, and rail insurance for small to medium sized enterprises, multinational companies, and sole traders. The company was formerly known as Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Group plc and changed its name to RSA Insurance Group plc in May 2008. RSA Insurance Group plc was founded in 1706 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

Read MoreNCI Building Systems, Inc. designs, engineers, manufactures, and markets metal products for the nonresidential construction industry in North America. It operates in four segments: Engineered Building Systems, Metal Components, Insulated Metal Panels, and Metal Coil Coating. The Engineered Building Systems segment offers engineered structural members and panels; and self-storage building systems under the Metallic, Mid-West Steel, A & S, All American, Mesco, Star, Ceco, Robertson, Garco, Heritage, and SteelBuilding.com brands to builders, general contractors, developers, and end users directly, as well as through private label companies. The Metal Components segment provides metal roof and wall systems, metal partitions, metal trims, doors, and other related accessories for use in new construction, and repair and retrofit applications; roll-up doors; and interior and exterior walk doors under the MBCI, American Building Components, Eco-ficient, Metal Depots, and Doors and Buildings Components brands to manufacturers, contractors, subcontractors, distributors, lumberyards, cooperative buying groups, and other customers. The Insulated Metal Panels segment offers insulated metal panels for architectural, commercial, industrial, and cold storage end-market applications under the Metl-Span and CENTRIA brands. The Metal Coil Coating segment engages in cleaning, treating, and painting flat-rolled metals in coil form, as well as in slitting and/or embossing the metal, before the metal is fabricated for use by industrial users. It also cleans, treats, and coats heavy and light gauge metal coils for use in construction products, heating and air conditioning systems, water heaters, lighting fixtures, ceiling grids, office furniture, appliances, and other products; and provides toll coating and painted metal package services under the Metal Coaters and Metal Prep brands. NCI Building Systems, Inc. was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Read MoreC&J Energy Services, Inc. provides well construction, well completion, well support, and other complementary oilfield services and technologies to oil and gas exploration and production companies throughout the continental United States. It operates through Completion Services and Well Support Services segments. The Completion Services segment provides hydraulic fracturing; cased-hole solutions comprising cased-hole wireline, pumpdown, wireline logging, perforating, pressure pumping, well site make-up and pressure testing, and other complementary services; and well construction and intervention services, which include cementing, coiled tubing, rig services, fluids management, and other completion and well support services. This segment also engages in the engineering and production of various parts and components, such as perforating guns and addressable switches, which are used in the completion process. The Well Support Services segment offers rig services, such as providing workover and well servicing rigs that are primarily used for the routine repair and maintenance of oil and gas wells, re-drilling operations, and plugging and abandonment operations; fluids management services, including storage, transportation, and disposal services for fluids used in the drilling, completion, and workover of oil and gas wells; and other special well site services, such as fishing, contract labor, and tool rental services for the completion and workover of oil and gas wells. The company was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Read MoreThe following companies are subsidiares of Exxon Mobil: AKG Marketing Company Limited, Aera Energy LLC, Al-Jubail Petrochemical Company, Ampolex (Cepu) Pte Ltd, Ancon Insurance Company Inc., Barnett Gathering LLC, Barzan Gas Company Limited, Caspian Pipeline Consortium, Celtic Exploration Ltd., Coral FLNG S.A., Cross Timbers Energy LLC, Ellora Energy Inc., Esmeroon Oil Transporta Imperial Oil Limited, Esso (Thailand) Public Company Limited, Esso Australia Resources Pty Ltd, Esso Deutschland GmbH, Esso Erdgas Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Esso Exploration Angola (Block 15) Limited, Esso Exploration Angola (Block 17) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Angola (Overseas) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Chad Inc., Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Deepwater) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Offshore East) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited, Esso Exploration and Production UK Limited, Esso Global Investments Ltd., Esso Italiana S.r.l., Esso Nederland B.V., Esso Norge AS, Esso Petroleum Company Limited, Esso Raffinage, Esso Societe Anonyme Francaise, Exxo Holdings Inc., Exxon Azerbaijan Limited, Exxon Chemical Arabia Inc., Exxon International Finance Company, Exxon Luxembourg Holdings LLC, Exxon Mobile Bay Limited Partnership, Exxon Neftegas Limited, Exxon Overseas Corporation, Exxon Overseas Investment Corporation, ExxonMobil (China) Investment Co. Ltd., ExxonMobil (Taicang) Petroleum Co. Ltd., ExxonMobil Abu Dhabi Offshore Petroleum Company Limited, ExxonMobil Alaska Production Inc., ExxonMobil Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., ExxonMobil Australia Pty Ltd, ExxonMobil B Resources Company, ExxonMobil Capital Finance Company, ExxonMobil Capital Netherlands B.V., ExxonMobil Central Europe Holding GmbH, ExxonMobil Cepu Limited, ExxonMobil Chemical France, ExxonMobil Chemical Gulf Coast Investments LLC, ExxonMobil Chemical Holland B.V., ExxonMobil Chemical Services (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., ExxonMobil China Petroleum & Petrochemical Company Limited, ExxonMobil Development Africa B.V., ExxonMobil Development Company, ExxonMobil Egypt (S.A.E.), ExxonMobil Exploracao Brasil Ltda., ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Malaysia Inc., ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Norway AS, ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Romania Limited, ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Tanzania Limited, ExxonMobil Finance Company Limited, ExxonMobil Financial Investment Company Limited, ExxonMobil France Holding SAS, ExxonMobil Gas Marketing Europe Limited, ExxonMobil General Finance Company, ExxonMobil Global Services Company, ExxonMobil Golden Pass Surety LLC, ExxonMobil Holding Company Holland LLC, ExxonMobil Holding Norway AS, ExxonMobil Hong Kong Limited, ExxonMobil International Services SARL, ExxonMobil Iraq Limited, ExxonMobil Italiana Gas S.r.l., ExxonMobil Kazakhstan Inc., ExxonMobil Kazakhstan Ventures Inc., ExxonMobil LNG Services B.V., ExxonMobil Lubricants Trading Company, ExxonMobil Oil Corporation, ExxonMobil PNG Limited, ExxonMobil Petroleum & Chemical BVBA, ExxonMobil Petroleum & Chemical Holdings Inc., ExxonMobil Pipeline Company, ExxonMobil Production Deutschland GmbH, ExxonMobil Production Norway Inc., ExxonMobil Qatargas (II) Limited, ExxonMobil Qatargas Inc., ExxonMobil Ras Laffan (III) Limited, ExxonMobil Rasgas Inc., ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company, ExxonMobil Russia Kara Sea Holdings B.V., ExxonMobil Sales and Supply LLC, ExxonMobil Technology Finance Company, ExxonMobil Ventures Finance Company, ExxonMobil Ventures Funding Ltd., Fujian Refining & Petrochemical Co. Ltd., Golden Pass LNG Terminal Investments LLC, Golden Pass LNG Terminal LLC, Gulf Coast Growth Ventures LLC, Imperial Oil Limited, Imperial Oil Resources Limited, Imperial Oil Resources N.W.T. Limited, Imperial Oil/Petroliere Imperiale, Infineum Italia s.r.I., Infineum Singapore Pte. Ltd., InterOil Corporation, Jurong Aromatics Corporation Pte Ltd, MPM Lubricants, Marine Well Containment Company LLC, Mobil Australia Resources Company Pty Limited, Mobil California Exploration & Producing Asset Company, Mobil Caspian Pipeline Company, Mobil Chemical Products International Inc., Mobil Corporation, Mobil Equatorial Guinea Inc., Mobil Erdgas Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, Mobil Exploration & Producing Australia Pty Ltd, Mobil International Petroleum Corporation, Mobil Oil Australia Pty Ltd, Mobil Oil Exploration & Producing Southeast Inc., Mobil Oil New Zealand Limited, Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, Mobil Producing Texas & New Mexico Inc., Mobil SerLimited, Mobil Venezolana De Petroleos Inc., Mobil Yanbu Petrochemical Company Inc., Mobil Yanbu Refining Company Inc., Mountain Gathering LLC, Mozambique Rovuma Venture S.p.A., Palmetto Transoceanic LLC, Papua New Guinea Liquefied Natural Gas Global Company LDC, Permian Express Partners LLC, Phillips Exploration LLC, Qatar Liquefied Gas Company Limited, Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited, Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited (II), SPI Limited, Saudi Aramco Mobil Refinery Company Ltd., Saudi Yanbu Petrochemical Co., SeaRiver Maritime Inc., South Hook LNG Terminal Company Limited, Tengizchevroil LLP, Terminale GNL Adriatico S.r.l, Trend Gathering & Treating LLC, Wolverine Pipe Line Company, XH LLC, XTO Delaware Basin LLC, XTO Energy Canada, XTO Energy Inc., and XTO Holdings LLC.Sushma Swaraj and Shashi Tharoor had a heated debate on the floor of the Lok Shabha on Friday on whether Hindi should be made an official language for India at the United Nations (UN).

We get celebrities to give their take on a current issue each week and lend their perspective to a much-discussed topic. This week we talk about: Hindi as the official UN language

Sushma Swaraj and Shashi Tharoor had a heated debate on the floor of the Lok Shabha on Friday on whether Hindi should be made an official language for India at the United Nations (UN). While Sushma pushed for the language to be made official, Shashi Tharoor pointed out that Hindi was not even the national language of India and hence shouldnt be considered as the official language at an international level. He added that it would be unfair to any future Foreign Ministers and Prime Ministers who do not prefer to communicate in Hindi, and hence would be put in a difficult spot. We ask prominent social thinkers and politicians if a country as diverse as India can even have one official UN language and, if so, whether Hindi could be the appropriate choice.

Fatima Agarkar, Educationist: Perhaps english instead of hindi as a medium works best

For a diverse country like India, having an official language of communication could help the representation of the diversity at a global level. This could demonstrate our unity as a nation. We are a melting pot of cultures, traditions, and hundreds of languages with thousand dialects. However, what that language should be is a matter of debate for sure. If it is a global platform and we remain progressive as a nation, perhaps English as a medium of communication works best? This may be a neutral path instead of engaging in yet another debate on national language or language of choice.

K. Venu, social thinker: Hindi as an official language isnt a solution

In a multi lingual country like India, it is not quite all right to insist on an official language. Like Shashi Tharoor pointed out, it is not a practical solution since the country could have a representative who doesnt speak Hindi. At the same time, if there are such rules that mandates an official language, and I am not sure about such rules, we may need to find one. India is a large country and if a majority speaks Hindi, perhaps it can be considered, but only after a mutual understanding among all the states.

Thota Sitarama Lakshmi, MP (Rajya Sabha), Telugu Desam Party, Hyderabad: If Sushmas initiative would benefit India at the UN, then it's something we can look forward to

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj pushing for Hindi as an official language at the United Nations seems to be an encouraging move. Hindi is one of the vastly spoken languages in India and giving it a much wider appeal by showing our culture to the world is always optimistic. India is a diverse country with several languages being spoken, so more than glorifying the language (Hindi), the purpose at the UN should be served. Its true that foreign ministers speak in their native language, but that depends on how comfortable they are speaking in other languages. So if Sushmas initiative would benefit India at the UN, then its something we can look forward to.

Hiran Venugopal, social activist: Using hindi is more of an agenda that is being imposed upon us

I felt that this whole incident points out a sort of pro-Hindi stratagem. The nationalism when it comes to the Hindi language is more of an agenda that is slowly being imposed upon us, just like how the agenda of Aadhaar was forced upon us. I have observed that the mainstream politics is incessantly trying to intimidate us with Hindi language through many ways, UPSC exams are only in Hindi and English, most government boards are in Hindi and so on. I completely agree to Shashi Tharoors opinion. I feel that India has a richness and beauty in its diversity of language and culture and nationalising Hindi language will surely spoil the very identity of our nation.

Kuljeet Singh, Assistant professor at Department of English, SGTB Khalsa College (DU): One shouldnt look to govern this country with one language

North India doesnt represent the whole country. So if someone wants to push for Hindi as the official language, then I would like to know, the nuance of the language from which state they are referring to. Is it the Hindu from Madhya Pradesh, or the Hindi from Uttar Pradesh. This is deliberate attempt to make a language dominant. Forcing South Indians to embrace Hindi means that the basic fabric of India, which is multi-linguistic, multicultural, diverse and plural in nature, is being degraded. One shouldnt look to govern this country with one language. The idea of India lies in its pluralism and we must respect that.Hyderabad: A drunk driver rammed his car into three women on a scooter, causing the death of one of them and injuring the other two at about 1.15 am on Jubilee Hills Road No. 10. Jubilee Hills police nabbed the driver, Vishnu Vardhan, owner of Bright Spots play school.

The victim was identified as D. Masthani of Srinagar colony, and the survivors Anusha and Anusha Reddy.

Vishnu Vardhan was returning from his friends place in Kondapur in his SUV (TS 09 EV 7707), said Jubilee Hills inspector K. Purna Chander, adding that he was in an inebriated condition.

Upon reaching Road No. 10, he lost control over the wheel and rammed into the scooter.

He sped away after the accident. After driving for about 1 km, he rammed his car into a road divider on the right side, the inspector said.

The breathalyser gave a reading of 200 mg, the police said.

Police rushed to the spot and shifted the women to hospital for treatment. Masthani died while undergoing treatment and Anusha is said to be in a critical condition. Anusha Reddy is out of danger, said the official. Anusha and Masthani reside at Srinagar Colony and Anusha Reddy at Kukatpally.

The trio, none of whom was wearing a helmet, was returning to Srinagar Colony from Kukatpally, police said.

According to sources, the SUV was registered in the name of one C. Bhagyalakshmi, wife of Ravinder, resident of SR Nagar.

Police arrested Vishnu Vardhan under IPC Section 304 (Punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and Sections 377 and 185 of the Motor Vehicle Act.Hyderabad: A caravan of seven Shia Muslims, including a 66-year-old hotelier from Chatta Bazaar in the Old City, began a pilgrimage on foot to holy centres in Iran and Iraq.

Mr Syed Abdul Ali, who runs a Seven Star Hotel, is going on foot for the fourth time. It will take at least seven months for us to travel across Iran and Iraq to visit all the pilgrim centres. We are travelling on foot as we believe it will get us more rewards, he said.

The group includes Mr Ali Asgher, 31, Mr Syed Shareef-ul-Hassan, 28, Mr Mir Asim Ali Mosvi, 33, Mr Mir Sadeq Ali Naqvi, 33, Mr Syed Ali Mohammed Razvi, 31, and Mr Syed Muqtaar Ahmed, 37.

In his three journeys earlier, he was accompanied by 14 men in 1998 and 1999 and six in 2009. In our earlier journeys, we passed through Pakistan only once. Owing to visa issues, we are taking a flight from Amritsar to Tehran in Iran. After landing there we will go to Zahedan and resume our journey on foot, he said.The group plans to walk 30 to 35 km daily.

From Iran, we will go to Iraq and again back to Iran. There is not much of a problem in obtaining visa from Iran to Iraq. But in Iraq we are not allowed to travel on foot and will have to go by bus on a few routes, said Mr Shareef-ul-Hassan.

The journey commenced from Mir Momin Daira. The caravan would be covering 6,000 km and was expected to complete the pilgrimage by August end.The attitude of tolerance has been fundamental both to Hinduism and Indian democracy. Secular and progressive India needs to be preserved, he said.

BENGALURU: For new India to be secular and progressive, surely it must be an India where you wont get lynched for the fruit you eat, wont be marginalised for the faith you hold, not be criminalised for the person you love and not imprisoned for making use of the very fundamental rights that are guaranteed to you by the Constitution, said Mr Shashi Tharoor, a Member of Parliament, at the inauguration of the 96th annual conference of the Association of Heads of Anglo-Indian Schools on Saturday at Frank Anthonys Public School, Bengaluru.

He said that today, some speak in intolerant ways as Hindus and yet betray what Hinduism has always been about. The attitude of tolerance has been fundamental both to Hinduism and Indian democracy. Secular and progressive India needs to be preserved, he said.

Stressing on the importance of education and employment that must be provided, he said, Today, we have reached 79% literacy from 17%and have over 20 million students with more than 650 universities and 35,000 colleges producing several engineers, doctors and computer experts.

During a panel discussion, Dr Rajeev Gowda, a Member of Parliament and Congress leader, said, The role of education is very important in todays life, especially for youth. We have seen a lot of aggressive reactions. We should step back and introspect.

Following the discussion, Dr V.S. Elizabeth of National Law School of India University emphasised on the importance of education among youth and how equality and justice needs to be embraced as a nation.While Narayanaswamy and Srinivas died in the STP tank, Madegowda succumbed while being shifted to Columbia Asia Hospital. (Representational image)

Bengaluru: Three men, who were hired by the residents of a posh apartment at Bandepalya in HSR Layout to manually clean the clogged sewage treatment plant tank, suffocated to death in the 12 ft deep tank on Sunday.

The deceased have been identified as Narayanaswamy, 35, in charge of the STP at ND Sepal Apartment in Somasundarapalya, Srinivas, 56, a painter, and Madegowda, 42, an electrician at a garments factory.

Apartment residents had contracted Narayanaswamy to look after STP tank and other civic works of the apartment. He called up Srinivas and Madegowda to clean the STP tank, promising them a good pay.

While Narayanaswamy and Srinivas died in the STP tank, Madegowda succumbed while being shifted to Columbia Asia Hospital.

The incident occurred around 11 am, when all the three set out to clean the STP tank at the basement of the apartment. One of them, it is not clear who, entered the STP tank, but he suffocated to death because of toxic gases inside. When he failed to respond, the other worker went in, he collapsed as there was no oxygen inside the tank. An alarmed Madegowda entered last, but he too collapsed. Noticing their absence the apartments guard alerted the apartment association members, who called up the fire and emergency department, the police said.

Fire brigade personnel along with the police rushed to the spot, pulled the three out of the STP tank and administered CPR.

The three were rushed to St. Johns Hospital, where they were declared brought dead.The day after Thomas S. Monson died, I taped a radio program in downtown Salt Lake City. As I interacted with people at the station  both LDS and non-LDS  I noticed a divergence in their views about the LDS prophets passing. Understandably, they viewed President Monsons death as a main event for participating members of the LDS faith, but not a big deal for others. I disagree.

Utah is a Mormon state, but Salt Lake City is not a Mormon town. For several years now, members of the LDS faith have been a minority. Utah is diversifying and changing in other places, as well. Its a beautiful thing as people have flocked here to enjoy all Utah offers. But lets be clear, members and nonmembers of the LDS faith benefit when the LDS Church has great leadership.

President Monson is a transcendent figure because of his length of service (54 years as an LDS apostle) and his contributions during his ministry. I will leave ecclesiastical contributions, of which there are many, to those called to the formal ministry, but highlight pivotal public leadership moments during his final years of service. He used his stewardship to make Utah better for all Utahns.

Utah Compact

In 2010, community leaders developed the Utah Compact, a declaration of five principles to guide immigration policies. The LDS Church supported the effort and issued a statement saying the Compact is consistent with important principles for which we stand. The Compact served as a forerunner to Utah immigration laws that balanced the need for enforcement with compassion. Approximately a dozen states have replicated the Utah Compact in some form. The Compact made Utah a more inclusive and compassionate state, and it is part of President Monsons living legacy.

Female missionary service

In 2012, President Monson joyfully announced that LDS women are eligible to serve as full-time missionaries starting at age 19 (instead of 21). This change aroused a sleeping giant in young women eager to serve. The number of women serving as full-time missionaries doubled. The change has empowered young women in the church, increased their self-awareness and confidence, enhanced their leadership and language skills and expanded their experiences. Missionaries from Utah return here ready to serve and make our state even better. Female missionaries are part of President Monsons living legacy.

Non-discrimination law

In 2015, the state passed landmark legislation that balances religious freedoms and protections against discrimination of LGBT people in the workplace and housing. It was a monumental step for civility, compassion, freedom and fairness. It elevated Utah to a better place by granting protections for religious freedom and fairness in housing and employment. It affirmed that discrimination and denial of a persons right to believe as their conscience dictates are wrong. The LDS Church supported this legislation, and it is part of President Monsons living legacy.

Refugees

In 2016, the LDS Church launched the I was a stranger effort to assist refugees in their own communities. LDS leadership asked members to help refugees in their local communities. The effort caught the attention of the Wall Street Journal, which opined, With welcoming stance, conservative Utah charts its own course with refugees. Approximately 60,000 refugees from more than 20 countries live in Utah. Many have been kidnapped, beaten and tortured. They are strangers in need of friends, and we have a moral responsibility to lend aid. Refugee aid is part of President Monsons living legacy, not only in Utah, but around the world.

Theres an old saying: Everyone in Utah is a Mormon. They're either an active Mormon, a former Mormon, a jack Mormon, a future Mormon, a non-Mormon or an anti-Mormon  pick your moniker.

This play on words need not be true. Great leaders in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are good for the whole state. We are one state doing our very best to keep Utah beautiful, prosperous and neighborly. We occasionally fall short, but we keep trying.

When a community leader passes regardless of their faith tradition, I harken back to the well-known John Donne poem: Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."SALT LAKE CITY  In the wake of the shocking suicide of a 16-year-old girl in Utah County, which prosecutors say was only possible through the help and encouragement of her older friend, a Utah legislator is seeking to add assisted suicide to the state's manslaughter statute.

Rep. Mike McKell, R-Spanish Fork, has filed HB86, which would make it a second-degree felony in Utah to knowingly provide the means for someone to take their own life by suicide or to aid in a suicide attempt.

Utah, McKell said, is 1 of just 6 states with no law addressing the issue.

"We're trying to empower prosecutors to seek justice in the most appropriate manner and have the tools to do that," he said.

Tyerell Przybycien, 18, has been ordered to stand trial for murder, a first-degree felony, after prosecutors say he bought a rope and other items used for 16-year-old Jchandra Brown to use in her suicide, drove her to a remote site in Payson Canyon and tied the noose for her.

McKell notes that he doesn't disagree with prosecutors' choice to pursue a murder charge in Przybycien case, but the tragic situation raised questions about Utah's laws when it comes to allegations of assisted suicide. The bill does not eliminate the option to file murder charges in an assisted suicide case, McKell said.

"I expect the prosecutors to be successful in the (Przybycien) case or future cases. What I'm saying is, let's provide an additional tool, an additional charge, that could be used in similar cases," he said.

McKell, who is an attorney, has worked with Deputy Utah County Attorney Craig Johnson, who is not involved with prosecuting the Przybycien case. So far, McKell said he hasn't faced any opposition to the bill.

McKell has not spoken with Brown's family about the bill, he said.

As chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, McKell said he intends to start discussion on the bill early in the 2018 session, which begins Jan. 22.

Meanwhile, Przybycien is due in court Tuesday as his attorneys raise questions about whether he is mentally capable of facing the charges. They maintain Brown was knowingly responsible for her own death and that Przybycien's actions don't fit the requirements for a murder charge.

Przybycien was arrested May 6 after hunters found Brown's body hanging from a tree. Among the items found at her feet was a cellphone that Przybycien used to record the girl's death, talking to her at moments and checking her pulse to confirm she was deceased before leaving her in the tree, charging documents state.

The Utah Department of Health offers suicide prevention help at utahsuicideprevention.org/suicide-prevention-basic. The national crisis hotline is 800-784-2433.PARK CITY  Nobody turned a head 26 years ago when Bill White rolled into this ski town in the two-wheel drive Buick Park Avenue his recently deceased grandmother had left to him in her will.

No one had any inkling that here was a man who had come to feed the masses  the rich and the poor  least of all Bill, whose initial concern was figuring out how to feed himself.

He was in his early 20s, fresh out of Cornell Universitys hotel school. Everything he owned was piled with him in the Buick hed just coaxed 2,000 miles across the country from New York. He knew exactly one person in Utah in  the college friend who had solicited his help in selling a small Park City hotel. When that deal quickly sputtered and died, it was back to square one.

Such are the circumstances that created the undisputed restaurant king of Park City.

If you dine out in Park City, chances are good you know Bill White, indirectly if not directly. His chain of eight restaurants run the gamut in price and cuisine. Theres Italian, Asian, southwest, sushi and an American-Mexican place named bilingually after the owner: Billy Blancos. Every day, hundreds line up at the tables at his eateries, while hundreds more queue up at the Park City Christian Center for the free meals provided by food grown at Bill White Farms.

Park City wouldnt starve if Bill White had never come to town, but a lot of people would no doubt go to bed much less satisfied.

  

There was no grand design to do what hes done, White will be the first to tell you that. One thing led to another to another, thats all. Along the way came the invaluable fringe benefit of getting to learn who he was. In addition to discovering that he was a very good, maybe great capitalist, he uncovered an affinity for nature and his fellow man, all of which led him to evolve, beyond a restaurateur, into also a farmer, a philanthropist, a crusader and a bit of a philosopher.

Id say Im more a student of the earth than anything else, White says as he stands next to a 1,000-pound pig named Buddy at the 5-acre ranch he recently purchased on Old Ranch Road. The ranch is an outgrowth of the smaller parcel of land, just a little over an acre in size, he bought in 2013 on the well-traveled state Route 224 that leads to Park Citys Main Street.

He named the 224 property Bill White Farms and, as skier traffic streamed by on the street beyond, began to grow animals and plants where few would have thought to grow animals and plants.

It started out as a whim, a tiny hobby farm, but it wasnt long before White saw another potential. What if he could use his farm as a showcase of sustainability? A place to show the world not just how much can be produced in the 21st century on very little land, but how healthy it can be and how much good it can do for others?

White immersed himself in the latest clean farming principles. He learned the best ways to fertilize and cultivate and replenish, rather than diminish, the soil. He invented and trademarked his own term for the food he produced: earthganic, a word that means no pesticides, herbicides or toxins were involved in the growing process, guaranteed.

The more he gleaned the more he grew. He decided he wanted to use the healthy food the farm was producing to feed the poor and help support other worthy causes, especially those connected to responsible land stewardship.

He obtained nonprofit status for his new operation and made arrangements with the Park City Christian Center to stock its pantry with his farm food, resulting in over 4,000 meals for the underprivileged every month.

I was amazed to find out how many are in need in Park City, this wealthy community, says White. We have to limit how many times folks can come in (to the pantry) because the demand is even greater than what we can supply.

To support kindred spirit land stewards and other good causes, White decided to offer his farm, and his food, to other nonprofits needing to raise funds. Groups such as Utah Open Lands, Summit Land Conservancy, the National Abilities Center and dozens more have been hosted at the farm.

Any viable charity, we welcome, says White. We serve the food, we tell them 90 percent of what theyre eating was raised right here, and 100 percent of whatever money they make goes directly to them.

White admits to deriving no small amount of pleasure out of being able to take the podium at these fundraising dinners so he can educate people that our food system can be repaired and our earth can be healed.

I believe getting people reestablished to the earth removes one of the biggest impediments that causes human suffering, he says. People come to the farm and they feel the health and the connection back to the earth.

He also admits hes not making money doing it. Its only because of his substantial successes as a restaurateur that hes been able to finance his foray into farming and philanthropy.

Im going broke quickly, he says, grinning like a man who hasnt gotten there yet, before adding, Ill soon be back to sharing bathwater again.

  

White was raised on an 80-acre cherry farm in northern Michigan, the middle of three boys  Bob, Bill and Tom  belonging to Robert and Mary Lou White. Robert White paid $2,500 for the farm in the 1960s and worked long hours at his day job traveling for Caterpillar tractors just to make the mortgage. The three boys, only two years apart in age, were raised mostly by their mom.

I had the most glorious childhood ever, even though we didnt have anything, says Bill White. Just to illustrate how dire our financial situation truly was, we only had one bathroom in the farmhouse, it didnt have a shower, only a bathtub, and my mother would make us take a bath in the same water, all three of us. The worst thing you could do was be the last one in, soaking in this beige tepid liquid with pollywogs practically swimming in it. But she couldnt afford more hot water, so thats what you had to do."

By the time he was 12, Bill wanted to buy a motorcycle, but the only way he could get one was by making his own money. That led to employment beyond the farm at Dons Drive-In, where he made $1.35 an hour chopping onions.

It was his entree into his lifes work.

Later, when a steakhouse called The Embers opened down the road on Lake Michigan, he got a job there washing dishes. After a few months he was promoted to prep cook, then salad cook, and so forth, until by the time he was in high school he was in charge of the kitchen, supervising as many as 30 employees.

An avid skier  he was on his high school ski team  White moved to Steamboat Springs, Colorado, as soon as he graduated, where he skied 120 days and paid for it by working nights at restaurants. Happy, but always broke, he was curious when he learned that a co-worker, a cook in the kitchen, was making $10 an hour.

How could anyone make such an enormous sum?

The cook, he learned, had gone to the Culinary Institute of America in New York.

White decided hed go there, too.

His already extensive restaurant experience made him an exceptional student, leading to an offer to stay on and teach at the school after he had his diploma. That in turn got him an invitation to teach at the Culinary Institutes sister school in Switzerland, a springboard that led to him getting recommendations to work at several Michelin three-star restaurants, the elite of the elite, around Europe. He did this for no pay. When people say theyll work at a Michelin restaurant for nothing, they mean it.

Armed with all this hands-on training, White next decided to apply to the prestigious hotel school at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Only one in 25 applicants make it, but he made it. By 1991 he had his degree, with a minor in real estate finance, prompting the call from his friend looking to broker the hotel deal in Park City.

In a town crawling with Realtors, Whites real estate career was extremely short-lived, an abysmal failure. But it opened the door to what he knew best: running a restaurant. Thanks to seed money from a friends friend, he and a business partner opened a restaurant called the Olive Barrel in an 1,800-square-foot space recently abandoned by a jewelry store in the Silver Lake Village of the Deer Valley Resort.

The partnership splintered after a year, leaving White again out of work, but a man who remembered how great the food was at the Olive Barrel called White out of the blue. Lets start a restaurant together, he said.

White sketched out a proposal for a fine-dining restaurant they would locate in an old flophouse hotel at the top of Main Street.

To this day, he marvels at what happened next.

I sent off the proposal and within 24 hours he sent me half a million dollars, and I didnt even know what the guy looked like.

The result was the Italian eatery Grappa, a restaurant that completely remade that old hotel into the jewel of upper Main.

On opening night in January of 1993, White recalls, We had over 300 people waiting at the front door. That was the heyday, Ill tell you, we were very successful.

Success begat success. Three years later, White opened Chimayo a little lower on Main Street, featuring southwest fare, followed by Wahso, offering Japanese and southeast Asian cuisine. Next came the Windy Ridge Cafe and the Windy Ridge Bakery on Iron Horse Drive; Ghidottis and Sushi Blue at Kimball Junction; and Billy Blancos in the Pinebrook area.

When you have one restaurant you have a job, says White, when you have two restaurants you have a business. And when your jobs your business you better know your business.

The varied menus, the close proximity, the range in prices, its all by design.

The secret to our formula is were all tight together; were all within a 10-minute drive so I can have one executive chef that runs all eight restaurants and one pastry chef that makes all the pastries and so on, White says. That works to our benefit because now we can take advantage of good buying power. You have to realize that at one point you can start cannibalizing yourself (by expansion) so we spread ourselves out, weve gone from high end to low end, from lunch to dinner, with a wide variety of choices, to try to capture as many of those skier days as possible when people come for their vacations.

The eight restaurants in the Bill White Group employ as many as 650 people during the winter season.

It was in 2013, shortly after opening his eighth restaurant, Billy Blancos, that White purchased the property on state Route 224 that became Bill White Farms.

Like the old flophouse he turned into Grappa, the property was in ruins, a nearly 100-year-old homestead that had been abandoned for years.

It wasnt until White began renovating the property that his thinking turned from hobby farm to something more relevant.

As I studied the history of the land I realized, 'Wait a minute, theres something here beyond what I thought was here,' he says. It was a complete derelict piece of property; there was not one redeeming quality the human eye could see. But I could see something. I could see that restoring the land to what it once was was a way to teach people  kids, farmers, interested parties, the list goes on and on  about not only agriculture, but about nature in general and how nature is a metaphor for human life.

"The farm represents beauty. You walk in and see the flowers, you see the ponds, you see all these surprising things, right on the highway, where youd least expect to find natural beauty. You see the farm and feel the health and the connection back to the earth.

Something else you see, says White unabashedly, is a glimpse inside my heart. What youre really seeing is my soul.

He has big plans for his farming, his restoring, his repairing and replenishing. Hes barely getting started. At the 5-acre ranch he bought on Old Ranch Road hes building a 100,000-gallon trout farm, where 50,000 rainbow trout will live in ideal 55-degree temperatures, right next door to chickens, turkeys, pigs, cows and lambs, all munching on approved, nutritional, grown-right-here earthganic fare.

In addition to the animals, White grows more than four dozen varieties of vegetables, fruits and herbs at his ranch and farm, ranging from tomatoes to kale, from basil to oregano, from corn to bell peppers, from eggplant to asparagus, from strawberries to apples.

As Whites swath has expanded, the community has become sufficiently enamored by his efforts that the city, the county and private landowners alike have entrusted him to repair the land on Iron Mountain, a large expanse of pastures and hillside at the entrance to town. Besides his plans to grow crops there, hed like to start a buffalo herd.

As production grows, Whites goal is to filter more and more of his homegrown, earthganic food into his eight restaurants. A little of it makes its way there now, but in the future that could increase.

That would be the third use of the food, he says, after the charity dinners and the food pantry. To produce the majority of what we serve in our restaurants.

Will all this work for the long haul? Is it sustainable?

Well, its not an easy business to run, says White. But you cant just think about money. I equate it to having a cow. If you have a milk cow and the moneys the milk and youre sitting there staring at the udder of that cow waiting for the money to come out but meanwhile the cow is eating dirt and crap in unsanitary conditions, youre focused on the wrong thing.

"You take care of the cow, the milk will come. Youve got to focus on the front of it, not the back of it. But thats what everybody does, they sit there waiting for the money to come out when money is the byproduct of the passion and the effort and the education that you put into your business.

"Truly thats the way I feel about it. The tighter you are with money the less it comes back to you.BOUNTIFUL  They're retired, politically active, Utah transplants who've made Davis County their home.

Spitfires in their 70s, for sure.

Kathy Stockel, 72, has lived in 16 states, though she's called Utah  specifically North Salt Lake  home since 2007.

Ann Johnson, 76, has been a Bountiful resident for the past nine years.

Today, they share the title of co-president of the League of Women Voters of Davis County.

It's an organization Stockel first got involved with back in 1980 while living in North Dakota, she said, though "I haven't been involved the whole time."

Stockel retired four years ago, and she decided to reach out to the league.

Johnson retired in 2003, she said, and that's when she went online and joined the national League of Women Voters.

"I wanted to participate because I know what they've done for years," she said Saturday during a meeting at the South Davis Metro Fire Station.

Over the years, Johnson "just kept getting more and more interested" in the League of Women Voters and now finds herself leading the Davis County chapter.

She also issued a call to young women voters in Davis County to become more involved, noting the spattering of under-30 residents in attendance Saturday.

"We are getting younger members," Johnson said. "We obviously need to get younger."

The event was organized by the league to help residents better understand what the county does and the services it provides, the co-presidents said.

"We want to have informed voters," Johnson said, "and we want to provide them with nonpartisan, unbiased information."

Issues facing Davis County as the start of the 2018 Utah Legislature approaches, they said, include growth, transportation, the opioid crisis, cannabis for medical use, homelessness and "affordable housing."

"Sometimes that's a dirty word," Johnson said. "But people want their children to be able to live (near them), and they can't afford to live there. It's an issue."

Davis County hasn't been immune to the homelessness issues that have plagued Salt Lake City in recent years. Efforts to disperse illegal drug use and separate those needing services from those there to buy and sell drugs have pushed the transient population across the borders into Davis County, Davis County Commissioner Bret Millburn said.

"We're part of the Wasatch Front," said Millburn, who attended the meeting and fielded questions from the audience but was not on the panel of county representatives.

"In Davis County, we need to be more engaged in that conversation," he said in an interview after the meeting. "Because it isn't just a Salt Lake City issue."

First-year Davis County Commissioner Randy Elliott assembled the team of county representatives  including the health department, library and public defender office  at the request of the League of Women Voters.

"A lot of people don't know what we do," Elliott said. "They don't know about the services we provide. As a commission, we're  trying to bring services (to Davis County residents)," and make sure the people know what's available.

Elliott cited as an example the county's Circles program, an effort that seeks to "inspire and equip families and communities to thrive and resolve poverty," according to its website.

"It's helping people get out of poverty," said Elliott, who sits on the city's Circles board. "They come and get educated on how to find a stable job."

Last week, the program had 12 people graduate from the 12-week course, he said.

"There have been several people in that program (who have been successful) in getting out of poverty," Elliott said.

The League of Women Voters of Davis County meets monthly, and its meetings are free and open to the public. The group does not endorse candidates, but it does take positions on issues that affect women voters in Davis County, Johnson said.

The League of Women Voters formed in 1920 as an "an activist, grass-roots organization whose leaders believed that voters should play a critical role in democracy," according to the league website.Karni Sena To Protest For All-India Ban On Deepika Padukone's Padmavati!

It seems Padmavati will be marked as the most controversial film in the history of Indian cinema. The Sanjay Leela Bhansali magnum opus has been the gruelling factor for Karni Sena and most Indians. Recently the film got a green signal from the Central Board of Film Certification, however, the Karni Sena seems to be unhappy with their decision and wants the film to be totally banned in India.





And now according to latest reports, Karni Sena has held a press conference on Friday and has called upon the community members to gather in Chittorgarh on January 27 to protest against the film, calling it for an all-India ban. Rajput Karni Sena chief Lokendra Singh Kalvi said, Members of the Rajput community will gather in Chittorgarh on January 27 to give a clear message that the sacrifice of Rani Padmavati has not gone in vain. Anyone who supports our call of banning the film can join us in Chittorgarh. He further added that he will not allow the film to release at any cost.





Moreover, according to Kalvi the panel who reviewed the film in a special screening stated that some of the facts in the film might upset the Rajputs and the Muslims however the Central Board of Film Certification has ignored that. He further said that Bhansali has not been able to clarify the genre of the film, whether it is based on history, period drama or a fiction. The CBFC on December 30, the headed by Prasoon Joshi announced that the film would be given a U/A certificate and asked the director to change the films title to 'Padmavat'. But it seems there will be no end to these controversies. Whether or not Padmavati releases, the controversy will indeed remain a big history in of all time.





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Source: s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.comNina Dobrev Loves Sharks And Wants To Save Them!

It is not new that stars go out for a natural and social cause. This time it is a Hollywood star that has gone for an environmental cause with a passion. The Vampire Diaries fame Nina Dobrev has come forth for the protection of Sharks.





Yes, you heard that right. It was reported in Hello! Canada that in a video PSA for the organisation Oceana, the actress expressed her love for sharks and ocean. She said," I used to be scared but then I learned the facts. Sharks keep the ocean healthy and they arent really interested in us."





About the safety of sharks, Nina said, "Its our interest in their fins thats scary. Millions of sharks end up in the global fin trade every year, and many grow slowly which means they face a high risk of extinction. Please help and join me and Oceana in the campaign to stop the trade of shark fins and help save sharks." Well, it is good to see that a popular star has come forward for such an important cause which hardly comes into the notice of common man.





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Source: wordpress.comWHAT! Are Prince Narula And Yuvika Chaudhary Already ENGAGED?

Prince Narula and Yuvika Chaudhary can be called the ultimate chuppa rustam of the TV industry. While there had been reports of the two dating for the last two years, Yuvika had been denying it all throughout. In fact, she even said in a statement that Prince has been nothing more than a friend to her. But Prince could not hide his feelings so well. Finally, the two admitted to being in a relationship just a few months back!

And now if reports are to be believed, Prince and Yuvika are already engaged. That's not all. The two are also planning to walk the aisle by the end of the year.

According to Tellychakkar, the two got engaged in February last year, after Prince and his family insisted on the matter. In fact, it was a close-knit affair that took place at the latter's place in the presence of just the family members!

The two have denied the reports. While Prince has said that being a Punjabi, he would announce their engagement to all, Yuvika was shocked at the news.

Would they be getting married this year? Only time can tell!The Ford Kuga in its second-generation currently retails in several foreign markets such as North America, Australia and Europe. Ford already produces the right-hand-drive version of the Kuga, so bringing the premium SUV to India should not be a problem.

Recommended Video - Watch Now! Bangalore Bike Accident At Chikkaballapur Near Nandi Upachar - DriveSpark

Ford revealed the second-generation Kuga in 2012 and is based on the C1 platform which also underpins other global products such as Focus and C-Max. For the Indian market, Ford might give a makeover to the Kuga to suit the Indian conditions.

The global-spec Ford Kuga is offered with a range of petrol and diesel engines. The SUV is available in both front-wheel-drive and rear-wheel-drive configuration. The India-spec Kuga-based SUV is expected to come with turbocharged petrol and diesel engines.

The Ford Kuga-based SUV for India is likely to be offered in both automatic and manual transmission variants. The SUV will also be equipped with top-notch safety features to justify its premium tag. Expect the interior to sport a large infotainment system and several other premium features.

The new premium SUV will be slotted between the EcoSport and Endeavour. The India launch of the Kuga-based SUV is likely to happen in 2018, after the introduction of the Figo Cross. The new SUV will measure over four metres and will also take on the Hyundai Creta and Mahindra XUV500.

DriveSpark Thinks!

Ford's SUV lineup in India will be complete with the introduction of a five-seater premium SUV. And it looks like the American automaker is all set to fill the void by introducing the Kuga-based SUV. Expect the pricing to be in the range of Rs 15 lakh to Rs 20 lakh. Ford might also showcase the concept iteration of the new SUV at the 2018 Auto Expo in February.America's agricultural trade chief Ted McKinney was stung by questions about US farming standards as he was quizzed in the UK about possible agricultural obstacles to a post-Brexit UK-US trade deal.

British farmers have raised serious concerns that British health and welfare standards could be undermined in the rush to secure trade deals with countries like the United States.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove has insisted that the UK wants to maintain high standards of quality after it leaves the European Union.

However, towards the end of last year US president Donald Trump's commerce secretary Wilbur Ross said during a speech in London that any post-Brexit deal with Washington would hinge on the UK scrapping the kind of rules currently operated by the EU.

At the start of the New Year Ted McKinney, the Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) was at the Oxford Farming Conference to speak to British agricultural industry leaders.

During a press conference following his speech, where he was joined by UK Environment Secretary Michael Gove, they were asked about differences in standards between the two countries.

"We will hold our food safety, environment and welfare standards up against the UK any day of the week and twice on Sunday," said Ted McKinney.

"Let's just get that out of the way. We do hope that your consumers have at least the opportunity - we're not going to force feed anyone - at least have the opportunity to invest in an American turkey or chicken or any other piece of protein that might be of their choosing."

Chlorine washed chicken

Chlorine washed chicken has been one example used by British farming leaders in their arguments against an open-door trade deal. Chlorinated chicken is banned in the EU.

Ted McKinney was asked during the Oxford press conference whether British consumers could look forward to chlorinated turkey for Christmas in future. His reaction showed his frustration with the issue of US standards.

"I am sick and tired of hearing about chlorinated chicken. It's not true. I am not going to take any questions from any of you if you raise chlorinated chicken. We haven't used chlorinated chicken for a long time. I ask that you move on," he said.

Journalists persisted with the questioning on the difference in standards between the two countries. There clearly were differences in welfare standards.

"Wouldn't these be a barrier to a trade deal", they asked. Michael Gove suggested that negotiators should put those issues to one side, as they sought areas of agreement.

"I think the most important thing is don't concentrate on those areas where you have difference first; concentrate on those areas where you have a commonality of interests first," said the Environment Secretary.

"Then build confidence between the two parties that that commonality of interest can be built on and that future difficulties can either be resolved or, if necessary, set aside."

British standards

During his speech to the conference Michael Gove stressed once again that the Government would maintain British food and farming standards.

He said: "Food and drink is the UK's biggest manufacturing sector and one of its fastest growing, with an increase of eight per cent in exports to the EU and 10 per cent in exports outside the EU in the first three quarters of last year alone.

"That success has been built on a reputation for quality and provenance, on the knowledge that we have among the highest environmental and animal welfare standards of any nation on earth.

"So people know when they're buying British they're buying food which is guaranteed to be high quality and more sustainable," he said.

"That's why it would be foolish for us to lower animal welfare or environmental standards in any trade deal, and in so doing undercut our own reputation for quality. We will succeed in the global market place because we are competing at the top of the value chain, not trying to win a race to the bottom."

New economic partnership

The Environment Secretary said he knew there were concerns about maintaining trade with the European Union.

He said the Government was confident of building a new economic partnership with the EU that would "guarantee tariff-free access for agri-food goods across each other's borders."

But Paulo de Castro, vice chairman of the European Parliament's Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development and a former Italian Minister for Agriculture, who spoke at the conference via a video link, said he was concerned about certain issues on agriculture.

He said that during negotiations over a possible EU trade deal with the US sanitary and phytosanitary concerns had become an obstacle.

'We will not interfere'

Ted McKinney, who is from a farming family in Indiana, said it was for the UK to decide which course it wanted to take, although he said there was a great opportunity for increased trade between the two countries.

"The UK will never have an opportunity again, at least not in the near future - probably not in a generation - like you have now to get right whatever right means to you. Ideas of regulations, environmental care, animal welfare, opportunities to export.

"We will not interfere in that process. We are happy to share with you how we do things. We are not going to impose our will in any shape or form except to say we would love to do more trade. And I would remind you that trade is a two way street," he said.

"Will the UK be that trading partner that we see or will there be roadblocks?"2017 ended on a high note for the space program -- Russia's space program.

Ever since NASA canceled its Space Shuttle program in 2011, America has depended on Russian rockets to provide access to the International Space Station. Buying tickets for its astronauts on Russian Soyuz spacecraft for as much as $82 million a seat, NASA in effect subsidized the Russian space program (Roscosmos) at the expense of our own.

And now we're doing it again. As The Wall Street Journal reported last month, NASA has contracted to buy three more Russian rocket rides for NASA astronauts over the next two years, and at a cost in excess of $200 million. For this, you can blame Boeing (NYSE:BA)... and SpaceX.

Examining the fine print

The specifics of this transaction are a bit convoluted, but bear with me and I'll straighten them out. In May 2016, Boeing won a $320 million court judgment (stemming from a dispute related to the bankrupt Sea Launch joint venture) against Russian space company RSC Energia. According to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence, RSC Energia was at the time majority-owned by The United Rocket and Space Corporation JSC, which was in the process of being merged into (and is now part of) the Russian-state-owned corporation Roscosmos (literally "Russian Space"). This makes RSC Energia itself essentially a subsidiary of Roscosmos -- Russia's version of NASA.

In settlement of its dispute with Boeing, Energia (i.e., Roscosmos) transferred to Boeing the right to fill two "seats" on Roscosmos Soyuz flights in 2017 and 2018, with the option to buy a further three seats for flights in 2019. (It's not entirely clear from the details of NASA's announcement whether exercising the option requires Boeing to pay any additional funds to Roscosmos, but this seems unlikely.)

In turn, Boeing sold its two Soyuz seats, plus the option for three more seats, to NASA in February 2017. The potential cost of all five seats, assuming the option was exercised, totaled $373.5 million -- about $74.7 million per seat.

Now, NASA is exercising the option, obligating it to pay the full contracted amount to Boeing. Upon Energia/Roscosmos providing the seats (i.e., filling them with astronauts and sending them to space), its obligation to Boeing will be satisfied in full. Thus in effect, by paying Boeing for the seats, NASA is paying off Roscosmos' debt.

Progress... delayed

It wasn't supposed to be this way. In 2014, NASA awarded Boeing (and privately held SpaceX) twin contracts to develop human-rated spacecraft capable of ferrying astronauts to the International Space Station. Boeing would receive $4.2 billion to launch up to six crewed missions to ISS aboard its new CST-100 space capsule. SpaceX would receive $2.6 billion to do the same with its new Crew Dragon spaceship.

As originally planned, both companies would conduct "at least one crewed flight test per company with at least one NASA astronaut aboard to verify the fully integrated rocket and spacecraft system can launch, maneuver in orbit, and dock to the space station" in 2017.

In case you haven't noticed, though, it's now 2018, and neither company has conducted so much as an uncrewed test flight -- much less put an astronaut in space. Delays in development at both Boeing and SpaceX have now pushed back SpaceX's first unmanned test flight to April 2018, and Boeing's to August 2018. SpaceX is hoping to conduct a manned mission in August; Boeing hopes to squeeze in its first test flight by November.

Hope for the best, pay for the worst

Worse, according to the Journal, "senior NASA officials increasingly are concerned the current 2018 timetable for switching to U.S. vehicles may prove too ambitious." I.e., after repeated delays, NASA has little confidence that either SpaceX or Boeing will launch capsules this year at all. That's why NASA is exercising its option to buy the additional Soyuz rocket rides from Roscosmos via Boeing -- at $75 million per seat.

The longer SpaceX and Boeing delay, the more money we'll be paying Russia to keep Americans in orbit.In 2016, auto sales growth in China rebounded from a brief slowdown, after the government slashed the sales tax levied on small-engine cars from 10% to 5%. For the full year, this stimulus drove a 15.9% increase in deliveries across China's auto industry. General Motors (NYSE:GM) was a big beneficiary, recording a 7.1% sales increase despite a downturn in the mini commercial vehicle market, which its Wuling brand dominates.

However, many pundits worried that this momentum wouldn't last. After all, the tax on small-engine cars increased to 7.5% in 2017 and returned to its original 10% level this month. Despite this tax headwind, the General delivered another year of solid sales growth in China during 2017.

Sales did slow to begin the year

In the first few months of 2017, General Motors did face a sales downturn in China. Through May, GM sold 1.48 million vehicles in China, down from 1.54 million a year earlier: a decline of nearly 4%.

This hiccup was to be expected. It was common knowledge that the purchase tax for small-engine vehicles would rise in 2017, so it made sense for consumers who were thinking about buying a small car to make sure they did so by the end of 2016. Thus, there was an exaggerated impact on Chinese auto sales in early 2017 from demand that was pulled forward to late 2016.

Demand has rebounded

General Motors broke out of its sales slump in China last summer. In fact, it has posted record deliveries in China for every month starting with June, including double-digit gains in several of those months.

On Thursday, GM reported that it ended 2017 on a high note in China, with deliveries up 13.1% year over year to 491,702 in the month of December. This performance pushed GM China's annual sales past the 4 million mark for the first time ever, to a new record high of 4.04 million.

For the full year, General Motors' deliveries in China increased 4.4%. However, looking just at the period since June -- when GM returned to consistent growth there -- deliveries increased 9.7% year over year: a remarkably strong result.

General Motors' growth in China over the past year was driven entirely by the relatively young Baojun brand, which hit the market just seven years ago. In that short period of time, Baojun has become one of the hottest auto brands in China, with nearly 1 million deliveries in 2017, up from fewer than 500,000 two years earlier. Based on its recent growth trajectory, Baojun could overtake Buick and Wuling to become GM's best-selling nameplate in China this year.

GM can handle another tax increase

As was the case a year ago, General Motors and its rivals are facing an uptick in the purchase tax for small-engine cars beginning this month. Once again, the looming tax change probably encouraged some buyers to accelerate their purchases into December.

Nevertheless, GM's strong performance during 2017 indicates that a modest increase in Chinese purchase taxes shouldn't hold back sales for long. (Furthermore, the company will face relatively easy comparisons for the first few months of the year.)

Continued sales growth in China -- as well as growing demand for higher-margin SUVs and luxury vehicles -- should allow General Motors to fully offset pricing pressure at the low end of the market. This situation points to a continuation of GM's string of strong profits in its second most important market during 2018.Natural resources streaming and royalty specialist Franco-Nevada (TSX:FNV) came into 2017 on a high note, having posted extremely good returns in 2016. Despite some nervousness about what might happen with the price of gold, Franco-Nevada sought to implement a massive shift in its strategic vision, re-emphasizing the role of oil and natural gas development projects in its portfolio of assets. As it turned out, Franco-Nevada's timing was good, and that helped power a 34% gain for the stock during the course of 2017.

With strong prospects ahead, Franco-Nevada has high hopes for 2018 and beyond. Now's a good time to look more closely at how the streaming giant succeeded in 2017, with an eye toward gaining insight into which strategies will produce the best results going forward.

The durability of Franco-Nevada's business model

One misconception that many people have about the precious metals streaming business is that it's dependent on rising gold and silver prices. Favorable market environments do help boost profits, but in many cases, it's what Franco-Nevada does in periods of challenging markets that define its future success.

That phenomenon showed itself throughout the year. Even though precious metals prices oscillated upward and downward, Franco-Nevada's production levels reflected ongoing efforts to bring in lucrative new deals and find ways to exploit them more fully. Properties like the Antamina mine in Peru have been instrumental in helping to accelerate growth recently, and the company has sought ways to invest further in some of its best plays to take maximum advantage of their potential.

Franco-Nevada also sustained its impressive history of dividend growth. For the 10th consecutive year, the streaming specialist boosted its payout, giving shareholders a 4.5% increase to $0.23 per share quarterly. Given the extent to which the share price has risen lately, Franco-Nevada's dividend yield of just 1.2% isn't all that high. But in an industry that routinely has mining companies paying no dividends at all, Franco-Nevada continued to stand out among investors looking for income from their natural resources holdings.

Stats on Franco-Nevada

Revenue, Past 12 Months $663.1 million 1-Year Revenue Growth 15.7% Net Income, Past 12 Months $146.7 million 1-Year Net Income Growth 54%

The most important thing Franco-Nevada's did in 2017

Yet despite its reputation for gold, silver, and platinum-group metals projects, Franco-Nevada's most noteworthy achievement in 2017 was its continued pursuit of promising royalty agreements in the oil and natural gas industry. In the third quarter, Franco-Nevada added exposure through a royalty interest on an oil-sands project in Alberta, as well as a portfolio of royalty interests covering the promising West Texas formation known as the Delaware Basin. That added to existing assets that included exposure to the Midland Basin in Texas, the STACK play in Oklahoma, and various properties in western Canada.

Franco-Nevada CEO David Harquail's strategy to get more deeply into energy was a risky proposition at the time, given the extreme volatility that the sector has seen in recent years. Yet the streaming specialist rightly identified that there would be a greater number of potential partnership opportunities to provide financing to struggling oil and gas exploration and production companies given the tough industry environment. The deals that the company has done show just how extensive the opportunities have been in the energy sector, and the positive impact on Franco-Nevada's financial results only began to make itself visible during 2017.

How will Franco-Nevada fare in 2018?

Franco-Nevada has enjoyed a long period of sustained growth, navigating shifting conditions in precious metals and other natural resources markets to find ways to profit. As energy markets start to rebound more fully, Franco-Nevada will be in an even better position to see its strategic shift pay off in the years to come.USS Wasp joins 7th Fleet

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS180106-02

Release Date: 1/6/2018 10:55:00 AM

By Commander, U.S. Seventh Fleet Public Affairs Office

PACIFIC OCEAN (NNS) -- Wasp departed Norfolk Aug. 30 to replace USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) in Sasebo, Japan as the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship in region.

While still in the initial phase of its transit, the ship diverted to the Caribbean on Sept. 4 to assist the U.S. Virgin Islands and Dominica in the wake of Hurricane Irma and then provided assistance to Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria, a Category 5 storm regarded as the worst natural disaster in the history of the American commonwealth island.

In support of relief efforts, Wasp aircraft flew 108 missions on the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico totaling 385 hours of flight time moving 1,129 total passengers along with 26,720 pounds of equipment and 1,718,200 pounds of various logistical support items, including 328,100 pounds of food and water.

nce detached from relief efforts in late October, Wasp resumed her transit to 7th Fleet, briefly stopping in Rio de Janeiro and then transiting the Strait of Magellan as it crossed from the Atlantic Ocean into the Pacific Ocean. Wasp made a port visit to Joint Naval Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii in time for her crew to bring in the New Year ashore. She departed Jan. 2 to continue the journey toward Sasebo.

During the transit to Japan, Wasp crew have engaged in a near-constant cycle of training to help ensure readiness for the wide-spanning missions of 7th Fleet. The crew has actively completed drills in damage control, combat systems, aviation, and casualty response. This training has been interspersed with professional and personal development such as suicide prevention, cultural appreciation and career management.

Seventh Fleet, which celebrates its 75th year in 2018, spans more than 124 million square kilometers, stretching from the International Date Line to the India/Pakistan border; and from the Kuril Islands in the North to the Antarctic in the South. Seventh Fleet's area of operation encompasses 36 maritime countries and 50% of the world's population with between 5070 U.S. ships and submarines, 140 aircraft, and approximately 20,000 Sailors in the 7th Fleet.

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Downed C-2A Greyhound located in Philippine Sea

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS180106-01

Release Date: 1/6/2018 8:37:00 AM

By Commander, U.S. Seventh Fleet Public Affairs Office

YOKOSUKA, Japan (NNS) -- U.S. Navy's Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV) deployed the team to Japan in December to embark a contracted salvage vessel and proceed to the crash site at sea. Once on station, highly skilled operators searched for the aircraft's emergency relocation pinger with a U.S. Navy-owned towed pinger locator (TPL-25) system. The TPL uses passive sensors to "listen" for the pinger's frequency.

Initially delayed by poor weather conditions, the team deployed the TPL to optimal search depths of 3,000 feet above the ocean floor Dec. 29. After marking the aircraft's location, the search team returned to port.

The C-2A rests at a depth of about 18,500 feet, making the salvage phase of this operation the deepest recovery attempt of an aircraft to date. In the coming weeks, the team will return to the site with a side-scan-sonar (SSS) and remote operated vehicle (ROV) to map the debris field and attach heavy lines for lifting the aircraft to the surface. Despite very challenging conditions, every effort will be made to recover the aircraft and our fallen Sailors.

Assigned to Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC 30) forward deployed to Japan, the C-2A aircraft was carrying 11 crew and passengers when it crashed. Eight personnel were recovered immediately by U.S. Navy Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC 12). For the next three days, Ronald Reagan led combined search and rescue for three Sailors with the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF), covering nearly 1,000 square nautical miles before ending the search.

An investigation is in progress.

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Four Indian officers killed in Kashmir bombing

Iran Press TV

Sat Jan 6, 2018 11:22AM

Indian police say four of its officers have been killed in a bomb attack by militants in New Delhi-ruled Kashmir.

The massive explosion struck the police patrol in the town of Sopore in Jammu and Kashmir, according to the police.

The incident happened at a time when streets in the town were deserted and shops and businesses were shut down to mark the 1993 carnage, which saw government troops kill at least 47 people after an Indian paramilitary soldier died during an assault by pro-independence forces.

The general strike across Sopore was called by pro-independence leaders who fiercely oppose India's claim of sovereignty over the predominantly Muslim-populated Himalayan region.

The town had already been on high alert with hundreds of Indian police and paramilitary forces patrolling the region in anticipation of anti-India protest rallies and clashes.

According to local police officials, at least half a dozen shuttered businesses were extensively damaged as a result of the explosion.

The so-called Jaish-e-Mohammed (Jem) group claimed responsibility for the bombing attack, as reported by the local English-language Greater Kashmir newspaper.

Since 1989, a number of local armed groups have been fighting Indian troops and police forces deployed in the Himalayan territory.

More than half a million Indian soldiers have been deployed in Kashmir since that year, when popular calls grew for independence or a merger of the territory with Muslim-majority Pakistan.

A former British colony, Kashmir was divided between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan in 1947. Each administers parts of Kashmir though both claim the Himalayan territory in its entirety.

Tens of thousands of people, most of them civilians, have been killed in decades of fighting in Kashmir while the two neighbors continue to blame each other for the protracted violence.

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Maduro says his patience with US has run out

Iran Press TV

Sat Jan 6, 2018 11:02AM

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro has censured United States sanctions on four former and current Venezuelan government officials, warning that the incumbent US president and his administration in Washington has "exhausted his patience."

Maduro's condemnation came in a televised speech on Friday after the US Treasury imposed sanctions on a commander in the Venezuelan national armed forces, a state minister, and two governors.

"My patience is at the limit with the imperialist government of Donald Trump. I am not going to accept any more from this aggressive government," he said.

Maduro also authorized Venezuela's military to respond in writing "with forcefulness" to what he characterized as "blackmail" from the White House.

The Treasury Department had earlier claimed that the four officials were either involved in repressing protesters or tied up in major corruption schemes.

The action freezes any assets they have under US jurisdiction, and prohibits Americans and US firms from dealing with them, according to a statement released by the department.

Reacting to the US measure, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said in a Twitter post that his country's military would not cave in to pressure from Washington.

The army "will never bow to any foreign power, much less to the imperialist and warlike forces of Donald Trump's supremacist government. We demand respect," Arreaza wrote, referring to the US president.

The US has already imposed a series of sanctions against the Venezuelan government and in support of the opposition. Last year, Trump slapped bans on Maduro, labeling him "a dictator who disregards the will of the Venezuelan people."

Venezuela plunged into political unrest in 2016 amid opposition protests and violence, which killed at least 125 from both the government and opposition camps.

Maduro has censured the opposition for attempting to launch a "coup" against the government with the help of the US and its other foreign backers.

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US freezes $125 million in funding to Palestinian refugees: Report

Iran Press TV

Sat Jan 6, 2018 02:05AM

The US has reportedly cut off $125 million in funding for a UN agency that provides aid to Palestinian refugees, less than a week after US President Donald Trump threatened to hold back future aid payments to the Palestinian Authority (PA).

The Axios news website, citing three unnamed Western diplomats, said on Friday that the sum -- a third of the annual US donation to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) which was expected to be delivered on Monday -- was frozen until the White House finishes its review of aid to the PA.

On Tuesday, Trump, in a number of tweets, threatened to cut Washington's aid to Palestinians, currently worth more than $300 million a year, alleging that the PA was no longer willing to engage in the so-called peace talks with Israel.

"But with the Palestinians no longer willing to talk peace, why should we make any of these massive future payments to them?" he said at the time.

US 'denies' freezing the aid

However, a US State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that the "(Axios) story is very misleading."

"Just because they were expecting the money on the first, and they did not get it at that time, does not mean it was suspended or canceled," the official added.

Meanwhile, UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness also said that his respective agency had not been "informed directly of a formal decision either way by the US administration."

Tensions between the US and Palestinians started escalating after Trump announced last month that Washington would recognize Jerusalem al-Quds as the capital of Israel and would relocate the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to the occupied city.

Palestinians condemned the decision, asserting that the US has no credibility as a Middle East peace broker.

The dramatic shift in Washington's policy vis-a-vis the city triggered demonstrations in the occupied Palestinian territories, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, Algeria, Iraq, Morocco and other Muslim countries.

On December 21, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly voted in favor of a resolution that calls on the US to withdraw its controversial recognition of Jerusalem al-Quds as the Israeli capital.

Jerusalem al-Quds remains at the core of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with Palestinians hoping that the eastern part of the city would eventually serve as the capital of a future independent Palestinian tate.

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Sudan Reportedly Shuts Border With Eritrea

Sputnik News

20:42 06.01.2018(updated 21:01 06.01.2018)

News that Sudan has closed its border with Eritrea comes after reports that the Sudanese authorities ordered the deployment of troops to the region bordering its eastern neighbor.

Sudan has closed its border with Eritrea following Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir's state of the emergency announcement, state news agency SUNA said on Saturday.

Three Kassala residents told Reuters that troops were stationed near the border.

On Friday, SUNA news agency reported that Sudan deployed thousands of servicemen in Kassala State in the east of the country to tackle human trafficking. Despite some speculation circulating in the media, Sudanese authorities denied any tensions in relations with Eritrea and confirmed there were no orders to shut the border crossings with the country.

The decree on border closure has been issued in the wake of a state of emergency declared in North Kordofan State in western Sudan and Kassala State in eastern Sudan on December 30. The state of emergency is due to last six months.

 Sputnik

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UN Security Council condemns 'heinous and cowardly' terrorist attack in Kabul

6 January 2018  The United Nations Security Council has strongly condemned the "heinous and cowardly" terrorist attack that took place in Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, on 4 January, killing at least 15 people and leaving some 25 others wounded.

In a press statement issued late Friday, the members of the Council expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the Afghan Government. They also wished a speedy and full recovery to those who were injured in the attack, for which the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh) has claimed responsibility.

News reports suggest that a suicide bomber attacked a market in the eastern part of Kabul late on Thursday evening, killing at least 20 people and wounding more than a dozen others.

Reaffirming that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, the Council underlined the need to hold perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice.

The 15-member body went on to urge all States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with the Government of Afghanistan and all other relevant authorities in that regard.

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UN announces special probe into attacks on peacekeepers in eastern DR Congo

6 January 2018  The United Nations is launching a special investigation into attacks on peacekeepers in restive eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), one month after 15 'blue helmets' were killed and dozens wounded in the deadliest single assault on a UN mission in nearly a quarter century.

According to a UN spokesperson, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday announced the appointment of veteran UN peacekeeping official Dmitry Titov of Russia to lead a Special Investigation into recent attacks on peacekeepers and bases in the Beni territory of North Kivu Province, in the DRC.

The probe will include a focus on the 7 December attack on a base of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) in Semuliki that killed 15 Tanzanian peacekeepers and wounded 43 others. One blue helmet remains missing.

The UN said the special probe will examine the circumstances surrounding these attacks, evaluate MONUSCO's overall preparedness and response to the events and provide recommendations on how to prevent such attacks from occurring in the future or when they do occur, from having such lethal consequences.

The investigation team will head to the DRC early in January and will also visit relevant countries in Africa's Great Lakes region. Alongside officials of the United Nations, the team will also include two military officers from Tanzania.

Having joined the United Nations in 1991, Mr. Titov served as Assistant Secretary-General for Rule of Law and Security Institutions in the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) from 2007  2017. He also served as Africa Director in DPKO's Office of Operations.

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Western Sahara: UN chief urges easing of tensions in Guerguerat area

6 January 2018  Deeply concerned over rising tensions near Guerguerat in the buffer strip in southern Western Sahara between the Moroccan berm and the Mauritanian border, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday called for maximum restraint in the area.

According to a statement from a UN spokesperson, the Secretary-General underlined that the withdrawal of Frente Polisario (Polisario Front) elements from Guerguerat in April 2017, together with the earlier withdrawal of Moroccan elements from the area, was critical to creating an environment conducive to the resumption of dialogue under the auspices of his Personal Envoy Horst Kohler.

"[Mr. Guterres] calls on the parties to exercise maximum restraint and to avoid escalating tensions. Regular civilian and commercial traffic should not be obstructed and no action should be taken, which may constitute a change to the status quo of the buffer strip," the statement concluded.

Western Sahara is located on the north-west coast of Africa bordered by Morocco, Mauritania and Algeria. The colonial administration of Western Sahara by Spain ended in 1976. Fighting later broke out between Morocco and the Polisario Front. A ceasefire was signed in September 1991.

The UN mission, known by its French acronym, MINURSO, was deployed that year to oversee a ceasefire and a UN settlement plan; however, disagreements between the Government of Morocco and the Polisario Front prevented the holding of the anticipated referendum on the territory's future.

A revised settlement plan proposed by the United Nations after seven years of diplomatic consultations was rejected by one of the parties in 2004.

In 2017, the UN Security Council affirmed its full support for the commitment of the Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy towards a solution to the question of Western Sahara.

In this context, the Council requested Mr. Kohler to relaunch the negotiating process with a new

dynamic and a new spirit leading to the resumption of a political process with the aim of reaching a mutually acceptable political solution, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara in the context of arrangements consistent with the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations.

The Council also emphasized the importance of the commitment of Morocco and the Polisario Front to continue the process of preparation for a fifth round of negotiations while also encouraging the neighbouring countries, Algeria and Mauritania, to make important contributions to this process.

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Arab FMs Meet in Amman to Discuss US Jerusalem Recognition

By Edward Yeranian January 06, 2018

Arab foreign ministers met in the Jordanian capital, Amman, Saturday to discuss the ongoing dispute over President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Arab news channels interrupted their usual coverage to focus on the Arab foreign ministers' press conference in the Jordanian capital, which is the latest development in the ongoing controversy over the Trump administration's controversial move.

Arab League head Ahmed Aboul Gheit told journalists that the guiding principle of Arab diplomacy regarding the Jerusalem controversy, in his view, was to preserve the legal status quo.

He said that no final decision has been reached about what to do, but the main goal of Arab diplomacy is to reduce any Palestinian losses or endorse any Israeli victories resulting from the U.S. decision.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, who hosted the gathering of the Egyptian, Saudi, Jordanian and Moroccan foreign ministers, told journalists that the position of Jordan is to push for international recognition of a Palestinian state.

He said that the Jordanian position is to seek an international political decision to recognize a Palestinian state within the borders prior to June 4, 1967, with Jerusalem as its capital. He added that all efforts will be made, as well, to prevent other countries from following the U.S. example and moving their embassies to Jerusalem.

Safadi, in response to a journalist's question, later insisted that his country was not contemplating canceling its peace accord with Israel over the matter. He stressed that the "best way to resolve the conflict is to pressure the international community to block the U.S. decision and to push for a two-state solution entailing the recognition of a Palestinian state."

Foreign Minister Adel Jubeir told journalists that he and his fellow foreign ministers had discussed what collective action to take to support the Palestinians in rebutting the U.S. decision and ultimately resolving the Israeli-Arab conflict.

Jubeir also said that Arab foreign ministers discussed the ongoing regional conflicts in Syria, Yemen, and Libya, along with Iranian meddling in the region.

In other regional developments, Saudi Arabia offered financial incentives to a number of groups, including government workers and the military, following recent price increases on fuel and certain staples, according to Saudi Culture and Information Minister Awwad al-Awwad.

The Saudi daily newspaper al-Okaz reported that 11 princes from the ruling Saud family were arrested for protesting a government decision to stop paying their electricity bills.

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Georgia Ex-president Vows to Fight Tbilisi if Extradited From Ukraine

By Ia Meurmishvili January 06, 2018

Ex-Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili is vowing to fight the Georgian government if Ukrainian officials move to extradite him to Georgia in light of his conviction by a Tbilisi court Friday.

The court tried and convicted Saakashvili in absentia of abusing his pardon powers while in office. Georgia's prosecutor says Saakashvili, who was in office from 2004-2013, tried to cover up evidence in the 2006 murder of Sandro Girgvliani. The 28-year-old banker was found dead outside of Tbilisi with multiple injuries after he was seen arguing in a bar with high-ranking Interior Ministry officials.

In 2008 Saakashvili pardoned four Georgian law enforcement officers convicted in Girgvliani's murder. Georgian prosecutors claim the pardons failed to follow the procedures of a parliamentary commission on pardons and that the pardons were ultimately part of a deal to cover up evidence in an investigation of the banker's death.

Saakashvili: Pardons were no cover-up

In an exclusive interview with VOA's Georgian Service, Saakashvili again denied that the 2008 pardons were part of a cover-up.

"Of course [that] did not happen, but even if it had happened it would not have been a crime," he said, describing presidential power of pardon as unlimited, "one of the very few powers that are totally unlimited for any president in the world."

Presidential pardons, the power to absolve a convict of their conviction, while common, vary by country according to constitutional statues.

Saakashvili also called Friday's sentencing a politically motivated conspiracy that "has nothing to do with legality."

"Nobody ever has tried a former president for using right to pardon," he said. "What we see is a joint effort by the Ukrainian and Georgian oligarchs. President Poroshenko went to Tbilisi last summer, [and since] he thinks that I am his main problem, he asked them to speed up the cases against me. And that's when they came up with this case."

It is not known whether Poroshenko and his Georgian counterparts ever discussed Saakashvili's case. Shortly after Poroshenko's July 2017 visit to Tbilisi, however, Kyiv officials stripped Saakashvili, who was on U.S. soil at the time, of his Ukrainian citizenship.

In August he flew to Poland before marching across the Ukrainian border surrounded by a throng of his political supporters who moved border guards aside and ultimately transported him to Kyiv, where he now lives as the world's only stateless ex-president.

Renewed extradition dialogue

While Saakashvili's legal turmoil has followed him from his native Georgia to his adopted home country of Ukraine, Friday's ruling represents his first prison sentence. Ukrainian officials on Friday said they would consider Georgia's extradition request, though legal procedures would have to be followed.

According to Saakashvili's government-appointed lawyer, Sofio Goglichidze, the ruling violates "a number of legal provisions and the constitution."

"It is obvious that political persecution is going against Mikheil Saakashvili," Goglichidze said in an interview with RFE/RL. "It was impossible to deliver a guilty verdict in the case in accordance with the law."

Andriy Lysenko, spokesman for the Ukrainian prosecutor general, told Reuters by phone: "[Ukrainian] prosecutors are in the process of arranging a date for Saakashvili's questioning due to Georgia's request to extradite him."

But Saakashvili's lawyer in Ukraine, Ruslan Chornolutskiy, told RFE/RL that his client's legal status should prevent his extradition to Georgia.

"According to Ukrainian laws, a person who was a Ukrainian citizen and for the last several years resided in Ukraine cannot be extradited," Chornolutskiy told RFE/RL. "That is what the law says on foreigners and individuals without citizenship, as well as the international convention that Ukraine has ratified."

If extradited to Georgia, Saakashvili says he will start a "peaceful fight" to remove the government of billionaire and former prime minister of Georgia Bidzina Ivanishvili from power.

"Ivanishvili is very reluctant to get me in Georgia because I am not going to sit quietly in a prison cell," he told VOA. "For God's sake, I am a founding father of modern Georgia. I have huge support among the populous there and also among a majority of law-enforcement and armed services. I am going to call for getting rid of Ivanishvili's government if they extradite me there. I will do it. I am saying it openly. We will do it peacefully, but we will do it.

"I am not going to allow them to execute the wish of [Russian President] Vladimir Putin by punishing me through the hands of the Georgian jail administration and law-enforcement," he said.

As Georgia's president, Saakashvili lost a five-day war in which Russian forces drove deep into Georgia in 2008. He has since referred to himself as Putin's "biggest enemy in the post-Soviet space."

Since Saakashvili's September return to Ukraine, he has led a number of anti-corruption protests against the government.

This story originated in VOA's Georgian Service.

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Chinese President Addresses Military: Fear Neither Hardship Nor Death

Sputnik News

03:19 06.01.2018(updated 03:20 06.01.2018)

Chinese President Xi Jinping encouraged thousands of People's Liberation Army troops this week to display "the fighting spirit, fearing neither hardship nor death."

Speaking in front of 7,000 PLA troops in northern China and dressed in military garb, the Chinese leader urged personnel to "create an elite and powerful force that is always ready for the fight, capable of combat and sure to win in order to fulfill the tasks bestowed by the Party and the people in the new era," the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported Wednesday.

Troops at 4,000 bases across the country tuned in to listen to Xi address the military as a whole. The event marked the first time the Central Military Commission held "a mobilization meeting for the whole armed forces," according to Xinhua.

The Chinese president called on the military to increase digitized warfare research and databases, get more creative with implementing military doctrines and improve science education among PLA troops.

"Our military has always fought with a great spirit. In the past, we had more spirit than steel. Now we have plenty of equipment, so we need an even tougher and stronger spirit to wield it," Xi said, according to the China Daily.

Over the past 12 months, China has opened its first foreign naval base, on the Horn of Africa, finished the construction of one aircraft carrier and initiated construction of two more, commissioned the fifth-generation stealth J-20 jet, and moved forward with plans to open a second foreign naval base in Gwadar, Pakistan.

Beijing presided over the creation of more than 290,000 square meters of new facilities on islands in the South China Sea in 2017. Satellite images have shown that the islands now feature new munitions depots, military shelters, sensor arrays and radar systems.

One issue Beijing perceives with particular sensitivity is Taiwan. After US reports emerged that a US Navy aircraft carrier would be visiting Taiwan in 2018, Li Kexin, a minister with the Chinese Embassy to the US, stated, "the day that a US Navy vessel arrives in Kaohsiung [a major port city in Taiwan] our People's Liberation Army unifies Taiwan with military force."

 Sputnik

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UNSC members highlight Iran stability

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

New York, Jan 6, IRNA -- All 15 members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) stressed on the importance of peace and stability in Iran and also relieving tensions in the Middle East, Kazakh envoy said.

Kazakhstan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Kairat Umarov made the remarks speaking to reporters on Friday after the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) convened on the recent incidents in Iran.

"Kazakhstan is after stable and peaceful Iran," he said expressing the hope for finding peaceful solution to Iran issue.

The Kazakh representative who chaired the meeting openly earlier said that the protest in Iran is not an issue of regional or international security and it is not in the UNSC responsibilities to deal with it.

After some Iranians took to the streets to protest against unemployment and high prices, and, with the provocation of certain foreign and anti-Islamic Revolution media, some elements penetrated the lines of protestors to drive the peaceful protests towards violence, and US President Donald Trump overtly supported the rioters assuming that the former US administration had made a mistake about Iran riots in 2009.

Following that, United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, whose animosity is as clear as daylight and tries to push Iran on top of the UNSC agenda through different subjects so that the Zionist regime can get rid of the international pressures and breathe a sigh of relief, was assigned to make scene against Iran in front of the press.

The UNSC members, feeling what she was going to do, did not let her to misuse this opportunity for political ends, such as harming Iran Nuclear Deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and warned against it.

9376**2050

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EU defies US attacks on Iran Deal

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Vienna, Jan 6, IRNA -- The Friday night meeting of the UN Security Council that was held due to US' insistence turned into an arena for the Europeans to defend the Iran Nuclear Deal and the US got more isolated.

While the US President Donald Trump is to decide on the Iran Nuclear Deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the last week's protests in Iran provided Trump's administration to criticize the JCPOA and Obama's government.

In the meeting, majority of the UNSC stressed that the Iran's domestic affairs are not for the UNSC to decide on.

The representatives of other JCPOA signatories and some other countries made speeches in defense of 'the landmark achievement of diplomacy', as acknowledged by many.

The UK's Matthew Rycroft said, "We encourage all member states to uphold all their commitments. A prosperous, stable Iran is beneficial to all."

French Ambassador to the UN Francois Delattre said that ending the JCPOA will be a big failure for the international community.

The Russian and Chinese ambassadors said that the recent protest in Iran is not a threat to the international security, so it shouldn't have been discussed in the UNSC. The Russian envoy Vasily Nebenzya overtly said, 'The real reason for convening today is not to protect human rights or promote the interests of the Iranian people, but rather a veiled attempt to continue to undermine the Iranian nuclear agreement.'

Swedish ambassador defended the JCPOA by saying that the non-nuclear issues should be kept separated from the JCPOA.

Following the UNSC meeting, Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a Twitter message released on Saturday, 'The UNSC rebuffed the US' naked attempt to hijack its mandate. Majority emphasized the need to fully implement the JCPOA and to refrain from interfering in internal affairs of others. Another FP [foreign policy] blunder for the Trump administration.'

Trump's decision not to confirm Iran's commitment to the deal has faced numerous oppositions among leaders of the JCPOA signatories; High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and foreign ministers of the world powers signing the JCPOA have repeatedly said that the deal works.

In her 2017 report, Mogherini called the defense of the JCPOA a tough time for multilateralism and reiterated that she will go on with her attempts for the JCPOA to be implemented by all parties.

9417**2050

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Zarif: UNSC rules out US 'blunder' meddling attempts

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Jan 6, IRNA -- The United Nations Security Council has dismissed US blatant attempts to intervene in internal affairs of other countries, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Saturday.

"The UNSC rebuffed the US' naked attempt to hijack its mandate. Majority emphasized the need to fully implement the JCPOA and to refrain from interfering in internal affairs of others. Another FP [foreign policy] blunder for the Trump administration," Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a Twitter message released on Saturday.

In his message Zarif referred to Iran's statement on the situation in the Middle East. The statement was submitted on Friday by Iran's ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations, Gholamali Khoshroo.

The full text of the statement follows:

Mr. President

The move by the United States to bring to this Council protests in Iran by some of our citizens for their legitimate grievances  some exacerbated by none other than the U.S. itself in its dereliction of its obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is an abuse of its power as a Permanent Member, and an abuse of the Council itself.

It is unfortunate that despite the resistance on the part of some of its members, this Council has allowed itself to be abused by the current US administration in holding a meeting on an issue that falls outside the scope of its mandate, putting on display the failure of the Council to fulfill its real responsibility in maintaining international peace and security.

It is a discredit for the Security Council to take up a matter that is of a purely domestic nature while failing abjectly to lift a finger when it comes to genuine issues, such as the long-lasting occupation of Palestinian territory  to which this item is dedicated and the indiscriminate bombing of Yemen in the past three years, which has so far resulted in the deaths of thousands of human beings and has brought hunger, disease and destruction on the Yemeni people. The list of such failures of the Council are all attributable to the obstructionist approach by the US delegation and goes on and on.

Mr. President

This is nothing but another desperate attempt by the US administration to escape forward, as it has lost every shred of moral, political and legal authority and credibility in the eyes of the whole world. Following such acts of disruption taken by this US administration as flouting international law and disrespecting the practices of civilized behavior in international politics, this administration is now desperately reaching for every straw that keeps it afloat.

There is a long history of U.S. bullying at the UN, but this is a preposterous examplethe purely internal affairs of a nationin this case protests that the Iranian government has addressed with the utmost respect for the rights of protestors and with every attempt to deal with peacefully, despite violent infiltrators and direct encouragement by foreign forces including by the President of the United Statesis not the subject of debate by the world's most important security organ.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention, for those who may not remember, also the United States' long history of interventions in the internal affairs of Iran. A continuous pattern of disruption in the course of the democratization process in Iran can be traced back to the coup staged by the US against Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister in 1953. Hostile acts intensified once Iranians rose up to overthrow their dictator ruler  who was unsurprisingly loved by the US government. Since then, among others, the US has backed attempted military coups and acts of sabotage in Iran; imposed illegal and inhumane unilateral sanctions against ordinary Iranians; unconditionally supported Saddam Hussein in his eight-year destructive war against Iranians, including by providing him with chemical weapons; and even directly engaged in military confrontation with Iran in defense of Saddam. I should also refer to the 290 innocent lives lost including 66 children on board Iran Air 655 shot down in July 1988 by the US Navy in the Persian Gulf. It would be a remiss of me not to recall that the US shamelessly decorated the commander who gave the order to fire.

Mr. President,

While President Trump may be enamored of the fact that no protesters demonstrated against his presence while he was in our neighborhood a few months agohe may be unaware that they have no right to protestthe fact is that in every democratic country, citizens will, from time to time, take to the streets to protest one thing or another, and Iran is no exception. In every country the security forcesbe they police, gendarmes, national guards or othersare present to ensure that protests remain peaceful, and Iran is, again, no exception. However, while the U.S. accuses Iran of "suppressing" protests, one can only gasp at the hypocrisy when viewing images of

Occupy Wall Street protestors beaten and dragged by American policemen, or to go back in time, when National Guardsmen fired on and killed peaceful student protestors at Kent State University, or to watching film of the protests outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1968.

Or, more recently we can rewind to the 1992 Los Angeles riots over the brutal beating of Rodney King by policemenand killings of innocent African-Americans at the hands of law enforcement continue unabated, as we all knowwhen the California Army National Guard, the 7th Infantry Division and the 1st Marine Division were called in to restore order. A total of 63 people were killed during the uprising; 2383 were injured, and more than 12,000 were arrested. I don't recall any member of the UNSC calling for debate on this issue, when the US military was involved in suppressing domestic unrest. Nor was there debate in 1993 when the FBI raided the Branch Davidian headquarters in Waco, Texas, after a 51-day standoff, killing 83 men, women and children, the vast majority of whom were entirely innocent of any crime. It would behoove Ms. Haleywho perhaps was busy with other priorities at the time of their occurrenceto read up on these travesties of justice on American soil before condemning others for far less.

But it is not just the U.S. that has an unenviable record in dealing with protestors: In 2005 in France, then Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy declared a "zero tolerance" policy towards protests emanating from the deprived suburbs of Paris and other major French cities, referring to demonstratorslargely poor immigrantsas "scum". With almost 3,000 arrests and several deaths, the unrest was only quelled to reemerge in multiple other forms, most recently in 2017, when the police rape of a young French citizen of African origin once again triggered protests. I do not, however, recall the UNSC being summoned for debate on this.

And in 2011 in the United Kingdom, then Home Secretary Theresa May "utterly condemned" the violence amid protests in her country, saying, "Such disregard for public safety and property will not be tolerated." Meanwhile, Prime Minister David Cameron warned rioters, "You will feel the full force of the law. And if you are old enough to commit these crimes, you are old enough to face the punishment.' In the span of merely a few days, some 3,100 arrests were made and with the authorities told that they could ignore existing sentencing guidelines, two young men who promoted riots via Facebook, with the proposed disturbances not attended by any other people, were handed four-year sentences.

I do not recall any country bringing any of these reactions to protestsacross the self-described "civilized" democraciesto the attention of, let alone opening to debate at the United Nations Security Council.

Mr. President,

We have hard evidence of the violence in Iran by a handful of the protestors, in some cases resulting in the death of policemen and security officers, being very clearly directed from abroad. These violent elements surfaced in the crowds as early as Friday evening last week, at the inception of the protests. At that point, the hands of elements from outside Iran, including instigators based in the United States and Europe, began to be visible: incitement to violence included encouraging and training people to use Molotov cocktails, to seize ammunition depots, and to stage an armed uprising.

One U.S. resident took to social media to order the killing of 120 members of our security forces, threatening that "those who will be included among the killed are "their families, [too] in their homes." This same U.S. resident publicly stated to U.S. media, with complete sense of impunity that "they should burn down government mosques and police stations."

It was clear enough to not just us but also third parties that Telegram Messenger executives decided to block some of the violence-inciting channels, citing a "line one shouldn't cross."

All of this is also well documented in the mainstream media. In one case, a man with extensive criminal record, captured a fire engine and ran it over a car, murdering the driver and his 12-year-old son. In some other cases, hooligans got involved and looted shops and banks. Altogether the peaceful, legitimate protestswhich my government emphatically confirmed are a constitutional right which has been respected since the Islamic Revolutionwere abused and hijacked to stage arson, vandalism, hooliganism, and in several cases the firing of weapons.

President Trump and some other U.S. politicians have joined ISIS and its patrons in our region to openly incite and encourage violence. It is the ultimate irony that the country whose head of state has thrown his lot in with those visiting violence and destruction on Iran has its UN Ambassador, who has a history of ignorant and belligerent comments on my country (and even has trouble identifying whether a country is fictitious or not), bring it as an issue for debate to the Security Council. If anything, it is Iran that should be demanding a debate and investigation into how and why foreign elements, with impunity, are allowed to encourage and support unrest and violence in another sovereign and founding member of the United Nations. For example, let's debate why the United States has failed, in spite of repeated official requests, to stop the incitement to violence and murder of innocent civilians from its territory? Or why some European countries continue to provide safe haven to terrorists who are inciting violence and armed rioting as we speak? Why social media sites that promote and teach the use of Molotov Cocktails and boast about people using arms to kill in Iran operate freely in their territory in spite of clear evidence. These are the real issues that need to be addressed.

Distinguished members,

To make this farce into something more than a mere waste of time, let us discuss something else that this Council hasn't but should deal with: The free flow of information has brought with it the spread of fake news and other forms of information wars. These threats are common to all free and sovereign nations. We are not alone in finding it necessary to formulate solutions to these challenges. Recently, French President Macron also lauded efforts to increase transparency about the ownership of websites, including their foreign funding; further empowerment of government agencies to fight against "any attempt at destabilization" by TV stations controlled or influenced by foreign states; and also suggested countering social media channels used as propaganda by introducing laws to disclose the source of funding for particularly sponsored content.

These measures are not needed to simply fight back against fake news, rioters and electoral interference, but more ominously in the fight against terrorists, including ISIS. This fight, distinguished members and colleagues, is not zero sum: we will either win together or lose together.

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Russia, France, China slam UNSC emergency meeting on Iran

ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency

Sat / 6 January 2018 / 11:43

Tehran (ISNA) - Russia has slammed an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Iran as "harmful and destructive".

Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said: "Iran's domestic affairs have nothing to do with the United Nations Security Council's role."

He added that the possibility of new US sanctions on Iran were "illegitimate".

The French ambassador to the UN, Francois Delattre, also said that Iranian situation does not constitute per se a threat to international peace and security and Iran's domestic affairs nothing to do with UNSC.

Meanwhile, the deputy Chinese ambassador Liu Jieyi pointed to the UN charter, saying, "The Iranian situation does not pose any threat on international peace or security, nor is it on the agenda of the Security Council. Discussing this domestic situation in Iran by the Council is a practice that is not in line with the Council's responsibility as outlined in the UN charter. Doing so does not help resolve the domestic issue of Iran."

End Item

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Iran, Russia blast US manipulation of UNSC, urge focus on key issues

Iran Press TV

Sat Jan 6, 2018 12:34AM

The United Nations Security Council's emergency meeting on the recent protests in Iran at the request of the United States "discredits" the council and demonstrates how Washington "abuses" its powers as a permanent member to forward its own agenda, says Iran's envoy to the UN.

Addressing the largely-divided session on Friday, Iran's Ambassador to the UN Gholamali Khoshroo expressed regret that the council had been forced to reconvene and discuss an issue that was "purely domestic."

"It is unfortunate that despite the resistance on the part of some of its members, this council has allowed itself to be abused by the current US administration in holding a meeting on an issue that falls outside the scope of its mandate, putting on display the failure of the council to fulfill its real responsibility in maintaining international peace and security," he asserted.

Last week, groups of peaceful protesters staged unauthorized gatherings in several areas across the country, calling on the authorities to address their economic issues. Despite having no mandate, the protests were allowed to go on uninterrupted for several days.

However, some of events turned violent after armed elements and vandals took the opportunity to destroy public property and attack police stations, killing and injuring dozens of people in the process.

While many countries such as Russia, Turkey and Syria condemned the violence, US President Donald Trump hyped up the unrest in a series of tweets, pledging continued support for the rioters.

"There is a long history of US bullying at the UN, but this is a preposterous example: the purely internal affairs of a nationin this case protests that the Iranian government has addressed with the utmost respect for the rights of the protesters and with every attempt to deal with peacefully, despite violent infiltrators and direct encouragement by foreign forces including by the president of the United Statesis not the subject of debate by the world's most important security organ," Khoshroo explained.

Acknowledging the "legitimate grievances" of the people who held peaceful rallies, Khoshroo said Washington was in part responsible for their hardships by failing to deliver on its obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Actiona landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers.

Trump has adamantly pursued undermining the deal, which limits parts of Tehran's peaceful nuclear program in exchange for lifting all nuclear-related sanctions.

"This is nothing but another desperate attempt by the US administration to escape forward, as it has lost every shred of moral, political and legal authority and credibility in the eyes of the whole world," Iran's envoy said at the meeting.

Khoshroo also reminded council members such as the UK, France and the US of their long record in cracking down on protests.

He referred to Saudi Arabia's ongoing war against Yemen and Israel's occupation of Palestine as some of the "genuine issues" that the council should be focusing on instead.

Another US policy 'blunder'

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif also posted a tweet in reaction to the meeting, calling it another "blunder" for the US foreign policy.

Russia, China echo Iran, call on council to refocus

Also speaking at the meeting was Russia's UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzia, who accused Washington of trying to bend the UNSC mandate by supporting the unrest in Iran.

"We obviously regret the loss of lives as a result of the demonstrations that were not so peaceful. However, let Iran deal with its own problems, especially since this is precisely what's taking place," he said.

The Russian envoy then pointed to Washington's handling of protests over widespread police killings of unarmed African Americans and crackdown on other social justice movements.

"If we follow your logic, then we should have meetings of the Security Council after the events in Ferguson or after the dispersal by force of the Occupy Wall Street movement in Manhattan."

"You are dispersing the energy of the Security Council, instead of focusing it on dealing with key crisis situations in Afghanistan, Syria Libya, Iraq, Yemen, the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea), [and] the African continent. Instead of that, you are proposing that we interfere in the internal affairs of a state," Nebenzia added.

China's Deputy UN Ambassador Wu Haitao also took a similar line, saying the protests were a "domestic issue" of Iran and discussing them at the council "does not help resolve" them.

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US-sought UNSC meeting on Iran backfires on Washington

Iran Press TV

Sat Jan 6, 2018 08:23AM

The UN Security Council (UNSC) finally gives into a US push for a meeting on the latest events inside Iran, but the session does not go as planned as the council's veto wielders and Washington's own allies use the debate to criticize the White House for involving the council in Iran's domestic affairs and seeking to link those issues to the 2015 multinational nuclear deal.

At Friday's session, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley gave an exaggerated account of a series of scattered riots in some areas in Iran last week, and said Washington would remain steadfastly behind the Iranian "protesters," attempting to bring other UNSC members onboard with Washington against the Islamic Republic.

A previous US attempt to convene the UNSC had failed earlier this week.

But Haley's political show soon went down the drain as her hostile comments against Iran was met with a cold response from Russia, China and France, three veto-holding UNSC permanent members, and several other council members, including Sweden.

Last week, some Iranian towns and cities were hit by scattered riots, which followed a series of peaceful demonstrations over economic issues.

However, Iranian law enforcement forces, backed by locals, intervened in time and ended the violence, which saw vandals and armed elements launch attacks on public property, mosques and police stations. Over a dozen people died amid the violence.

Russia to US: You're dispersing UNSC energy!

Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzya accused the US of "abusing" the UNSC platform.

"Why is the United States, a permanent member of the Security Council and one of the authors of the UN Charter, undermining the authority of the Security Council as the main body which is responsible for maintaining international peace and security? I think it is obvious for everyone that the topic chosen today does not fall within the parameters established by the UN Charter for this Security Council," he asked.

The Russian envoy also stressed that the UNSC meeting was actually meant to undermine the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

"You are dispersing the energy of the Security Council, instead of focusing it on dealing with key crisis situations in Afghanistan, Syria Libya, Iraq, Yemen, DPRK, the African continent. Instead of that, you are proposing that we interfere in the internal affairs of a state," said the Russian official.

"We don't want to get involved in destabilizing Iran or any other country," he said.

Similarly, China's Deputy UN Ambassador Wu Haitao said the Security Council is tasked with maintaining international peace and should not be "the venue for discussing the human rights situation of any country."

"The Iranian situation did not pose a threat to international peace and security, and discussing its domestic situation was not part of the Council's responsibilities as outlined in the Charter," he pointed out.

France: Iran events must not serve personal ends

Even France distanced itself from the US, with its UN Ambassador Francois Delattre saying the recent protests in Iran do not threaten international security.

"However worrying the events of the last few days in Iran may be, they do not constitute per se a threat to international peace and security. We must react appropriately to what has been going on," he said. "But we must be wary of any attempts to exploit this crisis for personal ends, which would have the diametrically opposed outcome to that which is wished."

Kairat Umarov, Kazakhstan's representative who also serves as the council's president, said that his country considered the events unfolding in Iran to be "a domestic issue that did not fall under the mandate of the Security Council."

Meanwhile, Sweden's representative Irina Schoulgin Nyoni emphasized that Stockholm had "reservations on the format and timing of this session."

She further supported the JCPOA, saying the nuclear accord's "continued implementation was crucially important."

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White House in talks with Congress on a 'fix' to stay in Iran deal: Tillerson

Iran Press TV

Sat Jan 6, 2018 05:35AM

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says the White House is actively working with congressional leaders to find a legislative "fix" to the Iran nuclear agreement so that the United States would remain in the multi-nation accord.

"The president said he is either going to fix it or cancel it," Tillerson said in an interview with The Associated Press on Friday. "We are in the process of trying to deliver on the promise he made to fix it."

The changes to the US law regulating the US participation in the 2015 deal could come as early as next week or shortly thereafter, the top diplomat said.

Tillerson's comments come as President Donald Trump must decide by January 12 whether he will re-certify the Iran deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) reached between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries, including the United States.

Re-certification indicates that Iran is complying with the terms of the nuclear accord.

Trump faces a series of deadlines in the coming days about what to do with the Iran deal, which he has called an "embarrassment" to the US and "the worst deal ever negotiated."

Trump has not made a decision about whether he will certify the pact next week and continue to waive sanctions against Iran.

Under the JCPOA, Iran undertook to put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions imposed against the Islamic Republic.

In October, Trump refused to certify Iran's compliance, and warned he might ultimately terminate the deal in defiance of other world powers. In doing so, the president passed the buck to Congress, which was given 60 days then to decide how to proceed with the deal.

Congress allowed a deadline on reimposing sanctions on Tehran to pass last month, leaving the deal intact and effectively punting the issue back to Trump again.

Tillerson said Friday Trump might be prepared to preserve the deal by waiving sanctions again if Congress acted quickly.

"I don't want to suggest we're across the finish line on anything yet," he said.

A congressional aide confirmed to AP that there has been progress in talks between congressional leaders and the White House, but added the discussions had not started on a specific text.

Republican Senator Bob Corker and Democratic Senator Ben Cardin, both members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, visited the White House on Thursday to discuss the issue with National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, another aide said.

One option under discussion is the possibility of removing the requirement that the US president certify Iran's compliance, something Trump loathes to do every three months. Another possibility, officials said, would be changing the law so that the certification would occur far less often.

The negotiations could only result in face-saving measures that would allow the Trump administration to stay in the nuclear deal, rather than imposing any new restrictions on Iran.

Early last month, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini warned Tillerson of the adverse consequences of a possible move to step away from the nuclear deal.

"I have reaffirmed the European Union view that continued implementation of the Iran nuclear deal is a key strategic priority for European security but also for regional and global security," she said after a meeting with Tillerson in Brussels.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has repeatedly verified Iran's adherence to the terms of the JCPOA since January 2016, when the deal took effect.

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Iran Government Supporters Stage Rallies for 4th Straight Day

By Jeff Seldin January 06, 2018

Thousands of pro-government supporters held rallies Saturday across Iran for the fourth consecutive day, one day after Iran's foreign minister said a United Nations meeting was a "blunder" by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

State television showed demonstrators in the cities of Amol, Semnam and Shadegan wielding Iranian flags and chanting slogans against the U.S., Israel and Britain. Rallies also were held in the provinces of Khuzestan, Semnan and West Azerbaijan.

Saturday's rallies were staged one day after a United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting to discuss the protests at the request of the U.S. The U.S. was criticized at the meeting for requesting the session to discuss an issue that some member states said was an internal issue for Iran.

After the meeting, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted, "The UNSC rebuffed the US' naked attempt to hijack its mandate ... Another FP (foreign policy) blunder for the Trump administration."

'US is watching'

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Nikki Haley, praised the anti-government protesters at the meeting amid criticism the U.S. is meddling in Iran's domestic affairs.

Competing pro- and anti-government demonstrations have been taking place in Iran's major cities for the past week, resulting in the deaths of 22 people and the arrest of more than 1,000 others.

"The U.S. is watching what you do," Haley said to Iran in her statement in Friday's meeting. She called the protests a "spontaneous expression of fundamental human rights" and a "powerful exhibition of brave people who have become so fed up with their oppressive government that they are willing to risk their lives in protests."

Haley called on the Iranian government to stop censoring the voice of the Iranian public and to restore their access to the internet.

She also said the international community should do more to support the anti-government demonstrators. U.S. President Donald Trump has also tweeted his support for the protesters.

But critics of the U.S. position, including Russia and Iran itself, have said the protests are not the business of the international community.

Iran's ambassador, Gholamali Khoshroo, attended the meeting at the invitation of the Security Council. Speaking last, he said it is a "discredit" to the Security Council to hold such a meeting on Iran in the face of the conflicts taking place in Yemen and elsewhere in the Middle East.

Russia's deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, criticized the U.S. push to hold Friday's meeting as an intrusion into Iranian affairs.

Meanwhile, the protests continue after Tehran's prayer leader urged authorities Friday to deal "firmly" with those responsible for sparking more than a week of anti-government rallies.

Iranian officials say a plot by the Central Intelligence Agency, Israel and Saudi Arabia is responsible for the unrest amid escalating tensions with the neighboring countries since Donald Trump won the U.S. presidency.

Need to tread carefully

In an interview with VOA contributor Greta Van Susteren, Democratic Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland cautioned that the the U.S. must walk a "delicate line" in response to allegations of provocation.

"We don't want to give them any ammunition for what they're saying. We know that the Iranians don't tell the truth about what is happening. Their people know that," Cardin said.

Cardin added: "I think it's important for us to keep a spotlight on the protesters and do everything we can to keep them safe and to take action against Iran if they violate basic human rights. I think the seeds for protest will remain unless the Iranian leaders change their course and allow the people basic human rights and basic economic freedoms."

The U.S. is promising support for anti-government protesters. A White House official Thursday said the U.S. would look for "actionable information" and seek to impose new sanctions against those responsible for stifling the protests.

The State Department also said it would not stand by idly.

"We have ample authorities to hold accountable those who commit violence against protesters, contribute to censorship or steal from the people of Iran," it said in a statement. "To the regime's victims, we say: You will not be forgotten."

New US sanctions

Though not tied directly to the protests, the U.S. Thursday sanctioned five Iranian companies linked to Tehran's ballistic missile program.

Ahead of Friday's U.N. meeting, four U.N. human rights experts called on Iranian authorities to respect the right of protestors and said they are "extremely concerned" over the deaths and arrests that have occurred since the protests began.

The experts also expressed concern that the government has reportedly blocked the internet on mobile networks and shut down social media platforms in an effort to suppress the anti-government protests.

"Communication blackouts constitute a serious violation of fundamental rights," they said.

Iranian public's discontent

The protests, which seemed to erupt spontaneously on December 28, have spread to many of Iran's smaller cities, towns and rural areas, with protesters focused on economic hardships and government corruption.

But Iranian officials on Thursday insisted the wave of anti-government protests had waned.

Still, U.S. intelligence officials warn Tehran is at a crossroads, noting the protests are the biggest outpouring of public discontent since Iranians took to the streets in 2009 following a disputed presidential election.

"The protests are symptomatic of long-standing grievances that have been left to fester," an intelligence official told VOA on condition of anonymity. "Will it address the legitimate concerns of its people or suppress the voices of its own populace?"

"What is clear is that these concerns are not going away," the official said.

Critics of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, pointing to rising prices for key commodities like fuel, bread and eggs, say he has abandoned the poor.

And even Ali Akbar Velayati, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader, told the semiofficial ISNA news agency, "The people's main demand now is for the government and officials to deal with the economic problems."

Growing US pressure on Iran?

In the meantime, Iran could face additional economic pressure from Washington.

Trump is set to decide next week whether to continue to waive sanctions against Iran that were suspended under the 2015 international agreement to curb Iran's nuclear weapons development. The U.S. president has repeatedly attacked the agreement and assailed Tehran's military actions in Syria, Iran and Yemen.

But some analysts warn the administration runs a risk of taking too harsh a line on Iran and seeing it backfire.

"There's really no reason for us to not waive the nuclear sanctions now," said Michael Eisenstadt, director of the Military and Security Studies program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

"Don't pull out of JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear deal], because that will redirect the attention of the Iranian people from the regime's inability to solve their financial problems to us," Eisenstadt said. "We shouldn't make the United States the issue here."

VOA's national security correspondent Jeff Seldin and U.N. correspondent Margaret Besheer contributed to this report.

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Germany Liquidates All Chemical Weapons Delivered From Libya

Sputnik News

01:34 06.01.2018

BERLIN (Sputnik) - Germany has completed work on the destruction of chemical weapons and toxic materials delivered from Libya, the German Foreign Ministry and Defense Ministry said in a joint statement on Friday.

"Germany has been supporting the elimination of the last chemicals remaining from the Libyan chemical weapons program The costs have been defrayed by Germany and the United states. The German state-owned facility for the utilization of chemical warfare agents and remaining arms [GEKA] in Munster, that has long-standing experience, has terminated the destruction of the toxic materials," the statement said.

According to the statement, the destroyed materials have been stocked since the time of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who was overthrown in 2011.

In July 2016, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution which allows states to receive, take away and destroy Libyan chemical weapons. The resolution refers to the second category of substances under the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction. The resolution aimed to prevent the chemical weapons from falling into the hands of terrorists.

 Sputnik

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Mattis Says Not Concerned About Pakistan Retaliating Over U.S. Aid Cutoff

RFE/RL January 06, 2018

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis says he's not worried about Islamabad retaliating against Washington over its suspension of as much as $2 billion in military aid this week.

"I'm not concerned, no," Mattis told reporters at the Pentagon on January 5, when asked about concerns that the U.S. move might push Pakistan closer to China or prompt it to cut off the principal supply route for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, which runs through Pakistan.

During a period of high tension between Washington and Pakistan six years ago, Islamabad closed overland routes into Afghanistan for several months.

Even before this week's suspension of military aid, Pakistan was developing closer ties with China, which has sold Islamabad military hardware and is financing major infrastructure projects in the country as part of Beijing's "Silk Road" initiative.

But Mattis dismissed those concerns, saying he got no indication from Pakistan that it might cut off the supply route for U.S. forces in Afghanistan when he visited Pakistan last month.

"We're still working with Pakistan, and we would restore the aid if we see decisive movements against the terrorists, who are as much a threat against Pakistan as they are to us."

U.S. officials have said the United States is prepared to withhold as much as $2 billion in military assistance and counterterrorism aid until Pakistan takes "decisive action" against Afghan Taliban and Haqqani Network militants residing within its borders.

The Pakistani reaction to the suspension of aid so far been limited primarily to harsh rhetoric and some street demonstrations.

Some small protests broke out in Pakistan on January 5, including in Chaman, one of the two main crossings on the border with Afghanistan, where several hundred people gathered to chant slogans against the United States.

Pakistan's Foreign Office early on January 5 warned the United States that "arbitrary deadlines, unilateral pronouncements, and shifting goalposts are counterproductive."

The ministry also sought to minimize the impact of the aid cut, saying Pakistan has spent more than $120 billion during the past 15 years on counterterrorism, largely from its own resources.

"We are determined to continue to do all it takes to secure the lives of our citizens and broader stability in the region," the Foreign Office said.

A senior U.S. official briefing reporters in Washington on the condition of anonymity said on January 5 that "approximately $2 billion worth of equipment and coalition support funding is in play" in the aid suspension.

This official said Washington is also considering taking other measures to pressure Pakistan to go after militants, such as stripping Pakistan of its status as a "major non-NATO ally" or withdrawing U.S. support for International Monetary Fund financing for Pakistan.

The senior official acknowledged that Islamabad could make life difficult for the United States by cutting of its military supply routes to Afghanistan.

But he insisted that "unless we deal with the Pakistan sanctuary issue, it will undermine all of our other efforts in Afghanistan...We can no longer accept Pakistan's dual policies of fighting some terrorists while supporting others."

With reporting by AP, AFP, Radio Mashaal, and Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/mattis-not-concerned-pakistan- retaliating-us-military-aid-cutoff-china-supply-route-troops- afghanistan-haqqani-afghan-taliban/28958923.html

Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Russia's Supreme Court rejects Navalny's appeal against election ban

Iran Press TV

Sat Jan 6, 2018 03:49PM

Russia's Supreme Court on Saturday dismissed an appeal by opposition politician Alexei Navalny to overturn a ruling that bars him from running in the March presidential election.

On December 30, the Supreme Court upheld a decision by the country's Central Election Commission (CEC) that Navalny could not take part in the presidential election over a criminal conviction he had in the past.

Navalny's lawyer Ivan Zhdanov said the politician would appeal to the presidium of the Supreme Court and could take the case on to the Constitutional Court if need be.

"In theory, Navalny still has a chance of taking part in the election, but in reality they are negligible," he added.

The ban prompted Navalny to call for an election boycott. He claims the conviction, a suspended five-year prison sentence over embezzlement charges, is fabricated and politically-motivated.

Navalny, who has organized some of the biggest anti-government demonstrations in years, has been imprisoned three times this year and charged with breaking the law for organizing public meetings and rallies.

The 41-year-old protest leader has called on his supporters to take to the streets again on January 28.

Polls show that incumbent President Vladimir Putin, whose approval ratings top 80 percent, will likely win another six-year term.

Navalny says his exclusion from the vote makes a sham of the ballot.

If Putin wins the March election, he will be in power until 2024.

More than 20 people, including liberal Grigory Yavlinsky, business ombudsman Boris Titov, and journalist and TV personality Ksenia Sobchak have declared their intention to run in the March election.

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Russian Supreme Court Rejects Navalny Appeal On Presidential Election Ban

RFE/RL's Russian Service January 06, 2018

The Russian Supreme Court has upheld its decision to reject an appeal by opposition leader Aleksei Navalny against a decision to bar him from running in Russia's 2018 presidential election.

The court said on January 6 that its decision on December 30 to uphold a ruling five days earlier by Russia's Central Election Commission that the anticorruption crusader isn't eligible to run "remains without change, and the appellate complaint of the administrative plaintiff, without satisfaction."

The court said the decision by the Central Election Commission fully conforms to law.

A lawyer for Navalny said the politician will appeal to the presidium of the Supreme Court and could take the case on to the Constitutional Court if need be.

Previously, Navalny's lawyers have said he would take the case to the European Court of Human Rights.

Navalny is barred from running for office because of a conviction in a fraud case, which has been viewed as political retribution.

Following his disqualification, Navalny called on his supporters to boycott the March 18 presidential vote.

He has also announced plans to hold protests across Russia on January 28 to press home his call for a boycott of the election.

The Kremlin has said such boycott calls should be reviewed by officials to see whether they break the law.

President Vladimir Putin is set to easily win a fourth term in office in the election, with his approval ratings topping 80 percent.

Putin, who has been president or prime minister since 1999, is seeking a new six-year term in the election.

Over the past year, Navalny has mounted a grassroots campaign across Russia.

Presidential campaigning officially started in Russia on December 18.

More than 20 people have declared their intention to run in the March election, including liberal Grigory Yavlinsky, business ombudsman Boris Titov, and journalist and TV personality Ksenia Sobchak.

While none of the candidates poses a serious challenge to Putin, analysts say the Kremlin is worried about voter apathy and has focused on ways to boost turnout to make Putin's expected victory as impressive as possible.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-supreme-court- rejects-navalny-appeal/28959277.html

Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Saudi Arabia arrests 11 more princes amid Crown Prince's mass purge

Iran Press TV

Sat Jan 6, 2018 01:17PM

Saudi officials have arrested nearly a dozen princes amid the oil-rich kingdom's purported anti-graft campaign, which is considered the biggest purge of political dissidents and the elite in the country's modern history.

Members of the Saudi Arabian Royal Guard Regiment arrested 11 princes outside the Royal Palace in Riyadh on Saturday as they were protesting against a decision to cut off their privileges, Arabic-language Sabq online newspaper reported.

Informed sources, requesting anonymity, said the princes were demanding the cancelation of a royal order, which calls for the suspension of payment for the costs of electricity and water used by princes.

The sources added that the arrested princes had been transferred to al-Ha'ir Prison, located approximately 25 miles south of Riyadh, where they are awaiting trial.

Meanwhile, four poets have been sentenced to jail over writing poems in criticism of senior members of the ruling al-Saud regime, including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

According to a report published by Arabic-language Arabi 21 online newspaper, Abdullah Atqan al-Salami and Mohammed Eid al-Hawaiti were sentenced each to ten years in jail, while Manif al-Munkara and Sultan al-Shibani al-Atibi were handed down five-year jail terms.

The four poets got arrested last October as they were attending a wedding ceremony in northern Saudi Arabia, and reading their poems aloud.

Dozens of princes, ministers and former ministers were detained in late December on the order of Saudi Arabia's so-called Anti-Corruption Committee headed by the Crown Prince, in a crackdown, which is widely believed to be aimed at consolidating his power.

The detained individuals are facing allegations of money laundering, bribery, extorting officials and misappropriation of public funds for personal benefits.

Prince al-Waleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz, the chairman of investment firm Kingdom Holding Company, Nasser bin Aqeel al-Tayyar, the founder of Al Tayyar Travel Group, and Amr al-Dabbagh, the chairman of builder Red Sea International, are among the top business executives detained during the purge.

Political analysts say Saudi King Salman plans to relinquish power in favor of his son who is pursuing a self-promotion campaign under the cover of tackling high-level corruption.

Pundits believe the targeting of Saudi Arabia's long-standing elite represents a shift from family rule to a more authoritarian style of governance based on a single man.

Riyadh has taken on more aggressive policies since Bin Salman's promotion to the position of defense minister and deputy crown prince in 2015, and later to the position of crown prince.

The kingdom is currently struggling with plummeting oil prices as the Al Saud regime also faces criticism over its deadly military campaign against neighboring Yemen, which it launched in March 2015.

Many also see Riyadh's policies as a major cause of the crises in the region, especially in Syria.

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Cash-strapped Saudi Arabia raises wages of forces fighting reluctantly in Yemen

Iran Press TV

Sat Jan 6, 2018 07:33AM

Saudi Arabia, already economically challenged, has decided to pay out an extra 5,000 Saudi riyals (1,333 US dollars) monthly to the troops fighting on the front lines in the Saudi-led war on Yemen, where reports have drawn a dark picture of Saudi-led military personnel's morale.

King Salman ordered the raise on Saturday. He was trying to compensate all state employees, almost a week after the country almost doubled gasoline prices and introduced a five-percent value added tax (VAT) on most goods and services.

Saudi Arabia started the war on Yemen in March 2015, hoping that with blunt force, it would be able to restore power to a former Yemeni regime that had been friendly to Riyadh in a matter of weeks. Some three years and over 13,600 Yemeni lives later, the Saudi regime has been unable to accomplish the objectives of its "Decisive Storm" operation.

Instead, and despite the coalition's superior aggregate military power, Riyadh has been bogged down in a war against mostly tribal fighters with limited fighting equipment.

Even so, there have been reports that the Saudi-led forces are massively concerned about their safety. Officials from the United States, which assists the Saudi-led coalition, have admitted that incompetent Saudi pilots, fearing ground fire, have been flying their jets so high that they can't deliver weapons accurately, causing even bigger civilian casualties.

The move by the Saudi king to raise allowances for the military personnel has now been seen as an incentive in monetary form  as is typical of the Saudi government  to keep the reluctant forces in the war zone.

Various international outlets, including The Financial Times and Bloomberg, meanwhile, have suggested that after falling short of its goals, Saudi Arabia has started pumping more money into the war.

The Financial Times wrote that retaliatory missile attacks by Yemen, especially the counterattack that targeted the al-Yamamah palace in Riyadh, had scared investors away from the kingdom, further straining Saudi Arabia financially.

This is while Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has hoped to lure foreign investors into the country.

Bloomberg said that continuation of the offensive indicated that it had been unsuccessful.

Col. Turki al-Malki, a spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, said the Houthis had so far fired 87 missiles at different locations in Saudi Arabia.

The kingdom introduced the hike in prices and the VATs on Monday in a supposed attempt to kickstart its economy, reeling from falling oil prices and the costly war on Yemen, which has dragged on for almost three years. Crude prices tumbled last year after Saudi Arabia itself glutted the market.

Arrests in front of the royal palace

Last month, Saudi Arabia, whose economy contracted by 0.5 in 2016, cut the government subsidy on electricity supplies for the second time in two years, leading to a sharp rise in bills.

On Saturday, the Saudi government said 11 royals had been arrested after gathering in front of a palace in protest at the government cuts of their water and electricity subsidies, Sabq paper reported.

It said the arrestees were transferred to the al-Ha'ir medium-security prison south of the capital.

However, a well-known Saudi online activist, who goes by the nickname of @mujtahidd on Twitter, said the princes had been laid under arrest for protesting the apprehension of many of their kinsmen on the crown prince's orders late last year.

Mohammed bin Salman has been arresting fellow princes in what has been portrayed as an "anti-corruption campaign" but is widely believed to be a purge of political opponents.

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Eleven Saudi Princes Reportedly Stage Protest in Royal Palace, End Up in Prison

Sputnik News

13:46 06.01.2018

Eleven princes have staged a protest in one of the king's palaces in the Saudi capital Riyadh, demanding that an order to suspend payment of their water and electricity bills be overturned, according to Saudi online newspaper Sabq.

The princes were detained by Saudi authorities after they gathered at Qasr a-Hokm royal palace to object to austerity measures recently imposed on members of the royal family, online news website sabq.org reports.

The royals were rebelling against a decree by King Salman bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud to stop state funding of water and electricity bills for members of the royal family. They also demanded compensation for the execution of their cousin, who also belonged to the royal family, according to Sabq.

Eleven princes were sent to al-Hayer prison, where they will reportedly be held until court trial begins.

"Everybody is equal before the law and anyone who does not implement regulations and instructions will be held accountable, no matter who he is," the website said, quoting sources.

No details were provided on the identity of the arrested royals, however, according to the media, the leader of the rebellious group was identified by the initials S.A.S.

The detention occurred amid an ongoing massive anti-corruption campaign in Saudi Arabia led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The push is widely regarded to be an effort to strengthen his power.

In November, the kingdom's authorities announced that over 200 people had been arrested and were being questioned as part of its anti-corruption drive, and as much as $800 billion in assets had been frozen.

Saudi high-profile arrests included some of the kingdom's richest entrepreneurs, among them billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, and government ministers such as Minister of Economy and Planning Adel Fakeih and Minister of State Ibrahim al-Assaf.

Riyadh's five-star Ritz-Carlton was converted into a luxury prison, and high-ranking detainees were held there as financial settlements were negotiated.

 Sputnik

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Taiwan will not deploy IDF jets to Penghu year-round: Air Force

ROC Central News Agency

2018/01/06 22:05:59

Taipei, Jan. 6 (CNA) The idea of deploying a fleet of Indigenous Defense Fighter (IDF) jets in the offshore county of Penghu throughout the year is purely speculative and unrealistic, Taiwan's Air Force said Saturday.

In a statement, the Air Force reiterated that Taiwan's military has everything under control and is not intimidated by China's recent unilateral action to open new commercial flight routes in the Taiwan Strait.

Earlier in the day, the Liberty Times reported that the military was considering stationing IDF jets in Penghu, a Taiwan-controlled archipelago in the Taiwan Strait, all year round as opposed to only in summer.

The change will be made for national defense purposes, the paper said.

However, the Air Force dismissed the report as speculative and said the idea was unrealistic.

The Air Force urged the public to remain calm, saying that the military will go all out to prevent any intrusions into Taiwan's airspace and will deter any aircraft from crossing the median line in the strait.

(By Liu Lee-jung and Ko Lin)

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Weekly poll: which 2018 features are you most excited about?

As we say goodbye to 2017, were already curious to see what 2018 will bring. Its too early to tell what the big trends in smartphones will be this year but we might have an inkling.

For example, most flagships  and even many mid-rangers  have dual cameras now. To stand out, new phones will need more  rumors suggest the Huawei P20 will have a triple camera.

Or perhaps instead of basic cameras, makers will focus more on 3D scanners like Apples TrueDepth camera. Huawei announced competing tech, the new Exynos 9810 has built-in support for 3D face scanning.

Its been a few months and its still not 100% clear if FaceID is a great replacement for fingerprint scanners. Maybe it would be better if the scanner remains on board, perhaps hidden out of sight  say, below the screen. Manufacturers couldnt pull it off last year but perhaps the tech has matured now.

We bet well be hearing a lot about digital assistants and AI this year. The $30 smart speakers certainly sold well, but consumers didnt care about assistants  some actively hated theirs. But manufacturers arent giving up, maybe 2018 is when they actually get things right.

We also believe that this year we will see a major shift from LCD to OLED. It has already started, even Apple made the jump. We expect to see more OLED phones from Cupertino, but from LG, Huawei and HTC as well.

Which of these upcoming trends are you most excited about? (you can vote for multiple options)By Panos Kotzathanasis | Published on 2018/01/06

One could easily say that "Moby Dick" is another entry in the crime thriller genre that, in Hollywood style, uses the connection of the authorities with the capital to introduce a case of conspiracy that reaches the higher echelons of S. Korea, and he would not be very far from the truth. However, a few elements in the film make it stand out from the majority of similar productions.

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Lee Bang-woo is a guerilla reporter for a newspaper, who is always in the search for the next big scoop, and is not afraid to use questionable tactics to receive his information. When a mysterious explosion destroys the fictional Balam Bridge on the outskirts of Seoul, Lee does not waste any time getting on the case. A little bit later, he gets a visit from his old friend Yoon-hyuk (Jin Goo), who offers some highly classified information on the case - that the explosion was no accident and that the government caused it. As a newcomer in the newspaper, Son Jin-gi, also investigates the same case, Director Jo assigns them both to it, along with Seong Hyo-gwan, a young journalist who knows much more about computers than her two colleagues. Soon though, the three of them finds themselves in the midst of a conspiracy that threatens their lives and can destroy the nation as Yoon-hyuk is revealed to have a completely different role than he implied.

Park In-je in his feature debut directs a film that moves very close to the Hollywood conspiracy/action flicks, as it features most of its American counterpart's elements. A conspiracy that involves people that are hidden but actually rule the world from the shadows; heroic characters who have no regard for their lives in their pursuit of justice and truth; action including some violent scenes and some spectacular explosions; an impressive cast including a gorgeous woman; a bit of humor and some melodrama, which is a prerequisite for any commercial film in S. Korea. All of the above are depicted through Kim Sun-min's fast, to the point of abrupt, editing, which makes the movie flow smoothly, without lingering at anything in particular. Add to that Kim Dong-young-I's cinematography, which again, aims at impression with a number of grand shots, particularly during the action scenes.

However, the element that makes the film differ is its approach towards the press and particularly reporting. Most of the S. Korean productions of the category make a point of stressing the role the press plays in these conspiracies, in contrast to "Moby Dick", which actually presents the reporters as heroic, doing their best to inform the public, not to mention very good people. The part Director Jo plays in this concept stresses the aforementioned, with the newspapers being presented as the last line of defense against corruption.

I felt that the film could benefit much if Park had stressed this aspect even more, but instead he was carried away with the story, with the script occasionally appearing naive, in an effort to impress the viewer, while it also leaves a number of loose ends during its ending.

Hwang Jung-min anchors the film as Lee Bang-woo, giving a nice performance as Lee Bang-woo, in a style much similar to Song Kang-ho in the way he mixes seriousness with a very entertaining aloofness. Kim Sang-ho as Son Jin-gi is the source of both comedy and melodrama, while Kim Min-hee as Seong Hyo-gwan has a smaller part, which allows her, though, to show some glimpses of her then rising talent along with her undeniable beauty, although Park refrained from drawing too much from the last aspect.

"Moby Dick" could have been a much better film if its direction was more competent, but instead remains a flick that you can watch, pass your time pleasantly, and then forget about it completely.

Review by Panos Kotzathanasis

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"Moby Dick" is drected by Park In-je and features Hwang Jung-min, Jin Goo,Kim Min-hee and Kim Sang-ho.

Available on DVD from YESASIABy Vasia Orion | Published on 2018/01/06

"Argon" and the show within it of the same name have a surprise guest in this episode and they tackle some topics we do not often see in Korean drama, or rather often see painted in a very consistent and one-sided way. Sadly, the drama also throws a curve-ball at us with a certain character's health and this twists Baek-jin's arm into a decision that is necessary, but will only further infuriate his enemies.

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Lee Geun-hwa's (Lee Kyung-young) terminal illness is not subtle, but it is definitely a good way to wrap up the cautionary tale of his existence. His upcoming end is tragic, but so is his consistent clinging to the dream of power with a conscience. He knows full well that he failed to reach the top without bending to the will of others, but he does not see that Baek-jin (Kim Joo-hyuk) would have to bend to the same systems.

I do appreciate it that "Argon" does not beat around the bush about this. We have all seen the great underdog stories where people land victories against the rich and powerful, but those are often idealistic, rather than realistic. "Argon" does not engage in that. It does have its small victories out of necessity to keep its main characters where they are, but even its very hero had to bend before he can snap back. It is refreshing to see a show not overly attached to ideally ethical leads.

Looking at another topic where "Argon" is bolder than usual, that would be overseas adoption. Adoption in general still carries a stigma in South Korean society and you have probably noticed its overall little exposure in dramas. When it comes to foreign parents in particular, abandonment or abuse is almost exclusively the type of narrative delivered. While the struggles of overseas adoptees are well-documented, it is a shame to see their nuance give way to extremes in Korean series.

It is nice to see the other, more complicated side of the coin and tackle the topic of belonging, rather than simply demonizing it as a sure-fire path to misery. I wish the series had more time to develop this rarely tackled subject. Robert Winston (David Lee McInnis) is a character who has interest in his Korean friends and heritage, but HBC's attempt to sensationalize his deeply personal story while ignoring his humanity is where the cautionary tale lies.

Coming back to the main story, now that Yeon-hwa (Chun Woo-hee) is settling in and even befriending Seo-woo (Ryu Han-bi), I do look forward to the case of Midtown being explored. Episode four is more about interpersonal relationships and the guest story of Robert, but we have bigger fish to fry and Yeon-hwa will need to be given more to work with than Jong-tae's (Cho Hyun-chul) doomed scoops.

"Argon" is directed by Lee Yoon-jeong, written Jeon Yeong-sin, Joo Won-gyoo and Sin Ha-eun and features Kim Joo-hyuk, Chun Woo-hee, Park Won-sang and Shin Hyun-bin.

Written by: Orion from 'Orion's Ramblings'

Watch on Netflix

Note: Due to licensing, videos may not be available in your countryBy William Schwartz | Published on 2018/01/06

Director Daehae is a Buddhist nun. This may be seem counter-intuitive, given that "Sermon on the Mount" is, as the title implies, a movie about Christian theology. The runtime consists almost entirely of a bunch of seminary students sitting around in a cave casually discussing and debating various liturgy. There are frequent references to the more arcane aspects of religious belief, simplified into relatable analogies of great use to the believer and the non-believer alike.

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So why would a Buddhist nun, of all people, be interested in subject matter that would be more obviously well-suited to South Korea's domestic Christian film market? Well, it's because Daehae sincerely believes that all world religions have a lot in common. It's just the differences that are frequently emphasized because of unscrupulous people. The entire segment explaining Jesus' teachings regarding the tree which bears poisonous fruit goes into this, albeit indirectly. The idea is more conceptual than it is literal.

Also consider the discussion of the golden cup as relates to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. God exists in multiple forms, some literal, some identifiable, and other transient. So just as the golden cup is a drinking implement, and also made of metal, and also of financial value, so too does God exist in multiple forms. They just can't be processed in the same way at the same time, because of the limited faculties inherent in humans.

Another section goes into the question of whether humans exist to serve God or God exists to serve humans. The Socratic nature by which "Sermon on the Mount" phrases these questions is such that first of all, you should really ask yourself that question, and carefully consider how you came to your answer. Bear in mind that the exact form of God, for the sake of argument, is fairly critical, because God in different forms serves different purposes.

As technically challenging as all these questions may sound rest assured, "Sermon on the Mount" does its best to simplify the subject matter without dumbing it down. The movie is a sort of connect the dots exercise. It takes all these vague Christian concepts you have probably heard of, and ties them together in such away that the overall unity of the topic makes intuitive sense in a way it did not before. The answers to previous questions gain continuing relevance throughout the night as new questions rely on many of the same precepts.

These explanations make even more intuitive sense the more knowledge you have of other religions and their fundamental precepts. Hence how Daehae came to be so fascinated by the topic, and the possibility of using these and other educational connections to promote world peace. "Sermon on the Mount" is not Daehae's first film on the topic, although it's certainly her most ambitious, and has had a popular festival run spanning from Moscow to Seoul to Kazan to Dhaka. Really, if a group of people that diverse can find value in a Buddhist nun's interpetation of Catholic liturgy, why not you?

Review by William Schwartz

"Sermon on the Mount" is directed by Daehae and features Baek Seo-bin, Jung Joon-young-I, Oh Kyung-won and Park Chang-joon.Published on 2018/01/07 | Source

Torchbearers hold the Olympic flame for the 2018 Winter Olympics in front of Bulguk Temple in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province on Tuesday. /Yonhap

The Olympic flame for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang is set to arrive in Gyeonggi Province on Thursday after touring the nation since early November.

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The flame will be carried by some 677 torchbearers and tour major cities in the province and Seoul until Jan. 20.By William Schwartz | Published on 2018/01/06

So-i (played by Shin Eun-soo) is, in the modern day, an English teacher for private academies. The work is degrading and generally pointless, so it's with sincere joy that So-i comes homes to open a package from family in rural Nonsan. So-i wasn't actually raised out there. She just ended up stuck in the area for awhile because of issues with her mother. All the same, So-i's happy nostalgia flashbacks revolve around the Nonsan years, which is especially interesting when we look back to see what a brat So-i was.

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The main narrative of "Drama Stage - Anthology" is just about So-i growing up (metaphorically) in Nonsan and realizing the world does not revolve around her. This process takes quite awhile, and the main obstacle is always So-i's own stubborn pigheadedness. Even granting that Nonsan is not the most exciting location in the world, So-i repeatedly wallows in denial rather than acknowledging the reality of her current living situation, even though So-i has definite advantages.

Observe how all the other students automatically think that So-i must be cool solely because she came from the city. The girl has her own portable music player. While that seems unremarkable today, back in the bygone year of 2002 they were apparently so rare that even So-i's teacher fails to realize that So-i is showing open disrespect in the classroom. The parallel with the scuffle that is the drama's opening scene is so obvious the irony is just dripping.

Unfortunately "Drama Stage - Anthology" has almost no interest in its own framing device. Indeed, the main purpose of the framing device appears to have been to spoil the ending. We know that So-i can't have gotten together romantically with the other cool Nonsan student, Hyeon (played by One) because he doesn't show up in the present day. This is an oddly fatalistic statement for the drama to make, since otherwise the story is a pretty standard country romance.

Like most of the other Drama Stage productions this year, "Drama Stage - Anthology" is limited mainly in that it only tries to be a fairly simple genre story. There are so many interesting thematic angles that could be tackled through the narrative device of a city girl forcibly translated to rural South Korea circa 2002 that I was frustrated mainly by the production team's apparent disinterest in dealing with anything other than romantic nostalgia. If that's all you want, "Drama Stage - Anthology" will get the job done, but it's not a story for the ages by any means.

Review by William Schwartz

"Drama Stage - Anthology" is directed by Lee Yoon-jeong, written by Sin Ha-eun, and features Shin Eun-soo, One, Heo Jin, Seo Hyun-woo,...Up to 90 per cent of weapons seized from ISIS in Iraq and Syria originated from China, Russia and Eastern Europe, a report has found.

US arms accounted for just 1.8 per cent of items recovered between 2014 and 2017 while 43.5 per cent of weapons originated in China, according to analysts.

The figures appear to disprove repeated claims by ISIS propaganda chiefs about the scale of the terror groups seizure of Western-made weapons.

Experts examined 40,000 items recovered from fanatics across the two countries during their brutal three-year reign.

Among the most common weapon types documented in the analysis were assault rifles, medium machine guns, light machine guns and 40mm launchers.

Conflict Armament Research found that 43.5 per cent of weapons seized in this time originated in China.

In one haul, Iraqi forces found 122 Chinese Type 81 7.62 x 39 mm light machine guns and 61 Chinese Type 67-2 7.62 x 54R mm medium machine guns.

They also found individual rations of performance-enhancing amphetamines for issue to ISIS fighters in the cache, which was uncovered in the Al Shura district, south of Mosul, as the city was being recaptured late last year.

Analysis found that 12.9 per cent of recovered weapons originated in Romania while 9.6 per cent were from Russia and 7.2 per cent from Hungary.

Just over 5 per cent originated in Bulgaria while 4 per cent were from Serbia and 3.6 per cent were from Germany.

Only 3.2 per cent originated in Iraq while 0.9 per cent of the weapons were from Iran, the analysis found.

ISIS propaganda chiefs often bragged about its capture of US-made arms, and in 2014, Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi said it had lost 2,300 US-made Humvees when fanatics over-ran Mosul in the countrys north.

But despite this, just 1.8 per cent of items captured from the terror group originated in America, according to Conflict Armament Research.

The report summary said: Considerable international attention has focused on the capture of US-manufactured weapons by IS forces from Iraqi military units, yet these weapons account for only 2 per cent of the groups holdings in its Iraq and Syria operations.

Most of the groups weapons are Warsaw Pact calibres, which are in widespread service among Iraqi and Syrian forces and also deployed by most opposition forces fighting in the Syrian conflict.

The ultimate origins of these weapons mirror broad trends in the global market for Warsaw Pact-calibre materiel. China predominates as a producer.

Weapons manufactured by EU Member States in Eastern Europe form the bulk of the remaining materiel deployed by IS forces on either side of the IraqSyria border.

Russian-manufactured weapons are the second-most common types among IS forces in Syria, but not in Iraq (possibly due to Russian support for the Syrian regime and subsequent acquisition by IS forces).

Source : Daily Mail UKFormer reality TV star and overall selfie superstar Paris Hilton has been thrust back into the public spotlight after it was announced that she would be tying the knot with her now-fiancee Chris Zylka. It's an interesting relationship that has gone through its share of ups and downs over the years, going from BFF's to enemies and now back again. To help celebrate the big day, Paris has some big guest invites in mind, including one woman who helped take up the mantle of reality TV's resident queen.

In a new video published by TMZ, the wealthy heiress was met with a barrage of question from many media members who were ready and waiting when a car dropped Hilton off outside trendy West Hollywood restaurant Craig's. When asked whether or not Kim Kardashian was going to receive an invite to the glamorous affair, Paris responded with a resounding "yes." Check out the video clip in its entirety below.

There's no indication as to when she and Zylka will be tying the knot, nor where exactly the wedding will be held, but one thing's for sure: with guests like Kim Kardashian (and potentially Kanye West as her plus one), there will be no shortage of extravagance when it comes to making these nuptials one of the most star-studded in recent memory. Now, let's hope they're not having the reception the same weekend as Cardi B and Offset...

For more Paris Hilton news, including what the aforementioned rap couple thought of her engagement ring, click here.While most are still trying to digest the latest developments in the relationship between Offset and Cardi B, Chicago rapper and previous associate of Cardi King Yella has offered up yet another revelation.

Whether true or not, Yella's claims of having engaged in a previous relationship with Cardi B prior to her being with Offset has sparked another dispute. But, it seems that Offset isn't with the drama after Yella posted a video in which Offset can be heard exchanging some heated with him over the phone while Yella seems relatively unbothered in Las Vegas.

This all began when Yella first made his comments by way of his "Cardi B Truth" track, a freestyle staged over Offset's "Ric Flair Drip" track, following up with a thread of Instagram posts featuring Yella and Cardi back in the day as a means of taunting the the Atlanta rapper.

He'd also pop out in a video on Instagram Live to further expound on his sentiments, noting that he and Cardi were caked up before the "Bodak Yellow" rapper's fame.

This all follows on the heels of scandals plaguing the hip-hop couple's relationship following the emergence of cheating allegations on Offset's end, including one woman who alleged that Offset had impregnated her. Offset and his legal team have since taken leagal action against the accuser while talk show host Maury Povich has even reached out to Cardi B and asked the rapper if she'd be interested in conducting a lie detector test. What a time."Somewhere in this audience is the founder of the next Facebook, the next Google, the next Apple." So said Steve Blank, a Stanford adjunct professor and one of the brains behind the Lean Startup technique, to an auditorium full of young founders at the Web Summit in Lisbon this fall. "Which of you is it?" A few hands poked up. "The rest of you," he said, "instead of trying to be entrepreneurs, should be working for them."

Starting a company is an overt act of overconfidence. It requires willful blindness to the odds against you and a conviction--based on little or no evidence--that you are different from the vast majority of would-be entrepreneurs who've come before you. Among the young entrepreneurs whom Blank was addressing, those who kept their hands in their laps were the ones with the firmer grasp of logic and the laws of probability.

And yet. Researchers in decision science know that emotion, not logic, is the trigger to action. No amount of thinking will tell you whether your company will succeed or fail. Eventually, you just have to take the leap, and then trust that your idea--the one you feel so passionate about, you can't not try it--will be one that thrives.

If you've resolved that 2018 will be the year you stop thinking about your idea and finally take the leap, then the special report in this issue is intended for you. Inc. editor-at-large Leigh Buchanan and executive editor Kris Frieswick decided to concentrate on the crucial first 90 days of a startup's life. The actions you take out of the gate--forging your team, testing and retesting hypotheses about what your customers want, setting risk parameters with your spouse, and so on--will lay the groundwork for victory or defeat. For inspiration, you'll hear from the likes of Richard Branson, Arianna Huffington, and even Steve Blank himself. You'll find a checklist of must-do tasks that will save you heartache down the road, and even a decision tree to guide you through a handful of existential, early-stage questions.Ireland's two biggest stockbrokers, Davy and Goodbody, have had discussions with the country's main retail asset manager, Sigma Retail Partners, with a view to advising on the flotation of a new real estate investment trust (Reit), the Sunday Independent can reveal.

Sigma is also understood to have had discussions with several private-equity firms which own extensive retail assets about the formation of the new publicly-quoted Reit.

The proposed Reit would give investors access to Ireland's retail sector by allowing them to invest in stocks in a tax-efficient trust.

Spokesmen for both Davy and Goodbody declined to comment on the matter.

Should it proceed, it would be the fourth Irish real estate investment trust. Three Reits are already listed on the Irish Stock Exchange - Green Reit, Hibernia Reit and Ires Reit.

While Ireland's existing Reits specialise in office, industrial and residential accommodation respectively, Sigma Retail Partners has long been considered as the most likely candidate to promote the creation of a retail Reit.

It is the asset manager for many of the shopping centres and retail parks acquired by private-equity firms here following the crash.

Sigma is involved in the management of retail assets with a combined value of over 500m in 13 locations including Galway, Navan, Bray, Drogheda, Naas, Thurles, and Waterford.

Headed up by Nama's former senior retail property adviser Marcus Wren, and retail property specialist Neil Bannon, Sigma will shortly take over the management of the Square shopping centre in Tallaght, once its acquisition by US private-equity giant Oaktree for 250m is complete.

Oaktree's purchase of the Square is widely seen within the property industry to have accelerated the timetable for the establishment of the proposed retail Reit.

Referring to the deal, one industry source described it as "an important step in providing the scale necessary for any public offering".

While Oaktree's acquisition of the Square has served to ramp up speculation about a retail Reit, a source close to the matter insisted a flotation was "still some way from fruition".

However, the Sunday Independent has been informed that Sigma has had discussions with a number of acquirers of Irish shopping centres about the formation of a retail Reit that would provide them with a means of exiting the Irish market.

It is unclear whether the proposed structure would comprise the assets of one or more owners.Irish farmers face losing their farms, as more and more loans are sold to vulture funds, and they need a specific set of restructuring solutions, the Chief Executive of the Irish Mortgage Holders Organisation has said.

David Hall wrote in today's Sunday Business Post that the Irish farming community faces 'farmageddon' if more farm-related debt is passed on to vulture funds.

He says that banks currently control much of Ireland's farm-related debt, but that many of these loans may be sold to vulture funds, "with disastrous consequences for rural families and communities".

Mr Hall goes on to say that with over 30,000 family home loan accounts are in arrears by two years or more, but that farm families are "worst affected".

"For a farmer in mortgage arrears, it is not just the family home that is at risk; it also includes the family business, income and livelihood, often for a number of family members."

He writes that agri-lending was very attractive to banks in boom times, but that the value of sites and land may not now cover that debt.

Farm families, he said, have a unique set of issues including the fact that the family home is often on the farm and may have been handed down from parents.

Farmers, he says, need a specific set of restructuring solutions such as annual payments, which would take account of seasonality; family members been given first refusal to buy assets at market value; and allowing family members to contribute to payments.

Mr Hall also says that borrowers who don't engage with their lenders on their debt will end up, sooner rather than later, having their loans sold to vulture funds and he calls for "concerted, organised and professional action" to be taken by affected farmers now.THIS is a simple story really. It is about a man who was going to buy a car until he discovered it had nearly 42,000km knocked off its odometer.

It is also a simple, brutal lesson for us all: Buyer beware and check.

Knocking nearly 42,000km off a car is a sly, dirty way of taking away two years' previous driving. It's a lot of extra wear and tear not to know about with implications for safety and repairs.

Here, in largely his own words, is how it all unfolded for 'Brian' who has asked to remain anonymous. I have spoken to, and been in touch with him, since his story was relayed to me by colleagues.

For legal reasons we cannot name the dealership nor the person who nearly sold him the car. None of that changes what happened, however.

Brian viewed the car online and on the dealer's own website. It was a Ford Focus 2011 Titanium. It had, he says, "all the bells and whistles - a nice car". The dealer had imported it from the UK.

The asking price was 9,995 but was negotiated to 9,300 for cash. The price included VRT re-register which the dealer undertook to arrange.

He viewed the car at the dealership - down the country. The dealer seemed perfectly legitimate when he met him and had sounded fine on the phone previously.

"At first glance the car was immaculate. Very clean outside and in. (I) went through the service history/log book - all appeared to be fine and in order."

The dealer started the engine, opened up the bonnet, went through all the mechanical checks he had undertaken himself before buying the vehicle. He opened the boot, pulled away internal panels, to show all original bodywork. "He seemed to know his stuff." The dealer told him to take as long as he liked to test drive.

"The car drove/handled well, smooth, no odd or unusual noises, accelerated/braked well, no obvious imbalance in steering. I thought to myself I might have found a bit of a gem."

Brian put a deposit on the vehicle and the dealer was going to arrange the VRT etc. "And away I went, dare I say, almost delighted."

He had done a lot of searching for a similar car for a number of weeks previously and had looked at the usual 'cost benefit' of buying north or south. "I had calculated I could purchase a vehicle for 10,000 from the north, including VRT. Generally mileage was lower and spec higher in the north (compared with the) south."

He adds: "With the offer from this dealer, I was getting a top-model Focus, VRT paid for, and all for 9,300 - a further saving of 700."

On reflection, on the drive home, it started to seem a little too good to be true. "How was he making money on this? How much did he originally pay for the vehicle? Maybe he has good connections? Maybe it's legitimate? Lots of maybes. But too many."

He had heard of Motorcheck.ie etc, and searched for a similar UK version and happened on the RAC website. It cost 15 (20) to have a search - a 'no brainer' according to Brian.

"(It's) extremely easy to do: Input the existing reg, your details and you get a full report emailed directly to you."

When he got his it appeared there was both mileage and outstanding finance alert/warnings on the vehicle. "Cue major disappointment."

The outstanding finance alert gave details of the company which had issue with the vehicle. "They were my first port of call."

But why bother? Why not take back his deposit and walk away? Wasn't it clear all was not well? "I wanted to dig a little for the facts. Maybe the dealer was also caught unawares - which seems odd in itself - but maybe."

It transpired the vehicle was originally owned by a car rental company and they sold it on. When Brian contacted them they had no issue with the finance on the vehicle. It had been an issue from November 2011 that had been resolved but hadn't been taken off the record.

And the mileage?

When they sold it in April 2015 was 87,284. The last recorded mileage (from the RAC) was 107,919 in June 2016.

"The mileage on the car when I viewed it (February 2017) was 82,000."

A gap of nearly 26,000 miles, or 41,712km.

Brian says: "I'm no Sherlock, but didn't feel the need to consult Watson on that one. The vehicle was clocked by (a lot) more than 20,000 miles."

He contacted the dealer the next day and furnished the information. "He was very surprised (or seemed so), very apologetic and arranged to return the deposit asap, which he did.

"I couldn't understand why he hadn't done this simple check himself. Maybe he took a chance. Or maybe he was trying to pull a fast one."

Brian adds: "The moral of the story: always check, and as the saying goes if it's too good to be true. . ."

He has since bought a car from the north. It is a similar model (Zetec 2.0 TDCi) bought from an outlet with multiple dealerships across the north. "They had all the information on the vehicle. The previous owner purchased the car from the same dealership." The information included a full HPI (RAC) check - which they furnished when he viewed the car - and his purchase came with a warranty.

Brian is one of the lucky ones. He checked. How many people are driving cars with tens of thousands of miles more travelled than they think? Are you one of them? Or are you thinking of buying? Check. And let us know now you get on:

ecunningham@independent.ie.US President Donald Trump will address farm and ranch families from across the nation at the American Farm Bureau Federations (AFBF) 99th Annual Convention this week in Nashville.

It comes as an explosive new book on Trump claims the US President was horrified by his election win, his wife Melania was in tears and his friends believe he is crazy.

While the American Farm Bureau Federation said it is "honored to host our nations president, one of the mainstays of Trump's policy has been a crackdown on immigration, which could impact the US agricultural sector as it's heavily reliant on immigrants for labour, with as many as seven in 10 farm workers undocumented according to the Farm Bureau.

Trump has said previously that his immigration clampdown would not affect US farmers and this week he's expected to address the issue.

AFBF President Zippy Duvall, a beef and poultry farmer from Georgia, reminded Trump in advance of the convention that Trump said he would "make sure agriculture has a seat at the table when it comes to the top issues facing Americas farmers and ranchers. Now, it is our privilege to reserve a spot for him at our podium.

Duvall considers President Trumps announced speech as a sign of the high regard in which the nations chief executive holds Americas farm and ranch families.

Farmers and ranchers and our rural communities are the bedrock of our nation. President Trump knows that, and his willingness to devote his time to talk directly with Farm Bureau members will be a memorable occasion, Duvall said.

After three consecutive years of decline in farm sector profits, President Trump will speak to Farm Bureau members during a period of prolonged economic challenge across farm country. Profits have fallen and many farmers have seen declines in equity.

Though the Agriculture Department forecasts that farm profits will be relatively stable in 2017, action on key issues on the presidents agenda could help farmers turn the corner as they head into the new year.

President Trump is fully aware of the economic difficulties farmers and ranchers have gone through these past few years, Duvall said. The economic issues he has outlined, including reform of our nations tax and regulatory systems, match many of the issues on Farm Bureaus agenda.With the Low Emission Slurry Spreading Scheme, the maximum grant amount payable is 40pc (60% in the case of young farmers) on costs up to the ceiling of 40,000.

In the case of a registered partnership, the maximum grant amount payable for two or more eligible partners is 40pc up to the ceiling of 60,000.

Multiple applications per tranche are permissible however the minimum amount of investment, which is eligible for approval under this Scheme, is 5,000 per application.

Eligible items

Mobile Slurry Tank with Trailing Shoe

Mobile Slurry Tank with Shallow Injection System

Mobile Slurry Tank with Dribble bar

Retrofit dribble bar to existing tanker

Umbilical System

Base pump, hose reel and fittings

Lay flat hose and fittings

Trailing Shoe attachment

Shallow Injection attachment

Dribble Bar attachment

Eligibility

The Scheme is open to farmers who:

(i) hold a Department identifier

(ii) have a minimum of 5 hectares which have been declared under the Basic Payment Scheme, Single Farm Payment Scheme in the year of application or preceding year, or

(iii) are engaged in the breeding, rearing or fattening of pigs and have a minimum of 60 production units at the time of application

Farm Safety course

It shall be mandatory that all applicants will have completed within the last five years prior to the the date of application or the submission of their claim for payment the half day Farm Safety Code of Practice (given by Teagasc or other trained persons) or have completed the FETAC Level 6 Advanced Certificate in Agriculture (Green Cert.).

Use of investments

The applicant shall be required to use the investment(s) for a minimum of 5 years from the date of issue of the payment in respect of the investment(s) grant-aided. Failure to do so will result in the 100% recoupment of grant aid of the relevant investment.

Application

Applications must be submitted online through agfood.ie. Applicants who wish to apply online or through their agents must first be registered for online services (OLS) with the Department.

Read More

Calls made to increase grant rate

Calls have been made for the Agriculture Minister Michael Creed to increase the grant rate available for low emissions slurry spreading equipment to at least 60%.

IFA Environment Chairman, Thomas Cooney has restated said many farmers, particularly those with a nitrates derogation, are facing increased compliance costs as a result of new regulations introduced by Government.

The Department of Agriculture provided a similar level of support when they previously introduced new agri-environmental measures and this must happen again now.

In addition, an accelerated capital allowance scheme should be established to further support the uptake of this low emission equipment.

The message that I will be delivering to Minister Creed when he attends the Associations AGM in the coming weeks is that Ireland faces growing climate and environmental challenges and he must do everything he can to meet these, by supporting farmers who will be using low emission slurry spreading equipment.

Thomas Cooney has also described the requirement for derogation farmers to have 50% of their slurry spread by mid-June, as extremely difficult for farmers to deliver on.

This tight calendar farming regime has proven in the past to be extremely problematic for farmers and must be reviewed.Wages in the financial services sector, along with IT, are rising higher than in other areas. Photo: claudine van massenhove

Almost three-quarter of Irish workers expect their wages to increase in 2018, according to wide-ranging new research among employees and employers.

Close to half of the workers (48pc) anticipating a rise in 2018 are expecting a rise of less than 5pc, but a sizeable chunk (37pc) are predicting a pay increase of between 5pc and 10pc on their 2017 salaries.

Most people received modest raises in 2017 - less than 5pc, according to the Abrivia Recruitment/TCD Salary, Employment and Economic Trends Survey.

Last year one in four respondents saw their wages stay the same between 2016 and 2017. Reflecting the move towards full employment in the Irish economy, only 8pc experienced a reduction in wages in 2017.

However, wages in technology and finance are rising more quickly than in other areas.

Job numbers continue to grow, and seven in 10 firms expanded their staff numbers in 2017. While some firms had dramatic expansions, most increased their numbers by 10pc to 20pc in 2017.

In the year ahead, 85pc of firms expect to hire new employees across all levels of the firm. As in 2017, the expansion is to be between 10pc and 20pc of the overall size of the firm.

Donal O'Brien, managing director, Abrivia Recruitment, said: "Some 85pc of employers surveyed plan to take on new staff in 2018, with salaries in IT and Finance pulling far ahead of other sectors."

The research also found that Irish professionals are coming home in greater numbers, with 56pc of companies overall reporting they had hired returning Irish nationals in 2017, up from 47pc in 2016. It was most pronounced in the finance and banking sector, where 71pc said they had hired returning workers.

Several salary trends were identified in the research.

- It found that wage increases in accountancy, industry and commerce would "become the norm". Chief financial officers (CFO) can expect salaries of up to 180,000 if based in large Dublin companies. New trainee accountants could earn up to 30,000.

- CFOs in smaller companies (employing less than 500 people) could earn up to 140,000 in Dublin and between 70,000 and 100,000 and the regions.

- The report said "2018 is trending to be a bumper year for recruitment across all areas of financial services".

- A CFO in financial services would be expected to earn between 100,000 and 170,000 in Dublin and up to 145,000 in the regions.

- Banking and financial services can expect "an increase in salaries and competition for skilled staff".

- Human resources will have another strong year, with HR directors able to command salaries of 180,000 in Dublin.

- Insurance has seen a marked increase in the recruitment of analysts across the reinsurance and captive markets, with a particular focus on data analysis.

- A head of underwriting can earn up to 150,000 whether based in Dublin or in the regions.

- The report said that due to a shortage IT talent, "salaries and day rates have continued to increase across most sectors".

- A chief technology officer can expect to earn up to 170,000 and 160,000 in the regions.

The shortage of rental accommodation was highlighted in the report, with 47pc of employers saying that it was impacting on their ability to hire staff, up from 40pc in the previous survey.

The cost of purchasing a home continues to impact workers, with 37pc citing it as a major issue in recruiting staff in 2017, up from 27pc in 2016.

The price of working in Dublin is considered very high, and 44pc of employees would accept a cut between 4 and 10pc if they were to relocate jobs to live outside Dublin.

Those that are offered the prospect of relocation to Dublin for employment find the prospect much more unappealing, with 12pc outright refusing and 46pc looking for a pay increase of more than 20pc to relocate.

Some 8pc of respondents are still residing in the family home, and 20pc of those do so to save a deposit on a house; an additional 13pc do so due to not being able to afford rent.

Those paying rent experienced an average increase of 14pc since 2016. In terms of the impact on their disposable income, the average is 31pc, which is at the outside of what is considered affordable.

The study focused part of its research on Brexit but found employees and employers are not excessively concerned about the implications overall.

However, the pharmaceutical sector and sales and marketing are very worried about the impact on their business models.

Dr Na Fu, Trinity Business School associate professor in Human Resource Management, noted that most employers found millennials the most difficult to manage.

On the other side of the coin, millennials perceive that their workload as highest but also perceive their job impact as lowest when compared to Baby Boomers and members of Generation X.Consumer spending will be key to the growth of the economy in 2018, with some evidence that sentiment among businesses is more subdued, according to Bank of Ireland group chief economist Dr Loretta O'Sullivan.

The bank had forecast GDP growth of 3.8pc for the year ahead but expects to revise that figure upwards in the coming weeks.

"It's really a continuation of the story that we've seen for the last while," said O'Sullivan. "So ongoing recovery in the domestic economy, against a backdrop of an unsettled external environment. Consumers are back spending and I think it's very important that we now have more than two million people in work."

She expects the unemployment rate to come down to around 6pc, which will further support consumer spending.

O'Sullivan, who has a PhD in housing and previously worked in the Department of Finance, is mindful of the fact that there are uncertainties in the external environment. But she is encouraged that the euro area economies - important trading partners for Ireland - have been growing better than expected.

"The US is growing and there may be a bit more to come there if President Donald Trump's stimulus package goes through and if he gives a little bit of a boost to the US economy."

She agrees that Brexit is 'a cloud on the horizon' but again the UK economy is growing at around the 1.5pc mark.

O'Sullivan, who became the bank's chief economist almost four years ago, has been on customer roadshows in recent weeks and months and has seen firsthand that businesses are highly engaged with Brexit and the uncertainties around it.

"Concerns differ for firms depending on their own circumstances. For some firms it is a case that they're concerned about the exchange rate, it's moved quite a lot, they're not as competitive now when they're selling into the UK market.

"For firms that are up around the Border, some of them are concerned around cross-border shopping. Some are looking at the fact that they travel back and forth across the Border 10 times a day. And for other firms the issue is the UK being the land bridge to Europe and if they can't go through the UK, do they have to go around it?

"They are all trying to process that at the moment and we see that weighing a little bit on business sentiment in our research where while the consumer is edging up the business sentiment has been a little bit more subdued."

The US and the impact of Donald Trump has also weighed on people's minds, but O'Sullivan is less concerned about that as time has passed.

"When he got elected people were caught unawares. You see in November 2016 a big dip in sentiment again amongst households and amongst firms."

The bank's research has shown that fears over the implications of Trump's presidency had fallen back significantly. "A lot of that is to do with the fact that there's been more bark than bite, there's been a lot of talk and not a lot of policy action or delivery in implementation."

Another issue which has been flagged as a potential headwind for Ireland is EU moves on tax, with concerns that the Irish 12.5pc corporation tax may be in the sights of policy makers.

"The OECD has really been leading the charge though and trying to put a framework around this and a lot of things have happened in that context. From an Irish perspective it's certainly something again that we would be watching."

But Britain's exit from the US means Ireland will have to re-evaluate its position in Europe. "Ireland will need to think about its own relationship now in a European context. So where it would have had the support and had many similarities in terms of policies with the UK, with the UK out of the mix it's going to have to look wider and think about forming new alliances."

O'Sullivan expects housing to continue to be a pressure point for some time to come in the local economy.

"This is economics 101, it is a supply demand mismatch - we're not building enough to meet the demand that we have for housing. And the upshot of it is that it's coming through in terms of the prices and spilling over into the rental market. There has been an uptake in completions and more supply is coming on stream, but it's coming from a very low base."

However, she is supportive of the Central Bank restrictions on lending. "I think it's an important anchor that we were missing before," said O'Sullivan, who is from Dublin. I think having the macro prudential piece is important because it provides a local means of anchoring or stabilising a situation."

"When you think about the market now it is notable that it is not really credit driving it so we are in a different situation to where we were previously where it was very much a credit fuelled property boom. Now roughly half the market is cash buyers so, you know, we have seen some uptake in credit but we're not where we were before."

While there can be a pre-occupation with the property market in media commentary, O'Sullivan points out that in many parts of the country, the lack of broadband is the most prominent concern.

"In Connacht and Ulster, housing is important but more important is telecommunications."

Other infrastructure shortages including transport are significant issues and O'Sullivan believes the Government will feel pressure in relation to this in 2018.

"We're starting to move into that space where we're thinking about economic growth being important, not just for the sake of the economy growing but because it gives us more resources, because it allows us to do more in terms of welfare, in terms of living standards.

"So I think we're seeing a little bit of a shift from that pure economy 'back on its feet' piece into a little bit more now the societal aspects.

"I think the housing piece has been an illustration that we're beginning to think now a little bit what type of a society do we want to live in. And I think you're going to see some of the tensions play out around the public finances and infrastructure."A new 1.5m programme aimed at encouraging Irish business to tackle climate change and other sustainability issues will focus on green finance, responsible investment, enterprise innovation and resource efficiency activities.

Ireland's Year of Sustainable Business 2018 is aiming to increase awareness among leading Irish businesses and will focus on both business risks and opportunities as part of a programme that will involve at least 50 events nationwide.

The programme also includes at least eight international events across Europe, the US and China, aimed at informing key markets and target audiences about Ireland's activities in this area. The events will also aim to highlight the strength of Irish companies in the area of sustainability, as well as reinforcing the need to strengthen cross-border collaboration.

"Over the next 12 months, Irish businesses of all sizes will be invited to join us on the journey towards building a sustainable future," said Stephen Nolan, the ceo of Sustainable Nation Ireland, which is organising the programme and which promotes Ireland as an international hub for sustainable finance and low-carbon innovation.

"Inaction on climate and environmental issues is an economic threat to business. Sustainability issues, including climate change, is now a critical agenda item for institutional investors and banks."

Nolan said the events would highlight the huge rewards of building a low-carbon and sustainable global economy.

Approximately 350 companies are already actively producing new low-carbon products and services. In addition, 28bn in green finance capital is also managed, domiciled or listed in Ireland.

"Companies and states that fail to act may find that the capital markets are closed to them, or their cost of borrowing rises, because they are deemed more of a risk. Integrating good environmental practice is a company's best bet for a profitable future, while underpinning our country's economic prosperity," said Nolan.

"With scores of Irish-located companies already global leaders in sustainable business, there is a huge opportunity to drive awareness of responsible investment practices and help Irish business to embed sustainable best practice within its operations."The payments landscape in Ireland is changing as consumers continue to replace cash with card, app or mobile payment in their retail, transit and service transactions.

Retailers are being forced to reassess how flexible their own payment acceptance methods are as their customers' behaviour constantly evolves, as a whole steadily moving towards digital payments.

This doesn't suggest that the end of the high street is upon us, however. The latest consumer spending index from Visa revealed that face-to-face spending rose 5.1pc year-on-year, the sharpest increase for a year and a half.

While we are at a tipping point in terms of spending more via card than cash, consumers still value the in-store experience - but they are expecting this experience to be enhanced.

Furthermore, in areas where cash would have traditionally dominated, apps such as MyTaxi and JustEat are increasingly being used.

According to Visa's Ireland country manager Philip Konopik, technology is also currently being developed to make service and transit payments even more seamless across the board.

He believes Ireland has the framework to become a region leader in terms of payments and shares how IoT, biometric identification and social media is expected to shape the payments sphere as we know it.

How has the payments market in Ireland developed recently?

The Irish market has changed fundamentally in the last few years. The main driver is the contactless acceptance and adoption and getting to ubiquity. Although it has been five years ago since it was introduced, it's only in the last two years that it's really gotten to mass adoption.

There's always an element of fear [involved in acceptance] and card payments, when they were introduced, had that level of fear to it. With education, with improvements to the security features on the merchant and issuer side, the consumer can become much more comfortable. Anything new is always perceived to be scary and different; as human beings we're quite adverse to change.

Any kind of consumer change just takes a long time and you need to make sure that the messaging and experiences are made as ubiquitous as they can be as that's really when you see things take off.

Are changing consumer trends impacting merchant decisions?

It becomes the chicken and egg situation. How can you get merchants to do that and customers to follow that trend unless one or the other is there. It takes lots of juggling on both sides, engaging with and helping key merchants. Initially it's all about the big players who can shift the dial, but we're in a position now where it's all about the small players, the day-to-day grocery shopping, corner shops, pubs and hospitality.

There's a lot of work to do in terms of transit, with taxis, Luas, buses, rail etc. But how do you enable that experience and ensure that the experience the consumer has is frictionless? If you have to take time to recharge your Leap card or if you don't have the right change, then that becomes a hassle.

Where is Ireland at with contactless transit?

Contactless transit is still emerging. I think 2016/2017 have really been the transitional years where more cities and countries in Europe have seriously started to invest in that technology. We have really built up the capability on our side as we have seen the demand build up. For Dublin, I can't think of a reason that we can't have [contactless transit] as soon as possible.

I know that the National Transport Authority (NTA) have advanced plans to revamp transit for Dublin as a whole. We've worked with the NTA in helping to progress this agenda and support them in any way that we can. In terms of when, there's lots of moving factors that they need to consider in terms of what the right solution is and how they're all going to link together. It's not as easy as a single merchant moving over to contactless.

Face-to-face spending -v- E-commerce

The future of commerce is not about one or the other, it's about the blended experience. A lot of companies and service providers talk about the omni channel experience; phone, shop, browse and research online. How merchants work with that is important and it's near impossible to make the experience completely seamless but we've gotten a lot further down the line. Retailers are changing the use of their retail space and I think that transformation hasn't really taken off yet. The digital enablement in-store to change how consumers shop is going to be quite fundamental.

With millennials now, it's a social experience. They are tweeting and Snapchat-ing and sharing images of outfits from the changing rooms with each other at the same time and getting feedback. If this is already happening, how can the merchants use that engagement to help you to make faster decisions, better decisions? And why do you even need to go to the till at that point. If you know what you want, you should be able to pay and go.

The high street is about to be transformed

If you could facilitate a payment anywhere and anytime, what does that experience enable you to do? How does it allow you to use your your space more effectively? How does the customer experience change when you go into a shop? That's really exciting because that's the change that can tap into the customers' preference for face-face experience instead of online.

Online, there's no doubt you find cheaper bargains if you look hard enough but in-store is a different experience and more stores will become showrooms. There's this schizophrenic approach to it as consumers want something right now and we're going more towards that immediate delivery. As transportation becomes cheaper and more intelligent here, it will enable the kinds of models that will have the goods at the door by the time you get home.

Are you looking for the end of cash?

I think cash is important, there's always going to be cash, it fills a function, but - in reality - in the vast majority of transactions, we don't actually need cash. It can become a hindrance as much as a facilitator.

In Sweden, less than 2pc of all consumer transactions are cash while in Ireland it's probably at least 50pc. Payments are fragmented; you can pay with your watch, your phone, your card, bank transfer, cash. With PSD2 coming into the marketplace, there's going to be even more functionality is coming down the tracks. Soon you will be able to pay with your fingerprint, your face scan, your voice.

For a corner shop to keep using cash, for example, if consumers are driving cash payments, it becomes a consumer choice. But it costs you to transact in cash. At some point you may realise you are taking a minority of your payments in cash - and handling that cash becomes expensive. So do you want to offer your customers that service at that cost? It becomes a business case eventually.

Is there a best way to make a payment?

Once you start using your phone or your watch to tap, that becomes your 'go to' [payment option]. Having to insert your card then, if the retailer doesn't allow that, becomes a hassle. There's no right way to pay but we want everybody to find a way to pay that's best for them.

Cash is anonymous, no-one knows who you are are but there are significant benefits and loyalties tied in to using a card, for example. Convenience, security and speed, but more and more financial reward as a loyal consumer. As that business case becomes stronger, you will naturally see people moving away from cash.

Our job is effectively to inform consumer who are low transactors and give them incentives. With intelligence and loyalty tied into payments, suddenly you can create these big data experiences that were impossible before.

Cryptocurrency

There is no doubt that cryptocurrencies are here to stay. Bitcoin as an anonymised crytpocurrency is problematic in a way as, until it becomes regulated, the rules are very unclear. Anti-money laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) rules are in place because you want to avoid things like organised crime, terrorism, bribery, corruption. So when you introduce a cryptocurrency that doesn't do any of those things, it comes with a lot of risks.

I believe that there is a place for these and different currencies will create different frameworks for them to operate in to make them more palatable for Financial Institutions (FIs) and banks to start trading with them. But, from a consumer perspective, you'd almost have to think of it as a commodity today. Revolut have found a solution which is palatable to them, for example. There's no reason why another bank couldn't do the same thing. I still think the AML and the KYC pressure on the bank that allows that become intensified.

Where do we see payments in Ireland in the next five years (or less!)

* Transit - While I'd love to have contactless transit here in two years, I'd be very comfortable that it will be around in five years' time. We have a very good relationship with the NTA, we engage with them regularly to help plan the vision around that.

* Social media - In the next year, we're likely to have the similar solutions that to the UK such as Facebook peer-to-peer payments. Suddenly we'll be able to pay anybody who is on Facebook through that. There will be loads more, there are already are smaller players in the Irish market who enable that.

* Payment forms - There will be less and less cash, and adoption from retailers and micro retailers will increase substantially i.e your plumber will have a mobile-enabled device to take a payment (phone or transfer). That will become more common over the next two years, standard in five years' time.

*Consumer rewards - If you're shopping anywhere we will create solutions so that you won't need to present your card, By virtue of your payment method, that will automatically link up, so you can earn points anywhere, with any merchant.

* Social media apps becoming holistic WeChat is an example of an app that allows you to do a multitude of things - pay, invest, order goods, book restaurants - around 40 use cases in one single solution effectively enabled by the society being as ubiquitous as it is. We are more fragmented here so it's not as easy to do that but the fact that we've done it is inspiring the likes of Facebook and Google to create a similar solution.

* Internet of Things (IoT) will explode - Today we have about 6 billion devices connected globally so in about 20 years time we will have 30 billion and by 2030 we will have 50 billlon. All of those connected devices - your car, your washing machine, your fridge, your TV - they will all be able to make transactions. Unless they can make transactions on your behalf they are not really that useful.Over the next year, the insurance market faces a number of challenges  some old and some new. Photo: Stock Image

Corporate insurance customers can look forward to a 2018 with few, if any, increases in insurance premiums. There will, of course, be individual businesses with difficult claims histories, whose experience may buck the trend, but for almost all Irish companies insurance costs over the next 12 months will be stable.

Over the next year, the insurance market faces a number of challenges - some old and some new.

This is a market that, by its nature, is cyclical. We have been through a period of technical increases in premiums as insurers adjusted those premiums to meet the increased cost of claims. We are now at a point where insurers have adjusted for the increase in claims costs and so are able to forgo new increases.

Property and motor premiums for businesses will either be flat or even fall next year, while there is still some pressure on liability premiums. Balancing these out there will be little or no increase in 2018.

There is also good news for consumers, in that motor premiums should be stable in 2018. Indeed, if everything goes well, motor insurance costs could fall next year.

Assuming no big weather event, household premiums will also be stable.

There are still significant challenges in the industry. Premiums are higher in Ireland than in other countries due to higher levels of claims settlement and high levels of fraud or exaggerated claims. Brexit may also provide challenges.

The Irish business community continues to suffer higher premiums than its counterpart in the UK. This is due to our high level of claims awards and these are set by precedent, ie previous decisions of the court. These need to be re-calibrated in order to bring them into line with other countries.

The problem with the high level of awards is it creates a claims culture and an incentive for fraudulent claims. There are constitutional hurdles in regard to re-calibrating the awards. The first report of the Personal Injuries Commission referred to one means of re-calibrating. Hopefully, this can be achieved.

Recently, there have been some extraordinarily-generous claims settlements, which have been overturned on appeal, and there now seems to be a more challenging approach to claims' settlements in the courts.

Insurers are also taking a more aggressive approach to defending claims in order to reduce the level of fraudulent claims and exaggerated claims. The Civil Liabilities Act of 2002 was introduced to reduce such claims. Over the recent number of years, it does not seem to have been effective.

The cost of fraudulent insurance claims is estimated at 200m a year but it is not the true cost. When exaggerated claims are included, the cost is probably a multiple of this figure.

Although 2018 will be a good year for insurance customers, the 'knock-on' effect of these fraudulent and exaggerated claims is that our business community will continue to suffer higher premiums than their counterparts in the UK and other parts of Europe.

We estimate that over 30pc of business liability insurance is now placed in the UK. A hard Brexit could result in a reduction in capacity for the Irish market, which would put pressure on premiums.

This depends, of course, on the final deal that the UK Government enters into with its European partners. UK insurers are taking steps to ensure that they can continue to write Irish and European business by setting up hubs outside the UK. We in Ireland seem to be losing the battle in terms of attracting this business to Ireland.

Insurance is becoming more robotic and data-driven. If the Government does not attract these businesses and develop Ireland as a European hub for insurance, there is a real threat to the local insurance market and with a knock-on effect on employment.

Key decisions will be made from these international hubs, turning our local insurers into brass-plate companies. This would not be in the interest of business in Ireland as Irish insurance rates would be considered peripheral to larger European markets and lack of competition may force premiums higher.

So overall, 2018 should see little or no increase for most businesses in Ireland. However the premiums will continue to be higher than other countries and there is much work to be done in 2018 by the Government and the Personal Injuries Commission to find solutions to this ongoing problem.

We in the insurance industry need to work together to drive through the solutions to leave Irish businesses with the competitive premiums they need to compete in an open economy.

Patrick Howett is managing director of insurance broker JLT IrelandFianna Fail has this weekend heightened the prospect of an early general election by launching a scathing attack on the Government's housing policy.

The party's housing spokesman, Barry Cowen (inset), has insisted Fianna Fail's housing proposals should "now not only be seen as genuine offers of solutions to government woes" but instead be "interpreted as alternatives" to Fine Gael policy. "I had hoped we'd go to the polls in an election after having made sufficient progress on housing," Mr Cowen told the Sunday Independent.

He said he also hoped Fianna Fail would be able to "convince the electorate" that Fianna Fail made a "positive contribution" to the housing crisis and were a responsible political party that put the country first. Mr Cowen said record revenue figures should allow the Government to make progress on the housing and homelessness crisis.

"But yet here we are, record failures in housing provision, record figures in homelessness," he added.

Mr Cowen's intervention has sparked fears in Fine Gael that Fianna Fail will use the housing crisis to force an election in the coming months.

"Fianna Fail don't like how we are doing in the polls but if they try to call an election on housing people will see through it," the source said. The source added that the Government would release "positive" housing statistics this week.

However, Sinn Fein is also ratcheting up attacks on the Government's housing policy. Before Christmas, Sinn Fein housing spokesman Eoin O Broin said Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy should resign if he does not get a handle on the crisis. Last week, Mr O Broin said the minister was "clearly failing" to resolve the crisis.

He told the Sunday Independ-ent Sinn Fein has no plans to table a motion of no confidence in Mr Murphy but added: "That may change if he doesn't start doing things differently."

Mr Cowen said Fine Gael "lacked urgency big time" on housing and had relied on "conventional methods" pushed by civil servants and local authorities.

"Many councils have lost the expertise necessary to drive social house building from within. Others are lazy and happy to collect weekly wage packets whether there be a boom or bust. Both the department and local authorities are now immune to criticism and fend it off nonchalantly," he said.Investors have plenty of reasons to be cheerful as we head into the first few weeks of the new year. The global economy is strong and expected to continue growing in 2018. The US tax cuts approved just before Christmas could push up the profits - and in turn, the share price - of many US companies.

There are, however, a few headwinds. Not everyone will benefit from the tax cuts in the US. Uncertainties around Brexit and oil prices still weigh on investors' minds. Stock market valuations are at their highest level since 1900, according to investment giant Goldman Sachs.

A valuation is a measure of the value or worth of a company. When valuations are high, it is expensive to buy shares and pricey shares can be risky. "When you buy something very expensive, you are very exposed if anything goes wrong," said David Flynn, chief investment strategist with Baggot Investment Partners.

The current bull market is one of the longest on record. Goldman Sachs recently warned that there would "eventually" be a bear market (where stock markets start to fall and drop at least 20pc from their peak). "We think the bull market will continue into 2018," said Andrew Milligan, head of global strategy at Aberdeen Standard Investments (ASI). "We see a few headwinds in 2018 but we don't see the conditions falling into place for a bear market. We don't think equity markets will give as strong returns as they did in 2017 though."

Davy agrees. "We think markets can move higher [this year]," said Brian O'Reilly, head of global investment strategy at Davy Private Clients. "Return expectations are lower for 2018 than 2017 though -because of the high valuations across equities and bonds."

So with this mixed bag of finances, which investments could make money this year?

European shares

European bank shares could do well this year, as might the shares of cyclical companies exposed to the economic momentum in Europe - if the European economy continues to recover, according to O'Reilly. (Cyclical companies are firms which typically do well in economic upturns.)

"We are seeing stabilisation and improvement in Europe's economy," said O'Reilly. "We are seeing more signs of life in the economies of Germany, France and Italy. That's really positive. The European banking sector has lagged considerably over the last few years. With the recovery, the [European] banks are likely to lend more - and so their profits should go up. Shares in the Eurostoxx 300 index are specifically tipped by O'Reilly. "European valuations are not cheap - but they're cheaper than the US," said O'Reilly.

US shares

Many US shares are expensive due to high stock market valuations. It could still be possible to make money on US shares this year however. The US stock market may be lifted by the tax cuts being pushed through by its president, Donald Trump, this year. "Tax cuts will be positive for US markets and world markets - the US consumer is the main driver of global growth," said O'Reilly.

However, some firms will not benefit as much as others. Tech companies, for example, may lose out as many are already paying tax at relatively low rates. "The more domestically-focused companies in the US will be the main beneficiaries of any growth in US markets," said O'Reilly.

Trump also wants to reduce banking sector regulation, which could give US bank shares a lift.

Although politics can have an impact on stock markets, it is company profits which investors should ultimately be concerned about, according to Milligan. "A lot of people get concerned about politics - whether that's Brexit or Trump - but at the end of the day, the world economy is picking up and a lot of companies are making decent profits," said Milligan. "So investors should follow the profits - and find a fund manager that's able to invest in companies that are delivering profits."

ASI believes that although equity markets are expensive, better corporate profits can drive positive returns on stock markets this year.

Building optimism

Trump is expected to push through an infrastructure bill this year - following the vows he made during his election campaign to "transform America's crumbling infrastructure". Should that bill be passed, the shares of big material, industrial and equipment firms which will have exposure to, or involvement in, US infrastructure projects, could do well.

Recent calls for more investment in European infrastructure could also see more spending on the construction of roads, toll roads, bridges, ports and airports across Europe in the coming years. "We are seeing governments starting to increase their infrastructure spending," said O'Reilly "So infrastructure funds could do well this year - as could the shares of CRH - and any companies exposed to big government contracts to build roads, schools and transport."

Gold

One of the biggest investment opportunities this year is in gold and gold mining stocks, according to Flynn. "I expect gold and gold mining companies to experience a staggering bull market over the next few years," said Flynn

Shares in gold mining companies are trading at "historically cheap levels", according to Flynn. "We have recently seen the heaviest insider buying in gold than we have seen since late 2015 and early 2016 - when gold prices bottomed."

Flynn expects there to a rush of investors into gold eventually - which would in turn push gold prices up. "The catalyst [for that rush] is likely to be stock market turmoil of some kind - probably driven by debt, which creates a lot of volatility and causes a wave of selling in big cap equities, corporate bonds, and potentially other types of bonds as well." Some of the gold stocks recommended by Flynn include New Gold, Yamana Gold, Goldcorp and Centerra Gold

Offices and shops

Irish commercial property is a bit of a wildcard. Davy expects it to continue to do well this year - in particular Irish and European commercial property which pay income yields in excess of 4.5pc. However, ASI is more guarded about Irish commercial property. "Irish property has been on a remarkable run in recent years and the prognosis from here is that performance will be healthy in the medium-term - although the impact of Brexit is hard to determine and has added a level of uncertainty for investors," said Craig Wright, real estate and strategy analyst with ASI. The tripling of stamp duty on Irish commercial property in the Budget could go against investors, according to ASI. "Recently introduced upward and downward rental reviews means the latter can be imposed for the first time - with the potential to damage future rental flows," said ASI in a recent note. "Supply is expected to increase fairly significantly in the next couple of years."

ASI believes parts of Europe - like offices in the central business districts of Amsterdam and Madrid - could do well. But high street shopping centre investors could be vulnerable. "Online shopping is causing difficulties for high street shopping malls," said Milligan.

We've learnt a lot of hard lessons about property in recent years. Tread carefully.Despite the challenge and uncertainty created by Brexit, Irish companies have continued to grow their global exports, supporting strong job creation in every region and county across Ireland. The results are positive, but it is imperative that businesses continue to build on the strength of their 2017 performance and implement robust plans to prepare for the impact of Brexit.

Last week, we announced the creation of 19,332 new jobs by Enterprise Ireland-backed companies in 2017 at the headquarters of our client company Ding. This represents a net increase of 10,309 jobs for 2017, taking account of job losses, and is the highest on record with Enterprise Ireland.

The strong 2017 performance by Irish businesses can be attributed to the continuing growth of an entrepreneurial climate for start-ups, allied to strong jobs growth in all sectors, though construction, engineering and life sciences saw the highest growth, with an 8pc increase each.

A key focus for us was investment in the regional ecosystem to support the continued development of regionally-based companies.

We invested 23m in technology centres, introduced four new regional start-up accelerators and awarded 30.5m to 21 regional enterprise projects.

While we are pleased to report these positive results, as the phase-two Brexit negotiations commence, significant challenges remain for Irish companies.

With a potential slow-down in the UK economy and possibly further currency volatility, we expect 2018 to be a challenging year for Irish companies.

Enterprise Ireland has undertaken a significant level of activity to help companies to prepare for Brexit and I urge companies who haven't already done so to put a plan in place to identify and mitigate potential risks facing their business arising from Brexit, particularly in the immediate term, in the area of currency risk-management.

It makes good business sense to have a robust strategy in place to ensure that your business is more innovative, competitive and diversified into key markets, whatever the eventual outcome of the negotiations.

Another key concern is the lack of sustained investment in innovation by many Irish companies. In response to this, we have introduced a new Agile Innovation Fund to give companies rapid fast-track access to up to 150,000 in innovation funding to help companies respond more quickly to market opportunities and challenges by developing and adapting new products.

Another strategy to mitigate the risks posed by Brexit is for Irish businesses to expand their global footprint into new markets to reduce their exposure to the UK.

In the coming weeks, a new Market Discovery Fund will be available to Irish business.

The new fund will support companies to undertake the groundwork and preparations necessary to enter a new market.

This will include funding for in-market accelerators, attending at trade shows for the first time and market research.

There are three levels of funding available to companies: up to 35,000, up to 75,000 and up to 150,000.

As we enter 2018, our focus on helping companies to innovate, compete and diversify into markets will be intensified.

We will also continue to invest in start-ups, which are the life blood of the economy, and the second phase of our 60m Regional Enterprise Development Fund will be launched in March.

Indigenous Irish companies are often the unsung heroes of the Irish economy and I would like to recognise and congratulate these companies and their employees right across the country for their contribution to the Irish economy and look forward to working with them in 2018 to further build the scale and expand the reach of their businesses across the world.

Julie Sinnamon is the CEO of Enterprise Ireland'People, too, are changing. The concern for better health and wellness, work-life balance, career progression, buying a first home are just some of the things that alter our thinking and habits.' Photo: Stock Image

The Christmas holidays give us lots of time to reflect on the past year and to plan for the year ahead. I too have thought a lot about how the world has changed, what might be in store for the future and how to best cope with that.

Looking back at the big changes that will have lasting impact, we can't help but think about our new Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, the Brexit vote, Trump and other political shenanigans. Although it looks like we may have a soft border with the UK, Brexit may still be a challenge for many of us, due to the risk of tariffs, costs and other compliance measures.

Currency fluctuations, especially sterling, will also impact margin or add cost for many. And that's tough when most of us are just recovering from the lost decade of austerity. For retailers in particular, the reality of transparent online shopping across borders has added a whole new dimension of price-led competition.

People, too, are changing. The concern for better health and wellness, work-life balance, career progression, buying a first home are just some of the things that alter our thinking and habits. Customers in all walks of life - business-to-consumer and business-to-business - are also more astute, value-conscious and have high expectations.

And of course, let's not forget the fast-paced changes in technology. In facilitating the digital revolution, technology is the biggest change driver of all. There is no doubt the volume, complexity and speed of change we are all experiencing would in no way be as dramatic if technology wasn't such an enabler.

Looking at change differently

Doesn't that all sound somewhat grumpy and negative? What if I had written all of the above using words like 'positive' and 'opportunity', instead of 'challenge' and so on? Well, that is not entirely real either. It's a question of balance and perspective and recognising that every one of us has different things going on in our world. I'm not a particular fan of making new year resolutions - but I do believe that the new year should give us a fresh start in so many ways.

As a concept, we are all aware of change management more than ever. I've been studying and practising as a facilitator of change for more than 20 years. In my early days as a change agent, I'd often get funny looks when I introduced myself. That doesn't happen any more.

Undoubtedly, change is more of an issue these days. Whether it's at a level where macro-economic, political and sociological issues impact our world, or at a micro level where we're launching a new product, changing a process or hiring a new person, change needs to be acknowledged, embraced and planned for. That applies to large corporates, to SMEs, to the public sector - and to us as individuals in our own lives.

Change is indeed inevitable and coping with it is up to each of us individually. If our intention is to grow personally and grow our businesses, resisting change is just futile, I'm afraid.

Planning for organisational change

When I spoke at the recent Intertrade Ireland Brexit Conference in Croke Park, I outlined the need to plan ahead. For some, that sounds like a cliche. But the alarming reality we discovered is that while we all know of the importance of planning ahead, few of us actually do it. And it's not just about Brexit.

If you have a team of people, do include as many as is appropriate in the planning activity. The potential synergies that you will get are invaluable. Different ideas, experiences and perspectives will contribute to a better plan, provided the meeting is well structured and well facilitated.

Listening is a key skill that ensures a level of respect and active participation. Without it, participants are likely to keep their good ideas to themselves. A meeting effectively managed by an experienced chairperson should provide for balanced participation across the team. That starts with drawing up an agenda in advance with clearly defined objectives, topics for discussion and time slots for each topic.

If for whatever reason, it is not appropriate to include some people in a planning meeting, then why not consult them in advance? In a number of client projects recently, where the organisational structure was being reviewed and refreshed, I consulted with a wide representative number of the teams in advance of the planning workshops. I got to understand their thoughts and concerns. That input was extremely valuable in ensuring a more robust plan.

Coping with personal change

I'm very mindful that change is difficult for many people. There are two points to consider here. One is that the organisation has a duty to manage change effectively. Businesses should take comfort in knowing that there are tried and tested methodologies for dealing with change.

The other point it that we all need to take personal responsibility for embracing change. There is nothing more tiring for others to hear you say: "But we've always done it this way!"

At a recent conference for a division of Lufthansa in Frankfurt, I was asked: "Why should we change, given that we've grown revenue every year for the past 25 years?"

My response was that we can't guarantee that what worked in the past will also work in a future that is changing dynamically.

So if you do make new year's resolutions, consider the changes you need to make in 2018.

Finally, it's important for my own personal development to be updated and to keep abreast of new ideas and concepts. For that reason, I'll be attending the Pendulum Summit this coming week, to be inspired, compare speaker styles and to reboot for the new year.

Alan O'Neill is a change consultant and non-executive director. For 25-plus years he has been supporting global and iconic brands through change. Alan-oneill.com. Business advice questions for Alan can be sent to sundaybusiness@independent.ieBrendan McCarey founded Painted Clans three years ago after demand for his personalised gift snowballed when he designed his first as a friends wedding present. Photo: Tom Conachy

There is an old Irish legend about a prince from Meath who chased a stag for two days and two nights - to finally catch and kill the stag in Monaghan. Not long after catching the stag, the prince, whose name was Hugh McKenna, decided to make Monaghan his home - rather than to return to Meath.

It is this legend which is often referred to when explaining how the McKennas first came to Monaghan and which is depicted on the coat of arms for McKenna families in Monaghan. It is also this legend which a young Irish designer, Brendan McCarey, decided to incorporate into a wedding gift he created for his friend, Finbar McKenna. Without knowing it, when creating that gift, McCarey was also planting the seed for his business, Painted Clans, which he set up in October 2014.

Painted Clans provides hand-painted family coats of arms - which are framed and sold as wedding, Christmas and birthday gifts.

On the back of each frame is some information about the family history and a column explaining the meaning of each element of the crest.

"One of my best friends [Finbar] is over in Australia and he was one of my first mates to get married," says McCarey. "My parents have an old mahogany coat-of-arms plaque. These mahogany plaques were popular wedding gifts back in the 1980s. I thought that if I could make something like that which was more aesthetically pleasing, it would be a great wedding gift."

So McCarey created a hand-painted coat-of-arms plaque for Finbar and his wife Shona.

"I gave the plaque as a gift and never thought about it again," said McCarey. "Then, through word of mouth, friends of my friends ordered the plaques as gifts. I set the company up in October 2014 and I got bombarded with orders for that Christmas."

One of the appeals of the painted crests produced by McCarey is that they are sentimental gifts - but with a modern and contemporary feel.

"A lot of times, people come to me and say they've been searching for a coat of arms and that everything they see is dated - and maybe even tacky," says McCarey. "They want something that's more modern. All the crests are hand-painted and therefore each one is unique. The double coat of arms are really popular as wedding gifts and I put the wedding date underneath the crests which makes them even more personalised. My style of design isn't over-complicated - it's a clean and geometrical approach to the coat of arms."

McCarey sells his crests online through his website paintedclans.com. He sold over 250 crests in 2017 - compared to 50 in his first year in business. "It was just a part-time business in the first year," says McCarey.

McCarey mainly sells his crests as wedding gifts in Ireland - but people living in the United States, Britain, Germany, France, Australia and Dubai are also buying his products.

Many of those buying the crests from abroad are Irish expatriates. "Most of the expat customers buying my wedding gifts are living in Britain," says McCarey.

McCarey has also being approached by Spanish and Polish people who want him to create his version of their family coat of arms. "I'm trying to figure out how to grow that market," says McCarey. "I don't have a database of crests for Spain. When people like this place orders, they know more about their family history than I do and I use that information to make the crest. There are a lot of Polish people in Ireland interested in getting a crest. However, as I don't have a database of Polish crests, there are a lot of orders that I'm turning down as I have no way of verifying the Polish crest."

McCarey has noticed that people will typically buy his crests for one of two reasons. "Irish people are usually more interested in giving a gift that's personal, whereas people from abroad have more interest in the history of the family crest."

McCarey grew up outside Glaslough in Co Monaghan. His father was a farmer; his mother a stay-at-home mum. It's no surprise, then, that one of McCarey's fondest childhood memories is of growing up on the farm.

"I've got four brothers, so while taking in the hay during the summer was hard work, it was a lot of fun," says McCarey.

The young designer feels that his childhood on the farm may have helped steer him towards his career in design."Dad worked with his hands as a farmer so that may have something to do with my design skills," says McCarey. "I was drawing from a young age."

McCarey studied design and communication in Derry - as well as in Augsburg, Germany.

His business is based in Mullen village in north Monaghan and McCarey is determined to keep it there, despite the challenges often faced by rural businesses. "I've two kids - one is aged five and one is two - and that's one reason I want to stay in Monaghan," says McCarey. "There's also a real buzz around Monaghan for setting up companies. The fact that my business is online is good too - that's how I get away with working and living from Monaghan. If I needed a shopfront, things would be a lot different."

McCarey also feels that it could be difficult for him to work with shops. "The problem with working with shops is they want to order a huge amount of volume. This is a customised product. I don't think it will ever be something you'll see sold [on a large scale] in shops."

McCarey, who is now 30, was 27 when he set up Painted Clans. He is therefore young to be his own boss but he has learned a lot about running a business over the last three years.

"As a designer, I was very much working in the business - rather than on the business," said McCarey. "I didn't have a business head on me at all. I did some work with Monaghan Enterprise Board though and it helped me a lot."

McCarey was among the almost 100 design and craft businesses which exhibited their work at Showcase Ireland in January 2016.

He is developing a new website which once complete, could certainly see his business take off further.

"I would like to have a website with a live feed where you can type in a name and pull up a crest," says McCarey. "There's hundreds and hundreds of crests though so it's a huge undertaking."

McCarey himself says that he has a thirst for history, particularly his own family history.

As a child, his parents had their own family crest - the McCarey and Lynch crest - hanging in the hallway of the home.

Indeed, Painted Clans has become a way for McCarey to explore who he is and where he came from. "The McCarey family history was hard to track down though," says McCarey. "Two of my great uncles moved to America when they were young so we have a large family over there, mostly based in New Jersey. When we dug much deeper, there is a big gap. We think the name originated in Scotland but we can't seem to pinpoint where."

McCarey will no doubt unearth many more family histories and stories as Painted Clans grows and becomes more established.

One of those stories may well be his own - and unveil the early origins of the McCarey family name.

paintedclans.comPanic! Calamity! Action stations! Yes, the first big security scare of 2018 has arrived and it sounds apocalyptic. Prepare for the worst, folks. Because the newest, horriblest computer flaws are here.

They are suitably named: 'Meltdown' and 'Spectre'.

Are you still sitting down reading this? If so, what are you doing? Why aren't you rushing to search for an online patch for your laptop or phone?

Oh, I see - you want to see how it settles. Maybe it'll all be grand if you just sit and do nothing?

I can't really blame you.

Every week we're told of a new bug, virus, piece of malware or exploit that is set to change computing as we know it. Depending on which story you pick over the last year, your computer is all set to sell you out to the Chinese, get locked up for bitcoin or become part of an online bot army.

Neither can I blame you for casting a sceptical eye over some of the coverage that we in the media give this type of topic.

I say this as someone who writes fairly regularly about it: as an industry, we pump out an unsteady mixture of responsible reporting and hyped-up terror pieces.

For instance, it's hard to know which of these Friday's front page of the Financial Times was, where its 'splash' report headline warned companies to replace all their computers "or risk a Spectre attack".

All of them, FT?

In Ireland alone, that would cost well over 1bn. How much would it cost UK or EU businesses?

The FT, as well as everyone else, knows that this wholesale replacement of PCs is completely unfeasible and won't be happening. But a line in an advisory notice from a US college (the Carnegie Mellon University) said that "the only way" to fully remove the vulnerability was by replacing hardware. So that, together with plenty of enthusiastic doomsdaying comments from IT security consultants, creates a front page to scare the bejesus out of its corporate readers.

Lest readers think I'm being snotty here, that is not the intention. We're all a little guilty of this.

Part of the issue is that many IT security experts, upon whom we invariably lean for guidance and direction, sometimes have a vested interest in people being worried. Concern generates business for them. The doomier the prognosis, the boomier it could be for their sales leads.

It's the same with surveys that inform us how bad our lack of preparedness is against IT security malware. Mostly (though not always) they are undertaken by companies with a vested interest in getting you to buy an IT security product, service or consultancy contract.

Even the most credible, highly-decorated practitioners in the industry have some commercial upside from heightened tension over IT security fears.

(I have written this before and been taken up on it by some IT security professionals, who say this is too cynical an interpretation. They say that while IT security news events do bring business to them, it should be regarded as proper, constructive awareness rather than cheap fear-mongering. I accept the point, but still think there's an issue.)

Don't get me wrong, here. This doesn't quite mean that the Meltdown and Spectre computer flaws we're all reporting on don't deserve attention.

To be clear, they absolutely do. Apple, for instance, never issues public guidance on issues that aren't deadly serious. On Friday, it took the rare action of putting out an advisory notice on Meltdown and Spectre, confirming that they could potentially affect iPhones and iPads, as well as Macs. (The company said that Apple Watch devices aren't in the line of fire for the moment, but that it would probably include protection anyway in future updates to WatchOS.) Even this fact alone represents quite an event. Remember the basic tenet of computers we've gotten used to over the last 20 years, that "Apple devices don't get viruses"? It turns out they might.

So regardless of those who are, once again, catastrophising on an IT security worry, the Meltdown and Spectre 'flaws' are certainly worthy of discussion and, probably, some action.

That can largely be summed up as follows: update your stuff. You know all of those pop-ups from your Windows or Mac laptop, or your iPad or iPhone, telling you that the new release is ready to be installed?

Stop telling yourself you'll do it some other time when you're not busy. Do it right now.

This goes double if you're one of those who skipped an OS generation, such as not bothering to upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10 or from Mac OS Yosemite or El Capitan to High Sierra. Seriously, do that as soon as you can. It's a generally-observed principle that big companies such as Microsoft and Apple prioritise safety implementation for the most modern versions of their systems.

And yes, that does mean that if you're one of the holdouts who stubbornly still uses something ridiculously outdated such as Windows XP, you are sort of asking for it. At the risk of sounding like one of the sirens I lampooned above, you're genuinely living dangerously with Windows XP or similar old, unpatched, unsupported computer systems.

The kicker is that with new rules on data breach disclosure coming in later this year, you may not get away with keeping any problems you experience on work computers secret. Yes, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) rules are lurking behind this whole process, as they will many issues you may not have thought them applying to. So if you have a bunch of vulnerable work PCs that cede customer information out into the wild because you didn't secure them, that's a paddling. Or, to be more precise, up to 20m (or 4pc in turnover) as a fine from the Data Protection Commissioner.

But here I am, reverting to Scaremaster General again.

You see? It's built in.

In conclusion: protect yourself. But don't have to throw out all your existing PCs.Known as 'the curse' of television dancing shows, it is a phenomenon that is said to hit celebrities and their real-life partners. Long schedules, sexy moves and time away from home have led to high-profile splits.

In the UK, nearly a dozen couples have split up because of Strictly Come Dancing, while in Ireland love blossomed on RTE's Dancing with the Stars when model Thalia Heffernan fell for dancer Ryan McShane.

With your beautiful wife living in another country, it is no wonder then that Johnny Vegas's ears pricked up when Maia Dunphy told him she would be taking part in this year's Dancing with the Stars.

"Johnny's sister loves dance shows and when I went over to visit she got excited and asked me to show her the dresses but the first thing Johnny said was 'show me your dance partner'," says Maia.

"I said 'ah, Johnny, sure what does it matter? And he said 'just show me him'."

Looking effortlessly elegant dressed in a mohair jumper and black leather mini-skirt sipping tea and eating biscuits in the Marker Hotel, Maia whips out her phone. Staring out from the screen is the tanned, shirtless, bronzed god known as Robert Rowinski.

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I let slip an expletive and she laughs. No words of reassurance can accompany a picture like this but Maia shrugs that good old-fashioned concern is a positive in any relationship.

"Healthy jealously is a good thing. I was speaking with someone recently about this: do you know that feeling when familiarity gets into a relationship and then you go out in a group and you see someone flirting with your partner? It kind of reminds you what you fell for in the first place."

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It's no wonder then that Johnny, one of the UK's biggest comedians, will be sitting front and centre of the audience tonight.

He has been using his dry wit to talk down the new man in his wife's life. "Since he saw that picture there is a certain element of 'well how's it going today? How's the ugly lad?'" says Maia.

It might help for Johnny to know that Maia and Robert got off to a bad start: "He was so tough, telling me I was really bad. I said 'Rob, you have to do some positive reinforcement'," she says.

It might also help to know that Maia sees the sexy dance moves as mechanical. "The weird thing is it's all very hands on. He is always behind me, straightening my shoulders and pushing my stomach in and it's intimate but it's almost like going to a doctor. It's not sexual. It's like 'right, stick your thigh into my thigh and make sure it's right up the top of my thigh' and you go 'ok' but to me it's nothing more."

Expand Close Steady as rock: Dancing with the Stars contestant Maia Dunphy. Photo: David Conachy / Facebook

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Still, if Johnny does get a bit antsy, like any good woman, Maia has a back catalogue of evidence to present to her husband.

There is the still from the show he shot with Kara Tointon, the former EastEnders actress who won Strictly in 2010. "It's a dream sequence and Paul Weller is by his bed playing a guitar and he is in bed with Kara who is insanely beautiful. He is snogging her semi-naked so I have that still ready to go," she laughs.

And the clip from Celebrity Juice, where he once kissed Kelly Brook. "It was a game where you have to suck and blow on a playing card and of course the card dropped and he said well that was an accident! He was getting high fives all over Twitter for that so I am keeping all these things on the back-burner in case our dances get up close and personal," says Maia.

Still, the couple, who will have been together 10 years in March, are going strong and she knows the ribbing is in jest. "Johnny is quite a sensitive soul so that idea that it would 'keep him on his toes' is not for me. I wouldn't want to hurt him."

While their successful careers have forced the couple to spend the first two years of their marriage living apart, they share son Tom and know long distance has its positives. Although the plan is for Johnny to move to Ireland in the coming years, Maia says: "It's about being positive and it keeps things really fresh. The seven-year itch will probably come after 20 years."

Maia, who has just released a book, The M Word, says: "We speak every day and we FaceTime every second day because it's really important for Tom. He sees pictures of him all over the fridge and by the bed and he adores him.

"In fairness, it's also really hard on Johnny because he is missing out on a lot of time with his son. He could say 'what the hell are you doing in Dublin? London is our home now you should be back here' but we let each other do our thing."

The second season of Dancing with the Stars begins tonight at 6.30pm on RTE One.The scene that launches the second season of The Crown also sets the tone for much of what follows and is very much in keeping with what had gone before.

It is 1957 and on-board the Royal Yacht Britannia, anchored off Lisbon, the young Queen Elizabeth is having a crisis summit with Philip about his rumoured philandering.

He has just returned from a five-month grand tour of the Commonwealth on official business but it was what he may have been up to unofficially which has the flashbulbs popping and the hounds of Fleet Street salivating.

You can cut the tension with a knife. She accuses him of constant whingeing; he complains of living in a prison. The divorce word is even tossed about, but as she is head of the Church of England, we know this could never happen.

The scene is moodily shot, richly atmospheric and thick with a sense of pending gloom not only for the royal marriage but for the ancient institution it represents.

Compelling to watch and visually precise to the point of fussiness, The Crown is indeed history in the remaking.

Or is it?

Were there any witnesses to that encounter? Did they ever speak of it to anyone? Did that encounter even take place? Perhaps more importantly, does it really matter?

For the record, there was never any proof that Philip was unfaithful on that tour, but it is true that his private secretary and closest confidant on the royal yacht, Lieutenant Commander Mike Parker, was sued for divorce by his wife for adultery so there was guilt by association.

In the arcane world of class and pedigree in the middle of the last century, the whiff of sulphur was enough to set society tongues wagging and newspaper editors straining at the leash.

Historic fodder

So, as with much of The Crown, conflated events are hijacked for the sake of drama - and to brilliant effect.

Churchill's political decline, Eden's disastrous Suez adventure, Princess Margaret's ill-fated love affair with Group Captain Townsend, Edward VIII's embarrassing Nazi legacy all provide wonderful historic fodder for the imagination of writer and creator Peter Morgan.

But while historiography deals in empirical evidence, carefully and assiduously garnered facts and citations totally inflexible in their dedication to the truth, historical fiction - either on the page or screen - has a very different role.

Traditionally academics have been sniffy about what writers get up to when they dust off the great events of history for their own ends.

Renowned 19th century Trinity historian JB Bury wrote haughtily about authors who attempt to "clothe the story of human society in a literary dress" and 100 years later, Herbert Butterfield noted that "the raconteur knows only too well that if he investigates the truth of the matter, he is only likely to lose his good story".

Hollywood, in particular, is proof that Butterfield knew what he was talking about. The great events of the ages from the Old Testament to Vietnam and beyond have been looted and pillaged countless times in the search of box-office gold.

Historian Antony Beevor is even more cutting: "The way Hollywood deals with national identity is totally shameless and totally irresponsible. It is a grotesque distortion of history."

While a list of incongruities, lazy errors and downright lies in fictional depictions of historic events are easy to conjure up, it also tends to miss the point.

Films do sometimes pretend to be based on true stories but they seldom, if ever, pretend to be history. If an audience treats 90 minutes of escapist celluloid as a lecture, the film's producer or director can hardly be held responsible.

But even grossly inaccurate treatments of real events can teach us something.

They can, for instance, help flesh-out and colour-in the raw facts that dry historical tomes offer us and help bring a period alive.

It can also help to personalise history, or what historical novelist Helen Dunmore calls the 'inner-view.' Speaking about her World War II novel The Siege, she notes: "What I wanted to do was focus on this small group of people and create a world which is felt, tasted and rooted."

It is something she achieves brilliantly. Dunmore brings the horrors of Leningrad vividly alive in a very intimate way through her believable fictional characters. But it's not always how accurately an era is depicted in historical fiction or film that really counts, but instead what it tells us about the period in which the book is published or the film released.

So back to The Crown.

Forget for a moment how accurately or otherwise it recreates the Britain of the 1950s and 1960s, but what does this show say about today?

Why would a drama series, so nostalgically shot, coloured and pitched be so popular now?

What is it about the certainties of place, class and hierarchy that appeal today?

What is it about Britain's place in the world back then that has such a romantic pull in 2018?

Would it have anything to do with the muddle that the UK currently finds itself in, this post-Empire identity meltdown that has manifested itself in the Brexit fiasco? Could it be Peter Morgan has really created a historical narrative for his primarily British audience that soothes and consoles in a time of crisis and bewilderment?

These are the sort of questions that history students a generation from now might care to ask about the series while not bothering too much about the liberties taken with circumstantial fact.

One thing is certain: historians, writers and the public alike still don't know how this chapter in history or fiction will end. In the meantime, The Crown is certainly keeping us curious about what was and what might have been.

Royal fibs and fabrications

There is a general consensus that The Crown has an assured touch when it come to the British monarchy and political landscape it re-imagines.

It appears next to perfect too when it comes to the look, feel, fashion and tastes of the time.

But there are obvious fabrications, too.

It is unlikely, for instance, that the young queen took royal advice from the loathsome and disgraced Edward VIII as she does in series one. There is certainly no record of it.

Nor did the Great London Smog of 1952 precipitate a constitutional crisis or create personal tension between Churchill and Elizabeth.

If Philip made a fuss about having to kneel before his queen at her coronation a year later, which he does in series one, there is no record of it.

More tellingly, in a pivotal scene in the second series, correspondence emerges that incriminates Philip's private secretary Michael Parker in serial adultery. There was no such letter.

Last week, Parker's son Michael rubbished the plot and insisted that, if anything, his late father was a prude.

So offended is he by the storyline that he's keeping it a secret from his 94-year-old mother, who is depicted in the series as a vengeful, scorned wife.

A liberty too far by the Netflix drama that otherwise seems to have walked the wobbly tightrope leading from fact to fiction with a certain aplomb.Norah Casey joins the cast of RTE show Dancing with the Stars 2017 at a city centre dance studio for rehearsals

Businesswoman and Dancing With The Stars contestant Norah Casey has said she has lost a stone in the run-up to the RTE show.

Dancing With The Stars will air tonight on RTE, and during her intense training period with dance partner Curtis Pritchard, Casey has already noticed a changed in her body shape.

Im already a stone lighter and my posture is totally different  Im almost an inch taller.

I was living a sedentary lifestyle and spending my days hunched over a desk. Now Im discovering all these muscles Ive never used. We spend an hour each day just stretching.

The former Dragons Den judge told the Irish Sun today that she was mortified to try on the shows costumes at first.

I thought taking part was terrifying and then I met the costume department.

Open my wardrobe and its all navy, blue and black. Now Im in bright pink dresses with sparkles that are quite tight.

I was mortified when I first tried one on. I wouldnt wear it in front of my mother never mind the whole country.

Casey is enjoying the prospect of the dancing show challenge, since she recently sold the majority of her Irish magazine titles to a US investor.

When I sold the business, I didnt go out to celebrate. I sat in the hall and I looked at the picture of Richard and thought I should have done this sooner.

I think it was a time in my life where I could have been maudlin or I could take this amazing opportunity that landed in my lap.

Dancing With the Stars returns on RTE1 tonight at 6.30pm.Seventeen minutes into the second episode of McMafia (BBC1) and the viewer had already been taken to Cairo, London, Mumbai, the Cayman Islands, Dubai, Prague and the Sinai desert. Was this a crime drama or a demented travelogue?

Or, indeed, a blatant steal from the Godfather movies, with upright young Londoner Alex getting sucked into the lethal underworld of his expatriate Russian family, just as Michael Corleone did with his Italian clan in those 1970s masterpieces.

But lead actor James Norton is no Al Pacino and, on the evidence of the opening episodes, this dramatisation of Misha Glenny's 2008 book about global crime will turn out to be no masterpiece - already I'm being reminded of 2016's The Night Manager, where shimmeringly-filmed exotic locales never compensated for implausible plot strands and hollow characters.

In terms of the latter, Norton is the main problem here. Genuinely creepy as psychopath Tommy Lee in Happy Valley and quite charming as Prince Andrei in War and Peace, he was so muted - indeed listless - as Alex that you wondered how he's being touted as Daniel Craig's successor in future Bond movies.

Perhaps when the action really gets going (and it's taking a long time) he'll find his mojo, but in the first two episodes he was effortlessly outclassed by other players, especially David Strathairn as Israel-based businessman Kleiman, behind whose affably mild diffidence there clearly lurks a monster.

So far there've been a couple of scary set pieces, especially of a young woman abducted in Cairo for human trafficking, and it's to be hoped there'll be more in the next six episodes. Now if only we could care about any of the people involved...

We've always cared about the characters in the French crime series Spiral, despite the fact that this police team coping with crime in the banlieues and backstreets of Paris have always been a grubby and sometimes downright venal lot.

Now they're back for a sixth season on BBC4, and it's a pleasure to renew our acquaintance with them - especially compulsively driven team leader Laure (the superb Caroline Proust), thuggishly loyal sidekick Gilou (Thierry Godard) and shifty lawyer Josephine (Audrey Fleurot).

This time round the cops are saddled with a weaselly new boss who doesn't want them investigating a headless torso in case it goes nowhere and damages his career prospects. Meanwhile, lawyer Josephine has been getting in over her head in another murder case.

The pleasures of this series are many: intriguing plotlines; characters in whom we believe; a brilliantly evoked and unfamiliar Paris; and a glimpse into the intricacies and compromises of a French judicial system.

There's talk about this being the last season of Spiral, so relish it over the next few weeks.

Some of you will already have relished the fourth season of the Charlie Brooker creation, Black Mirror (Netflix), though so far I've only seen 'USS Callister', the first of its six episodes. However, a consensus of international critics has declared it to be easily the best of the bunch, which makes me wonder what the rest are like.

Mind you, it was intriguing, with Jesse Plemons (Kirsten Dunst's hapless hubby in the second season of Fargo) as a video games inventor who gets revenge on his scornful co-workers by digitally cloning them and imprisoning them in a Star Trek-like spaceship of which he was the supreme commander.

Inventively played out, and at times quite sinister, it was also far too long for its own good and didn't really repay logical scrutiny.

Screened over three nights, Little Women (BBC1) was a straightforward and commendably slush-free adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's famous novel for girls, with good turns from the 92-year-old Angela Lansbury as stern Aunt March and Emily Watson as Marmee.

Maya Thurman-Hawke (daughter of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke) was very winning in the central role of Jo, though not as loveable as Winona Ryder in the 1994 movie.

You mightn't describe Shane MacGowan as loveable, but he's a songwriting treasure and Fairytale of New York: The Story of a Christmas Classic (RTE1) set both the song and its creator in satisfying context.

In fact, this documentary, produced and directed by David Whelan, was one of the best of the last 12 months, with absorbing insights from MacGowan's sister Siobhan, from Pogues colleague Jem Finer and from such luminaries as Paul Simon, Rosanne Cash, Christy Moore, Billy Bragg, Bob Geldof and Imelda May.

Kirsty MacColl's son Louis added some real poignancy when recalling his mother, who died in a terrible boating accident in Mexico in 2000. Only recently has he been able to listen with pleasure to her wonderful vocals on MacGowan's great song.

U2 at the BBC (BBC1) got the four band members into the Abbey Road studios, where they sang some of their numbers with a choir and orchestra to a small invited audience. Unfortunately it also got Cat Deeley to interview them and she duly gushed all over them.

I much preferred Saturday Night Fever: The Ultimate Disco Movie (BBC4), which was made to celebrate the film's 40th anniversary. John Travolta fondly recalled the movie's making, which was also the making of his fame, and there were good contributions from others, too.

Beating off four other contestants, David Norris's splendid North Great George's Street house won Celebrity Home of the Year (RTE1), but it was like pitting Frank Sinatra against the four members of Westlife: a no-brainer.The scene of the collision in Co Monaghan

A MAN who was involved in a car crash with a woman - who is being investigated by gardai for a separate accident - has now withdrawn his personal injury claim, Independent.ie has learned.

Angela McDonagh (28), of Brookthorpe, Gloucester, England, brought a 60,000 damages claim after the car she was travelling in was rear-ended in Swords, Co Dublin in January 2015.

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Two days later, in Co Monaghan, Ms McDonagh was involved in an accident with a man named Tony McDonagh and two other passengers after being rear-ended.

Both accidents were allegedly caused by a mysterious object/animal crossing the path of the vehicle, causing the driver to brake suddenly.

Tony McDonagh brought a personal injury claim for the Monaghan accident, but Independent.ie has learned he has recently withdrawn it and the matter did not come before the courts.

Ms McDonagh did not bring a claim for this accident and denied any involvement when being cross-examined in court about the accident in Swords, for which she brought a 60,000 claim.

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However, garda Diarmuid Leane of Monaghan garda station told the court last November he had taken Ms McDonaghs name and address at the scene of the Monaghan collision.

Garda Leane said he recognised Ms McDonagh as the woman in court bringing the claim arising out of the Swords collision two days earlier.

Garda Leane said Ms McDonagh had given her address as Newport, South Wales, the same address she had given to the woman who rear-ended her in the Co Dublin collision.

Mr Justice Raymond Groarke directed the legal team of Aviva Insurance to provide papers in relation to Ms McDonaghs 60,000 damages claim for the Swords accident to gardai for investigation.

Expand Close Pictures of the damage done to the car involved in the Swords collision after the driver rear-ended Angela McDonagh when she slammed on the brakes. Rob Smyth of Aviva described the damage as 'minimal' / Facebook

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Whatsapp Pictures of the damage done to the car involved in the Swords collision after the driver rear-ended Angela McDonagh when she slammed on the brakes. Rob Smyth of Aviva described the damage as 'minimal'

He described Ms McDonagh as "a fraud" who had deliberately set a trap for an unsuspecting driver behind her by slamming on her brakes and causing a rear-ending accident.

"The plaintiff is a fraud who has brought a fraudulent claim set up in an amateur fashion by the slamming on of her brakes," Mr Justice Groarke said.

Aviva have since referred the matter to gardai and it is now under investigation.

Speaking to Independent.ie, Rob Smyth, head of Aviva's anti-fraud section, said the company will vigorously defend against all spurious claims.

"A fraudster should face the consequences of his/her actions, particularly if the presiding judge calls on the DPP/gardai to investigate. Too few are subject to criminal prosecution and this needs to change," he said.

"Aviva will continue to take a zero tolerance approach to all fraudulent claims but it is vital that fraudulent claimants face the possibility of criminal prosecution. Consequently, Aviva welcomes the fact that gardai intend to seek the transcripts of civil court cases as part of their investigations into fraudulent claims.

"This sends out a clear warning to these fraudsters that attempts to deceive insurance companies, our customers and the courts will not be tolerated."Hospital crisis: Patients on trollies in the corridor at St Lukes General Hospital, Kilkenny. Photo: Tony Gavin

GPS will be paid new fees to visit nursing homes and call to the houses of elderly people as part of a new initiative aimed at alleviating the pressure on hospital emergency departments.

The payments will form part of the new GP contract which is being negotiated between the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) and the Department of Health.

It is hoped the additional funding will result in more GPs regularly visiting nursing homes and reduce the need for staff to bring residents to hospital.

A Department of Health source said they would like to see GPs paid to become "area officers" for communities and have responsibility for all elderly people in their catchment area.

Minister for Health Simon Harris has also been given the green light to have GP fees included in the next round public sector pay talks.

Fees paid to GPs were significantly cut during the financial crisis but have not been discussed during pay talks.

Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe reached an agreement with Mr Harris to have doctor's fees included in further talks on unwinding the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI) Act 2015.

Mr Harris has been under serious pressure over his handling of the health service and the escalating trolley crisis.

Last week saw record numbers of people waiting to be treated while lying on trolleys in cramped hospital corridors.

Officials are now concerned these figures will increase over the weekend as more patients attend hospitals seeking treatment.

There was public outrage when it emerged 12 children were forced to wait more than nine hours on trolleys before they received treatment.

Yesterday it emerged Mr Harris has been advised the public health system will need between 7,000 and 9,000 more hospital beds in the next 10 years if urgent reforms are not implemented.

The HSE's bed capacity review also recommended implementing the reforms suggested in the cross-party agreed Slaintecare Report which outlines a major overhaul of the health system. The Irish Independent revealed yesterday that if the reforms were implemented, the State would need an additional 2,500 beds in the next 10 years.

The bed capacity report also recommends the construction of elective surgery- only hospitals and more investment in community medicine.

It is understood funding will be made available in the much-anticipated capital spending review for a number of elective surgery-only hospitals.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar refused to comment on the continuing crisis in Irish hospitals yesterday when he attended the launch of a new Government-backed health initiative.

When asked by reporters if he would like to talk about the trolley crisis, Mr Varadkar responded that he was happy to launch the new 2018 Healthy Ireland campaign at Croke Park.

Labour Party health spokesman Alan Kelly urged the Government to set a clear timeline for the implementation of Slaintecare reforms.

"Today's reports on findings of the bed capacity review highlight the positive impact the implementation of Slaintecare reforms would have on our health service in relation to the hospital bed crisis.

"The report found that instead of needing up to 9,000 extra beds over the next 10 years, the implementation of Slaintecare measures would see that number reduced to around 2,500. At a cost of around 325,000 per bed, this would clearly represent a significant saving that could be redirected elsewhere in the health service.

"Reducing the reliance on our hospitals and investing in community healthcare would help to significantly reduce the pressure being placed on our hospitals and the demand for beds we are currently seeing. With the 10-year capital plan due shortly, we need to see a clear timeline for the implementation of these proposals - we can't afford to waste any more time," Mr Kelly added.

It came after patient and doctor groups said the hospital trolley crisis was rooted in years of failure.

They warned that patients are being exposed to further illnesses and accidents because of severe overcrowding across the country.

Irish Patients' Association chairman Stephen McMahon said the crisis was having a detrimental impact on patients who have had planned operations cancelled as a result of the hospital overcrowding.

"Overcrowding is undignified, unsafe and exposes patients to preventable risks," he said. "We normally see a post-Christmas surge and this has an influenza impact, spreads respiratory illnesses and can lead to slips, trips and falls.

"There are associated risks for 494,530 patients waiting for their first consultant-led appointment, or one of 80,894 people waiting for their planned operations."

The National Association of General Practitioners (NAGP) said the crisis was rooted in years of failure.

NAGP chairman Dr Andy Jordan criticised former health minister Dr James Reilly, who last week called for greater investment in primary care. He said the profession was blighted by young doctors choosing to emigrate and that a recruitment crisis looms.

"During Dr Reilly's time, GPs were forced to endure savage cuts, which continue to affect the delivery of care to patients," Dr Jordan said yesterday.

"A lot of fine words are being spoken about implementing the Slaintecare Report and a shift to primary care. The NAGP has yet to see the required money and reform commitment from Government to back that up.

"The last thing the health service needs is a lecture from a failed health minister."

Last night, the IMO claimed management at Connolly Hospital, in Blanchardstown, Co Dublin, wrote to staff informing them that medical and surgical interns will not be getting paid for overtime from tomorrow.

The email said interns should not be working before 8am or after 5pm and no payment would be paid for hours worked outside of this.

The IMO's Dr Paddy Hillery said interns are routinely expected to work outside of these hours.

A spokeswoman for the RCSI Hospital group last night said interns must seek approval before they can work or be rostered for any paid overtime.

"All NCHD's receive a salary based on their contract including overtime when it is incurred and rostered.

"Where unrostered overtime is incurred this requires authorisation by the designated consultant and where this occurs the necessary payment will be paid."DOCTORS are being forced to prioritise some critically ill patients and make tough decisions because of the shortage of intensive care beds in hospitals.

In todays Sunday Business Post, leading medics admitted to having to "ration" life-or-death care due to severe bed shortages. Dr Tom Ryan, president of the Irish Hospital Consultants Association, noted that we are effectively rationing life support.

The number of people waiting on trolleys in Irish hospitals peaked at 677 this Wednesday.

He also mentioned that a number of life-saving surgeries are being delayed as patients would require a post-operative bed.

None of this is safe, Dr Ryan told the Sunday Business Post. We are being forced to take unnecessary risks with other peoples lives. The human cost of this bed shortage is enormous.

As the Australian flu becomes more prevalent this winter, surges in hospital admittances are to be expected.Tributes have been paid to former Irish Attorney General, leading businessman and international statesman Peter Sutherland, who has died at the age of 71.

Mr Sutherland, a former European Commissioner and United Nations' special representative on international migration, died in hospital in Dublin on Sunday after a long illness.

Irish President Michael D. Higgins said he had left an "important legacy".

"Tirelessly campaigning for global solutions to human trafficking and forced migration, he became a passionate and influential voice for the rights of the 65 million people who have been forced to flee their homes and homelands," he said.

"All of this came after a lifetime of contributions to public life at home and abroad.

"A passionate European, throughout his career Peter Sutherland remained deeply committed to peaceful co-operation and integration in Europe, promoting greater awareness of the importance and possibilities of Irish engagement in European decision making."

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar also paid tribute.

"He was a statesman in every sense of the word; an Irishman, a committed European and a proud internationalist," said the Fine Gael leader.

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"Throughout his life he was a champion for individual and economic freedoms."

Businessman Denis O'Brien, who is the majority shareholder of Independent News and Media, which publishes Independent.ie, said he was very saddened to hear of the death of Mr Sutherland.

He said: "Peter was one of the most outstanding personalities in modern Irish life. A man of great intellect he was peerless in every role from Attorney General through to European Commissioner and subsequently as WTO negotiator and then as chairman of Goldman Sachs."

Mr O'Brien said the former Attorney General was the commentator that business leaders most sought out and listened to on the subject of Brexit.

"He will be a major loss as Ireland faces into Brexit as he was one of the most brilliant minds available to the business community in Ireland on this topic.

"Everybody is deeply saddened that he has been taken far too soon," said Mr O'Brien.

Tanaiste Simon Coveney said he was saddened by Mr Sutherland's death.

"I knew him as a compassionate, driven, global thinker, always willing to challenge views," he said.

Mr Coveney hailed Mr Sutherland's intellect, adding: "He used his talents to be one of Ireland's most influential people, in business, politics and human rights globally."

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Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin said Mr Sutherland had given "outstanding public service".

"A true patriot who had the interests of Ireland at heart," he said. "Sincere sympathies to his family."

Born in 1946, Mr Sutherland was educated at Gonzaga College, Ranelagh in Dublin and University College Dublin.

A barrister by profession, he was appointed Ireland's attorney general in 1981 at the age of just 35.

During his tenure he clashed with then justice minister Michael Noonan over the wording of the 1983 referendum on abortion.

Mr Sutherland went on to serve as Ireland's representative in the European Commission.

In 1993 he became the first director general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), having overseen its formation out of another body he headed, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).

In a glittering business career, he also fulfilled roles as non-executive chairman of both Goldman Sachs and BP.

In his later life, he focused on his work on migration issues with the UN.

The former Allied Irish Bank chairman also acted for a period as financial adviser to the Vatican.

He also served as chairman of the board of governors of the European Institute of Public Administration and was honorary president of the European Policy Centre.

Accolades he received during his career included the French Legion d'Honneur, Spain's Grand Cross of Civil Merit and Belgium's Grand Cross of Leopold II.

In 2013, UCD's Law School was renamed the Sutherland School of Law in honour of one of its most famous students.

Mr Sutherland is survived by his wife of 46 years Maruja, and his three children Shane, Ian and Natalia.An Irish teacher who suffered a near-fatal blood clot in Dubai is "taking big steps" and her family are confident about her recovery after she was able to to return to Ireland this week.

Aisling Brady's boyfriend Kristian Mansfield said himself and her family are "blown away" after a fundraiser to cover her medical evacuation and rehabilitation costs raised over 142,000.

Aisling (26), who is from Trim in Co Meath, was rushed to hospital in November after she fainted and hit her head, she then suffered three seizures, three cardiac arrests and a stroke as a result of a blood clot, otherwise known as a pulmonary embolism.

She was flown from Dubai to Dublin on Friday morning and will now continue her recovery in Dublin's Mater Hospital.

Kristian told Independent.ie that he is over the moon with her progress.

He said: "She is doing really well, she's taking big steps - she has some movement in her limbs, her left side is a little stronger than her right and she can almost lift her left arm and leg, so that makes us confident about her long-term recovery mobility-wise.

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"She is also fully aware, she turns her head when she hears someone she knows talking and she knows who we are, she has a good memory.

"We're out of the acute stage of her recovery now, her heart and brain are strong and we're all about the rehabilitation now.

"She has a tracheotomy for a few more weeks so she can't talk yet but she is making some noises.

"She's had a big few days, on Wednesday her physiotherapist helped her to sit in a chair, it was her first time out of bed in five and a half weeks.

"We know it's a long road ahead and it could be up to a two year journey to get her back, we're aiming for a 100 per cent recovery and we're feeling confident in the long-term."

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He said that he is delighted that she will now be cared for in the Mater Hospital.

"The Mater Hospital is the best we could have hoped for, they are specialists in cases like hers so we are really happy, it's a top hospital.

"A couple of their specialists have taken her on and we're so thankful for that.

"Every day really counts now, every day without physiotherapy could set back her long-term recovery," he explained.

Kristian continued to say that he could not believe how much the public backed Aisling, raising almost 150,000 in just 24 days.

"We're thankful for the media attention as it helped highlight what happened to Aisling and we received a lot of support from the general public, people really wanted to help.

"It's been amazing, it made me see that the Irish community is so tight-knit and supportive, it's amazing because the majority of people who donated are complete strangers who just want to help.

"It really blew me away and it really blew her family away."

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He said that the money will really help with physics and maths teacher Aisling's recovery.

Kristian said: "The GoFundMe has alleviated a lot of stress, we thought we might get a bit of help but we never expected anything like this, to have everything covered by it is amazing.

"Now we can start looking towards specialist rehabilitation and we are hopeful looking towards the future that we will get the old Aisling back to the best that she can be.

"I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone for your generosity and support."POLITICIANS have united in paying their respects to Peter Sutherland who died after losing a lengthy battle with illness.

President Michael D Higgins said he had learned of Mr Sutherlands death with great sadness. He particularly praised Mr Sutherlands advocacy on behalf of migrants.

Mr Sutherland died at St Jamess Hospital, Dublin, having never recovered from a heart attack suffered in September 2016.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar also paid tribute and expressed his sympathies to Mr Sutherlands wife, Maruja, his children, Shane, Natalia and Ian, his 10 grandchildren, and other family members.

The Taoiseach noted his work as EU competition commissioner from 1984 to 1989.

His work on the Open Skies policy helped make low-cost air travel across the continent possible and opened up Ireland to its tourism success, Mr Varadkar added.

Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin said he met Mr Sutherland on many occasions when he was enterprise minister and later foreign affairs minister. He said Mr Sutherland had played an important role in Irish public life and internationally.

He was a champion of free trade and fair competition and had a keen intellect and understood the changing nature of global trade and economy, Mr Martin said.

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Peters dedication to public service was not only confined to his work here in Ireland. In his capacity as European commissioner for competition he revolutionised competition and trade laws. For example, the liberalisation of the EU aviation sector owes much to his work as EU commissioner, the Fianna Fail leader added.

Businessman Denis O'Brien, who is the majority shareholder of Independent News and Media, which publishes Independent.ie, said he was very saddened to hear of the death of Mr Sutherland.

He said: "Peter was one of the most outstanding personalities in modern Irish life. A man of great intellect he was peerless in every role from Attorney General through to European Commissioner and subsequently as WTO negotiator and then as chairman of Goldman Sachs International."

Mr O'Brien said the former Attorney General was the commentator that business leaders most sought out and listened to on the subject of Brexit.

"He will be a major loss as Ireland faces into Brexit as he was one of the most brilliant minds available to the business community in Ireland on this topic.

"Everybody is deeply saddened that he has been taken far too soon," said Mr O'Brien.

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Labour leader Brendan Howlin said Mr Sutherland was a giant on the international stage. While we may have had political differences, his commitment to internationalism and multilateralism through his career was deeply felt, Mr Howlin said.

Former Fine Gael Taoiseach and ex-EU ambassador to Washington John Bruton said Mr Sutherlands stance as EU competition commissioner often brought him into conflict with Commission president Jacques Delors and British prime minister Margaret Thatcher. He was unafraid and stood his ground, and vindicated the independence of the Commission, Mr Bruton said.

EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said: In every sense of the word Peter Sutherland was a true European.A woman who was missing since Friday has been found and is "safe and sound," gardai have confirmed.

The woman (19) had been missing for two days but was located today.

A garda spokesman said: "Gardai have located her safe and sound. No further action required.

"Thank you for your assistance."Apple is due to begin initial payments on 13bn outstanding taxes to the Irish State in the first quarter of 2018. Stock picture: Getty

Last week in the Sunday Independent, Dr Jim Browne, the outgoing president of NUI Galway, proposed to double student fees and introduce student loans to resolve the university funding crisis.

Fee hikes of this magnitude would inevitably impact on access to third level education for many students and families. It would also force many students into significant debt and make the dream of acquiring a family home even more remote for tens of thousands of our young people.

The Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT) believes that, instead, an opportunity now exists to allocate a designated portion of the Corporation Tax to be paid by Apple to seriously and realistically address the funding crisis in Irish third level education.

Apple is due to begin initial payments on 13bn outstanding taxes to the Irish State in the first quarter of 2018. While an appeal by the company may reduce that figure, very substantial sums will be paid to the State in the coming years, far in excess of what is needed to fix the crisis in third level.

The financial pressures under which Dr Browne and other university presidents have operated for the best part of a decade are due to persistent cuts in State funding. As Dr Browne stated, third level education is the 'forgotten child' and has survived on a "capacity to make do, the creativity and the adaptability of our staff".

Recent budgets have delivered far less than the additional monies identified as necessary by the 2016 Cassells Report on Funding of Higher Education, as the State continues to abdicate responsibility for funding the sector.

Ireland's higher education system is already over-reliant on non-state funding. The fact that certain universities now emphasise fundraising skills as much as teaching or research excellence when hiring and promoting academic staff illustrates the extent of the malaise. In some universities, more than 50pc of income already derives from student registration and fees, research-related investment and philanthropy.

Between 2008 and 2012 recurrent grant allocations to universities and colleges fell by 25pc. Since 2012, the public spend per third-level student has remained below that for second-level, with no sign of corrective budgetary policies by the current government.

A doubling of student fees to 6,000 a year would inevitably be a significant deterrent to college entry for many middle- and low-income families.

As an indicator of the likely impact, a 2011 study in the UK found that a 1,000 increase in fees there slashed participation by 3.9pc. And figures from the UK Higher Education Statistics Agency show part-time student numbers in England have slumped by 56pc since 2010, linked mainly to a raised cap on part-time fees to 6,750 a year.

Increased reliance on fees to fund third-level runs counter to developments elsewhere in Europe. In 2006, Germany began introducing third-level fees. This policy has since been totally abandoned and no German region retains fees.

Even at the current 3,000 a year, Ireland's university fee structure will be the highest in the EU following Brexit.

The IFUT previously proposed in a submission to the Working Group on Funding in Higher Education, that a set percentage of Corporation Tax be ring-fenced for the sector.

The monies to be paid by Apple offer the opportunity to deliver on this proposal and provide realistic funding benefits for our universities and our young people.

A working group comprising Revenue, the Department of Finance and the third level sector should immediately be established to address implementation of such a scheme.

Any future introduction of a loan scheme would need to be linked to rigorous monitoring of the impact on participation levels and its effect on disadvantaged sectors. It could also serve to drive increased graduate emigration and, under the model identified in Cassells, would create a significant medium-term drain on State resources.

Designating a set percentage of Corporation Tax from the unexpected Apple windfall would provide the most safe, secure and fair investment mechanism, while providing full transparency and not impinging on academic standards or independent research.

LETTERS, Page 29A Sinn Fein MP has been accused of "poking fun" at the victims of the Kingsmill massacre after he posed with a loaf of bread on his head.

In a video posted on Twitter on Friday night, Barry McElduff is seen walking around a service station with a batch of Kingsmill bread resting on his head. Friday, January 5 was also the 41st anniversary of the massacre which saw 10 innocent workers gunned down in cold blood by the Provisional IRA.

The video incensed unionists and Mr McElduff was forced to delete the video and apologise for the offence he caused the families of the Kingsmill victims.

"Had not realised or imagined for a second any possible link between product brand name and Kingsmill anniversary," he said.

Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan said the massacre was "one of the most heinous and nakedly sectarian atrocities of the Troubles" and described Mr McElduff's behaviour as "nauseating".

"I remember the occasion well, it was a horrific act of depravity where victims were removed from their work van at gun point and shot dead in cold blood after they were asked their religion," he told the Sunday Independent.

DUP leader Arlene Foster said the video was "inhuman"

"All murder was wrong. Glorifying any murderer is sickening. Mocking is depraved," Ms Foster wrote on Twitter.

UUP Councillor David Taylor said Mr McElduff should resign as the video showed he was not fit for office.

"I pose this question to Mr McElduff and to Sinn Fein - where is the respect shown to the families of the victims of the Kingsmills Massacre with disgusting actions like this?" Mr Taylor said.

"This provides clear evidence of Sinn Fein's real attitude towards the victims of republican violence and towards unionism in general," he added. DUP MLA for Newry & Armagh William Irwin called on the Sinn Fein leadership to clarify and apologise for the bizarre video posted by Mr McElduff.

"The Sinn Fein leadership must give an explanation as to why their Member of Parliament would post such a bizarre video. Was it tomfoolery or a blatant insult to innocent victims? The timing and brand of bread raises many questions about the motivation behind this video," he said.

On 5 January 1976, a mini bus carrying 11 protestant workers returning home from a days work in a textile factory was stopped by armed gunmen. The men were lined up outside the vehicle and sprayed with 136 rounds of bullets at close range from automatic rifles.

The IRA denied it was behind the murder but the PSNI's Historical Inquiries Team later found the gang were members of the IRA.An Irish nun has left more than 10m in her will.

Veronica Kidney, also known as Sister Francis in her order, the Franciscan Missionary Sisters, of St Joseph's, East Street, Littlehampton, England, died suddenly at her convent on September 30, 2016.

Dublin-born Sister Francis, who was one of a family of seven and known as 'Lal,' was a member of the Kidney family which has been prominent in the hotel and catering business in Ireland for a number of decades.

A previous generation of the family, Robert A Kidney ,of Marlborough Road, Dublin; Naomi Kidney, of Shrewsbury Road, Dublin; and George Kidney, of Dundalk, were among the main shareholders in the Jurys Hotel Group, which owned interests in the famous Jurys Hotel and the North Star Hotel in Amiens Street, Dublin, through their company, Lee Hotels.

Jurys, founded in the 1881 when hotelier William Jury opened a hotel in College Green, Dublin, was an iconic hotel brand in Ireland for more than a century. The original hotel closed in the 1970s when the company, largely owned by the Kidney and Beatty families, took over what was then known as the Intercontinental Hotel in Ballsbridge, and renamed it Jurys.

According to documents lodged in the Probate Office in Dublin last week, Veronica Kidney left estate valued at 10,187,524. The Franciscan order has a convent and a 25-bed nursing home in Littlehampton, near the famous spa town of Bognor Regis.

A memorial service for Sister Francis's life was held in Haddington Road Church, Dublin in October, 2016.The first anniversary of the death of Ireland's 'Man of the 20th-century' occurs this month. Since his death on January 9 last, much has transpired in areas that in the past benefited from Thomas Kenneth Whitaker's years of service to the State and to the Irish people - such as Brexit, the role of the Central Bank of Ireland, the proposed repeal of the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution and the housing crises.

During the 1960s, TK Whitaker spearheaded Ireland's convoluted path towards membership of what was then the European Economic Market (EEC). As Secretary of the Department of Finance he led many delegations to European capitals seeking support for Ireland's admittance to the then exclusive club of six nations. In January 1962, with Taoiseach Sean Lemass, he attended an EEC Council meeting in Brussels where Ireland's case was coolly received. The implacable Charles de Gaulle, whose vision of Europe "regrouper les pays qui touchant aux Alpes, au Rhin et aux Pyrenees", in a private meeting intimated to Whitaker that Ireland's economic and financial destiny lay not with Europe but with the United Kingdom.

This rebuff to Ireland's initial attempts to join the European Economic Community, now the European Union (the word 'community' having since been supplanted) and its implications for the Irish economy was offset in 1965 by a bilateral trade agreement with the United Kingdom. Negotiated and managed by Ken Whitaker and his team of civil servants, over a six-month period of hard-bargaining, the first Anglo-Irish Free Trade Agreement became the lifeline for Irish exports, particularly agricultural exports, during the uncertain years prior to membership of the EEC in 1973.

Now 53 years later, Ireland is once again faced with economic uncertainty - this time by virtue of the UK's decision to exit the EU. While the economic scenario vis-a-vis Ireland and the UK may have altered in the intervening years, the two countries still retain a close interdependence in the areas of trade and travel, further complicated by the political developments that have occurred in relation to the border and Northern Ireland.

While to date, Europe has made reassuring promises, as the real hard-bargaining between the UK and the EU begins, Ireland's priorities (tiny in the face of what is at stake) risk being squeezed as the pressure to do a deal intensifies. Our treatment at the hands of our European 'partners' during the recent financial debacle should be sufficient warning to the Irish Government of the need to ensure our own destiny and plan a more independent course of action.

Perhaps, like Whitaker did in 1965, we should again seek some form of a bilateral Anglo Irish arrangement (even on an interim basis) in the areas of trade and travel which would also ease, even eliminate, the conundrum posed by our shared border with Northern Ireland and the obligations under the Good Friday Agreement. It is perhaps the least our EU partners owe us if only for taking the rap and bailing out their avaricious banks and bondholders in the more recent past. When TK Whitaker was appointed Governor of the Central Bank in 1969, from the start he set out to ensure the autonomy of the Bank vis-a-vis both the Government and the commercial banking system. In 1970, for example, he resisted efforts by the then Minister for Finance to obtain statutory control over the exercise of credit policy, a move which, as Whitaker insisted: "I could not regard as being in the national interest."

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Guided by the provision of the 1942 Central Bank Act, "that what pertains to the control of credit in the economy, the constant and predominant aim of the Bank should be the welfare of the people as a whole", against a difficult economic background in the 1970s under his governorship the Bank enforced strict credit constraints on the commercial banks, restricting credit to productive purposes, with penalties for increases in lending to the over-heating property sector, stemmed the tide of external capital inflows and resisted numerous Government attempts to fund budgetary concessions for non-productive purposes from the coffers of the Central Bank.

While immense changes have since revolutionised the banking sector and while in more recent years the Irish Central Bank's authority and powers have been gradually assumed by the European Central Bank, it is impossible to imagine that had he been Governor during the Celtic Tiger debacle, Whitaker would have allowed the tripling of credit to the building industry, the sanctioning of loans up to and beyond the 100pc, or have agreed to the disastrous decision to separate the banking supervisory and regulatory functions from the Central Bank.

And, as a member of the board of governors of the ECB, he would undoubtedly have proved a far more determined opponent to the ECB's policy of light-touch regulation leading as it did to Ireland's financial collapse.

More lately it is reassuring to see the Central Bank reassert its independence and authority nationally vis-a-vis both the Government and the commercial banking sector, especially in relation to the tracker mortgage scandal and mortgage restrictions, developments that would undoubtedly have met with the approval of its former governor.

In 1995 TK Whitaker was appointed chairman of the Constitution Review Group. The ensuring report (over 700 pages long and completed within the stipulated 12-month timetable) was influenced by Whitaker's personally held principle of "if it ain't broke don't fix it" which resulted in very few recommendations to change the 1937 Constitution.

On social issues, such as abortion, it was his stated belief that these were already in the power of the Oireachtas and were best addressed in the more effective and democratic (and less expensive) process of legislation rather than by referendum. The Report, comprehensive and incisive, unfortunately suffered the fate of having its recommendations put on the long finger. In view, however, of the current debate on the removal of the Eighth Amendment, its proposals and Whitaker's personal observations on this issue seem once again relevant.

Like today, housing and homelessness were also part of the social landscape of TK Whitaker's lifetime. In his youth, as an active member of St Vincent de Paul, his experiences of Dublin tenements and of the destitute on the capital's streets, as he told me, "was an eye-opener" and later influenced his economic thinking and the policies he brought to bear. But back in the 1930s and 1940s - despite the meagre funding then available - local government agencies embarked on the construction of numerous public housing developments across the city from Marino to Crumlin, where Whitaker's own family lived for a number of years following their move from Drogheda.

The contrast to today's dependence on private development to solve and provide for what is a national crisis cannot be more manifest.

Today, in a world where democratically elected governments and the people they represent appear as mere pawns, driven and controlled by financial markets, rating agencies, bondholders and vulture funds, where financial markets appear to have shed any sense of societal responsibility or accountability, that has resulted in some 90pc of world wealth resting in the hands of 10pc of the population, the simple but profound philosophy propounded by TK Whitaker might well provide the answer to many social problems and inequalities.

"There are values, moral and intellectual, which are higher than just mere economics. But it makes for a happier and more contented society if everybody has some basic share in wealth and well-being."

Anne Chambers is author of TK Whitaker: Portrait of a Patriot (Doubleday Ireland)The news takes a predictable pattern. Some awful random attack occurs. People are hurt, killed. The perpetrator then turns out to be a Muslim migrant.

Speculation quickly abounds as to whether the attacker had a terrorist motive. In the absence of concrete facts, racists leap on the attack to prove either that borders are too porous, or that Muslims are innately savage, or both. People desperate not to be associated with this bigotry condemn the racists.

If the attack turns out to have a terrorist motive, racists are jubilant, while those more sympathetic to immigration insist the actions of one man should not be used to tarnish all Muslims, because most Muslims are peaceful and law abiding. If, on the other hand, mental health issues are pinpointed as the most likely cause, bigots start whispering about a cover-up, while defenders of the Islamic community say: "See? We told you there was nothing to worry about."

The attack in Dundalk last Wednesday morning, in which a 24-year-old Japanese man was stabbed to death, and two other men wounded, during a mercifully brief spree of violence by a young man of still indeterminate nationality, followed that pattern to a T. Horror gave way instantly to speculation. Interested parties took up their stock positions, ready to fight it out over the "real" meaning of the attack. The victim, local resident Yosuke Sasaki, became almost a detail in his own tragedy.

Who's right? Both sides are. There is an unseemly haste to dismiss any attack by those from a Muslim or Middle Eastern background as motivated by mental health issues, rather than political extremism; and the persistent use in the media of the word "teen" to describe the killer, while accurate, felt like a bid to emphasise his vulnerability rather than culpability.

Similarly, there is an equally unseemly haste to tar all Muslims as mad, bad, and dangerous to know.

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When it comes to these issues, as so often, the truth lies, messily, somewhere in the middle. In Mohammed Morei's case, the police insist they have no reason to suspect terrorism, and the young man's behaviour when he appeared in court on Thursday, shouting "I'm no Muslim" and "I'm not gay", does point to a mental breakdown rather than a coordinated jihadi attack.

It is a worrying incident, though, and does expose some of the dangers of allowing troubled individuals to just come to Ireland, where their particular needs, and religious and cultural traditions, may not be properly understood by hard-pressed immigration and social services staff.

Movement back and forth across open borders is relatively easy. It happened to be Dundalk last week, but it could have been anywhere. It could be anywhere again, and sighs of relief that this incident was not, as originally feared, Ireland's first jihadi attack should not give way to complacency.

It's particularly hypocritical of people who refused to accept that mental health issues were to blame for Alan Hawe's murder of his wife, Clodagh, and their three sons in Co Cavan, to now leap in and seize on mental health as the catch-all excuse for every atrocity in which the attacker has a Muslim name, and to accuse anyone else who doesn't accept that simplistic analysis as being a racist. Those who were rightly troubled by the urgency with which Alan Hawe's crimes were ascribed to his damaged mental health should understand why others are disturbed to see attacks such as that in Dundalk dismissed with the same convenient buzzwords.

Mental health does not deteriorate without a context. With lots of young Muslim men feeling angry and displaced, and after suffering who knows what terrible experiences to reach this side of the world - escaping traumas in their own countries that we can barely understand - it would be absurd to close one's eyes to the impact this must have on their mental health, or the form any such breakdown might take.

Criticising the authorities for not doing more to stop such attackers is a form of displacement. People do want to know how this man came to be here from the UK, and why, after coming to the attention of the Garda and having no identification papers, he was sent to Dublin to be processed as an asylum seeker, and how he came to be back in Dundalk next day.

These are legitimate questions, which must be answered quickly to reassure the public every precaution is being taken that such awful events could not happen again. There is a fine line, however, between careful inquiry and furious recrimination.

Had Mohammed Morei been detained on his discovery in Ireland, there would be plenty of voices bleating now about breaches of his human rights.

In truth, of course, nothing can stop random attacks, whether committed for terrorist motives or because of mental health issues. Terrorism has long been the "new normal". Now spree attacks by people with mental health issues are being portrayed as the new normal too. Ireland has escaped this scourge so far, but absolute security is impossible in a free society.

The increasing borderlessness of the world means it will become ever harder to stop people entering one's territory, either for benign or evil purposes, which is why it is all the more important to deal with those who do, when they come under the radar, promptly and, if necessary, robustly. Those who arrive without identification should be treated as suspect until they can prove otherwise.

That may be the only lesson of what happened in Dundalk. Other than that, the only hope is that the Garda shut down awful situations as quickly as possible once they begin. They appear to have done so in Dundalk. Unarmed officers remain the front line in the fight against violent crime of all hues, and deserve every credit for facing those risks without flinching.'Brexit is a declaration of economic war by the UK on the countries of the rest of the EU and especially on the people of this former colony.' Stock photo: PA Wire/PA Images

Sir - Some of Colm McCarthy's statements (Sunday Independent, December 31) in relation to Brexit and the EU are open to challenge.

He characterises Brexit as Britain "having a nervous breakdown", and the 85bn bailout, which resulted from the most calamitous collapse in this country since independence, as "a straight-forward stick-up".

Brexit is no nervous breakdown. It is a declaration of economic war by the UK on the countries of the rest of the EU and especially on the people of this former colony.

When he says that Europe should have "picked up the portion of the bill for stabilising the eurozone banking system imposed improperly on Ireland" he is ignoring the fact that it was the Irish Government that spent 103bn in 2010 but took in little more than half that - 53bn - in taxes.

These were record deficit figures relative to the size of our economy and were three times worse than Greece which was also bailed out in that year.

Calling the EU advice that we should pay the bills which resulted from a tripling of both Irish Government expenditure and Irish bank lending in the pre-2009 period a stick-up is, therefore, a bit over the top.

The taxpayers of poorer countries in Europe, who contributed to the bailout, should not have had to pay for the Celtic Tiger recklessness of a small number of powerful people at the head of Ireland's governmental, financial, developer institutions etc.

Lastly, when Colm McCarthy quotes with approval the statement that "our future lies in the European Union" it cannot at the same time, as he also says, be "foolish" to have to put up with the consequences.

A Leavy,

Sutton,

Dublin 13

Questioning proof of sectarianism

Sir - Eoghan Harris (Sunday Independent, December 31) has again misconstrued the figures for suspected Protestant spies and informers killed in Co Cork during the War of Independence suggesting they accounted for 52pc of those executed. The actual number was 22 out of 71, (31pc). The conclusion I reached at the West Cork History Festival was that the dominant feature of these killings was an association of the victims with crown forces, most notably Catholic ex-soldiers. That 22 Protestant suspects were killed does not provide proof that the IRA had sectarian motivations.

David Fitzpatrick's figure of 52pc (cited by Harris) is arrived at by removing the ex-soldier element, which of course alters the picture entirely, since this was by far the largest group targeted. It is not surprising that Protestants constituted a higher share of the victims than they did of the population at large; they constituted a higher share of the active loyalist opposition, though the fact that the great majority of victims were Catholic reflects a substantial Catholic element in this portion of the population (which has been understated by Peter Hart). I have addressed Fitzpatrick's defence of the sectarian thesis in a more detailed response in History Ireland, but I would like to say emphatically here, that nobody in the audience at the West Cork History Festival politely, or otherwise, suggested that my statistical interpretation was perverse. That is a flagrant perversion of the exchange. Furthermore, the core statistical perversion is Fitzpatrick's removal of ex-crown forces from the data in October's History Ireland, which only facilitates the historical porkies purveyed by Harris last Sunday.

It seems clear that this small group of Protestants killed either in relation to total suspects killed, the wider civilian fatalities in the conflict, or the 528 persons killed in total in Co Cork during the War of Independence, simply cannot support the weight which Hart attaches to sectarianism as a major factor driving the revolution in Cork, as set out in the concluding section of his book The I.R.A. And Its Enemies (published in 1998).

While fully accepting that the Dunmanway massacre in late April 1922 (during the Truce) was a sectarian reprisal, the single greatest error in Hart's book was to assume this quite exceptional event was merely the culmination of a series of sectarian attacks which gathered momentum in Cork from 1920 onwards. The qualitative evidence gathered on a case by case basis indicates that Protestant and Catholic suspect victims in 1920-21 were broadly killed for similar reasons, which does not support the sectarian interpretation, so Harris and Fitzpatrick have got this one rather badly wrong.

Andy Bielenberg,

School of History,

UCC

Amnesty's refusal to return 137,000

Sir - Ruth Dudley Edwards (Sunday Independent, December 31) summed up perfectly Amnesty Ireland's refusal to return the 137,000 it received from George Soros's Open Society Foundation. As Ms Edwards stated Colm O'Gorman seems to be operating from a stance of "Our ethics are better than your ethics".

Another word that could be used in this context is "hubris". Mr O'Gorman wouldn't be the first person in history to succumb to this condition. In ancient Greece this human trait was often seen in its leaders. They even had a goddess called Nemesis, from whom this present day word came from, whose job was to enact retribution on those afflicted with this condition.

Today we don't rely on the gods to keep us on the straight and narrow. In this case, the Standards in Public Office Commission will be Colm O'Gorman's nemesis.

People just never learn from history.

Tommy Roddy,

Galway

Out for a day of casual killing

Sir - Buoyed by Fiona O'Connell's Lay of the Land column (Sunday Independent, December 31), and it being the day I turned 65 years, I drove off down the road to reach a safe walking spot.

How disheartening and utterly depressing to find the road gorged by parked cars and horseboxes. The weekend warriors, men, women and children, showing contempt for our wildlife, out for a day's casual killing.

I recognised the faces I had earlier encountered at Mass, praising God for His glorious creation and here they were finishing a day's hunt where a beautiful fox, our cherished wildlife, would have been torn apart by crazed bloodhounds.

St Francis tells us that "interfering in the natural world is a sin. Every animal has intrinsic value, every creature has its own purpose. They are not just there for us. This is our common home".

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Minister Michael Creed, it is in your gift to end this senseless, disgusting exploitation of our treasured heritage.

This is Ireland's shame. Please make 2018 memorable for another forward-thinking, civilised achievement.

Mon Ward,

Mullingar,

Co Westmeath

Delight of the full printed edition

Sir - I have been reading the Irish Independent and Sunday Independent online for the past year.

However last week (December 31), having browsed the edition online, I went out and bought the Sunday Independent which had so much of interest.

In an era when we have abundant wealth in young talent and money and when the general physical condition of our country is much improved in the past three decades, we have a grave deficit in public services and in the general well-being of our society. These matters are raised by your journalists and also by contributors to your letters page. Dr Geraldine Mooney Simmie and Colm McCarthy caution us in our trust of the EU. Mrs Mary Stewart says women deserve better than abortion; while Dr Eoin O'Malley thinks the Government was great on Brexit, but will "deliver real change" in 2018 with the abortion referendum.

In his comment page article, Brendan O'Connor asks us to forget all the bad things that have happened to us and to "move on".

Brendan's optimism is good for the psyche and opposing points of view are part of a healthy democracy.

No doubt the new year will bring changes. But I believe it is time to examine what kind of change is really needed to have a proper functioning democracy; where support and care is directed towards the most vulnerable in society - the unborn, the young, the old and infirm, those with physical and mental disabilities. But, above all, where the basic unit of society, the family, is upheld and supported and not undermined.

Sean Farrell,

Manorhamilton,

Co Leitrim

College fees rise may prevent education

Sir  Last week (Sunday Independent, December 31) retiring NUI Galway president Dr Jim Browne fired a parting shot across the bows of those of us who believe education is a right, not a privilege. He even went so far as to suggest our view is naive.

Fifty years ago, Donogh OMalley, a dynamic Minister for Education (1966-68), opened the portals of knowledge and opportunity for the children of the nation by introducing fee-free education for all Irish citizens. Compared to Mr OMalleys vision, Dr Brownes call for higher fees and a student loan scheme is regressive and disturbing. As a lifelong campaigner for the education entitlements of young people, I believe education at all levels should be based on ability to learn, not ability to pay.

Means-testing of grant applicants is so restrictive that thousands in higher education are ineligible for any financial aid. Capping the gross annual income level for grant eligibility at 39,875 makes a mockery of spiralling living costs. The price of rental accommodation alone has reached an all-time high in cities, putting a great deal of accommodation out of reach of students.

Third-level education is very expensive  60pc of parents get into considerable debt to cover college costs. Parents have to save for 10 years to finance their childrens college education and six out of 10 family budgets are adversely affected by the 3,000 student contribution. Thousands of students who are ineligible for grants need about 12,000 annually to maintain themselves if they are living away from home or about 4,000 if living at home. The student contribution of 3,000 must also be paid.

Despite Dr Brownes views, the Government must ease the financial burden on hard-pressed families by abolishing the 3,000 student fee contribution and increasing the standard maintenance grant from 3,025 to 5,000, with other grants increasing on a pro-rata basis. The insidious threat to reintroduce tuition fees linked to a student loan scheme is hanging like the sword of Damocles over the heads of financially pressed families. If enforced, it will impoverish generations of young people for years to come and will prevent thousands of young people from ever getting a third-level education.

Billy Ryle,

Tralee,

Co Kerry

Burden no one should carry

Sir  Dr Jim Browne calls for a doubling of university fees (Sunday Independent, December 31). Students would leave college with a three-year degree and a debt of up to 24,000.

This creeping privatisation of education is another example of turning ordinary people into cash cows for the loan sharks and speculators of the financial sector. Why should young people be financially exploited for doing exactly what we need them to do  study diligently to gain qualifications so they can better contribute to society?

The salary of a university president is approximately 200,000 per annum. For someone with these means, a debt of 24,000 probably seems paltry. But for any young person starting out in life, it is a burden no one should have to carry.

Education is not a cost. It is an investment in our future, ensuring an educated and well-informed populace which can drive our intellectual, technological and social progress. The individualistic, neoliberal principle of every man for himself undermines a collective and collaborative society, on which we all depend.

Minister Donogh OMalleys announcement of free secondary school education in 1966 led to a doubling of school completion rates within a decade. Without these visionary initiatives, would the subsequent economic development in the US and Ireland have ever occurred?

The argument that we cannot afford it no longer holds water. In 2008, we found 64bn to hand over to failing banks. Collectively, the world bailed out the global banking system to the tune of $17 trillion, enough to eradicate world poverty for 600 years. How much more deserving of funding are our most precious resource, our young people?

Maeve Halpin,

Ranelagh,

Dublin 6

Ciaras wonderful short story

Sir  I hadnt yet read my Sunday Independent (December 31) when a man I know tapped me on the shoulder to tell me he had read a wonderful short story by Ciara Ferguson, called The Little Smashed Girl, while having his coffee in a St Stephens Green cafe. Do read it, he said.

It was a wonderful read and captured, so accurately, what we have begun to take for granted in our capital city and beyond. Ciara portrayed the many emotions, some hidden, when telling the story of this young, homeless woman in Dublin. It was fiction, maybe in this instance, but so real. While we are bombarded with statistics on a daily basis, I hope this didnt deter people from reading this short tale. It should be read by those with responsibility for planning and delivery of services  because its what so many homeless people are experiencing today, but they are often unable to articulate their problems.

Alice Leahy,

Alice Leahy Trust,

Dublin 8

Damaging effect of anti-UK comments

Sir  Many commentators have attributed the 7pc reduction in UK tourists to the uncertainty surrounding Brexit, even though UK tourism overall is only down 1pc (see Office for National Statistics, Overseas Travel and Tourism: September 2017) and has increased to other EU destinations apparently unaffected by this uncertainty.

I wonder what effect the constant deluge of comments from Irish politicians, civil servants and commentators that British people (aka tourists and consumers of Irish exports) are racist, isolationist, stupid and Empire obsessed, might be having?

Frank Devine,

Kenilworth,

United KingdomAngela Merkel is looking to form a coalition

German chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives and the centre-left Social Democrats are starting talks on forming a new government.

It marked an a ttempt to break an impasse more than three months after the country's election.

Mrs Merkel's conservative Union bloc and the Social Democrats have run Germany together for the past four years.

But the Social Democrats vowed to go into opposition after a disastrous election result on September 24, and only reluctantly reconsidered after Mrs Merkel's attempt to build a coalition with two smaller parties collapsed in November.

The effort to form a government has already become post-Second World War Germany's longest.

Leaders aim to decide by Friday whether there is enough common ground to move on to formal coalition negotiations, which would require approval by a Social Democrat congress.

APA Jewish Voice for Peace gathering to challenge Islamophobia and fight against racism (Bernard Thomas/The Herald-Sun via AP)

Israel has published a list of groups whose members are barred from entering the country for advocating boycotts of Israel over its treatment of Palestinians, in a ban which could affect thousands of people.

One group listed is the US-based Jewish Voice for Peace, which counts more than 13,000 members.

Groups from France, Chile and South Africa are also among those banned, although it is not clear how the ban will be enforced.

Strategic affairs minister Gilad Erdan said the groups blacklisted are the main ones who "operate consistently and continuously" against Israel using a "campaign of incitement and lies."

The list is part of an Israeli effort against an international movement calling for boycotts, sanctions and divestment over Israel's policies toward the Palestinians.

AP

"The boycott organisations must know that the state of Israel will act against them," said Mr Erdan.

"The creation of this list is another step in our struggle against the incitement and lies of the boycott organisations."

The list is part of Israel's efforts against a grassroots movement known as BDS, which urges boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel.

The movement has urged businesses, artists and universities to cut ties with Israel and it includes thousands of volunteers around the world.

Supporters of the movement say the tactics are a non-violent way to promote the Palestinian cause.

Israel says the campaign goes beyond fighting its occupation of territory Palestinians claim for their state and often masks a more far-reaching aim to delegitimise or destroy the Jewish state.

Mr Erdan's office said the list would be provided to Israel's immigration authority.

American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker group on the list, said it would continue to work for "peace and justice."

"We answered the call for divestment from apartheid South Africa and we have done the same with the call for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions from Palestinians who have faced decades of human rights violations," said Kerri Kennedy, an AFSC official.

"Israel's decision to specifically ban JVP is disconcerting but not surprising, given the further erosion of democratic norms and rising anxiety about the power of BDS as a tool to demand freedom," Jewish Voice for Peace wrote on Facebook in response to the decision.

Over the years, the BDS movement has persuaded several church organisations to divest themselves of Israel-related investments and has garnered support on US college campuses.

Most recently, pop singer Lorde joined a number of other performers who cancelled performances in Israel amid pressure from BDS activists.

However, other musicians have defied boycott calls and performed.

Israel has also enjoyed new economic partnerships and diplomatic ties despite calls for boycotts and it has become a top destination for international sporting and cultural events.

APA demonstrator waves a huge Iranian flag during a pro-government rally in the northeastern city of Mashhad (Nima Najafzadeh/Tasnim News Agency via AP)

Iran's state TV yesterday showed government supporters rallying a day after the foreign minister said a US move to call an emergency UN Security Council meeting to discuss anti-government protests was another Trump administration "blunder".

The state broadcaster showed pro-government rallies in several cities, starting with Amol, in the northern province of Mazandaran, with hundreds of people waving the Iranian flag and chanting slogans against the US and Israel.

State TV described the rally as a "response to rioters and supporters of the riots".

Other pro-government demonstrations were held in Shahin Dezh, in West Azerbaijan province near Turkey; the city of Semnan; and Shadegan, in the south near Iraq.

The rallies are meant to be a show of force against anti-government protests that broke out in Mashhad, Iran's second largest city, on December 28 and have since spread to other cities and towns. The protests were sparked by a hike in food prices amid soaring unemployment. Some demonstrators have called for the government's overthrow.

At least 21 people have been killed and hundreds have been arrested. Large pro-government rallies have been held in response, and officials have blamed the anti-government unrest on foreign meddling.

Around 90 university students - 58 of them in the capital Tehran - have been detained since protests broke out. The whereabouts and circumstances of around 10 of those students is unclear, meaning it is not known which security body arrested them, where they are being held or what charges they face.

Yesterday, Iranians could access the photo-sharing site Instagram again after it was blocked for the past week. Iran suspended access to the messaging app Telegram, which was being used to publicise the protests. Twitter and Facebook were already banned.

The US called the UN meeting last Friday, portraying the protests as a human rights issue that could spill over into an international problem.

Iran's foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote on Twitter after the session that the Security Council "rebuffed the US' naked attempt to hijack its mandate."

He said the majority emphasised the need to fully implement the 2015 nuclear deal and to refrain from interfering in the affairs of other countries.It is fast becoming the must-wear item of the Golden Globes awards: a little black number to be worn in protest at sexual harassment and abuse in the film industry.

But so popular is the show of support for hundreds of victims of abuse that stylists around Hollywood are tearing their hair out. It seems there just aren't enough black outfits to go around.

Tonight's event in Beverly Hills, California, is set to be the most prominent of the protests against misogyny that have swept through Hollywood since the allegations of sex abuse against Harvey Weinstein and others was exposed.

Designers and stylists are in a last-minute frenzy, some having more black attire rushed in from their fashion bases in New York.

One stylist, who dresses Mariah Carey, said: "We are all fighting for the same black dresses."

Andre Walker, Oprah Winfrey's hair stylist for over 30 years, said frantic alterations were being made because of the demand for black. He said: "It's incredibly stressful. If you plan a certain look for a while, your head is in a certain direction and all of a sudden you have to stop and be creative. It's a lot of pressure.

"If you're wearing a black dress that's fairly simple, so you can play with your hair. Braids are not gone, so I think we will see plenty of them, and perhaps more intricate up-styles.

"Oprah makes her decisions based on a lot of things. Whatever she does, it will be done with integrity. If she strongly believes in something she'll speak out."

Dozens of A-list actresses have pledged to wear black in the wake of the Weinstein scandal. But Mr Walker warned supporters of the #MeToo movement not to condemn those who choose not to follow suit.

Among those rumoured to be considering not wearing black were Sarah Jessica Parker and Alicia Vikander.

"They have their own reasons," he said. "There might be a backlash. I think if you show up in something really bright, they'll get a lot of attention.

"But there are some people who think there is no such thing as bad publicity. I don't think there should be any judgment."

Winfrey will be receiving the Cecil B DeMille lifetime achievement award, deliver one of the main speeches of the night, and is expected to address the scandal that has engulfed the industry.

She has also helped propel a group called Time's Up, which has gathered a $14 million legal fund to fight on behalf of sexual harassment victims.

Weinstein denies accusations of rape and assault.

The group, which includes actresses Reese Witherspoon, Emma Stone and Gal Gadot, announced itself this week with full page newspaper advertisements.

It was launched with an open letter signed by hundreds of women in showbusiness, including Ashley Judd, Eva Longoria, America Ferrera, Rashida Jones and Kerry Washington, as well as producer Shonda Rhimes, of Grey's Anatomy and Scandal.

Some actresses and stylists are asking fashion brands with which they have red carpet financial arrangements to make donations to charity instead, including the legal defence fund.

Kelly Hurliman, an influential Hollywood stylist, said: "I feel like the Globes is the statement. And I don't think it will continue.

"The Oscars, especially, I think will be back to normal."

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]Angry men: US President Donald Trump, centre, accompanied by (from left) Senate Majority Whip Senator John Cornyn, House Speaker Paul Ryan, CIA Director Mike Pompeo, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Vice President Mike Pence, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, and Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen  at Camp David yesterday

US President Donald Trump has hit out at "very weak" libel laws in the US as he branded an explosive new book detailing the inner workings of the White House as "fiction".

Suggesting he would like to see tougher laws on speech, Trump said that if libel laws "were strong... you wouldn't have things like that happen where you can say whatever comes into your head" - referring to Michael Wolff's book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House.

The book has caused a storm of controversy and has left the US president facing questions about his mental state, with quotes in Fire and Fury - including from Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon - suggesting that even those close to Trump had questioned his capability.

Early yesterday, Trump wrote a string of messages on Twitter where he rejected such claims, saying he was a "very stable genius" whose two greatest assets are his "mental stability and being, like, really smart".

Michael Wolff's new book, which has shot to the top of the bestseller list on Amazon after being released four days early, has clearly riled the American president, who used a rare news conference during a retreat with Republican leadership to reinforce what he sees as a stellar list of life achievements.

Answering a question about why he saw the need to tweet about his mental state, Trump said that he had attended "the best college" and was a "very excellent" student.

He added that he came out of college and "made billions and billions of dollars... [and] became one of the best business people" before touting his "tremendous success" over a decade on television. He went on to add that he "ran for President one time, and won".

Trump also called Wolff a "fraud" and the book "a complete work of fiction", saying that "he doesn't know me at all" and said that he had not been interviewed in the White House as Wolff had said. He later admitted that he actually had spoken to Wolff during his presidential campaign.

The gathering at Camp David with a number of members of his cabinet was supposed to be a weekend for Trump to concentrate on his regime's agenda for 2018. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan were also present for the two days of talks, with the Republican party facing a battle to keep control of the US Congress in November's elections.

At the beginning of his remarks, Trump described having some "incredible meetings" with colleagues, saying the party was readying its 2018 legislative agenda.

He said the group, 10 of whom were on stage with him, the only woman being Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, discussed a variety of topics, from national security and infrastructure to the military and the budget.

Trump said: "We are very well prepared for the coming year." He added that his administration "finished very strong," referring to the passing of a tax reform bill in December that marked the biggest overhaul of the tax code in nearly three decades.

However, with the outspoken president taking a number of questions from the assembled journalists - another rarity for Trump - attention soon turned back to the Wolff book.

A lawyer for Trump had sent a letter calling for its publisher not to release the book - but it did so anyway about a day later.

Trump has labelled Bannon "sloppy Steve", and issued a furious statement over his quotes in Fire and Fury earlier in the week after a number of reports appeared about the contents of the book. Trump continued in that vein as he spoke about Wolff while answering the question about his mental state.

"I don't know this man. I guess sloppy Steve brought him in the White House quite a bit and it was one of those things. That's why sloppy Steve is now looking for a job," Trump said.

In one of his morning tweets, the US president said critics were "taking out the old Ronald Reagan playbook and screaming mental stability and intelligence."

Former US president Ronald Reagan died in 2004, at age 93, from pneumonia complicated by the Alzheimer's disease that had progressively clouded his mind. At times during his time in the White House Reagan would appear to lose his train of thought, but his diagnosis came years after he left the Oval Office.

Trump's secretary of state Rex Tillerson yesterday jumped to defend his boss as Trump attempted to end speculation about his mental and physical suitability for the presidency by undergoing a formal health check.

The US president will this week be examined by the same doctor as his predecessor Barack Obama and a summary of the results will be made public. By undergoing his first formal medical check since entering the White House, Trump hopes to put to bed allegations about his mental health that emerged last week.

Wolff's book has claimed Trump was failing to recognise old friends and often repeated stories "word-for-word". The White House called questions about his mental suitability for office "disgraceful".

Responding to the accusations in Fire and Fury, Rex Tillerson told CNN: "I have no reason to question his mental fitness."

He added that Trump was "not typical of presidents of the past", saying: "I think that's well recognised. That's also though why the American people chose him."

Trump also insisted he was psychologically fit to do the job in a series of tweets yesterday, saying that "my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart".

He added: "I went from VERY successful businessman, to top TV Star... President of the United States (on my first try). I think that would qualify as not smart, but genius... and a very stable genius at that!"

The physical will last around two hours and include blood and urine tests, heart checks and even questions about his sleeping habits and sex life, according to medical experts. It will be carried out at Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre, the country's largest military hospital, on Friday.

However, those hoping for a tell-all medical reveal may end up disappointed, according to Arthur Caplan, founding head of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU School of Medicine.

"The president has the same right as any citizen to keep his medical information private," he said. The examination is merely a custom that has become a norm in recent years, rather than a constitutional requirement.

The specificity has raised hopes that some Trump mysteries can finally be solved. Is he really 6ft 3in tall, as the president has claimed, despite evidence to the contrary?

Questions of mental capacity have occasionally dogged American presidents.

White House chief of staff John Kelly told reporters at Camp David that Trump did not seem angry about the book and on Friday night had watched a new film, The Greatest Showman, about legendary circus promoter PT Barnum, with Republicans and his cabinet.

Once beyond the issue of Wolff during his news conference, Trump opened up about a number of other topics. He said he would "absolutely" be willing to talk on the phone to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and that he hopes a positive development results from talks between North Korea and South Korea.

At Camp David Trump also took the opportunity to brag about his poll numbers, which he said "have gone way up."

According to Gallup, Trump's approval rating this week reached its highest level since mid-July: 39pc. President Barack Obama's approval rating at about the same time in his presidency was 51pc; George W Bush's was 84pc.

Trump also spoke about a NY Times story from last week concerning Jeff Sessions recusing himself from the FBI's Russia probe, saying it was "way off, or at least off" - but he wouldn't explain how. When asked how off the story was, Trump replied, "You'll find out."

Trump added that he's still standing by Sessions, despite the Attorney-General's conspicuous absence at Camp David. "The collusion is dead," the president told the assembled reporters. However the FBI's investigation remains ongoing.

Trump also returned to one of his favourite topics during his election campaign: the wall with Mexico.

He calling for funding for a border wall at the US-Mexico border, for which the Trump administration is asking $18bn, and also called for an end to "chain migration" - immigration to the US that happens based on family ties - and the visa lottery system, a diversity-boosting program for people without US relatives.

When asked about his continued call for Mexico to pay for the wall, despite all evidence pointing to the fact that American taxpayers will eventually foot the bill, Trump reiterated that he thinks that Mexican check will still somehow come through. "In some form, Mexico will pay for the wall," he said. It doesn't seem likely - Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has consistently said Mexico has no plans to pay for the wall.

Washington PostKolkata, Jan 7 (IBNS): At the UP Investors Summit 2018 Road Show, organised by CII, under the leadership of UP Industrial Development Minister Satish Mahana, in Kolkata, intention of investing Rs. 35000 crore has been expressed.

The show was attended by over 300 eminent industrialists, investors, entrepreneurs and delegates.

Over 25 entrepreneurs and investors took part in the B-2-G meeting. Apart from this, discussions on investment in UP were also held with the delegation of the UP Development Forum.

CII was the National Partner of the Summit.



The industrialists, with whom the Industrial Development Minister held discussions included Director, Shyam Steel Manish Beriwala, Managing Director, Bengal Ambuja Housing Development Ltd Harshvardhan Neotia, Senior Vice President, Berger Paints PK Ghosh and CEO of ITC Sanjeev Puri.



The Shreya Infrastructure Finance will invest Rs. 25000 crore in UP in next two years. The company evinced its interest in up-gradation of urban infrastructure and road construction on BOT basis.

Similarly, Rs. 2000 crore will be invested in setting up of mega solar plant in Bundelkhand in next two years. Besides, the Century Ply will invest Rs. 600 crore in the state. Entrepreneur Harshvardhan Nevtia showed his interest in constructing a hotel in Varanasi.

Addressing the event, the Industrial Development Minister, Satish Mahana, said that ," Uttar Pradesh under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityananth Ji is determined to play a pivotal role in development of the country. He said that in the changing scenario, the state has become an attractive investment destination for entrepreneurs from the country and the world. The present state government will provide all necessary facilities and protection to entrepreneurs by implementing investment friendly policies."

Welcoming entrepreneurs came to attend the event, Infrastructure and Industrial Development Commissioner of UP Anup Chandra Pandey said that UP is the largest economy of the country.

He said that now, the entrepreneurs would be issued NOC and all the approvals immediately after signing of MoU regarding investment in the state.

"The State Government has taken several important decisions in accordance with its intention for ease of doing business. For this purpose, complicated procedures have been simplified. The State Government is developing a dedicated single window portal so that the entrepreneurs can get online industrial services, sanctions, approvals and licence,' said he.

Pandey said that there is a vast scope of capital investment in food processing sector.

"Besides, the subsidies of various types including capital investment subsidy, interest subsidy, incentive subsidies for patent registration and quality patent, special incentives for Mega Food Park are available to investors under the new policy," said he.

He said that the state occupied second place in MSME units in the country. Under the new MSME policy, special incentives at reasonable rates are available to investors.

On the occasion, Additional Chief Secretary, Infrastructure and Industrial Development, Alok Sinha, made a presentation on scope of investment in the state.

During the road show, Managing Director, the Wesmon Engineering Company Private Ltd and Former Chairman of CII West Bengal State Council, Anil Vasvani, welcomed the delegates.

On this occasion, Principal Secretary, Khadi and Village Industries, Navneet Sehgal, Noida CEO and Chairman, Alok Tandon, Secretary, Infrastructure and Industrial Development/ Executive Director, Udyog Bandhu, Santosh Yadav and other senior officers of the state were present.

In his welcome address, Anil Vaswani, Past Chairman, CII West Bengal, and Managing Director, Wesman Engineering Co Pvt Ltd, said, The UP Investors Summit will set new landmarks for growth and development of the state and a new benchmark for the country as a whole. CII looks forward greatly to being a proactive partner in this milestone event.Patna, Jan 7 (IBNS): After a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court sentenced Rashtriya Janata Dal chief and former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad to three-and-a-half years' jail in the fodder scam case, his family has alleged political conspiracy behind this.

Lalu Prasads younger son and Bihars leader of opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav told media that Lalu Prasad is a victim of political conspiracy.

This will not affect our party. Lalu ji is considered a mass leader and the people are with us. The Centre has misused the central agency. This is a conspiracy to break the RJD, but we will give a befitting reply at the right time. It is a challenging time for us, but we will fight back, Tejashwi was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times.

After being sentenced by a court in he fodder scam, Lalu Prasad had said he was ready to fix himself for social justice, harmony and equality.

Attacking BJP, he had said: "Rather than practising BJPs Simple Rule - Follow us or We will Fix you. I will die happily fixing myself for Social justice, harmony & equality."

A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on Saturday sentenced Lalu Prasad to three-and-a-half years' jail in the fodder scam case.

In addition to the jail term, Lalu Prasad has also been fined Rs. five lakh.

The court on December 23 had convicted Lalu Prasad and five others and kept pending the quantum of punishment.

The case pertains to their alleged withdrawal of Rs. 89.27 lakh from Deoghar district treasury between 1994 and 1996.

Former Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra, who was among the other co-accused in the fodder scam case, was acquitted.

Out of 22 accused, 16 have been convicted.

It was earlier supposed to be pronounced on 3 January but has repeatedly been getting rescheduled. The Special CBI Court Judge Shivpal Singh had told PTI on 4 January that he was getting phone calls from Lalus men.

Lalu Prasad has already been convicted by trial court and sentenced to five years jail term in Chaibasa treasury withdrawal case connected to the fodder scam.

For him he conviction in 2013 invited a ban on running for office.Mumbai, Jan 7 (IBNS): Raising eyebrows about the safety measures, a fire broke out in a building in Mumbais Lower Parel on Sunday.

According to reports, the blaze started at the ground floor of the three-storey Shiv Shakti Industrial State building in Lower Parel.

Fire tenders were rushed to the spot.

The blaze has been put out and no casullties have been reported.

The incident comes a day after a massive fire broke out at Cinevista studio in east central Mumbai on Saturday evening.

The studio is located at Kajurmarg in Mumbai where two TV serials were being shot- Bepanaah and Haasil- at that time.

On Dec 28, a major fire broke at Kamala Mills compound in Lower Parel which left 14 people dead.

Guwahati, Jan 7 (IBNS) : Ahead of the Republic Day celebration, an encounter between suspected militants of banned outfit ULFA (I) and security forces took place at Jagun area in Assams Tinsukia district along with Arunachal Pradesh border on Sunday evening.



Tinsukia district SP Mugdha Jyoti Mahanta said that following intelligence input about presence of a six-member armed militant group, the troops of Assam Police and Assam Rifles had jointly launched operation at the area between Kasharani village and Hajong village along with the Assam-Arunchal Pradesh border.

While the security personnel had reached the area, the militant groups had started firing upon the troops and security personnel retaliated. Over 1000 rounds fired between both sides, the top Assam cop said.

The encounter is going on and no casualties have been reported from the security forces, Mahanta said.

The Intelligence Bureau (IB) has recently alerted the Assam Police and other security agencies that, ULFA (I) and other militant groups under CorCom are trying to attack on security forces ahead of republic Day celebration in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Meghalaya.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)New Delhi, Jan 7 (IBNS): Indian newspaper The Tribune has said it is ready to explore all legal options open to 'defend' freedom to undertake serious investigative journalism after the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has filed a case against it and journalist Rachna Khaira over a news report that revealed how people could illegally access demographic data of individuals from UIDAI.

In its statement, the newspaper said: "My colleagues and I are grateful for expressions of support and solidarity from media organisations and journalists."

"We at The Tribune believe that our stories were in the nature of a legitimate journalistic exercise," it said.

The Tribune said its performs its reporting by following 'traditions of responsible journalism'.

"Our story was in response to a very genuine concern among the citizens on a matter of great public interest," the news paper said in the statement.

"We regret very much that the authorities have misconceived an honest journalistic enterprise and have proceeded to institute criminal proceedings against the whistleblower. We shall explore all legal options open to us to defend our freedom to undertake serious investigative journalism," it said.

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has filed a case against newspaper The Tribune and journalist Rachna Khaira over a news report that revealed how people could illegally access demographic data of individuals from UIDAI, media reports said.

The Tribune confirmed on Sunday that the case was filed by a Deputy Director of the UIDAI on Saturday.

Joint Commissioner of Police Alok Kumar (Crime Branch), while confirming the development to The Tribune on Sunday, said it was against the paper and the reporter.

The FIR has been registered by the UIDAI. Soon an investigation will be initiated," he told the newspaper.

According to the newspaper report, the FIR has been filed against The Tribune newspaper, reporter Rachna Khaira, and three names.

"The sections under which the UIDAI complaint has been registered are 419, 420, and 468 of the IPC, and Section 66 of the IT Act, 2000. Besides, Sections 36 and 37 of the Aadhaar Act have also been invoked," The Tribune reported.New York, Jan 7 (JEN): Deeply concerned over rising tensions near Guerguerat in the buffer strip in southern Western Sahara between the Moroccan berm and the Mauritanian border, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday called for maximum restraint in the area.

According to a statement from a UN spokesperson, the Secretary-General underlined that the withdrawal of Frente Polisario (Polisario Front) elements from Guerguerat in April 2017, together with the earlier withdrawal of Moroccan elements from the area, was critical to creating an environment conducive to the resumption of dialogue under the auspices of his Personal Envoy Horst Kohler.

[ Guterres] calls on the parties to exercise maximum restraint and to avoid escalating tensions. Regular civilian and commercial traffic should not be obstructed and no action should be taken, which may constitute a change to the status quo of the buffer strip, the statement concluded.

Western Sahara is located on the north-west coast of Africa bordered by Morocco, Mauritania and Algeria. The colonial administration of Western Sahara by Spain ended in 1976. Fighting later broke out between Morocco and the Polisario Front. A ceasefire was signed in September 1991.

The UN mission, known by its French acronym, MINURSO, was deployed that year to oversee a ceasefire and a UN settlement plan; however, disagreements between the Government of Morocco and the Polisario Front prevented the holding of the anticipated referendum on the territory's future.

A revised settlement plan proposed by the United Nations after seven years of diplomatic consultations was rejected by one of the parties in 2004.

In 2017, the UN Security Council affirmed its full support for the commitment of the Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy towards a solution to the question of Western Sahara.

In this context, the Council requested Kohler to relaunch the negotiating process with a new

dynamic and a new spirit leading to the resumption of a political process with the aim of reaching a mutually acceptable political solution, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara in the context of arrangements consistent with the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations.

The Council also emphasized the importance of the commitment of Morocco and the Polisario Front to continue the process of preparation for a fifth round of negotiations while also encouraging the neighbouring countries, Algeria and Mauritania, to make important contributions to this process.

UN Photo/Martine Perret"Prevent Unauthorized Transactions in your demat / trading account Update your Mobile Number/ email Id with your stock broker / Depository Participant. Receive information of your transactions directly from Exchanges on your mobile / email at the end of day and alerts on your registered mobile for all debits and other important transactions in your demat account directly from NSDL/ CDSL on the same day." - Issued in the interest of investors." | "KYC is one time exercise while dealing in securities markets - once KYC is done through a SEBI registered intermediary (broker, DP, Mutual Fund etc.), you need not undergo the same process again when you approach another intermediary." | "No need to issue cheques by investors while subscribing to IPO. Just write the bank account number and sign in the application form to authorise your bank to make payment in case of allotment. No worries for refund as the money remains in investor's account."

www.indiainfoline.com is part of the IIFL Group, a leading financial services player and a diversified NBFC. The site provides comprehensive and real time information on Indian corporates, sectors, financial markets and economy. On the site we feature industry and political leaders, entrepreneurs, and trend setters. The research, personal finance and market tutorial sections are widely followed by students, academia, corporates and investors among others.If you have ever followed Greys Anatomy, youd know the kind of crazy things people do with their bodies: one had pins all over his chest and another ate doll-heads in sheer aggression. Even though the basic idea is to keep unwanted things outside ones body, knowingly or unknowingly, people have managed to screw this up!

Heres a list of some of the weirdest things found inside a humans body

1 A Belt Inside The Chest

n30

Anuj Ranjan was involved in a serious car accident and required extensive surgery. While operating on him, the doctors somehow missed the 8-foot long belt in the chest and closed it. Years later, thinking that he has developed tuberculosis, Anuj was admitted to the hospital only to know about what he had been carrying in his chest all along.

2 Fish Inside Lungs

guardianlv

An Indian boy accidentally swallowed a 9-centimetre-long fish while playing in one of the rivers and it ended up staying in his lungs. To everyones surprise, the fish remained alive for as long as it was in there. It was later removed through an operation.

3 Worm In Eye

omgfacts

It has become quite common amongst people these days to host a worm in their eye. While some of them catch them while driving a vehicle, others simply develop an infection followed by the worm- booming. John Matthew from Cedar Rapids nearly went blind when the doctors told him that a racoon worm was eating his retina.

4 Maggots In Scalp

skinstore

You remember that scene from the movie Mummy where they have insects moving inside their body and feasting on the flesh? Well, Aaron Dallass case is exactly that. After a trip, he suddenly found certain bumps on his head but ignored them. When he touched those bumps he felt that they were moving but thought it would have been blood pumping. Doctors later found out that he had living maggots in the scalp.

5 Eel In Anus

kateshrewsday

In what looks like a sheer joke, a guys friends inserted an eel in his anus over a prank, but the eel swam its way up the mans anus. Not only did it escape inside his body, but made it difficult for the friends to pull it out. The eventually took him to the doctor and got it out.

6 Fish In Urethra

nationalgeographic

Okay, its slightly confusing how a fish made its way up to someones penis but heres what happened. A young kid was cleaning up his fish tank and then later relieved himself with the fish in his hand. The fish somehow jumped out and swam up his penis. He was then admitted to the hospital and doctors were able to remove it with tools that are usually used for the removal of bladder stones.

7 Nail In Head

dreamicus

Prax Sanchez complained about a terrible earache, and so his family took him to the hospital. Upon reaching there, the doctors put him through an MRI, but they could not complete the process as it was painful for him. Later than the day he sneezed out a big nail through his nose. The doctors said that it could have been there for years.

8 Tapeworm In Brain

ign

Rosemary Alvarez is one unlucky woman who developed tapeworm in her brain after she ate food that was tainted with human faeces. Thankfully, doctors were able to clean her brain completely and she made a full recovery.

9 Spider Inside Stomach

health

Well, to be honest, humans have been utterly averse to the existence of spiders, yet, while on a holiday, Dylan Maxwell had a spider travel all the way from his navel to his chest. The doctors eventually removed it but it left a scar on his body.

10 Snail In The Knee

doc

Paul Franklin fell on the beach and hurt his knee, but little did he know that there was more to that injury. Weeks later, when the wound refused to heal up properly and kept on hurting Paul, his mother thought of considering it herself. When she pressed the wound, a rock like snail popped out of the wound.

11 A Pea Plant

almanac

You know how as kids we were told that if we swallow seeds a plant would grow in our body? Well, it really happened. A guy named Ron Sveden initially thought that he had developed cancer in his lung until he found that that a pea-plant was flourishing inside his chest. The pea somehow went down the wrong pipe and his body became a host to the plant.A couple ended its life early on Friday on Jopling Road in Hazratganj area. The families of Ojas Tewari (19) and Kajal Pandey (18) were apparently against their relationship. The teenagers' bodies were found outside Suraj Deep Complex on Jopling Road.

The condition of the bodies and CCTV footage suggested that the teenagers slit their wrists on the terrace of the five-floor building before jumping to death. Ojas was a student at an animation institute and Kajal was a BSc student at a government college. They had been friends for long and lived in the same colony in Katra Maqboolganj in Kaiserbagh.

BCCL/Representational Image

Police got to know about the incident only at 6.30 am, when a woman, who goes to a gym in the same complex, informed 'UP 100' about the bodies. A police team led by SSP Lucknow, ASP (east), ASP (west) and CO (Hazratganj) took the duo to Civil Hospital where both were declared brought dead. A team of forensic science laboratory also reached the spot to carry out investigations.

The teenagers' identities could only be ascertained later when, during probe, police found that an FIR had been lodged in Kaiserbagh, alleging that Ojas had kidnapped Kajal. In his complaint, Kajal's uncle Bhaskar had said that Ojas had lured and kidnapped the girl.

SSP Lucknow Deepak Kumar said that after going through the scene of crime and recovery of written communication between the two, it seemed to be a case of suicide.

Though there were no eyewitnesses to the incident, but video footage from a CCTV installed at a bank opposite the building showed the couple falling off the building at 12.57am, he said.

Hazratganj CO Abhay Mishra said, "We got a blade, formatted mobile phone, broken SIM card and a shoe belonging to Kajal from the roof of the complex."

"It seems to be a case of suicide as there are no signs of any confrontation," he said. The girl's body has more injuries, including skull fracture, in comparison to the boy. "The latter apparantly fell over the girl. We are waiting for the post mortem report for details," he added.

My child wouldn't take such a step, say shattered parents

Despair and disbelief were palpable at the mortuary section of the Civil Hospital when TOI went to interact with the families of the deceased.

Representational Image

Ojas's mother Manju Tewari could not believe he was dead. "My son would never take such a step. He must have been brain-washed," she insisted. Ojas had an elder sister, Anju, who is pursuing engineering from a Ghaziabad institute. Manju kept wailing how Ojas was a sincere student. "He was pursuing animation from a private institute in Hazratganj," she said. His father Anand Tewari works at a private firm in Lucknow.

Kajal's father Ratnakar Pandey was numb. He kept repeating that his daughter was innocent. "If there was any such issue, she could have asked me, I would have given my assent," he said. Pandey, who works as an officer in a construction firm, said he was in New Delhi when he was informed about the incident and he flew back.

When TOI met the teachers of the institute they said that Tewari had not gone for classes on Thursday. He had taken admission there in May 2017. "He was disturbed and was not talking to anybody," said a teacher who wished not to be quoted.

Bodies were lying unattended for six hours

The teenagers' bodies went unattended for six hours in the high-security zone of Hazratganj. Suraj Deep complex, where the bodies were found, is located on Jopling Road. There were no CCTVs in the building and security guard could not spot the bodies. The complex houses a bank, an ATM, a private institute, a pharmacy company, a gym and a news channel. The complex has only one security guard, Jitendra Pal.

Hazratganj CO Abhay Mishra agreed that Pal was on duty and should have known about the incident. Mishra said when police visited the premises, the terrace was locked from outside, the keys of which were with Pal. "When we interrogated him, he did not know about the case," said Mishra. He also said that liquor bottles were found on the complex terrace. "It shows that people who drink must be visiting it frequently in the absence of security," said Mishra. Pal will be rounded up after autopsy report comes out, he said.US President Donald Trump irked Pakistan by stopping financial aid and now has also asked China to destroy Pakistan's safe havens of terrorists on its soil.

China shares some of the concerns of the US, about the terrorism problem in Pakistan and Washington is seeking to work with Beijing and other regional players to convince Islamabad, about the need to crackdown on terror safe havens, a senior White House official has said.

As Trump Administration is determined to eliminate terrorist safe havens in Pakistan, which is key to bring stability in Afghanistan and in the region, the official hoped that China will play a helpful role in convincing Pakistan that it is in its own national interest to crackdown on these sanctuaries.

Pakistan already has deep historical ties going back to many years and they have close military ties, the official said, adding that the economic relationship is also growing with the China Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Reuters

"But, China shares some of the concerns of the US about the terrorism problem. The US is seeking to work with other regional players and China would be one of the main ones to deal with this issue. It won't serve China's interests to have terrorist sanctuaries in Pakistan," the senior administration official said on condition of anonymity.

The official was quick to point out that China has been playing a more helpful role in terms of encouraging better relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

It is taking a more active role in that regard.

"So, I would disagree with the assertion that China will not play a helpful role in convincing Pakistan it's in its own interests to crack down on the sanctuaries," the official told a group of reporters on Friday.

AFP

"Ultimately, China is also working toward a stable Afghanistan. That's going to take them back to the same issue which are the sanctuaries in Pakistan," the official said.

China-Pakistan relationship is already very strong and appeared unconcerned over reports that the US decision to freeze approximately USD 2 billion in security assistance to Pakistan would push Islamabad towards Beijing, the official added.

"That relationship is already very very strong. But what we have seen is an interest by Pakistan in having a strong relationship with both the US and China. So that's one issue. And the second issue is that China is also concerned about terrorism and extremism in South Asia," the official said.

Noting that China has taken a more active role in trying to help stabilise Afghanistan, trying to improve relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, the official said the US believed that the Chinese are also interested in stability in Pakistan and also for the China Pakistan Economic Corridor.

"Ultimately if they want to see stability in the region, and I think they do, they also will have an interest in seeing Pakistan crack down on the Haqqani and Taliban network," the senior administration official said.Another Triple talaq case hai come up even when the Parliament is discussing over the bill. A man from Uttar Pradesh's Nandauli, working in Saudi Arabia, allegedly gave triple talaq to his wife through an SMS. The victim was allegedly being harassed by her in-laws as they were demanding a vehicle from her as dowry.

My in-laws used to harass me. They were demanding for a vehicle. My husband ill-treated me as well. I received a message from him on phone, where he gave me divorce. I have a son and I want to survive, the victim told ANI.

However, the victim's father said he would file a complaint in this regard and want justice to be served to his daughter.

Things were fine for two years. Then they started harassing her. Her in-laws threw her out of the house. Then one day, her husband gave her divorce through an SMS. We haven't informed the police, but soon will, victim's father said.

While the Supreme Court and the Centre have called for the scrapping of the triple talaq, terming it illegal and unconstitutional, some Muslim women are still facing the brunt of this age-old practice.

PTI

Meanwhile, the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill 2017 has been passed by the Lok Sabha and was tabled recently in the Rajya Sabha.

The bill was passed in the Lok Sabha with most of the leading parties in the Opposition, including the Congress, voting in favour, but with caveats as the apex court had directed the Centre to bring an anti triple talaq legislation.

The bill, if enacted, will make triple talaq a criminal offence. It proposes a three-year jail term for a Muslim man who divorces his wife in any form of spoken, written or by electronic means such as email, SMS, and WhatsApp.In the technology industry, theres no such thing as stagnation. Sure, sometimes well have phases where all the products we see of a certain type are far too similar, like with smartphones, or everyones offering the same web-based service. Yet, theres always innovation going on behind the curtain.

Companies are bought or sold, die out or grow, technology advances, things are always changing. Because of that, we see so many new devices, apps, and software all the time, without even realising just how long theyve been around. So here are a few eye-openers about tech companies that should make you feel way too old.

Uber (9 years old)

The ride-hailing app youve probably used quite a bit is actually coming up on nine years in existence soon. It was started way back in 2009 under the name UberCab, before complaints from taxi drivers in San Francisco persuaded the company to rebrand as Uber. Before this we all used to fight with taxi and autowallahs everywhere.

Airbnb (9 years old)

Airbnb, the homestay app, is also 9 years old. Originally called AirBed & Breakfast, it started out as an idea by the cofounders to make some quick cash by putting an air mattress in the living room of their shared apartment and turning it into a bed and breakfast. It was only in March 2009 that the company changed its name to Airbnb. Before this it was all about booking a hotel, if you had to stay out.

Snapchat (7 years old)

Snapchat was born in 2011, under the awkward name Picaboo, as an iOS-only app. Fun fact, the Snapchat mascot actually has a name; Ghostface Chillah. Its an ode to Ghostface Killah, one of the members of the legendary hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan. Before Snapchat, you had pretty much Facebook to be socially relevant.

Instagram (8 years old)

Instagrams founders were originally working on a check-in app named Burbn, when they realised it had become too much like Foursquare. Instead of scrapping it, they instead pivoted the app to focus on sharing photos and called it Instagram, a mashup of instant camera and telegram. The app finally launched in 2010, with the first photo posted by one of the founders on July 16 that year. Before this came along, there was Flickr. Yeah, not very exciting.

Bitcoin (9 years old)

Bitcoin has a mystery-filled beginning. The bitcoin.org domain name was actually registered in August of 2008, after which a whitepaper posted to a cryptography mailing list in November first mentioned the term. The author of that paper is the founder of the cryptocurrency, Satoshi Nakamoto, who mined the first block in the Bitcoin networks chain in 2009. However, Nakamoto handed over control of the Bitcoin Core code repository to Gavin Andresen in 2010 and subsequently disappeared. To this day, no one knows who Nakamoto is, or even if the moniker was for one person or a group of people working together. Before Bitcoin came along, there was only paper currency -- how so boring?!

Spotify (10 years old)

Music streaming service Spotify was actually being developed in 2006, before it finally launched in October 2008. The apps name is something one of the co-founders shouted out and was misheard, though the team later invented its etymology as a combination of "spot" and "identify. Before Spotify, there was Last.fm or just your good old FM radio.

iPad (8 years old)

Apple actually began selling tablet computers in 1993, the Newton MessagePad, before discontinuing it in 1998. Eventually, the company re-entered the mobile computing sector with the iPhone in 2007, before launching the iPad in January 2010. However Jonathan Ive, currently Apple chief design officer, was actually prototyping a tablet as early as 2004, but it was then shelved for a few years as Jobs considered the iPhone a more important project. Before the iPad came along, there was nothing like it in the market.

Kickstarter (9 years old)

The crowdfunding platform is a full eight years old, having been started in April 2009. It allowed individuals and startups to raise money for everything from concerts, to food, to gadgets. In 2012, the site helped raise over one million dollars in pledges for the first time for two separate projects, both within hours of each other.

Siri (8 years old)

Apples AI helper, and the voice of your iPhone, was originally developed as a speech recognition engine by Nuance Communications. It was released as an app on the iOS store in February 2010, and Apple loved it so much they bought the app two months later. Siri was then integrated into the iPhone 4S for the first time in October 2011.

WhatsApp (9 years old)

WhatsApp was first incorporated in 2009, before the app was even developed, and at the time was only an idea to display a status message next to a contacts name. Unfortunately, the development phase proved so arduous and riddled with setbacks in the first version that one of the co-founders almost gave up in order to look for a full-time job. Eventually, his partner convinced him to give it some more time and WhatsApp 2.0 launched with a messaging component as well mid-2009 and the number of active users shot up to 250,000 overnight. Facebook later went on to purchase the company for $19 billion in 2014, its largest acquisition to date. Before Whatsapp, there was SMS.

Google Chrome (10 years old)

One of the most widely used web browsers in the world, Google Chrome was first released for Windows in September 2008, before being ported to the likes of Linux, macOS, iOS and Android. The thing is if it were up to Google CEO Eric Schmidt, there may never have been a Chrome browser. He believed the company was too small at the time to enter the browser wars and opposed development for six years. Eventually however, when co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page put together a team to build him a demo, it was so good he changed his mind. Before Chrome, there was Firefox.

Slack (5 years old)

Slack today is a cloud-based platform for teams to collaborate on projects. However, it originally began as an internal tool for a company called Tiny Speck, during their development for a now defunct online game named Glitch. The name stands for Searchable Log of All Conversation and Knowledge. The app was eventually taken mainstream in August 2013. Before Slack, there was nothing like it -- a one-stop collaborative communication platform for enhance productivity between team members.

Tinder (6 years old)

Originally incubated in Hatch Labs, the iconic dating app was first launched in 2012. By two years later, it was over a billion swipes each day. The idea behind it at the time was an app to make it easier to approach strangers, knowing they had also signalled an interest in you. It was the first new wave dating services to become one of the top five used services online in 10 years. Before Tinder, people had to either go to a club or something to find a date.More than 2,400 people spent time this week on a trolley or chair waiting for a hospital bed, nurses have said.

The first week of January, traditionally the worst days of the year for getting admitted to a ward, saw a 10% increase in the number of patients queuing for a proper bed compared to the same time last year.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) said its staff counted 2,408 patients on trolleys from Monday to Friday.

The number is 221 higher than the first week of 2017 and is a record high, the union said.

INMO general secretary Phil Ni Sheaghdha said talks with the Health Service Executive (HSE) on trying to ease the crisis overcrowding have been productive.

"We now have a clear focus on implementing patient flow measures," she said.

Following the talks the states Emergency Department Taskforce will meet on Monday to set out immediate, medium and long-term practical approaches to the recurring problem of overcrowding.

The INMO had previously revealed a record number of admitted patients, 98,981, spent time on trolleys in hospitals during 2017.

The union said it wanted hospitals to be operating under the full capacity protocol and mandatory de-escalation policies in order to stop overcrowding spreading throughout hospitals and to reduce the risk of cross infection, poor patient outcomes and burnout amongst staff.

The INMO report on the first week in January was released alongside figures which showed hospital overcrowding had eased slightly by Friday, with fewer than 500 people waiting for a proper bed.

According to the latest morning headcounts in A&E units and corridors around hospitals, there were 483 patients on trolleys or in chairs queuing for space in a ward.

University Hospital Limerick had the worst record for the second day in a row, with 43 people waiting for a bed.

Others with high levels of overcrowding included St Lukes Hospital in Kilkenny, with 34 people on trolleys, the Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar, which had 33, and Cork University Hospital, which had 31.

The INMO said its 8am headcount on Friday found 351 people on trolleys in A&E units and 132 waiting in corridors around wards.

The latest figures were released following calls from Health Minister Simon Harris and the Health Service Executive for people not to go to hospital if they have flu symptoms, for workers to stay at home if they think they have the virus and for children to be kept off school if they are at risk of spreading the germs.

The flu season will run for another fortnight before it is expected to peak.

Meanwhile,the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) has said Taoiseach Leo Varadkars apology for the overcrowding reflected a shocking ignorance of health services and the impact of years of austerity.

IMO president Ann Hogan said his remarks were "particularly worrying" as he is a former health minister.

"Austerity is the root cause of this crisis and investment, significant and urgent, is the only response," she said.

Dr Hogan said the Taoiseachs promises of the crisis stabilising involves a 92% bed occupancy on average; a new norm of 500 patients waiting for admission on trolleys; and almost 700,000 patients waiting for an outpatient appointment; an ever-increasing number of cancelled operations and procedures; and a GP system which is struggling to meet demand.

She said: "Is that what is acceptable to the Taoiseach as stability?"New figures show that sales in the 45 bars and canteens operated by the Defence Forces fell by 6.3% in 2016 to just under 1.84m  down by more than 123,000 on the previous year.

Turnover at messes for officers, NCOs and privates has been on a sharp downward trend since the early 2000s when annual sales of more than 5m were recorded.

Profit levels also dipped in 2016  down 2.9% to 501,653.

The Defence Forces Canteen Board which operates financial control of the bars and canteens said the 27% gross profit rate as a percentage of sales is satisfactory.

The Department of Defence also provided a grant of 55,532 to the board in 2016 towards the cost of retirement of one employee.

A significant reduction in operating expenses allowed the DFCB to post a net surplus of 10,451 in 2016 after recording a net deficit of almost 25,000 the previous year.

It followed the return of almost 368,000 in profit to the individual bars and canteens.

The DFCB said its cash reserves at the end of 2016 had increased to just under 35,000 while its net assets have also increased in value to a similar amount.

Messes for private soldiers were informally established in 1990 as a result of the report of the Gleeson Commission on pay and conditions in the Defence Forces and put on a formal footing in 1997.

Since 1999, the board has supervisory and financial control over all messes for officers, NCOs and privates in military bases around the country.

Around 20 messes have been shut down in the past 15 years, while four dry canteens were closed in 2013 due to falling sales.

According to the Defence Forces, messes are not public premises but civilians may attend as guests of Defence Forces personnel.

Alcohol prices were increased in military barracks last year as a result of price hikes by drinks suppliers in June.

The price of a pint of Guinness and Heineken was increased by 10 cent to 3.10.

The price of a bottle of Budweiser and Miller also increased by the same margin to 2.30 and 2.40 respectively.

A measure of 12-year-old Jameson 1780 costs 3.80 in military barracks following a 50 cent increase.Reddit Email 154 Shares

By Nassrine Azimi | (Informed Comment) |  

HiroshimaThroughout the massive public demonstrations in 2009, Iranians protesting against the notorious government of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were often airing their anger and frustration at the abuses of the regime in rhyme. During this past week, peoples seething discontent has again spilled onto the streets, starting in the holy city of Mashhad and spreading across the country to more than 80 cities. And once again it comes in rhyme.

Of the regimes uncalled for meddling in too many conflicts abroad, while Iranians themselves suffer economic deprivation and hardship, the protestors were chanting:

   

    !

Leave Palestine for now

think about our own predicament!

Of the unbridled corruption at the heart of the system:

  

   !

Thieves plunder the country

Yet our government denies!

And, astonishingly, of the revulsion at the misdeeds of the ruling clergy, all in the name of Islam:

   

  !

Did we revive Islam?

Nayjust misery for the people!

This tradition of verse is not surprising. It has deep roots in a country where great poets have been legion. Five stand outI call them the Five Pillars of Iranpoets who over a span of 450 years, saved and graced not just the language, but the countrys cultural heritage, and maybe its soul.

The first pillar, literally and figuratively the savior of the Persian language, was the epic poet Ferdowsi, author of the monumental Shah-nameh, the Book of Kings. Born around 940 in Northeastern Iran, at the time a center of learning and culture, Ferdowsi was a providential figure. In an Iran invaded and humiliated by the Arab armies in the 7th century, whose vast empire had disintegrated, ruling classes and Zoroastrian traditions dispersed or destroyed, and where Arabic was a daily fact of life, the defiant Ferdowsis Shah-namehover 50000 couplets in pure New Persianrevived not just the language of the Iranians but also their civilizations history, ancient mythologies, and indeed pride. A popular story claims that Muhammad H. Haykal, the legendary Egyptian journalist and editor-in-chief of Al-Ahram, responding to the question as to why Egypt, despite its illustrious history, had become so thoroughly Arabized, quipped that it was because Egypt had not had its Ferdowsi. In the larger Persian-speaking world, from India to Turkey and Egypt, especially among the educated elite who used Persian as the lingua franca until the 19th century, Ferdowsi was revered. Even today, whether in Iran, Afghanistan or Tajikistan, the influence of his masterpiece remains unparalleled and, more to the point, accessible: any ordinary Persian-speaker can still understand the language used. The great poet was cognizant of the importance of his legacy, and of the debt owed him by posterity, when he wrote:

     

    

For 30 years I labored in pain,

But Lo, how I have revived the Persian language!

The second great poetic pillar of the Persian-speaking world was the genius Omar Khayyam. Born in Nishapur, also in the Northeast, in 1048, Khayyam was a true polymath. It was maybe his misfortune that, discovered by the Briton Edward FitzGerald in the 19th century, he was introduced to the English-speaking world tight-jacketed as the author of love sonnets, the Robaiyat (quatrains). Khayyam was so much morea mathematician, jurist and philosopher, an accomplished astronomer who built an observatory, a professor of algebra and geometry who worked on the classification of cubic equations, and wrote a treatise on Euclids theory of parallels. He was my late fathers favorite poet, not just for the solace his verse brought in our familys exile, but for his scientific achievementsmy father used to say that the Middle-Easts embrace of obscurantist rulers in the 20th century stemmed in part from having turned away from the kind of open-minded learning and quest for science that Khayyam embodied. Khayyams disdain for any small-minded religion never diminished. His poetry distills a grand, free-spirited love-affair with Creation, vast in scale, timeless. Herewith a glimpse:

    

     

How speedily this caravan of life passes

Seize this moment of music, now!

The third pillar of the Persian language is the poet, mystic and Sufi teacher, Rumi. Born in 1207 in Balkh, he was son and grandson of prominent scholars of Islam. Rumi lived in dark times though, when the specter of the Mongol invasions loomed large across most of Asia. His family moved to Syria, then a great center of culture, to finally settle in Konya, in eastern Anatolia. It was there, in his late 30s, that Rumi met his spiritual master, Shams of Tabriz. The electrifying encounter changed him from a learned albeit relatively conservative clergy into a poet of universal reach. Astonishingly, even though he had not written much poetry before meeting Shams, Rumi was to give life thereafter to thousands of reamsdancing, whirling (he established the whirling Dervish tradition), chanting, praying. So profound are his two masterpieces, the Divan e Shams and the Matnavi, that each time I find a different meaning in the same versein turn mystical, philosophical, pious, sensual, or suddenly civic and political. In recent years Rumi has become, in the West in particular, the ultimate Seer and Knower, the poet of all things New Age. Deepak Chopra quotes him. Madonna sings him. But for most Iranians he remains the one who transformed and transcended, the one who had the inner insight to expose the real, sometimes dark face of established religion, and the light and truth of God. One of my favorites is a verse, that tells of Moses overhearing a shepherd flirting with his creator as he walks his goats. Moses is outraged, that a mere shepherd would take the liberty of thus addressing the Almighty. A roaring edict comes to admonish him:

    

    

      

      

You have come to connect,

And not to separate!

We look only within,

Caring nought for mere facade or words

Saadi, the fourth pillar of Iran, whose humanity and vision have earned him a place at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York, was born in Shiraz in 1292. He, too, was astonishingly learned, studying law, history, literature and theology in Shiraz and Baghdad, then traveling extensively across Central Asia and the Greater Middle EastAnatolia, Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Jerusalem, Mecca and Medina. Asia and the Silk Road had been upended with the Mongol attacks, and I often imagine the hardships of this curious, globe-trotting poet, as he criss-crossed lands in turmoil, even surviving seven years as the prisoner of Christian Crusaders. Yet the poetry of the humanist Saadihe was the poet President Obama quoted in his 2009 Nowruz new year address to the Iranian peopleremains full of gentleness and humor, his wisdom and longing for a society freed of the double-talk of religious hypocrisy and of political strife echoed by young Iranians who demonstrate on the streets today:

    

     

     

    

     

    

Humans are members of the same body

Born of the same treasure

If one member is in pain

So, too, are all other members

If you cannot feel the sorrow of others

How, pray, can you be called human?

And finally the fifth pillarShams-ud-Din Muhammad Hafez-e Shirazi, known to the world by his pen-name Hafez.

I maybe biased but I would like to say that Hafez is unique, in the affection he bestows on his readers, one which they return manifold. Iranians simply love Hafez. His poetry, despite infinite layers of meaning and insinuation, remains light, almost danceable. His book of Divan, alongside the Holy Quran, is often placed as the king of ornaments on the Nowruz table. Persian-speakers open Hafez whenever they have questions about life, when they are happy or downtrodden, hopeful or in despair. If a skilled interpreter of the poetry happens to also be an insightful observer of the human condition, and finds the right words to convey the poets intentions, then he or she will be in deep demand in any gathering.

Hafez was born in 1315 in Shiraz and grew up poor, working odd jobs, including as a baker. But his genius was apparent young, he learned the Quran by heart (hence his title, the one who memorizes). He hardly left his beloved Shiraz, but his poetry is filled with so many intricate inner journeys and grand vistas. His provocative odes to wine and to love, his melodious rhymes, his implicit and explicit reprimands of the religious and political classes, for hypocrisy and ignorance, resonate still with Iranians, who flock to his mausoleum on the northern edge of Shiraz as they would to a sacred shrine. How not to be moved, reading the last line of his song of friendship?

     

     

Cherish this encounter! Once we pass this fork in the road

We shall not meet again.

Why, one may well ask, do we still read all this ancient poetry, even in the 21st century?

The first answer is, simply, because we can. Even a modestly educated Persian-speaker today will be able to read, or at least to comprehend and quote, most of these poets. Thanks in part to Ferdowsi and his legacy, the Persian language has remained relatively unchanged for at least a millennium.

We also read ancient poetry because at times it is the only heritage we have left. When my parents left the Iran of the Ayatollahs they had to abandon home, hearth and most of their belongings, but our familys books of poetry made the great passage to America, and I can still find my fathers notes, scribbled on the margins of the pages of his favorite pieces. There were times during exile when all he had of his country of birth was poetry.

Most importantly, we read and recite ancient poetry because to us it does not feel ancient at all. Poetry is in our DNA, it brings us solace, and courage. Our Five Pillars, and other exceptional bards, help us articulate, in rhyme if need be, our opposition to chaos and abuse. Over the centuries Iran has survived attacks by foreign invading armies, endured the manipulations of imperialistic powers and suffered far too many home-made, inept, tyrants. Yet, and in spite of all this, thanks to these ancient poets we remain connected, rootedno mere floating reeds but part and parcel of an ancient, living civilization, with a unique, undying tradition of poetry.

In these times of trial, more than ever their voices are needed.

This essay is written in my personal capacity and does not represent the views of either Hiroshima Shudo University or UNITAR.

Nassrine Azimi, PhD, is Professor, Faculty of Law, Hiroshima Shudo University and Senior Advisor | Hiroshima Office, United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)



Related video added by Juan Cole:

Vox: Irans massive protests, explained in 4 minutesReddit 11 Email 937 Shares

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |  

Michael Wolff in his new book Fire and Fury makes a number of allegations about Trumps role in the Gulf crisis that, if true, help explain the mess in that part of the Middle East.

Wolff asserts that Trump and his then inner circleJared Kushner, Steve Bannon, Gary Cohn, Hope Hicks, etc.hoped the mid-May foreign policy jaunt would change the conversation in Washington, DC, about Trumps having fired FBI director James Comey and about the investigation of special counsel Robert Mueller. So the first thing to say is that the whole trip and the announcements around it were for the purpose of hype.

In ancient Greece, Bion of Borysthenes observed that Boys throw stones at frogs in sport, but the frogs die in earnest. Trump and his cronies glibly unleashed a massive crisis in Gulf affairs that will have long term downstream effects, all in hopes of a week or two of positive headlines.

Trump was convinced that his son-in-law and Middle East plenipotentiary, Jared Kushner, had gotten the Arab world on the side of the US and that his administration was on the cusp of a huge breakthrough in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

His team was concerned that the geriatric, cautious, Saudi establishment was not up to the challenges of the 21st century. Jared had met with Muhammad bin Salman, the son of King Salman and minister of defense, and was pleasantly surprised at how quickly the two became fast friends. It was, he is alleged to have remarked, like meeting someone nice on the first day in boarding school. (The bourgeois assumptions behind that remark are worth a book.)

Muhammad bin Salman is an insular and largely uneducated young prince in his early thirties known for his recklessness, love of conflict and bullying style of regional politics. So of course the Trumpies fell head over heels in love with him.

Trump misunderstood what was being offered by the Saudis. They had made a vague commitment in the Obama era to buy some US military weaponry, to the tune of tens of billions of dollars. They recycled this pledge for Trump, specifying $110 bn. Most of it was not a new commitment. Trump, on whom the Wizard of Oz has nothing, hyped this old pledge into hundreds of billions in new investments in the US and was sure that the Saudis all by themselves could in this way jumpstart the US manufacturing sector. While Saudi Arabia is heavily invested in the US stock market and in US real estate, and while it helps keep Boeing, Lockheed Martin and a whole phalanx of Washington fixers in business, that they are interested in more US F-18s is not new news and was not a game changer in the way Trump understood it.

Trump also seems to have been under the impression, perhaps given to him by Muhammad bin Salman, that Saudi Arabia would offer the US a new air force base, replacing the al-Udeid Base in Qatar, where some 11,000 US personnel are stationed, and which has been crucial for the fight against ISIL in Iraq and Afghanistan. Al-Udeid will be even more important if Trump roils relations with Pakistan to the point where the latter cuts back on US basing rights for Afghanistan bombing raids.

Saudi Arabia does not have the slightest intention of giving the US a military base. It leased Prince Sultan air base to the US during the Clinton era for policing the Gulf War aftermath and no fly zones in Iraq, and that was one of the bases on which al-Qaedas Usama Bin Laden said he launched the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington, DC, which left almost 3,000 dead. It isnt true historically, but fundamentalist Muslims believe that early Muslim holy figures banned non-Muslims from the Muslim holy land around Mecca and Medina, and Bin Laden et al. interpreted it as a ban on foreign troops anywhere in Saudi Arabia, which rules over the holy cities.

So then Trump accepted the Saudi line that Saudi Arabia is uninvolved in Muslim terrorism, but that Qatar is. This proposition is bizarre. I have argued that it is inaccurate to associate the Saudi state with terrorism, since it was at daggers drawn with al-Qaeda. The argument that it spreads terrorism indirectly by spreading its intolerant and bigoted interpretation of Wahhabi Islam is also hard to prove, since most acts of terrorism in the Middle East have not been carried out by Wahhabis but by Sunnis. Terrorism is a weapon of the weak, and people deploy it when they feel oppressed and blocked and want to break out of some intolerable situation. How they frame the world (why they see a situation as intolerable) is important, but only part of the picture.

Qatar has been an important US ally in the fight against terrorism. Not only has al-Udeid base (once commanded by current US Secretary of Defense James Mattis) been absolutely crucial, but Qatar helped capture al-Qaedas mastermind Khalid Sheikh Muhammad and operative Ramzi Bin al-Shibh.

The Saudis mean, when they charge Qatar with supporting terrorism, that many in the Qatari government are sympathetic to the Muslim Brotherhood (which used to be supported by Saudi Arabia before the early 2000s). The Muslim Brotherhood is not a terrorist organization. It ran for office peacefully in Egypt before being massively repressed. The Saudis and the Egyptians just dont like it, so they brand it terrorism. The Muslim Brotherhood is right wing and religious, but not opposed to democracy, and has parallels to the Christian Dominionism of US Vice President Mike Pence, who also probably is not a terrorist. For Trump of all people to equate support for the religious Right with terrorism is rich.

So Trump appears to have given a green light to Muhammad Bin Salman last May to do two things: to make a soft coup against Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef and to launch a campaign to isolate and perhaps overthrow Qatar.

After Trumps visit, on 21 June 2017, King Salman removed Bin Nayef from all his positions. Muhammad Bin Salman became the crown prince. Wolff said Trump exulted that June that he had made a coup in Saudi Arabia and put his own man in charge. But this soft coup had been predicted in late 2016 by German intelligence and was long in train. Trump at most gave it his imprimatur.

But the Saudis were emboldened. On June 5, 2017, they severed diplomatic relations with Qatar and put it under boycott. Qatar is a small country and a peninsula that juts into the Gulf, surrounded on land by Saudi Arabia. There are roughly 300,000 Qatari citizens and a guest worker population that brings the total to 3 million. Saudi Arabia probably has a citizen population of 20 million (they exaggerate it) and a guest worker population of 6-8 million. Saudi Arabia initially apparently planned an invasion of Qatar and overthrow of its emir in favor of a puppet from an alienated branch of the ruling family, sort of along the lines of its war on Yemen. But the Turkish parliament voted to allow troops to be sent to Qatar, and that move put the brakes on any Saudi invasion plans.

In the end, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt imposed an economic and travel boycott on Qatar, which is probably illegal by the rules of the World Trade Organization. They also cut off Qatar Air from air traffic control, which is certainly illegal. (Qatar Air has survived nicely but had to fly over Iran, Iraq and Turkey). After initial concern about the loss of trucked in food imports via Saudi highways, Qatar replaced them with goods shipped from Iran or Iraq by sea or brought in by plane. Prices went up a little for some things but the situation has normalized.

This naked power grab on the part of Saudi Arabia has likely destroyed the budding Gulf Cooperation Council (that groups Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait and Qatar), which aimed at being sort of like the European Union plus NATO for the small Gulf Arab oil monarchies. Some of its rationale was to resist Iranian hegemony, so breaking it up helps Iran. Iran has correct relations with Qatar, and stepped in to help offset the Saudi boycott.

To any extent that Trump encouraged the rash Saudi move, he helped further fragment politics in the region. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and SecDef Mattis clearly did not approve and have tried behind the scenes to undermine Trump policy in this regard.

So to conclude: Trump did not get hundreds of billions in new investments in the US from Saudi Arabia. He did manage to put in an erratic and aggressive crown prince in Riyadh, helping destabilize the region in ways Iran will take advantage of. The other corner of Wolffs reporting on the May trip, that Trump thought it was a prelude to Peace in Our Time in Israel-Palestine, is too complex to take on here but that was also obviously a scam.



Related video:

Aljazeera English from 2 weeks ago: Qatar marks National Day amid ongoing Gulf crisisVANCOUVER, Jan. 5, 2018 /CNW/ - Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. (TSX: NDM; NYSE MKT: NAK) ("Northern Dynasty" or the "Company") announces that its wholly-owned US-based subsidiary Pebble Limited Partnership (the "Pebble Partnership") has received notice from the US Army Corps of Engineers ("USACE" or the "Corps") that the Clean Water Act 404 permitting documentation it submitted on December 22, 2017 has been accepted. In confirming that Pebble's application is complete, the Corps has confirmed that an Environmental Impact Statement ("EIS") level of analysis is required to comply with its National Environmental Policy Act ("NEPA") review of the Pebble Project, and has proposed a Memorandum of Agreement ("MOA") to guide development of that process.

"Pebble expects to finalize an MOA in the very near-term, and immediately distribute a 'Request for Proposal' to begin the process whereby the Corps will select the independent third-party contractor that will support them in the development of the Pebble EIS  the document that will be the basis for decisions made by federal permitting agencies," said Northern Dynasty CEO Ron Thiessen. "We are pleased by the expediency with which permitting for the Pebble Project has been initiated, and that the Corps will serve as the lead federal agency for the rigorous, objective, transparent and science-based EIS process."

To initiate the NEPA EIS permitting process, the Pebble Partnership applied for a Clean Water Act 404 permit, which specifies that the USACE will serve as the lead federal agency. The Corps is consulting with a number of other federal and state regulatory agencies and anticipates that they will participate in the EIS process as cooperating agencies  including the US Environmental Protection Agency, the US Fish & Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries Service and the State of Alaska.

Pebble's permit application documents, including a 'Project Description' that comprehensively sets out the project the Pebble Partnership proposes to develop, is available at Click Here. The Project Description is also available on the Northern Dynasty website under Pebble Project/Project Status.

As the NEPA EIS process requires a comprehensive 'alternatives assessment' be undertaken to consider a broad range of development alternatives, the final project design and operating parameters for the Pebble Project and associated infrastructure may vary from that set out below.

The Proposed Pebble Mine

The Pebble Partnership is proposing to develop the Pebble copper-gold-molybdenum porphyry deposit in southwest Alaska as an open pit mine, with associated on and off-site infrastructure, including:

a 230 megawatt power plant located at the mine site;

an 83-mile transportation corridor from the mine site to a port site on the west side of Cook Inlet;

a permanent, year-round port facility near the mouth of Amakdedori Creek on Cook Inlet; and,

a 188-mile natural gas pipeline from the Kenai Peninsula to the Pebble Project site.

Following four years of construction activity, the proposed Pebble mine will operate for a period of 20 years. This includes 14 years of mining using conventional drill-blast-shovel operations, followed by six years of milling material from a low-grade ore ("LGO") stockpile. The mining rate will average 90 million tons per year, with 58 million tons of mineralized material going through the mill each year (160,000 tons per day), for an extremely low life-of-mine waste to ore ratio of 0.1:1.

Pebble Partnership CEO Tom Collier reiterated that Pebble has taken great strides in recent years to re-design its project in response to stakeholder concerns. The development proposed in Pebble's Project Description is substantially smaller than previous iterations, and presents significant new environmental safeguards, including:

a development footprint less than half the size previously envisaged;

the consolidation of most major site infrastructure in a single drainage (the North Fork Koktuli), and the absence of any primary mine operations in the Upper Talarik drainage;

a more conservative Tailings Storage Facility ("TSF") design, including enhanced buttresses, flatter slope angles and an improved factor of safety;

separation of potentially acid generating ("PAG") tailings from non-PAG bulk tailings for storage in a fully-lined TSF;

no permanent waste rock piles; and

no cyanide usage.

"These are very substantial improvements that we have engineered over the past few years in response to the priorities and concerns of project stakeholders," Collier said. "We believe that as people become more familiar with our proposed project design and the environmental safeguards it incorporates, there will an increasing degree of support for the project, and the significant economic potential it represents for the State of Alaska."

Mine Site Facilities and Operations

Mine site facilities will include: an open pit; a TSF; a LGO stockpile; overburden stockpiles; quarry sites; water management ponds; milling and processing facilities; and, supporting infrastructure, such as the power plant, water treatment plants, camp facilities and storage facilities.

The open pit will be developed in stages with final dimensions of ~6,500 feet in length, ~5,500 feet in width and depths between 1,330 and 1,750 feet. A total of 1.2 billion tons of material will be mined, including 1.1 billion tons to be processed through the mill and 100 million tons of waste rock.

Non-PAG waste rock will be used as a construction material for on-site roads and TSF embankments. The minority of waste rock considered PAG will be stored in a lined LGO stockpile until mine closure, at which time it will be back-hauled to the open pit for permanent sub-aqueous storage.

Mineralized material will be processed via conventional froth flotation. On average, the process plant will produce ~600,000 tons of copper-gold concentrate each year, containing ~287 million lb copper, ~321,000 oz gold and 1.6 million oz silver, and ~15,000 tons of molybdenum concentrate each year, containing ~13 million lb molybdenum.

A single TSF located in the North Fork Koktuli drainage will store 1.1 billion tons of tailings generated over 20 years of mine operations. About 88% will be non-PAG bulk tailings; the remaining 12% will be pyritic (PAG) tailings, which will be stored sub-aqueously in a separate, fully-lined cell within the TSF.

A total of four TSF embankments ranging from 600 (main embankment) to 60 feet (east embankment) in height will be developed, with centre-line or downstream construction methods used for all external embankments, and a conservative 2.6:1 (horizontal:vertical) slope applied to ensure safety and stability under all operating conditions (including maximum possible flood and seismic events).

Transportation Corridor

Pebble has proposed an 83-mile transportation corridor from the mine site to a port site on the west side of Cook Inlet. The proposed road corridor has been designed to minimize impact on wetlands, minimize stream crossings and avoid areas of known subsistence and recreational use.

The transportation corridor includes: a 30-mile private, 30-foot wide gravel road from the mine site to a ferry terminal on the north shore of Lake Iliamna; an 18-mile crossing of Lake Iliamna using a custom-designed ice-breaking ferry; and a 35-mile private, 30-foot wide gravel road from the south shore of Lake Iliamna to a port site at Amakdedori. Spur roads will connect the Pebble transportation system to the villages of Iliamna , Newhalen and Kokhanok .

, Newhalen and . Daily transportation of mineral concentrate, mining equipment and supplies will require up to 35 round trips by truck each day, and one round trip by ferry.

Port

A permanent, year-round port facility constructed at Amakdedori on the west side of Cook Inlet will facilitate the direct loading of mineral concentrate onto Handysize bulk carrier vessels, as well as the delivery via barge of mining equipment and supplies.

The port will include shore-based facilities to receive and store containers and fuel, as well as two two-megawatt natural gas power generators, associated infrastructure and facilities. The port's marine component will include a causeway extending out to a marine jetty in 15-feet on natural water depth to facilitate roll-on/roll-off barge access and a separate berth for Handysize vessels. A dredged channel will be required to access the berth for Handysize ships.

Port operations will facilitate up to 25 concentrate shipments via Handysize bulk carrier vessels each year, and up to 30 marine barge loads of mining equipment and supplies.

Power Plant & Natural Gas Pipeline

To meet the mine's power requirements while providing sufficient peaking capacity and N+1 redundancy, a 230 megawatt power plant utilizing a high-efficiency combustion turbine or reciprocating engine generators operating in a combined-cycle configuration will be built at Pebble. Waste heat from the power plant will be used to heat mine buildings and supply process heat to water treatment plants.

The mine site power plant, as well as smaller generating facilities at the port site and ferry landing sites, will be supplied by a 188-mile pipeline to connect with existing natural gas supply infrastructure near Happy Valley on the Kenai Peninsula .

. From Happy Valley, a buried steel pipeline will travel south for nine miles to a compressor station near Anchor Point , which will feed a 94-mile subsea pipeline across Cook Inlet to come ashore at the Amakdedori port site. From the port site, the natural gas pipeline will traverse 81 miles to the mine site in three sections. It will be buried in a trench adjacent to the road prism on the south and north sides of Lake Iliamna, and run under Lake Iliamna for a distance of 18 miles between ferry landing sites.

Water Management

Pebble has proposed a comprehensive water management plan to provide sufficient water for mine operations, to minimize the volume of water diverted from natural flows, to discharge surplus waters captured at the mine site in a strategic manner to optimize downstream habitat conditions for salmon and other species, and to ensure water quality is maintained in all local streams.

The Pebble mine will employ two water treatment plants to ensure that surplus water discharged into nearby streams meets applicable water quality standards, and is properly conditioned for aquatic life. Sufficient water storage, pumping capacity and treatment plant redundancy has been incorporated into the design to ensure that water management goals can be achieved under all operating conditions.

Reclamation and Closure

The Pebble Project has been 'designed for closure', in order that facilities can be removed and land reclaimed in such a way that it can be returned to a stable and productive state.

Reclamation and closure activities will include: removal of mill and other facilities not required in the post-closure period; hauling of PAG waste rock into the open pit for sub-aqueous storage; recontouring of disturbed areas and placement of overburden for revegetation; installation of water management features to provide for long-term water quality monitoring and treatment.

Prior to commencing construction, a Project Reclamation and Closure Plan must be approved and an associated financial assurance mechanism be put in place to ensure that the required financial resources are available to fund costs associated with physical closure of the project and long-term post-closure monitoring, water treatment and site maintenance.

By regulation, Pebble's Project Reclamation and Closure Plan must be updated every five years to address any changes in closure and post-closure requirements, and associated financial obligations.

Workforce

The Pebble Project will directly employ ~2,000 workers during its four-year construction phase, and ~850 workers during its 20-year operations phase.

Northern Dynasty will be updating its 2014 Technical Report to reflect the information in the Project Description. Stephen Hodgson, PEng, Vice President Engineering for Northern Dynasty reviewed and approved the technical information in this news release.

About Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd.

Northern Dynasty is a mineral exploration and development company based in Vancouver, Canada. Northern Dynasty's principal asset, owned through its wholly-owned Alaska-based US subsidiary Pebble Limited Partnership and other wholly-owned subsidiaries, is a 100% interest in a contiguous block of 2,402 mineral claims in southwest Alaska, including the Pebble deposit. The Pebble Partnership is the proponent of the Pebble Project, an initiative to develop one of the world's most important mineral resources.How much will an expensive watch really cost you in the future?

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I walked in the other day, and my colleagues were shooting the breeze. They were both staring at the computer and were online looking at watches. Seemed harmless enough. So I sat down and asked them how much the watch cost?

They said $7,000! I almost spit out my coffee. $7K! Seven grand! Thats an expensive watch. Thats how much my 2011 Nissan Altima is worth.

That much for a watch? I asked. Their answer was well you only live once and if you like something you might as well buy it.

Crazy, but when I did a quick Google search, I see that $7,000 is cheap for a high-end watch. The most expensive watch I could find costs $55 million. If you are frugal, then you can get a watch for $20,000 to $60,000. Seems like a good deal right?

It got me thinking, how much actual time could a $7,000 watch buy you? How much would that $7,000 free future you from work?

Telling time versus your time?

If I took that money and put it into an investment that paid 5% for ten years, it would increase to $11,541. So I could gain a 60% return on my investment in 10 years. That extra $4,541 would buy me a month of retirement at age 47 if I am living off of $60,000 a year.

Over 20 years that $7,000 becomes $19,027. The gains could buy me 2.4 months of retirement at age 57.

This one purchase, this watch, would take away 1 to 2.4 months from my retirement. Considering the average lifespan is 80 years, that leaves me with 516 months of life left. This watch purchase would take 1 to 2.5 of those months away from me. It would cost me 0.2 to 0.46% of my remaining days.

That is crazy! One purchase can take that much time away from future me! It may not seem like much, but it is.

I would rather have that month or two of my life available in case I burn out from work. Owning my time. Not working.

Walking. Enjoying my son and wife. Eating good food. Being outside. All these things that my day job cuts into. All of the things that dont require a set time. An appointment.

So no thank you. I do not want an expensive watch or car. In fact, I do not want an expensive house and am going to have to figure out my downsize strategy in the next few years.

Actually, now that I think about it, both my colleagues and I are buying time. Theirs is more tangible, mine is more substantial.

So what is your $7,000 watch? Would you purchase one? Do you have an expensive hobby? How much time is it actually costing you in the future?

Dads Dollars Debts is a cardiologist who blogs at his self-titled site, Dads Dollars Debts.

Image credit: Shutterstock.comBy Rachel Lee



A trusted aide to United Arab Emirates (UAE) Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan arrived in Seoul today amid speculation about the reason for a recent visit to the Middle Eastern country by President Moon Jae-in's chief of staff Im Jong-seok



Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation Chairman Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, who is in charge of the country's power plant construction, met Im in the UAE last month.



Cheong Wa Dae refused to reveal details about Al Mubarak's visit, but he is expected to meet the chief of staff again.



The chairman is expected to pay a courtesy call on President Moon and discuss ways to enhance exchanges and cooperation.



Diplomatic circles predict that a possible Moon visit to the UAE could also be discussed. During a phone call with the UAE crown prince last June, Moon said he would adjust his schedule to visit the UAE to attend a ceremony marking the completed installation of the first Barakah Nuclear Power Plant's reactor



At the time of Im's visit, the presidential office said it was meant to boost the morale of Korean soldiers stationed in the Middle Eastern country and enhance bilateral ties. But rumors circulated that the visit was aimed at mitigating UAE concerns about the possible impact of Moon's nuclear phase-out policy on the $40 billion nuclear accord.



Under the deal, signed in 2009 under the Lee Myung-bak government, Seoul was to build and operate four nuclear reactors in the UAE.



Various media outlets reported that the UAE criticized the Moon government for its nuclear phase-out policy and hinted that there were suspicions of corruption in the 2009 deal via a double contract.



The government's alleged move to withdraw its troops from the UAE has also created speculation about the ties between the countries, including claims that Korean companies have had difficulty running projects there.



This speculation seemed to be backed by Im's meeting with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won before leaving for the UAE.



Cheong Wa Dae said Im's meeting with Chey was unrelated to his visit.



The defense ministry also denied last week that the government had considered withdrawing troops from the UAE.



The ministry also said that because of a trust issue, it could not confirm whether the countries signed an agreement on military cooperation.



Al Mubarak has held meetings with key Korean counterparts, including Korea Electric Power Corporation representatives, since 2009 when the countries signed the deal to build the nuclear power plant.



A member of a conservative civic group protests Woori Bank's issuance of a calendar with a child's painting containing the North Korean flag, in front of the bank headquarters in central Seoul, Thursday. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul



By Kim Rahn



A child's painting has been embroiled in a pro-North Korea controversy, with conservatives making an issue of the North Korean flag on the painting printed on a bank's calendar.



Conservative Liberty Korea Party (LKP) spokesman Chang Je-won said in a written comment Monday he couldn't believe his eyes when he saw a North Korean flag on the calendar of Woori Bank, a part of whose stakes the government holds.



Woori Bank issued the 2018 calendar with children's paintings awarded in the bank-organized painting competitions. Its October page shows a painting titled "Our country grows bigger every day," painted by a fourth grade student. In the painting, a tree named "unification tree" is in the middle, on which South and North Koreas' national flags are hung.



"The North Korean flag is hung higher than the South Korean flag, and in its depiction, the painting hints as if North Korea is on the same level with South Korea," Chang said.



As to the LKP's comment, the bank said a jury comprised of art professors picked the paintings and it never expected the painting would invite such controversy.



Chang again said, "The bank's explanation showed South Korea is insensitive to security."



LKP Chairman Hong Joon-pyo also said in his New Year speech, "Now we are living in an era when the North Korean flag appears on a bank's calendar."



Some party members staged a protest in front of the bank's headquarters, Wednesday, chanting slogans such as: "We condemn Woori Bank which uses a child's painting as a political tool," and "Woori should withdraw the calendars, burn them and apologize to the public." Several other conservative civic groups also held similar protests, Thursday.



Other political parties, however, criticized the LKP for "overreacting" and "being childish," saying it applies unreasonable pro-North Korea framing.



Rep. Han Jeoung-ae of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea said, "Regarding the calendar made of elementary schoolchildren's paintings, the LKP claims the bank implanted the idea of the flag in the children in advance, influencing them to draw the flag. Some LKP members also say they will withdraw all money from their accounts at the bank. The party is causing trouble from the start of a New Year."



She pointed out that the former Park Geun-hye administration, during which the LKP was the ruling party, also awarded paintings containing the North Korean flag in many government-organized competitions about unification.



Rep. Ha Tae-keung of the minor conservative Bareun Party also said, "It was an elementary schoolchild's painting, and the LKP drove it as pro-North Korea. It is insane to brand a child's innocent wish for unification as pro-North Korea."

As the Arctic blast continues to roil the Eastern Seaboard with gusty winds and frigid temperatures, at least four thresher sharks have been found frozen off the coast of Cape Cod.

Is Old Man Winter to blame? Probably not, as the sharks likely died not from hypothermia but from stranding themselves in shallow waters as they attempted to migrate south, according to Greg Skomal, the senior fisheries scientist who leads the shark research program for the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game.

Unlike blue sharks, mako sharks and basking sharks, thresher sharks tend to linger in the Gulf of Maine until late December, Skomal said. Characterized by their long, scythe-like tails, the animals possess endothermic abilities, meaning they can retain their metabolic heat to a certain extent. [On the Brink: A Gallery of Wild Sharks]

Indeed, a recent tagging study found that the animals leave waters only when they dip below temperatures of 46 degrees Fahrenheit (8 degrees Celsius). As a result, many of them don't start their journey to warmer climes before midwinter.

One scientist thinks the thresher sharks on Cape Cod died before they froze. (Image credit: Atlantic White Shark Conservancy)

But the current cold snap, a result of a jet stream that's channeling Arctic air from northwest Canada, has ushered a spate of rapid cooling, forcing the sharks to scramble south with new urgency. And the shape of Cape Cod, with its sandy, hook-like projections, extensive mudflats and extreme tidal fluctuations, can prove especially treacherous if you're navigating incautiously, according to Skomal.

"If you look at the shape of Cape Cod as a landmass, it really is kind of a natural trap," Skomal said. "Some of the sharks likely got around Cape Cod and moved to the east of Cape Cod, while others made the mistake of traveling closer to shore and got caught inside Cape Cod Bay, becoming entrapped in the landmass."

Thresher sharks, like this one that washed up on a Cape Cod beach, can be recognized by the long upper part of their caudal fin (or tail). (Image credit: Atlantic White Shark Conservancy)

Skomal admits that the scenario he's describing is conjectural. "There [are] a number of scenarios that can play out here and we don't know which one is correct," he said.

Even necropsies of the carcasses have proven unhelpful.

"There's not much you can do to determine what caused [a shark's] death if there's no signs of chronic organ damage or something to that effect," Skomal said. "You really just can't tell if it's some other cause like dramatic change in temperature or respiratory failure."

What experts do know, however, is that that chances of survival for a beached shark are slim to none.

While air-breathing marine animals like whales, dolphins and turtles can succumb to cold shock as a cause of death after washing up onshore, simply by virtue of being alive, the thresher sharks were probably long dead before they froze, Skomal said.

"When sharks get in super-shallow water, particularly in tidal areas, they can't negotiate well around sandbars and shoaling systems and the changes that occur in depth with tide," Skomal said. "And they tend to strand in these shallow water areas. That leads to their demise fairly quickly because they can't breathe, so in essence, they drown."

Original article on Live Science.by Kaila Colbin , Featured Contributor, January 5, 2018

This post is a slightly updated version of one I first published in 2009:

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday -- whatever you choose to celebrate -- and a terrific New Years celebration.

I myself have returned to the place where my mother spent her formative years: Mar del Plata, Argentina. It was my mom's 50th high school reunion, so the whole family joined her for a rare group holiday.

As a kid and young adult, I spent a lot of time here, and made some really good friends. In fact, my two oldest friends are from Mar del Plata, despite the obvious challenges presented by distance and ever-changing circumstances. There were others, no less loved, with whom I had lost contact.

Facebook's great, but nothing beats bumping into someone on the street whom you haven't seen for 20 years. Nothing tops finding out that another dear friend has returned to Argentina and has opened a restaurant on the port, a restaurant you have the privilege of dining at with your entire family the next night.

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If you read my column regularly, you know that I am a perpetual and staunch advocate of retaining the humanity in everything you do. Google, LinkedIn, even our dear MediaPost (sorry, guys) are nothing more than tools to help us connect with each other as people. You don't need the Internet to spend midnight on the 31st dancing with your 4-year-old niece or playing bingo with your 87-year-old stepfather.

My boyfriend asked me today if I had any New Year's resolutions. I told him I don't believe in them, but now that I think about it, I do have one: to continue to appreciate the people in my life, and to sustain and nourish and grow those human relationships that, to me, make this short stay on Earth worthwhile.

I wish for you in 2018 the delight of human relationships, the joy that they provide and the meaning that they bring -- and I look forward to continuing our relationship. Thank you, always, for reading, and happy New Year!by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, January 5, 2018

The Silicon Valley lobbying group Internet Association intends to challenge the repeal of the net neutrality rules in court, the organization said Friday.

The net neutrality order, passed last month by the Federal Communications Commission and released in written form on Thursday, "defies the will of a bipartisan majority of Americans and fails to preserve a free and open internet," Internet Association President Michael Beckerman stated.

Last month, the FCC voted 3-2 to repeal rules passed in 2015 that prohibited broadband providers from blocking or throttling traffic and from charging higher fees for prioritized delivery.

The Internet Association -- which counts companies like Amazon, Google, eBay and Facebook as members -- opposed that move last year. The organization argued last year that the rules benefited consumers as well as businesses, and in a possible preview of its court challenge, said the FCC had no legal basis to reverse a decision made just two years ago. The group added that Supreme Court precedent requires the FCC to show it has good reasons to reverse course.

advertisement advertisement

Other net neutrality proponents, including various state attorneys general and advocacy groups, have also vowed to challenge the repeal in court.

Beckerman added that the Internet Association will continue to "push to restore strong, enforceable net neutrality protections through a legislative solution.

Late last year, Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) introduced a bill to partially restore the rules by prohibiting broadband providers from blocking or throttling legal content, applications or services. But net neutrality proponents, including lawmakers like Sen. Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts) and advocacy groups like Free Press, say Blackburn's proposal is inadequate because it would allow providers to charge companies higher fees for prioritized delivery of their material.

Polls have shown broad consumer support for open Internet principles. Last June, Mozilla reported that a survey it conducted with Ipsos found that 81% of Democrats and 73% of Republicans support net neutrality principles. A separate poll conducted this year found that 60% of registered voters (61% of Democrats and 59% of Republicans) support net neutrality rules.Doctors use the term early onset Parkinsons to refer to the disease in people who are under 50 years of age. Early onset Parkinsons disease can be a worrying diagnosis. In some cases, it can significantly affect the quality of life of the individual and their family. However, Parkinsons affects people differently, and some only develop mild motor symptoms. When Parkinsons presents at a younger age, it is more likely to have a genetic link. It may also progress differently than Parkinsons in older people. Being aware of the symptoms can help a person get the treatment and support they need at an early stage. In this article, we explain what early onset Parkinsons disease is and how it differs from a later diagnosis. We also discuss the symptoms and treatment of Parkinsons disease and provide tips for those living with this condition.

Early onset Parkinsons definition Share on Pinterest sigridgombert/Getty Images The National Institute on Aging notes that although symptoms appear after the age of 60 years in most people with Parkinsons disease, in 510% of cases, it occurs before the age of 50 years. Doctors refer to these cases as early onset Parkinsons disease. Some people develop juvenile Parkinsons disease, in which the symptoms start appearing before the age of 20 years. The American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA) notes that 1020% of people with Parkinsons disease have the early onset form, meaning that it affects about 6,00012,000 people in the United States. Scientists do not know exactly why Parkinsons disease happens, but they believe that it results from a combination of environmental and genetic factors. Head injury and exposure to toxins, such as pesticides, may contribute. About 10% of all cases have a genetic cause, and most of these involve younger people. In cases where there is a genetic cause, the disease may be hereditary. However, some of the symptoms that can develop quite rapidly in older people may not affect younger people for many years. These include: confusion

memory loss

problems with balance For this reason, the treatment and care that a person with early onset Parkinsons disease needs may be different. People with early onset Parkinsons disease also face different lifestyle challenges. While many people continue to work and enjoy family life, they may need to make some adjustments over time.

Signs and symptoms The main symptoms of Parkinsons disease result from low dopamine levels in the brain. Some of the symptoms affect movement, but many people have nonmotor symptoms, too. According to a 2015 research article, the brain changes that lead to Parkinsons start to occur about 6 years before symptoms appear. Examples of movement-related symptoms include: small, shaking movements known as tremors

stiffness or rigidity of the arms, legs, or trunk

slow, stiff movements, known as bradykinesia

problems with balance and coordination Other possible symptoms include: changes to thinking or memory

depression

constipation or urinary incontinence

sleeping problems

dementia

balance problems Memory loss, confusion, and balance problems are more likely to affect older people with Parkinsons disease, according to the APDA. However, research suggests that a younger person is more likely to have rigidity and slow movement than a person with late onset Parkinsons disease. Also, when Parkinsons develops at a younger age: Disease progression is likely to be slower.

The onset of falls is delayed.

The survival rate is longer. Learn more about the signs and symptoms of Parkinsons disease.

Diagnosis Currently, no specific test can diagnose Parkinsons disease. A doctor will consider the persons symptoms and may carry out tests, such as blood tests and imaging scans, to rule out other conditions with similar symptoms. The Michael J. Fox Foundation notes that it may take time to get a correct diagnosis, as doctors do not usually expect to see Parkinsons disease in a younger person. They may suspect that a stiff shoulder, for example, is due to arthritis or a sports injury instead. Keeping a diary of symptoms may help identify whether they follow a Parkinsons-like pattern. As part of the diagnosis, a doctor may prescribe levodopa, a medication that can help boost dopamine levels in the brain. If symptoms respond to this treatment, this indicates that Parkinsons disease is present. Learn more about how doctors diagnose Parkinsons disease.

Treatment options Scientists have not yet found a cure for Parkinsons disease, but medication can help relieve the symptoms and enable a person to live a full and active life. The standard treatment for Parkinsons is a drug called levodopa, which doctors usually prescribe in combination with another ingredient called carbidopa. Some doctors do not recommend drug treatment in the early stages due to the risk of side effects. They may also delay treatment in the hope that it will remain effective for longer once a person starts to receive it. However, scientists have not proven that this is the case. Other options include : MAO-B inhibitors, such as selegiline (Eldepryl)

dopamine agonists, such as pramipexole (Mirapex)

deep brain stimulation In deep brain stimulation, a surgeon implants a small electrical device (similar to a pacemaker) into an area of the brain involved in movement. Adjusting the stimulation levels can help maximize a persons motor control. A doctor may also recommend : exercise, such as gym sessions, walking, or dance therapy

speech therapy

occupational therapy to help manage everyday chores and driving assessments Learn more about treatment for Parkinsons disease.

Living with early onset Parkinsons Early onset Parkinsons disease can have a significant effect on a persons daily life and long-term plans. Tips that may help a person manage early onset Parkinsons disease include: learning as much as possible about Parkinsons disease and explaining to friends and loved ones what it involves

establishing contact with a team of trusted healthcare professionals, such as a doctor, a speech therapist, and an occupational therapist

seeking counseling if the diagnosis affects the persons mental health

asking their employer to discuss a plan that will enable them to work effectively

contacting local or online support groups to share tips and experiences with others in a similar situation

identifying caregivers and loved ones who can help out if necessary

finding out about disability benefits and insurance coverage

consuming plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables to help prevent constipation and boost overall well-being

staying active, which may help maintain mobility A person with early onset Parkinsons will likely be able to continue working, driving, and enjoying a family and social life, although adaptations may be necessary in time. Those who are planning to have children may wish to consider genetic testing and counseling to establish whether there may be a hereditary risk. It is worth noting, however, that some people with the genetic features of Parkinsons disease never develop it. How can diet help with Parkinsons disease?

Tips for caregivers Parkinsons disease usually progresses more slowly in younger people, and it may be several years before the person needs additional practical help. However, emotional support and encouragement can be beneficial. Ways of providing this include: learning about Parkinsons disease and how it can affect someones daily life

engaging with the person in activities that help relieve stress, whether it be a chat over coffee or a dance class

communicating openly with the person about their preferences and long-term plans

encouraging the person to keep a record of useful information, such as health records, insurance policies, medications, and names and contact details for healthcare professionals

joining a support group for caregivers Does Medicare cover Parkinsons disease?The researchers findings were published earlier this week in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

Our findings suggest that a partners scent alone, even without their physical presence, can be a powerful tool to help reduce stress .

Many people, explains lead study author Marlise Hofer, of the Department of Psychology, wear their partners shirt or sleep on their partners side of the bed when their partner is away, but may not realize why they engage in these behaviors.

A study by the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, suggests that a male partners smell may have soothing effects for women, while the smell of strangers triggers the opposite signal in our brains.

Thats more because I miss him than thanks to his sense of style  which might need some adjustments, if you ask my opinion  but new research suggests that there may be a hidden reason behind my compulsion, and its one that Im not consciously aware of.

When my partner is away, I have been known to sneakily pilfer a shirt or two from his closet, to wear around the house or as I do the weekly shopping.

A new study from the University of British Columbia in Canada has answered the age-old question, Why do women sleep in their partners shirts? Turns out it may have something to do with alleviating stress.

Hofer and her team worked with 96 heterosexual couples. The men were required to wear a clean T-shirt for a day and asked not to use any deodorant or other scented cosmetics, smoke, or eat foods that might influence their body odor.

After the 24 hours, the mens T-shirts were frozen to make sure that their scents were kept intact on the clothes.

As part of the experiment, women were later asked to smell, at random, either a shirt that hadnt been previously worn, the shirt that had been worn by their romantic partner, or a shirt that had been worn by a stranger. None of the women knew what shirt they had been assigned to sniff.

To raise the womens stress levels, they were also put through a mock job interview and asked to solve a mathematical problem. To measure their actual stress levels, the female participants were questioned about their perceived stress.

Saliva samples were also collected, in order to measure the concentration of cortisol , which is a hormone released when were exposed to stress factors.

The women were asked to perform these smell tests rather than their male partners because, as the researchers explain, women have a stronger sense of smell than men. As one study previously covered by Medical News Today shows, women have up to twice as many smell-related neurons in their brains.

Hofer and team found that the women who sniffed the T-shirt worn by their partner exhibited lower levels of perceived stress both before the stress tests (stress anticipation) and in their aftermath (stress recovery).

Moreover, the women who correctly identified the shirt as having been worn by their partner also had lower cortisol levels. This, the scientists explain, may suggest that conscious association of smell with the image of a romantic partner has further soothing effects.

At the same time, the females who had to sniff a strangers shirt exhibited increased levels of the stress hormone, which led Hofer and team to hypothesize that it may all be down to our in-built mechanism of self-preservation.

From a young age, humans fear strangers, especially strange males, so it is possible that a strange male scent triggers the fight or flight response that leads to elevated cortisol, says Hofer, adding, This could happen without us being fully aware of it.

Senior study author Frances Chen suggests that these findings may prove useful for loving couples who have to face the stress of temporary separation due to work trips or other factors outside of their control.

With globalization, people are increasingly traveling for work and moving to new cities. Our research suggests that something as simple as taking an article of clothing that was worn by your loved one could help lower stress levels when youre far from home, Chen recommends.Pick any advertisement and you will see that every other product either talks about skin lightening, whitening or brightening. And the growing number of products and their commercials are proof that we are not getting over this obsession for fair skin anytime soon.

If using multiple creams and undergoing treatment to get a fair skin wasn't enough, Thailand has now introduced something new and bizarre, which is spreading like wildfire and turning into one of the wackiest grooming trends of all time. Honestly, it also compels us to ask that how far Thai people can go in the name of beauty and grooming trends.

Apparently, 'penis whitening' is now a huge thing among Thai men, who are now flocking to a certain Lelux Hospital in Bangkok to undergo the laser treatment. People came to know about this bizarre trend after a Facebook post of a Thai clinic carrying out this procedure went viral.

 Facebook

According to BBC, a 30-year-old patient who had undergone the treatment said, I wanted to feel more confident in my swimming briefs. In fact, he further added that he had his first session two months ago and since then he has seen a definite change in the shade.

In fact, it is the same hospital that introduced vagina whitening services a few months back. Popol Tansakul, marketing manager of Lelux Hospital said, Patients started to ask about penis whitening, and so we started the treatment a month later. The cost of the laser procedure is $650 (41128 INR approx) for five sessions.

And just in case you thought we are exaggerating about this trend going viral, the clinic currently gets early 20 to 30 patients a month who come for vagina and penis whitening. Mr. Popol further added, They are popular among gay men and transvestites who take good care of their private parts. They want to look good in all areas.

 Facebook

However, for all those who are intrigued by this trend and are now planning to fly to Thailand to be a part of this penis whitening trend, here's something you should know. On one hand where Thai men are going nuts over this bizarre trend, Thailand's health ministry has issued a warning over the procedure. The ministry warned that such treatment can have side effects like pain, inflammation or scars in the private parts and can even affect one's reproductive system or can cause problems while having sex.

Penis laser whitening is not necessary, wastes money and may give more negative effects than positive ones, Dr Thongchai Keeratihuttayakorn of the ministry said in the statement.

This trend has not only raised eyebrows around the world, it has also left people baffled over the fact that a treatment like this exists. And Twitter being a savage place, couldn't have let this ultimate golden trend pass by just like that.

1950: There will probably be flying cars in the future!



2018: Penis whitening procedure



  Andre Naval (@_AndreNaval_) January 5, 2018

Look @realDonaldTrump ! Thailand has a procedure that can bleach your orange complexion to white! https://t.co/ucog0FxkfV  Dogood Persists (@DogoodPersists) January 5, 2018

Anus: I got bleached!

Penis: Hold my beer.https://t.co/WFWLJI7fa7  Gavin McInnes (@Gavin_McInnes) January 5, 2018

What's going on in this world first vagina whitening

Then penis whitening

Why not just go glow in dark

Mad  Neville Southall (@NevilleSouthall) January 6, 2018

Apparently Thai men are whitening their penises via plastic surgery.



Me, an intellectual and an entrepreneur: it's time to sell penis foundation and white man's cock coloured condoms  Xiaxue  (@Xiaxue) January 6, 2018

Penis whitening: because sometimes those things are just too purple?  Biff Ardo (@Biff_Ardo) January 5, 2018Goa is basically home to every vacation lover in India. Be it with friends, family or just a solo trip, the beautiful state is our getaway paradise. We all have been through that stage where college friends make plans for a Goa trip and creating our very own 'Dil Chahta Hai' feels to our Goa pictures.

However, it seems like Vijai Sardesai, the state minister for agriculture and town and country planning has other plans for a better future of the state. He actually wants to discourage Indian visitors from planning any visits here. According to a report in Times Of India, he said, "Goa should become so expensive that tourists should say that it is not worth coming to Goa. Which tourists ... the Indian tourists. We must have high end facilities and get high end tourism, which benefits the sons of the soil. Why do we need these common tourists? It is not only about quantity, but also about quality of tourists coming to Goa. They say that today 64 lakh tourists come and we will take it to 1 crore. You don't need them. Reduce the numbers and instead bring the high spenders in.

 Vijai Sardesai

While one is not questioning the intentions of the state ministry. Surely, thinking of welfare and enhancing infrastructure for better revenue that comes from tourism is important, but having an agenda where domestic visitors are dissuaded is nothing short of absurd. People are already questioning the whole thing.

Yo Vijai Sardesai, while you're at it, whyncha invite Portugal to take over GOA again? https://t.co/LmKjIFFK7b That way you can really keep Indians out, 'cos then they will need passports & visas to come to Goa!  Sujeev Kommana (@skommana1) January 6, 2018

This development is clearly spelling out that the state wants to focus on a particular kind of tourist, which is not only unfair but extremely bizarre. Goa is everyone's favourite holiday destination in the country and making these remarks only highlights how lowly we perceive our own people.Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Friday that Pakistan was likely to keep open supply routes to U.S. troops in Afghanistan despite the Trump administrations cutoff of military aid.

No, Im not concerned about them, Mattis said of what the military calls the G-LOCS, or ground lines of communication, and the A-LOCS, or air lines of communication through Pakistani airspace.

In previous disputes with Washington, Pakistan has occasionally squeezed the G-LOCS running from the port of Karachi up through the Khyber Pass into Afghanistan, but Mattis, who was in Pakistan last month, said he had received no indications from his Pakistani counterparts of any response that would affect the supply routes.

I don't have any at this time, no, he said. Mattis also noted that Army Gen. Joseph Votel, commander of U.S. Central Command, had spoken Thursday with Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, Pakistans Chief of Army Staff, to discuss the potential impact of the aid cutoff.

Related content:

In a New Years Day Tweet, President Donald Trump said: The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!

Since he took office, Trump has been viewed with suspicion in Islamabad because of his courting of India, Pakistans traditional enemy.

In his address to the nation in August on the new Afghanistan strategy, Trump said "We appreciate India's important contributions to stability in Afghanistan. We want them to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development."

The U.S. has repeatedly accused Pakistan of harboring terrorists from the Haqqani network, a charge Pakistan denies, and of maintaining relations with the Afghan Taliban and providing them with safe havens in Quetta and Peshawar.

On Thursday, the Trump administration announced that nearly all military aid to Pakistan, about $2 billion annually, would be frozen.

On Friday, a senior administration official, speaking to reporters on background, said that steps in addition to the military aid cutoff were under consideration.

The U.S. does have a range of tools that we're looking at beyond just the security assistance issue to deal with Pakistan and to try to convince it to crack down on the Taliban and Haqqani network," the official said.

Certainly, no one should doubt the U.S. resolve to address this threat and all options, I would say, will be on the table," the official said.

The aid cutoff announcement triggered a furious response from Pakistan. Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif called the United States "a friend who always betrays.

Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi charged that the U.S. was grossly overestimating the amount of aid provided. The aid in the last five years at least has been less than $10 million a year. It is a very, very insignificant amount, he said.

Abbassi also said that the U.S. was promoting a fallacy in charging that Pakistan was soft on terrorism. We are today fighting the largest war on terror in the world. We are fighting the worlds war on terror with our own resources. That is something the world has to appreciate, he said.

Abbassi said that Pakistan had lost 6,500 of its troops and 37,000 civilians in combating terrorism. In addition, We have suffered a loss of over $120 billion in our economy, he said. We just want the world to know that Pakistan is on the forefront on the war on this terror.

In his informal session with Pentagon reporters Friday, Mattis agreed that terrorists had inflicted huge losses on Pakistan.

I think many of you are aware that Pakistan has lost more troops total than all of NATO, coalition, combined in the fight against them, Mattis said. But we've had disagreements, strong disagreements on some issues, and we're working those.

The dialogue with Pakistan was continuing despite the aid cutoff, Mattis said. He said that we're still working with Pakistan, and we would restore the aid if we see decisive movements against the terrorists, who are as much of a threat against Pakistan as they are against us.

Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.comOn Monday, the Service Women's Action Network plans to hold a demonstration outside the Pentagon that aims to bring the "#MeToo" sexual assault awareness movement home to the military.

It's unclear whether any active-duty service members will be in attendance.

Since October, when the #MeToo hashtag gained viral intensity on Twitter and Harvey Weinstein became the first of a herd of powerful men to lose positions and prestige over sexual assault accusations, a new wave of awareness has swept the country.

But the military, which has been addressing the realities of sexual assault in the ranks for years, has been largely absent from the movement.

Military officials say this is because the Defense Department has its own longstanding efforts underway to educate about sexual assault and prevent it. But some veterans and critics say that, despite policy, training, and initiatives to prevent reprisal, it's still too difficult for victims of military sexual assault to speak out publicly on the issue.

Navy Lt. Cmdr. Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman, told Military.com the Defense Department had not conducted any events or initiatives based on the #MeToo movement.

"We already have a very proactive position in this regard," he said. "We are already very active in regards to training and internal awareness campaigns to train our internal audience to understand what is unacceptable."

He added that the SWAN event had been organized through proper channels and that active-duty troops will be able to participate in their own capacity, though they may not wear a uniform or otherwise indicate that they represent the military.

"Events like this underscore the importance of the department's continued efforts to eliminate sexual harassment and assault from the military," he said.

In a December opinion editorial in TIME Magazine, SWAN Director of Communications and Policy Antonieta Rico, herself an Army veteran who served in Iraq, expressed disappointment that the military was being left behind in the national sexual misconduct awareness movement.

"Women in the military have been speaking out about sexual harassment and assault for decades, from Tailhook in the early 1990s to Marines United earlier this year," she wrote. "And for decades the American public has ignored our voices, allowing the military brass to pay lip service to eradicating the problem of sexual assault in the ranks, and failing to hold them accountable when, as scandal after scandal shows, sexual predators in the military continue to harass and assault with impunity."

Rico called for "military commanders to face the #MeToo reckoning and be held accountable for the entrenched culture of sexual harassment and assault they have tolerated, and at times, participated in."

To be sure, there have been high-profile incidences of senior officials made to answer for their conduct in the last year.

Marine Col. Daniel Wilson, an officer with 36 years of service, was sentenced to five-and-a-half years' confinement in September for sexually abusing a six-year-old girl.

A retired Army general officer, Maj. Gen. James Grazioplene, was ordered to court-martial in October on charges he raped a minor over the course of six years.

More recently, in December, the commander of the Air Force's 375th Air Mobility Wing, Col. John Howard, was relieved of his command following allegations of sexual misconduct.

It's hard to guess at what allegations do not see daylight. But SWAN leaders argue that the current military system, which allows military commanders to determine whether cases move forward to prosecution, is stacking the deck against victims.

Nichole Bowen-Crawford, an Army veteran and survivor of military sexual assault who will speak at Monday's event, is among those advocating for the Military Justice Improvement Act, authored by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a New York Democrat.

The bill would move prosecution decisions for crimes such as sexual assault outside the chain of command, while allowing military commanders to keep their decision-making role with military-specific crimes.

Bowen-Crawford told Military.com her assault happened in 2003 while she was deployed to Iraq as part of the first wave of the invasion.

"I didn't report my assault. I didn't report mostly because of the culture in the military," she said. "I was encouraged by my higher-ranking supervisors not to bring it to the command level. They said it would make things more difficult for me ... I genuinely think they were looking out for me."

Her assailant, a sergeant from another unit, would go on to get promoted, she said. She would leave the Army in 2004 and later grapple with life-disrupting symptoms of late-onset post-traumatic stress disorder.

Much has changed in the 15 years since then, including implementation of awareness programs, victims' advocates, bystander intervention training, and efforts to prevent reprisal against victims.

But Bowen-Crawford said there's still a level of fear among service members who worry speaking out could damage their career and make them targets. Despite systems in place to allow troops to make anonymous reports, she said unit members still tend to find out about allegations.

"My friends that are still serving in the military, not one of them has said, 'Me too,' " she said. "It seems like there's this level of silence from people that are still serving. Because the military is not a safe place to say you've been sexually assaulted or harassed without retaliation."

Bowen-Crawford will be one of several military sexual assault survivors who will speak at the SWAN event Monday.

"I hope that people start listening to the military, to veterans that have been sexually assaulted and harassed," she said. "The whole '#MeToo' movement, it's an indication that they're going to start listening, and our voices do matter, and we won't be ignored anymore."

To learn more about the protest, visit Servicewomen.org.

-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck.Right-hander Nick Martinez has agreed to a contract with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan, according to Jon Heyman of FanRag (Twitter link). The deal is worth $2.2MM, MLBTR has learned. Martinez revealed that he turned down multiple major league offers before heading to Japan, per Sponichi (h/t: Kazuto Yamazaki of Beyond the Box Score, on Twitter).

The 27-year-old Martinez had been on the market since the Rangers non-tendered him Dec. 1. Martinez otherwise would have been in line to collect a projected $2MM in arbitration. As it stands, Texas has been the only major league organization for Martinez, whom the team chose in the 18th round of the 2011 draft.

Martinez ended up exceeding the 100-inning mark in 2014, 15 and 17 with the Rangers, though a lack of strikeouts and groundballs helped lead to run prevention issues in the majors. In all, he worked to a 4.77 ERA/5.36 FIP with 5.14 K/9, 3.21 BB/9 and a 39.8 percent grounder rate over 415 1/3 innings before immigrating to Asia. Martinez was worth minus-0.2 fWAR during his Texas tenure, which he wrapped up with a replacement-level 2017 that consisted of 111 1/3 frames of 5.66 ERA/5.80 FIP ball.Offer a personal message of sympathy...

You'll find individual Guest Books on the page with each obituary notice. By sharing a fond memory or writing a kind tribute, you will be providing a comforting keepsake to those in mourning. . From a Guest Book, you may log in with your Google, Facebook, Yahoo or AOL account to leave a message. If you have an existing account with this site, you may log in with that. Otherwise, it's simple to create a new one by clicking on the Create "Sign up" button and following the simple steps on the Sign Up page.While bitcoin was going through a massive pullback in December, another cryptocurrency was smashing records. This tiny crypto saw a 357% gain in just one month. Its market cap blew through a billion US dollars, and shows no signs of slowing.

The problem is, its a joke.

Dogecoin was named after a popular internet meme. Thats slang for image-based running jokes online. Anyone can edit the images and apply the meme to the new situations and conversations. In that way, memes constantly evolve and change. New ones rapidly appear. Some last months or years, changing as they go. Others fade much more quickly and are replaced.

Not unlike many cryptos, in fact.

Dogecoin was named after a popular meme that involves Japanese Shiba Inu dogs. Its captioned with intentionally broken English. Doge is simply a misspelling of the word dog.

Dogecoin was launched in December 2013 as a parody of cryptocurrencies. Everything about it is intended to mock. It laughs at cryptos, the crypto community, and at hardcore crypto investors.

Dogecoin has a ridiculously high number of coins compared to other cryptos. That keeps the individual value extremely low. Unlike bitcoin, theres no limit on how many dogecoins can be created. And every dogecoin discussion board online is a sea of memes.

Nonetheless, its somehow become an accidental success story.

Rather than getting a few laughs and then fading away, dogecoin just refuses to die. Since 2013 its been accepted by several major online exchanges. Its use in online purchases and as an internet tipping system continues to grow.

The dogecoin community even used the crypto to sponsor the Jamaican bobsled teams entry into the 2014 Winter Olympics. They were likely inspired by the classic 1993 film Cool Runnings.

Is that kind of ridiculous use a sign that its all meaningless? On the one hand, yes, its laughable. On the other hand, the Jamaican team did compete. Its tough to argue with results.

Its basically impossible to distinguish between serious dogecoin investors online and those who are in it for a laugh. Possibly theres no difference between the two. But make no mistake. The money involved is very real.

The cryptos creator, Jackson Palmer, stepped away in 2015. Perhaps it was all getting a bit too surreal for him.

But even that wasnt enough to stop dogecoin. As mentioned above, the dogecoin market cap passed a billion dollars US in December 2017. At time of writing, its still headed steadily up.

Palmer returned briefly from crypto retirement for an interview with Coindesk this week, saying:

I have a lot of faith in the Dogecoin Core development team to keep the software stable and secure, but I think it says a lot about the state of the cryptocurrency space in general that a currency with a dog on it which hasnt released a software update in over 2 years has a $1B+ market cap.

Is the runaway success of this joke a red flag for the whole cryptocurrency world?

In a word, yes. In several words, yes, absolutely, obviously.

Cryptocurrencies remain an incredibly volatile, chaotic and constantly changing asset class. New cryptos explode onto the scene, set off tidal waves of change, and cease to exist just as quickly. Exchanges are hacked, taken down or simply disappear with users money. Scams, thieves and charlatans abound. Its a terrifyingly risky market.

None of that changes the incredible potential here. Potential both to change the world, and to bring explosive gains for investors.

Cryptocurrencies are new. Theyre innovative. Theyre disruptive. And yes, theyre highly volatile and chaotic. No one, ever, should be putting money into cryptos that they couldnt afford to lose. But even with all of that risk and chaos, you also cant afford to miss out on these opportunities. Or ignore the many ways crypto tech could revolutionise industries around the world.

Like with ultra-speculative small-cap and microcap stocks, you wouldnt bet your house on a crypto. Amounts that you wouldnt hesitate to put into a blue chip stock, would still be far too much to risk on the hottest new digital coin.

Even if that coin does come with the adorably friendly face of a Japanese puppy on it.

Possibly the greatest danger in the world of cryptos is ignorance. So many of the concepts and methods of crypto investing are new, or new versions of old ideas. And in such a rapidly changing, seldom-regulated market, there are unseen dangers everywhere for new investors.

Thats why our resident crypto experts, Sam Volkering and Ryan Dinse, launched their entry level crypto investing newsletter, Secret Crypto Network. To learn everything you need to know to get started with bitcoin, altcoins, wallets, exchanges and ICOs, check out Secret Crypto Network here.

This week in Money Morning

The Port Phillip Publishing office returned from holidays on Tuesday, 2 January. Your first Money Morning article for the year started in a logical place, with a look at where 2018 could be headed, and three sectors that could boom. To read about what could be the biggest opportunities this year, check out Tuesdays article here.

The Trump administration finally got a big legislative win at the end of 2017, with the passing of its much-hyped tax cut bill. Sure enough, governments around the world are scrambling to follow suit. In Wednesdays article, Ryan looked at the potential drawbacks of corporate tax cuts, including a problem unique to Australia. And he discussed the kind of tax cut that could make a real difference for Australians. Read the details here.

Thursday brought an outrageous prediction that bitcoin could reach US$100,000 in 2018. Or at least, it seems outrageous at first glance. But perhaps not. The crypto world saw a pullback in late December last year. But even after that, it was up more than 1,200% for the year. Which is far from bitcoins biggest yearly gains. It racked up more than 5,500% gains in 2013. And if bitcoin truly does become a fully-fledged alternative currency, ownership will have to become much more widespread than it is today. Meaning that even greater gains could be ahead.

Ryan argued that the recent volatility in bitcoin and other cryptos is to be expected in any asset this young. Obituaries in the mainstream press for bitcoin are shockingly premature. Especially considering how many times the death of bitcoin has wrongly been declared already.

To read the details, you can find Thursdays article here.

Just as volatility remains a risk in the crypto world, there are plenty of other risks too. As Money Mornings crypto experts Sam Volkering and Ryan Dinse often say, its still the Wild West. The incredible potential gains come with equally large risks.

On Friday Sam looked at one of the biggest risks in the crypto world right now, and how you can minimise or avoid it. You can read the details here.

Regards,

Tyler Jefferson,

Editor, Money Weekend3 1 of 3 Melissa Phillip Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Matt Brown/STF Show More Show Less 3 of 3





Exxon Mobil Corp. and Hess Corp. on Friday said they found more oil off the coast of Guyana, their sixth discovery in the region in three years.

Two months ago, Exxon's unit in Guyana drilled an exploration well, called the Ranger-1, in 8,900 feet of water and 21,100 feet under the ground, finding 230 feet 0f oil-bearing carbonate reservoir.Western movie enthusiasts or those just looking for a conversation piece are in luck  props and artifacts from the Alamo Village are up for sale this month.

Alamo Village is a 500-acre movie set located near Brackettville, west of San Antonio, that has provided backdrops and sets for movies including Lonesome Dove and John Waynes The Alamo.

The villages owners live in the Dallas-Forth Worth area and decided it was time to put items up for sale, said Joanie Sellers Edwards, the sites liquidator. A two-day sale will kick off at 8 a.m. Jan. 27, she said. Anyone interested in participating must register before entering the village, she said.

Wagons, cannons and other artifacts are up for sale with prices ranging between $1,000 and $18,000, Edwards said. Letters of authenticity are not available for items, but Edwards said a memo stating purchases came from the Alamo Village will be included.

We just dont have that type of paper trail to say which item, which movie prop, was used in what movie, she said. Theres not anything, a paper trail, that says, This was used in The Alamo.

The 500-acre site, once a thriving Western-style attraction with hay rides, staged gunfights, trick roping exhibitions and other activities, closed in 2009 following the death of its longtime caretaker, Virginia Shahan. For the next six months, it was open three days a week, before it closed in 2010.

Shahans husband, James T. Happy Shahan, had persuaded Wayne to film The Alamo on his ranch, about 120 miles west of San Antonio.

Wayne wanted authentic materials such as brick and adobe used on the set, and James Shahan desired concrete foundations and roofing, so he could have a real town when the film was done, according to a 2010 interview with Rich Curilla, a film and Alamo historian who spent his summers in college during the late 1960s at the site and began working there full-time in 1988.

The set won the American Cowboy Culture Award in 1998.

In all, nearly 40 major film and TV productions, plus hundreds of commercials, documentaries and music videos, were shot at Alamo Village. And musical shows, comedy skits and staged gunfights drew hundreds of tourists daily.

In its heyday, it hosted Jimmy Stewart, Dean Martin, Raquel Welch and Willie Nelson. Its where James Arness reprised his famous Matt Dillon role in a Gunsmoke TV movie.

Since its 2010 closure, the old props have been stored on the site. Virginia Shahan left the site to her daughter, Jamie Rains.

The things that are there  its just time to let someone else have them, Edwards said. The history is definitely there, but you have to protect it.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.THE countrys police force is set for a major shake-up as the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Affairs has come up with a new roadmap which contains a raft of measures that will see some police officers going for re-training and re-orientation programmes in a bid to improve professionalism in the force.

The ministry said in a bid to curtail corruption, treasury had been tasked to closely monitor police fines from the public and would retain much of this revenue.

A new training schedule is being drawn up to infuse professionalism throughout the force and improve officers general interactions with the public.

In addition, only top cops will get personal issue vehicles, with non-critical departments surrendering their cars to crime-fighting and other response units.

Drones and other technologies will also be used to counter smuggling; and electronic passports will be introduced to enhance travelers security.

The reforms are in the Home Affairs and Cultural Affairs Ministrys 100-day plan which feeds into President Emmerson Mnangagwas overarching economic strategy.

Fines collected by police have traditionally been remitted to Treasury, but the ZRP asked to retain a huge chunk to oil operations and this reportedly enmeshed the force in rampant corruption, which, in turn, cultivated crude relations with the citizenry.

The 2018 National Budget Statement shows that police collected US$38,28 million in fees and fines between January and September 2017.

Home Affairs Minister Dr Obert Mpofu told our Harare Bureau last week that corruption was intolerable and Acting Police Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga had been tasked to implement the roadmap.

We have submitted a plan to Cabinet on what we intend to do over the first 100 days and it was approved. We are now working to ensure that we implement these goals over the 100 days and it is our intention to achieve these targets. I have no doubt that it will be achieved.

I have directed all officers in the ministry to focus on these goals for the first 100 days. On policing, we have already started with the reduction of roadblocks and we have directed police to focus on policing. We had noticed that roadblocks had become the source of rampant corruption as they were being set up without following proper procedures.

Dr Mpofu also said: We have been addressing the issue of corruption for some time now and Acting Commissioner-General Matanga is leading that reorientation following the meeting I had with the (police) commanders. He is implementing the roadmap towards professionalising the police services.

There will be provincial visits followed by workshops to deal with areas of weakness and to encourage officers to focus on professional behaviour when executing their duties. There will also be retraining of officers, some of whom joined the force a long time ago and may need retraining. Further, we will also invite resource people from outside (the force) to conduct workshops on proper decorum of officers.

On remitting fines to Treasury, he said: It has always been part of how police operate: police retain a certain amount of money while the rest is remitted to Treasury. We will now be strictly monitoring this to ensure that the regulations are followed to the word.

We had cases where individuals were taking advantage of this dispensation and not remitting what was due to Treasury; we will make sure we put a stop to this . . .We are plugging all loopholes for corruption through measures that I cannot disclose to the public to ensure that there is minimal occurrence of corruption.

Dr Mpofu said border security will be tightened to avert smuggling, which has, for instance, seen Zimbabwe lose gold worth US$500 million yearly.

Authorities will equip the Police Minerals and Border Control Unit with modern surveillance technology.

We are intensifying border controls to minimise leakage of our resources which is costing the country millions of dollars every year. In addition, we are increasing both land and air patrols and will deploy modern methods of monitoring movements on our borders such as use of drones. Liaison with our fellow security service organisations will continue to ensure we minimise smuggling.

Dr Mpofu said Government will soon introduce e-passports as part of measures to modernise and enhance the security of travel documents.

An e-passport, also known as biometric passport, is a traditional travel document with an embedded electronic chip containing a holders biometric information.

It is already being used in other African countries such as Kenya.

At the Registrar-Generals Office, we are modernising by introducing modern technologies to register. We intend to computerise the entire system and minimise manual recording of certificates. We also plan to roll out e-passports as part of our 100-day plan.

 SundayNews

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Related Zimbabwe Latest NewsJanuary Thaw in Sight after Two-Week Wintry Onslaught and Bomb Cyclone Weather Underground

Severe flu brings medicine shortages, packed ERs and a rising death toll in California LA Times

Why Raspberry Pi isnt vulnerable to Spectre or Meltdown Raspberry Pi (E. Mayer). E. Mayer:

Now if Pi were just 10x faster, it might actually be a viable alternative in the PC and laptop space. :( I actually do own and use a Pi3-like ARM-based Linux micro-PC for code-development, but its an Odroid C2, a Korean make. Its based on the A53 version of the ARMv8 architecture, and even with optimized vector assembly code, is slow in absolute terms. Ive also (via a contact at ARM) run high-performance code on the later A57, its about 3x faster than the A53 and is competitive with the Core2 on my 2010 Macbook, i.e. is getting close to viability in terms of that market, but AFAICT remains a niche product. Ive heard rumors that Apple might switch part of its product line to ARM in the not-too-distant future, but thats all they are at this point, rumors.

Mark Zuckerbergs personal challenge this year is to fix Facebook Recode. In other words, to be the CEO of his company?

The Battle for Best Semi-Autonomous System: Tesla Autopilot Vs. GM SuperCruise, Head-to-Head The Drive. SuperCruises operational domain is wisely limited by GPS to what they call limited-access roads, otherwise known as divided highways, which use on- and off-ramps instead of intersections. If your algorithm doesnt work, control the parameters

PwCs failure to spot Colonial fraud spells trouble for auditors FT

The government versus the central bank: monetary policy as the only game in town Credit Writedowns

Good enough for government work? Macroeconomics since the crisis Paul Krugman, Oxford Review of Economic Policy (UserFriendly). For now, let me instead just focus on how different the economics-profession response to the post-2008 crisis has been from the responses to depression and stagflation. For this time there hasnt been a big new idea, let alone one that has taken the profession by storm. Funny, that!

North Korea

Syraqistan

Brexit

Merkel to meet with Social Democrats as preliminary grand coalition talks begin Deutsche Welle

China

Trump Transition

Net Neutrality

Big Brother Is Watching You Watch

Sports Desk

The 420

Democrats in Disarray

Krasner dismisses 31 from Philly DAs Office in dramatic first-week shakeup The Inquirer. Excellent!

Guillotine Watch

Class Warfare

Sexual Harassment Inc: How the #MeToo movement is sparking a wave of start-ups WaPo. Of course.

AI-Fooling Glasses Could Be Good Enough to Trick Facial Recognition at Airports Motherboard (Re Silc). Adversarial objects, for your face (q.v. NC here).

Life Time fitness tunes out all-news TV outlets from its big screens Star-Tribune. Well done.

Antidote du jour:

And a bonus antidote:

It's #NationalBirdDay, so here's a baby blue heron, especially for anyone who wonders what happened to the dinosaurs. pic.twitter.com/euKT4HIgFB  Alan Ferrier (@alanferrier) January 5, 2018

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.(Natural News) When a big snowstorm occurs, like the one that hit the East Coast this past week, the powers that be usually put out the word that unessential public-sector employees should stay home. That always raises the following question: If they are unessential, why are they on the government payroll in the first place?

New data about the federal government workforce suggests that workers in that sector are making out like bandits. Actually, thats somewhat disrespectful to bandits in that the latter usually work relatively hard for their ill-gotten gains rather than engage in a lot of desk-bound logrolling.

Data from a watchdog group called Open the Books contained in a new report called Mapping the Swamp suggests that federal workers, particularly those who work inside the Washington, D.C.-area Beltway, benefit from a unique kind of minimum wage, underwritten by the U.S. taxpayer, the Washington Examiner explained. You might call them the 20 percent.

In the past 10 years, Open the Books found an explosion in big paychecks. Those making $200,000 a year have jumped 165 percent and 406,960 earn $100,000 or more. As a result, the group dubbed the $100,000 paycheck the federal minimum wage.

Government workers also receive guaranteed pension benefits that are unheard of in the private sector.

Note that report excludes civilian Defense Department employees as well as those on active duty in the military.

Back in the day, government workers received generous benefits to make up for a modest salary, or at least thats how it was spun. Bureaucrats now get the pay (plus bonuses in some cases) and the benefits. This includes 10 federal holidays, 20 vacation days, and 13 sick days every year. While many federal employees are good people obviously, lots of these paper-shuffling jobs require no heavy lifting plus minimal accountability. Parenthetically, the Beltway area is said to be one of the wealthiest enclaves in the entire country.

Moreover, owing to complicated civil service rules, it is almost impossible to fire a government worker even for misconduct, and there have been instances where the only recourse was to pay an incompetent employee to leave.

There are currently about two million persons working for the federal government, which reportedly costs the U.S. taxpayer $1 million per minute, so President Trump has a lot of swamp draining to do, particularly among those holdovers who are attempting to thwart his populist agenda. To his credit, the White House is operating with far fewer employees than under Trumps predecessor.

If youve been following current events, youre also aware that states like Illinois, California, Connecticut, New York and others are predictably on or past the brink of insolvency because of all the giveaways from vote-buying Democrat politicians (and some Republicans) to public-sector unions, as FrontPageMag asserts.

As the nation plunges deeper and deeper in debt, governments at all levels find themselves unable to meet their obligations, yet public employees continue to press their demands for unreasonable compensation and benefits. All across the country, rapacious government unions are eating taxpayers alive, while working feverishly to shape the political battlefield to their own advantageunder cover of a crusade for social justice. Instead of serving as a check on government power, government employee unions function as an unelected fourth branch of government, augmenting its power at taxpayer expense.

You may recall that when Gov. Scott Walker tried to rein in the Wisconsin public sector to some degree with collective bargaining reforms to address an immense state budget deficit, the labor unions and Democrat lawmakers went bananas, and chaos descended upon the state capital in Madison. Walker and his GOP colleagues ultimately managed to get the reforms approved by the legislature and implemented after winning several legal challenges.

$136 billion on the federal payroll to 2 million disclosed employees. #MappingTheSwamp pic.twitter.com/15P4PGhSMI  OpenTheBooks.com (@open_the_books) January 1, 2018

In general, when a lawmaker, in good faith, even suggests incremental or modest changes in government programs or in the bloated workforce, the left in America immediately rolls out scare tactics and other similar forms of fear mongering from their playbook. Campaign funding through mandatory union dues is a cash cow for Democrats. (Related: Read more about the excesses of government at Patriot.news.)

Sources include:

WashingtonExaminer.com

Frontpagemag.com(Natural News) Social justice warrior (SJW) extremists are once again playing that tired ol race card in condemnation of a feature piece recently published in The New York Times (NYT) that brought to the publics attention the grand opening of a new Asian restaurant in New York City. The NYT article in question is inherently racist, according to some, because it contains a photo depicting chopsticks placed next to a plate of steak.

Because the restaurant being promoted, known as Jade Sixty, will serve a variety of meat dishes as well as traditional Asian fare, the NYT editors who staged the photo obviously thought it would be fun to feature both elements in the photo in order to portray the variety of food options that will be served at the restaurant. It obviously wasnt meant to be a real-life reflection of how one actually eats a steak, using pointy, wooden utensils that cant even cut.

But to those who see racism under every rock, the NYT may as well have published a photo of black people being strung up in trees in front of burning wooden crosses. The paper received a barrage of criticism from Twitter users who accused it of cultural and ethnic insensitivity for putting wooden sticks near the steak.

was (sic) that chopsticks placement also inspired by asia (sic),' reads one of the triggered tweets, shared by CNN International writer Wilfred Chan.

Just to give you an idea of what this character is all about, Chan, who obviously sees nothing wrong with appropriating white culture by speaking and typing in English, has a Twitter page thats full of inflammatory race-baiting nonsense. A pinned tweet from December 13, 2016, for instance, features an article he wrote thats hilariously entitled, How journalists of color plan to survive Trumps America.

HuffPost joins the insanity by publishing an entire article about chopsticks non-story

It takes some serious mental derangement to think this way, but apparently the team of journalists at The Huffington Post is similarly insane. A HuffPo writer by the name of David Moye actually published an entire article on the subject, giving credence to the miscreants on Twitter with an obvious race fetish.

Moye not only claims that the placement of the chopsticks in the photo is culturally insensitive, accusing the NYT of cultural cluelessness, but he (Or she? Or ze? Who even knows anymore when were talking about HuffPo) also tries to give credibility to all of the whining, crying Asians on Twitter who are actually taking issue with the restaurant claiming that it serves Asian food.

Because Asia encompasses 48 different countries, it is somehow culturally remiss in the eyes of these lunatics for Jade Sixty to use the blanket term Asian to describe its food offerings  even though the extensive variety of dishes that will be served at the restaurant come from many of these countries, hence the use of the word Asian as a descriptor.

Even so, those with nothing better to do than scream and cry like babies over fake racism were still able to bully their way into getting the NYT to remove the offensive photo and replace it with one containing no chopsticks. This likely wont change much, however. Chances are theyll just find something else to get upset about, perhaps the fact that steak, which some people might say is a white persons food, is featured in a photo alongside food from Asia.

This isnt the first time that the NYT has had to endure the ire of angry Asian and their SJW sympathizers. Back in April, the paper covered a story about boba tea that caused a major snowflake meltdown because it insinuated that the Asian (if that offensive to say?) beverage is somewhat new to the United States. Because boba tea has been around in some areas for many years, the SJW mafia went nuts and demanded that more people of color be placed in top positions at the NYT.

Sources for this article include:

PJMedia.com

NaturalNews.com(Natural News) The current superbug epidemic may take a turn for the worse as recent research showed that certain bacteria not only develop resistance to antibiotics, but may also copy and assimilate characteristics from their rival microorganisms that may further strengthen their immunity. The study published in the journal Cell Reports shed light on how certain bacteria species fortify their defenses against antibiotics.

Researchers at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel observed that certain species of bacteria were equipped with two special skills. The scientists noted that the first skill entails the bacterias ability to attack their competitors by injecting them with toxic proteins known as effectors using a poison syringe called type VI secretion system (T6SS). This then leads to cell lysis and death, the scientists added. The experts further explained that the second skill is the bacterias ability to uptake and reuse the released genetic material from their competitors.

The T6SS, as well as a set of different effectors, can also be found in other pathogens such as those which cause pneumonia or cholera. We have also been able to identify the corresponding immunity proteins of the five toxic effectors in the predator cells. For the bacteria it makes absolute sense to produce not only a single toxin, but a cocktail of various toxins with different effects. This increases the likelihood that the rivals can be successfully eliminated and in some cases also lysed to release their DNA, researcher Professor Marek Basler told Science Daily online.

The scientists based their research on a model organism called Acinetobacter baylyi, a close relative of the Iraq bug. The experts were able to identify five various bacterial effectors, some of which can effectively kill bacterial competition without destroying the cells, while others can severely damage the rival bacterias cell envelope and result in lysis and release of DNA fragments. The researchers cautioned that if the DNA fragments of the rival bacteria contain drug resistance genes, the specific resistance may be passed on to the predatory bacteria. This would render the predatory bacteria more resistant to antibiotics, the health experts concluded.

WHO recommends ways to stop antibiotic resistance

Marc Sprenger, director of the World Health Organizations (WHO) secretariat for antimicrobial resistance, explained that biology may be behind this resistance to some extent. According to Sprenger, many infections are quickly becoming resistant to life-saving drugs as these medications will inevitably lose their potency over time. (Related: Superbug apocalypse rapidly approaching as nearly one-quarter of infections now UNTREATABLE with first line antibiotics)

We are speeding up the process dramatically by using antibiotics too much and often in the wrong contexts. We need to slow down the development and spread of resistance so that the antibiotics we have continue to work for as long as possible. We also urgently need to devote more resources to the research and development of new antibiotics, Sprenger said.

In line with this, the WHO released prescription guidelines in order to mitigate the risk of antibiotic resistance. The WHO noted that many antibiotics are prescribed for conditions caused by viruses, which do not really deliver good results. Physicians, veterinarians, and other health care personnel were urged to avoid prescribing or dispensing antibiotics unless it is necessary and when all medical tests are used to determine which drug the patient needs. The WHO also stressed on the importance of sanitizing the hands, medical instruments, and the environment to prevent infections.

Likewise, patients and people working in the agricultural industry were advised to use antibiotics only when prescribed by health care professionals. The WHO also called on various governments to implement robust national action plans to address antibiotic resistance. The organization cited critical steps in tackling the problem, which include increased surveillance of antibiotic-resistant infections, improved regulation of medicine use, and widespread education about the effects of drug overuse.

Follow more news on antibiotic resistance at Superbugs.news.

Sources include:

ScienceDaily.com

WHO.intOne person is hospitalized with life-threatening injuries following a shooting that caused a three-vehicle collision in Fairfield, police say.

The shooting on Saturday afternoon also shut down the area of Waterman Boulevard and Hilborn Road. Officers also shut down Air Base Parkway at Interstate 80 to investigate the shooting.

Officers responding to the shooting found a male victim suffering from apparent gun shot wounds and several others injured as a result of the crash. The male victim who was shot was transported to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, police said.

According to details from an initial investigation, two vehicles were traveling on Waterman Boulevard when the occupants of one vehicle started firing at a silver Honda Accord. The driver of the Honda was struck multiple times, police said.

Descriptions of the suspect vehicle or any suspects were not immediately available.

Anyone with information regarding the shooting or the collision is asked to contact 707-428-7600 or leave an anonymous tip by calling 707-428-7345. People can also send a text message to 88877 and start the message with "Tip Fairfield PD."

No other information was immediately available.Approved retailers in San Francisco started selling marijuana for recreational use on Saturday, prompting people to line up early to buy pot.

Outside the Apothecarium on Market Street, a line was seen down the block and wrapped around inside.

Jonathan Apodoca was one of the many that lined up on the first day retailers in the city can legally sell marijuana to recreational customers -- those who are not medical patients. Apodoca said he was in line to purchase edibles.

Eliot Dobris, head of community outreach for Apothecarium, said workers will be explaining a range of product and how to safely use them.

"We are seeing a lot of first timers or people who haven't used marijuana maybe since college," Dobris said.

Apothecarium also offered a special for the occassion. Customer who brought their mom to the business received 20 percent off their purchase.

"It's our way of saying dispensaries are safe respectable places you can feel proud to bring your mom."A man who set his girlfriend on fire in San Francisco's Bayview District during an argument in 2013 was sentenced this week to 27 years in prison, according to prosecutors.

Dexter Oliver, a 27-year-old San Francisco resident, was sentenced on Thursday after he pleaded guilty to a charge of attempted murder with an allegation that he caused great bodily injury and had one prior strike on his record.

The attack occurred on Jan. 6, 2013 after the victim, who was then 25, and Oliver had an argument because she had asked him to help carry dirty clothes to a nearby Laundromat and he had refused.

When the victim left with the laundry, Oliver grabbed two empty plastic bottles, filled them with gasoline then went to the Laundromat and threw the fuel on her and lit her on fire, prosecutors said.

He was seen filling the two bottles by two witnesses, and then putting a pair of jeans on over his pajamas by another witness, according to court records.

When he walked to the Laundromat, he and the victim continued to argue. When she said she no longer wanted to date him, he poured the gasoline on her head, face and upper body and then set her on fire with a lighter.

He then took her purse and fled the scene as she burned.

The victim suffered third-degree burns to her face, head, chest, shoulders and hands and underwent multiple surgeries including reconstructive surgery.

Oliver was arrested the next day in Oakland, where he was registered in a hotel room under a woman's name.

"Burning an innocent woman for breaking up with you is absolute cowardice," District Attorney George Gascon said in a statement. "Domestic violence will never be tolerated, but what this man did is vindictive and highly disturbing."Saturday would typically be a busy night for three Dallas brewery taprooms.

Instead, their doors are locked after being ordered by city officials to temporarily close their taproom operations.

Tonight, I mean look, said Michael Peticolas looking around his taproom. Its dead. Its quiet. You can hear a pin drop. We have absolutely nothing going on.

Theyre brewing up the latest batch of beer at Peticolas Brewing Company in Dallas.

But theres no one to serve it to.

Peticolas new taproom was ordered to cease operations by the Dallas Fire Rescue Fire Prevention and Inspections Office just before New Years Eve.

Im losing a ton, said Peticolas. Every day that this is not open is a day that is difficult for me and all of our employees and all of our employees family and Im doing everything I can to get it back open.

He is not alone.

At least two other taprooms are closed and it may be because they are too popular for the permit they currently hold.

The Cidercade along Irving Boulevard in Dallas posted on its website that due to the increased number of people coming through their doors, upgrades are required before they can re-open for business.

Noble Rey Brewing Company informed its nearly 10,000 followers on Facebook that they were issued a notice that effected ceased taproom operations and added that they are working to address the issues with the city.

We dont want business owners to feel frustrated with us at the city of Dallas and so we must accept responsibility when things dont go right, said Philip Kingston, Dallas city council member. I am committed to working with these operators to make sure they get open and stay open.

Kingston believes when the taproom operators were issued permits to operate in the city of Dallas, the permits did not match the intended use.

Im almost certain that they went down to apply for permits and the building inspection people were like oh yeah, its a taproom, youre fine, he said. What the places are actually opening are not tap rooms. They are full on very vibrant bars.

Perfectly fine, adds Kingston.

But there needed to be more communication of that with building inspections, he said. I dont believe they were hiding it at all.

Kingston says he does not believe the affected taprooms were trying to cut corners when getting permits to operate.

What complicates matters more is that Dallas building inspectors do not personally inspect the properties.

That job is up to fire inspectors.

So the fire inspector goes and lays eyes on [the taproom] and says this use doesnt match the certificate of occupancy and more importantly isnt safe for the number of people who are here, said Kingston. You need to go back to building inspections and get this worked out.

The fire inspector will not inform taproom operators what issues need to be addressed, said Kingston.

Thats freaking frustrating if youre a business owner [when] somebody comes to your place, tells you to closes your doors but wont tell you how to get them back open, he said. And its not the fire inspectors job to tell you that.

Kingston says the city has been working to integrate the work of building inspection and fire marshals offices.

Currently, any significant changes would have to be sent to a committee in the city council.

Peticolas says he doesnt know what he would need to change or address in order to re-open.

Not exactly. No, he said. Its just one of the obstacles thats been placed before us in the six years that weve been operating and well overcome this one as well.

The closure of at least one of the taprooms came before a big event planned for New Years.

I really dont understand what the motivation is to come in on a holiday weekend on a Saturday night at 8 oclock, said Peticolas. I dont understand what the motivation is to come in at that time, a local city department and shut us down.

Kingston responded to that concern by saying Whens a better time to shut him down? If theres a fire safety problem before the New Years Eve party is the right time to shut him down.

The spokesman for Dallas Fire Rescue released the following statement to NBC 5:

Dallas Fire-Rescue is aware of the recent shut downs, of taproom operations, at the referenced breweries. While we would rather our actions had not impacted their planned events, please understand that we are 100% committed to ensuring that life-safety is the first priority everywhere. Dallas Fire-Rescue and the City of Dallas are committed to fostering a productive working relationship with all businesses operating in the City, and are more than willing to work with anyone who needs guidance in acquiring the appropriate permitting. If anyone has questions, they can always call the DFR Fire Prevention and Inspections Office, at (214) 670-4319.A man who escaped from a Hawaii psychiatric hospital and flew to the U.S. mainland remains in California while authorities work on his extradition.

Hawaii attorney general's office spokeswoman Dana Viola says Randall Saito is still expected to be extradited back to Hawaii with the help of the U.S. Marshal's Service.

He will be put on a non-commercial flight. The timing of the flight will not be made public for security reasons.

Viola says a California judge on Friday extended the time that Saito can be held in California to Jan. 29 in case Saito doesn't get on a flight before then.

Saito walked out of the Hawaii State Hospital on Nov. 12 and took a taxi to the airport. Police arrested him in Stockton three days later.

Saito, described by sources to Hawaii News Now as a "violent psychopath," was committed to the hospital in 1981 after being acquitted by reason of insanity of the murder of 29-year-old Sandra Yamashiro.

The woman, selected at random, was shot in the face with a pellet gun and repeatedly stabbed. Her body was found in her car at a Honolulu shopping mall.

Defense attorneys sought to have Saito released in 2000. But Jeff Albert, a deputy city prosecutor, objected, saying Saito fills all the criteria of a classic serial killer.

In 1993, a court denied Saitos request for conditional release, saying he continued to suffer from sexual sadism and necrophilia.Never in his life has Santee's Gordy Davis been more excited to get back to work.

In early November, just days after learning his wife had stage 4 cancer and only a handful of months left to live, Davis' trailer and tree stump grinding equipment he uses to run his business were stolen.

Now his stump grinder, skid-steer and trailer are back in his "junky little yard" where they belong thanks to deputies with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

Riverside County deputies were running the plates on a single-axle trailer during a traffic stop in Temecula and found that the plates belonged to Davis' double-axle trailer that was reported stolen.

The discovery led deputies to a Temecula storage yard where Davis' equipment, along with nearly 100 other pieces of equipment stolen from all over Southern California were being held.

"Mine alone was [worth] about $40,000 and that's just two pieces and a trailer," Davis said. "So, if you take it from there it's a lot. This is probably a $1 million bust.

When Davis first learned his trailer had been taken he was nearly broken.

"For this to happen is just not fair. It's not fair," he told NBC 7 as he fought back tears.

But getting his equipment back and realizing how so many good people helped him during a trying time -- from deputies to friends and even competitors who loaned him equipment so he could still work -- has restored his faith in humanity and recharged his upbeat spirit.

He's holding on to that positive attitude now more than ever as he waits for doctors to release his wife from the hospital. Once she's out, the two of them are planning to go on a bucket list vacation.

The Riverside County Sheriff's Department has made multiple arrests in association with the case.Mexico City celebrated the religious holiday known as Three Kings Day with a mammoth king cake provided by the city government.

Thousands of Mexicans gathered Friday night in the Mexican capital to enjoy a piece of the traditional treat.

The cake measured a staggering 47-feet long and weighed about ten tons.

According to reports, it was turned into a quarter of a million slices to hand out.

The celebration in Mexico Citys famed Zocalo Square honors the three wise mens visit to the newborn Jesus.

Thats when Christians believe God was first revealed to the world in human form.

By local tradition, the cake is baked with plastic figurines of babies inside.

Those who get a slice of cake with a plastic baby are responsible for buying tamales in January.What to Know Long waits on the tarmac and at baggage claim extended to a third day at JFK airport, where travelers have described a nightmarish few days

A water pipe break, a plane collision and a man allegedly carrying a loaded gun created a "meltdown" after a blizzard caused pileup delays

The airport is experiencing a days-long backlog at gates after Thursday's monster blizzard temporarily shut down the airport

A water pipe break flooded a terminal at JFK airport on Sunday, officials said, compounding problems for travelers on the third straight day of bitter cold, system failures, delays and chaos.

The Port Authority, which manages the airport, said a water pipe break flooded the arrivals hall at Terminal 4 just before 2 p.m. and that the authority is opening an investigation into the cause.

"What happened at JFK Airport is unacceptable, and travelers expect and deserve better," saide Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton. "While the water pipe break that occurred appears to be weather-related, we have launched an investigation into the incident to determine exactly what occurred and why an internal pipe was not weather protected and whether any other failures contributed to this disruption."



Port Authority spokesman Scott Ladd said about 3 inches of water was inside the west end of Terminal 4 and that maintenance crews were on scene, along with the Port Authority Police Department and FDNY.

@ReuvenFen/Twitter

Video on social media showed water pouring down from ceilings and covering a wide swath of the terminal floor as workers tried to mop it up.

Ladd said international flights to Terminal 4 had been suspended as a result of the water pipe break. The inner roadway at the arrivals area of Terminal 4 was also closed because of the water, but the outer roadway remained open, Ladd said.

"Passengers who have already arrived are being deplaned and taken to other terminals for processing," he said, adding that there has been no impact on departures and AirTrain service "as far as we know."

A water main break flooded Terminal 4 at JFK Airport on Sunday, the latest in a series of extraordinary mishaps at the airport after a blizzard temporarily closed it Thursday. Wale Aliyu reports.

The Kennedy Airport Twitter account tweeted that traffic was heavy into Terminal 4, as taxis were being rerouted to the departure level.

Rick Cotton, the executive director of Port Authority, said Terminal 4 is privately operated and that the authority is investigating what happened. He said it's believed a feeder pipe to the sprinkler system broke after it froze because of the weather.

"This appears to be directly weather-related, but it's not clear why the pipe was not weather protected or what the immediate cause was of that freezing," Cotton said.

Electricity to the flooded areas of the terminal was shut off after the pipe broke to ensure safety and prevent short-circuiting, Cotton said. On social media, people posted videos of a darkened terminal.

"Wow! Total meltdown at #JFK after a water main break led to a power outage and no luggage for anyone #welcometonewyork," Twitter user @bubblyandbella posted.

Also looking like power has been lost in the terminal too. Some Delta flights are diverting away from #JFK due to the water main break pic.twitter.com/058IPY7ZZd  Alex (@Airline_Alex) January 7, 2018

Cotton said the flooding took out two-thirds of the arrivals area of Terminal 4, including the Customs and Immigration processing facility. Inbound flight delays at the airport were more than 2 1/2 hours early Sunday evening.

The Port Authority expects the operator of Terminal 4 to reopen the closed arrivals area around 7 p.m. Sunday, Cotton said.

Shawn Makinen, vice president of facilities for JFKIAT, the company which operates Terminal 4, said in a statement: "We are working closely with local agencies and authorities, as well as on-site emergency maintenance personnel, to resume normal operations as quickly as possible."

The flooded terminal and loss of power came as travelers endured hours-long waits on the tarmac, only to face more hours-long waits for their baggage when they got inside the terminal. Social media posts show mountains of luggage in baggage claim.

Further complicating the travel nightmare: On Saturday, two planes collided on the tarmac and a man was arrested with a loaded, stolen gun while going through security.

Tempers flared as travelers endured long waits on planes and at the baggage carousel at JFK. Rana Novini reports.

The Port Authority, which manages the airport, says the delays stemmed from a backlog of flights after the airport was shut down Thursday in the first blizzard of 2018.

After it reopened, a "cascading series of issues" including extreme cold, frozen equipment breakdowns, staff shortages and difficulties in baggage handling contributed to the delays, the Port Authority said.

Its getting like a madhouse," traveler Steven Litvin told NBC 4 New York. "People are getting upset. You have little kids, you have animals. Its a madhouse.



Passengers at describe chaos and long waits at JFK airports, where two planes collided on the tarmac. Rana Novini reports.

Litvin and his wife were walking out of the airport eight hours after their plane landed -- with just half of their luggage.

Were tired," he said. "Were frustrated. We didnt get any sleep and we still dont know where our bags are. Nobody knows anything and they all give you a circular answer: its coming soon.



The Port Authority said that 94 flights were canceled on Saturday. The website FlightAware said that hundreds more were delayed.

By 1 p.m. Sunday, there were already 20 canceled flights among the departures from JFK. For those trying to arrive, there were 24 cancellations and 128 delays.

That means 19 percent of incoming flights were delayed Sunday.

Tempers flared at the luggage carousel, where travelers waited for hours and posted pictures on social media of bags piling up.

Emillio Mesa posted a photo of himself amid a sea of luggage on Instagram early Sunday and wrote: "I call this #baggageapocalypse ! Ive been here since 8pm and still no luggage or answers! What is going on??! #jfkchaos #delta #nightmare"

Juan Cuellar was in the airport five hours waiting to pick up people arriving at JFK. "It's crazy, it's unbelievable," he said. "People are really mad because once they get out -- five hours wait -- they have to wait like one hour for their baggage. So it's a really long time."

One person was recorded on video breaking out in a shouting, profanity-laden tirade while waiting for her bags at around 2:30 a.m. Sunday. "I'm tired, man," she said, in about the only sentence that could be printed without obscenities.



Virgin Atlantic said in a tweet that police were called to a disturbance at a gate they were sharing with another airline. The disturbance broke out after the other airline canceled a flight.

We are sharing a gate with another airline, and they have just cancelled there flight, causing the disturbance and the police being called. Our flight is operating and our teams are now moving our customers through the gate so they can board our aircraft. ^RM  Virgin Atlantic (@VirginAtlantic) January 7, 2018

Things were only made worse Saturday when the right wing of a China Southern plane hit the tail of a Kuwait Airways airliner, damaging both aircrafts, according to the Port Authority.

The China Southern flight was being towed when the planes collided shortly after midnight, the FAA said. Both planes are Boeing 777s. No one was injured and all the passengers got off safely, but the collision only added to the mess.

Kuwait Airways said on Twitter that Flight 118 from New York to Kuwait was struck by the Chinese plane as it was parked before takeoff. The airline said it was working with authorities in New York to investigate. The Kuwait Airways passengers were taken to hotels as they waited for alternative flights, the airline said.

The China Southern plane didn't have any passengers at the time, according to the Port Authority.

Also Saturday morning, Port Authority police said they arrested a 61-year-old man with a stolen gun as he went through security.

The man, from Queens, had the loaded Sig Sauer P238 .38 caliber gun wrapped in his coat as it went through the conveyor belt of an X-ray machine at security, police said. He was arrested and charged with criminal possession of a weapon.What to Know Residents of dozens of public housing developments across the five boroughs say they lack of heat and hot water amid extreme cold

City Comptroller Scott Stringer is launching an audit on NYCHA; he says public housing is plagued by defective boilers

Defective boiler rates are 39.5 percent at NYCHA buildings, while the citywide average is 7.9 percent

Residents of dozens of public housing developments across the city have registered complaints about a lack of heat and hot water amid a dangerous stretch of winter cold, prompting the citys comptroller to launch an audit in response to the crisis.

The complaints were registered at 32 New York City Housing Authority developments in all five boroughs over the last several days; 11 of them are in the Bronx; nine are in Manhattan, nine are in Brooklyn, two are in Queens, and one is on Staten Island.

The tri-state has been racked by subzero temperatures for days and wind chills have dropped well below zero. NYCHA residents have said they've been improvising to stay warm, including using space heaters and keeping water boiling on stoves.

On Saturday, city Comptroller Scott Stringer announced he was launching another NYCHA audit to perform a top-to-bottom review of this crisis.

This is a crisis that is manmade. People made this happen. It was not the winds of the climate, it was the fact that government has fallen down. They were warned in 2015, they did nothing, Stringer said Saturday.

Stringers analysis showed the rate of defected boilers within NYCHA are five times the city average. Over the past six months, city data shows 39.5 percent of NYCHA boilers had a defect compared to just 7.9 percent citywide.

This is the comptrollers ninth audit on NYCHA. Back in 2015, we warned them that this was happening. We told them they needed to fix these systems. We told them a crisis was coming, and they did nothing, Stringer said.

At a NYCHA building in the Morrisania section of the Bronx on Saturday night, 7-year-old Ethan Almarez and his siblings were in an apartment where there was ice on the inside of the windows.

"I go under the blanket, and then sometimes I go in front of the heater," Almarez said.

Heidy Morales is finding alternative ways to heat her home. She uses a heating light to keep the children warm. She says it has cost her $600 to power the light for the past two months and that she has to wake up every few hours each night because she fears the light may catch fire.



Employees from the Office of Emergency Management knocked on every door of the building Saturday to offer residents a free bus ride to a nearby shelter to stay warm for the night. Brett Asher was among those knocking on doors.

"I feel bad for them. I wouldn't want to be out of heat, that's for sure. And to have to go somewhere else, that's not comfortable," Asher said.

NYCHA says they'll be doing piping work until Sunday to get the heat and hot water back on.

In a statement responding to the audit on Saturday, NYCHA spokesperson Jasmine Blake said the authority would cooperate fully with the comptroller.

Our staff is working 24/7 to combat this extraordinary cold spell that has battered the city. This weekend we are focused on ensuring heat is on in all NYCHA developments, Blake said.

NYCHA says the most critical issue facing its heating operations is its aging infrastructure. Of NYCHAs $17 billion in capital need, $2 billion is needed just to repair the most critical boilers.

Over the past two years, NYCHAs Heating Department has undertaken a preventative maintenance program during the summer months to minimize outages and issues during high-pressure times, like the current stretch of extreme cold.

Read the comptroller's letter to NYCHA Chairwoman Shola Olatoye.

If you don't have heat, let NBC 4 New York know by calling our tipline: 866-NEWS-244. You can also send us a message at NBCNewYork.com/tipsBorder Patrol is closing the door on a program that allows loved ones living on opposite sides of the U.S.-Mexico border to reunite for three minutes by opening the barrier that separates them.

The head of Border Angels, an immigration advocacy group that works with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to put on the annual event, announced the decision earlier this week.

"Opening the Door of Hope" has been held for the last six years at Friendship Park, an area between two border fences at Border Field State Park near south San Diego. During the event, Border Patrol opens a gate that seperates pre-selected loved ones living in separate countries and allows them to embrace, kiss and speak face-to-face. Last year 12 families were selected.

Director of Border Angels Enrique Morones said he met with Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott earlier this week to discuss several events the agency and the group coordinate on, including Opening the Door of Hope.

Morones said that Scott will not allow Opening the Door of Hope this year, but the organizations have coordinated on several other events planned for 2018.

The cross-border event came under scrutiny last month after it was discovered that one of men selected to participate in the cross border event  a U.S. citizen who used his three minutes to wed his international girfriend  had been charged with drug smuggling.

Brian Houston married Evelia Reyes, a Mexican national, in November.

At the time, Houston declined to explain why he was unable to go to Tijuana, but said the couple's attorney was trying to obtain a green card for Reyes to join him in the U.S.

A month after the wedding, a federal complaint shows Houston was unable to cross into Mexico because he surrendered his passport in March when he was released on bail after he was caught smuggling more than 120-pounds of heroin, meth and cocaine across the border. He pleaded guilty to three felony charges of importing a controlled substance.

The incident angered Border Patrol, but it is not clear if it had any influence on the cancellation of Opening the Doors of Hope.

CBP still allows families to see each other through a fortified fence at Friendship Park while remaining firmly in their countries. Morones said that events at Friendship Park like Immigration First Sundays, a day for immigrants to meet with a lawyer for consultations on various issues, and a Valentine's Celebration with music and flowers, will continue.The Trump Administration has presented its most detailed request for the president's border wall proposal  asking Congress for nearly $18 billion for a wall expansion over 10 years.

The funds would be used to create a total of 970 miles of barrier between the United States and Mexico by September 2027, according to a U.S. official with direct knowledge of the matter.

Another $15 billion has been requested for technology, personnel and roads. It amounts to an additional $33 billion in spending for security along the southern U.S. border.

One local U.S. Customs and Border Patrol union leader backs the plan.

From the perspective of a border patrol agent, a wall and other physical barriers are very helpful for us doing our jobs, said Joshua Wilson, Vice President of the National Border Patrol Council Local 1613.

Most of the people that will tell you a border wall doesnt work, have zero border security experience, Wilson added.

The new funding proposal would add 5,000 new border patrol agents and 3,500 border inspectors and other personnel, the U.S. official said.

Immigrant rights advocates argue there is already an excessive security presence in San Diego.

Its just an outlandish amount of money that is being spent on policies to enforce the border, which have failed, said Pedro Rios, Director of American Friends Services Committee in San Diego.

The President and the Administration need to hear what the border communities have to say about this, Rios added.

The financial plan for a border wall comes as lawmakers debate protections for undocumented young people known as Dreamers. Any attempt at a compromise on immigration reform in the coming year will likely come with a requirement that more money be spent on border security.President Donald Trump, portrayed in a new book as a leader who doesn't understand the weight of his office, spoke out on Saturday to defend his mental fitness and defend his actions regarding the Russia probe, saying he is "like, really smart" and has been "100 percent proper."

He posted a series of tweets from Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland, a few hours before holding meetings on the 2018 legislative agenda with Republican congressional leaders and Cabinet members.

It was his latest pushback against author Michael Wolff's "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House." The book draws a derogatory portrait of the 45th president as an undisciplined man-child who didn't actually want to win the White House, and who spends his evenings eating cheeseburgers in bed, watching television and talking on the telephone to old friends.

The book also quotes Trump's former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, and other prominent advisers as questioning the president's competence.

Trump is having none of it.

He tweeted that critics are "taking out the old Ronald Reagan playbook and screaming mental stability and intelligence." The president said "actually, throughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart."

Trump said going from successful businessman to reality TV star to president on his first try "would qualify as not smart, but genius .... and a very stable genius at that!"

Trump spoke to reporters at Camp David, NBC News reported, and said he felt compelled to write his tweets, saying, "I had a situation where I was a very excellent student; came out made billions and billions of dollars; became one of the top business people; went to television and for 10 years was a tremendous success, as you've probably had heard, ran for president one time and won."

During the press conference, Trump also addressed recent reports that he had asked for Attorney General Jeff Sessions not to recuse himself from the Russia investigation, saying that "Everything I've done is 100 percent proper. That is what I do, is I do things proper."

And he again denied having colluded with Russia or having committed any crimes.

Trump added in response to a reporter's question that he doesn't know Wolff but he felt "heartened" because some in the media questioned the veracity of his insider-account of the early days in the Trump administration.

"I consider it a work of fiction and I think it's a disgrace that somebody is able to have something, do something like that," Trump said. "The libel laws are very weak in this country."

Chatter about Trump's mental fitness for office has intensified in recent months on cable news shows and among Democrats in Congress.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders this week called such suggestions "disgraceful and laughable."

"If he was unfit, he probably wouldn't be sitting there and wouldn't have defeated the most qualified group of candidates the Republican Party has ever seen," she said, calling him "an incredibly strong and good leader."

In early December, the House voted overwhelmingly to kill a resolution from a liberal Democrat to impeach Trump. Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, said Trump had associated his presidency with causes rooted in bigotry and racism.

To back his claim accusing Trump of high misdemeanors, Green cited incidents such as Trump's blaming both sides for violence at a deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, and his sharing of hateful, anti-Muslim videos posted online by a fringe British extremist group.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said in a statement shortly before the vote that while "legitimate questions have been raised about his fitness to lead this nation," they argued "now is not the time to consider articles of impeachment."D.C. firefighters had to use road flares to defrost hydrants and ladders while battling a fire in northwest Washington, D.C., early Sunday morning.

Crews were called to the 3600 block of Park Place Northwest sometime after 5 a.m. Sunday for a fire at a rowhome. The fire was located on the second floor and rear porch.

One resident was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, and a second person evaluated at the scene. Officials said four people were displaced by the fire.

Extra units were called to the scene to cycle out crews because of the cold. Water used to fight the fire also landed on equipment, causing firefighters to use road flares to thaw out the items.A man who was a lunch aide in one Montgomery County, Maryland, school and a former employee at a daycare housed inside another county school was arrested and charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.

Maryland State Police said Sean Renfrew Kelley, 30, of Silver Spring, Maryland, was charged with three counts of distribution of imagery of a minor engaged in sexual conduct and seven counts of possession of imagery of an individual under the age of 16 engaged in sexual conduct. He was arrested at his home early Friday morning.

Investigators said they received notice from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding the possession and distribution of child pornography by a computer. They were able to determine that the IP address used for the child pornography was assigned to a specific address in Silver Spring, which was Kelley's residence.

Melissa Brunson, principal at Cloverly Elementary School, sent a letter to parents on Friday, informing them of the arrest. In the letter, Brunson said Kelley was a temporary part-time lunch hour aide at her school, and a former employee of Kids After Hours, a daycare housed at Cannon Road Elementary School.

Brunson said police believe the child pornography photos discovered on the computer are not of any Montgomery County Public Schools student. She said the school system was offering counseling and support to any student who might need it.Malaysia approved a new attempt to find the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, the country's government announced Saturday, nearly four years after the plane's disappearance sparked one of aviation's biggest mysteries, NBC News reported.

The U.S.-based company Ocean Infinity dispatched a search vessel this week to look in the southern Indian Ocean for debris from the plane, which disappeared March 8, 2014, on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 227 passengers and 12 crew members.

Ocean Infinity said in a statement that the search vessel Seabed Constructor, which left the South African port of Durban on Tuesday, was taking advantage of favorable weather to move toward "the vicinity of the possible search zone."

The governments of Malaysia, China and Australia had called off the nearly three-year official search last January without solving the mystery. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau's final report on the search conceded that authorities were no closer to knowing the reasons for the Boeing 777's disappearance, or its exact location.hospital workers

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View ResultsEmerging from closed-door meetings with Republican leaders, President Donald Trump on Saturday held out the prospect of a deal with Democrats on the fate of young immigrants brought to the country illegally as children but appeared to put a welfare system overhaul  once a top White House priority  on the back burner.

Trump spent much of Friday and Saturday morning hashing out his 2018 agenda with GOP House and Senate leaders, top White House aides and select Cabinet members at the presidential retreat at Camp David. He described the sessions as "incredible" and "perhaps transformative in certain ways."

A long list of high-stakes topics were on the agenda, from national security and infrastructure to the budget and 2018 midterm election strategy. Though Democrats were not included in the discussions, the leaders  some dressed casually in jeans, khakis and sweaters  said they were optimistic that more Democrats would be working with Republicans.

"We hope that 2018'll be a year of more bipartisan cooperation," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters, predicting a "significant number of Democrats" would be interested in supporting Trump's agenda.

It's a reflection of reality: Republicans hold a razor-thin majority in the Senate and will need Democrats' support to push through most legislation. It's unclear, however, the extent to which Trump is willing to work with Democrats to achieve that goal.

Trump, for instance, declared Saturday that he will not sign legislation protecting hundreds of thousands of young people who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children unless Congress agrees to fund his promised border wall as well as overhaul the legal immigration system. Trump last year ended the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which shielded more than 700,000 people from deportation and gave then the right to work legally in the country, and gave Congress until March to find a fix.

Trump said any deal must stop immigrants from being able to sponsor their extended family members and must end the diversity visa lottery, which draws immigrants from under-represented parts of a world . That's in addition to funding for the southern border wall, a deeply unpopular idea among Democrats.

The administration on Friday unveiled a 10-year, $18 billion request for the wall that roiled the immigration talks and infuriated Democrats who've spent months in negotiations, increasing the prospect of a government shutdown.

But Trump appeared oblivious to the anger on Saturday. "We hope that we're going to be able to work out an arrangement with the Democrats," he said. "It's something, certainly, that I'd like to see happen."

Trump also appeared Saturday to back away from efforts to overhaul the welfare system, which just weeks ago had been identified as one of the White House's top two legislative priorities, along with a massive infrastructure investment plan.

McConnell had argued that welfare reform was a no-go given Democratic opposition. And Trump appeared to have come around.

"It's a subject that's very dear to our heart," Trump said. "We'll try and do something in a bipartisan way. Otherwise, we'll be holding it for a little bit later."

Republicans are eager to build on the victory achieved late last year with the overhaul of the nation's tax code. But before moving on to infrastructure and other items, Trump and his GOP allies first must navigate a tricky landscape of leftover legislation from last year that promises to test party unity in the coming weeks.

The need to work with Democrats on a spending package, for instance, is sure to whip up opposition from many conservatives to a hoped-for catchall spending bill slated for next month.

The Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland's Catoctin Mountains provides a woodsy respite from Washington. It's a place where presidents and lawmakers can bond over meals, hikes and movie nights.

"There's a feeling here that you don't have in very many places. There was a bonding," Trump said of the visit.

Trump's chief of staff, John Kelly, told reporters Saturday that lawmakers and top White House officials had enjoyed "a couple of glasses of wine together last night" and gathered with Trump to watch the new movie "The Greatest Showman," starring Hugh Jackman. (He described it as "very, very entertaining.")

The president also addressed the ongoing tension with North Korea, saying he's open to talking with the North Korean leader he's called "Rocket Man" and is hoping some good can come from upcoming talks between the Koreas.

Trump said he "always believes in talking."

North and South Korea have agreed to discuss cooperation on the upcoming Olympics in South Korea, as well as other issues, in rare talks set to begin Tuesday.

Trump called that "a big start." He said if "something can come out of those talks that would be a great thing for all of humanity."

He said North Korea's Kim Jong Un  who's threatened the U.S. with a nuclear attack  "knows I'm not messing around, not even a little bit, not even 1 percent."

Trump said he'd be open to talking with the North Korean leader.

Politics, too, were on the agenda, with talks about the midterm elections. Republicans are at risk of losing the majority they've held in the House since 2011, and could also lose seats in the Senate, though many more Democratic incumbents are up for re-election this year.

Trump said he's planning an aggressive campaign schedule to stump for Republican candidates, but added that he's done campaigning for insurgents challenging incumbent Republican members of Congress.

"I don't see that happening," he said, citing the stinging GOP loss last year in Alabama, where Democrats managed to win a seat in the Senate and Trump backed two losing candidates.The father of a 1-year-old girl attacked by a family pit bull was forced to kill the animal during the brutal attack this morning, police said. The injuries left the girl with serious- to life-threatening injuries, according to fire officials.

At approximately 8:54 am the Falmouth Police Department received a 911 call from a residence on Brick Kiln Road reporting that a one-year old girl had been attacked by the family dog. The Falmouth Fire & Rescue Department and the Falmouth Police Department rushed to the residence, and FFRD immediately began treating the child. She was transported to the Falmouth Hospital by ambulance, and subsequently to a Boston area hospital by helicopter.

The preliminary investigation indicates that the child was playing in the kitchen with the father nearby. The family pit-bull terrier attacked the child and bit her in the face causing major trauma. The father immediately attempted to separate the dog from the child, but was unable. He retrieved a pistol from an adjacent room, but when he realized that it was not loaded he grabbed a knife and began stabbing the animal in order to protect the child. The dog was fatally wounded.

The family has owned the dog for 5 years. The preliminary investigation has revealed no known history of violence or aggression. At this time, the attack appears to have been unprovoked. The incident remains under investigation by the Falmouth Police Department with assistance from the Falmouth Department of Marine & Environmental Services, Animal Control Division.

No further information is available for release at this time.

At approximately 8:54 am the Falmouth Police Department received a 911 call from a residence on Brick Kiln Road reporting that a one-year old girl had been attacked by the family dog. The Falmouth Fire & Rescue Department and the Falmouth Police Department rushed to the residence, and FFRD immediately began treating the child.

She was transported to the Falmouth Hospital by ambulance, and subsequently to a Boston area hospital by Life Flight helicopter.

The preliminary investigation indicates that the child was playing in the kitchen with the father nearby. The family pit-bull terrier attacked the child and bit her in the face causing major trauma. The father immediately attempted to separate the dog from the child, but was unable. He retrieved a pistol from an adjacent room, but when he realized that it was not loaded he grabbed a knife and began stabbing the animal in order to protect the child.

The dog, which the family reportedly owned for five years, was fatally wounded. The preliminary investigation has revealed no known history of violence or aggression.

A family member, who asked not to be identified, said the dog's name was Blue and had been given to the family by relatives in Virginia. Initial reports indicated the child received serious injuries to her nose and eye areas, and had breathing difficulties. The family member reported the child was now breathing on her own. A neighbor added that the dog was well trained.

At this time, the attack appears to have been unprovoked, according to a police news statement. The incident remains under investigation by the Falmouth Police Department with assistance from the Falmouth Department of Marine & Environmental Services, Animal Control Division.A JetBlue flight returned to Logan Airport in Boston after reports of odor and fumes on Saturday.

According to information from the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport), Flight 1095 was heading from Boston to Punta Cuna in the Dominican Republic at 6:45 p.m. when it turned around and landed safely.

Two people complained of discomfort and were checked out at the scene. There were no reports of anyone transported by EMS.

"Shortly after departure from Boston, the crew onboard JetBlue Flight 1095 to Punta Cana reported an unusual odor," said Sharon Jones, a spokeswoman for JetBlue in a statement. "The crew elected to return to Boston and was met by medical personnel." The aircraft is being inspected, according to JetBlue.

This story will be updated with ongoing developments.Richard Benyon sees funny side of campaign, which will benefit Eight Bells charity

NEWBURY MP Richard Benyon says he can see the funny side to a fundraising campaign that was set up to buy him a bicycle after he was banned from driving. (Pictures of Mr Benyon from 2004 and copyright of Newbury News ltd)

As reported by the in December, Mr Benyon was disqualified for six months under the totting-up procedure after being caught using his mobile phone behind the wheel in London in April.

Mr Benyon, who has been actively campaigning for road safety since a number of fatal crashes on the A34, was heavily criticised and labelled a hypocrite by some following his conviction.

West Berkshire Green Party chairman Steve Masters couldnt resist taking a swipe at his political rival by setting up the Just Giving page titled MP Richard Benyon needs a bicycle.

The plan is to buy Mr Benyon a cheap second-hand bike from eBay and donate the rest to the Eight Bells for Mental Health charity in Newbury.

So far more than 400 has been donated to the page, which has been shared more than 550 times on Facebook.

On the fundraising page, it says: Living in rural West Berkshire he now faces a difficult task commuting into London without a car.

He will also find he is increasingly unable to get around his constituency as readily as before after the recent cuts to rural bus services in West Berkshire imposed by the Conservative-led West Berkshire Council.

To ensure our hard-working MP can continue to be an effective voice for all his constituents, the local Green Party have started a fundraising page to get Richard a bicycle to allow him to carry out his work both locally and in Parliament.

Mr Masters, who is also the chairman of 8 Bells for Mental Health, said: It is vital that Richard Benyon is able to carry on working and, like his constituents, he will clearly struggle after the cuts imposed in West Berkshire.

To this end, an eco-friendly bicycle seems to offer the best solution to this unfortunate situation.

He added: Losing ones licence when it is central to your working life can be devastating for working people.

Therefore any surplus monies raised above the cost of a second-hand bike from eBay will go to a local mental health charity here in Newbury.

This will ensure people like Richard have the support they need when dealing with what must be a very stressful time.

Speaking to the , Mr Benyon said: I think it is very funny and very amusing.

As the proposal is to give the majority of the money to Eight Bells, I have contributed 10 myself.

Some constituents  and Mr Masters  have got in touch with both the and Mr Benyons office to seek reassurances that the MP would not be claiming additional expenses for his journeys during his ban.

In response, Mr Benyon said: I am sure no one really expected me to and of course I would not do that.

I think most of the people saying that are either joking or doing it to be malicious.

I claim less than I am entitled to, so the idea that I would suddenly start claiming for chauffeurs and taxis is risible and ridiculous.

Mr Masters asked whether Mr Benyon would consider match-funding the money raised through his familys Englefield Trust.

To which Mr Benyon replied: My charitable giving is a private affair and I am not going to comment on that.

I support a number of local charities and continue to do so, but those are my own personal affairs.

When asked how he would be getting about during his six-month ban, Mr Benyon said: A combination of public transport, my wife, friends, my new bicycle and my feet.

Visit https://www.gofundme.com/mp-richard-benyon-needs-a-bicycle to make a donation.Scleroderma with internal organ involvement is a debilitating and lethal autoimmune disorder with few effective treatments. But a study led by Duke Health researchers has found new cause for optimism using an aggressive stem cell transplant regimen.

The researchers, publishing in the Jan. 4 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, found significantly improved survival among patients with a severe form of scleroderma who underwent chemotherapy, whole body radiation and a stem cell transplant. Patients also had less need for immune suppressant drugs after transplant.

"Scleroderma hardens the skin and connective tissues and in its severe form leads to fatal organ failure, most often the lungs" said lead author Keith Sullivan, M.D., James B. Wyngaarden Professor of Medicine and Cellular Therapy at Duke. "In these severe cases, conventional drug therapies are not very effective long-term, so new approaches are a priority."

Earlier publications suggested that stem cell transplant might be a viable treatment, using less intensive treatment without irradiation. These studies showed that reduced-intensity stem cell transplant improved survival, but the disease often returned and patient safety remained a concern. As a result, conventional immunosuppressive drug treatment remained the standard of care in the U.S.

In the current study, Sullivan and colleagues developed a transplant conditioning regimen that included high-dose chemotherapy plus whole-body radiation to fully wipe out the patient's defective immune-forming system, with the aim of improving survival and diminishing the effects of the disease. They limited radiation by shielding patients' kidneys and lungs while repopulating the blood and immune system.

Thirty-six scleroderma patients were randomly assigned to receive transplant. The regimen was designed to destroy the patients' defective autoreactive immune system and replace it with their own blood stem cells that had been removed and treated to eliminate self-reacting lymphocytes.

For comparison, 39 additional patients were randomized to receive 12 monthly intravenous injections of cyclophosphamide, a conventional immune suppressing treatment for severe scleroderma.

The study was conducted over a 10-year period at 26 universities in the United States and Canada. The primary study endpoint at 54 months was a global rank composite score based on a hierarchy of scleroderma features including survival, organ function, quality of life and skin hardening. Results showed significant benefit with transplant: 67 percent of 1,404 pairwise comparisons favored transplant vs. 33 percent favoring cyclophosphamide.

By study endpoint, fewer transplant recipients resumed use of anti-scleroderma drugs (9 percent vs. 44 percent of controls). Overall survival at 72 months was 86 percent after transplant vs. 51 percent after cyclophosphamide -- a highly significant benefit.

"These results show that individuals with poor-prognosis scleroderma can improve and live longer and that these advances appear durable," Sullivan said.

Treatment-related mortality at the study endpoint of 54 months was 3 percent among transplant recipients while cyclophosphamide recipients had no treatment-related deaths. In the short term, transplant recipients also had more serious side effects, such as low blood counts and infections.

"Patients and their doctors should carefully weigh the pros and cons of intensive treatment with stem cell transplant, but this may hopefully set a new standard in this otherwise devastating autoimmune disease," Sullivan said. "These advances show the value of medical research and clinical trials in finding better therapies to advance health."Disha Patani's throwback pic from Sri Lanka holiday that set internet on fire

New Delhi : Disha Patani recently celebrated her New Year in Sri Lanka with her alleged boyfriend Tiger Shroff. Both the stars were seen posting their flawless bodies on the internet. Diahs Patani's picture in which she was seen standing by the sea in a black bikini had set internet on fire.

The 'Baaghi 2' actress recently took to Instagram and shared a sizzling picture of herself soaking up the sun and captioned it, "Heaven".

Disha Patani will be seen sharing the screen with her alleged beau Tiger Shroff in Baaghi 2.

Baaghi 2 has been scheduled to release in theatres on March 30, 2018.Pakistan warns against making donations to 72 groups on 'watch list'

Islamabad : Pakistan has issued a list of 72 groups it has put on 'watch list', including the Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD). The authorities have also issued warning that makes donation to any of these groups a crime.

Hafiz Saeeds JuD and Falah-e-Insaniyat (FIF), declared fronts for the Lashkar-e-Taiba terror group, are not banned but are included in the interior ministrys watch list.

An official statement released by the interior ministry said that any financial donation made towards these 72 organisations would be considered as crime.

Hence, people should avoid giving them charity, and should instead report any suspicious activities on 1717, the statement said, referring to the number for a helpline for terror-related complaints established by the National Counter-Terrorism Authority (NACTA).

It said that according to Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997 of Pakistan and under UN Security Council act of 1948 it was a crime to provide funding to those groups which have been banned or are on the watchlist.

Those giving funds to such individuals or groups may face five to 10 years in jail or up to Rs 10 million fine or both, it said.METROPOLITAN

An article on this weekends cover about a development battle over the Marx Brothers Playground in Manhattan refers incorrectly to Melissa Mark-Viveritos role in city government. While Ms. Mark-Viverito served as the City Council speaker from 2014 through 2017, she is no longer in that position. Corey Johnson was elected to the post on Wednesday.



An article on Page 4 misstates the quantity of raw sewage released into New Yorks waterways each year. It is just under 20 billion gallons, not 27 billion.

MAGAZINE

Because of developments after the magazine went to press, the clue to 114-Down in this weekends puzzle  Only N.F.L. team ever to go 0-16 for a season  is no longer correct. The clue, which has been corrected online, should read: First N.F.L. team to go 0-16 for a season, in 2008. (The Cleveland Browns this season became the second.)



An article on Dec. 10 about changes to Title IX rules on university campuses incorrectly described a statistic. According to 2014 data, 310 sexual assaults  not rapes  out of 1,000 are reported to the police nationwide.At The Times, where I work on the Styles desk, red carpet slide shows are a mainstay of awards season. We watch, pick our personal bests and worsts, and publish images that millions of people then judge for themselves. The photographs, at best, reflect a desire for shiny distractions. But there is a complicity to scrutinizing and ranking these women, too.

Their dresses are not a reflection of their own style or their professional achievements. They speak to the larger economy of Hollywood, whose corruption becomes clearer with each turn of the news cycle. Moreover, our habitual participation in the red carpet industrial complex underscores the widely held perception that womens bodies are available for public consumption.

So were switching things up this year.

Were sending a Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist, Damon Winter, to document the Golden Globes red carpet as a news event (you can see some of his coverage of Donald Trump here). We will have a slate of reporters watching and listening for smart, critical quotes from celebrities, not about what theyre wearing, but about the future they envision for their industry  and the world.

Weve also published a series of curtain-raiser stories, which contain red carpet observations, as well as critiques and predictions, from journalists at The Times and The New York Times Magazine. Read on.DAKAR, Senegal  Gunmen in Senegal on Saturday killed at least 13 people who were gathering firewood in the forest, the military said. It was the worst attack in years in the restive Casamance region in the countrys south, where a separatist insurgency has dragged on for more than three decades.

The deaths led to fears of renewed unrest in the area, which had been relatively calm for the last several years.

Col. Abdoul Ndiaye said late Saturday that seven others were wounded in the attack, which happened four miles outside the town of Ziguinchor. The military said it had stepped up its presence near the town.

Casamance is separated from the rest of Senegal by the nation of Gambia.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack._____

 In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modis popularity is eroding as the once-roaring economy cools down.

Economists agree that two of Mr. Modis biggest policy gambles  abruptly voiding most of the nations currency and imposing a sweeping new sales tax  have slowed Indias meteoric growth.

Now that his economic strategy is losing its sheen, Mr. Modi may lean even more heavily on Hindu nationalism, a risky gambit as social tensions simmer, especially between Hindus and Muslims and among castes.

_____

 President Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital is seen by many as the death knell for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

And even the Palestine Liberation Organization is asking if that might not be such a bad idea. But Israeli and Palestinian visions of what that single state would look like are mutually exclusive.

Separately, the financial ties between Israel and Jared Kushner, Mr. Trumps son-in-law, continue to deepen, even with Mr. Kushners diplomatic role in the Middle East.

_____Menora, which is also Israels largest manager of pension funds, has done numerous other real estate deals, including several in the United States, said the Menora executive, Ran Markman, who is the companys head of real estate. He said he had never met Mr. Kushner. In negotiating the deal with Kushner Companies, Mr. Markman said, he worked with Laurent Morali, the firms president.

The deal was not done because of the so-called connections of Jared Kushner or Donald Trump, Mr. Markman said. The connection to the president was not an issue. It didnt make us do the deal, it didnt make us not do the deal.

Mr. Kushner resigned as chief executive of Kushner Companies when he joined the White House last January. But he remains the beneficiary of a series of trusts that own stakes in Kushner properties and other investments. Those are worth as much as $761 million, according to government ethics filings, and most likely much more: The estimate nets out the significant debt accumulated by the firm, which has done about $7 billion of deals in the past decade.

The Baltimore-area buildings in which Menora invested were the subject of an article by a ProPublica reporter in the The New York Times Magazine last year that documented the poor living conditions and aggressive tactics used by Kushner Companies, including garnishing the bank accounts of low-income tenants and turning off heat and hot water.

The White House has said Mr. Kushner would work with his ethics advisers to ensure he recused himself from any particular matter involving specific parties in which he has a business relationship with a party to the matter.

But a White House official also said Mr. Kushner had sold stakes in properties that would present unique complexity. For example, he sold his stake in the companys headquarters at 666 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, which is seeking new investors around the world.WASHINGTON  The Interior Department is poised to approve a land swap in Alaska that would allow the remote town of King Cove to build a road through the sensitive wetlands of Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, state and local officials said Saturday.

The agreement, first reported by The Washington Post, is expected to be signed this month. The King Cove Corporation, a tribal organization that manages the area, will exchange approximately 250 to 500 acres of land for the ability to cut an approximately 200-acre strip through the refuge, said Henry Mack, the mayor of King Cove.

The decision by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke will effectively overturn a determination made by former President Barack Obamas interior secretary, Sally Jewell, in 2013. Ms. Jewell found that a road would cause irreparable harm to Izembeks ecology and wildlife, including the grizzly bear, caribou and geese for whom the refuge is a critical habitat.

The community of King Cove, whose population is under 1,000, has been fighting for decades for the right to build a single-lane road through the refuge to the neighboring town of Cold Bay, which has an all-weather airport that can provide flights to hospitals in Anchorage.Caroline Bouchard Ervin and Dr. Errol Lloyd Gordon were married Jan. 5 at the Manhattan Marriage Bureau. Michael McSweeney, a staff member in the City Clerks Office, officiated.

The bride, 32, is a jewelry specialist at Christies, the Manhattan auction house, where she is also in the auctioneer training program. She graduated from Colorado College in Colorado Springs, and received a graduate degree in gemology from the Gemological Institute of America in Manhattan.

She is a daughter of Dr. Ann Schoenthaler-Ervin and Dr. Edmund D. Ervin of Waterville, Me. The brides father is an internist at the Maine General Medical Center in Waterville. Her mother is a psychologist in Waterville, Me.; she also sits on the State of Maine Advisory Board for School Psychology.

The groom, 41, is a neurointensivist at St. John Hospital in Tulsa, Okla., where he cares for patients in the neurology intensive care unit. He graduated from the City University of New York and received a medical degree from SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn.Gabrielle Melissa Leon and Mark Eric Spatt were married Jan. 6. Rabbi Michael L. Gold officiated at the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum in Palm Beach, Fla.

Mrs. Spatt, 33, is the program associate in Atlanta for the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, which encourages high school students and young adults, through educational programs and travel, to develop a connection with Israel and Jewish values. She is also a director of both the Atlanta chapter of the American Jewish Committee and of the Coalition for Collegiate Womens Leadership, which is in LaGrange, Ga. She graduated from the University of Florida.

She is a daughter of Diana R. Jacobs of Coral Springs, Fla., and Leslie Leon of Issaquah, Wash. The brides father is an information technology and software development consultant in Issaquah. Her mother is a hospice nurse for Vitas Healthcare, and works with patients at Broward Health North, a hospital in Pompano Beach, Fla. The bride is also a stepdaughter of Barbara Leon and of Norman Jacobs.

Mr. Spatt, also 33, is a portfolio manager at Cornerstone Investment Partners, an investment firm in Atlanta. He graduated from Princeton University, received an M.B.A. with honors from the University of Pennsylvania, and is also a chartered financial analyst. He is also involved with Atlanta chapter of the American Jewish Committee, through which the couple met in 2014; he is a vice chairman of the young professionals group and manages its interfaith outreach to the Muslim community.Jillian Holmes Vandall and Andrew Miao were married Jan. 6 in Manhattan. Devon G. Kelley, a friend of the couple who became a Universal Life minister for this event, officiated at the Bowery Hotel.

Mrs. Miao, 31, is a senior publicity manager, representing childrens book authors and illustrators, at Random House in New York. She is also a freelance calligrapher. She graduated cum laude from the University of New Hampshire.

She is the daughter of Peter J. Vandall of New Canaan, Conn., and the late Betsy Holmes Vandall. The brides father retired as the vice president for sales and marketing at Pez Candy in Orange, Conn. Her mother was a nurse in the recovery room at Norwalk Hospital in Norwalk, Conn.

Mr. Miao, 31, is a risk-management consultant at Promontory Financial Group, a financial services risk manager in Manhattan. He graduated from Williams College.The fraternity has been held responsible for the senseless and completely avoidable death of a strong, smart, promising college freshman, Kimberly A. Metzger, the assistant district attorney who led the prosecution, said in a statement following the verdict.

There is nothing that will ever lift the burden of Michaels tragic death from the hearts of his mother and father and their entire family, she added. But in speaking with Michaels mother following the verdict, she reiterated for us what she has consistently wished from this case  that another young person isnt subjected to such perverse conduct merely for wanting to belong.

One of the earliest and highest-profile cases of prosecutors charging a fraternity came after the death, in 1997, of Scott Krueger, an 18-year-old freshman at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who was pledging to join the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. He fell into a coma after binge drinking, his blood-alcohol level reaching 0.40, five times the legal limit to drive, prosecutors said. The fraternity was indicted on homicide and hazing charges, while no individual members were charged. The case fell apart after the fraternity dissolved its chapter at M.I.T.

Another fraternity, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, was found guilty in 2012 of hazing and other charges after George Desdunes, a Cornell University sophomore from Brooklyn, died after drinking excessive amounts of alcohol. However, in that case, the fraternity did not present a defense; three students who were charged were acquitted.

Prosecutors routinely pursue criminal cases against institutions, often for white-collar crimes involving allegations of corporate malfeasance. Charges alleging violent offenses are less common. Legal experts said the situation with fraternities is analogous to workplace cases, such as in mines or on construction sites, where prosecutors believe an employers negligence or wrongdoing contributed to a workers injury or death.

In such cases, prosecutors have to show that the death was much more than pure possibility, said David LaBahn, the president of the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys. This was a death that was preventable.

In the Baruch case, Pi Delta Psi has contended that the initiation rituals were unsanctioned. During the trial, the fraternity claimed that prosecutors had unfairly conflated the students actions with organizations in a way that was misleading and directly prejudices the national fraternity.According to both Mr. Letts lawyer and the judge, Dora L. Irizarry, the government cannot decide to criminally prosecute immigrants and then keep them locked up on immigration detainers, if, as their cases proceed, they are granted bail. To do so, they said, was to take what amounted to a second bite of the apple, one that skirted the constitutional protections of the criminal-justice system by using the separate immigration process to obtain a result they failed to get the first time.

The executive branch has a choice to make, the lawyer, Michelle Gelernt, wrote last week in a motion to dismiss Mr. Letts charges. Whether to proceed with the criminal case against Mr. Lett or whether to proceed instead with his removal.

What the executive branch cannot do, Ms. Gelernt said, is to use its immigration authority to detain Mr. Lett while pursuing its criminal case against him.

In making her argument, Ms. Gelernt, of the Federal Defenders of New York, relied on two recent orders by Judge Irizarry that came in similar cases of immigrants who were arrested on detainers after being freed on bail. In her orders, Judge Irizarry wrote that by holding immigrants released on bail with immigration detainers, the government was essentially making an end run around the countrys bail laws.

At play in all three cases is a tension between the Bail Reform Act, which protects defendants rights to be released before their trials, and the Immigration and Nationality Act, which gives the government the power to detain and deport people who are in the country illegally. Though appeals courts have not yet addressed the conflict, Judge Irizarry wrote in one of her orders that criminal cases legally take precedence over deportation efforts, adding in the other that the government cannot proceed on a dual criminal prosecution and deportation track.When Desiree Santanas 14-year-old daughter went missing in September, she felt frantic.

Ms. Santana filed a police report, but two days later she was still awaiting news. She called the local detective assigned to the case up to seven times a day, but her calls were not returned, she said. The precinct promised to send her daughters picture to the press, but Ms. Santana never saw it on the local news.

To them, she was just another missing teenager from the Bronx, Ms. Santana, 42, said during a recent interview at her childhood home in the western part of the borough. She seemed like just another kid who was disobedient and ran away.

But Ms. Santana, a single mother of six, refused to give up the search for her daughter, Sarah.

Ms. Santana emailed her daughters photograph to a local television reporter. Within minutes, she saw the picture on TV. She waited for answers, but none came.

Three days after Sarah disappeared, Ms. Santana and her oldest daughter tracked her down through social media.Tatsuro Toyoda, the American-educated son of the founder of the Toyota Motor Corporation and a major figure in the companys international expansion, died on Dec. 30. He was 88.

The cause was pneumonia, the company said on Saturday in announcing his death. It did not say where he died.

Mr. Toyoda served as Toyotas seventh president, from 1992 to 1995, and led the companys first American factory, an unprecedented collaboration with General Motors that fused Japanese factory methodology with the American labor force and union system.

The factory, called New United Motor Manufacturing Inc., and based in Fremont, Calif., led to far-reaching changes in how American factory work was done and spurred Toyotas international growth. It produced the Chevrolet Nova and the Toyota Corolla, among other vehicles, before closing in 2010.With the close of the year, the tally was in: Crime was down in the 30 largest cities in the United States, and even a worrisome uptick in urban murders had subsided.

More than two decades of safer cities has cleared the way for major changes in the nations criminal justice system: fewer prisoners, shorter sentences and more pardons.

But fewer crimes have not resulted in fewer police officers on the streets.

In 2016, there were slightly more officers per capita than in 1991, when violent crime peaked, according to data collected by the F.B.I. Now, officers deal with half the crimes per capita that they did then.

But hardly anyone questions the size of police forces. Not taxpayers, who might expect the decades-long drop in crime to produce some budget savings. Not politicians, though they have a host of competing priorities, like schools and hospitals.The 40-year-old man from a small town in western Pennsylvania met the 14-year-old girl online, prosecutors said. He sent lewd pictures to her and solicited sexual contact and made plans to meet her.

On Friday, the man, Michael W. Diebold, showed up at the place where he and the girl had agreed to get together.

By day, Mr. Diebold is the chief of the Leechburg Police Department, where he oversees two full-time and 15 part-time officers. His department helps protect the 2,000-person borough, about 25 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.

And as it turned out, the person Chief Diebold planned to meet on Friday was an undercover member of law enforcement  not the teenage girl he had hoped to find, prosecutors said.This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration  period  both in person and around the globe. That now famous press briefing marked the beginning of the Trump administration and became a punchline. This will be the largest audience to witness an Emmys  period. But nearly one year later, similar verbal uppercuts on the press have defined how the Trump administration reacts to criticism. Defending your boss is nothing new. But the way they do it is. Negative  No, that its O.K.  no, excuse me. Oh, no, no, no, no. But theres a difference  theres a very big  Im sorry. Im not finished. That is one of the most outrageous, insulting, ignorant and foolish things youve ever said. On Sunday, it happened again. Trump senior adviser Stephen Miller was asked about the presidents mental stability. Heres how he responded. But I think in the toxic environment that youve created here in CNN and cable news, which is a real crisis of legitimacy for your network. And we saw it, of course, with the extremely fake news you reported about the Don Jr. and WikiLeaks story. And it didnt end well. Youve attemped to filibuster by talking about your fights with the president. No, hold on a sec. I want to ask you a question. And I think Ive wasted enough of my viewers time. Thank you, Stephen. As Republican lawmakers call for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to resign ... Since Trump came into office, his administration has vowed to fight the news media tooth and nail over what it sees as unfair attacks. Perhaps no one does this more often or more aggressively than the president himself. Wait a minute. Im not finished. Im not finished, fake news. Buzzfeed, which is a failing pile of garbage. White House adviser Kellyanne Conway does this often. This president is not trusted by the American people. No, thats wrong. You know whats a problem for this nation, that you refuse  CNN used to be a place where people can tune in and get the news all day long. Now they get spin and peoples opinions. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, does too. Theres a very big difference between making honest mistakes and purposefully misleading the American people, something that happens regularly. You cant say  Im not done. H.R. McMaster, the national security adviser, defended Trump after reports that he revealed highly classified intelligence to Russia. I think the real issue, and I think what Id like to see really debated more, is that our national security has been put at risk by those violating confidentiality. While every president has grumbled about coverage, Trump has proved to be the most vocal in at least a generation. After Millers recent appearance, Trump tweeted out his support. So it appears that in Trumps eyes, its not only important what you say, but how you say it.A prominent donor to the Democratic Party says she is considering withdrawing support for senators who urged their colleague Al Franken to resign after he was accused of sexual misconduct.

The donor, Susie Tompkins Buell, has been one of the Democratic Partys most generous supporters for decades. In particular, she has been a champion of female politicians, including Senators Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Maria Cantwell of Washington.

Last month, those senators were among the dozens who called for Mr. Franken to resign from the Senate after at least six women accused him of sexual harassment or misconduct, such as forcible kissing and groping.

Mr. Franken announced his resignation on Dec. 7 before the Senate Ethics Committee had completed a review of the accusations, which he disputed.BANGKOK  A resistance group in Myanmar claimed responsibility on Sunday for an ambush of government forces in Rakhine State that left three people wounded, saying it had no choice but to defend the Rohingya from state-sponsored terrorism.

In a statement posted on Twitter, Atta Ullah, who identifies himself as commander of the rebel group, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, said the attack on Friday morning in Maungdaw had been staged in response to efforts by Myanmars security forces to drive the Rohingya, a Muslim minority in a Buddhist-majority country, from the area.

Mr. Atta Ullah accused government forces of continuing to kill civilians, rape women and destroy villages in a campaign of genocide.

More than 650,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh since the Myanmar military began its campaign in late August, joining roughly 87,000 who had fled earlier. Survivors have given consistent, harrowing accounts of gang rapes, torture, random killings and the destruction of villages.COOBER PEDY, Australia  For anyone driving through South Australias outback, it does not take long to see why patrol officers like Alan Walton are needed to keep the countrys 3,500-mile-long dingo fence in order.

Early into a recent workday, Mr. Walton watched as a kangaroo  perhaps driven by the potential for greener pastures or a mate on the other side  slammed full-throttle into the fence, bouncing off like a boxer hitting the ropes.

Within minutes, Mr. Walton, 54, crawled his pickup truck, known locally as a ute, past the battered section of the fence. This time, the barrier was not breached. Other times, Mr. Walton has had to patch holes in the wire, stabilize a post or untangle an offending kangaroo.ROME  For generations of Romans, Epiphany, not Christmas, was the holiday seasons main day for receiving gifts. They are dispensed overnight, according to Italian folklore, by the Befana, a broom-riding old hag with a strict naughty-or-nice ethic. To fall on her wrong side was to wake up on Jan. 6 to a stocking full of coal.

The Befanas traditional headquarters  a kiosk-filled market in the central Piazza Navona here where vendors hawk trinkets, toys and sticky sweets  was a beloved annual pilgrimage, a kid-magnet of excitement, fun and sugar highs.

This year, Roman families turned out as usual, many with strollers in tow, on a sunny and warm Saturday. But it was evident that times had changed, and a cloud hung over the market.

Concerns about terrorism had choked off the event, and as lines formed at the entrances to the elegant Baroque square, police and carabinieri officers stood at steel barriers. Agents wielding metal detectors scanned knapsacks under the startled gaze of wide-eyed children. Earlier in the week, the square had been placed under special surveillance.Efforts to reconcile Sinn Fein with the senior partner in the Belfast government, the Democratic Unionist Party, have foundered over a number of issues, including a failure to agree on how to deal with unpunished crimes committed during the Troubles.

Image A still from a video posted on Twitter by Barry McElduff with a loaf of Kingsmill bread.

South of the border, Sinn Fein is now the third-largest political party in the Dublin Parliament. It decided in November that it was willing to be a junior partner in a future coalition government there  the latest shift from its original policy of refusing to recognize or sit in any parliament or government other than one representing a united Ireland.

However, the partys previous links to I.R.A. violence and racketeering are still problematic for some southern voters, who might otherwise be attracted to its center-left social platform and strong constituency work.

Last November, the partys veteran president, Gerry Adams, who has led Sinn Fein since 1983, announced that he would stand down at the next election, a move interpreted as passing the torch to a new generation of leaders with no personal involvement in what republicans term the armed struggle.

Mr. McElduff himself was convicted on charges stemming from his role in the I.R.A.s false imprisonment of a suspected police informant and was given an 18-month suspended sentence in 1992.

A blurb on the Sinn Fein Bookshop website describes him as an irrepressible republican raconteur and wit. In the video on Twitter, since taken down, he jokes: Im in the Classic service station here, but Im just wondering, where does McCulloughs keep the bread?

The post was immediately condemned by a range of politicians and community leaders. Arlene Foster, the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, which draws most of its support from Protestants, said in a post on Twitter: Shame on any elected rep who posted that inhuman video. I feel sorry for IRA victims & West Tyrone who have McElduff as their MP. All murder was wrong. Glorifying any murderer is sickening. Mocking is depraved.BRUSSELS  Since the first of the year, President Trump has attacked a variety of countries in Twitter posts, urging protesters to overthrow the Iranian government, threatening to blow up North Korea and calling for cuts in aid to the Palestinians. In bluster and tone, he has begun 2018 where he left off.

Two things stand out about the foreign policy messages Mr. Trump has posted on Twitter since taking office: How far they veer from the traditional ways American presidents express themselves, let alone handle diplomacy. And how rarely Mr. Trump has followed through on his words. Indeed, nearly a year after he entered the White House, the rest of the world is trying to figure out whether Mr. Trump is more mouth than fist, more paper tiger than the real thing.

Countries are unsure whether to take his words as policy pronouncements, or whether they can be safely ignored. If Mr. Trumps threats are seen as hollow, what does that do to American credibility? In a series of Twitter posts on Saturday, Mr. Trump reacted to questions about his mental fitness by calling himself a very stable genius.

Even if there is a recognition that Mr. Trumps tweets may be largely intended to let off steam or reassure his domestic base, there is an increasing sense that the credibility of the administration, and the presidency itself, is being eroded.TEHRAN  The man stood outside the notorious Evin Prison in Tehran on Sunday, his hands deep in his pockets as snow continued to fall. His son Majid had been inside the prison for over a week, after being arrested during the largest antigovernment demonstrations Iran has seen in years.

My wife and I are here every day, said the man, who gave only his first name, Hossein. I dont want trouble. I just want my son released.

Majid, a 32-year-old employee at a telecommunications company, calls from prison daily. He had not been protesting at all, his father insists, and was arrested by mistake.

Members of Irans ruling establishment have taken turns assigning blame for the protests in more than 80 cities that have resulted in at least 21 deaths and shined a light on the countrys declining economic conditions, corruption and a lack of personal freedom. Some have accused foreign enemies, including the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia, of organizing and financing the movement.Want solution to border dispute with China through talks, won't allow unilateral action on LAC: Rajnath Singh

India to construct 14,000 bunkers along border with Pakistan

India

oi-PTI

Over 14,000 community and individual bunkers would be constructed along the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB) for border residents facing Pakistani shelling in Jammu division, officials said on Sunday.

While 7298 bunkers would be constructed along the LoC in the twin districts of Poonch and Rajouri, 7162 underground bunkers would be constructed along the IB in Jammu, Kathua and Samba districts, the officials said.

The government recently sanctioned the construction of 14,460 individual and community bunkers at a cost of Rs. 415.73 crore for people living along the LoC and IB.

A total of 13,029 individual bunkers and 1431 community bunkers were being constructed, the officials said, adding that the capacity of the 160 square feet individual bunker was eight people, and that of the 800 square feet community bunker was 40 people.

The officials said 4918 individual and 372 community bunkers would be constructed in Rajouri, and 3076 individual and 243 community bunkers would come up in Kathua district.

A total of 688 community and 1320 individual bunkers would be constructed in Poonch, Jammu would get 1200 individual and 120 community bunkers, and 2515 individual and eight community bunkers would be constructed in Samba district, they said.

India shares a 3,323km long border with Pakistan, of which 221km of the IB and 740km of the LoC fall in Jammu and Kashmir.

As many as 35 people -- 19 Army personnel, 12 civilians and four BSF personnel -- were killed in ceasefire violations by Pakistan last year alone.

Senior BJP leader and MP Jugal Kishore Sharma welcomed the move by the centre. "It is indeed a matter of joy and satisfaction for the people of border villages that the centre has sanctioned construction of bunkers and approved relief and compensation for various property and livestock losses due to cross-border firing," Sharma said.

The MP expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh for acceding to the demands of people living in border villages.

PTI

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Story first published: Sunday, January 7, 2018, 17:54 [IST]Mangaluru: Man attacked in retaliation to Bajrang Dal worker's murder dies

India

oi-Anusha

Mohammed Basheer a resident of Suratkal, who was hacked by miscreants in retaliation to attack on a Bajrang Dal worker- Deepak Rao, succumbed to his injuries on Sunday. The assault on Basheer was caught on CCTV cameras which have helped the police nab four accused so far.

Following Deepak Rao's murder, Basheer was assaulted by seven miscreants near his fast food stall at Kottara Chowki on January 3. CCTV footage reveals that the assailants hacked Basheer multiple times leaving him to die. Basheer was rushed to a private hospital nearby where he battled for life for four days before succumbing on Sunday. 43 year old Basheer was assaulted when he was returning from his food stall.

The Mangaluru police have arrested four people- Sandesh, Dhanush, Srujith and Kishan- all of them history-sheeters, in connection with the case. The police, however, have refused to confirm the accused's affiliations with any organisations.

"Four arrests have been made but we are yet to verify the antecedents of the accused. Whether they belong to an organisation is a matter of investigation," said Hanumantharaya, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Law and Order, Mangaluru.

Mangaluru and surrounding areas had witnessed unrest over Deepak Rao's brutal murder and Basheer's death- seen as a result of retaliatory attack- has only made the situation grave.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Sunday, January 7, 2018, 11:35 [IST]Rajnath Singh likely to name stadium after Neeraj Chopra during Pune visit

Forces inimical to India trying to create atmosphere of instability: Rajnath Singh

Want solution to border dispute with China through talks, won't allow unilateral action on LAC: Rajnath Singh

No major terror attack in India since PM Modi became PM, says Rajnath; calls it major achievement

Rajnath Singh says Pakistan is inciting Kashmir youth against India

India

oi-Madhuri

Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said that terror infrastructure in Pakistan continued to exist and that the country is leaving no stone unturned to incite the Jammu and Kashmir youth against India.

He also asked the state police and paramilitary forces to effectively combat communal incidents that have marginally increased in India.

While addressing the country's top police officers at the IB's annual DG/IG meet, Singh said,''The financing of separatists and infiltration of terrorists from across the border is an area of concern. The separatists take advantage of any law and order situation to instil anti-India sentiments among people."

The home minister later awarded 10 police stations for their performance.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Sunday, January 7, 2018, 6:34 [IST]Instead of just 1, more firms should be allowed to make vaccines: Gadkari

In next three years, India will hopefully get highways of American standard: Nitin Gadkari

Rs 31,930 cr initiatives to decongest Delhi, says Nitin Gadkari

India

pti-PTI

New Delhi, Jan 7: Major projects entailing an investment of Rs 31,930 crore are in the pipeline to decongest the national capital, including development of the Dwarka Expressway at a cost of Rs 6,000 crore, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said.

The initiatives, some of which are progressing fast, are in line with the Modi government's vision to ensure seamless flow of traffic in the National Capital Region (NCR) besides minimising vehicular pollution, Road Transport and Highways Minister Gadkari told PTI.

"We have undertaken projects worth Rs 31,930 crore to decongest Delhi and the NCR region and minimise vehicular pollution, which has become a major problem," the minister said. Work on the Rs 12,000 crore Eastern Peripheral Expressway and Rs 6,000 crore Delhi-Meerut Expressway is on full swing and bids have been invited for the Rs 6,000 crore project for development of Dwarka Expressway, he said.

"Work has already been awarded for decongestion of Dhaula Kuan-airport corridor to be executed at a cost of Rs 260 crore besides detailed project report (DPR) is in progress for Rs 5,000 crore new ring road project (UER II) for Delhi," Gadkari said.

Last month, chairing a high-level meeting attended by Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, among others, Gadkari had asked officials to expedite the Urban Extension Road (UER) project. It was also decided that the extra cost of UER II, phase one will be shared by NHAI and DDA on a 50:50 basis. Master Plan for Delhi has proposed UER II, which connects National Highways 1, 10 and 8. This road was proposed to reduce traffic on the Ring Road and Outer Ring Road. It was also decided that DDA will hand over encumbrance free land.

Gadkari said apart from UER II, bids have been invited for development of Gurgaon-Sohna road with elevated highway/ six-lane road with service roads. The project will cost Rs 1,500 crore. Besides these projects, "90 per cent progress have been achieved in development of major injunctions on NH 8 in Gurgaon to be executed at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore and construction of a flyover at Hero Honda Chowk entailing Rs 170 crore cost," the minister said.

About Delhi-Meerut Expressway, he said its first leg which includes India's first 14-lane highway and 2.5 metre- wide cycle track, is set to be inaugurated anytime now. The minister said it is being completed in a record 14 months as against the scheduled 30 months and will reduce the travel time significantly from Delhi to Meerut to just 45 minutes from three-four hours at present.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on December 31, 2015 laid the foundation stone of the expressway. As far as the Eastern Peripheral Expressway is concerned, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has recently told the Supreme Court that hurdles in its ongoing construction have been resolved in a "satisfactory manner" in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

The 135-km-long expressway envisages signal-free connectivity between Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Gautam Budh Nagar (Greater Noida) and Palwal.

PTIBlackbuck poaching case: 'Salman Khan was jailed because he is Muslim', says Pak foreign minister

No alliance with US anymore, says Pakistan foreign minister

International

oi-Deepika

By Deepika

Pakistan on Sunday declared that it no longer has an alliance with the United State. The statement comes a day after the United States announced the suspension of all security aid to Pakistan.

In an interview with Wall Street Journal, Pakistan Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif said the country's alliance with the US seems to be coming to an end.

"We do not have any alliance, this is not how allies behave," Asif told WSJ in an interview on January 5.

On Thursday, the administration of President Donald Trump had said that security assistance was on hold "until the Pakistani government takes decisive action against groups, including the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network".

The US accuses Pakistan of harbouring militants, who it claims kill American soldiers in Afghanistan, while Islamabad says Washington doesn't adequately acknowledge Pakistan's role in decimating al Qaeda or its sacrifice of thousands of lives after joining America's 'war on terror'.

The Trump administration has suspended about $2 billion in security aid to Pakistan for failing to clamp down on the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network terror groups and dismantle their safe havens.

Asif had earlier accused the US of acting like "a friend who always betrays". "The US behaviour is neither that of an ally nor of a friend. It is a friend who always betrays."

OneIndia NewsPalestine denies reports of its envoy to Pakistan being reinstated

International

oi-Deepika

By Deepika

Palestinian Foreign Ministry on Sunday denied reports that Walid Abu Ali, its former ambassador to Pakistan, was reinstated after being recalled for attending a rally where he shared a stage with 26/11 attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed.

"We deny this information. Our ambassador in Pakistan is in Palestine and our position was declared by our official statement which we have published last week," Palestinian Foreign Ministry clarified.

"We don't know from where you got this information about (the) Palestine Ambassdor to Pakistan being reinstated. As per our knowledge he is very much in Palestine as of now," the ministry told the news agency ANI.

Earlier in the day, Pakistani media outlets reported that Palestine has reinstated its ambassador to Pakistan Walid Abu Ali after he was recalled for attending an event of JuD chief Hafiz Saeed, also a UN-designated terrorist.

Geo News quoted the Pakistan Ulema Council's (PUC) chairman, Maulana Tahir Ashrafi, as saying he'd asked Palestine to reinstate Ali, and that the envoy would be back on duty in Pakistan on Wednesday.

On December 30, Palestine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs had withdrawn Ali from Pakistan after India lodged a strong protest over his appaearance at a rally with Hafiz Saeed in Rawalpindi, terming it "unacceptable". India issued a strongly worded condemnation after Ali attended the Difa-e-Pakistan rally in Rawalpindi. The Modi government summoned Palestine's envoy to India.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Sunday, January 7, 2018, 18:32 [IST]UN food programme to cut aid to poor Palestinians as US slashes funding

US stalls key sewage project in Palestine city of Jericho; massive water contamination likely

"The risk of war remains imminent", says UN envoy on Israel, Hamas conflict

Palestine reinstates Pakistan envoy who shared stage with Hafiz Saeed

International

oi-Deepika

By Deepika

Palestine has reinstated its ambassador to Pakistan Walid Abu Ali, days after he was recalled for sharing a stage with Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed, Pakistan media reported.

Geo News quoted the Pakistan Ulema Council's (PUC) chairman, Maulana Tahir Ashrafi, as saying he'd asked Palestine to reinstate Ali, and that the envoy would be back on duty in Pakistan on Wednesday.

On December 30, Palestine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs had withdrawn Ali from Pakistan after India lodged a strong protest over his appaearance at a rally with Hafiz Saeed in Rawalpindi, terming it "unacceptable".

India issued a strongly worded condemnation after Ali attended the Difa-e-Pakistan rally in Rawalpindi. The Modi government summoned Palestine's envoy to India.

In a statement, Palestinian Authority said the envoy's participation "in the presence of individuals accused of supporting terrorism" was "an unintended mistake, but not justified."

It also described Palestine as a "real partner" of India in its war against terrorism and also expressed its appreciation for New Delhi's vote in favour of the resolution at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on the issue of Jerusalem.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Sunday, January 7, 2018, 17:15 [IST]Back to Ancient Egypt Once Again with Red Rake's The Asp of Cleopatra

Published January 7, 2018 by Arthur M

Red Rake Gaming have just released the Egyptian-themed Asp of Cleopatra slot game, which features the famous Queen, snakes and other classic icons of ancient times.

The Asp of Cleopatra is a new slot game from Red Rake Gaming that takes a popular theme and adds in some rewarding bonuses such as free spins and a unique Gods Roulette feature.

Spinning For The Riches of Ancient Egypt

It's a classic 5-reel slot, where symbols are in 3 rows and they are crossed by 25 paylines. The topic of Egypt has been covered numerous times, but Spanish developer Red Rake Gaming have given this game some exceptionally realistic 3D images of papyrus scrolls, a Sphinx statue, cat and the Ankh to make it stand out from the crowd.

The background image of a palace and the coiled snake that makes up a free spins counter to the side of the reels completes the attractive picture.

Egyptian Extras

Added attractions include a reels re-spin feature which sees any symbols that are part of a winning line disappearing, leaving spaces for new ones to fall into, and potentially creating another win-line.

Any 4 consecutive re-spins will earn free games, with the coils of the snake revealing up to 50 bonus spins. There's an extra wild symbol in play throughout these, and they can be retriggered over and over to a maximum of 1000 spins.

Cleopatra herself turns up as a high-value wild symbol, expanding across reels to help players land more wins, while a bonus symbol takes them to a new screen where they play the Gods Roulette mini game.

Guaranteed Roulette Wins

Players pick either Anubis or Horus as their Gods, and click to spin a wheel that has guaranteed bonus values on it. If the wheel stops on the colour represented by the God, they can spin again and collect a multiplier of up to 100x, while getting the choice wrong still results in a win, but then the round ends.

This new slot is ready for play at online casinos powered by Red Rake Gaming.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.

(This is a reprint from NewsBred).

Pavan Varma--his snobbery must never be mistaken for gravitas, never homespun but unmistakably Western--writes in Times of India that "fringe" and "mainstream" is one and the same thing when it comes to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He gives instances to imply that BJP is promoting sectarian violence, artistic intolerance, rewriting history and imposing public morality.

At the outset, Varma must decide whether he is a "fringe" or "mainstream" of BJP. After all Janata Dal (United) is in power in Bihar because of BJP's support and Varma is its national general secretary. If BJP is anathema to him, why lounge with them? And conversely, by tolerating a "fringe" like him, doesn't "mainstream" (BJP) show itself to be different and plural? How "fringe" and "mainstream" then is the same for BJP? Any idea, sirji?

A BJP MP from Maharashtra goes public in his criticism of Narendra Modi and paints the town red. Yet, this "fringe" is never pulled up by the "mainstream." How would Varma describe this "fringe" and "mainstream" as the same?

Dr Subramaniam Swamy is a Rajya Sabha member because of thinly disguised support of the BJP. Yet, he loses no opportunity to lash out at arguably number two in the BJP government, Arun Jaitley. Why the "fringe" Swamy and the "mainstream" Jaitley aren't the same in this instance?

In trying to impress his case, Varma treats the questioning on "Taj Mahal" as virtually blasphemy. If the spirit of questioning is met with the same "intolerance" that Varma exhibits then the world would still have been flat and earth still the centre of universe. He has objection to Islamic rule--around 800 years-- being called a period of "extreme exploitation, insane barbarism, and unprecedented intolerance. "

Varma, a History student, probably hasn't heard of Ibn Batuta who gives a contemporary account of 14th century Delhi where decapitated and mutilated bodies are strewn at the door of palace of Sultan, daily. Nor that Batuta was given scores of Hindu sex slave girls for his pleasure. Varma probably has also not heard of historian Will Durant who wrote in his Story of Civilization, "the Mohammedan conquest of India was probably the bloodiest story in history." Or more contemporary V.S. Naipaul who lamented that Hindu civilization was "mortally wounded" and "ancient Hindu India" was destroyed by these invasions.

Yet Varma wouldn't allow us the blasphemy of questioning "Taj Mahal" or "Islamic rule." He has problem with "fringe" Dina Nath Batra on his conviction of ancient India and the "mainstream" Narendra Modi sharing the belief. While modern giants of quantum physics today acknowledges the contribution of Vedas; a Fields Medal (mathematics Nobel) winner concede that Sanskrit texts and ancient seventh century mathematician Brahmagupta helped his quest, Varma would like us to believe his bogus and compromised intellectualism and not these verified truth. Such moribund persons would still mock at Ram Setu even as modern science is beginning to accept its existence.

Varma would do well to examine the "fringe" and "mainstream" overlapping of Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal or Pinaryi Vijayan in Kerala. We await his verdict on "fringe" Jignesh Mewani and "mainstream" Rahul Gandhi on caste polarization. He can enlighten us with his views on "fringe" abuses of our elected Prime Minister by "mainstream" AAP, SP and BSP leaders.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.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has expressed deep shock over the execution of 20 people in Egypt within one week, amid concerns that due process and fair trial guarantees did not appear to have been followed.

According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Tuesday, January 2, five men who had been sentenced to death by an Egyptian military court were hanged in Alexandria, four of whom had been convicted for an explosion near a stadium in Kafr al-Sheikh on 15 April 2015 that killed three military recruits and injured two others.

On December 26, 15 men convicted on terrorism charges were reportedly executed, found guilty by a military court of killing soldiers in Sinai in 2013.

"We understand the defendants were tried by military judges on the basis of legislation that refers cases of destruction of public property to military courts and in view of the victims being from the Egyptian Military Academy," HCHR spokesperson Liz Throssell told reporters on Friday at the regular news briefing in Geneva.

"Civilians should only be tried in military or special courts in exceptional cases," she continued.

Ms. Throssell also said it is important that all necessary measures are taken to ensure that such trials take place under conditions which genuinely afford the full guarantees stipulated in Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Egypt is a State party.

Despite security challenges facing Egypt, particularly in Sinai, Ms. Throssell maintained, "executions should not be used as a means to combat terrorism."

Military courts typically deny defendants the rights afforded by civilian courts, Throssell said, citing reports "that the prisoners who were executed may have been subjected to initial enforced disappearance and torture before being tried".

According to figures from Cornell University's Death Penalty Worldwide, there has been a sharp increase in executions in the years since Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi took power.

From 2011, the year that former President Hosni Mubarak was deposed, to 2013, Egypt executed one person.

In 2014, Egypt executed 14 people. The following year, 22 more people were executed, and at least 44 people were executed in 2016.

Egypt extends state of emergency

Execution spree came as US-client President Abdul Fatah El-Sisi extended the state of emergencyon Tuesday.

Egyptian authorities first imposed a nationwide state of emergency in April 2017, after two church bombings killed at least 45 people. Similar extensions were announced in July and October last year.

The measure grants the president, and those acting on his behalf, the power to refer civilians to State Security Emergency Courts for the duration of the three-month period.

There is no appeal process for State Security Emergency Court verdicts.

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From Strategic Culture



(Image by Credit: CC0 Public Domain) Details DMCA



Users of social media have been increasingly reporting that their accounts have been either censored, blocked or suspended during the past year. Initially, some believed that the incidents might be technical in nature, with overloaded servers struggling to keep up with the large and growing number of accounts, but it eventually emerged that the interference was deliberate and was focused on individuals and groups that were involved in political or social activities considered to be controversial.

At the end of last year a number of Russian accounts on Facebook and elsewhere were suspended over the allegations that social media had been used to spread so-called false news that had possibly materially affected the 2016 presidential election in the United States. Even though it proved impossible to demonstrate that the relatively innocuous Russian efforts had any impact in comparison to the huge investment in advertising and propaganda engaged in by the two major parties, social media quickly responded to the negative publicity.

Now it has been learned that major social media and internet service providers have, throughout the past year, been meeting secretly with the United States and Israeli governments to remove content as well as ban account holders from their sites. The United States and Israel have no legal right to tell private companies what to do but it is clearly understood that the two governments can make things very difficult for those service providers that do not fall in line. Israel has threatened to limit access to sites like Facebook or to ban it altogether while the U.S. Justice Department can use terrorist legislation, even if implausible, to force compliance. Washington recently forced Facebook to cancel the account of the Chechen Republic's leader Ramzan Kadyrov, a Putin loyalist that the White House has recently "sanctioned."

Israel is not surprisingly most active in patrolling the Internet as it is keen to keep out any material sympathetic to the Palestinian cause or critical of Israeli treatment of Arabs. Its security services scan the stories being surfaced and go to the service providers to ask that material be deleted or blocked based on the questionable proposition that it constitutes "incitement" to violence. Facebook reportedly cooperates 95% of the time to delete material or shut down accounts. Palestinian groups, which use social networking on the internet to communicate, have been especially hard hit, with 10 leading administrators' accounts being removed in 2017. Israeli accounts including material threatening to kill Arabs are not censored.

Microsoft, Google, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook are all also under pressure to cooperate with pro-Israel private groups in the United States, to include the powerful Anti-Defamation League (ADL). The ADL seeks "to engineer new solutions to stop cyberhate" by blocking "hate language," which includes any criticism of Israel that might even implausibly be construed as anti-Semitism. Expanding restrictions on what is being defined as "hate speech" will undoubtedly become common in social media and more generally all across the internet in 2018.

The internet, widely seen as a highway where everyone could communicate and share ideas freely, is actually a toll road that is increasingly managed by a group of very large corporations that, when acting in unison, control what is seen and not seen. Search engines already are set up to prioritize information from paid "sponsors," which come up prominently but often have nothing to do with what material is most relevant. And the role of intrusive governments in dictating to Facebook and other sites who will be heard and who will be silenced should also be troubling, as it means that information that would benefit the public might never be seen, particularly if it is embarrassing to powerful interests. And speaking of powerful interests, groups like the ADL with partisan agendas will undoubtedly be able to dictate norms of behavior to the service providers, leading to still more loss of content and relevancy for those who are looking for information.

All things considered, the year 2018 will be a rough one for those who are struggling to maintain the internet as a source of relatively free information. Governments and interest groups have seen the threat posed by such liberty and are reacting to it. They will do their best to bring it under control.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 Share Blue

The latest, chilling authoritarian move from Republicans is to threaten legal action against a key player who assembled damaging information on Trump.

Five days into 2018 "and the "bombshell keeping falling," CNN's Brooke Baldwin announced Friday afternoon as she detailed the latest revelations about a Trump White House that seems to be careening out of control.

Between the new tell-all book where Trump aides depict the president as a childish fool completely incapable of fulfilling his duties, to stunning revelations about how Trump tried to force the United States attorney general to protect him from prosecutors, the Republican Party appears to be in panic mode.

And one way that complete panic manifests itself is the extraordinary efforts Republicans are taking in hopes of derailing ongoing Trump investigations, or creating news diversions by demanding probes into Trump's foes.

Friday brought another shocking, authoritarian move: Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) urged the Department of Justice to investigate British spy Christopher Steele to see if he lied to federal authorities about his contacts with reporters regarding information in the so-called Russian dossier.

Steele was hired in 2016, first by Republicans and then by Democrats, to assemble the widely confirmed intelligence document that detailed Trump's many shocking connections with Russian business operatives over the years, as well as the Kremlin's attempt to get him elected president.

In other words, Republicans are now actively going after a key player who tried to expose the wrongdoing of Russian collusion in the first place. Indeed, Republicans are waging an all-out war against those connected to the truth-telling dossier.

The latest GOP turn would basically be like if Republican senators in 1973 had demanded the FBI investigate Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein as they uncovered the Watergate scandal.

As for Friday's criminal referral, which Democrats were not notified beforehand, the whole thing seems like a publicity stunt, albeit one designed to send a chilling message to people with uncompromising information about Trump.

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"Are they going to ignore overwhelming public opinion during a tight election year and rubber stamp these 500+ pages of blatant, stinking corruption?"

By Jake Johnson, staff writer



FCC commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Mignon Clyburn joined protesters outside the panel's headquarters on Thursday before issuing a dissent to Republican chair Ajit Pai's proposal to end net neutrality protections. The repeal was passed with a 3-2 vo

(Image by (Photo: Free Press/Flickr/cc)) Details DMCA



Now that the FCC has finally made public all 539 pages (pdf) of chairman Ajit Pai's order to repeal net neutrality, defenders of the open internet are warning that the time has come for members of Congress to make a choice -- either side with the American public and take action to stop Pai's attack on net neutrality, or be voted out of office.

"Are they going to ignore overwhelming public opinion during a tight election year and rubber stamp these 500+ pages of blatant, stinking corruption?" Evan Greer, campaign director of Fight for the Future said in a statement on Thursday. "Or will they listen to their constituents, small businesses, free speech advocates, and tech experts and support a Congressional Review Act (CRA) vote to overturn the FCC's repeal and restore net neutrality protections that keep the web free from censorship, throttling, and new fees?"

As of this writing on Friday, 29 senators -- 28 Democrats and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) -- have signed on to Sen. Ed Markey's (D-Mass.) effort to undo the Republican-controlled FCC's December vote to kill net neutrality by introducing a "resolution of disapproval" that would, if passed, restore the 2015 net neutrality protections that are currently being scrapped.

Nineteen Senate Democrats -- as well as Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) -- have yet to announce their support for Markey's resolution (see list below). A minimum of 30 votes are needed to bring the resolution to the Senate floor.

In an email on Friday, Greer noted that the "FCC's official release of the final text [of Pai's proposals] starts the clock for the order to be entered into the Federal Register."

"Once that happens, we'll have 60 legislative days to get Congress to reverse it using the CRA," Greer added. "It's an uphill battle, but our momentum is growing."

Passage of the CRA will ultimately require at least two Republican votes in the Senate and around 20 in the House.

But before net neutrality defenders can worry about winning over Republicans, they first have to ensure that every Democrat is on board.

As part of the effort to pressure lawmakers into defending the open internet, Fight for the Future has launched a website that lists every senator who has yet to support Markey's CRA push, and provides tools and sample scripts for Americans to easily contact their representatives.

In addition to Sen. King, the Independent from Maine, what follows is thefull list of the Democratic senators who have yet to sign on to Markey's resolution:

Cory Booker (D-N.J.)

Tom Carper (D-Del.)

Bob Casey (D-Pa.)

Chris Coons (D-Del.)

Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.)

Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.)

Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.)

Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.)

Doug Jones (D-Ala.)

Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.)

Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.)

Bob Menendez (D-N.J.)

Chris Murphy (D-Conn.)

Patty Murray (D-Wash.)

Bill Nelson (D-Fla.)

Tina Smith (D-Minn.)

Jon Tester (D-Mont.)

Tom Udall (D-N.M.)

Mark Warner (D-Va.)

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From Sputnik

There seems little doubt that the surge in New Year protests across Iran was, at least in part, following a regime-change agenda set by the United States.

Public statements issued by US President Donald Trump and his senior officials all made strident calls in support of protesters while denigrating the Iranian government as a "brutal oppressor." Arguably, that amounts to audacious incitement of sedition in a foreign state, and such American misconduct should be legally sanctioned.

What's remarkable too is just how close the recent turmoil in Iran seemed to follow a well-worn US formula for regime change, including political statements of condemnation; biased media coverage to undermine the legitimacy of the target government; and the apparent hijacking of peaceful protests by violent provocateurs.

Such a formula has been used by Washington and its allies in dozens of countries over the decades, including more recently in Syria during the 2011 unrest that led to an all-out war.

What is acutely resonant is the historical background. Iran was probably the first nation to have been subjected to American regime-change operations in the post-Second World War period, with the CIA-led coup carried out in 1953.

But first, let's look at the flagrant attempts by the US to destabilize the Iranian government through highly pejorative and misleading public statements.

Last week, the American ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley even claimed that "the Iranian people are crying out for freedom against their dictators." A senior official in the US State Department also admitted that his government was communicating via social media with demonstrators in Iran.

Washington's top diplomat, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, openly said in a media interview this weekend that his government is seeking "political transition" in Iran -- or, in other words, regime change.

Also this weekend, the US called an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council in an attempt to censure the Iranian government for the dozens of deaths incurred during the week-long protests. Haley declared: "The world is watching what Iran does."

Iran, Russia, and China have berated the US for violating Iranian sovereignty by interfering in the country's internal affairs. The brazen attempt by the US to fuel protests in Iran is indeed a serious breach of the UN Charter forbidding interference in any nation's political matters. US regime-change policy is arguably criminal conduct.

It remains to be seen just how actively involved on the ground US agencies were in stoking the recent protests in Iran. The initial demonstrations that first broke out on December 28 in the city of Mashhad quickly spread to dozens of other urban centers. Iranian authorities have blamed the US and other foreign enemies for being behind the disturbances.

A legitimate part of the rallies was motivated by genuine economic grievances among the population. But at the same time, the rapid escalation of violence and armed attacks on police stations suggest that a subversive plot was being orchestrated.

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Anything to distract from the big picture: Putin's attack on the US and Trump-Russia contacts.

Christopher Steele is not the issue. Yet the former British intelligence official who wrote a series of unconfirmed reports on Trump-Russia connections during the 2016 campaign seems to have become the main target of congressional Republicans. On Friday, two Republican senators -- Charles Grassley of Iowa and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina -- released a letter they had sent the previous day to the Justice Department and the FBI requesting a criminal investigation of Steele. There have been no other known congressional criminal referrals related to the Russian attack on the 2016 presidential election or to interactions between Trump associates and Russians during the campaign.

In recent weeks, Capitol Hill Republicans have intensified both their attack on special counsel Robert Mueller's Trump-Russia investigation and their call for a quick end to the congressional inquiries. And with this move, Grassley and Graham are trying to bolster the Republicans' Trump-saving counter-narrative: the real scandal is the Steele dossier.

Pause for a moment and ponder this. The US intelligence community has concluded that Vladimir Putin ordered a clandestine act of information warfare against the United States to harm Hillary Clinton and help Donald Trump during the election. And during that race, Trump's camp had a series of contacts with Russians or suspected cut-outs. Also throughout the time Putin's operation was underway, Trump and his lieutenants kept denying this assault was happening -- even after his top campaign aides were informed that Moscow wanted to secretly assist Trump and after Trump was briefed by US intelligence agencies that Russia was behind the hack-and-dump assaults targeting Clinton and the Democrats. That is, the public now knows that the United States was attacked by Putin, that Trump associates were interacting with Russians during this period, and that Trump and his crew, intentionally or not, provided cover for Moscow by insisting no such operation was occurring.

Yet what now draws the ire of congressional Republicans the most is Steele and his reports.

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We spend the hour with former New York Times reporter James Risen, who left the paper in August to join The Intercept as senior national security correspondent. This week, he published a 15,000-word story headlined "The Biggest Secret: My Life as a New York Times Reporter in the Shadow of the War on Terror." The explosive piece describes his struggles to publish major national security stories in the post-9/11 period and how both the government and his own editors at The New York Times suppressed his reporting, including reports on the Bush administration's warrantless wiretapping program, for which he would later win the Pulitzer Prize. Risen describes meetings between key Times editors and top officials at the CIA and the White House. His refusal to name a source would take him to the Supreme Court, and he almost wound up in jail, until the Obama administration blinked.

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.

AMY GOODMAN: Today we spend the hour with the veteran New York Times investigative reporter James Risen, who left the paper in August to join The Interceptas senior national security correspondent. This week, he published a 15,000-word story headlined "The Biggest Secret: My Life as a New York Times Reporter in the Shadow of the War on Terror."

In the story, Risen gives a personal account of his struggles to publish significant stories involving national security in the post-9/11 period and how both the government and his top editors at the Times suppressed his reporting on stories, including the Bush administration's warrantless wiretapping program, for which he would ultimately win the Pulitzer Prize in 2006. Risen describes how his story would have come out right before the 2004 presidential election of President Bush over John Kerry, potentially changing the outcome of that election. But under government pressure, The New York Times refused to publish the story for more than a year, until Risen was publishing a book that would have had the revelations in it first.

In his new piece for The Intercept, James Risen also describes meetings between top Times editors and officials at the CIA and the White House. Risen was pursued by both the Bush and then the Obama administrations as part of a six-year leak investigation into his book State of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration. His refusal to name a source would take him to the Supreme Court. He almost wound up in jail, until the Obama administration blinked. His answer to that saga was to write another book, Pay Any Price: Greed, Power, and Endless War. Now, in one of his first pieces for The Intercept, he describes "The Biggest Secret: My Life as a New York Times Reporter in the Shadow of the War on Terror."

Welcome back to Democracy Now!, Jim Risen. It's great to have you with us.

JAMES RISEN: Thanks for having me. I appreciate it.

AMY GOODMAN: So, the story of what happened with your warrantless wiretapping story, the story of the wiretapping of Americans throughout the country, more than a decade before Ed Snowden revealed so much -- can you go back in time and tell us what you found before the election, the second election of President Bush? We may not have read it in The New York Times at the time, but you had written it.

JAMES RISEN: Yeah. Well, it's in the spring of 2004. I was meeting with a source, who -- I was talking to this source, and in the process of talking, the source said, "There's something that I know that I think is the biggest secret in the government, but I'm too frightened to tell you about it right now." And it obviously took me aback, and I kind of tried to convince the source to talk more about it, but I couldn't. And I just decided to try to keep meeting with this source over the next few months. And finally, several months later, as I was leaving a meeting with this source, I just turned to the source, and I said, "You've got to tell me now what it is that you're talking about." And finally, the source just kind of started talking about what he -- what the source knew, and eventually, you know, in the course of about 10 or 15 minutes, told me the outlines of the NSA's domestic spying program, that had begun under the Bush administration, both the warrantless wiretapping and the broader effort to gather email and phone records of Americans. And it was the outlines of this massive program that we later learned was codenamed Stellar Wind.

And I then found other people who could confirm this story, and also found that a reporter sitting next to me in the Washington bureau of The New York Times, Eric Lichtblau, was also hearing similar things, and so we started working together. And we had a story, a draft of a story, by that fall of 2004. And I decided to just go through the front door and call Michael Hayden, the director of the NSA. And I called the press person at the NSA and kind of bluffed my way and said, "I need to talk to Hayden right away." And to my surprise, the bluff worked, and he got on the phone. And I started reading him the top of the draft of the story that Eric and I had written, and he just let out this very audible gasp and said, "Well, whatever we're doing is legal and effective and operationally, you know, legitimate," or something. And then he got off the phone.

And that -- I think pretty soon after that, he called the Washington bureau chief of The New York Times, Phil Taubman, and that began a very long -- that was kind of the beginning of the negotiations between The New York Times and the government over whether to publish the story. And we had meetings -- started meetings in the fall, before the election, had a meeting with the acting CIA director, John McLaughlin, and his chief of staff and me and Phil Taubman, who was the Washington bureau chief, at the Old Executive Office Building, where they were trying to convince us not to run the story, although they kept saying not -- where they kept refusing to admit that the story was true. They just kept saying, "Hypothetically, if this story -- if something like this was going on, it would be too important for the government for you to -- a newspaper, to report on it."

AMY GOODMAN: Jim, before you continue --

JAMES RISEN: Yeah.

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Schoolyard name calling by an American president might be unusual, it might be undiplomatic, it might even be childish, yet it had the world riveted -- if only for a short moment -- on the antics of 'rocket man' and the Donald. The 'nuclear button is on my desk says one'; 'my button is bigger than yours and works better', tweets the other. Bandying about nuclear threats doesn't make any of us feel safer.



In all of this the South Korean president Moon Jae-in has taken up the North Korean offer of a meeting before the winter Olympics, which are being held in South Korea. In July last President Moon unveiled his policy towards North Korea in a speech in Berlin. Long a believer in the Sunshine Policy of greater cooperation with the North and eventual reunification, he chose the symbolic Berlin venue, for Germany has reunited. Notably, he stressed the Sunshine's successes so far in the steps taken by the North toward liberalizing the domestic market. In this it is also following China although North Korea has a long way to go.



One can guess the North wanted to deal from a position of strength, and nuclear armed it feels ready; hence the earlier reference to a nuclear trigger. Its position is understandable as the South Korean government reneged on their agreement when the right wing conservatives were elected. With the liberals back in charge, Moon made clear his interest in reviving closer cooperation, with some caveats as he outlined in Berlin.

Where does our tweeting president stand in this resumption of negotiations between South and North? Nowhere. He has been side-stepped.





Mr. Trump has also threatened to cut off aid to Pakistan, a country that seldom suffered terrorist attacks before it got embroiled in the Afghan war through supply routes and trying and trying to keep its own border population in check. The notoriously porous border has families living on both sides and were natural allies of the Pashtuns taking on the U.S.-supported Northern Alliance ensconced in Kabul. The result of sending Pakistani troops into the self-administered border areas has been a nascent civil war and terrorist attacks in major cities.



Trump tweeted a figure of $33 billion in aid to Pakistan in the last 15-plus years. This inaccurate figure appears also in the press and is often repeated by ill-informed analysts. In fact, Obama put a sort of performance measure on the aid and thus only $20 billion (very little in grants) has been disbursed. The Pakistan Prime Minister said he was bewildered by Trump's figures for aid has been less than $10 million per year over the last five years.

In extraordinary contrast, the aid figure from China is more like $120 billion. Worth noting that in 2011, China Kingho Group canceled a $19 billion mining deal because of security concerns -- a direct result of Pakistan's participation in the Afghan adventure and a sum equal to the U.S. aid figure consisting mostly of loans. The world has certainly changed.

Pakistan's main battle tank manufactured in Pakistan is the result of a joint Chinese venture -- the army used to be equipped with American tanks. The air force now relies on the Chinese Chengdu J-108, which with stealth features and newer electronics has an edge over the F-16. Also the JF-17 Thunder -- a joint Pakistan-China project.



There goes another ally ...

Meanwhile 'Fire and Fury' is keeping Trump occupied as questions of mental illness prop up. He claims his principal characteristics "have been mental stability, and being, like, really smart," adding that getting elected president on his first try should "qualify as not smart, but genius... and a very stable genius at that!" Perhaps some enterprising reporter will ask him if his assertion also makes geniuses of the last three Democratic presidents.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 Reader Supported News

President Donald Trump called (again) last week for the Justice Department to initiate a criminal investigation of former Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin after the State Department posted thousands of emails and other documents that were found on the laptop of Abedin's estranged husband, former congressman and current federal sex offender Anthony Weiner. Most mainstream media outlets ran the story for a day, dismissed Trump as being deranged, and moved on to other news. I think there is something more to this.

I want to go on record as saying that I don't think Huma Abedin should be arrested. She's already been investigated, and the Justice Department found that she had not committed a crime. Sure, there were classified documents on her husband's computer, but she did not appear to have had any criminal intent when she put them there. She was sloppy, careless, perhaps lazy. She wanted all of her classified passwords in one place. And that place wasn't on her classified system; it was at home, on her unclassified system. It's certainly a fireable offense, but it doesn't rise to the level of criminal behavior.

Except in the Eastern District of Virginia in the courtroom of Judge Leonie Brinkema.

Judge Brinkema made a ruling in my case that set legal precedent and that was such a dangerous development that virtually anybody with a security clearance could be charged with espionage if the government decided that they didn't like their politics. (I was charged with three counts of espionage after blowing the whistle on the CIA's torture program. All of those charges were dropped, and I eventually pleaded guilty to a lesser charge to make the case go away; I was facing 45 years in prison. I served 23 months.)

In United States v. Kiriakou, Brinkema held that in cases involving the Espionage Act, the government need not prove any criminal intent whatsoever. She said that a person could commit espionage "accidentally," and that intent, or lack thereof, was not a defense. This was in direct contrast to another judge's ruling in NSA whistleblower Tom Drake's case, where even if Drake had exposed classified information (which he hadn't), he lacked any criminal intent. The case against him fell apart and all felony charges were dropped. But Brinkema's ruling left me with no defense.

Furthermore, Brinkema defined "espionage" as "the provision of any national defense information to any person not entitled to receive it." "National defense information" is not defined in the federal code. It never has been. The Espionage Act doesn't refer to "classified" information because the law was written in 1917 to combat German saboteurs during World War I, while the classification system wasn't invented until 1952. So what is "national defense information?" It's whatever the prosecutor decides it is.

Let's look, then, at what Huma Abedin did. As the Washington Post reported on January 2...

"The president's tweet (calling for Abedin's arrest) comes just days after the State Department posted online thousands of Abedin's emails, which were captured on the computer of Anthony Weiner, her estranged husband. Those emails -- some of which contained classified information -- spurred the FBI in October [2016] to reopen its investigation into Clinton's use of a private email server while she was secretary of state, although the bureau would ultimately conclude that the messages gave them no reason to change their conclusion not to recommend charges against Clinton or any of her aides."

Then-FBI director James Comey called Clinton and Abedin "extremely careless" in their handling of classified information. At the very minimum, there's a possible case against both for misdemeanor "failure to secure classified information."

That's all fine and good. But according to Brinkema's interpretation of the law, Abedin (and Clinton, for that matter) violated the Espionage Act. At its most lenient, this violation calls for up to five years in a federal prison. At worst, it's life without parole.

That's preposterous, of course. But so was the Obama administration's use of the Espionage Act as an iron fist to stamp out dissent within the US intelligence community. Obama's attorney general, Eric Holder, prosecuted eight people under the Espionage Act for allegedly giving classified information to the press. That's nearly three times the number of prosecutions under all previous presidents combined. Trump has, at least so far, continued that policy with the arrest, incarceration, and prosecution of Reality Winner. And with Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III at the Justice Department, we should only expect the worst.

In the meantime, two things need to happen. First, Congress must rewrite the Espionage Act. They have to define what "national defense information" is. They have to allow for an affirmative defense. And they have to ensure that no president is able to use the Espionage Act as a political weapon. But there are no votes or special interest money in Espionage Act reform. Nobody on Capitol Hill has the guts to do it.

Second, Leonie Brinkema must go. Appointed to the federal bench by Reagan and elevated by Clinton, she obviously hasn't read a law book in a long time. There's no place for her reactionary judicial activism in today's America.

Reader Supported News is the Publication of Origin for this work. Permission to republish is freely granted with credit and a link back to Reader Supported News.Global Ballistic Targeting System Software (BTS) Market Analysis, Industrial Growth, future Outlook, Supply, Market Demand, Market strategy, Cost Structure, and SWOT Analysis, Price Trend by major Companies players

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The Ballistic Targeting System Software (BTS) is extensively utilized by professional shooters, hunters, and military services, and is used for the training of all types of shooters, including hunters, snipers, and target shooters. Though the market for BTS software is small, it is anticipated to grow steadily over the forecast period. Factors such as the ability of BTS to augment the firearm performance will result in its augmented adoption during the predicted period. With the help of BTS software, a user can compare the bullet trajectory and other parameters and make an informed shot.Get Sample Report @According to the report, a key growth driver is the advantages offered by the Ballistic Targeting System Software in boosting firearm performance. Firearm performance is increased by using ballistic targeting system software, as the user can compare the trajectory and other parameters and take an informed shot. With this software, a shooter can aim with predicted accuracy, especially in the case of a moving object. The development history of the market, technology and product developments, major development trends, competitive landscape analysis, and the development status of major regions and countries have been discussed in this section. A comparative evaluation of all the regional markets has also been included in this chapter.Key Players Profiled in this Report:Dexadine, JBM Ballistics, Lex Talus, Shooter, Sierra, Strelok, Applied Ballistics, iSnipe, Knights Armament Bullet Flight, Range-Time Software, Nikon SpotOn Ballistic Match Technology, Nosler Ballistics, Patagonia Ballistics.Regions Covered:United States, North America, China, Europe, Japan, Southeast Asia, India and RoW.Leading players in the Global Ballistic Targeting System Software Market are profiled in the report to understand their role in the market and their upcoming strategies. The manufacturing base of each key player and their share in the market for each product and application segment of the Ballistic Targeting System Software market have been described in the report.Get Reasonable Discount on this Report:The research report tries to understand the innovative approaches taken by vendors in the global Ballistic Targeting System Software market to offer product differentiation through Porters five forces analysis. It also points out the ways in which these companies can strengthen their stand in the market and increase their revenues in the coming years. Ongoing technological advancements and the unstoppable penetration of Internet in the remote corners of the world are also responsible for the remarkable growth of the global market.Some of the factors posing a challenge and restricting the growth of the Global Ballistic Targeting System Software Market include changing regulatory compliances, dynamic business activities, and volatile economic conditions. Lack of knowledge about energy consumption and capacity limitation will be other factors inhibiting the growth of this market to the fullest potential.For More Information:Table of ContentsGlobal Ballistic Targeting System Software Market Research Report 2017Chapter 1 Global Ballistic Targeting System Software Market OverviewChapter 2 Global Economic Impact on IndustryChapter 3 Global Market Competition by ManufacturersChapter 4 Global Production, Revenue (Value) by RegionChapter 5 Global Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by RegionsChapter 6 Global Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by TypeChapter 7 Global Market Analysis by ApplicationChapter 8 Manufacturing Cost AnalysisChapter 9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream BuyersChapter 10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/TradersChapter 11 Market Effect Factors AnalysisBallistic Targeting System Software market is also explained to the clients as a holistic snapshot of a competitive landscape within the given competitive forecast period. A comparative analysis of regional players and segmentations, which helps readers get a better understanding of the areas and resources with better understanding.About Research N Reports:Research N Reports is a new age market research firm where we focus on providing information that can be effectively applied. Today being a consumer driven market, companies require information to deal with the complex and dynamic world of choices. Where relying on a sound board firm for your decisions becomes crucial. Research N Reports specializes in industry analysis, market forecasts and as a result getting quality reports covering all verticals, whether be it gaining perspective on current market conditions or being ahead in the cut throat Global competition. Since we excel at business research to help businesses grow, we also offer consulting as an extended arm to our services which only helps us gain more insight into current trends and problems. Consequently we keep evolving as an all-rounder provider of viable information under one roof.Contact:Sunny Denis(Sales Manager),(Research N Reports)10916, Gold Point Dr,Houston, TX, Pin  77064,+1-8886316977,sales@researchnreports.com,Global Content and Application Provider Market Analysis, Industrial Growth, future Outlook, Supply, Market Demand, Market strategy, Cost Structure, and SWOT Analysis, Price Trend by major Companies players

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The popularity of social networking has turned it into the most vital source of crowd-sourced content with Facebook, Twitter, and Google being the most popular content hosting sites. Applications such as WhatsApp, Viber, and WeChat are also being used a distribution mediums to handle massive volumes content daily. Regional or local media brands are also emerging in developing nations as a medium for community engagement. Qzone, a social networking site in China, has over 600 million users.Get Sample Report @Several millions of new users, exponentially increasing number of new devices, gigabytes of consumptions of bandwidth per user per device on daily or weekly basis, and rising fixed and mobile network content consumption are driving the need to invest in hosting services. With the increasing need to fulfill the demand from end-users, content and application providers are investing in cloud data centers across the emerging markets ranging from the Middle East to APAC. The development history of the market, technology and product developments, major development trends, competitive landscape analysis, and the development status of major regions and countries have been discussed in this section.Key Players Profiled in this Report:Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Ebay, Spotify, NetFlix, Tencent, Apple, Alibaba, SINA, Akamai, Baidu, Yahoo, Axel Springer, Twitter, Oracle.Regions Covered:United States, North America, China, Europe, Japan, Southeast Asia, India and RoW.Leading players in the Global Content and Application Provider Market are profiled in the report to understand their role in the market and their upcoming strategies. The manufacturing base of each key player and their share in the market for each product and application segment of the Content and Application Provider market have been described in the report. Various marketing channels and strategies likely to bear fruit in the 2017-2022 period have been described in the report to help readers formulate winning strategies.Get Reasonable Discount on this Report:The research report tries to understand the innovative approaches taken by vendors in the global Content and Application Provider market to offer product differentiation through Porters five forces analysis. It also points out the ways in which these companies can strengthen their stand in the market and increase their revenues in the coming years. Ongoing technological advancements and the unstoppable penetration of Internet in the remote corners of the world are also responsible for the remarkable growth of the global market.Some of the factors posing a challenge and restricting the growth of the Global Content and Application Provider Market include changing regulatory compliances, dynamic business activities, and volatile economic conditions. Lack of knowledge about energy consumption and capacity limitation will be other factors inhibiting the growth of this market to the fullest potential.For More Information:Table of ContentsGlobal Content and Application Provider Market Research Report 2017Chapter 1 Global Content and Application Provider Market OverviewChapter 2 Global Economic Impact on IndustryChapter 3 Global Content and Application Provider Market Competition by ManufacturersChapter 4 Global Production, Revenue (Value) by RegionChapter 5 Global Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by RegionsChapter 6 Global Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by TypeChapter 7 Global Content and Application Provider Market Analysis by ApplicationChapter 8 Manufacturing Cost AnalysisChapter 9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream BuyersChapter 10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/TradersChapter 11 Market Effect Factors AnalysisContent and Application Provider market is also explained to the clients as a holistic snapshot of a competitive landscape within the given competitive forecast period. A comparative analysis of regional players and segmentations, which helps readers get a better understanding of the areas and resources with better understanding.About Research N Reports:Research N Reports is a new age market research firm where we focus on providing information that can be effectively applied. Today being a consumer driven market, companies require information to deal with the complex and dynamic world of choices. Where relying on a sound board firm for your decisions becomes crucial. Research N Reports specializes in industry analysis, market forecasts and as a result getting quality reports covering all verticals, whether be it gaining perspective on current market conditions or being ahead in the cut throat Global competition. Since we excel at business research to help businesses grow, we also offer consulting as an extended arm to our services which only helps us gain more insight into current trends and problems. Consequently we keep evolving as an all-rounder provider of viable information under one roof.Contact:Sunny Denis(Sales Manager),(Research N Reports)10916, Gold Point Dr,Houston, TX, Pin  77064,+1-8886316977,sales@researchnreports.com,For Subscribers Alongside pandemic, longer-term trends seen driving labor shortage

Observers say COVID-19 has aggravated difficulties in lining up candidates for jobs, but they also see trends that took root pre-pandemic at work.Dane throwing down some style on Fuzzy Bunny

Hunting for the line on a particularly chunky section of Lithium

Dropping in on Wheeler

The top of Miners Creek on the ridge of the Tenmile Peak Range.

Lenawee Mountain

I was certain I was about to be struck by lightning at any second

Tough Casing / High Grip WTB Vigilantes. Enough said.

Sliders gonna slide

Getting ready to drop in on the classic Trail 400

Gotta improvise to clean that gritty chain in the backcountry

A couple of peanut M&M's after a 2000 foot climb, then its time to drop

29ers can't what?

As a mountain biker from California, there is a great deal of allure to the Rockies of Colorado and Wyoming, due in no small part to their massive descents, variety of terrain, and quality dirt thanks to the summer monsoons.The Sierra Nevada Mountains in Northern California often will go weeks or months without rain, leading to moon dust and blackened lungs. By the end of August, most trails are glorified sandpits. I'm not here to say that the riding isn't good in Northern California, because it is in fact very, very good; but to those of you who are able to experience the joys of what Colorado and Wyoming offer on a regular basis, consider yourselves very fortunate.Last summer, my brother and I were quite fortunate to be able to spend over a month living out of our car and riding our bikes in the Rocky Mountains as much as possible. We were categorically "dirt bags," camping just outside of town in sometimes questionable locales (see: teenage party spots), scouring the land for free Wi-Fi, and poaching hot tubs when the opportunity presented itself. Our plan was simple: We wanted to ride the best trails Wyoming and Colorado had to offer based off of what we had read, watched, or been recommended from friends. What followed was, without a doubt, an adventure of a lifetime.This wouldn't be our first time in Wilson, nor our first time riding there. We had spent a week backpacking through Grand Teton National park with our crazy chocolate scientist uncle from Hershey, PA. My brother and I, total joeys at the time, rented a couple of Scott Voltages at Jackson Hole and rode the trails. Almost a decade later, and only slightly less joey, we returned.Sacramento to Wilson is one long boring drive. Once you leave Reno you are looking at 12 hours of flat desert and plains. 12 hours to think about the riding that is waiting for you. Every minute is worth it.Shadow Mountain had to be the most scenic campsite from the whole trip. Unobstructed views of the Grand Tetons and one of my favorite trails from the whole trip right at our campsite.The trails of Teton Pass are what define the riding in Wilson. Previously, the trails were unsanctioned. However, the work of local bicycle advocacy groups got them adopted and sanctioned. According to the Teton Freedom Riders, "Trails in Jackson Hole generate over $18,000,000 in commerce and $3,200,000 in salaries for Teton County businesses and residents." Let this be a lesson for cities across the United States.Jimmy's Mom, Fuzzy Bunny, Candyland, and Parallel offer endless opportunities for hangtime on Teton Pass.Lithium is Teton Pass's crown jewel. Lithium packs everything you want, into one trail. Ripping fast flowy turns, steep fall lines, rocks, roots, and a few jumps at the bottom. It took us 13 minutes, pinned, to ride the 3 miles and 3000 feet of drop.The foliage in Wilson is something you'd expect to see in a tropical rainforest.The trip was off to a great start after a week in Wilson and too many laps on the pass to count. While we had only scratched the surface of what the area had to offer, we needed a change of scenery...With several ski resorts Frisco is a destination for skiers. However, the mountain biking is top notch. Huge descents like Miners Creek and Lenawee let gravity do all the work and Keystone bike park can easily keep you occupied for a day or two.We felt right at home on Lenawee Mountain. The sandy trail felt much like what you find in South Lake Tahoe, but longer, faster, and fewer grumpy hikers.Coming from California, I was surprised by how many old mining relics we saw. Shacks, cars, carts, even entire mines. California like Colorado has a rich history of mining however much more of that history in Colorado is still intact today.The inception of this trip came along when we were able to enter into EWS Aspen through the public lottery. If we were going to make the drive out to Colorado we figured we would spend some time out there to sample the riding before and after the race.While all the factory pros get the attention of the photographers and media, privateers like us have to go out after the race for photos of our own.Racing alongside your heroes and actually getting to see them ride in person is unbelievable. Witnessing Sam Hill's inside line on stage 6 was legendary.After a week of hanging out in Aspen we packed up and headed over Independence Pass into Twin Lakes to tackle Mt. ElbertAt 14,440 feet, Mt. Elbert is the tallest peak in Colorado. It is not in Wilderness, is legal for bikes, and 100% rideable from the top. However getting to the top is much easier said than done. Even after weeks of acclimation, being above 13,000 feet was difficult. Every step feels like a whole mile. Gusty winds whip your clothing and almost suck the air out of your lungs. Resting does little to restore your energy, so you keep putting one foot in front of the other.Here, we were about 3 hours in to our ride(see hike). We had gotten a late start and storms were coming in. Reports from hikers coming down were mixed; some said they could feel a lot of static electricity, some said it looked fine. Having been caught in a nasty lightning storm while climbing Cathedral Peak in Yosemite, its not something I ever want to experience again. However, with about 500 feet of elevation to go to reach the top, we decided to throw our gear on and make a dash to the top for a photo.30 minutes later we were back at the car. I was completely exhausted and somehow didn't eat a single thing the entire endeavor. The storm caught us on our way to Leadville for a burrito.We actually saw lightning strike the top of Elbert where we were standing not long ago. While it took us only about 15 minutes to get back into the treeline from the top, certainly, the lightning storm was sitting on top of dozens of hikers who were scrambling off the mountain.I had always heard loads of hype about Monarch Crest. The photos looked amazing, and on a map the trails looked sweet. The place was absolutely breathtaking, however the trails just weren't our cup of tea and didn't seem to be on par with trails that we had ridden on trip so far. With over 6000 feet of descent between Fooses and Greens, we felt like we were pedaling too much on the downhills.[IFRAME aspectRatio=1024:576 src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZREojygnCxk]A quick pressure wash of the bikes after a muddy day in the saddle and we were off to Gunnison.I'm sure many riders roll right through Gunnison on their way to Crested Butte without even thinking about pulling their bikes off their racks for a spin on the sandy trails at Hartman Rocks Recreation Area. The trails at Hartman are worthy of a short ride or an afternoon of rock rolls and jib sessions. Not only are the trails good, but there's plenty of free camping.With endless amounts of traction on slabs of granite there's plenty of opportunities to get creative with your trail interpretation.A short 30 minute drive north and we were in Crested Butte.Whether or not the origins of mountain biking are in Northern California or Colorado, Crested Butte is mountain biking's home. Massive mountains shoot into the sky in every direction, hundreds of mile of trails that are strewn with rocks, roots, and pockets of loam. Every ride here is worthy of the word epic.The fun factor on Teocali ridge is hard to beat. While its on the shorter side for Crested Butte, it doesn't spend any time messing around. After working your way to the top, not much else is left other than to let go of the brakes and hang on.A typical day in Crested Butte for us went something like this; wake up around 8am, crawl out of the car and cook breakfast, go for a massive ride, post ride pizza and beer at the Secret Stash, then a session at the bike park because we hadn't had enough bikes for one day.After a week in Crested Butte, we were satisfied and exhausted. We briefly escaped reality and rode some of the best trails in the world, but it was time to head home... @wilderness-trail-bikes Jenson USAGet the SC business stories that matter.

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.Dominion Energy Chief Executive Officer Thomas Farrell (left) speaks during a news conference with SCANA Chief Executive Officer Jimmy Addison at SCANA's Cayce headquarters on Wednesday. If you think they look dour now, wait until the Legislature gets through with them. Andy Shain/The Post and CourierAdam Parker has covered many beats and topics for The Post and Courier, including race and history, religion, and the arts. He is the author of "Outside Agitator: The Civil Rights Struggle of Cleveland Sellers Jr.," published by Hub City Press.Andrew Knapp is editor of the Quick Response Team, which covers crime, courts and breaking news. He previously worked as a reporter and copy editor at Florida Today, Newsday and Bangor (Maine) Daily News. He enjoys golf, weather and fatherhood.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.Lauren Sausser is the Health & Science Editor at The Post and Courier. She also writes about health care issues in South Carolina.Michael Majchrowicz is a reporter covering crime and public safety. He previously wrote about courts for the Daily Hampshire Gazette in Northampton, Massachusetts. A Hoosier native, he graduated from Indiana University with a degree in journalism.Syndicated and guest columns represent the personal views of the writers, not necessarily those of the editorial staff. The editorial department operates entirely independently of the news department and is not involved in newsroom operations.FILE - In this May 13, 2010 file photo, pelicans float on the water with an offshore oil platform in the background in the Santa Barbara Channel off the coast of Santa Barbara, Calif. The Trump administration on Thursday, Jan. 4, 2018 moved to vastly expand offshore drilling from the Atlantic to the Arctic oceans with a plan that would open up federal waters off the California coast for the first time in more than three decades. The Channel is one of those areas. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)Editorials represent the institutional view of the newspaper. They are written and edited by the editorial staff, which operates separately from the news department. Editorial writers are not involved in newsroom operations.Political Reporter

Caitlin Byrd is a political reporter at The Post and Courier and author of the Palmetto Politics newsletter. Before moving to Charleston in 2016, her byline appeared in the Asheville Citizen-Times. To date, Byrd has won 17 awards for her work.ADVERTISEMENT

The Human and Environmental Development Agenda, HEDA, has requested for clarification on the renewal of some oil mining leases in possession of Mobil Producing Nigeria.

In a Freedom of Information (FOI) request issued to the Managing Director, Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, dated January 2, 2018 and signed by HEDAs chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, the organisation said it is seeking inquiry for the forensic audit report regarding the renewal of three Oil Mining Leases (OMLs 67, 68 and 70) for Mobil Producing Nigeria for $600 million.

According to HEDA, the renewal of three Oil Mining Leases (OMLs 67, 68 & 70) for Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited (MPN) by the federal government was widely reported in the Newspapers in Nigeria and abroad. The organisation, however, said the details of the terms of the renewed leases were not disclosed to the press, thereby causing so much controversies as to the circumstances surrounding the payment and the amount paid.

It would be recalled that based on the valuation conducted by the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, MPN and the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, as equity holders, were required to pay $6.375 billion as 100 per cent of the reserve fee. Mobils 40 per cent share in the lease was fixed at $2.55 billion, of which there would be a commitment to invest the sum of $1.2 billion in a refinery and gas infrastructure for the domestic market.

According to HEDA, Reports In the public domain and some documents sighted by this organisation, Mobil rejected the said terms and allegedly paid $600 million for the renewal of the three oil blocks which have a combined output of 580,000 barrels of crude oil per day. Curiously, the payment was accepted by the then Minister of State in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Odein Ajumogobia, who purportedly signed the deal.

However, the predecessor of the erstwhile Minister of Petroleum Resources had refused to endorse this transaction, accusing MPN of undervaluing the oil block. The said leases were however, renewed for 20 years by the erstwhile Minister of Petroleum Resources on behalf of the Government of the Federation.

You will recall the successor of Mr. Ajumogobia in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, rejected the terms for the renewal of this licenses, resulting in a fresh negotiation leading to additional payment by your company for the block.

HEDA said in the light of the foregoing, and in view of the demand of the Nigerian people for the transparent management of the oil and gas industry, We would appreciate your company furnishing us with details of the renewal and the total amount paid by Exxon Mobil for these licenses. More so, when a Chinese company had offered to pay the difference of $3.75 billion for 40 per cent equity interest in the NNPC-Mobil Joint Venture or $18.75 billion for 100 per cent equity interest in oil and gas reserves at the time of this renewal.

HEDA Resource Centre is hereby requesting, in accordance with Section 1(1) of the FoI Act 2011, for information on the payments and conditions attached to the renewal.

Section 1(1) Notwithstanding anything contained in any other Act, law or regulation, the right of any person to access or request information, whether or not contained in any written form, which is in the custody or possession of any public official, agency or institution however described, is established.

Section 2(7) Public institutions are all authorities whether executive, legislative or judicial agencies, ministries, and extra-ministerial departments of the government, together with all corporations established by law and all companies in which government has a controlling interest and private companies utilizing public funds, providing public services or performing public functions.

Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited operates a Joint Venture with the Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). The Federal Government has controlling 60 percent share, with the remaining 40 percent being MPN.

As an internationally reputed firm with integrity in standard and discipline, we shall look forward to receiving this report promptly, and in any event, within seven days after this application is received, as provided for in Section 4 and 4a of the FoI Act 2011, HEDA said.About a month after Pastor Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), blessed handkerchiefs for the congregation at the churchs 2017 Holy Ghost Congress, amazing testimonies have started pouring in.

But the revered pastor, unhappy to see some people exhibiting signs of weakness, set the church on fire yesterday by teaching and praying for all members to be overcomers themselves. Rather than run away from demons, he wants demons to flee on sighting RCCG members.

During the Congress last month, he had asked members of the congregation to bring three handkerchiefs each for blessings. Reminding them of the various instances in the church when God had ordered him to do things that looked stupid to people, which turned out to evoke miracles, he urged the congregation to wave their handkerchiefs as he waved his, one after another, and prayed. It was an intensely solemn moment as he prayed fervently.

We will hear your testimonies, he said in the end.

Yesterday, some of the testimonies came. Amazing ones! A pregnant lady from Lagos was tested HIV positive and had one of the handkerchiefs placed on her. She delivered safely, and later tested HIV negative to the amazement of the doctors.

A couple in Lagos waited endlessly for their son to return from school. When by 2am, the boy had not returned, they started waving the wifes set of handkerchiefs blessed by Pastor Adeboye until the boy called and informed his parents that he had boarded a wrong bus but his abductors had released him at Obalande, Lagos.

They continued to pray and wave the handkerchiefs until the owner of an SUV brought him home. As they made to thank the man, he zoomed off.

There were other testimonies where the handkerchiefs had been used to restore the sight of a lady who had suddenly gone blind, cure severe chest pains and reduced swellings.

The testimony that wowed the congregation was that of a pastor, who was called by one of the members of her church from Delta State to pray for her sick baby. The church member called moments after to say the baby had given up.

The pastor then urged her to wait and not to do anything to the corpse. She then rushed to her room, got her three handkerchiefs and told the lady that although she was not in Delta State and could not see her, prayers had commenced. The pastor said on waving the first handkerchief, the woman responded, Amen.Encouraged, she waved the second handkerchief and heard the childs voice  he had come back to life.

As the testimonies and others unrelated to handkerchiefs poured in, Pastor Adeboye sat quietly, first in a position of prayer, his head resting on both fists raised from the knee.

He started his ministration, after an interlude of songs from the Mass Choir, with the usual opening thanksgiving prayers. But this time, instead of kneeling at the pulpit, he lay down flat.

The first part of the ministration took off with a call to those who was yet to be saved, making it clear that God is always needed to fight the enemy, but He would only do so after one had submitted himself.

Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo and wife at the RCCG Holy Ghost Congress

After the call to the altar, he went straight into his sermon, titled, Stronger than your enemy. Reading from Luke 11: 21-23, he explained the need for one to be a stronger man to overpower a strong man.

Reminding the congregation that Gods desire is for everyone to be strong in all spheres of life, and be free from all forms of sicknesses; he cited the example of the Israelites among whom none among them were feeble when there were leaving captivity in Egypt.

He explained that spiritually God does not want His children to be only strong but also be able to heal others. He challenged the congregation to be strong enough to perform miracles, the like of which testifiers shared, and shouldnt expect only the General Overseer to perform miracles.

Try it!  He charged the congregation. Lay hands on people for miracles.

Interspacing the sermon with prayers for God to strengthen members of the congregation, he shared many testimonies of people God had strengthened to perform signs and wonders.

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He commended a man who wrote him a letter recently for prayers because he didnt want to be an ordinary Christian, but one with supernatural powers. He cited his own experience on a similar prayer at the Redemption Camp, which caused an earth tremor. He said: In those days, nobody lived at the Redemption Camp. I am sure some of the elders of the church would remember when one day an antelope bumped into our Ministers Conference. Poor animal, it ended up in the stomach of some people.

Early in the morning every Tuesday, I would leave our house in Mushin for the Camp and be there until Thursday morning when I went to the Headquarters for Faith Clinic. The only other people in the Camp then were the carpenters who were working, and they would stop as soon as it is dark and retire for the day.

But I wanted to seek Him; I wanted to be alone; with no noise and nothing to distract me. One night  I remember that night like yesterday  I prayed: Father, I surrender all; it is only you now; that is all I want. I dont want to be an ordinary pastor. Please, I am not seeking anything else. Not seeking for gold, not seeking for clothes, not seeking for fame. I want you to empower me so that I can do this work. And if you are not going to do it, take me away.

Pastor Mrs Adeboye on the pulpit

That day, He answered, and there was a tremor in the Camp. The tremor went as far as Ijebu Ode where pictures that hung on the wall began to drop.

When you seek God with all your heart; when you seek Him in desperation, you will find Him.

He also illustrated with another testimony what being more than an ordinary Christian could mean by his experience in Osogbo, Osun State: At a Congress in Osogbo Grammar School, some years ago, people were divided into small groups to study the Bible with me going round to ensure that everything was in order. As I was approaching one of the groups, I saw some brethren gathered round a young boy. When they saw me coming, they said, Thank God, Bro (for Brother) is coming.

I went to them and asked what the problem was. They said, This boy has a peculiar problem: since he was born, the demons in him have been asking him to go into a burning fire. Any time he sees fire, he tries to go into it. So the parents have had a running battle keeping him far away from the kitchen and any naked fire. He needs deliverance.

Fine, I said.

They said, Could you please join us?

I said, I will, provided you let me pray first.

From the way they were rolling up their sleeves, I noticed they were getting ready for a real battle.

I prayed a simple prayer. I pleaded the Blood of the Lamb and I bound the demons. I commanded them to free the boy and also commanded every seed not planted by God to be rooted out. Thank you Jesus, I said, and turned to go.

They asked, Is that all?

I said, What else? Do you want me to wait for the devil to pack his load? I have already commanded him to depart.

Long after the Congress, I was travelling through Ife and decided to see one of my children (a member of the church). Lo and behold, this fire boy was there. We rejoiced over his healing and then he said, To show you that I am free, I will go and prepare your food.

Pastor E.A. Adeboye laying hands

He went into the kitchen and prepared food for me, working over an open fire without the slightest danger to him.

To further equip the congregation to be spiritually strong  stronger then the enemy he explained what they need to do:

 To be stronger, you must be supported by the one who is the strongest of all, and that is the Almighty God.

 Connect to the one who is ever ready to rescue captives all the time.

 Be inhabited by the greatest (God) with the power to do the impossible, such that when you command the devil, it is Gods voice they hear and obey.

Pastor Adeboye expressed displeasure about people who are supposed to be children of God complaining about weakness and common diseases. He charged the congregation to exhibit physical and spiritual strength and be able to help others.

For members of the congregation to grow that strong, he recommended aggressive praise; aggressive prayers, aggressive giving, and above all aggressive and robust faith.

He dismissed the claims of people who say they dont have faith because as he explained it requires faith in the furniture maker to sit on a chair believing it will not break, just as it takes faith in a pilot to travel on a plane.

Pastor Adeboyes expectation from all the teachings and prayers for the congregation was that they will be strong and be able to perform miracles.

Arise and shine! he charged them in the end and read out some prayer points for them to pray with for empowerment; as he set out to pray for over 100 people with infirmities, which required special attention.

He had earlier requested pastors to send in names of such people to his office for arrangements to be made for their presence at the Holy Ghost Service. He was seen laying hands on them one after the other.

With that done, he blessed the congregation to draw the curtains on the service. Among the earlier prayer sessions was the usual prayer by Pastor Adeboyes wife, Folu, whose is also a powerful pastor in the church.

She led the congregation in thanking God for President Buharis divine healing, and prayed for an era of prosperity for Nigeria and other countries.

Pastor Brown Iyiso, who had preached earlier, described 2018 as a year of dominion for all who have a good relationship with God.A policeman arrested for allegedly killing six farmers in Adamawa State has said that the people he killed are suspected members of the terror group, Boko Haram.

Adamawa is one of the three states most ravaged by the Boko Haram insurgency. The others being Borno and Yobe.

Usman Hassan, an assistant superintendent of police, was arrested for alleged killing the six farmers during an operation in Gombi Local Government Area. He has now, however, said he has evidence to prove his claims that the dead victims were Boko Haram members.

Mr. Hassan said in a petition to Inspector General of Police said that the six died in a shoot out with his team which included local hunters. He said the operation was on the directive of the then Adamawa State Commissioner of Police, Moses Jitoboh.

The petition, dated December 19, 2017 to the police chief, is titled Petition Against The Adamawa State Commissioner of Police Moses Jitoboh, and AC CID, Adamawa Command For Illegal Detention, Criminal Conspiracy, Violation of Rights and Gross abuse of Power.

The petition was signed by counsel to Mr. Hassan, Femi Motojesi, and a stamped photocopy made available to journalists in Yola.

Mr. Hassan, who was then the Commander of Safer High Way in Adamawa, said he was contacted by Mr. Jitoboh through the then commissioners personal assistant to organise a raid on areas harbouring Boko Haram suspects.

Sometimes in November 2017 due to the incessant killings and destruction of properties by the dreaded Boko Haram in Adamawa state, the Commissioner of Police in receipt of some intelligence reports from various sister agencies decided to swing into action.

That our client as a result of his track record and gallantry was invited by the Commissioner of Police, Moses Jitoboh, through his personal assistant that our client competence and experience will be needed to lead a special operation in some local government areas where the security report suggests members of the group are hibernating.

That upon being briefed, our client suggested to the commissioner of police that such operation are the types the Army have been given the mandate to handle but the commissioner insisted that he wants the police to execute the operation.

The lawyer noted that after series of meetings on the operation with the commissioner, Mr. Hassan got the approval of the commissioner to invite hunters to join the operation and to this end the chairman of hunters in the North-east, Mohammed Usman, was invited and had a closed door meeting with the commissioner in the presence of Mr. Hassan.

That on the 22nd of November, 2017, our client (Hassan) and his team members went for the operations and due to resistance of the suspects, there was an exchange of gun fire.

That on their return, our client as usual through the personal assistant informed the CP of their experience and gave him a report.

That it was upon receipt of the report that the personal assistant made volte face and started singing a different song.

To our clients utter amazement, the AC CID, Yola began a massive arrest of members of the hunters association the CP had engaged for the operation and the policemen detailed in the operation were also arrested and detained.

The petition also alleged that all Boko Haram suspects and drug dealers earlier arrested by Mr. Hassan and transferred to the command CID have been released without prosecution.

We are not unaware that there exists some internal mechanism within the police force in dealing with any erring officer, but this particular case is a case of pure conspiracy and an attempt to ridicule the fight against Boko Haram.

More worrisome is the fact that this singular act if not discouraged may dampen the spirit of the officers and men of the force in combating the dreaded Boko haram.

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The feelers we are getting (though not confirmed) is that the Boko Haram guys have paid the AC CID about N2 million in order to be protected and shielded from any form of police invasion/arrest.

The lawyer attached copies of search warrant and signal for the operation to the petition. He urged the Inspector General of Police to take over the matter and investigate the incident saying the Adamawa command cannot do justice to the case.

Mr. Jitoboh could not be reached for comment as he has been redeployed from Adamawa.

When contacted, the newly posted Commissioner of Police who took over from Mr. Jitobh, Abdullahi Yerima, simply said Mr. Hassan is under arrest and the case was being investigated for prosecution.ADVERTISEMENT

The Nigerian Army has provided details of how the alleged mastermind of the New Year day tragedy in Rivers was killed.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how Prince Igwedibia, popularly known as Don Wani or Don Waney, was shot dead on Saturday evening. He was killed in a joint operation by the State Security Service and the army.

In a statement on Sunday, an army spokesperson, Aminu Iliyasu, said the suspect relocated to Enugu State after the New Year murder of 23 people returning from a church in Omoku, Rivers State.

Mr. Iliyasu, a colonel, said the suspect was already planning another attack on Omoku even while in Enugu.

He was shot and killed in Enugu while trying to evade arrest, the army said.

Read the armys full statement below.

The authorities of 6 Division Nigerian Army Port Harcourt wish to inform the peace loving people of Omoku in ONELGA in particular, Rivers State and indeed the entire good people of Niger Delta in general that the notorious cult leader, kidnap kingpin and mass murderer Don Waney is dead.

Recall that in the early hours of Monday 20th November 2017, troops of 6 Division Nigerian Army acting on credible information from some patriotic members of the public raided the evil Don Waney enclave in Omoku, ONELGA Rivers State where shocking discoveries of assorted weapons, dynamites, bags of suspected cannabis, full military camouflage uniforms, military boots, military communication radios, 10 human skulls and human bones were discovered. Additionally, in continuation of the operation on Tuesday 21st November 2017, the troops also exhumed decomposing bodies of some of his victims in his shrine in the glaring eyes of the media who were invited to witness first hand.

Perhaps not satisfied with the numerous lives of innocent citizens he took, Don Waney masterminded the despicable New Year day mayhem in Omoku in which he led his notorious gang of criminals to murder 23 peace loving citizens of Omoku when they were returning from Cross Over Service at about 1:30am on Monday 1st January 2018.

Intense surveillance activities on him and his gang by the Department of State Services (DSS) Rivers State Command revealed that after committing these atrocities he relocated to a neighbourhood within Enugu Town in Enugu State where he rented an apartment and started living among unsuspecting neighbours within the community.

From the relative safety of his newly-rented apartment, Don Waney was already perfecting plans to wrought another mayhem in Omoku in which he was to attack churches, schools, Army and Police locations and the RESIDENCES of the generality of the already traumatized people of Omoku. However, following his successful geo-location to his new Enugu neighbourhood hideout by the DSS Rivers State Command, a combined team of troops of 82 Division Nigerian Army Enugu and personnel of DSS Rivers State Command raided the hideout to arrest him and his other accomplices. Incidentally on sensing that the combine team were closing in on his residence, Don Waney, his Second- in- Command (Ikechukwu Adiele) and another gang member (Lucky Ode) attempted to escape through the back exit of the apartment and were shot down by the eagle eyed troops in the process. One of them died on the spot while the other 2 who sustained gunshot wounds eventually died while being evacuated for medical attention.

The remains of Don Waney and his cohorts were brought back to Port Harcourt Rivers State by the combine team and handed over to the Rivers State Police Command for further action.

To this end, the authorities of 6 Division Nigerian Army Port Harcourt wishes to use this opportunity to extend their condolences to the families of all the victims of the evil Don Waney and his gang. We also wish to solicit your further cooperation in volunteering useful information to track down and arrest the remaining gang members so as to bring them to justice for a peaceful, prosperous and secured Omoku community, ONELGA, Rivers State and the entire Niger Delta region.ADVERTISEMENT

The Rivers State Government has thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for not playing politics with the murder of about 23 people in the state on New Year day.

The state government also thanked the president and security agencies for the killing of Prince Igwedibia, popularly known as Don Wani or Don Waney.

Mr. Igwedibia is the alleged mastermind of the killing of about 23 people on New Year day in Omoku Rivers State. The victims were coming from a church service when they were murdered.

The suspect was killed on Saturday in Enugu where he had gone to hide after the incident, the army said on Sunday. Two of his alleged accomplices were also killed.

In a statement by the Commissioner of Information and Communication, Emma Okah, the Rivers State Government said the success recorded in the operations that ended Don Wani and his men is a victory for the law abiding people in the state.

It underscores the desirability of honest partnership and synergy between the government and security agencies as well as the public in tackling security problems in the state.

This victory gladdens our heart and we remain more committed in the fight against crimes and will continue to support the police and all security agencies in the onerous task of securing our dear Rivers State and her people, Mr Okah said.

We thank President Muhammadu Buhari for not playing politics with the Omoku massacre but gave a matching order which galvanised the efforts of the 6 Div of Nigeria Army, the DSS, police and everybody or agency who played a role to avenge the death of the innocent people killed in Omoku on 1st January, 2018.

The success of our collective effort has shown that there is no hiding place for the wicked.ADVERTISEMENT

The Kaduna State Government has warned its school teachers not to obey the call by the Nigerian Union of Teachers to embark on an indefinite strike starting on Monday.

Academic activities are scheduled to resume in all government schools on January 8 across the state after the Christmas and New Year holidays.

The Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, earlier on Sunday called on all teachers to remain at home until the state government reverses its decision to sack over 21,000 primary school teachers who scored below 75 per cent in a competency test. The NUT said it had given the state government two weeks notice to rescind the decision, which has since lapsed.

Earlier in the new year, the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, had also criticised the governments decision to proceed with the sack despite a suit at the National Industrial Court on the matter.

However, in a statement signed by Governor El-Rufais spokesperson, Samuel Aruwan, the government warned the teachers not to heed the call of the NUT.

It has come to the notice of the Kaduna State Government that the state branch of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has declared an indefinite strike. This is an illegal action, and will not achieve its aim of derailing the education reforms being implemented by the government.

The Kaduna State Government is not available to be blackmailed into knowingly retaining unqualified teachers. Neither would it mortgage the future of two million primary school pupils because failed teachers are shamelessly mobilizing sentiment.

At the invitation of the Federal Ministry of Labour, the Kaduna State Government twice met in Abuja with the officials of the NLC and the NUT. The Governor Nasir El-Rufai personally led the Kaduna State delegation to the first meeting. During these interactions, Kaduna state made it clear that as an employer, it has every right to determine who its employees are or can be, and the minimum qualifications they must possess.

Mr. Aruwan then declared the governments threat.

The Kaduna State Government wishes to inform the public that it has instructed its Education administrators to open registers in all its schools, starting from Monday, 8th January 2018.

Any teacher that is absent from work will be treated with the consequences that pertain to absconding from duty under the Public Service Rules. There can be no doubt that state will take firm and decisive disciplinary action against personnel who absent themselves from duty, including dismissal from service.

Kaduna State recalls that the NUT placed primary school pupils, who are the victims of failing teachers, in danger by pushing them into the streets to demonstrate for the retention of bad teachers. That ruse failed. Some union leaders are also likely to be prosecuted for assault, unlawful procession and destruction of public property when they attacked the State House of Assembly.

The children of the poor are the ones that attend public primary schools. We owe them a decent standard of education, and we shall provide it.ADVERTISEMENT

Gunmen early on Sunday released Usang Ekanem, a medical practitioner with the Cross River College of Education Medical Centre, Akamkpa, Cross River State, kidnapped on December 26, 2017

Effiong Mkpanam, the state Chairman of Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Calabar that Mr. Ekanem was released in the early hours of Sunday in Akamkpa.

Mr. Mkpanam, who expressed joy over the release said a traumatised Mr. Ekanem, was released safely to his family on Sunday morning.

As we speak right now, our colleague has been released; it is breaking news to us. I have seen him and the wife and we bless God that he has re-united with his family.

At the moment, he is highly traumatised, but we are grateful to God for his safe release, he said.

NAN recalls that the NMA at a news conference on Friday in Calabar threatened an indefinite withdrawal of medical services from public, private, mission, and institutional hospitals in the state from Jan. 8 over the kidnapped doctor.

Mr. Mkpanam had expressed dissatisfaction with the rate of doctors kidnapped in the state, noting that five doctors and three of their family members were kidnapped in 2017 by gunmen.

He further said that any time a medical doctor is kidnapped in the state; the NMA would embark on an indefinite withdrawal of medical services without notice.

He told NAN that the association will meet on Monday, January 8 to dialogue and suspend the planned action.

He, however, would not disclose if the doctor was released on the payment of ransom.

(NAN)ADVERTISEMENT

The Northern Elders Forum, NEF, has disowned what it called a partisan statement made by its leader, Paul Unongo against President Muhammadu Buhari and a former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar.

Mr. Unongo had in a chat with Punch newspaper recently accused Mr. Abubakar of being the chief financier and most influential member of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, the apex body of Fulani herdsmen in the country.

Many people have been killed in Benue State, where Mr. Unongo is from, by suspected herdsmen.

The NEF leader also accused the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari of treating the herdsmen crisis with kid gloves.

He said Mr. Buhari had refused to heed the advice of NEF on the farmers/herders clashes.

NEF in a statement on Saturday said it regrets to have to publicly disown yet another controversy by Unongo in this recent times.

The statement, which was signed by Mr. Unongos deputy, Sani Zangon-Daura, said while Mr. Unongo reserves the right to hold and express personal views against any issue, he however does not have the right to drag the entire Forum into unnecessary controversies at will.

NEF also advised Mr. Unongo that if has any grudges against any personality or group, he should vent them in his personal capacity and not use the platform of the forum.

Again we are not aware that President Muhammadu Buhari has refused to heed our advice on this matter as there was never any such advice contrary to Mr. Unongos claim in the report.

It is on record that since inception six years ago, the Forum has never been this controversial in its approach to issues and never committed itself on anything without finding solid grounds.

But since the transition that followed the death of its founder and pioneer leader, the Danmasanin Kano Alhaji Maitama Sule, it has unnecessarily been dragged from one controversy to another.

The Northern Elders Forum hereby condemns in totality all forms of unnecessary attacks or reprisals carried out by any ethnic group, in whatever guise in Kaduna, Plateau, Rivers, Zamfara, Nasarawa, Benue and Kogi states and indeed other parts of the north and the country generally, the statement said.

The NEF also called on the government to urgently act against such lawlessness by identifying the perpetrators and dealing with them in the same way other disturbances in the North-east and other parts of the country are being dealt with.ADVERTISEMENT

An aide to President Muhammadu Buhari has said that the president wont spend the $1 billion from the nations Excess Crude Oil Account, ECA, to fund the fight against insecurity unless he receives approval from the national assembly.

I want to clarify that none of these monies will be used by Mr. President, by the military or released for any purpose unless and until the money is appropriated by the National Assembly, Ita Enang, a presidential assistant on National Assembly matters, said on Tuesday in Uyo.

The Senate had before embarking on its recess in December asked the president not to spend the money without appropriation by the National Assembly.

Nigerians have expressed divergent opinions on the governments intention to withdraw the money which it said would be used to fight Boko Haram and other forms of insecurity in the different parts of the country.

The opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, particularly accused Mr. Buhari and his ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, of wanting to use the money to their own advantage in the 2019 elections.

Mr. Enang, a former senator, spoke on the controversy surrounding the money when he granted an interview to Atlantic FM, Uyo.

A lot of people have said that the money has not been appropriated by the National Assembly.

I will say that the 2018 budget is still before the National Assembly. If we conclude the tallying to know what the different armed services need, the army, the air force, and the navy, and the police, and others, we will then present that to the National Assembly, and we will only implement it subject to what they have approved, Mr. Enang said.

He added that Nigerians shouldnt be worried about the safety of the fund.

Mr. Enang also spoke on the looted funds recovered by the federal government, saying that such money has been spent on projects.

He said, If you look at the 2017 budget, recovered funds is listed as one of the sources of funding the budget. So, any money that is recovered by the federal government has already been appropriated for by the National Assembly.

It is not that the money is recovered and kept somewhere different, he said.The Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, on Sunday restated a widely held stance by federal officials that the Boko Haram insurgents have been defeated.

Mr. Buratais statement on Sunday follows similar ones by other officials of the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

Earlier on New Year day, President Buhari had also said the Boko Haram had been beaten. The president, however, said the terror group still carries out isolated attacks.

The Boko Haram who in 2015 controlled several local governments across North-east Nigeria no longer control any local government, officials have said.

Critics have, however, pointed to isolated attacks by the terror group on civilians and security formations as well as suicide bombings as evidence they are yet to be defeated. The government also recently indicated its willingness to spend about $1 billion to fight the terror group and other causes of insecurity across the country.

On Sunday, Mr. Buratai, a lieutenant general, made his declaration at a special service to commemorate the 2018 Armed Forces Remembrance Day, held at ST Bartholomews Military Church, Maimalari Cantonment, Maiduguri.

Mr. Buratai, represented by David Ahmadu, the Chief of Training and Operations, Army Headquarters, disclosed that the military has won the war against insurgency.

He said the military had recorded successes in the intensified offensive, routed and defeated the insurgents, adding that the military was committed to the restoration of peace to the region.

He decried the insurgents recruitment of teeming unemployed youth in their fight.

The army chief admonished parents to ensure proper moral upbringing of their wards to protect them from being used by bad elements to foment troubles and disrupt peace in the society.

I want to assure you without mincing words that the Boko Haram terrorists have been defeated, all we are fighting for now is the peace in the northeast.

Character begins from home; if the children or the youth do not listen to their parents then there is problem. It is the responsibilities of parents to ensure that they disciplined their children.

And the children too must have something to give back by being disciplined, educated, try to behave well wherever they go and without being deceived by anyone to do what is bad.

Mr. Buratai stressed the commitments of the military to end insurgency, protect lives and property and secure the nations territorial integrity.

He noted that the Nigerian Army had contributed to peace building in various countries across the globe.

The army chief added that the sacrifices of the fallen heroes would be immortalised by ensuring unity, peace and stability in the country.

He charged the soldiers not to allow themselves to be hoodwinked by self-seeking individuals who promote hate speech, and to remain dedicated and professional in the discharge of their duties.

While commending President Buhari over his support to the military, the army chief tasked commanders to ensure effective utilisation of equipment and logistics provided to facilitate successful completion of the counter-insurgency campaign.

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Also, Rogers Nicholas, the Theatre Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, disclosed that the troops had recorded significant success in various operations against the insurgents in Sambisa Forest and Lake Chad region in the past few days.

Mr. Nicholas, a major general, assured that the counter-insurgency campaign would soon be concluded.

Highlights of the events included special prayer session for the fallen heroes, orphans and widows as well as prayer for the nation and success of Operation Lafiya Dole.

It will be recalled that a major factional leader of the insurgents group, Mamman Nur, was wounded, many insurgents killed and thousands captured while several others fled the onslaught at their enclaves in Sambisa Forest and Lake Chad region.

Hundreds of civilians were also freed by troops from terrorists captivity in the ongoing clearance operation in the past one week.The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, MACBAN, is set to hold a crucial meeting with other Fulani groups.

This follows the killing on Saturday of many Fulanis in Taraba by persons suspected to be members of other ethnic groups in the area.

MACBAN and the police have given different casualty figures of the attack.

Miyetti Allah and other Fulani groups are convening a stakeholders meeting to take a definite stand on this act of wickedness against our members.

We also unequivocally demand justice for our killed members, as justice remains the only way to peace. The entire Fulani herdsmen of this country are today paying the prize of coordinated campaign that had deliberately profiled them as perpetrators while they are the major victims, Mafindi Danburam, North-east zonal chairman of MACBAN said.

Mr. Danburam spoke in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital, after the burial of the victims of the attack.

The victims were buried in three different locations: Donada, Abbare and Jalingo the state capital.

While Mr. Danburam said a total of 24 people, including women and children were killed in the attacks, the police, said four people were killed.

The militia, who were said to have come from Adamawa, attacked Fulani communities of Babagasa, Donadda and Katibu in Lau Local Government Area. The council shares boundary with Adamawa State.

Mr. Danburam called on the federal government to act fast to apprehend the culprits and prevent further killings.

Unfortunately, neither the state nor federal government utter a word over this heinous attack.

The ethnic armed militia came to the villages brandishing guns and said their cows were stolen and started shooting and setting houses ablaze, he said.

Also speaking, the state chairman of the group, Sahabi Tukur, alleged complicity.

As I am talking to you now, over 25 people were killed mostly the aged, women and children including a one year old boy who was stabbed with arrow.

This latest attack was a co-ordinated agenda to systematically wipe out the Fulani throughethnic cleansing.

For Gods sake what justification do they have by attacking innocent people in Taraba? They had their crisis in Adamawa but they crossed over here and they were assisted by Yandangs?

Not only that, 24 hours after the attacks, the state government still kept mute, he said.

The Taraba State chairman of the committee on human rights abuses of the Nigerian Bar Association, Idris Jalo, who also spoke, said the Nigerian government needs to be proactive on the incessant attacks.

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It is with a heavy heart that we totally condemn the killings of over 25 people including women and children in Katibu and other villages in Lau Local Government Area.

We therefore condemn in totality this barbaric act of cruelty against humanity and demand a clear action by the state and federal government under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari to protect lives.

When contacted on phone on Saturday night, the spokesperson to Governor Darius Ishaku, Bala Dan Abu, said although he heard of the attacks, he was yet to get the details and so could not speak on it.

The police spokesperson in the state, David Misal, however, said no arrest has been made.

No one is arrested though we are still getting details and gathering information that could help in tracking down the fleeing attackers, he said.

We warn people not to take laws into their hands, security are on top of the situation, he said.

Mr. Misal said by police records, only four people were killed in the attack.The Kogi State Government on Sunday confirmed the compulsory retirement of eight permanent secretaries, some directors and dismissal of 1, 774 others from the state civil service.

The News Agency of Nigeria gathered in Lokoja that the affected staff were served their letters last December.

The letters were signed by the state Head of Service, Deborah Ogunmola, and the Chairman of the state Civil Service Commission, Ado Shaibu.

A copy of the retirement letter addressed to one of the affected permanent secretaries indicated that the retirement was in the interest of the public.

Some of the affected permanent secretaries told NAN that they were contemplating legal action.

However, Petra Akinti-Onyegbule, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Yahaya Bello, defended the action, saying it was part of ongoing reforms in the civil service.

According to her, the retirement affected only permanent secretaries that have served for four years and above.

The retired permanent secretaries have been paid their consolidated benefits that accrued to them.

Also affected are civil servants who have attained the special salary grade level 17, she said.

The governors media aided added that directors that served for eight years and above would also be affected.

She said the exact number of directors to be affected would be based on the outcome of the recent promotion interviews conducted for them.

In order to get the best replacement for the retired permanent secretaries, directors who had been in office for eight years and above but are yet to attain retirement age or maximum number of years in office were given the opportunity to partake in the exams to fill the position of permanent secretaries.

The result of the examinations which held on Tuesday, December 12, 2017 and followed by interviews is yet to be out.

Until the result is out, we will not be able to put a definite figure on the number of directors that will be affected by the compulsory retirement, she said.

The chief press secretary also confirmed that 1,667 workers with fake certificates were dismissed from the state civil service.

She said that those dismissed were uncovered during the screening carried out by the state government in 2016 and 2017.

Ms. Akinti-Onyegbule also said 107 other workers were dismissed for engaging in fraudulent activities.

Kogi state government is carrying out reforms at different stages to reposition its civil service for effectiveness, efficiency and productivity.

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The screening exercise which began in 2016 has since ended.

The reversal of the inverted pyramid at the civil service is another phase of the much needed reforms meant to ensure the civil service plays its role as the engine room of government efficiently and effectively, she said.

(NAN)ADVERTISEMENT

The alleged mastermind of the New Year day killing in Rivers State has been killed.

Prince Igwedibia, popularly known as Don Wani, was shot dead on Saturday evening. He was killed in a joint operation by the State Security Service and the army, a source told the News Agency of Nigeria.

Neither the army nor the SSS have, however, released an official statement on the incident.

Mr. Wanis corpse was taken to the 6 Division of the Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt on Sunday morning.

The Rivers Director of SSS, Tosin Ajayi, declined comment on the information when contacted by a NAN correspondent.

The January 1, 2018 killing of 23 people returning from church in Omoku, Rivers State, shocked Nigerians with President Muhammadu Buhari ordering that those involved be identified and appropriately dealt with.The Police in Delta say they have begun investigation into circumstances that led to burning of the Delta Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC) in Ughelli North Local Government Area.

The commands spokesperson, Andrew Aniamaka, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, on Saturday night in Warri.

He also assured that perpetrators would be apprehended soon and brought to justice.

Mr. Aniamaka also said that the incident led to the cancellation of the Saturday state-wide council election in the area.

He said: Some thugs set ablaze the DSIEC office in Ughelli North.

Investigation is already ongoing and I assure you that the perpetrators of the act will be apprehended and brought to book.

Election could not hold in the local government because of the action, he said.

Felix Ekure, the Chairman, All Progressives Congress, APC, in Ughelli North, alleged on Saturday that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was responsible for the burning to cover up its perceived atrocities.

We were informed that election materials were brought to the DSIEC office in Ughelli North on Friday.

And we mobilised our supporters to the venue to ensure that the materials were protected.

At the point of distribution, we insisted on seeing the result sheets and other sensitive materials; but the DSIEC official claimed that he forgot the original result sheets in Asaba.

We insisted that he must bring the result sheets before the distribution of materials.

At that point, PDP thugs started shooting and our boys scampered for safety.

The PDP thugs then set the DSIEC office ablaze in order to cover up their atrocities, he alleged.

Reacting to the development, the PDP Chairman in Ughelli North, Lawrence Agbatutu, told NAN on Sunday that the APC leaders in the area allegedly ordered their supporters to set the building ablaze.

Two days to the election, the APC stationed their boys at the DSIEC office. The leaders ordered their loyalists to burn DSIEC building, it was not the PDP supporters.

PDP is ever ready for the election, we are not afraid because we did a lot of campaign, he said.

(NAN)

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The Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, said that four persons died while 13 others sustained various degrees of injuries in an accident that occurred on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Saturday.

Clement Oladele, the Sector Commander of FRSC, told the News Agency of Nigeria at Ota, Ogun, that the accident happened in front of Christopher University at KM 82 at about 7.25 p.m.

Mr. Oladele said that two vehicles and 23 people were involved in the mishap.

The sector commander said that a commercial bus with registration number AKK 450 YY that was heading to Ibadan lost control due to speeding and rammed into a Toyota Sienna with registration number FST 370 DC.

The corpses had been deposited at the mortuary at Fakoya Mortuary Sagamu while the injured persons were taken to Broad Life Hospital at Olowotedo and Idera Hospital, Sagamu, for an intensive treatment, he said.

The sector commander, however, advised motorists to be cautious and desist from speeding to ensure safety of lives and property on our roads.ADVERTISEMENT

The management of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, has reopened New Buka, the place on campus where Adewumi Omoboriowo was murdered on November 30 following what the school described as a fight that went out of hand.

The place was closed following the murder incident.

However, the Chief Security Officer of the university, Babatunde Oyasode, told our correspondent on Sunday that the New Buka had been reopened, as students returned to the school on Wednesday.

Our correspondent who visited New Buka confirmed this development.

Mr. Onosode also said the murder suspects had been arrested.

Weve been able to arrest the culprits, he said. Three people perpetrated the act and they have been referred to the state CID in Osogbo.

From there, they will be charged to court. One among them is addressed as Yinka, the other person is Tobi Akinyemi and one Sodiq who hit the victim.

He continued: The university should not continue to hold business men and women using the place to ransom. But we have applied some conditions for the opening of the place where the incident occurred.

Part of the condition is that no beer parlour should sell alcohol beyond 13%, and nobody should smoke in the Buka. Starting from this moment, the illumination of the market must start. The university also resolved that there should be provision for security men which involves issuing of tally to those that patronise the spot.

The bar shops selling alcohol will be regularising their license yearly and also those with tinted glasses on their doors have been instructed to remove them. After they have fulfilled all these conditions we decided to open the Buka.

Our our checks revealed the conditions mentioned by the CSO are yet to be implemented.

We dont have any tally for visitors. All we do is to assess their look and allow them in to any bar of their choice. No tally is available, said a security operative, identified as Mr. Bello.

Also, findings revealed that some of the bars still sell drinks with more 13 per cent alcoholic content.

An attendant at Grassroots Spot, a bar at the Buka, told our correspondent: It may be difficult for those laws to bind on sellers. We sell alcohol far beyond 13 per cent and not just here. Most of the bars in New Buka do.ADVERTISEMENT

The University of Ibadan has resolved to commence its second semester examinations on January 8 despite the ongoing strike by the non-teaching staff of the university, as well as threats from a students organisation.

This was made known in a statement by the Vice Chancellor of the University, Idowu Olayinka, during the weekend.

Mr. Olayinka, a professor, stressed the need for the commencement of the examination, and also assured students of the provision of security and other means of comfort to ensure that students prepare adequately for the exams.

The announcement came in spite of the industrial action by the the non-teaching staff of the university, which has been on strike since November 27, 2017, over the alleged lopsided sharing formula in the Earned Academic Allowances released by the federal government. The strike led to the closure of some lecture rooms and poor electricity supply on campus.

Also, a students movement regarded as The Guerilla Students Movement in a statement titled, Students victimisation and systematic suppression in the University of Ibadan: One instance, too many!! and signed by one Gihoko Orlington of the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, expressed its position on the scheduled examinations.

That the Second Semester Examinations will kick off in a number of days is no longer news, yet, there are vital issues that threaten students optimum welfare still largely unresolved. The deaf ears the University continues to pay to the grievances of NASU, SSANU & NAAT has placed a huge question mark on the conduct of examinations, as only a blind fool will deny the irreplaceable role Non-Academic Staff play in examinations. Currently, many Lecture Theatres still remain under lock, almost all laboratories are inaccessible and the whole University populace, especially the Undergraduate Students in Halls of Residence, who will write the examinations, are at the mercy of the power-holding NASU members, who seamlessly snuff the light as soon as they sniff ASUU Members.

Let it be known to all and sundry, that we The Guerilla Students Movement will stop at nothing to ensure all these demands (of the striking staff) are met.

The university, however, said measures have been put in place to ensure a hitch free examination.

Sequel to the outcome of the Special Meeting of the Senate of the University of Ibadan held on 5 January 2018, the Management hereby informs the public, especially its undergraduate students, parents and all stakeholders that the Second Semester Examinations for the 2016/2017 Academic Session will commence as scheduled from 8 January 2018. All arrangements have been put in place to ensure the seamless conduct of the examinations and the relative comfort of our students on campus despite the national industrial action embarked upon by members of SSANU, NAAT and NASU.

Despite the peculiarity of the prevailing situation on campus, occasioned by the on-going industrial action, the University Management is determined to always act in the best interest of its students.

The University, therefore, seeks the maximum cooperation and understanding of all students and assures relevant stakeholders that it has made provisions for security and the supply of essential services on campus for the duration of the Second Semester examinations, the management said.The governorship candidate of the Alliance for Democracy, AD, in the last Ondo governorship election, Olusola Oke and his supporters may soon head back to the All Progressives Congress, APC.

The move is regarded as a strategy to fortify the APC ahead of the general elections of 2019, with a focus to ensure that the party maintains control over Ondo State.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that Mr. Okes return to the party is dependent on the outcome of a meeting between a special committee set up by the AD leadership and the leadership of the APC in Ondo State.

Mr. Oke who aspired to run on the APC ticket for the governorship election, left the party with his followers to AD after he faulted the outcome of the primaries won by the current governor, Rotimi Akeredolu.

He earlier left the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the APC, shortly after Goodluck Jonathan failed to return as Nigerian president in 2015.

He got the ticket of the AD and contested the November 24, 2016 election, but failed to realise his dream of becoming the governor of Ondo State.

A few members of his campaign who left with him to AD subtly returned to the APC, while Mr. Oke and majority of supporters remained in the party.

But Mr. Akeredolu and the APC in the state had insisted that those who left the party and worked against it in the last election should be punished for anti-party activities if ever they were allowed to return.

PREMIUM TIMES learnt that AD members reached a decision to return to APC at an emergency meeting held in December at the office of Mr. Okes running mate, Gani Dauda, with most of them driven by their desire to prepare for the 2019 elections.

The meeting was called by the leaders of the party because some members were angling for elective positions and needed to know the state of things within the party, a source within the party said.

The meeting was held, but Oke was not there and three key issues were for determination: whether they stay back in AD, go back to the APC or decamp to the PDP.

About 600 out of about 800 persons voted that there should be a return to the APC; 100 voted to remain in the party, while 64 voted to move to the PDP.

He, however, said the party leadership constituted a committee to interface with the APC before a decision can be reached whether to finally move to the APC or not.

The committee, it was gathered, had concluded meetings with the APC leadership, and was expected to brief the stakeholders in the AD later this month before a final decision would be taken.

When contacted on the issue, the Publicity Secretary of the APC in Ondo State, Abayomi Adesanya, confirmed a meeting between the AD and the APC, but said he had no details of the meeting because he had not been fully briefed.

I am aware that discussions were ongoing, but I cannot comment on it now because I have not been fully briefed on the matter, Mr. Adesanya said.

What I can tell you is that we welcome people who want to come to the party, provided they will not create problems for us, particularly when their ambitions are not realised.

A media aide to Mr. Oke, Rotimi Ogunleye, also confirmed the development, but said Mr. Oke was yet to take any decision on the matter.

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As a leader, it is only democratic for him to listen to the majority that have decided that a return to the APC was the way forward, Mr. Ogunleye said.

Even if he disagrees with the decision, he could only ensure that the will of the majority prevails as a democratic.

However, the outcome of the interface between the parties would determine his next move.BOSTON, Jan. 7, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- BewellConnect today announced it will showcase its full portfolio of connected health devices, including MyPeriTens, its newest device designed by physical therapists for the discreet and effective treatment of weak pelvic floor issues in women, at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2018 in Las Vegas. MyPeriTens will be featured at BewellConnect's booth (#43118 in Hall Sands/Venetian Hall A-D) alongside the company's products and services, all of which are designed to transform and streamline the way care is managed and delivered.

"Empowering patients and their families to take a front seat in their own care management is the driving force behind the creation of all new products, such as MyPeriTens," said Olivier Hua, CEO of BewellConnect. "Our full portfolio of products and services are designed to be a conduit through which patients and physicians can establish stronger partnerships and better collaboration that ultimately leads to better outcomes."

Experts will be on-site to explain how BewellConnect's centralized app, range of consumer devices, and data monitoring capabilities empower and educate the patient, streamline health management, and provide physicians with actionable health insights. Every day, attendees will have the opportunity to experience the following:

VISIOCHECK, 11:00 am and 3:00pm : BewellConnect experts will demonstrate the VISIOCHECK, the first mobile universal telemedicine station in the world. VISIOCHECK weighs less than 300 grams and integrates five different medical devices necessary for remote tele-monitoring of patient vitals anywhere and in any circumstance.

: BewellConnect experts will demonstrate the VISIOCHECK, the first mobile universal telemedicine station in the world. VISIOCHECK weighs less than 300 grams and integrates five different medical devices necessary for remote tele-monitoring of patient vitals anywhere and in any circumstance. Patient Experience, 11:15am and 3:15pm : Immediately following each demonstration of the VISIOCHECK, attendees can stay and watch a demo of Majord'home , a gateway that allows patients to take and share their vitals through their TV. Viewers will gain an understanding for how BewellConnect makes it possible to monitor vitals, manage chronic health issues, and work with a physician to prevent a health episode and establish treatment plans.

: Immediately following each demonstration of the VISIOCHECK, attendees can stay and watch a demo of , a gateway that allows patients to take and share their vitals through their TV. Viewers will gain an understanding for how BewellConnect makes it possible to monitor vitals, manage chronic health issues, and work with a physician to prevent a health episode and establish treatment plans. MyTens, 5:00pm  6:00pm : Attendees are encouraged to stop by the booth and experience MyTens, BewellConnect's pain relief TENS and EMS product. BewellConnect's resident physical therapist will be on site to assist visitors in using the device.

Unveiling MyPeriTens

BewellConnect will also be showcasing MyPeriTens, providing U.S. audiences a first glimpse into their newest innovation.

MyPeriTens wirelessly connects to a smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth. The BewellConnect app controls the device and offers tailored exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor. A Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) session is used in order to stimulate muscle contraction. During a Stirn session, an electrical impulse is delivered to targeted muscles via stainless steel electrodes which cause the active motion in the muscles. Stimulation can be used for muscle rehab as well as for incontinence treatment.

According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), nearly half of women experience post-partum pelvic floor dysfunction that interferes with their daily life. Though the condition can sometimes resolve itself, left untreated it can become chronic.

"Post-partum pelvic floor dysfunction is widely underreported due to the sensitive nature of the problem," said Alexia Sibony, Director of Clinical Research Quality and Innovation for BewellConnect Corp. "MyPeriTens will allow women and their physicians to address this challenge with a discreet and highly effective therapy, from the comfort of their own home."

Pending FDA approval, MyPeriTens will be available in the United States in late 2018.

About BewellConnect

Much like the industry they are designed to streamline, digital health devices often remain siloed, cumbersome to use, and do not provide clear, actionable paths to better health. BewellConnect has set out to solve these challenges  not through the manufacturing of devices, but with a suite of healthcare services of which FDA-approved products are a component. The connected health devices are used to monitor patient progress and send the information back to the physician, resulting in patients who are more educated and empowered to take an active role in their healthcare. Additionally, the data-sharing helps to alleviate some of the strain on PCPs who are often overloaded and unable to gather or sort simple data from their patients. This allows both patients and physicians to monitor the data in one place, and work together to monitor and improve patient health. For more information, go to www.bewell-connect.us.

SOURCE BewellConnect

Related Links

https://bewell-connect.us

Travel Channel has picked up season two of its underwater adventure series, Caribbean Pirate Treasure, featuring husband and wife duo Philippe and Ashlan Cousteau.

Philippe, grandson of legendary explorer Jacques Cousteau, and his journalist wife, Ashlan, dive into seafaring stories of lost loot and pirates plunder in eight half-hour episodes. Tropical locations such as the Bahamas, Cuba and Panama will be showcased in the new season, which begins production later this month.Caribbean Pirate Treasure is full of stunning locations, adventure, mysteries and great storytelling, said Courtney White, SVP, programming, Travel Channel , Food Network and Cooking Channel. When you combine those elements with Philippe and Ashlans innate curiosity, expertise and chemistry, you deliver a series that easily attracts the audiences that advertisers want.The new season of Caribbean Pirate Treasure is scheduled to premiere later this year.A course of action that integrates ends, ways and means to meet policy objectives.[1]

While this definition of strategy might be improved by the addition of the phrase while considering risk, it is still as clear, concise, and functional a definition of strategy as there is.[2] It provides a useful guide for both the development and the analysis of strategy.

An analysis of the current U.S. strategy in Afghanistan[3], using this definition of strategy as an analytical framework, would be an interesting academic exercise. However, Afghanistan is a wicked problem  one that is not simply complicated but also complex and with no clear solutions  and wicked problems tend to defy strategies. Wicked problems are best addressed through leadership, and one of the core leadership skills necessary to address wicked problems is to ask a lot of questions.

The Afghanistan strategy suggests a lot of questions. So, rather than an analysis of the strategy, the following is a small subset of questions that the strategy brings to mind:

Is pride an appropriate national interest? The first conclusion President Trump arrives at about national interests is to seek an honorable and enduring outcome  . This brings to mind President Nixons goal of peace with honor in ending U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War (http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=3808). Nixon certainly ended U.S. involvement, but the war continued, and the U.S. side lost. Significantly, the base assumption that U.S. policy had been based on for two decades did not come true: the dominoes of Communist domination throughout Southeast Asia did not fall. How did the U.S. get that assumption so wrong? Are base assumptions about Afghanistan just as questionable?

To what degree should past efforts be relevant in crafting a new strategy? President Trump goes on to say outcome worthy of the tremendous sacrifices that have been made, especially the sacrifice of lives. In crafting a new strategy, is it appropriate to identify past efforts as a national interest? U.S. service members take an oath to support the Constitution, and sometimes that means losing their lives. Service members should only be required to risk, and sometimes sacrifice, their lives to protect the U.S., to die for national interests  national interests that a nation is willing to sacrifice its sons and daughters to protect.[4]

Are the consequences of a rapid exit predictable? Are they unacceptable? The second point about fundamental interests begins by ruling out any imminent withdrawal from Afghanistan: the consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable. The statement goes on to say that the predictable result would be a vacuum that would be filled by terrorists, presumably terrorists that would strike at America. The failure of the South Vietnamese government was predictable, and the unacceptable consequences (the spread of Communism throughout Southeast Asia) just as dire, if not more so  but while the first happened, the U.S. was forced to accept the situation, and Communism did not spread beyond Vietnam. It is just as likely that an Afghanistan controlled by a mixture of government forces, warlords, ISIS, Al Qaeda, and the Taliban will be far too busy fighting one another for decades to come to worry about striking the U.S. That is just as likely a result as the certainty of dire consequences for the U.S.

What does history have to teach us about fighting in Afghanistan? But to prosecute this war, we will learn from history. Any reading of Afghanistan history would suggest that conducting military or counterinsurgency campaigns in that country is a losing proposition.

What are the conditions that the strategy is based on? A core pillar of our new strategy is a shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions. Conditions on the ground  not military timetables  will guide our strategy from now on. These conditions  the end states that make up the ends of the strategy  are never specified. How do we know that the strategy has been successful? One of the most important purposes of a strategy is as a strategic communications tool  to tell the American people what burden they must bear, to reassure our allies that shared interests will be protected, and to clarify to our enemies the seriousness and import of our commitment.

Is the U.S. seriously considering a negotiated settlement with the Taliban? Someday, after an effective military effort, perhaps it will be possible to have a political settlement that includes elements of the Taliban in Afghanistan, but no one knows if or when that will ever happen. The Taliban knows what U.S. policy goals are in Afghanistan: We must stop the resurgence of safe havens that enable terrorists to threaten America What would happen if the Taliban were to agree to work with the U.S. to ensure that outcome? The U.S. policy goal is silent on the question of who shares power in Afghanistan, and after 16 years of effort, the U.S. has demonstrated little ability to dictate who controls Afghanistan, as the central government, independent warlords, the Taliban, ISIS, and Al Qaeda all continue to control portions of the country.

Finally, why does the term counterinsurgency not show up in this strategy? The U.S. is not engaged in a war; it is fighting an insurgency. Insurgencies last for decades, often generations. As noted previously the strategy lacks a description of desired ends or any indication of how long it might take to achieve those ends. A condition-based rather than a timetable based strategy may be appropriate, even laudable, but the American people might like to know that it will likely take generations to achieve these conditions. After all, the U.S. has been engaged in this effort for close to a generation already

Captain Anthony Cowden, USN, is a Surface Warfare Officer, Joint Qualified Officer, and Naval Strategist. The views expressed in this article are his alone and do not represent those of the U.S. Navy.

Notes:

[1] The Royal College of Defence Studies, Getting Strategy Right (Enough) (2008: RCDS, London), 6

[2] It is certainly superior to the Joint definition of strategy: A prudent idea or set of ideas for employing the instruments of national power in a synchronized and integrated fashion to achieve theater, national, and/or multinational objectives. (JP 3-0)

[3] https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-strategy-afghanistan-south-asia/

[4] To die for, to kill for, and to pay for: as good a rubric for categorizing the importance of national interests as any.WASHINGTON (AP)  Two Republican senators have made the first known criminal referral in congressional investigations of Russian meddling in the 2016 election, targeting the author of a dossier of allegations about President Donald Trumps ties to Russia.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said Friday they had referred former British spy Christopher Steele to the Justice Department for investigation about false statements he may have made to the government. Graham is the chairman of a Judiciary subcommittee that is investigating the Russian meddling.

The referral comes after Republicans in Congress have made several attempts in recent weeks to undermine the credibility of special counsel Robert Muellers investigation, the Justice Department and the FBI, charging there is anti-Trump bias within the ranks of federal agents and prosecutors.

In a cover letter to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher Wray released by the committee, the senators say the referral relates to certain communications between Christopher Steele and multiple U.S. news outlets regarding the so-called Trump dossier. The rest of the referral is classified and was not released.

Lawmakers cannot prosecute, but generally refer any criminal violations they find to the Justice Department. On Friday, Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said the department had received the referral and will review it.

The dossier is a compilation of memos Steele wrote during the 2016 campaign that contained several allegations of connections between Trump and Russia, including that Trump had been compromised by the Kremlin. Trump has called the dossier phony and derided it as a politically motivated hit job, and many Republicans in Congress have been focused on discrediting it.

The cover letter does not say who the senators believe Steele lied to, but Grassley said in a statement about the referral that everyone needs to follow the law and be truthful in their interactions with the FBI.

Republicans have been asking the Justice Department for months whether the dossier was used as part of its initial investigation into Russian interference.

The dossier was turned over to the FBI in 2016, and federal investigators worked to corroborate portions of it. Some of the information was distilled into a summary that then-FBI Director James Comey presented to then-president-elect Trump in January 2017.

More recently, Muellers investigators interviewed Steele in Europe as part of their probe into Russian election interference and ties between Trump associates and the Kremlin.

The rule of law depends on the government and all who work on its behalf playing by the rules themselves, Graham said in a statement. I hope the Department of Justice will carefully review our letter and take appropriate action.

On Friday, Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, a Democrat on the Judiciary committee, called the move a partisan effort aimed at someone who reported wrongdoing, rather than committed it.

These vaguely stated, secret allegations seem designed more to distract attention from the priority issues for investigation, and discredit the FBI and other law enforcement, Blumenthal said in a statement, noting that the FBIs investigation into Russian interference and the Trump campaign was triggered by information completely independent from the dossier, Steele or Fusion GPS, the opposition research firm who hired him.

The Judiciary Committee has not interviewed Steele. A release from the committee said that the referral, which is based on both classified and publicly available information unearthed by investigators, does not pertain to the veracity of claims in the dossier.

The referral is for further investigation only, and is not intended to be an allegation of a crime, the committees release said.

A lawyer for Fusion GPS, which was initially paid by a conservative website tied to Republicans and then later by Democrats to carry out the research into Trump, criticized the senators for the referral and also for publicizing it.

After a year of investigations into Donald Trumps ties to Russia, the only person Republicans seek to accuse of wrongdoing is one who reported on these matters to law enforcement in the first place, said Joshua A. Levy, counsel for Fusion GPS. Publicizing a criminal referral based on classified information raises serious questions about whether this letter is nothing more than another attempt to discredit government sources, in the midst of an ongoing criminal investigation. We should all be skeptical in the extreme.Got some scoop for our reporters or editors? Click on the link below to send us your information.

Send your newsGermanys top diplomat says the European Union will invite Iran's foreign minister for talks about the widespread antigovernment protests that have rocked the country since December 28.

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel told ZDF TV in Berlin on January 7 that "together with the EU's foreign policy chief [Federica Mogherini], we agreed to invite the Iranian foreign minister, if possible next week."

"We very quickly affirmed that we support the freedom to demonstrate and that the state should support this," Gabriel said.

Still, he said, his country would not follow the lead of U.S. President Donald Trump, who vowed to help Iranian protesters "take back" their government.

Gabriel said that Germany, as well as France, has "warned against attempts at instrumentalizing the domestic conflicts in Iran."

There was no immediate reaction to the comments from Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Instigators 'Defeated'

Gabriels remarks come after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said that antigovernment protests that it blames on foreign instigators have been "defeated."

In a January 7 statement, the IRGC said "Iran's revolutionary people along with tens of thousands of Basij forces, police, and the Intelligence Ministry have broken down the chain [of unrest] created...by the United States, Britain," Israel, Saudi Arabia, militants, and monarchists.

The IRGC statement was issued after Iran's parliament held a closed-door session on January 7 to discuss the antigovernment protests that have rocked the country for more than a week.

The parliamentary session was called by a reformist faction of lawmakers who questioned security and intelligence officials about the causes of the unrest -- which Iran's government has also blamed on foreigners.

Parliament's ICANA website reported that lawmakers questioned Interior Minister Abdolrahmani Rahmani Fazli, Intelligence Minister Mahmud Alavi, and the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani.

It said some lawmakers voiced concerns about Internet controls put in place in the midst of the unrest, including a ban on Iran's most popular messaging app, Telegram, which officials said had been used to incite violence.

The government reportedly has lifted restrictions that it imposed on the Instagram social media tool.

But access to Telegram remained blocked on January 7, despite claims from Iran's FARS news agency that the restrictions on Telegram has been "fully lifted."

Pro-Government Rallies

"The parliament is not in favor of keeping Telegram filtering in place, but it must pledge that it will not be used as a tool by the enemies of the Iranian people," Behrouz Nemati, spokesman for the parliament's presiding board, said.

Almost a third of Iran's 80 million people use the Telegram app as their main source of news and as a way of bypassing the highly restrictive state media.

The United States and Israel have expressed support for the protesters, but deny allegations of fomenting them.

Meanwhile, state media on January 7 broadcast live footage of a fifth day of pro-government rallies organized by authorities.

State media has stopped reporting on antigovernment protests.

But RFE/RL has received credible reports that protests continued in at least nine cities across Iran on January 6, including Tehran, where social media footage showed gatherings despite a large police presence.

RFE/RLs Radio Farda also obtained credible reports on January 6 from sources in Iran about overnight demonstrations against Iran's clerical rulers in Takestan, Arak, Masjed Soleiman, Mashhad, Qazvin, Rasht, Lahijan, and Khomein, the birthplace of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic republic.

More than a week of unrest has seen 22 people die and more than 1,700 arrested.

Various Iranian officials said on January 6 that hundreds of detainees had been released, some after agreeing to sign a pledge not to "re-offend," the semiofficial ISNA news agency reported.

They include around 90 university students, lawmaker Mahmud Sadeghi was quoted as saying by ISNA.

Later on January 7, Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, said that 70 of the detained protesters had been released on bail during the previous 48 hours.

Dolatabadi also said that there would be more releases from detention, except for the main instigators of the riots.

Reformists Deny Foreign Involvement

In a rebuke to Iranian government claims that the widespread demonstrations had been organized and/or instigated by foreigners, a group of 16 prominent reformist figures living in Iran issued a statement rejecting that argument.

In the January 6 statement, the signatories said, "Despite the fact the enemies of the country always try to take advantage of such events, we should know that any kind of foreign interference would not be possible without the existence of internal conditions."

They added that, in addition to the government claim of foreign involvement being "an insult" to Iranians, it leads to "negligence toward the real causes of the protests."

The reformist letter also went on to condemn "American interference," especially that of President Donald Trump, in the "internal affairs of Iran."

Most of the signatories to the statement are former officials or parliamentarians from the time of President Mohammad Khatami (1997-2005).

Iranian emigres also staged numerous antigovernment demonstrations in front of Iranian embassies around the world during the weekend -- including The Hague, Berlin and Hamburg, Stockholm, London, and Paris.

With reporting by RFE/RL correspondent Golnaz Esfandiari, Reuters, AFP, AP, dpa, and Press TV

A 5.1 magnitude earthquake jolted Iran's western province of Kermanshah on January 6, injuring at least 21 people, state television reports.

The semiofficial ISNA news agency said the Kurdish town of Sarpol-e Zahab, about 520 kilometers west of Tehran, was near the epicenter of the quake. The quake struck at 6:55 p.m. local time.

State television said two of the injured had to be hospitalized, with the rest released after receiving treatment.

The temblor struck near where a 7.3 magnitude earthquake hit in November, killing more than 600 people and injuring more than 9,000.

Some 50 percent of the casualties occurred in Sarpol-e Zahab during that earthquake.

Iran has several major seismic faults within its territory and often experiences quakes.

Based on reporting by AP, dpa, IRNA, and ReutersThe U.S. Navy has joined the search for the crew of an oil tanker that was set ablaze after colliding with a cargo ship of the coast of China, leaving at least 32 people missing, most of them Iranians.

The U.S. Navy on January 8 sent a P-8A aircraft from Okinawa, Japan, to join ships and craft from China and South Korea in the search for the missing crew of the Panamanian-flagged oil tanker Sanchi off the Chinese coast.

The Chinese Transport Ministry said on January 7 that the crew of 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis went missing after the collision set the 274-meter oil tanker on fire late the night before.

The tanker collided with the Hong Kong-registered CF Crystal about 300 kilometers off China's coast near Shanghai and the mouth of the Yangtze River Delta.

The ministry said all 21 Chinese crew members were rescued from the damaged CF Crystal, which was carrying 64,000 tons of grain from the United States to southern China.

The Sanchi was carrying 136,000 tons of Iranian oil condensate, which is equivalent to nearly 1 million barrels, worth about $60 million.

The Sanchi "is floating and burning as of now," the Chinese ministry said. "There is an oil slick and we are pushing forward with rescue efforts."

The Associated Press news agency quoted an unidentified official in Iran's Oil Ministry as confirming that 30 of the tanker's crew members were Iranians.

"We have no information on their fate," he said.

Mohammad Rastad, head of Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization, said that poor weather and huge plumes of smoke rising from the tanker were making rescue efforts difficult.

"There is a wide perimeter of flames around the vessel because of the spillage and search-and-rescue efforts are being carried out with difficulty," Rastad told Iranian television.

"This is a big spill," oceanographer Simon Boxall of the University of Southampton told the BBC.

"The only positive side is that, at the moment, the winds are keeping the oil offshore," Boxall added.

"The chances of it reaching the shore are fairly slim. But we are looking at a lot of oil here and the water depth in that area is only about 50 meters to 60 meters, so in the immediate area it will have a dramatic impact."

The Sanchi was heading to South Korea with its cargo when the collision took place.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the cause of the incident was under investigation.

Chinas Xinhua news agency said eight Chinese ships were dispatched in a search-and-rescue operation and that South Korea also sent a search aircraft and coastguard ship.

The Sanchi was built in 2008 and its registered owner is Hong Kong-based Bright Shipping Ltd. on behalf of the National Iranian Tanker Co. (NITC), according to the UN-run International Maritime Organization.

According to Reuters' ship-tracking data, the oil tanker was sailing from Kharg Island in Iran to Daesan, South Korea.

The Shanghai Maritime Bureau said the accident did not affect traffic into and out of Shanghai, one of the world's busiest and biggest ports, or ports along the Yangtze River.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, and the BBCIraq's oil minister says the country will start exporting oil to Iran from its northern Kirkuk oil fields by the end of January.

Oil Minister Jabar al-Luaibi said on January 7 that about 30,000 barrels per day will be trucked to Iran's Kermanshah refinery in the first set of shipments.

The deliveries are to be made under a swap agreement announced in December by both countries.

Iraq and Iran have agreed to swap of up to 60,000 barrels per day of crude oil produced in Kirkuk for Iranian oil that is to be delivered to southern Iraq.

The shipment of oil from Kirkuk has been halted since Iraqi forces took back control of the oil fields from Kurdish forces in October.

Kurdish forces had seized the oil fields during the military campaign that drove Islamic State militants from the area.

Iraq plans to eventually build a pipeline linking the Kirkuk oil fields to Irans Kermanshah refinery so that deliveries don't have to be made by truck.

Iraq also is seeking to build a new pipeline to replace an old and severed damaged section of the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline, which crosses the border with Turkey in the Fish-Khabur area.

Based on reporting by Reuters, Press TVMacedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev has said that Skopje and Athens have a real chance of settling a decades-old dispute over the name Macedonia by July.

"I believe it's possible to find a solution by the end of the first semester of 2018," Zaev told Greece's Alpha TV in an interview aired on January 7, as Orthodox Christians in both countries celebrated Christmas.

"Our strategic orientation is conclusively [toward] the EU and NATO," Zaev also said.

Greece has objected to Skopje's use of the name Macedonia since its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, arguing that it implies territorial ambitions on parts of the country.

Athens also contends that, by claiming the name, Macedonia is appropriating a part of Greece's ancient history.

Greece's objections have complicated Skopje's aspirations to join NATO and the European Union.

Greece in 2008 blocked Macedonia's bid to join NATO under its provisional name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) because of the dispute.

NATO is due to reopen debate on inviting the country to join the Western military alliance in June.

On January 4, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias told reporters that Athens wants to solve the dispute this year.

"I think 2018 will be the year when foreign policy issues that have been stuck in the mud for decades will be resolved," Kotzias said after a meeting of Greece's inner cabinet.

Skopje's ruling coalition led by Social Democrats since last year has given priority to resolving the issue.

Zaev and his Greek counterpart, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, discussed the matter over the phone on January 2.

Zaev also visited Thessaloniki, in Greek Macedonia, on December 30 and privately met with the city's mayor.

With reporting by Alpha TV and AFPFrench President Emmanuel Macron has laid a wreath in front of the former offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo to mark the third anniversary of the killing of members of its staff by Islamist militants.

The low-key ceremony on January 7 was in line with requests from the families of victims.

Macron was joined by surviving journalists from the magazine, as well as member of Macron's government and the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo.

Two French Islamists who had sworn allegiance to the Al-Qaeda terrorist network killed 11 people at Charlie Hebdos offices on January 7, 2015.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFPU.S. President Donald Trump has said he would be willing to speak by phone with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, a step back from his often-bellicose comments about communist state

"I always believe in talking," Trump told reporters at January 6 at the Camp David presidential retreat when asked if he would be willing to speak to the man he has described as "Little Rocket Man."

"Absolutely I would do that -- I wouldn't have a problem with that at all," he said, adding that there would be some unspecified conditions before any talks could take place.

The comments come after North and South Korea have agreed to hold their first official talks in more than two years, mainly to discuss Pyongyang's possible participation in the upcoming Winter Olympics in South Korea on February 9-25.

A North Korean Olympic official on January 6 said his country's participation was "likely."

Trump said: "I would love to see them take it beyond the Olympics. And at the appropriate time, we'll get involved."

The United States and North Korea have been in a war of words that has intensified each time Pyongyang has tested its ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons in violation of United Nations resolutions.

Based on reporting by AFP and APSwedish police say one person has died and another has been slightly injured following a blast outside a metro station in a Stockholm suburb.

A man in his 60s died after succumbing to injuries sustained when he apparently picked up an object off the ground that exploded, police spokesman Sven-Erik Olsson said on January 7.

A 45-year-old woman also sustained injuries to her face.

The explosion took place just outside the Varby Gard subway station in Huddinge, a residential district that is part of greater Stockholm.

Olsson, the police spokesman, said police had not established what caused the blast, but local media reported that the explosive device was a hand grenade.

He also said there was nothing to suggest that the blast was terror-related.

Based on reporting by AFP, dpa, Reuters and AP





Wife, two kids, house in the suburbs of Chicago, job as an office manager for the last 20 years. The life of Volodymyr, or Walter, Polovchak sounds like a completely ordinary existence of a Midwestern American.

But rewind nearly 40 years and Polovchak was at the center of a Cold War row after he refused at the age of 12 to return to his home in Soviet Ukraine, won over by the freedoms and opportunities he discovered during a family trip to the United States.

To Washington at the time, he was the "youngest Soviet defector." To the Kremlin, he was a "hostage" along with his older sister Natalia, who also balked at returning to the Soviet Union. Polovchak was soon caught up in a media frenzy, an accidental pawn in the struggle between Washington and Moscow.

"Yes, there was the Cold War then, but I didn't understand that or care about it. I wanted to stay here. I had lived in the Soviet Union for 12 years and I saw what life was like there and the opportunities it offered," says Polovchak in an interview with RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service from his home in Chicago.

"Here I saw that you can go to church and no one will persecute you for that, like in Ukraine," Polovchak, now nearly 50, says of his first impressions of 1980s America. "If you want to move from one place to another, there's no need for any state permission."

Dazzled By Choice

Like others who escaped from behind the Iron Curtain, he was also dazzled by the cornucopia of consumer goods in the West.

"We went to the store, and you could buy everything. I had never seen anything like that in my life," he recalls. "In Ukraine I saw how people waited in line for bread for two hours! There was nothing."

Polovchak moved to the United States in 1980 along with his parents, older sister, and younger brother. Originally from Sambor, near Lviv, they settled in Chicago, where relatives lived.

However, U.S. life didn't sit well with his father, who soon decided he wanted to return home alone to the U.S.S.R.

The Kremlin didn't think that added up.

"They said, 'You brought your family over, you will return with your family,'" explains Polovchak.

While Volodymyr's mother was resigned to the idea, he and his sister, Natalia, who was 17 at the time, didn't want to budge.

"I tried to talk to my dad: 'Give the country a chance. Let's see how it all works out. We already knew what awaited us in Ukraine, the Soviet Union," Polovchak explains.

But it was no use, Polovchak's father couldn't be convinced.

"We never understood why he wanted to go back. He didn't like it here. He was a simple man, worked as a bus driver, and was unable to get used to life here. It was difficult in the sense that he did not speak English, had to start from the very beginning," explains Polovchak.

So, one night, he and Natalia just quietly slipped out of the house and stayed with a nearby cousin.

Media Circus

Police soon tracked them down and took them in. At the police precinct, officers scrambled to locate a translator to break the communications barrier, eventually settling on a Polish-speaker.

"I tried to explain to her that if I go back to my parents, they will take me out of the country," Polovchak recalls.

He says that during the six to eight hours there, officers tried to get him to sign documents but he refused, fearing it would lead to his deportation.

Local TV were tipped off that a would-be defector was being held there, and sent down a reporting team, sparking what would become a media circus not only in the United States, but in the U.S.S.R. as well.

"In the Soviet Union, they were already saying that I had been abducted, that I had been enticed with "a bicycle and Jell-O," explains Polovchak, referring to a U.S. gelatin treat.

The matter soon moved to the courts, with Volodymyr essentially suing his parents.

His lawyers argued that his life would be in danger back in the Soviet Union. The parents claimed that Volodymyr and Natalia had been kidnapped, the version of events spun by the Soviets, including TASS.

In the end, a U.S. court granted Volodymyr temporary refuge as a juvenile. In 1985, when he turned 18, Volodymyr was sworn in as a U.S. citizen, following in the footsteps of his sister Natalia, who given her age had ended her court ordeal much earlier.

Freedom's Child

In 1988, he told his story in an autobiographical book, Freedom's Child, co-written with Kevin Klose, a former Washington Post Moscow bureau chief as well as a former president of RFE/RL.

For years he was estranged from his parents and cut off from his homeland until the Soviet Union collapsed and Ukraine gained its independence.

"I came [to Ukraine] for the first time in 1993. I started speaking again with my parents. And since then I have traveled to Ukraine nearly every two years," he says.

"I knew that my mother always regretted that she went back. Dad, just before he died, also admitted he had made a mistake."

Polovchak still closely monitors events in Ukraine, devouring all the information he can find in print or on TV.

"I want Ukraine to be independent so that the people have the freedom and opportunities such as we have in America."

And for those Ukrainians frustrated by the slow pace of change, Polovchak has a message of hope.

"Since I began to travel to Ukraine in 1993, I've seen big changes," he says. "Life there has become better for the people. People living in Ukraine may not agree with this; of course, everyone wants a lot more. But to have a better life, a lot of time is needed. But I believe that Ukraine is now heading in the right direction."

Written by Tony Wesolowsky based on reporting by RFE/RL Ukrainian Service correspondent Olena Removska.Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Uzbekistan face deep-rooted homophobia, discrimination, and the threat of violence, activists and human rights defenders say.

And so it was for K., as she identifies herself for security reasons, a transgender woman who says she indeed faced death threats back home in Uzbekistan.

She was detained in Tashkent by Uzbek police and security forces four times between 2014 and 2017.

Each time, they demanded that K. out other members of the LGBT community, and when she refused she was brutally beaten.

"I was beaten badly. After five or six days [of such abuse] you just lie there," the 26-year-old K. tells RFE/RL's Belarus Service in an interview from Minsk.

Uzbekistans authoritarian ruler Islam Karimov died in 2016 after nearly 27 years in power. But his death and the installation of former Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoev as president failed to usher in any meaningful improvements in Uzbekistans "abysmal human rights record," as Human Rights Watch has described it.

Blackmail, Extortion

HRW said that police use blackmail and extortion against gay men, threatening to out or imprison them. LGBT people face deep-rooted homophobia and discrimination. Consensual homosexual sex is a criminal offense punishable by up to three years in prison.

For K., the "final decision to leave" came on January 3, 2017, when she was raped while in police custody.

Getting out of Uzbekistan was tricky though.

"I was born in disputed territory which became disputed after the collapse of the Soviet Union," says K. "At that time there were no borders, and this area belongs to Tajikistan. There was a massive outflow of the population -- to Russia and neighboring countries. And those who came to Uzbekistan have yet to be granted citizenship."

That made her essentially a "stateless" person. Despite that, Uzbek authorities did issue her with an exit visa -- a practice inherited from the Soviet days -- after a six-month wait.

She headed for Moscow, but authorities there on December 25 turned down her asylum request, refusing to recognize her LGBT persecution as justifiable grounds.

Next up was Belarus, where President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has ruled since 1994 and earned the moniker of "Europe's last dictator."

Bad Reputation

Belarus is far from a safe haven for the LGBT community, but to K. it seemed to be her best option, and Belarus authorities earlier this week granted K. two weeks to formally submit an asylum request.

However, the country suffers from a bad reputation when it comes to LGBT rights.

Amnesty International said in a report on December 22 that LGBT rights activists were facing rising hostilities in parts of the former Soviet Union, including Belarus, fueled by discrimination, homophobia, and what it described as Russia's crusade against "nontraditional sexual relations."

Belarus's LGBT intolerance was on full display a few months earlier in October 2017 when police raided nightclubs popular with the LGBT community, during which two clubs were shuttered and patrons were harassed, some even detained by police.

"The reports out of Belarus are alarming. It is alarming that police targeted legal businesses, violated the privacy of their patrons, demanded personal information, and dragged some away to detention," said Human Rights Firsts Shawn Gaylord on October 24.

Room For Tolerance

On the international stage, Minsk has blocked efforts to advance LGBT rights.

In October 2016, Belarus reportedly led a group of 17 countries to block a plan to include LGBT rights in a new urban strategy crafted by the United Nations, according to Reuters.

There is, however, some room for tolerance within the law.

"Our legislation allows a person to ask for protection when a person belongs to a particular social group and for this reason he or she is being persecuted at home," says Belarusian human rights activist Natalia Mankovskaya.

According to Mankovskaya, after submitting an asylum application, K. can legally stay in Belarus for up to six months while a decision is being reached.

"We also appeal to the Minsk office of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to grant K. international protection," says Mankovskaya.

For K., her options are limited. She wants to avoid at all costs returning to Uzbekistan, where she says she would face charges for her sexual orientation.

"I hope that I am granted some type of status here, so I can avoid what I've already faced," K. says. "This is a much more tolerant society."

Written by Tony Wesolowsky based on material from RFE/RL Belarus Service correspondent Alyaksandra Dynko



Canadian government updates travel warning for north, western states of Mexico

The Canadian government has issued a new travel warning for Canadians traveling to northern and western states of Mexico.

The warning, which was valid on the government website as of January 7, states that citizens should avoid non-essential travel to the northern Mexican states Chihuahua, Coahuila (except the city of Saltillo), Durango, Nuevo Leon (except the city of Monterrey), Sinaloa (except the city of Mazatlan), Sonora (except the cities of Hermosillo and Guaymas/San Carlos) and Tamaulipas.

Northern states

We strongly recommend travelling to Mexico by air to avoid land border crossings, particularly in the northern states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Sonora and Tamaulipas.

In northern Mexico, particularly along the border with the United States, organized crime and urban violence greatly affect security. Confrontations between organized criminal groups and Mexican authorities continue to pose a problem. Shootouts, attacks and illegal roadblocks may occur without warning.

Avoid inter-city road travel in the northern states. Heavily armed gangs have attacked travelers driving through the state of Tamaulipas and on several highways in the states of Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo Leon and Sinaloa. Criminals especially target sport utility vehicles and full-size pickup trucks for theft and carjacking along highways.

In the city of Monterrey, avoid travelling outside the suburb of San Pedro or other well-populated areas after evening rush hour.

Western states

The travel warning adds the western Mexican states of Guerrero (including the city of Acapulco, but excluding the cities of Ixtapa, Taxco and Zihuatanejo) and the state of Michoacan (excluding the city of Morelia).

Criminal activity is high in the states of Colima, Guerrero, Jalisco, Michoacan and Nayarit. Illegal roadblocks and demonstrations are common. The deterioration of the security situation is particularly noticeable in the rural areas of Guerrero and Michoacan. Vigilante militias have fired at vehicles that did not stop at their roadblocks.

The government of Canada issued the travel alert noting the states danger due to growing criminal activity and little response from the authorities for the arrest of criminals.

Crime rates in Mexico are high. Arrest and detention rates are low and contribute to higher levels of criminality. The level of crime in resorts and major tourist cities and destinations is relatively low compared to the national average.

The Canadian government adds, More than 2.1 million Canadians travel to Mexico each year, the vast majority of them without incident. The state of Quintana Roo, home to global beach destinations including Cancun and Riviera Maya were not part of the travel warning.Real Housewives star Teresa Giudice spends New Years in Mexicos Riviera Maya with daughters

Riviera Maya, Q.R.  Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice spent New Years in Mexicos sunny Riviera Maya with her four daughters. The family rang in the New Year with an extended vacation at the Moon Palace resort.

In an Instagram post, Giudice, 45, is all smiles standing next to her youngest daughter, Audriana, 8, on the Mexican beach. Enjoying the (sun), she captioned the pic.

The family took the vacation since the reality star was unable to visit her husband, Joe, over the holiday season. He has been serving a 41-month prison sentence for mail, wire and bankruptcy fraud since March 2016 and was recently moved to a federal prison in Pennsylvania.

Visitors need four to six weeks for clearance. Teresa was not able to visit Joe with her children on Christmas Day because of a delay in administrative processes for visitation, stemming from his recent transfer to a different prison.

Taking in sun and sand in Mexico, Giudice looked sensational in a black bikini as she reclined on a sun lounger with her girls. She showed off her deep golden tan, while making sure her girls were protected with sunscreen.

Teresa, who was also found guilty, was granted a lesser sentence for her part in the scheme. The parents were allowed to serve time separately for the sake of their children.SWAT star Peter Facinelli rings in New Year in Cancun with friends, family

Cancun, Q.R.  American actor Peter Facinelli and girlfriend Lily Anne Harrison took to the Mexican Caribbean to ring in their New Year. Seen swimming in the warm Caribbean Sea, the pair celebrated the holidays in the popular resort city of Cancun.

The 44-year-old- SWAT star was seen with his girlfriend enjoying the sights and sandy beaches at the Grand Fiesta Americana Coral Beach in the famous hotel zone.

Facinelli took to his social media account posting, Hola. From Mexico. #cancun @grandcoralbeach Best start to a New Year with #family, Peter wrote.

The couple were also joined by Peters three children, his family of his sister and Lilys actor father Gregory Harrison.

Photos on social media showed the family having a blast during their vacation with fun excursions that included snorkel, jet ski and relaxing at the spa.

Peter Facinelli is an American actor and producer. He starred as Donovan Van Ray on the Fox series Fastlane from 2002 to 2003. He played Dr. Carlisle Cullen in the film adaptations of the Twilight novel series, and is also known for his role as Mike Dexter in the 1998 film Cant Hardly Wait.

Facinelli was a regular on the Showtime comedy-drama series Nurse Jackie, portraying the role of Dr. Fitch Coop Cooper. He portrayed Maxwell Lord on the first season of the TV series Supergirl.This morning saw many riding group members around Bangalore receive a cautionary message. It warned riders from riding towards Chikkballapur. At the Bullali junction near Nandi Upachar, a rider had come in contact with a child on the highway. With the child (an 11 year old girl) dead, villagers took the highway in huge numbers and targeted every rider using the highway on both sides of the carriageway.

The message was sent forward by a rider who was passing at the time and gauged the seriousness of the situation. While he did manage to ride away, other riders from his riding group were held up in the ensuing violence. The area falls under Aavathi, Devanahalli taluk of Chikkaballapur.





The route is popular for anyone looking to get away from Bangalore for a day as scores of folks from teh city head to Nandi hills given the opportunity. Thsi includes riders in large numbers too. The Bangalore based rider and his friends were riding to Anthargange rocks at Kolar, about 80 kms from the city.

As news of the accident spread, a mob orchestrated immediate violence and brought all traffic on the highway to a standstill, and threatened further destruction. While police were able to contain the situation in time, mob justice was meted out to all riders passing the highway at the time.

Mob justice as biker hits child on highway. RIP child.Villagers thrash all bikers passing by. Posted by RushLane on Sunday, 7 January 2018

Videos detail the destruction to bikes and the risk riders were exposed to in the hands of a large number of locals who took matters into their hands.

Even now, the situation is said not to be under control. Readers are advised not to use the route until cops clear the situation.For left-leaning Californians, theres a silver lining to the Trump administrations proposal to reopen the long-protected California coast to offshore oil drilling: They think it could help them win back Congress from the Republicans.

They hope the ensuing political blowback will make it easier to rally Democratic voters against seven GOP congressmen who represent districts that supported Hillary Clinton last year, especially in two districts along the Southern California coast. Democrats need to win 24 GOP-held seats nationwide to regain control of the House.

It just made part of my job a whole lot easier and part of it a lot harder, Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club, the nations largest environmental group, said Friday.

Brune is among those who believe the Trump administration is at war with California values, and in that war three more battlefronts intensified this week.

On Thursday, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions urged the nations federal prosecutors to disregard state marijuana laws and file criminal charges in states, like California, where cannabis is legal. Also on Thursday, the administration said it would vastly increase the number of offshore drilling leases to boost the nations energy supply.

Earlier in the week, Thomas Homan, the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, singled out California when he said government officials who support sanctuary city policies should be jailed.

Those positions may play well elsewhere in the country, but not in California, said Mark Baldassare, president of the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California, which has polled extensively on political issues for decades.

When youre looking at issues like cannabis or oil drilling or immigration, Californians opinion on these issues have been settled for many, many years, Baldassare said. Weve seen majority support for marijuana legalization, overwhelming opposition to oil drilling and overwhelming support for a pathway to citizenship for immigrants in the U.S. illegally.

However, Baldassare said its too early to predict how the administrations recent initiatives will shape the states midterm elections, in which Democrats are targeting seven GOP-held House seats in districts that Clinton won. But his recent surveys show that more people are paying attention to and getting involved in politics.

But the administrations actions will likely affect who comes out to vote and how many people come out to vote. People want to express how they feel, he said.

Only 1 in 3 likely California voters approves of Trumps job performance, Baldassare said. That could be one reason that GOP leaders are urging incumbent Republicans to vote their district, said Jack Pandol, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee.

These issues allow members to demonstrate their independence, said Pandol, noting that Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Costa Mesa (Orange County), a longtime leading voice for marijuana legalization, criticized Sessions this week.

California Republican Party Chairman Jim Brulte thinks the effect of this weeks developments will be minimal.

Voters distinguish between candidates and the policies of other elected officials, Brulte said Friday. The Republicans that the Democrats are targeting are all very well known in their districts.

Brulte said the idea that this weeks actions were the latest examples of a war between the Trump administration and California is kind of crazy.

Some Democrats have said that the GOP tax cut legislation that Trump signed was designed to punish high-tax states like California, New York and New Jersey, which overwhelmingly supported Clinton.

Most of the elements in this tax reform have been part of the Republican congressional agenda since before Donald Trump was a Republican, Brulte said.

Even though Proposition 64, which legalized recreational cannabis, passed with 57 percent of the vote in 2016, Democratic organizers say it is difficult to tell whether the threat to cannabis use in California will inspire a grassroots army to knock on doors in targeted congressional districts.

But as the stigma continues to decrease (around cannabis) you may find more people pulling out their checkbooks, if not marching in the streets, said Doug Linney, campaign manager for Flip the 14, a new organization seeking to replace Californias 14 Republican members of Congress.

Linney said the real effect of the administrations moves could be to awaken the sleeping giant of activists concerned about drilling off the coast. That could mean more headaches for Republicans representing coastal districts, which include Rohrabacher and Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista (San Diego County). The nonpartisan analysts at Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rate Rohrabachers seat tilt Republican and Issas a toss-up.

Their environmental voting record ratings from the California League of Conservation Voters wont endear them to coastal preservationists, either. Issas 2016 score was 3 percent. Rohrabachers was zero percent.

Far from the coasts, the administrations moves this week on oil, cannabis and immigration have jolted progressive activists living in conservative inland districts, like Paul Smith, the founder of Sierra Nevada Revolution. The new grassroots organization hopes to replace longtime Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Elk Grove (Sacramento County).

It fires us up, Smith said. Certainly there are days where its hard not to get discouraged. But people here are so pissed at Trump and so pissed at McClintock. We see replacing McClintock as a way of stopping Trumps agenda until we can replace him.

Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoliCallie Zucker and her extended family spent a luxurious winter holiday wandering the cobbled pathways of Florence and partaking of the region's fine aliments. But, as seems to be the standard for air travel these days, the trip went sour when the college student attempted to get home.

Zucker's family members were booked on separate return flights to their hometown of Lafayette, California, with Zucker and her mother's girlfriend, Sheila Milosky, set for a Wednesday flight from Florence to San Jose, California.

The pair never made it to San Jose, at least not the one they were expecting to arrive at.

The first blow came with the last-minute cancellation of their flight out of Florence. Lufthansa Airlines bussed Zucker, Milosky and the flight's other disgruntled passengers to a nearby airport in Bologna that evening. New flights were booked in the morning, and Zucker and her traveling companion went on their merry way.

"We had a layover in Paris, and everything seemed fine," Zucker, a sophomore at Colorado College, told SFGATE Thursday night. She was sitting in an airport at the time.

It wasn't fine when, two hours into their flight from Paris, when Milosky's seat partner informed her that the plane was not, in fact, headed to San Jose International Airport in California. It was en-route to San Jose International Airport in Costa Rica, about 4,000 miles south of the Bay Area.

"There was nothing we could do at that point except wait until we got to San Jose," Zucker said.

Story continues below.

They landed late that evening in the tropical oasis and took stock of their errors.

"We assumed SJO was the airport code for San Jose in California," Zucker recalled from the Costa Rican airport. The code is actually SJC. "I know that now."

She said her boarding pass, luggage tag and the departure screens only listed the city, not the country.

With no Lufthansa customer service desk open Thursday night, Zucker and Milosky booked flights home, scheduled to leave early that morning, online. Their tickets cost $1,500 each.

"Lufthansa is definitely going to have to reimburse us," Zucker said.

"I think," she said.

"I hope," she added.

After 48 hours of travel and a layover in Panama City, the duo finally touched down at San Francisco International Airport in the late afternoon Friday.

Said Zucker, "That flight actually got delayed, too."

Michelle Robertson is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @mrobertsonsf.A search has been suspended for a fisherman who reportedly fell overboard while on the Addis Sylvester, pictured.John Young, the ninth man to walk on the moon, flew on three NASA programs: Gemini, Apollo and the space shuttle.

John Young was NASA's longest-serving astronaut. He first became an astronaut when the agency was flying two-man space capsules. He left when the agency was flying the space shuttle. In between, he flew six space missions  the first person to do so.

In his decades with the agency, Young racked up several milestones. He made it to the moon's neighborhood twice, and walked on it once. He commanded the first space shuttle flight and then came back into space yet again to command another. His flight experience spanned three different programs: Gemini, Apollo and the space shuttle.

In 2004, with an impressive 15,000 hours of spaceflight training across four decades, Young retired from the agency. Young died on Jan. 5, 2018, following complications from pneumonia.. He was 87.

Astronaut John Young, Who Walked on the Moon and Led 1st Shuttle Mission, Dies at 87

Astronaut Legend John Young Remembered in Photos

Early life

John Watts Young was born on Sept. 24, 1930, in San Francisco, Calif. When he was 18 months old, Young's parents moved, first to Georgia and then Orlando, Florida, where he attended elementary and high school.

Young earned his bachelor of science degree in aeronautical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1952.

After graduation, he entered the U.S. Navy, serving on the destroyer USS Laws in the Korean War and then entering flight training before being assigned to a fighter squadron for four years.

Young graduated from the U.S. Navy Test Pilot School in 1959 and served at the Naval Air Test Center at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland, where he evaluated Crusader and Phantom fighter weapons systems. In 1962, he set world time-to-climb records to 3,000 and 25,000-meter (82,021 and 9,843-feet) altitudes in the F-4 Phantom.

'Snoopy and Charlie Brown are hugging each other'

NASA picked Young as an astronaut in September 1962, just as the one-man Mercury spacecraft program was winding down and the Gemini program was starting up. In fact, Young flew on the first manned Gemini flight  Gemini 3  in 1965, transferring his test pilot skills to figuring out the new spacecraft.

Young then joined Michael Collins to do two rendezvous with two separate target Agena spacecraft in 1966, during Gemini 10. Working in close vicinity with other spacecraft was a requirement for moon missions, when two spacecraft would need to dock together to get to the moon and return home.

This experience came in handy for Apollo 10 in 1969, which featured the first moon-orbiting docking between two spacecraft. At the controls of the command module Charlie Brown, Young successfully joined with the lunar module, Snoopy, that had been doing a landing test a few miles above the surface.

"Snoopy and Charlie Brown are hugging each other!" said an exuberant Tom Stafford, who was commanding Apollo 10.

Driving on the moon

Young went back to the moon in 1972, during Apollo 16. He commanded a scientifically ambitious journey to the Descartes highlands, searching for volcanic rock and some possible clues to the moon's history. He and his crewmates, Charles Duke and Ken Mattingly, brought back 200 lbs. of rock during more than 20 hours on the surface.

Young and Duke only found sedimentary rocks along the way, which surprised scientists back home. Despite the challenges, however, the men kept their sense of humor. They did a controlled but wild-looking test with the lunar rover, for example, skidding it across the surface in front of a video camera.

"One-sixth gravity on the surface of the moon is just delightful," Young said in a 2006 interview with NASA. "It's not like being in zero gravity, you know. You can drop a pencil in zero gravity and look for it for three days. In one-sixth gravity, you just look down and there it is."

John Young, astronaut and Navy veteran, salutes the U.S. flag at the Descartes landing site during the first Apollo 16 extravehicular activity (EVA-1). Young, commander of the Apollo 16 lunar landing mission, jumps up from the lunar surface as astronaut and Air Force veteran, Charles M. Duke Jr., lunar module pilot, took this picture. (Image credit: NASA, Charles M. Duke Jr.)

After Apollo

In 1974, Young was named the fifth chief of the Astronaut Office, after serving for a year as the office's space shuttle branch chief. For 13 years, Young led NASA's astronaut corps, overseeing the crews assigned to the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, the approach and landing tests with the prototype orbiter Enterprise, and the first 25 space shuttle missions.

In 1981, Young moved to a very different kind of vehicle: the space shuttle, which acted and performed more like a plane than a spacecraft. Development on the ambitious vehicle was not without its challenges, as Young and his crewmate Robert Crippen discovered.

"I remember [senior NASA official Bob] Gilruth telling me it's going to be as reliable as a DC-8 and right after he said that, Crip and I, every time we went out to Rocketdyne or somewhere to see what was happening, engines were blowing up. So I wasn't sure it was going to be as reliable as a DC-8. It was a lot of fun," Young quipped.

Young and Crippen lifted off in the space shuttle Columbia in April 1981, on a test flight of a vehicle that had never before been used in space. There were questions about how its systems would perform, and whether the new tile heat-shield system for re-entry would hold up. The flight was a success.

Still with a taste for spaceflight, Young returned to space once more at the helm of STS-9. This flight, like his last Apollo mission, was scientifically heavy. The crew flew the experimental Spacelab module for the first time, performing hours of experiments during 10 days. "The mission returned more scientific and technical data than all the previous Apollo and Skylab missions put together," NASA stated.

After the loss of space shuttle Challenger and its seven-person crew in January 1986, Young penned internal memos critical of NASA's attention to safety, a topic he had championed since his days flying Gemini. Young expressed concern over schedule pressure and wrote that other astronauts who had launched on missions preceding the ill-fated STS-51L mission were "very lucky" to be alive.

Young was subsequently reassigned to be special assistant to the director of the Johnson Space Center for engineering, operations and safety until 1996, when he was named the associate director for technical affairs, a position he held until his retirement from NASA on Dec. 31, 2004.

Young was the recipient of many honors for his contributions to space exploration, including the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, NASA Distinguished Service Medal, Rotary National Space Achievement Award, and six honorary doctorates. Young was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1988 and Astronaut Hall of Fame in 1993.

He was awarded the NASA Ambassador of Exploration in 2005, including a moon rock he assigned for display at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, and was bestowed the General James E. Hill Lifetime Space Achievement Award from the Space Foundation in 2010. A stretch of Florida State Road 423 that runs through Orlando is named John Young Parkway in his honor.

Reflecting on his time as a veteran of three programs, Young said the role of an astronaut has not changed, although the technology certainly did.

"I don't think it changed it any," he told the Houston Chronicle in 2004. "You just had to learn a lot of systems and learn how to operate them and be a systems person. That's what we were. We were systems operators."

Additional reporting by Robert Z. Pearlman, collectSPACE.com editor.Update for 8:27 pm ET: SpaceX successfully launched the mysterious Zuma spacecraft for the U.S. government on Sunday, Jan. 7, at 8 p.m. ET. Read our full wrap story (and see the Falcon 9 first stage landing) here: SpaceX Launches Secret Zuma Mission for US Government, Lands Rocket

Original story:

SpaceX plans to launch the secret Zuma payload for the U.S. government this evening (Jan. 7), after a nearly two-month delay.

Zuma is scheduled to lift off atop a two-stage Falcon 9 rocket from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station tonight between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. EST (0100 to 0300 GMT on Jan. 8). You can watch it live here at Space.com, courtesy of the company. You can also watch the liftoff directly from SpaceX's live webcast page here.

Sunday's launch will also include a landing attempt by the Falcon 9's first stage, which will come back down to Earth at Landing Zone 1, a SpaceX facility at Cape Canaveral. To date, SpaceX has pulled off 20 such first-stage landings, which are part of its push to develop fully and rapidly reusable rockets. [SpaceX's Zuma Launch: Here's What We Know]

Zuma is a U.S. government spacecraft headed to low-Earth orbit. But that's pretty much all that outside observers know about it; everyone involved with the mission has remained pretty tight-lipped.

Sunday's launch was originally slated to take place in mid-November, but SpaceX stood down to investigate the results of payload-fairing testing done for another customer. (The payload fairing is the nose cone that protects a spacecraft during liftoff.)

The company then aimed to loft Zuma on Friday (Jan. 5) but ended up pushing things back by two additional days.

"Team at the Cape completed additional propellant-loading tests today," SpaceX representatives wrote on Twitter Thursday (Jan. 4). "Extreme weather slowed operations, but Falcon 9 and the Zuma spacecraft are healthy and go for launch  now targeting Jan. 7 from Pad 40 in Florida."

That rough weather was presumably linked to the "bomb cyclone" storm that has been battering the U.S. East Coast all week.

Zuma is the third classified launch for the U.S. government by SpaceX. In 2017, the company launched a secret spy satellite for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office and the X-37B robotic space plane on a classified mission for the U.S. Air Force.

Visit Space.com at 8 p.m. EST (0100 GMT) tonight for complete coverage of SpaceX's Zuma mission. If you capture an amazing photo or video of SpaceX's Falcon 9 launching into the Florida night sky and want to share it with Space.com and our news partners for a story or gallery, send images and comments in to: spacephotos@space.com.

Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.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.



C amden Market was put on lockdown after reports a gang tried to blow up a cash machine during an attempted robbery.

A swathe of the popular shopping area was evacuated over fears the group had tried to use "low level explosives" during the incident just after 11.10am on Sunday.

Videos posted on social media show police officers telling people to move away from the area while members of the public expressed confusion about what was going on.

A spokesman for Scotland Yard said the gang's attempts to steal cash had been unsuccessful and no money was taken.

The force later said no explosives were retrieved but officers did find evidence of power tools being used to smash open the ATM.

Camden Market Lockdown

Adam Phillips, who works in the market, told the Standard: "Police cordoned off the whole area and market security told us that they had used improvised explosives to try and blow the ATM but it hadn't gone off."

Joseph Thomas added: "The whole road was closed from just before Camden lock all the way up to the stables and police were evacuating people from the area saying for people to stay inside.

Camden Market was evacuated following the scare on Sunday. / @AlexAlexingram

"Apparently they were attending the attempted robbery of an ATM."

Crime scene: Police in Camden Market on Sunday / @CamdenBloggers/Twitter

One person posted on Twitter: "Wanted to go for a run, whole of Camden road and the lock is closed. So many police and people scurrying."

Another said: "Anybody know what's happening @CamdenMarket now? Police have cordoned off the road at the bridge."

Police said a reduced crime scene is still in place and specialist officers are at the scene.

No one has been arrested and no one was injured, police said.A shopkeeper is fighting for his life after being attacked for refusing to serve a group of underage teenagers, police have said.

The store worker, 49, who is believed to work for off licence Rota Express on The Broadway in Mill Hill, Barnet, is currently on a life support machine following the brutal assault late on Saturday night.

He and a colleague became involved in a dispute with the group of suspects after refusing to serve them because they were underage.

The disagreement spilled out onto the street and the two men were violently attacked at 11.45pm, police said.

The suspects fled and left the victim lying in the road. He was helped by passers-by and paramedics rushed him to a central London hospital where he remains in a critical condition. His fellow shop worker suffered minor injuries.

The attack happened outside Rota Express of the Broadway. / Google

On Sunday afternoon, Scotland Yard pleaded for witnesses to come forward.

DI Ian Lott, who is investigating the attack, said: "What we know now is that two shop workers have rightly refused to sell items to youths they believed to be underage.

"The three teenage suspects have then made threats before violently attacking both shopkeepers. One of the men assaulted is now on a life support machine.

We understand that a number of people came to his aid and helped to put him in the recovery position.

"Were you there? Did you see the suspects running away? Some witnesses may have video footage during or after the attack and we would urge them to get in touch with investigators."

A large swathe of Mill Hill Broadway was cordoned off and officers were still stationed on the shopping street on Sunday morning.

A woman working in a nearby coffee shop said three police cars were parked up at the scene at around 8am.

Another person on the street told the Standard: The police say it is a crime scene and shops are not even allowed to access their premises. Residents are allowed in and out.

It seems serious. One resident said they saw someone running off at that time and another shopkeeper said an ambulance was in attendance.

Officers have contacted the man's next of kin as detectives from Barnet continue to investigate. No one has been arrested.T heresa May has warned Toby Young he will be sacked from his new role with the universities watchdog if he posts more obscene tweets.

The Prime Minister intervened in the bitter row over the controversial new appointee to the board of the Office for Students, saying she was "not impressed" by his online postings.

Mr Young, a writer and free schools pioneer, has faced a growing barrage of criticism following his history of crude and sexist comments on social media, including multiple remarks about women's breasts.

Appearing on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, Mrs May said: "Toby Young has done exceedingly good work in relation to free schools and that's what has led to him being appointed to the Office for Students.

The PM was interviewed by the BBC broadcaster ahead of the return of MPs to Westminster on Monday. / REUTERS

"When he was appointed I was not aware of these comments that he had made. Frankly I'm not at all impressed by those comments.

"He's now in public office and as far as I'm concerned if he was to continue to use that sort of language and talk in that sort of way he would no longer be in public office."

Theresa May Andrew Marr NHS

According to The Mail on Sunday, the posting included a sexual "joke" about starving children on Comic Relief.

Mr Young told the paper that he had been a "provocative journalist" for 30 years, whose stock in trade was saying "controversial, sometimes outrageous things" and that it was unsurprising people were able to "dredge up" material to embarrass him.

However he said that all the offending messages dated back at least five years, and most much longer, and that he was now a changed man, saying: "I'm a more serious person now."

For Labour, shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth called on the Prime Minister to sack Mr Young.

"These tweets from Toby Young are disgusting, offensive, sexist. She should show some leadership and she should get rid of him," he told The Andrew Marr Show.T he Duchess of Cambridge beamed as she joined senior royals and sister Pippa at a church service in Sandringham.

Kate, who is five months pregnant, was spotted with a rounded baby bump as she walked with husband William and elderly Prince Philip, 96, across the royal estate to church on Sunday morning.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are thought to be staying at their home in Anmer Hall in Norfolk, just three miles from Sandringham House where the royals spent the festive period.

Kate grinned as she was handed a bunch of roses from a child who had come with her family to see the royal family.

The trio chose to walk across the estate to church. / PA

Also attending the service at St Mary Magdalene Church was Kates sister, Pippa Matthews, who wed James Matthews in Berkshire in May last year.

Kate's sister, Pippa, and husband James Matthews. / PA

The Queen was driven by car to the parish church, which is used regularly for worship by the royal family and estate staff, for the first Sunday service of 2018.

Kate's baby bump could be seen underneath her winter coat. / PA

Last week the Queens granddaughter, Zara Tindall, announced she is expecting her second child with husband Mike after suffering a miscarriage in December 2016. The couple are already parents to three-year-old Mia Grace.

The Queen chose to take the car. / PA

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are expecting their third child in April after announcing the happy news last September.

Meghan Markle joins royal family for Sandringham Christmas service

This year is set to be awash with joyful news in the royal family, as Prince Harry prepares to marry fiancee Meghan Markle in a ceremony in May.A British man battling prostate cancer has been freed after he was jailed for five weeks in Dubai for carrying "too many pills".

Perry Coppins, 61, was held on November 1 after a customs official thought he had taken illegal amounts of his prescription medication into the country, according to the campaign group Detained in Dubai (DiD).

The maritime security officer from Nottingham was carrying his medicine, which is legal in the United Arab Emirates with a prescription, and his prescription.

Mr Coppins, a father-of-three, was jailed for five weeks despite his explanation that he needed enough of his medication to last him for a six-month voyage, according to DiD.

DiD said his passport had now been returned, the charges against him dropped and he was free to return home.

But he was cash-strapped after spending his savings on mounting legal and living expenses as he waited to face court.

DiD chief executive Radha Stirling said: "We welcome the decision by Dubai authorities to take the humane and sensible course with Perry.

"This case should never have escalated to the point of criminal charges, but without the scrutiny of the international media, it is unlikely that Perry would be a free man tonight.

"In the absence of such attention, what was essentially a misjudgment by one customs official turned into a literally life-threatening situation for Perry."

DiD claimed Mr Coppins was denied his medication in custody, and his condition deteriorated rapidly as he suffered severe withdrawal, including hallucinations, bouts of blindness and weight loss.F ormer White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon has apologised to US President Donald Trump and his son Donald Trump Jr.

The Breitbart News boss addressed comments ascribed to him by the author of the explosive new book Fire and Fury, which the president dubbed a "fake" on Sunday.

Mr Bannon, ousted from the White House in August, was quoted by journalist Michael Wolff as saying a 2016 meeting between a group of Russians and Donald Trump Jr. was "treasonous" and "unpatriotic".

The president responded by saying Mr Bannon had lost his mind, and the White House suggested the hard-right news site Breitbart News part ways with Mr Bannon.

However, Mr Bannon said in a statement released on Sunday that his comments were directed at Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign manager, and not aimed at the president's son.

Former senior White House adviser Steve Bannon has apologised for comments made in Fire and Fury / AFP/Getty Images

"Donald Trump, Jr. is both a patriot and a good man. He has been relentless in his advocacy for his father and the agenda that has helped turn our country around," the statement said.

"I regret that my delay in responding to the inaccurate reporting regarding Donald Trump Jr. has diverted attention from the president's historical accomplishments in the first year of his presidency," Mr Bannon said.

The sensational book has dominated media coverage for days as the president's lawyers issued issued cease and desist legal letters to Mr Wolff and his publisher as well as to Mr Bannon.

The book portrays Mr Trump as mentally unstable and unfit for the demands of his job.

Trump: Explosive claims made by new book

Mr Trump, who has taken to calling Mr Bannon "Sloppy Steve", said last week that Mr Bannon had nothing to do with him or his presidency.

But in his statement, Mr Bannon declared his "unwavering" support for the president.

He told website Axios: ""My support is also unwavering for the president and his agenda.

"President Trump was the only candidate that could have taken on and defeated the Clinton apparatus.

The book was published in the US early on Friday. / EPA

"I am the only person to date to conduct a global effort to preach the message of Trump and Trumpism."

He added: "My comments about the meeting with Russian nationals came from my life experiences as a Naval officer stationed aboard a destroyer...

"My comments were aimed at Paul Manafort, a seasoned campaign professional with experience and knowledge of how the Russians operate. He should have known they are duplicitous, cunning and not our friends.

"To reiterate, those comments were not aimed at Donald Jr."

Mr Bannon has been isolated from the Trump administration since Fire and Fury hit bookshelves.

Its release has caused a fierce war of words between Mr Trump and Mr Wolff, with the president calling the author a "total loser" on Friday.

He tweeted on Sunday: Ive had to put up with the Fake News from the first day I announced that I would be running for President. Now I have to put up with a Fake Book, written by a totally discredited author. Ronald Reagan had the same problem and handled it well. So will I!

Despite efforts to stop the book being published, it went on sale in the US earlier this week.

Among the books claims is the suggestion Mr Trump trusts women more than men, his confusion over the Klu Klux Klans beliefs and his preference of eating McDonalds amid fears of being poisoned.

On Friday, author Mr Wolff appeared on NBCs Today show to hit back at Mr Trumps claims the book was full of lies.

Mr Wolff said: Not only is he helping me sell books, but hes helping me prove the point of the book."T he first big night in the awards season calendar is nearly upon us as this years batch of big-name Hollywood stars gear up to walk the red carpet at the Golden Globes 2018 on Sunday.

Following a tumultuous few months in the entertainment industry, which has been rocked by sexual abuse allegations and gender inequality issues, the A-list will congregate to celebrate the best films and television shows of the last 12 months.

The red carpet will kick off at 4pm PST, meaning that fans in the UK will have to wait until midnight to see the first arrivals and catch a glimpse of the best-dressed stars.

Heres what you need to know about this years Golden Globes:

17 Black Dresses to expect at the Golden Globes 1 /17 17 Black Dresses to expect at the Golden Globes Alexander McQueen AFP/Getty Images Chanel Getty Images Erdem Getty Images Giorgio Armani Getty Images Christian Dior Getty Images Oscar De La Renta Getty Images Valentino Getty Images Dolce & Gabbana AFP/Getty Images Emilia Wickstead AFP/Getty Images Saint Laurent AFP/Getty Images Lanvin Getty Images Louis Vuitton AFP/Getty Images Gucci AFP/Getty Images Celine AFP/Getty Images Stella McCartney Getty Images Givenchy Getty Images Max Mara Getty Images

When and where does it happen?

This years ceremony will begin at approximately 5pm PST, which means the first awards will be handed out just after 1am GMT.

The ceremony takes place at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California.

Who is nominated?

Call Me By Your Name - Trailer

The coveted Best Picture gong will be fought over by Call Me by Your Name, Dunkirk, The Post, The Shape of Water and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

Timothee Chalamet, Daniel Day-Lewis, Tom Hanks, Gary Oldman and Denzel Washington will battle it out for Best Actor while Jessica Chastain, Sally Hawkins, Frances McDormand, Meryl Streep and Michelle Williams are in contention for the female equivalent.

Over in the TV categories, Big Little Lies looks set to win big with six nominations, going up against The Crown, The Handmaids Tale and 13 Reasons Why.

Who will win?

Darkest Hour - Trailer 2

There are no clear cut frontrunners in most categories this year, but Oldman is hotly-tipped to win Best Actor, while Streep is expected to be named Best Actress.

Dunkirk and Call Me By Your Name are thought to be the two main contenders for Best Picture

Golden Globes nominees praise wearing black to ceremony in harassment protest

How can you watch?

US viewers can watch the ceremony live on NBC or Hulu, but no UK broadcasters will be airing the ceremony.

While NBC has streamed the show online a number of times, the Hollywood Foreign Press has now started regulating streaming rights.It used to be that the New York Times and the Washington Post competed against each other to be the chief propagandist for the hundred or so top firms who sell to the US federal government  the 100 top federal contractors, almost all of which are Pentagon contractors  mainly these are weapons-manufacturing firms, such as the biggest, Lockheed Martin. The federal government is a large part of these firms essential market; so, invasions by the US against other countries require lots of their goods and services; and, also, Americas foreign allies additionally buy these weapons; and, right now, US President Trump is demanding that they increase their defense budgets to buy more of them. Wars produce corporate profits if (like in the United States) the military suppliers are private corporations instead of government-owned (socialized). Selling wars is crucial to such firms bottom lines. And, since there is no law against owning a defense' contractor and owning or donating to newsmedia (especially newsmedia such as the Times and Post, which publish lots of international news and so can encourage lots of invasions), a sensible business strategy for investors in defense stocks is to also own or donate to some international-news media, in order to generate additional business for the arms-maker or other defense firm. Not only does this business-plan relate to such newspapers as the NYT and WP, but theyll be the focus here, because they are the most important of Americas international-news media.

Serious periodicals, such as The New Republic, The Atlantic, and Mother Jones, have also been steady propagandists for defense companies, but magazines dont reverberate through the rest of the mass-media to the extent that the serious national (NYC & DC) newspapers do. TV and radio pick up on, and transmit, their news (and even CNN and others rely upon them more than these newspapers rely upon the broadcast media); and, in America, a lions share of the national political news, and especially of international news, is originated in the New York Times and Washington Post. This megaphone-effect forms the publics opinions about whether we should invade or not. The owners of those two powerful newspapers, via their boards of directors and appointed editorial boards, make the key decisions regarding hiring, firing, promotions, and demotions, which determine news-slants from their employees (both from the reporters and especially from the editors who select what stories to publish and whether on page-one or inside the paper), and this power that these owners have, reverberates immensely (especially in regards to international relations) and thus largely shapes the results in the national polls (sampling the public, who view the world through the newsmedia); and, thus, every US President and every member of Congress becomes heavily impacted by that news, that world the voting public see. And this coloring of the news especially concerns international-news reporting, and the opinions that Americans have of foreign countries  such as of Iran.

Back in 2002, when the US Government was lying through its teeth about what it knew for certain and didnt know about Saddam's weapons of mass destruction (WMD), the New York Times (NYT) was then the leading neoconservative (i.e., pro-imperialistic, pro-invasion, pro military-industrial-complex or MIC) propaganda-organ, stenographically transmitting to the public this Governments provably false allegations, and the Washington Post (WP) was only #2 in this regard. But that order has now switched, and now the WP is even worse.

The latest MIC-promoted top story-line concerns the protests in Iran  a country the US long controlled via Americas agent, the brutal Shah, by and after a 1953 CIA coup there, and which country thus very reasonably loathes and fears the US Government. What caused these protests, and what they mean, are much in the news; and, the news-reporting and editorials and op-eds in the NYT have been significantly more honest and varied than in the WP. Heres a sampling of that:

As of the time of this writing (January 5th), there has not yet been an editorial from the NYT regarding the protests in Iran. (Similarly, many other newspapers, such as Britains Guardian, havent yet ventured official editorial opinions regarding this matter.) However, one opinion-piece that has been published regarding it, has become an especially prominent target of attack by the more overtly pro-MIC propagandists: the NYTs "How Can Trump Help Irans Protesters? Be Quiet. Its by a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. He was an assistant secretary of state and White House coordinator for the Middle East during the Obama administration. That writer closes by saying: If Mr. Trump blows up the [Iran nuclear] deal and reimposes sanctions, he will not be doing the opposition a favor but instead giving Iranians a reason to rally to  rather than work against  the government they might otherwise despise. The protests taking place in Iran today are perhaps a sign that, in the long run, the Iranian people want to be accepted as free, responsible members of the international community and that in time they might demand and achieve real change. The best way for Mr. Trump to help test that proposition and increase the chance of its success is to do nothing. Thats a rare example of an anti-MIC (military-sales-suppressing) opinion-piece in a major American newsmedium.

Less controversial (more clearly mainstream) than that has been another NYT opinion-piece, "The Worst Thing for Irans Protesters? US Silence. Its by a former Iranian-targets officer in the Central Intelligence Agency,  a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. The FDD is an Israeli front US think-tank, funded by many MIC-invested billionaires in both countries. The author concludes: The Trump administration can do better [than did the Obama Administration]. The presidents tweets in support of the protesters were a good start. Washington should also let loose a tsunami of sanctions against the Revolutionary Guards, the linchpin of Irans dictatorship. Policy-wise, that would be a good place to start. Contrary to received wisdom, the absolute worst thing that the United States can do for the Iranian people is to stay silent and do nothing.

Another NYT op-ed is Why Iran Is Protesting and its by "an Iranian novelist and journalist. He concludes that in Iran, something has fundamentally changed: The unquestioning support of the rural people they relied on against the discontent of the metropolitan elite is no more. Now everyone seems unhappy. That too is mainstream  it implies that the people of Iran have a bad Government, which should be removed.

The closest thing yet to being a NYT editorial on the subject of these protests is a column by the Timess Roger Cohen, "Trump Is Right, This Time, About Iran. It closes by advising the Administration: It should not, whatever happens, impose new sanctions: They only benefit the Revolutionary Guards. And it should learn, finally, that Iran is not, as Steve Bannon told Joshua Green, like the fifth century  completely primeval  but rather a sophisticated society of deep culture full of unrealized promise better served by engagement than estrangement. That is a remarkably sympathetic (to the Iranian people) statement, but it nonetheless argues the exact opposite: Trump Is Right, This Time, About Iran. Its conclusion is the opposite of its title, but the main part of the articles text is irrelevant to both the title and the conclusion. People such as this become columnists at top newsmedia.

Those are the relevant opinions selected by the owner of the NYT for publication. Theyre pro-MIC, but not fanatically so.

The WP published on January 1st their editorial on the subject, "The Posts View: The West should support the protesters in Iran. Its like Roger Cohens column in the NYT. It closes: Mr. Trump should avoid acts that would undercut the protests and empower the regimes hard-liners. Foremost among these would be a renunciation of the 2015 nuclear accord. That would divide the United States from European governments when they should be coordinating their response to the uprising, and it would give the regime an external threat against which to rally. Reform of the nuclear accord can wait. Now is the time for Mr. Trump to focus on supporting the people of Iran. Both Roger Cohen and the WP favor supporting the people of Iran while opposing and hoping for an overthrow of the President who was chosen by those people in the 2017 Iranian Presidential election, which was at least as democratic as was Americas 2016 US Presidential election. The Iranian polls right before the 19 May 2017 Presidential election showed the top three candidates as being Rouhani 35%, Raisi 18%, and Ghalibaf 2%. (20% Wont say.) Ghalibaf and some of the other and even smaller candidates withdrew just days before the election. The final election result was Rouhani 57.14%, Raisi 38.28%. Raisi campaigned on a platform emphasizing that "Preventing the mixing of men and women in the office environment means that men and women can serve the people better and advocating "Islamization of universities, revision of the Internet and censorship of Western culture. Probably many of the recent protesters had voted for him. Perhaps if Iran becomes ruled by a regime instead of by an at least marginally democratic Government, then theyll get a President like Raisi, after the US coup  which would be Americas second one in Iran. But, instead, Iranians chose Rouhani  and the U.S Government and its media call it a regime and say that the US Government wants to support the people of Iran by overthrowing the Government that Iranians voted for and support  support more than Americans support ours. (But whereas Americas CIA stirs protest-groups to overthrow Irans leaders, Iran has no equivalent operating in America, to overthrow our aristocracys choice of our leader.)

On January 3rd, the WP issued an opinion-piece by US V.P. Mike Pence, whose views are much closer to Raisis than to Rouhanis. It was titled, This time, we will not be silent on Iran."

Another opinion-piece from the WP was the far-right Israeli Natan Sharanskys The West should stop dithering and show its support for the protesters in Iran, which attacked the Timess How Can Trump Help Irans Protesters? Be Quiet. Sharansky said: As an opinion piece in the New York Times recently put it, the best way for the US government to help the Iranian protesters is to Keep quiet and do nothing. Fortunately, President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have already shown themselves unwilling to follow this advice.

Yet another opinion-piece that the WPs editors selected for publication on this topic was "Europes best chance on Iran could soon evaporate. It criticized the Iran nuclear deal, and urged the Trump Administration to work with the EU to sculpt a bipartisan policy that can save us from the next crisis, which is quickly coming our way. This string of cliches ignored the fact that the only two actual available options for the US are to commit to the deal or else to depart from the deal; because Iran wont leave it unless the US does, but it might leave it if the US does. And then, everything would be worse than it was previously. For the US to leave it while some of its allies dont, would turn those allies to opposing the US Government and supporting Irans Government. And for the US to renegotiate it would be impossible. Any European Government that would join with the US in order to attempt to force Iran to renegotiate it, would become embarrassed amongst its EU colleagues, and amongst its public. And yet, still, Iran would promptly resume its prior nuclear program, not renegotiate. To force Iran isnt going to be so easy as such commentators presume it will. The article didnt say how anything that it proposed to be achieved, could be achieved. It was simply trash.

Another WP opinion-piece was "The protesters in Iran need real help from Washington and it was written by a top official of a think thank, WINEP, about which, as one knowledgeable person has said, WINEP was to be AIPAC's cutout. It was funded by AIPAC donors, staffed by AIPAC employees, and located one door away, down the hall, from AIPAC Headquarters (no more. It has its own digs). It would also hire all kinds of people not identified with Israel as a cover. None of this information was revealed by WP about the pieces author. It can only be called blatant Israeli propaganda, surreptitiously fed to readers as if it werent.

The WP columnist David Ignatius bannered Trump is right to tell Iran the world is watching. He closed by saying, about the surprise explosion of these protests: "Khamenei will want to crush it. The best gift the United States can give the Iranian people is a digital lifeline, so humanity can witness their brave struggle and encourage them to prevail. The US regime already gave the Iranian people its best gift in 1953 when it destroyed their democracy and instituted a 26-year-long dictatorship  and, Iranians can see through the US propaganda-medias hypocrisies, even if the US public have been too deceived by those media, for too long, to be able to see through those lies.

So, the WP has become even more neoconservative (i.e, more in favor of invading countries that havent invaded us) now than it was back in 2002 when it cheered on George W. Bushs lies about Iraq, after 9/11. How did this change happen?

In 2013, Jeff Bezos and Donald Graham met at the Bilderberg conference, and two months later, Bezos agreed to buy the Washington Post from Graham. Less than a year after that, Bezoss Amazon won the CIA-NSA cloud computing contract, vital to the US military. Bezoss most profitable operation has been that military contract  it is allegedly responsible for changing Amazon from a money-losing to a profit-making corporation. The money-losing Washington Post already had been, under Graham and before, a longstanding supporter of US armed invasions, which now require lots of cloud computing (and not only of the types of weaponry that Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, etc., supply). For example: the WP was gung-ho for regime-change in Iraq in 2002, as well as, more recently, for bombing Libya, Syria, and the bombing in Ukraines civil war after the coup. The main topic at the next years, 2014, meeting of the Bilderberg group was the war in Ukraine, but other wars were also on the agenda, such as Syria, and so were President Obamas trade treaties: TPP, TTIP, and TISA. Luminaries present at that years secret discussions were Timothy Geithner, Eric Schmidt, Robert Rubin, Lawrence Summers, Charles Murray, etc., and Europeans such as Christine Lagarde and Anders Fogh Rasmussen. Perhaps some sales were made there, too.

Meanwhile, the NYT became the most-frequently-cited mis-reporter of such things as Saddams WMD during the years after the 2003 invasion on the basis of lies; and its publisher, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr., was forced quietly to fire his close friend and star White House stenographer (oops, reporter  and she was even a Pulitzer-winning one!), Judith Miller, on account of the fraud-based Iraq War that she had so prominently and exceptionally helped to promote in her news-stories. Probably, Sulzbergers successor, Arthur G. Sulzberger, is happy that when on 14 December 2017 his father handed the corporations controls over to him (effective on January 1st), the NYTs position as the nations #1 PR-agent for US invasions has now been taken over by Jeff Bezoss WP. But, of course, Sulzbergers profits dont depend nearly as much on Americas MIC as Bezoss do. The WPs business plan is even more dependent upon war-promotion than the rest of Americas major newsmedias are. However, if, say, a firm such as General Dynamics were to buy out the Sulzbergers, then perhaps the NYT would become #1 in the neoconservative league, once again. But, even when a major newsmedium, such as Mother Jones, isnt owned (like the WP now is) by someone who also largely owns (via Amazon) a major military contractor, it still promotes invasions, and has deep connections to Americas Deep State. You can count on the fingers of a fingerless hand the number of major American newsmedia  online, print, or broadcast  that are not neoconservative. There are none  right, left, or center. Todays respectable American purveyors of alleged news have some ideological diversity, but all exist within the framework of being neoliberal and neoconservative.Chinas second aircraft carrier (CV-17 Shandong) has been in the water since April, when it was launched. That was 25 months after construction began. At the end of 2017 CV-17 is at dockside being prepared for sea trials, which will apparently begin in early 2018. Based photographic comparisons and information officially released by the government (as a Type 001A) and unofficially by many who live or work in or near the shipyard, CV-17 is, at 315 meters (1,033 feet) three percent longer that CV-16 and displaces 72,000 tons (11 percent more than CV-16). Obvious differences are a slightly (about 10 percent) smaller control tower and about ten percent more flight deck area.

It was only two years ago that China admitted the CV-17 existed and is called a Type 001A ship rather than Type 001 because it is slightly different from its predecessor. In March 2016 China revealed more details, some of them already obvious. CV-17 is considered a new design but based on the first Chinese carrier, CV-16 (Liaoning). That first carrier was a 65,000 ton, 305 meter (999 feet) long ship that was itself a modified version of the last Cold War Russian carrier design. In 2016 China confirmed that CV-17 would also have the ski jump deck like Liaoning and would be somewhat heavier and incorporate new design features that would enable it to carry more aircraft (mainly the J-15) in a larger hanger deck (just below the flight deck) as well as more fuel and aircraft weapons. Since then photos of CV-17 under construction indicate that it also incorporates design features that will make it more capable of surviving combat damage as well as operating more efficiently and effectively as a carrier. In addition to the Chinese built J-15 fighter the new carrier will also have some early-warning radar aircraft as well as some anti-submarine aircraft as well as some helicopters. CV-17 could apparently operate about 20 percent more aircraft than CV-16 (50 fixed wing and helicopters versus about 40).

China has not revealed how many carriers is plans to eventually build. But based on what is being said in Chinese media and around the shipyard the performance of CV-17 will play a large role. CV-17 is expected to undergo one or two years of sea trials before entering service. But the plan is apparently to build two more similar carriers (CV-18 and 19) which will lose the ski jump deck and instead adopt a catapult. These two will be a bit larger than CV-17 and the first one is already under construction as a Type 002 ship and is expected to be in the water by 2020 and in service by 2024. One thing that might delay the Type 002 is the decision on which catapult system (steam or electric) to use. The U.S. Navy has had problems getting its EMALS (electromagnetic aircraft launch system) to work effectively and the Chinese may be waiting to see how that works out before making their decision. The Type 002 will have a steam propulsion system but one that will produce a lot more electricity (for laser weapons and catapult). After the two catapult equipped carriers are evaluated it is believed that two nuclear powered carriers are planned (CVN-20 and 21). These will be similar to the American Nimitz class CVNs.

Since carriers spend a lot of time in port getting upgrades and maintenance you need three or more in order to guarantee having at least two available at all times for operations. China is already preparing for that by building enough escort and support ships, along with air wings, to keep several carrier task forces (each with one carrier) busy while one or more carriers sidelined by months of maintenance and upgrades.

Recent revelations about the Type 001A carrier were not a total surprise as there had been reports that a large aircraft carrier (or parts of it) was under construction in northwest China (Dalian) since 2013. One of the best sources of information on Chinese warship construction is the Internet. Thousands of Chinese naval buffs living close to major shipyards provide a steady supply of photos on the web. The Chinese government tried to prevent this but since 2005 came to realize that cracking down on enthusiastic and Internet savvy Chinese fans of the navy was not a wise move. A lot of important secrets are still preserved by building parts of ships in a shed and a lot of the most valuable military secrets are with equipment installed inside the ship or behind a wall. So the government allows all (with a few exceptions) these photos to appear.

Then there are some interesting official photos. In mid-2014 photos of a carrier model being displayed at an official event appeared on the Chinese Internet. The detailed model had the hull number 18 and the ship looked similar to an American CVN (a Nimitz class nuclear aircraft carrier). The Chinese CVN has four catapults and three elevators and much other evidence of being nuclear and very similar to the Nimitz class. This was an early Chinese Navy proposal for a CVN and that has apparently been refined to something that is similar to the Nimitz.

At one point it was believed that the first Chinese CVN would be more like the American USS Enterprise (CVN 65). This was the first American nuclear powered carrier and it served as the prototype for the subsequent Nimitz class. The Enterprise was an expensive design, and only one was built (instead of a class of six). While a bit longer than the later Nimitz class, it was lighter (92,000 tons displacement, versus 100,000 tons). The Enterprise was commissioned in 1961, almost 40 years after the first U.S. carrier (the Langley) entered service in 1923. CVN 65 was active until 2012 and decommissioned in early 2017, two months before the second Chinese carrier was launched.

Chinese are keen students of history, their own as well as that of others. Chinese ship designers know all about the Langley (the first American carrier) and the Enterprise. The Chinese are also well aware that in the two decades after the USS Langley there were tremendous changes in carrier aviation. While the innovation slowed after World War II, major changes continued into the 1950s (jet aircraft, nuclear propelled carriers, SAMs). But in the ensuing half century there has been no major innovation in basic carrier design. This has not been a problem because the carriers have proven useful, at least for the U.S. Navy (the only fleet to use such large carriers) and no one else has maintained a force of these large carriers. Only the U.S. has felt a constant need to get air power to any corner of the planet in a hurry. More importantly, no navy has been able to give battle to the U.S. carrier force since 1945. The Soviets built new anti-carrier weapons and made plans to use them but that war never occurred. China is building carriers but does not yet seem committed to having a lot of them to confront the U.S. but rather just a few to intimidate its neighbors.

The Chinse Navy is very popular with most Chinese and its commanders are enthusiastic about expanding in order to protect the seaborne trade that the modern Chinese economy depends on. For thousands of years before that Chinese rulers did not consider naval power important because it wasnt. Now it is and the navy is getting the money and encouragement to do what China has never done before.How a researcher hacked his own computer and found 'worst' chip flaw Daniel Gruss didn't sleep much the night he hacked his own computer and exposed a flaw in most of the chips made in the past two decades by hardware giant Intel Corp (INTC.O). The 31-year-old information security researcher and post-doctoral fellow at Austrias Graz Technical University had just breached the inner sanctum of his computers central processing unit (CPU) and stolen secrets from it. Reuters

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400Gbps Ethernet specification arrives enabling insanely fast file transfers Even Goose and Maverick would have to be impressed with the newly approved IEEE 802.3bs standard. The specification lays out the requirements to enable blazing fast connectivity to the tune of 200Gbps and 400Gbps across various interconnects. PC Gamer

To serve man, with software I didn't choose to be a programmer. Somehow, it seemed, the computers chose me. For a long time, that was fine, that was enough; that was all I needed. But along the way I never felt that being a programmer was this unambiguously great-for-everyone career field with zero downsides. There are absolutely occupational hazards of being a programmer, and one of my favorite programming quotes is an allusion to one of them: Coding Horror

Midrange, high-end graphics card prices to rise Graphics card vendors are expected to raise their prices for mid-tier to high-end models by US$5-20 in the near future to reflect increasing product costs caused by the tight supply of memory devices and GPUs. Since demand for graphics cards from the cryptocurrency mining segment has not waned as quickly as expected, GPU supply remains tight in the first quarter of 2018. DigiTimes

China sees record tech funding in 2017 Chinas startups and tech giants pulled in a record US$58.8 billion from investors in 2017, according to the Tech in Asia database. Thats up a few billion from 2016s tally. There was no sign of the giant bubble that some dreaded in 2016 after an explosion of local tech funds poured new  and very inexperienced  cash sources into the market. Tech In Asia

Linux Mint 19 codenamed Tara The first release in the upcoming Linux Mint 19.x series will be named Tara. Tara is a popular name here in Ireland, and the name of someone we really like. The development cycle only just started so its a bit early to give details about Linux Mint 19, but heres what we can say already: Linux Mint (also, Freespire 3.0 and Linspire 7.0 released and GNOME 3.28 removes option to put icons on the desktop)

VESA announces that work has begun on next display port standard; display bandwidth to double In an interesting turn of events this week, the VESA has announced that work has begun on the next generation DisplayPort standard. Citing the need for even greater amounts of display bandwidth, the standards association has stated that theyre looking to double the bandwidth available versus the current HBR3 signaling standard. The goal is to publish the standards update in the next 18 months, which would put an announcement in a 2019 timeframe with hardware in 2020 or beyond. AnandTech

Chrome is turning into the new Internet Explorer 6 Chrome is now the most popular browser across all devices, thanks to Androids popularity and the rise of Chrome on Windows PCs and Mac computers. As Google continues to dominate our access to the web, information through its search engine, and services like Gmail or YouTube, Chrome is a powerful entry point in the companys vast toolbox. The Verge

Telenav launches connected in-car advertising platform for automotive OEMs Telenav, a leading provider of connected-car and location-based platform services, is launching an In-Car Advertising Platform that enables automotive OEMs to generate revenue by delivering ads to cars in a safe, user-friendly and contextually-relevant way. Telenav

Making solar cells We will admit that it is unlikely you have enough gear in your basement to make a solar cell using these steps. However, it is interesting to see how a bare silicon wafer becomes a solar cell. If youve seen ICs going through fabrication, youll see a lot of similarities, but there are some differences. HackadayOn Saturday, delegations from the Venezuelan government and the opposition sector continued the second round of political talks to advance Venezuelans' interests. | Read MoreLyonel Peters believes there are no shortcuts on the path to a perfect cup of coffee.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 7/1/2018 (1336 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Lyonel Peters believes there are no shortcuts on the path to a perfect cup of coffee.

The Mitchell resident runs Fluid Bean Coffee Roasters, a small business that supplies freshly roasted coffee beans to four Steinbach retailers.

"You can have the best beans in the world, but if its made wrong, its not going to taste good," he said in his kitchen, where he poured water over coffee roasted minutes before and steps away.

"All the stars have to line up."

His foray into coffee roasting began four years ago, when he converted a 140-sq-ft. corner of his garage into a certified food production space and purchased an Israeli-made Coffee-Tech Engineering electric drum roaster.

A year of research preceded the purchase, and a year of trial and error followed, as he zeroed in on optimal flavour profiles for beans from some of the globes most renowned coffee-producing regions, including Guatemala, Columbia, and the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

Though photos of fancy lattes abound on social media, Peters sees proper roasting as more science than art. Roast the delicate green beans a few degrees too hot or a few seconds too long and subtle tasting notes are lost, producing a bitter brew.

JORDAN ROSS | THE CARILLON Peters begins a roasting session by weighing two kilograms of green coffee beans, which he sources from a wholesaler in Delta, B.C. The beans lose roughly 16 percent of their weight in moisture during roasting, Peters said.

The exacting process makes for a steep learning curve, and a rather fine line between perfection and failure. Peters said he threw more than one early batch in the trash

But as time went on, the beans started tasting better and better. His roasting charts, now mostly memorized, hang on the wall.

"This has been a lot of fun, but Im still at the tip of the iceberg," he said.

Peters roasts 25 to 45 kilograms of beans per month, with demand peaking around Christmas. As far as he knows, he is the only coffee roaster in the area.

He fits the 10 to 15 hours per month needed to fill orders around his day job as an operations manager at Cornerstone Timberframes near Mitchell.

An afternoon roasting session last month was reserved for a Columbian medium roast. From start to finish, a two-kilogram batch takes 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the desired roast and the ambient temperature and humidity in the room.

Peters began by scooping green coffee beans from one of several 60-kilogram burlap sacks under his counter. The organic and fair-trade green beans are sourced from a wholesaler in Delta, B.C.

Next, he preheated the roaster and selected a roasting profile. After he pours the beans into a hopper, the machines embedded software takes over, and a smoke inhibitor reduces exhaust odour.

JORDAN ROSS | THE CARILLON Peters programs his Israeli-made electric coffee roaster for a fresh batch of Colombian medium roast. He produces up to 45 kilograms of coffee beans per month, with demand peaking around Christmas.

While the beans roasted, Peters prepared his bags, which he stamps and seals by hand.

After a few minutes, a muffled crackling was heard inside the roasting drum.

"Weve hit first crack," he exclaimedroaster talk for reaching the light roast stage.

After 13 minutes, the heating elements turned off. The tumbling beans were blasted with cool air for 10 minutes, then dumped into a basket for a final cooling.

Peters then ran the beans three times through a forced-air machine to remove stones, chaff, and other debris.

Weighing and bagging came last. The two kilograms of green beans yielded 1.67 kilograms of roasted beans, due to moisture loss.

"All my money goes up in smoke," Peters quipped.

Back in his kitchen, he boiled water, used a scale to weigh grounds, and prepared a pour-over filter, his favourite brewing method. (He recommends using 24 grams of ground coffee for every 350 grams of water.)

JORDAN ROSS | THE CARILLON Peters empties a batch of freshly roasted and cooled beans from his roaster into a basket prior to de-stoning. The machines automatic software allows him to prepare bags while the beans are roasting.

"I dont have an espresso machineyet," he said. "But I have every other kind of coffee-making gadget."

Coffee in hand, he recalled the idea of roasting his own beans arrived while sitting in a Tim Hortons, as he watched television footage of beans being stirred in a large commercial roaster.

"I said to myself, I should look into roasting coffee."

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While his knowledge of roasting was gleaned from books and online resources, his nose for flavour was honed in fine coffee shops visited during summer road trips over the years.

The way to find a citys best coffee, he explained, is to travel to its "heart" or old centre and find shops that roast in-house.

Peters said the local market for his coffee is expanding, as more people catch on to the fresh, premium coffee trend and leave behind grocery store tins.

His goal is to one day to launch a coffee cart or see his brews served up in a local restaurant or coffee shop.

A Brazilian medium roast is also in the works, which he hopes to add to his current bean lineup of Guatemalan light, Colombian medium, Sumatran dark, and Peruvian decaf.

Fluid Bean coffee is available by the pound at Main Bread and Butter, Old Church Bakery, Good n Natural, and Sweet Life Tea and Coffee.The RM of Tache has stopped septic haulers from dumping at the Landmark lagoon during the winter months after learning its provincial operating licence requires the restrictions.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 6/1/2018 (1337 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The RM of Tache has stopped septic haulers from dumping at the Landmark lagoon during the winter months after learning its provincial operating licence requires the restrictions.

Peter Skjaerlund, the RMs solid waste manager, said the lagoon is now open to septic haulers between June 1 and October 15, with exceptions for emergencies and holding tanks from rural areas that cannot have a septic field.

Previously, haulers were allowed to use the lagoon year-round to deposit sewage from rural residential areas.

Skjaerlund said chief administrative officer Christine Hutlet brought the matter of winter dumping to his attention in December. A review of the lagoons provincial operating licence confirmed Tache was unintentionally breaching a clause.

"Right away we had to have them stop dumping," said Mayor Robert Rivard.

A sustainable development officer notified of the violation declined to impose a fine, Skjaerlund said, as he too had failed to catch the breach during inspections.

A half-dozen septic companies were informed of the changes in a meeting with Skjaerlund and the officer.

Several of the haulers were "very upset" at the short notice, Rivard said, as the Ste Anne lagoon also recently began cracking down on winter dumping.

"Their only alternative is to haul to a treatment plant in Winnipeg," Rivard said.

He estimated each dump there could cost $120, on top of extra mileage and time.

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Provincial regulations prevent sewage from one municipality being dumped in another municipalitys lagoon, Rivard said.

Skjaerlund suggested Tache residents should brace for higher septic service costs as a result.

"We all know that the end user is the one that pays for the costs," he said.

As septic companies and solid waste staff adjust to the regulations, Rivard said Tache is looking into whether it can pay to extend its licence further into the fall.

"It wont be anything thats going to be settled this winter," he said. "We have to check into it more and find out exactly what we have to do."

Four and a half months may not be enough time for septic haulers to service Tache, Rivard worried.After Tense CNN Interview with Stephen Miller, President Trump Fires Back

President Donald Trump slammed CNNs Jake Tappers tense interview with White House advisor Stephen Miller, which ended with the host cutting him off and moving to a commercial.

Tapper accused Miller of wasting our viewers time and cut to a commercial. Miller was on the show to address the controversial Michael Wolff book Fire and Fury.

Miller called Wolff a garbage author of a garbage book and also called Steve Bannon, the Breitbart chief and former Trump chief of staff who was the primary source in the book, an angry and vindictive person.

Miller also slammed CNN, saying that the network runs 24 hours of negative anti-Trump hysterical coverage.

And the president was watching.

Jake Tapper of Fake News CNN just got destroyed in his interview with Stephen Miller of the Trump Administration. Watch the hatred and unfairness of this CNN flunky!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018

After the show ended, Trump tweeted, Jake Tapper of Fake News CNN just got destroyed in his interview with Stephen Miller of the Trump Administration. Watch the hatred and unfairness of this CNN flunky!

Miller said of the book: The book is best understood as a work of poorly written fiction. And I will also say that the author is a garbage author of a garbage book.

Trump Senior Policy Adviser Stephen Miller on Wolff book: "The book is best understood as a work of very poorly written fictionThe author is a garbage author of a garbage book" #CNNSOTU https://t.co/Uh8YHTxyYV https://t.co/8zEk9Myt8y  CNN (@CNN) January 7, 2018

Miller continued: And the tragic thing about this bookand there are many things about it that are unfortunatebut the portrayal of the president in the book is so contrary to reality, to the experience of those who work with him, to my own experience having spent the last two years with him.

Regarding Bannon, Miller said that his role was greatly exaggerated inside the White House, adding that it is tragic and unfortunate that Steve would make these grotesque comments so out of touch with reality and obviously so vindictive. Hes referring to comments that Bannon had made in the Wolff book, saying that a meeting between Trump campaign officials and a Russian lawyer during the presidential campaign were treasonous and unpatriotic. Miller, meanwhile, said that Trump was the real mastermind behind the campaign.

In a separate tweet, Trump called Fire and Fury a Fake Book written by a totally discredited author, referring to Wolff.

Ive had to put up with the Fake News from the first day I announced that I would be running for President. Now I have to put up with a Fake Book, written by a totally discredited author. Ronald Reagan had the same problem and handled it well. So will I!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018

Trump also tweeted that throughout his life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart.

Crooked Hillary Clinton also played these cards very hard and, as everyone knows, went down in flames. I went from VERY successful businessman, to top T.V. Star, to President of the United States (on my first try). I think that would qualify as not smart, but genius. and a very stable genius at that!, he wrote.

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Melania Trumps First Year as First LadyAsh-Spewing Volcano in Papua New Guinea Forces Villagers to Flee

SYDNEYA remote island volcano in Papua New Guinea (PNG) has begun spewing ash into the air, forcing the evacuation of more than 500 residents, media and non-profit groups have said.

Kadovar Island, a 365 meter (1197 feet) tall volcano on the north coast of PNG, was thought to be dormant until it began erupting on Jan. 5.

Its just a continuous emission of volcanic ash at the moment, Cheyne OBrien, a forecaster at the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre, told Reuters by telephone on Sunday.

The ash clouds have been thrown up steadily to a height of 2133 meters (7000 feet), forming a plume that is traveling west-northwest, he added.

The plume does not yet pose a hazard to aviation, but a change in wind direction could hit operations at PNGs Wewak airport, OBrien said.

All residents of the island have now been evacuated with no loss of life, U.S.-based charity Samaritan Aviation, which operates seaplanes to remote areas of PNG, said on Facebook.

We do not have any details yet as to where all of the families have gone and hope to have further information in the near future, the non-profit added.

Reuters could not immediately reach authorities in Papua New Guinea by telephone for comment.

The population of the island ranges from at least 500 to more than 600, media have estimated.

"Fifty to sixty per cent of the island is covered by lava"https://t.co/aZm329t7Bj  Lela Stanley (@lelastanley) January 7, 2018

The eruption may become explosive, bringing a risk of tsunamis and landslides, domestic online media Loop PNG quoted the Rabaul Volcanological Observatory as saying.

There are no confirmed records of a previous eruption of Kadovar, said Chris Firth, a vulcanologist at Macquarie University, but scientists speculate it could have been one of two burning islands mentioned in the journals of a 17th-century English pirate and maritime adventurer, William Dampier.

Dampier may have recorded the last eruption of Kadovar during a voyage in search of Terra Australis, the southern continent once thought to be mythical, Firth said.

Vulcanologists are interested to observe its behavior now, Firth added.

Its hard to predict what might happen, as theres nothing to compare it to.

By Alison Bevege

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Sumatras Mount Sinabung Spews Smoke and Ash in Biggest Eruption This YearFBI agents search the premises during a December 2013 raid on Arthur Rathburns warehouse in Detroit, Mich. U.S. Agents said they found "thousands" of body parts during the raid. (Steve Neavling/Reuters/File Photo)

Body-Parts Broker Stored Human Parts in Paint Cans, Beer Coolers, and Tupperware

Grisly testimony was heard in court on Friday, as a federal agent described the scene investigators saw when they entered Arthur Rathburns warehouse in December 2013 as littered with dead flies, dog bowls, and human remains.

The body-parts brokers trial opened in a Detroit courtroom on Jan. 5, 2018, and according to Fox, FBI agent Leslie Larsen also spoke of finding human body parts in paint cans, beer, coolers and Tupperware containers.

The graphic description came during the opening day in the federal trial of businessman Arthur Rathburn, who sold or leased donated body parts, including human heads, to medical researchers for two decades.

The buying and selling of body parts for research and education is legal under U.S. law, but the industry is unregulated. Current codes only cover body parts intended for transplant, such as hearts and livers.

Rathburn, however, is charged with defrauding customers by selling them body parts infected with hepatitis and HIV and lying to federal agents about shipments.

During opening statements, Assistant U.S. Attorney John Neal told jurors that human remains were stored so haphazardly that Rathburn needed a crowbar to separate frozen parts.

When Larson testified, she told that during the 2013 search of Rathburns warehouse, officials found a filthy scene, with no running water or heat.

Body parts were out in the open, in coolers, Larson said. Some of the freezers contained body parts that were frozen together in chunks.

Rathburns lawyer, James Howarth, urged the jury to focus on the documents in the case, not gruesome photographs. He said that Rathburns ex-wife, Elizabeth, is most responsible for any wrongdoing. She has pleaded guilty to one count of fraud and is expected to testify for the government.

This case is so sensitive because the nature of the evidence is going to make us all cringe, make us all uneasy, Howarth told the jury. He expressed the hope that the jury not be affected by the graphic nature of the evidence, but evaluate the case on the merit of legal arguments.

The governments failure to stop Rathburn sooner, despite a decade of warning signs, was one in a series of stories reported in 2017 about the largely unregulated body broker industry.

As part of a news agencys examination of the industry, a reporter was able to purchase two human heads and a cervical spine from a body broker in Tennessee. The deals were struck after just a few emails, at a cost of $900 plus shipping.

The series also profiled two Phoenix brokersone who earned at least $12 million from the sale or use of donated body parts and another who regularly supplied Rathburn. The broker who sold Rathburn body parts, Steve Gore, pleaded guilty to defrauding customers and is expected to testify against Rathburn.

Last month, Reuters reported that federal agents discovered four preserved fetuses during the search of Rathburns warehouse.

The fetus photographs are not cited in any court filings and it is unclear if they will be presented at trial.

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Make-A-Wish Fulfills Teenagers Med School DreamCaliyah McNabb Case: Mother Arrested After 2-Week-Old Daughter Found Dead in Georgia

The mother of a baby who was found dead in a wooded area in Georgia has been charged in the two-week-old babys death.

The child, Caliyah McNabb, was reported missing in October in Newton County, Georgia. She was later found dead in a bag near the home, and her father, Christopher McNabb, was charged in her death.

The infants mother, Cortney Bell, was arrested Saturday in connection with her daughters death, WSB-TV reported.

Bell was arrested in the parking lot of a Home Depot in Conyers, Georgia, and when she was taken into custody, police charged her with second-degree murder, deprivation of a minor, and cruelty to children, according to the report.

#BREAKING Newton County Sheriff's Office confirms the arrest of Cortney Bell, the mother of two-week-old Caliyah McNabb. The baby's body was found in a wooded area. Both Bell and the father, Christopher McNabb, are facing murder charges. #fox5atl pic.twitter.com/4Y1n7jr9vt  FOX 5 Atlanta (@FOX5Atlanta) January 6, 2018

According to a 911 call, Bells 2-year-old child was the first to notice that Caliyah went missing. My 2-year old says shes gone. Ive looked everywhere in the house and I dont know another possibility, Bell told a Newton County 911 operator, according to WSB-TV.

Her blanket is gone. Her pacifier is on the floor. Her blanket is not with us, said Bell.

Breaking: Mother arrested in connection with 2-week-old baby's death https://t.co/3TqnmKCRnK I took this picture of October 8th, the day search volunteers discovered Caliyah McNabbs body in the woods near her parents mobile home. @wsbtv pic.twitter.com/lNLOUW3Aw9  Chris Jose (@ChrisJoseWSB) January 6, 2018

Bell then said she fell asleep on a couch in her home, and that she saw the child five hours before she called the authorities.

Caliyah, an autopsy revealed, died from blunt-force trauma, reported the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

#BREAKING: Christopher McNabb has been charged w/ malice murder, felony murder, agg. battery & concealing death of 15-day-old Caliyah McNabb pic.twitter.com/pKPSv9yAho  FOX 5 Atlanta (@FOX5Atlanta) October 11, 2017

McNabb, 27, has remained in a jail in Newton without bond since his arrest in October.

He was charged with malice murder, felony murder, second-degree murder, aggravated battery, and concealing the death of another.

According 11Alive, before he was charged in connection with the case, McNabb had been telling people that he didnt do it. Shortly after a search party found the the child but before he knew about it, McNabb reportedly walked into a convenience store and told a clerk, without being asked, that he didnt do it.

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Boiling water turns to snowAt least 13 people have been injured and 2 are missing and presumed dead after two boats collided on the Colorado River at the Moabi Regional Park on the border between California and Arizona on Sep. 1. (Michael Gil [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)

Elderly Couple Die Within Hours of Each Other, After Wife Goes Searching for Husband in Cold

An elderly couple in Ontario, Canada, passed away after the wife went outside to search for her husband in extreme winter weather.

The bodies of 83-year-old Ada Triebner and her 90-year-old husband, Grant Triebner, were found after police were called to the couples property at 9.am Wedesnday, Jan. 3, the Toronto Star reported.

Their farmhouse is located in rural Huron County at 71387 Airport Line, according to the London Free Press.

According to Inside Edition, temperatures dropped to 14 degrees Fahrenheit on the night of Tuesday, Jan. 2the day before the couple was found.

The Huron County OPP discovered Grants body just inside an open barn, while Adas was found outdoors. Ada had ventured outside into the freezing cold to search for her husband.

The kind and loving husband and father suffered from a massive heart attack and his loving and supportive wife died trying to save the love of her life, their obituary reads. Two beautiful lights have ceased to shine and this world will be forever a darker place.

Elderly Exeter area couple, Grant and Ada Triebner, died outside their farmhouse https://t.co/dL86RQyIRT pic.twitter.com/0uIRZ3boSw  NorwichGazette (@NorwichGazette) January 4, 2018

Huron OPP Const. James Stanley told the London Free Press that no foul play is suspected. He also said that police are not looking for any other witnesses, adding that the deaths are not considered suspicious.

Family members recalled how the couple loved each other to the fullest.

We so loved listening to Uncle Grants wonderful tales of days gone by, his boisterous laugh and to Aunt Ada saying Oh, Grant!' according to comments under the obituary.

They were, to us, an amazing example of how a marriage should be. They very obviously adored each other. We will miss them so much but find comfort in knowing that they are most definitely with the Lord.

DHT News update. Elderly Exeter area couple, Grant and Ada Triebner, died outside their farmhouse  An elderly couple who died together in the brutal cold outside their farmhouse are remembered by neighbours as an inseparable pair who loved living in  https://t.co/DIjoY6xkhR  dhtads (@dhtads) January 5, 2018

Jim Rowe, a neighbor to the Triebners whos lived across the road from them for 64 years said they were inseparable.

They were very close. They loved being in their home, Rowe told the London Free Press on Thursday.

He said their sudden deaths were a shock to the local community of Bluewater.

The Municipality of Bluewater also said in a statement that they were saddened to learn of the deaths of Grant and Ada Triebner of Airport Line, and sends condolences to their family.

They warned other residents to keep an eye on the safety of their community.

Grant was a cash crop farmer and school bus driver before he retired.

His wife was a school teacher.

They never did much apart from each other, Rowe told the London Free Press. They were so close, together all their lives.

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Boiling water turns to snow

From NTD.tvThe British Airways terminal at JFK Airport in New York on Nov 22, 2011. (Benjamin Chasteen/The Epoch Times)

Flooding Reported at JFK Airport in NY, Flights Delayed

The John F. Kennedy Airport in Brooklyn, New York, was evacuated Sunday after a water main broke, flooding parts of the facility.

The main break forced the airport to suspend international flight arrivals, adding to the countless delays and cancellations over the past several days, Reuters reported.

.@JFKairport Terminal 4 update:

 No international arrivals at this time

 International departures not affected

 AirTrainJFK operating normally

 Taxis rerouted to departure level

 Traffic heavy into T4

 Passengers advised to contact their airline for flight status  Kennedy Airport (@JFKairport) January 7, 2018

Water poured from the ceiling into a check-in counter and covered a large swath of the floor of Terminal 4, according to live footage from CNN.

There are about 3 inches of water inside the west end of Terminal 4, we have maintenance crews on the scene mopping and cleaning up, Scott Ladd, a spokesman for the Port Authority, told Reuters in an email.

The airport on Twitter wrote that travelers should check with their airlines before they arrive.

As of 4 p.m. local time, the JFK Airport wrote on Twitter that there are no international arrivals at this time, but that international departures are not affected.

The AirTrainJFK is operating normally, taxis have been rerouted to the departure level, and there is heavy traffic into Terminal 4.

Video shows workers trying to clean up after water main breaks at JFK Airport's Terminal 4 pic.twitter.com/BHxLXU3koI  NBC News (@NBCNews) January 7, 2018

Officials said the water main break took place at 2 p.m. local time, saying that three inches had accumulated in some areas.

CBS News reported there were no injuries reported in the incident.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey told the outlet that the cause of the water break is not clear and is under investigation. The Port Authority manages the airport.

The harsh storm and cold started on Thursday created a cascading series of issues for the airlines and terminal operators over the weekend, the Port Authority told NBC News.

These included frozen equipment breakdowns, difficulties in baggage handling, staff shortages, and heavier than typical passenger loads, the statement said. These challenges left passengers on planes for extensive periods, as the airlines and terminal operators experienced delays in getting aircraft in and out of gates, the statement added.

I leave you with this last photo of JFK baggage claim (one of three roped off sections that look like this) pic.twitter.com/n9EUo6jLEo  Caro (@socarolinesays) January 7, 2018

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Boiling water turns to snowHead of New Crisis Panel Urges Access to Burmas Rakhine State

BANGKOKHumanitarian workers and journalists should be given free access to Burmas Rakhine State, where violence has prompted some 650,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh, the head of a new international advisory panel on the crisis said.

Surakiart Sathirathai, a former Thai foreign minister, also expressed concern at the arrest of two Reuters reporters in Burma last month and said he hoped the case did not lead to broader restrictions on the international media.

I think press and humanitarian access to Rakhine are important issues as well as free access to other stakeholders, said Surakiart in an interview in Bangkok. Legitimate press coverage is something that should be enhanced.

Burma, also known as Myanmar, has severely curtailed access to Rakhine, after Rohingya Islamist insurgents attacked 30 police outposts in the Rakhine region, leading to an army operation that has been condemned by the United Nations as ethnic cleansing  an accusation rejected by the Buddhist majority country.

Surakiart, 59, was chosen last year by Burmas leader Aung San Suu Kyi to head a 10-member board that will advise on how to implement the recommendations of an earlier commission headed by former U.N. secretary-general Kofi Annan.

Allowing free media coverage was one of the specific recommendations in the 63-page report from Annans commission, which was appointed by Suu Kyi in 2016 to investigate how to solve Rakhines long-standing ethnic and religious tensions.

Reuters reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who had worked on coverage of the crisis in the western state, were arrested in Yangon on Dec. 12 on suspicion of violating Burmas Official Secrets Act.

Surakiart said he had raised concerns about their case with Suu Kyis national security advisor Thaung Tun. He said he had asked for the case to be dealt with transparently and been assured that proper legal procedures would be followed.

I hope that this would not snowball in adverse directions for both the international press and the Myanmar government, Surakiart added. I hope the case will not lead to the Myanmar government not welcoming the international press. I want this to be a specific case and hope for a quick resolution to it.

Bridging the Gap

The Annan-led panel delivered its recommendations  which also included a review of a law that links citizenship and ethnicity and leaves most Rohingya stateless  just before insurgent attacks on security posts on Aug. 25 triggered the latest crisis.

Surakiart said there were concerns over the repatriation of those who had since fled to Bangladesh and that the advisory board would need to find an approach to ensure people could return without fear, even if they were not recognized by existing law as Burmese citizens.

Suu Kyi has faced international criticism for perceived inaction over the crisis in Rakhine, but Surakiart said she was constrained by domestic politics.

Buddhist nationalism has surged in Burma in recent years, and the army campaign has wide support.

Aung San Suu Kyi tried to address the issue by trying to build consensus from within rather than finger-pointing, said Surakiart.

There is a big gap between domestic and international interpretations of the situation in Rakhine. If we cant bridge this gap then it will be an obstacle for all of us who want to improve the situation.

The former Thai foreign minister also said his advisory board would seek to engage with all groups in Rakhine, including the military.

The advisory board is not a mouthpiece to anyone, Surakiart said. We are not a spokesperson for Myanmar or the international community.

The board, which is made up of five members from Burma and five international appointees including veteran former U.S. politician and diplomat Bill Richardson, will meet the Burmese government on Jan. 22 in the capital Naypyitaw before making its first trip to Rakhine on Jan. 24.

I do not want the advisory board to be just a talking shop, Surakiart said. We want to help bring about tangible progress.

By Panu Wongcha-um

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Sumatras Mount Sinabung Spews Smoke and Ash in Biggest Eruption in 2017Hotel Staff Interacted With Las Vegas Shooter More Than 10 Times Before Massacre

Stephen Paddock, the Las Vegas gunman who killed 58 people and injured hundreds more in early October of last year, reportedly encountered staff at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino more than 10 times in the days before the mass shooting.

MGM Resorts International told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that Mandalay Bay [Resort and Casino] staff, room service and housekeeping had contact with Paddock or entered his suite more than 10 times over the course of his stay, including the three days leading up to Oct. 1, when the shooting took place at the Route 91 Harvest festival.

As a result of these interactions, there was no need to conduct a welfare check, the statement reads. There were numerous interactions with Stephen Paddock every day at the resort, including a room service delivery and a call with housekeeping on Oct. 1, all of which were normal in nature, the hotels statement continued.

Paddock had numerous weapons in his hotel room and thousands of rounds of ammunition. More than 1,100 rounds were fired from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel, where he was staying. When police got close, he killed himself.

No motive in the shooting has been revealed by police or the FBI.

The Mandalay Bay did not provide details on the interactions staff had with Paddock, a high-stakes video poker player.

Last month, a report from Clark County, Nevada, Coroner John Fudenberg said that Paddocks death was a suicide.

According to the New York Post, Paddock stopped firing and police then stormed his room. They found about 4,000 unused rounds along with 23 guns in his suite.

My initial scan, coming in the room with my rifle, is just seeing, Im seeing one male down, bleeding from the face, said Officer Matthew Donaldson, according to the Post. He was not a threat.

Paddocks brain was transferred to Stanford University in California where it is being studied.

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Boiling water turns to snowHuman Skeleton Found in Vacant Home Leads to Arrest of Californian Man

A Californian man has been arrested after human remains were found by construction workers in the backyard of a vacant home in December.

Michael Christopher Sager, 22, was arrested in north Sacramento County on Jan. 5 on suspected murder charges after a human skeleton was found in a shallow grave by construction workers, according to a police statement.

Investigators believed Sager stabbed his housemate after a verbal argument in the summer of 2015, ultimately killing him. No missing persons report was filed for the victim, whose name has not been released, reported Fox News.

Dimas Velasquez, the current homeowner who rented out the property, said he didnt expect anyone would come across a situation like this.

[Sager] was the boyfriend of the daughter who lived there, Velasquez told FOX News.

When I found out, I was shocked. I would have never thought it would have been him, he added.

Velasquez said he had rented out the property for the last 10 years. At the time of the discovery, the property was vacant, however. The previous tenants, a family, had been evicted for not paying rent and had left the property in poor condition.

Construction workers and the homeowner stumbled upon the bones while they were clearing out the backyard. They informed the police immediately after the discovery. Authorities used various methods of verification and determined that the bones were human.

Investigators then spent almost two days at the residence unearthing an entire human skeleton. The remainder of the property was checked and investigators determined that no other remains were buried on the property.

It was so much trash back there and we didnt notice anything until we got most of the trash removed, Velasquez told Fox40, adding that a cat was digging at an area, and my friend found it.

Authorities said the identity of the victim will be made available by the Sacramento County Coroners office at a later date.

Sager is being held without bail, according to police.

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From NTD.tvJohn Ramsey (L) hugs his son Burke at the grave of JonBenet Ramsey after graveside service for his wife Patsy Ramsey June 29, 2006 in Marietta, Georgia. Patsy Ramsey's daughter, JonBenet Ramsey, 6, was murdered under mysterious circumstances in the Ramsey's Boulder, Colorado house in December 1996. Patsy Ramsey died of ovarian cancer. (Barry Williams/Getty Images)

Judge Says Lawsuit Against CBS by Brother of JonBenet Ramsey Can Move Forward

A judge has allowed a lawsuit filed by the brother of JonBenet Ramsey, the girl who was found dead under mysterious conditions in 1996, to move forward.

Burke Ramsey, who was 9 at the time of his sisters death, argued in the suit that the CBS report damaged his reputation by falsely suggesting that he killed the girl. The Boulder Daily Camera reported that a judge ruled Friday that the lawsuit can move ahead. Her death remains unsolved.

In December 2016, Burke sued CBS and a production company in a Michigan court. The circuit court judge in Michigan last week, however, denied a motion filed by CBS and the other defendants to dismiss the case.

Michigan judge declined to throw out a defamation lawsuit brought against CBS by Burke Ramsey, the brother of JonBenet Ramsey https://t.co/luGGrHgIcC pic.twitter.com/aGFVcIujW3  CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) January 6, 2018

JonBenet Ramseys body was discovered in the basement of the familys Boulder, Colorado, home the day after Christmas in 1996. Her brother and parents were cleared of her death in 2008, according to The Associated Press.

At the heart of the lawsuit is the two-part series, The Case Of: JonBenet Ramsey, which aired in September 2016.

According to Burkes lawsuit, The gist of The Case Of: JonBenet Ramsey is that JonBenets brother, Burke Ramsey, killed his six-year-old sister. It then said, The gist of The Case Of: JonBenet Ramsey is false and defamatory per se. Burke Ramsey did not kill his sister and had no involvement in her brutal murder.

Lawyers for CBS said a statement that a claim Burke killed JonBenet was never made in the series, AP reported.

CBS can't dodge $750M defamation suit from JonBenet Ramsey's brother https://t.co/JetKewbUr6 pic.twitter.com/o2nVSrh5YN  Hollywood Reporter (@THR) January 6, 2018

They also pointed to a disclaimer in the series that said, The opinions and conclusions of the investigators who appear on this program about how it may have occurred represent just some of a number of possible scenarios, according to the Daily Camera.

But in Fridays ruling, Michigan 3rd Circuit Court District Judge David Groner wrote: The statements at issue and the docu-series as a whole could reasonably be understood as stating actual facts regarding Burke.

This Court does not find that the disclaimer at the beginning and end of the program negate the docu-series potentially defamatory meaning, he said.

CBS told CNN in a statement that the judges move to not throw out the lawsuit last week marked a very preliminary procedural ruling [that] was issued prior to any evidence being presented.

It is based solely on the plaintiffs complaint, the statement said. Should the case move forward, we look forward to defending it on its merits.

Burke Ramseys attorney has not made a public comment on the latest development in the case.

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Boiling water turns to snowMother and Ex-boyfriend Arrested After Brain-Dead Infant Was Brought to Hospital

A Buffalo woman and her ex-boyfriend were arrested after a 7-month-old child was brought to the hospital suffering from brain-damage.

Jasmine L. Mendez, 26, was arrested and charged with misdemeanor child endangerment on Friday, Jan. 5 after bringing her brain-dead son to Oishei Childrens Hospital, reported The Buffalo News, citing a police report.

Buffalo mother charged after bringing brain-dead infant to hospital https://t.co/LoLnth9lwo pic.twitter.com/l5X6ZWLxcv  The Buffalo News (@TheBuffaloNews) January 6, 2018

The 26-year-old told police that she brought the child to the hospital after leaving him in the care of a homeless man.

Mendezs ex-boyfriend, Frank Redd, 26, was arrested the next day in relation to the assault of the brain-dead infant after a tipster provided information to police about the man.

Mendez had previously obtained an order of protection against her former boyfriend, but still regularly asked him to watch her baby son, reported the newspaper, citing a police report.

Mother's former boyfriend charged in assault of 7-month-old boy, now listed in critical condition with brain damage https://t.co/2jFovEZR50 pic.twitter.com/nA2G64pEoY  The Buffalo News (@TheBuffaloNews) January 6, 2018

Redd has been charged with second-degree assault, endangering the welfare of a child, and reckless assault, according to a police report.

If the child takes a turn for the worse, those charges could be updated, Capt. Jeff Rinaldo, a spokesman for the Buffalo Police Department, told The Buffalo News.

Rinaldo said the 7-month-old was not injured in any single incident but in a series of assaults over a four-month period.

BREAKING: BPD announce arrest of 26 year old male in connection with serious injuries to a 7 month old infant boy.  Buffalo Police Dept (@BPDAlerts) January 6, 2018

Redd is not the father of the infant and does not have a permanent address, reported the newspaper.

The entire right side of the boys brain died due to an inadequate blood supply. He remains in a critical condition in the intensive care unit at the Childrens hospital. Child Protective Services was also notified, reported the newspaper.

On Friday morning, Mendez pleaded not guilty during her first court appearance in Buffalo City Court and her bail was set at $25,000. She is currently being held at the Erie County Holding Center.

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From NTD.tvBrandon Mendoza (L) and Sarah Root were both killed by drunk illegal aliens in separate motor vehicle incidents. (Photos courtesy of Mary Ann Mendoza and Michelle Root)

Mothers of Children Killed by Illegal Aliens Send Plea to Trump

WASHINGTONA group of families who have lost children to illegal alien crimes sent an emotional plea to President Donald Trump about immigration on Jan. 3.

The group, called Advocates for Victims of Illegal Alien Crime (AVIAC), said in an open letter that they are a small portion of Americans who have paid the ultimate price due to lax immigration policies.

Over the past 30 years, we have seen one president after another and every Congress protect illegal aliens at tremendous financial cost to this country and even worse, the loss of tens of thousands of lives, the letter states.

While you cannot bring our loved ones back, you can make sure that no one else suffers like we have.

The group wants its voice heard while an amnesty for recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is being weighed up with wider immigration reform.

They say granting relief to DACA recipients, who entered the country illegally before the age of 16, tells those who brought them in, You killed our children and loved ones, but well protect yours.

AVIAC co-founder Mary Ann Mendoza lost her son, Brandon Mendoza, in 2014 in a motor vehicle accident.

Brandon, a sergeant at the Mesa Police Department in Arizona, was on his way home from work when he was killed by an illegal alien (but not a DACA recipient).

Mendoza said the alien was three times the legal limit drunk, high on meth, and he drove over 35 miles the wrong way on four different freeways and slammed head-on into my son.

She said people who dont agree with her stance against illegal immigration tell her that her son could have been hit by a drunk American.

Yeah, youre absolutely right, it could have been, but it wasnt. And why are we inviting more criminal activity and crime to be happening in our country? she said.

Sarah Root, 21, had just graduated college the day before she was killed in Omaha, Nebraska, in January 2016.

Illegal alien Edwin Mejia was 19, with a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit, when he slammed a pickup truck into the back of Roots car while she was stopped at a red light.

He was charged with motor vehicular homicide, but the bond was set at $50,000, which meant he could post $5,000 and be releasedwhich a relative of his did. Mejia has remained a fugitive ever since.

I cant understand how youre here illegally and you can bond out at $5,000 when you have priorsI just cant wrap my head around any of it, said Roots mother, Michelle Root.

The group said they want the government to adopt policies similar to what Trump laid out in his priority statement in October, before any action is taken to protect DACA recipients.

Among other demands, they said they wanted an end to sanctuary cities, which shield illegal aliens from federal immigration authorities; increased border security throughout the southern border by any means necessary; an end to chain migration and the diversity immigration lottery; and an end to birthright citizenship.

As law abiding citizens, we demand that our Constitutional rights be guaranteed and protected before anyone who has entered our country illegally is given any deference, the group said in the letter.

Correction: Edwin Mejia was 19 when he killed Sarah Root. He was 16 when he entered the United States illegally. The Epoch Times regrets the error.

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Melania Trumps First Year as First LadyHoney and Barry Sherman, Chairman and CEO of Apotex Inc., were found dead in their Canadian home on Friday, Dec. 15 in an incident police are calling 'suspicious.' Photo taken during (UJA) fundraiser in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, August 24, 2010. (The Globe and Mail/Janice Pinto/via REUTERS)

Private Investigators Hired to Probe Suspicious Deaths of Billionaire Couple

Two of Torontos top private investigators are now looking into the deaths of billionaire couple Barry and Honey Sherman.

The couple were found hanging Dec. 13 in their windowless pool room in their home. They were wearing jackets that bound their arms behind their backs, according to reports.

Police havent given any updates in the case since Dec. 17, the Globe and Mail reported Dec. 28.

Lawyer Brian Greenspan, a defense lawyer, was also hired by the Sherman family to carry out an investigation into their deaths to provide a second lens and to ensure that no stone is left unturned, according to the newspaper.

He said last week that private investigators Michael Davis and Tom Klatt are working with him on the case.

Sherman made his money by being the chairman and CEO of generic drug manufacturer Apotex.

An autopsy revealed that Sherman, 75, and his wife, 70, died from ligature neck compression, according to a press release from the Toronto Police Department. Post-mortem examinations were carried out yesterday and today. The cause of death for both deceased was ligature neck compression, the Dec. 17 release stated.

Dave Perry, a Toronto-based private investigator, told the Globe and Mail that the investigators, who both once worked in the Toronto Police Department, would be doing some preliminary work as they wait to gain access to the Shermans house, which is still being investigated by police.

Could they be doing interviews? Possibly. Could they be talking to people? Possibly, Perry said. But what theyre probably more involved in doing [at this stage]  is trying to assist the family in understanding what, if anything, the police are telling them at this particular time.

Friends and family said they cant believe it was a murder-suicide, as police have suggested.

I dont believe [it] for a second, I think its impossible, Fred Waks, a longtime family friend, told the CBC about whether he thought their deaths were a murder-suicide. I dont believe it, and none of us believe it.

They still walked hand-in-hand. They had everything in life to be looking forward to, Waks said.

I think it was a murder, Eddie Gilbert, the Shermans neighbor for 15 years, told the Toronto Sun. Of course it was. What else would it be? How could he pick her up and put her on a railing?

Linda Frum, who is a Canadian Parliament senator and friend of the pair, told The New York Times that its impossible that Barry would harm his wife.

There is absolutely zero debate in my mind, this was a double homicide, she said.

The Globe and Mail reported there was no sign of forced entry, and there was no note left behind.

Less than a week before they were found dead, Honey said she was making plans to go south.

Looking forward to getting together in Florida. I am coming south Monday, December 18 [to]Friday, January 12, she wrote in an e-mail, according to The Globe and Mail. Barry is coming south for Monday December 25 & going home with me Jan. 12. Please let me know your dates south asap so i can place in my calendar  Looking forward to hearing back asap. Xoxo Honey.

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Boiling water turns to snowU.S. President Donald Trump arrives with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to speak to the media following the Congressional Republican Leadership retreat at Camp David, Maryland, U.S., Jan. 6, 2018. (Reuters/Yuri Gripas)

Trump Says He Would Absolutely Talk to North Koreas Kim on Phone

CAMP DAVID, MarylandU.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he would absolutely be willing to talk on the phone to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and that he hopes a positive development results from talks between North Korea and South Korea.

North Korea agreed on Friday to hold official talks with South Korea next week, the first in more than two years, hours after Washington and Seoul delayed a military exercise amid a standoff over Pyongyangs nuclear and missile programs.

Trump, answering questions from reporters at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland, expressed a willingness to talk to Kim but not without preconditions.

Absolutely, I would do that, Trump said. I have no problem with that at all.

Trump and Kim have exchanged rhetoric ever since Trump took office, with Trump repeatedly calling Kim rocket man for testing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

Earlier this week Trump dismissed Kims taunt that the North Korean leader has a nuclear button on his desk, saying he has a bigger button.

The talks between North Korea and South Korea are expected to cover the Winter Olympics, to be held in South Korea next month, and inter-Korean relations.

Trump suggested the talks might lead to an easing of tensions and took credit for the diplomatic breakthrough, saying it was a result of his steady pressure.

Look, right now theyre talking Olympics. Its a start, its big start. If I werent involved they wouldnt be talking at all right now, he said.

Kim knows Im not messing around. Im not messing around. Not even a little bit, not even one percent. He understands that, said Trump.

If something can come out of those talks, that would be a great thing for all of humanity, that would be a great thing for the world, he said.

On Sunday, North Korea announced a list of five officials who will represent Pyongyang, a day after South Korea confirmed its representatives, the Souths unification ministry said.

The Norths delegation will be led by Ri Son Gwon, head of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland that is usually tasked with dealing with South Korean affairs.

By James Oliphant

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Lost World War I Submarine Found 103 Years LaterThe "Norwegian Breakaway" cruise liner leaves the Meyer-Werft shipyard in Papenburg, northwestern Germany, on March 13, 2013. (CARMEN JASPERSEN/AFP/Getty Images)

Winter Cruise From Hell: Bomb Cyclone Batters Cruise Ship

Cruise ship passengers got the scare of their lives while traveling on the Atlantic near New York as Thursdays sudden winter storm battered the area.

Twenty-one members of the ross family, from Stony Brook, New York, recalled the experience to CBS News. They were on board the Norwegian Breakaway en route to New York from the Bahamas when they ran into the storm.

I thought Id never be in a situation where I would say thats the scariest moment of my life. This was the worst moment of my life, Karoline Ross said.

Their cruise ship, which was carrying 4000 passengers, sailed straight into the bomb cyclone earlier on Tuesday night. They suffered for two days as the ocean waves swelled up to 30 feet high.

When youre on a boat in the middle of the ocean and water is pouring down the stairs, youre thinking this is not going to end well, Karoline said told CBS.

Dell Ross said the storm was so bad that water was coming inside the ship and was becoming a problem.

Our room was full on two inches of water. The elevator shafts were dripping water everywhere, Del told CBS.

Another passenger on the ship, Christina Mendez, wrote on Facebook that the waves were towering over her balcony.

My current view. I am on deck 11 and those waves are towering over my balcony. Continue to keep the staff and passenger in your prayers. Going on 12 hours of extremely bad sea conditions heading towards NYC, she wrote in a post on Thursday.

Mendez also posted a video showing what appears to be a doorway with towels placed underneath, in order to block the water. Other footage shows her balcony full of ice, as the ship rocks precariously back and forth.

According to the Daily Mail, the Norwegian Cruise Liner made no mention of the passengers harrowing experiences in an initial statement, saying that there was an unexpected delay.

Due to winter storm Grayson, Norwegian Breakaway will have a delayed arrival into New York today, the statement reads. As a result, Norwegian Breakaways 14 day cruise that was originally scheduled to depart on January 5, will now depart on Saturday, January 6, at 3pm.

Only later the company released another statement apologizing to the passengers for their discomfort.

During the early morning hours of January 4, Norwegian Breakaway encountered stronger than forecasted weather conditions due to winter storm Grayson during the trips return to New York from the Bahamas. All guests and crew are safe. We sincerely apologize to our guests for these stronger than expected weather conditions and any resulting discomfort they may have experienced, the statement said.

According to CBS News, water poured down from the ceiling and many passengers described the seasickness and panic through the ship. Passengers finally arrived in NYC on Friday, Jan. 5.

Im completely traumatized, fellow passenger Emma Franzese told CBS when the ship docked. Ill never go on any type of boat again in my life after this.

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From NTD.tvWoman Feels Freer in Prison as She Serves Time for Killing Mom Who Allegedly Chained Her to Bed

A 26-year-old Missouri woman serving 10 years in prison for the second-degree murder of her mom said she feels more free in prison compared to when she was in the care of her mother.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard told FoxNews that her mother once chained her to a bed and kept her confined to a wheelchair even though she was perfectly healthy.

The prison that I was living in before, with my mom, its, like, I couldnt walk. I couldnt eat. I couldnt have friends. I couldnt go outside, you know, and play with friends or anything, Blanchard told FoxNews. Over here, I feel like Im freer in prison, than with living with my mom. Because now, Im allowed to  just live like a normal woman.

Gypsy Blanchard says its fear that kept her from speaking up about her mother Dee Dees fraud: I was always so afraid of her. Afraid of the consequences after. #ABC2020. https://t.co/RPT3b7h3CU pic.twitter.com/x8NRgZOeoR  20/20 (@ABC2020) January 6, 2018

Blanchard is serving a 10-year prison sentence at Missouris Chillicothe Correctional Center for conspiring with her boyfriend to kill her mother. Dee Dee Blanchard likely had a mental illness called Munchausen syndrome by proxy, in which the affected person tries to produce symptoms of illness in those they care for in order to draw attention to themselves.

Dee Dee Blanchard claimed that her daughter could not walk starting at the age of 7 and suffered from muscular dystrophy, leukemia, and epilepsy.

But Gypsy Blanchard was completely healthy.

Blanchard said that she knew she was able to walk but never thought about doing so and we terrified of her mom.

I was so young, so me looking up to her so much and just believing she knows best  I didnt question it, said Gypsy. Its sad because I think about all the times that I could have been walking around like a normal person, skating, riding bikes and stuff, and Ive never done any of that.

I honestly didnt think about that, Blanchard said. I was always so afraid of her  afraid of the consequences after.

Woman says mom made her use a wheelchair and invented illnesses leading to years of treatment: "It was a fraud." Gypsy Blanchard said she always knew she could walk but her mother Dee Dee Blanchard made her stay in a wheelchair. #ABC2020 https://t.co/RPT3b7h3CU pic.twitter.com/vhk6oORGKa  20/20 (@ABC2020) January 6, 2018

The mom and daughter were well known in their community. They received after they lost everything in Hurricane Katrina. Their home was built by Habitat for Humanity.

Police found Dee Dee Blanchards body on June 14, 2015. Gypsy Blanchard and her boyfriend, Nicholas Paul Godejohn, were apprehended two days later.

Godejohn said that Gypsy Blanchard was the mastermind behind the murder.

All the planning she did, every bit of it. She pretty much willed the knife in my hand to commit the deed herself. She is the mastermind behind the entire thing, Godejohn told FoxNews.

Gypsy Blanchard and Godejohn met online. Dee Dee Blanchard became jealous after Gypsy Blanchard fell in love.

Needless to say, that was a very long argument that lasted a couple weeks, Gypsy said. Yelling, throwing things, calling me names.

It was not because I hated her. It was because I wanted to escape her, Gypsy said.

"She is the mastermind." Gypsy Blanchards former boyfriend Nick Godejohn, whom she met online, says from jail that Blanchard planned the murder of her mother. He is awaiting trial for killing Gypsy's mom and has pleaded not guilty. #ABC2020 https://t.co/RPT3b7h3CU pic.twitter.com/rrUFA8ceTB  20/20 (@ABC2020) January 6, 2018

Blanchard claims that Godejohn had no remorse after killing her mom. Godejohn meanwhile says they he cant imagine getting back together with Blanchard.

Blanchard said that she thinks of her mother every day.

All I could hope is that wherever she is, that she still loves me in some small way, she said tearfully. And I want her to know that I am sorry. I am so sorry.

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From NTD.tvThe Pulse nightclub sign is pictured following the mass shooting in Orlando, Fla., on June 21, 2016. (REUTERS/Carlo Allegri)

Written Confession Alleges Pulse Nightclub Shooters Wife Knew of Attack Beforehand

The wife of the Pulse nightclub shooter allegedly knew about the attack before it happened and apologized for not alerting authorities beforehand, according to a recently released statement she wrote to the FBI.

In her 12-page statement dated June 12, 2016, Noor Salman said that her husband, Omar Mateen, looked at jihadist websites almost every day, starting about two years before the attack, and that they had driven around Orlando scoping out places.

Pulse Night Club shooter's widow knew about attack in FBI statement that lawyers claim aren't true https://t.co/EVaSpLxgw8  Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) January 6, 2018

She said they went to Downtown Disney, now called Disney Springs, and City Place in Palm Beach, as well as the Pulse nightclub.

Mateen wondered aloud in front of her, where would the next [terrorist] attack make a big splash? she said.

When she caught him looking at the Pulse nightclub website, he told her, This is my target, Salman recounted.

He bought a rifle about four days before the attack and placed it in the trunk of his car, telling Salman that he bought it for work, she said. He worked as a security guard for the private security firm G4S.

Mateen was armed with two guns when he attacked the nightclub on June 12, 2016: a 9mm semiautomatic pistol and a .223-caliber semi-automatic rifle.

He killed 49 people and injured dozens more before Orlando police fatally shot him.

Salman also said that in the days and weeks leading up to the attack, he bought her a ring for $7,000, clothes from Victoria Secret, and toys for their son.

Also before the attack, Mateen made Salman a beneficiary on his bank account in case something happened to him, she wrote, and withdrew $1,000 that he gave to her.

When he left the house with a black backpack full of ammunition and his handgun tucked into a holster under his clothes, she knew he was not going to see his friend Nemo, as he had told her.

I knew later, when I could not get ahold of him, that my fears had come true, Salman wrote.

I was in denial, she continued, I could not believe that the father of my child was going to hurt other people.

I wish I could have done the right thing, but my fear and reality was holding me back.

The statement was released last month as part of the case against her. She faces charges of aiding and abetting by providing material support to a terrorist, and obstruction of justice.

Her lawyers are trying to get the statement thrown out, arguing that she was not read her Miranda rights before she gave it, and that she didnt have a lawyer present at the time.

U.S. attorneys have argued that she was not detained, was free to leave, and that she gave her statement willingly.

The judge in the case has agreed to let Miami psychologist Bruce Frankin, who specializes in false and coerced confessions, testify. His testimony was requested by Salmans attorneys.

Salmans trial is set for March in Orlando.

She has pleaded not guilty, and if convicted, could face life in prison.

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From NTD.tvNORWALK  At the Circle Care Center, an LGBTQ health clinic on West Avenue whose clients include both transgender people and non-binary individuals, there is a bathroom thats open to everyone.

In a house, you dont have a female bathroom, a male bathroom, said the centers president, Scott Gretz. Females or males can use that bathroom. I think those kind of bathrooms should be in every building.

Although Gretz would like all of the bathrooms in the building to be gender-neutral, upstairs, mens and womens facilities can be found. Were required, he said. And I think its ridiculous.

Thats because, currently, Connecticut requires commercial buildings to have a certain number of male and female bathrooms. Originally meant to create potty parity for women, whom institutions including Yale Medical School and the U.S. Senate Chamber once did not accommodate, gender quotas now mean that if a facility wants to offer gender-neutral restrooms, they arent always able to convert existing bathrooms  a problem that led Yale Law School to file a lawsuit against Connecticut in 2017.

The 2018 state building code may solve that problem by allowing buildings to count gender-neutral single-user bathrooms (as opposed to bathrooms with multiple stalls or urinals) toward their male or female bathroom quota.

Every few years, Connecticut updates its building codes, a process that requires multiple rounds of input and review. When the state opened the floor to public proposals for ways to improve the code, nearly half of the requests  23 out of 58  were in support of allowing gender-neutral bathrooms count toward quotas.

We hope it will allow and encourage business owners to have gender-neutral bathrooms, said Maya Menlo from OutLaws, an organization of LGBTQ members of the Yale Law School community that wrote suggested building code changes that were echoed by many organizations who submitted public proposals.

For many, gender-neutral bathrooms are a matter of safety.

In Norwalk, LaReissa Skinner and Jeda DeVore, both trans men, said they were forcibly dragged out of the bathroom of a SoNo bar and thrown out of the venue. Skinner assumed the physical altercation stemmed from someones belief that he was in the wrong restroom. I cried outside, and there was a cop, and he was like, I cant do anything about it, he said. He takes note when establishments have gender-neutral bathrooms.

Raven Matherne, a newly elected city representative in Stamford believed to be the states first transgender lawmaker, also said she viewed the issue as a matter of safety.

While I was campaigning, for most of the meetings, I asked: Lets meet in a Starbucks, she said. Starbucks locations have individual bathrooms, fitted in many states with gender-neutral signs.

My options are limited to the places where I can, well, pee. This shouldnt be a consideration. But if youre cisgender, youve never had cause to look at this problem, said Matherne, referring to the term for people whose gender identity matches the sex that they were assigned at birth.

Matherne said she believed the code change was desperately overdue.

Advocates believe that, in addition to providing a safety measure for transgender people, gender-neutral bathrooms also benefit parents and caretakers.

I think its always uncomfortable for a parent to take a little boy into the womans room. Or to take a little girl into the mens room, Gretz said.

Perhaps theyre a caretaker of a person and have to go into a bathroom with them, Menlo said. There is a broader range of people who would benefit from gender-neutral bathrooms.

The 2018 Building Code is expected to be adopted on July 1. However, Bill Ireland, Norwalks chief building official, pointed out that that date has been pushed back in previously as details are wrangled over by various committees.

Weve had it happen as late as December 31, he said. Its really not a cut-and-dry, simple process.

However, supporters believe that this is a small change, given that only single-user bathrooms are impacted  one that can make a big difference.

I think the main idea is that people should be comfortable, Gretz said. That way you can be comfortable, the people around you can be comfortable  everyone will be comfortable.

rschuetz@hearstmediact.com; @raschuetzNORWALK  The multi-story apartment buildings springing up across Norwalk have alarms, sprinkler systems and other features aimed at preventing fires from spreading.

But like many single-family homes, theyre often largely built of wood and remain a pile of matchsticks full of combustible materials, no more impervious to flames than the Titanic was to icebergs.

Current state building codes allow up to four stories of apartment buildings to be built with materials such as wood that has not been treated to be fire retardant. Such construction, known as Type V, is typically wood-frame and is the least restrictive available in terms of fire safety (on the other end of the spectrum is Type I, which requires noncombustible materials designed to maintain structural integrity in a fire).

For comparison, New Jersey only allows three stories of apartment buildings to be Type V construction, and New York City doesnt allow any apartment buildings to be Type V.

In the aftermath of two fires in Norwalk, some residents have questioned whether the types of materials being used for construction has made buildings more susceptible to a blaze. For example, when it comes to vinyl siding, a petroleum-based product, Norwalk Chief Building Official Bill Ireland says, Its like putting gasoline on the building.

Connecticuts building codes, which include what materials are allowed for different types of construction, are currently under review, and the Department of Administrative Services is seeking public comment until Feb. 16. A public hearing for the proposed building, fire safety and fire prevention codes will also be held on Jan. 24 at 10 a.m. in the Legislative Office Building in Hartford. If all goes according to schedule, the new code will be adopted July 1.

Building codes often hold developments to a high standard, but at times, also allow materials that officials would prefer to see less of.

Ive seen places where I was so impressed at the construction of a building as it was being built, said Norwalk Deputy Fire Marshal Kirk McDonald. Every single piece, from the framework to the outside, had a fire rating to it. It was aluminum studs rather than wood. It was treated plywood because of the type of the occupancy that it was  it was required. But when it was all said and done, I went for the final inspection, I see vinyl siding on the outside.

On Dec. 11, a fire sparked by a carelessly discarded cigarette spread from the balcony to the interior of StoneWood Condominium, destroying part of the upper level of the 54-unit, four-story building at 100 Richards Ave. and leaving residents displaced weeks before Christmas. StoneWood residents are still unable to return to their homes. While the vinyl siding was hardly the sole factor in the spread of the blaze, it didnt help.

But its allowable, Ireland said. So if theyre allowed to do it, theres nothing we can do.

A survey of Connecticut building codes and interviews of Norwalk officials reveal that modern building methods both help and hinder the spread of fires.

The vinyl siding on StoneWood Condominium fed the fire, but fire-resistant interior walls prevented it from spreading horizontally to other parts of the building.

That fire, moving laterally, didnt go all of the way because of the firewalls, said Norwalk Fire Marshal Broderick Sawyer.

While the condominium complex was left uninhabitable for now because of smoke and water damage, the blaze itself was limited to the north end of the building, in and above the third-story balcony where it began.

Sawyer and McDonald, while praising alarms, sprinkler systems and firewalls, say todays fires burn hotter than those 20 years ago. Thats due to partly to personal belongings made of materials that burn more quickly, such as more Polyester and less cotton and partly to construction methods that keep that heat in, such as double-pane windows.

It keeps the heat in more, construction. It gets hotter and hotter and hotter, Sawyer said.

Such airtight, energy saving features, however, can also starve fires of oxygen.

Ive had a fire one time where the house was so tight, because of the environmental windows, that the fire didnt have enough oxygen to continue burning, McDonald said. There was soot all over the windows and it was just kind of a weird scenario how it played out but it put itself out.It took Great Plains Lutheran more than three years to notch a win, only two weeks for anotherSAN DIEGOA lawyer who represented actress Paz de la Huerta has filed a lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein and a former New York prosecutor, alleging they co-ordinated in a scheme to get the actress to drop her sexual misconduct complaint against the movie mogul.

Aaron Fillers firm, Tensor Law, filed the lawsuit Friday in Los Angeles against Weinstein, his company and lawyer Michael Rubin, a former New York City assistant district attorney for Bronx County.

In the lawsuit, Filler said Rubin misrepresented himself to de la Huerta as a victims rights advocate, but actually was acting for the benefit of Weinstein to interfere by a series of harmful subterfuges, threats, and extortion demands, entirely outside the legitimate strictures of the legal system.

Read more:

Actress Paz de la Huerta accuses Harvey Weinstein of raping her twice

Harvey Weinstein hired private spies to silence accusers, journalists, report says

New York police say theyre building rape case against Harvey Weinstein

The lawsuit accuses Rubin of persuading de la Huerta to drop Filler as her lawyer, and encouraging her to withdraw her complaint alleging Weinstein raped her. She changed lawyers but did not drop the complaint.

Rubin denied the allegations and said that Filler is upset he lost a client.

I never met Harvey Weinstein in my life, he said.

Weinstein spokesperson Holly Baird said in an email to The Associated Press on Saturday that its insanity to suggest that Weinstein had any involvement in this.

The suit contends Rubin attempted to obtain de la Huertas psychiatric records to reveal them publicly. Rubin also contacted New York prosecutors assigned to the de la Huerta case and gave false and discouraging advice, leading to the abrupt halt of progress toward indictment of Weinstein, according to the court documents.

Rubin said his intentions in reaching out to the actress were to help de la Huerta get Weinstein arrested.

I did nothing to try to derail that investigation, he said, adding that he plans to take legal action against Filler for defaming him.

Weinstein has denied any claim of non-consensual sex.

De la Huertas current lawyer, Carrie Goldberg, said the actress has nothing to do with the lawsuit.

My client had no knowledge of this lawsuit filed by Mr. Filler and makes no claims as to the veracity of any of the information presented as facts in the complaint, Goldberg said in a statement Saturday.

The Boardwalk Empire actress publicly accused the movie producer of raping her twice in 2010. She began speaking with police in New York about the accusation in late October.

Goldberg has expressed concern about the pace of the probe.The Golden Globes are tonight  are you ready for awards season? Probably you are  I mean, are you nominated for anything? You probably just need to order pizza and make sure the TV is working. But its OK to pretend: stand in front of a mirror, grasp a hairbrush and pretend to give your Golden Globes speech: Well, its not an Oscar or anything like one, but 

Willem Dafoe was glad he kept the tears out of his acceptance speech when he saw that the Palm Springs International Film Festivals trophy looks like a bong decorated with cheese strings. (Invision/AP photo)

Torontos own fashion iconoclast Alessia Cara pays tribute during Dick Clarks New Years Rockin Eve to her style inspiration, David Crosss standup in the 1990s. Tartier pop rival Halsey, meanwhile, at the very same show, revels in the fact that she can indeed now get arrested in Hollywood, and delightedly waits for the cuffs to arrive. (Getty Images/YouTube)

The series New Girl got a surprise renewal and its producers and stars, above (Erin OMalley, Brett Baer, Max Greenfield, Zooey Deschanel, and Lamorne Morris) sell it to the critics with the enthusiasm of inmates who had eight months added to their sentence. Meanwhile, Family Guys Seth Green, Mila Kunis and Seth MacFarlane announce their return with the sad weariness of lifers. (Getty Images)

Armie Hammer, Gary Oldman and Sean Baker are playing an old Hollywood game: put this car on enough red carpets and the public will accept it as a movie star. Listen, guys; it worked with Vin Diesel, it almost worked with Sam Rockwell, but not this time. (Getty Images)

Germanys Udo Kier was in Downsizing, has appeared in 200 other films, and remains the deadliest assassin to have ever won the Masters. (Getty Images)

This is why DJ Khaled is a genius: any minute now, Gucci will offer to pay him to stop wearing this. (Getty Images)

Related:

Tabloids: Jennifer Aniston, barren but triumphant?CALGARYA dean at the University of Calgary says a judge has apologized to a class of second-year law students for offensive comments she reportedly made.

Law school Dean Ian Holloway says the school received complaints that Court of Queens Bench Justice Kristine Eidsvik made comments that were insensitive to racial minorities at a Q-and-A session about judicial mediations.

CBC News reports Eidsvik told the class that she was uncomfortable walking into a room full of big dark people.

She reportedly said that she was used to being in an ivory tower away from the riff-raff.

Holloway says the matter was addressed immediately and the judge apologized to the class on Friday.

He says she expressed deep regret for making the comments, and the school used the experience as an important learning moment for faculty and students.

Eidsvik is the universitys judge-in-residence for the 2017-18 school year.MEXICO CITYToys and other gifts from parents and aid workers brightened the Epiphany holiday Saturday for children living in dozens of makeshift tent camps more than three months after a deadly earthquake.

The Jan. 6 holiday is commonly known as Day of the Magi in Latin America, and its when children in Mexico traditionally receive gifts rather than on Christmas Day.

Uriel Martinez, an 8-year-old whose family lost their home in the Sept. 19 quake, woke up early Saturday to find a toy gun had been left for him overnight. That made him happy because he wants to be a soldier when he grows up.

I heard the kings come, but then I went back to sleep, Martinez said.

The camp where the family is sleeping in a southern neighbourhood of Mexico City is a motley assortment of tents pitched on boards with tarps strung overhead to keep out the overnight chill.

Nearby is the quake-damaged building at 18 Independencia Street where they used to live, and which they now enter only to use the bathroom for fear it could collapse. Authorities plan to demolish it.

But this weekend there was plenty of holiday cheer.

Kids devoured a rosca de reyes, the kings cake associated with the day. A girl walked hand-in-hand with a doll around a Christmas tree strung with streamers and ornaments, and a young boy pedalled a tricycle underneath laundry airing on a clothesline. One toy car was so big it barely fit through the door of a tent.

Luz Maria Alvarez, who is also living in the camp with her husband, children and grandchildren, said the adults and teens are stressed because they still dont know what will happen.

But for the younger kids, living like this is still a kind of adventure and even more so on a day like today when we are all together, Alvarez said.

The non-profit Ayudame hoy, Spanish for help me today, said it distributed 3,000 gifts in quake camps in Mexico City and elsewhere. Some people are also still homeless in the south of Mexico after another powerful quake hit there earlier in September.

Read more about:When the Trump administration announced this week it was suspending military aid to Pakistan until the country takes more aggressive action against terrorist organizations that have targeted Americans, one of the groups it named was the Haqqani network.

Compared to other extremist groups, it is unfamiliar to many people in North America.

So who is Haqqani? What is the network? And what are its links to Pakistan?

Jalaluddin Haqqani was an Afghan warlord and a leader of the insurgency against Soviet forces in Afghanistan in the 1980s, when he formed his Sunni Islamist militant organization, which the U.S. government did not designate as a foreign terrorist organization until 2012.

Today the group is based primarily in the North Waziristan region of Pakistan, from which it conducts cross-border operations into eastern Afghanistan and Kabul, according to a counterterrorism guide published by the U.S. governments National Counterterrorism Center. The Haqqani network kidnapped Canadian Joshua Boyle and his wife, Caitlan Coleman, and held them for five years until their escape in October.

Read more:

Trumps suspension of security aid to Pakistan could end up affecting $2B U.S., office says

In freezing aid to Pakistan, Trump takes a gamble in complex war in Afghanistan

In first sit-down interview, Caitlan Coleman tells of forced abortion, disputes official account of her rescue in Pakistan

It is by far the most lethal group, not just inside Afghanistan, but in South Asia in general, said Ahmad Majidyar, a fellow at the Middle East Institute and an expert on Afghanistan-Pakistan security issues. The group is more like a criminal mafia group rather than an insurgent group.

One of its major goals is to reassert the Talibans control in Afghanistan and re-establish the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, experts said.

Haqqani aligned himself with the Taliban in the mid-1990s and served as its minister of tribal affairs until it was dislodged from power by the U.S. invasion in 2001. He was also a mentor to al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, according to the U.S. counterterrorism centre.

Media reports in 2015 that Haqqani had died have never been confirmed. But at some point, he handed leadership of the network to his son Sirajuddin, who in 2015 was named as a deputy of the Taliban leadership council.

Experts have mixed opinions about the extent of the networks relationship to the Taliban.

The group acts completely independently from the Taliban leadership and over the past decade it has carried out its military operations mostly in eastern Afghanistan, quite independently, Majidyar said.

But Marvin Weinbaum, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a former analyst for Pakistan and Afghanistan in the U.S. Department of States Bureau of Intelligence and Research, said: There is very little distance between the Haqqani network and the Taliban. I tend to say they are partnered groups.

And Bill Roggio, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies and editor of its Long War Journal, said it was a complete misnomer to de-link the Haqqani network from the Taliban.

Its like saying the marines arent part of the U.S. military, he said. Theyre a faction. Theyre a branch of the Taliban ... but they are the Taliban.

The Haqqani networks high-profile attacks target anyone who they deem to be in their way of reestablishing the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and bringing the Taliban back to power, Roggio said. That includes Afghan security forces, government buildings, civilians, and western forces and interests, including the U.S. embassy and military bases.

Since the 2013 death of Mullah Omar, the former supreme commander and spiritual leader of the Taliban, the younger Haqqani has effectively risen to become one of the major military figures for both movements, Weinbaum said.

The group is known to maintain close ties to al-Qaida, the Pakistani Taliban and to the Pakistani military intelligence services, experts said.

It is well respected amongst the jihadist circles, Roggio said. Sirajuddin Haqqani has been used to solve disputes between various factions.

He said that respect comes in large part from the groups support for global jihad  the armed conflict to expand the Islamic world  by providing shelter, training camps and financing in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Experts said its impossible to know the size of the group, but some estimates put its membership at upward of 10,000 people, with many recruits coming from the northern Pakistan region where the group is based.

The network is believed to be financed by some Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, and by the Pakistani establishment. The elder Haqqani reportedly speaks fluent Arabic and is well connected in the Arab Gulf region. One of his two wives is reportedly from the United Arab Emirates. Money generated through the networks illicit activities, including trafficking in drugs and minerals, also helps fund the group, experts said.

To that end, it aims to create ungovernable areas in eastern Afghanistan where it can safely run its criminal enterprises, Majidyar said.

But its trademark is the sophistication of its assaults. The groups is known to have effective tactical fighters, expertise in car bombs and suicide attacks, and influence in recruiting foreign jihadists, experts said.

What has made the Haqqani network stand out and also become very much famous is its lethality and also its ability to conduct ... attacks in the most secure and most strategic locations across Afghanistan, but most importantly in the capital, Kabul, Majidyar said.

Notable attacks in recent years include the June 2011 assault on the Kabul Intercontinental Hotel and suicide bombings in 2008 and 2009 against the Indian Embassy in Kabul, according to the counterterrorism center.

The agency said the Haqqani network also participated in a September 2011 daylong assault against major targets in Kabul, including the U.S. Embassy, International Security Assistance Force headquarters, the Afghan presidential palace, and the Afghan National Directorate of Security headquarters.

Read more about:BEIJINGAn Iranian oil tanker collided with a bulk freighter and caught fire off Chinas east coast, leaving the tankers entire crew of 32 missing and causing it to spill oil into the sea, authorities said Sunday.

Chinese authorities dispatched police vessels and three cleaning ships to the scene after the collision, which happened late Saturday. The South Korean coast guard also sent a ship and a plane to help search for the missing crew members  30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis.

The Panama-registered tanker Sanchi was sailing from Iran to South Korea when it collided with the Hong Kong-registered freighter CF Crystal in the East China Sea, 257 kilometres off the coast of Shanghai, Chinas Ministry of Transport said.

All 21 crew members of the Crystal, which was carrying grain from the United States, were rescued, the ministry said. The Crystals crew members were all Chinese nationals.

It wasnt immediately clear what caused the collision.

State-run China Central Television reported Sunday evening that the tanker was still floating and burning, and that oil was visible in the water.

It was not clear, however, whether the tanker was still spilling oil. The size of the oil slick caused by the accident also was not known.

Earlier Sunday, Chinese state media carried pictures of the tanker on fire with large plumes of smoke.

The Sanchi was carrying 136,000 metric tons (or nearly 1 million barrels) of condensate, a type of ultralight oil, according to Chinese authorities.

By comparison, the Exxon Valdez was carrying 1.26 million barrels of crude oil when it spilled 260,000 barrels into Prince William Sound off Alaska in 1989.

The Sanchi has operated under five different names since it was built in 2008, according the UN-run International Maritime Organization. The IMO listed its registered owner as Hong Kong-based Bright Shipping Ltd., on behalf of the National Iranian Tanker Co., a publicly traded company based in Tehran. The National Iranian Tanker Co. describes itself as operating the largest tanker fleet in the Middle East.

An official in Irans Oil Ministry, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters, said 30 of the tankers 32 crew members were Iranians.

We have no information on their fate, he said. We cannot say all of them have died, because rescue teams are there and providing services.

The official said the tanker was owned by the National Iranian Tanker Co. and had been rented by a South Korean company, Hanwha Total Co. He said the tanker was on its way to South Korea.

Hanwa Total is a 50-50 partnership between the Seoul-based Hanwha Group and the French oil giant Total. Total did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Its the second collision for a ship from the National Iranian Tanker Co. in less than a year and a half. In August 2016, one of its tankers collided with a Swiss container ship in the Singapore Strait, damaging both ships but causing no injuries or oil spill.

Read more: China tightens trade to North Korea under intensified UN nuclear sanctions

Read more about:WASHINGTONAllies of Donald Trump have lined up to defend his mental stability in the face of a tell-all-style book that says his entire entourage views the U.S. president as unwell, compares him to a child and discusses whether he might be removed from office.

One after another, they appeared on weekly political talk shows Sunday to endorse the presidents assessment of his own abilities, conveyed in a surreal front-page headline in The New York Times  A Stable Genius: Trump Declares Hes Mentally Fit.

What catapulted this conversation from the realm of Washington bar-room whispers to the top of the national news was the release of a new book, Fire and Fury, by Michael Wolff, that describes wall-to-wall concern within the White House about the presidents cranial capacity.

Trump made clear Sunday that he was watching, and keeping tabs, on how his troops defended him on TV. The president praised one aide who engaged in a bitter back-and-forth on CNN and insisted the president is not only sane, but brilliant.

Stephen Miller described travelling with Trump during the campaign and seeing Trump adapt to breaking news: I saw a man who was a political genius, Miller said. As for Wolffs work, Miller sneered: A garbage author of a garbage book.

The interview went off the rails when the CNN host tried interrupting Millers soliloquies with new questions, and finally kicked him off the air. Host Jake Tapper motioned toward the camera, saying it was clear Miller was simply sucking up to one viewer.

That one viewer was pleased: Trump tweeted that Miller had destroyed Tapper.

The political relevance of this conversation, aside from the benefits of mental competence from a U.S. president, was revealed in another interview with the books author. Wolff noted that an unfit president can be removed from office under the 25th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

He said people in the White House talk about it constantly.

Wolff said staff frequently comment on whether zany events do, or do not, warrant the 25th Amendment. The author said he had an open mind about Trump when he started conducting interviews inside the White House, but no more.

He said the presidents faculties are a subject of universal scorn  not just among staff, but among family members: This is alarming in every way ... The 25th Amendment is a concept that is alive every day at the White House, Wolff said.

This is a breakdown.

Trump allies pushed back:

On CBSs Face The Nation, CIA director Mike Pompeo praised the presidents mental state. Pompeo said he briefs Trump every day on complex issues: He engages in a way that shows his understanding of the complexity. He asks really hard questions. Pompeo cited deliberations over Syria airstrikes as one example, among many. He said Trump asked three smart questions about Bashar Assads use of chemical weapons to help him make a decision.

On ABCs, This Week, UN Ambassador Nikki Haley concurred: I ... speak with him multiple times a week ... He didnt become the president by accident ... Was he unstable when he passed the tax reform? Was he unstable when we finally hit back at Syria and said, No more chemical weapons?

The head of leading conservative group CPAC said its not true the president absent-mindedly repeats the same story and cant grasp policy. Matt Schlapp also pointed out mistakes in the book  Wolff messed up job titles for Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, and aide John Kelly, and mixed up the names of a reporter and lobbyist. Schlapp told ABC: Look, there might be some truth in (the book). But its riddled and surrounded by the fact that this is a journalist who doesnt believe in calling anyone to correct sources.

Senators Tom Cotton and Lindsey Graham also defended the president. Graham used to be a virulent Trump critic. Asked to explain his recent about-face, Graham said its not a total reversal. He still supports Robert Muellers investigation, but believes there should be a second investigation to monitor the probe.

But he acknowledged his shift from being a critic of Trump to being a golf partner and ally: Ive enjoyed his company. He beat me like a dog (in the presidential election), Graham told NBCs, Meet The Press. I used every adjective on the planet. I lost, he won ... Ive enjoyed working with him ...

I dont think hes crazy. I think hes had a very successful 2017.

One conservative critic of Trump, writing in The New York Times, once suggested invoking the 25th Amendment to remove the president, but now says its probably fantasy. The 25th Amendment requires overwhelming backing from the cabinet and Congress  and it wont happen, probably not even if theres a major crisis, Ross Douthat wrote in Sundays New York Times.

A likelier scenario, he said, resembles the past examples of Richard Nixon cracking under the stress of Watergate; Woodrow Wilson after a debilitating stroke; and James Garfield slowly dying from an assassins bullet.

In these cases, he wrote, allies run the government, and try limiting the damage.

Can the people who surround Donald Trump work around his incapacity successfully enough to keep his unfitness from producing a historic calamity? Douthat wrote.

They have done so for a year, with some debacles (Puerto Rico) but also some genuine successes (the defeat of the Daesh).

Read more:

Trump boasts hes like, really smart and a very stable genius after new book raises questions over mental fitness

Stephen Colbert proves he doesnt have Trump fatigue with new show, Our Cartoon President

What we know about the Haqqani network, mentioned by Donald Trump as he suspends aid to Pakistan

Read more about:Whos the real bully here? Could it be the government that has said businesses that cant pay a $15 per hour wage dont deserve to be in business? Could it be the government is publicly shaming businesses that are taking tough but needed steps to stay afloat and protect jobs?

Premier Kathleen Wynnes shock over small business owners reaction to the wage hike  be it increasing prices or reducing benefits, hours or positions  would have a lot more credibility had her government ordered even a basic impact assessment of the minimum wage hike before moving forward.

We asked for one, numerous times, over the past several months; 94 per cent of our members want one. But the government consistently refused, opting instead to blindly roll the dice with peoples livelihoods.

Why would they do that? To borrow a phrase from the premier, Ill be blunt.

This whole social experiment is an act of a government that doesnt appear to give a care in the world as to how their actions affect the small businesses on Main Street. It is a pre-election goodie paid for by your local dry cleaner, coffee shop, and mechanic  not by your government.

Its about election optics, plain and simple. After all, it is easy to play Santa with someone elses money.

Whats happening now should not come as a surprise. We warned them. Other employer groups and employers warned them. Banks warned them. The independent Financial Accountability Officer warned them that business owners would be forced to make difficult decisions as a result of the speed and magnitude of the hike.

Small businesses are not multinational conglomerates. In fact, even many of those with international brand names are locally owned and operated small firms. The average profit margin for a restaurant in Ontario is only 3.5 per cent.

The government clearly tuned out the small businesses that appeared before committee  many of whom feared government retribution for speaking out  especially those from the food services sector.

The fact of the matter is that the Ontario government didnt take a scalpel approach. Instead, it lobbed a grenade at your local grocer, accountant and favourite restaurant, and are now feigning surprise that the shrapnel isnt contained.

The situation in the news last week is certainly not unique. In fact, 18 per cent of business owners said they are scaling back their employee benefits to accommodate the wage hike in a December 2017 CFIB survey.

Im even more concerned by the 28 per cent who said they were forced to reduce the number of employees and the 31 per cent who said they are cutting hours. Most worrisome is the 50 per cent of small firms who said they have reduced or eliminated plans to hire young or inexperienced workers.

Helping low-wage earners is a laudable goal and a discussion we should all be having. There are ways to do it that dont hurt employers ability to provide strong, stable jobs, such as lowering personal income taxes, providing tax exemptions, enhancing the Working Income Tax benefit, or providing targeted skills training programs. Sadly, the government chose to limit the discussion to the minimum wage.

Its past time we put policy ahead of ideology.

The premiers desire to meet and have business owners come directly to her is a marked turn from last years committee hearings, which were stacked with unions and groups sympathetic to the governments already-made decision. Many courageous business owners were turned away.

But if shes truly had a change of heart, I can think of thousands of CFIB members  not billionaires or jet-setting CEOs, but middle-class Ontarians  who would love to tell her exactly what her $15 minimum wage plan means for their future, and the future of their employees.

If the premier is looking to pick a fight, I urge her to pick it with me and not the independent business owners taking all of the risks, protecting the jobs and growing the economy.

Dan Kelly is president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

Read more about:Reading Ciceros rhetoric, eviscerating opponents in the Roman Senate, makes everyone in contemporary politics exclaim every few paragraphs: Thats Churchills Some chicken speech! two millennia before it happened! Or Thats Obama at the Denver Convention!?!

Cicero was also a master of statecraft, saving the Roman Republic from tyranny at least three times. He would have read Trump as a threat on first hello. In Sam Leiths marvellous study of political rhetoric, Words Loaded Like Pistols, you are amused and amazed at his comparison of todays political howlers with Ciceros silky, smooth verbal knife work, and by how little is new under the sun.

A veteran of the Watergate frenzy, as a whey-faced TV reporter, today just as obsessively as back then, I watch coverage of a new Watergate, and shout at the television: John Dean smashed that attack line 40 years ago, you idiot! or Nixon got killed using that same dumb rhetoric, fool! The admonition of my earliest political mentor  There are no new political mistakes, Robin. Find the ones who made them before you and listen carefully.  rings constantly in my head.

As Michael Wolffs book Fire and Fury reports, Trump shrieks at staffers about being surrounded by John Deans, exclaiming, Jim Comey was a rat! We have to get rid of the rats! Do you not know what John Dean did to Nixon?!? Following which Dean does the TV panel parade smiling cheerfully that this attack is almost as great an honour as being number one on Richard Nixons enemies list.

So, now we have Watergate veterans trying to school this president on why he is doomed, but Trump remains blind to the real parallels. He might want to look as his own White House counsel with a skeptical eye. Don McGahn, may after all be another John Dean  a lawyer who understood he served the United States presidency not its occupant.

Those who are the first to be betrayed, are always those who fail to understand that loyalty must be reciprocal. Trumps implacably loyal former driver, Keith Schiller, elevated to be his security chief, slides out of the White House with no goodbye. Why? Steve Bannons treachery is driven by what?

Wolffs thesis is that Trumps inner circle are players who see him as their career meal ticket, or merely a hard-right policy puppet. The only loyalty he can bank on is blood. Robert Muellers coming prosecution of Trumps daughter and son-in-law may break even that.

This is a Game of Thrones scenario. That he will be abandoned by this band of opportunists is not whether but simply when. Here history is not repeating itself. You love your leader. You believe in her, and you are willing to take a bullet for her. That is the fundament of democratic politics. You work 90 hours a week, for crummy pay, and you endure being dumped on by regular buckets of excrement  because you believe. Politics pain is only endurable if you believe in your leader and your cause.

So, this is new.

We have not had a presidency where a group of mutually antagonistic senior staffers, with so little loyalty or respect for their boss are driving a governments agenda. As Cicero would have counselled John Kelly, Sir, this will not hold! Your enemies are in your tent. Your opponents need merely to wait for the bloodshed their ambition unleashes. The extraordinary indiscretions offered  in taped interviews  to Wolff are merely the latest proof.

What Trump fears is now well-known: That his rescue from bankruptcy by Deutsche Bank, Russian state-owned banks and mobbed-up investors in the 90s, in return for a friendship pact with Putin  cemented further by their efforts to sabotage the Clinton campaign  will be revealed. That Muellers number two is a highly regarded money laundering prosecutor signals clearly how this will end.

That Trump does not read, let alone understand history, was painfully revealed by his loud demand to staffers, when Sessions insisted he must recuse himself on the Russia scandal, Where is my Roy Cohn!? Cohn it was, who served as key adviser to Sen. Joseph McCarthy, to New York mob bosses, and to a young Donald Trump  whose methods ultimately led to disbarment for corruption.

Cicero is no doubt smiling down from above, muttering mildly, Isnt it curious how little changes over 2,000 years? Whether you believe Marxs claim that it repeats itself as farce, the moral of the Trump tragedy is surely that, you must at least, know history.

Robin V. Sears, a principal at Earnscliffe Strategy Group, was an NDP strategist for 20 years.

Read more about:Renault SA designs, manufactures, sells, and distributes vehicles in France and internationally. The company operates through Automotive, AVTOVAZ, Sales Financing, and Mobility Services segments. It offers passenger and light commercial, and electric vehicles primarily under the Renault, Dacia, Renault Samsung Motors, Alpine, and LADA, as well as under the Nissan, Datsun, and Infiniti brands. The company also sells powertrains and used vehicles, as well as spare parts; and provides various services, including sales financing, rental, maintenance, and service contracts. In addition, it offers finance for the purchase on inventories of new and used vehicles, and replacement parts; designs, produces, and sells converted vehicles; provides Renault EASY CONNECT for Fleet, a connected service for business users; and produces driving aids, such as steering-wheel mounted accelerators and brakes, multifunction remote control units to operate indicators, lights and horns, pedal transfers, etc., as well as manual or electric swivel seats. The company was founded in 1898 and is based in Boulogne-Billancourt, France.

Read MorePageGroup plc, together with its subsidiaries, provides recruitment consultancy and other ancillary services in the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and the Americas. The company offers executive search services under the Page Executive brand; recruitment services for qualified professional on permanent, temporary, and contract or interim basis under the Michael Page brand; recruitment services to organizations requiring permanent employees and temporary or contract staff at technical and administrative support, professional clerical, and junior management levels under the Page Personnel brand; and flexible recruitment outsourcing services under the Page Outsourcing brand. It also provides assessment, consulting, and talent services under the Page Assessment, Page Consulting, and Page Talent supplementary brands. The company was formerly known as Michael Page International plc and changed its name to PageGroup plc in June 2016. PageGroup plc was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Addlestone, the United Kingdom.

Read MoreWith so many Japanese brands building cars in the U.S. over the past few years, its a funny thing to think about that old rivalry between imports and domestic makes in this country. But indeed, that rivalry will be on full display at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show, which is slated to kick off in just a few weeks time. Heading the list of debuts will be the traditional collection of crossovers and SUVs, but concepts, hybrids, and even a sedan or two will join them on the show floor this year, each vying for attention on the home turf of Ford and General Motors. As such, weve collected five of the biggest debuts hailing from the Land of the Rising Sun that are worthy of your attention in the following list. Let us know your favorites in the comments below.

Introduced in 2007 and updated with a second generation in 2013, the popular compact RDX is destined for a third generation soon, possibly dropping at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show. So far, weve only got a collection of spy shots and not much else to go on, but we still expect Acura to provide the crossover with substantial updates for the exterior styling, a complete overhaul for the interior, and a downsized replacement for the standard 3.5-liter V-6 currently residing up front. A turbo four-cylinder would work just fine, we think.

Read our full speculative review on the 2019 Acura RDX.

It looks as though Infiniti is bringing something rather special to Detroit this year, pulling the sheets on a new concept dubbed the Q Inspiration. Details are scant as of this writing, but were thinking its a possible preview of Infinitis forthcoming Q90 flagship. Whats more, the lack of any exhaust tips could mean electric motivation, or even the introduction of new hybrid technology, with AWD provided for extra grip. At the very least, we know the Q Inspiration will present four seats inside with high-end luxury and tech features, not to mention the latest evolution of Infinitis design language, which, according to the limited pictures in hand, looks pretty good.

Read our full speculative review on the 2018 Infiniti Q Inspiration Concept.

Lexus is also getting in on the design study action in Detroit by introducing the new LF1 Limitless Concept. This time around, the car in question is a crossover, but details are once again a bit murky, limited to just a single teaser image. However, at this point, we do know the LF1 will get novel lighting front to back, a huge glass panel for the roof, and headrest-mounted digital screens for rear-seated passengers.

Now heading into a freshened fifth generation, the full-size Avalon will make its first appearance in Detroit. So far, Toyota has teased us with a few close-cropped shots, whetting our appetite with details like a new taillight housing. Power options will likely include a V-6 making roughly 300 horses, but either way, if the new Avalon is as good as the 2018 Camry that dropped last year, things are looking up for Toyota.

Heading back to dealer lots after a four-year hiatus, the Insight is set to make its return in Detroit this year. Previewed last month with a prototype model, Honda says the revamped green machine will get an innovative two-motor hybrid system for motivation, as well as mpg figures that are competitive with other hybrids currently on the market. Sounds great, but will it have better luck this time around?

Read the full story here.

References

Read more Detroit Auto Show news.Are you wanting winter weather, and do you want to see the GBR? I really like the region Longhorn has suggested, but that area gets really cold (by our standards) often below freezing at night with occasional snow. It that is what you want it is beautiful country.

July is an ideal time for the north of the Country, and you could fly in to Airlie Beach and then do a two week drive up to Cairns/Port Douglas region. You can do some inland stuff like Chillagoe and Undarra Lava Tubes, and some of the sweet little coastal places like Bowen and Magnetic Island, as well as all the "big ones" reef trip, Mossman Gorge, Daintree Rainforest etc.

Cheers.If you and your mom are worried about driving, there are other modes of transportation in CR.

We stayed in Cahuita twice without a car, and found that area is easy without a car.

See how to get there: . From SJO, you can get to a bus station in San Jose and take a direct public bus for $10 right to Cahuita bus terminal. It takes 4.5 hrs or longer. If you arrive in the dark, your hotel in Cahuita might pick you up, as you do not want to wander around there with luggage by yourself, not sure where you are going. There are places to eat on the main st., the entrance to the national park, where you can swim and see animals, all within a walking distance from each other. You can easily use local public buses from the same bus terminal to go to Puerto Viejo, to the Jaguar Rescue Centre by Puerto Viejo, etc. You can also rent a bike.

Another option that we used mostly, is to prebook shared shuttle vans like Interbus. They cost more than the bus, of course, but the plus is that they pick you up from your hotel and deliver you right to the next hotel. They run on set schedule and some routes have only 1-2 vans a day.

From Cahuita to Arenal it took us almost 7 hrs, but we were going to a hotel located outside La Fortuna and made 2 stops on the way. It cost each of us US$54 for that long transfer, which we thought was a good value. The luggage goes right behind you, behind a cargo net, you keep valuables on you, of course, and just sit , enjoy the ride, look around, nap or/and chat with other travellers. The vans have about 10 seats, but on some rides, there were just a few ppl beside us, lots of space. The drivers are all professional, spoke English. If it is a long transfer, they have scheduled stops to use a washroom, have smth to eat, buy souvenirs, fruits, etc.

In La Fortuna, where most tours start from, you can stay in this place which offers a US$15 day shuttle pass between certain attractions: . If you are staying in another property near by, I am not sure if you can buy the shuttle pass from them anyway.

There are shuttles and buses to get to Puerto Jimenez, too. or , etc. For such a more distant / complicated transfer, without Spanish, I would not go by public buses, but by a shuttle. Once you are in PJ, you might not need your car anyway, as you will be on tours or hiking,

The tricky part with shuttles is taking them from / to the airport, as your flight times might not match the shuttles schedule. If you are planning to arrive to SJO, you need to plan to have enough time to get through the customs, which might be lengthy, get your luggage, and take a short taxi ride to the parking lot of Denny' where two shared shuttle van companies pick up from that go to S. Caribbean: Interbus and Caribeshuttle.

PleasureRider, which we also took, picks up right from the SJO, but unless they have someone else booked for the time/date you need, you would need to pay for 2 tickets to make them come get you. We took them SJO-Cahuita and it was great, because we were the only passengers the entire transfer, and the driver was very nice. (We stopped in sida on the way to have smth to eat.) The van had a/c and WiFi.

Interbus shuttles had a/c, but except for 1 time, no WiFi.

If you book 3+ transfers with Intetbus by phone, ask for 20% off discount, .

The shared shuttles need to be prepaid and prebooked, at least 24 hrs in advance, but we had done it much earlier than that.The 2 prior posters have noticed exactly the same I wanted to say - Poas trails have been closed for awhile, Too long in MA, bug too rushed in La F. / Monteverde, Cano Island is done from Uvita or from Osa (Drake Bay).

From MA/Quepos area, from Quepos Marina, we took a catamaran cruise, which included snorkelling when the vessel was ankored in front of one of the park's beaches. We had been mislead into this tour, as we had been trying to do a whalewatching tour (we were there in the peak whale season), but the hotel owner in MA advised us not to go to Uvita to take it from there, but instead, sold us this booze cruise, saying it would be a whalewatching tour. We expected to be in a small boat, but ended up on a gigantic catamaran, surrounded by drinking ppl, saw zero whales or dolphins. The crew members were also feeding human food left overs to the fish right in front of the protected national park's beach...but some ppl who were snorkelling at the time thought it was great, as the fish came closer to them looking for that food...Learn from our experience, especially if you enjoy nature.

Read the reviews of Cano Island snorkelling on TA. Success of snorkelling in CR depends not only on the waves on that day, but also, largely, on the water visibility, which in turn might be affected by the rainfall, storms in days prior. Your perception of the snorkelling might depend on your expectations and prior snorkelling experience elsewhere in the world. As you might have already noticed in the Cano snorkelling tours reviews, a similar or same tour results in sometimes very different reviews. Some basically say, "Wow! How great! We saw fish!" The others say, not good, too crowded, lots of boats in the same snorkelling area, they did not allow us to swim on our own, forcing us to wear jackets, etc.

If you want to see the volcano (not the crater) close by, Arenal Observatory Lodge is located under 2 miles away from it. You can hike its trails with a $10 pp day pass.See - CR embassy is in Ottawa, there are phone ## there.

Prior thread on customs advice:

.

When we went to CR, we had some snacks with us, prepackaged, but not home made meat or other agricultural products. No one asked us anything, but I would not want to risk it.

BTW, I once had even a tiny fresh apple confiscated from my carry on (a forgotten snack, from home) upon entering another country, not CR, - not a big loss, but I had to go to a separate table for the bag inspection, which was unpleasant and worrisome...G'day Jen,

I've just finished up a 20 day safari through EastCo and absolutely loved it. I went with a party of 8; made up of family and friends. It also looks like our itinerary was fairly similar to yours, so I think I can provide some helpful advice on a few of your activities.

Give the following a miss:

Kibale night walk - $40USD and the guide will mostly look for bushbabies (we didn't see any here and you're more likely to see them around Boundary Hill lodge/Tarangire anyway)

The boat cruise to Saanana NP - we had an average guide, there's a lioness alone in a small cage and the only real positive was getting a close encounter with some zebras. We found it very eery, it is an ill-maintained ex-zoo after all.

Definitely do:

An early morning game drive and then arvo boat cruise at QE II national park - closest look you'll get to hippos in the water, they're great to watch

Visit Boundary Hill Lodge - I don't want to say too much, but this was easily my favourite part of our trip. The location and setup has to be seen to be believed.

I can't speak for the Seronera Acacia Camp because we didn't get a chance to visit it.

Personally, I can't recommend EastCo highly enough. The crew are fantastic and any issues/queries we had throughout the trip were sorted pretty quickly. I hope to come back and do another one with them in a few years.

Regardless of who you go with, I hope you have a great time. Be sure to pack a lot of mozzie repellant and avoid blue and dark coloured clothes as that's what tsetse flies are attracted to!

Cheers,

IsaacHi Keri.

The Vietnamese celebrate Tet, the Lunar New Year, on 16th February this year, and there will be public holidays from 14th-20th February when banks, offices, government agencies are closed. Most museums, historic sites are open. From the 16th, most businesses close for 3 or more days. You will arrive to a very very quite city. Hotels will be open but probably with reduced staffing. The tourist areas will still have some restaurants open. Prices may be higher for many goods and services. You should read threads on the forum about visiting during Tet. It can be a rewarding experience but you should be prepared.

I know you have a long international flight, but it may be better to fly to Danang for Hoi An as soon as possible during your visit, while most people are still occupied with family celebrations. After a few days, they'll return to where they live and work and the flights south will already be heavily booked . Returning from Hoi An, you will be going against the flow and probably and more reasonably priced seats. Check the seat availabilty on the airline sites.

As for Halong Bay cruises -I know increasing numbers of locals are taking short holidays immediately after Tet, but not the impact on Halong Bay cruise availability. The Chinese are flocking to Ha Long too and it is their Golden Week at the same time. Others may know more.

Good luck and best wishes for your visit to Vietnam.

rayza

Edited: 3 years agoWhere in Sapa would I catch the minibus

in advance booking

---First of all, i show you 2 "illustrated map of Sapa towm".

(map -1)

https://www.google.co.jp/search?q=Map+of+Sapa&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjyzIiky9LYAhWIgrwKHaytB3YQsAQIKA&biw=1280&bih=853#imgrc=UQtUaeq4fQ2T1M:&spf=1515766893471

(map -2)

https://www.google.co.jp/search?q=Map+of+new+Sapa+market&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjlsYei39LYAhXFyrwKHcq1Au0QsAQIJg&biw=631&bih=845#imgrc=AZX6u2IQtSwtEM:&spf=1515771087425

---in above maps, "Ben Xe Khach Sapa"=Sapa bus station, "cho Sapa"=Sapa market(=main market in Sapa now)

---"new Sapa market building" and "new Sapa bus station" are located east of "Sapa lake" (=artificial pond made at a vast grassland in 2000's), about 150m in distance, and beside of Sapa bus station, there are several "booking offices"(=ticket agents) which deal many bus tickets of long distance buses from Sapa (also from Lao Cai too).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(as for booking your bus tickets)

You can book your bus tickets through your hotel or some tour desk in the town(of course, paying commission) but you can also book your bus tickets directy visting "ticket agents"(booking offices) just beside of Sapa bus station and it's better because you can know about your bus tickets more eaxctly & sufficiently choosing it for yourselves there---bus fare, departure time & place, choosing bus type(="big sized" is better for this scenic route even in a bit old)--- etc.

---Distance from town center(=around old "Chrch") to Sapa bus station is only 15 mins walk, not far!.

---Address of a street having several ticket agents is named as "Dien Bien Phu Steet, Sapa".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(as fo\r locations of Sapa bus station & Sapa market)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/93515541@N04/albums/72157668391805349

---above 4 photos were the ones i took few years ago(in 2015) when i visited my Vietnamese friend who lives in Sapa so bus circumstance(bus services, location of ticket agents etc) may change now but i think you can still find them beside of the bus station ---check it at Sapa!!

IMG_2332---Sapa new market builsing and a square in front of it is "Sapa bus station"(it outlooksmay change nowhaing bus station building there)

IMG_2328---a corner of market building and Hung Thanh Bus's Sapa office

IMG_2329---a wooden 3- floored house having white name board "NEW" was a "ticket agent" which deals many (kind of) bus tickes for long distance buses from Sapa(day & night / big & small) though its location may change a bit now but there are several other ticket agents around there too.

IMG_2330---yellow colored board of ticket agent "NEW" which standed.



PS-1) if possible, big sized bus having large sized windows is better to enjoy to see stunning & geogious scenery of back of Fan Xi Phan(3140m) mountains range and gigantic peaks far north of Sapa and also the scenery along a deep valley between "new Lai Chau"(=provincial capital now) and "old Lai Chau" (=locates at the midaway of Sapa and DBP) , especially very geogious after passing "O Quy Ho mountain pass "(=12 km from Sapa) to Tam Duong(=36 km from Sapa) before reaching Lai Chau--it's really amazing like the scenery of Swiss Alps in Europe.

---gigantic peaks far north of Sapa(actually more scenic than above photo)

---a descending road from "O Quy Ho mountain pass"(="King of Pass" in North-Western Vietnam).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PS-2) thare are many guesthouses(about 15 Ghs) just around/in front of DBP bus station where bus from Sapa arrives and your bus from DBP to Laos departs from the same bus station so you never need to hurry to go to DBP even if your bus will arrive DBP bus station after dark, getting your accommodation is nothing dificult.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PS-3) you can also catch a local bus comes from Lao Cai and go to DBP via Sapa, and in case of it, you can catch it not at town center & bus station but at a place on the road(=NR.4D) where it's divided into 2 directions(direction: town center of Sapa, direction:Lai Chau via O Quy Ho mountain pass & Tam Duong

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PS -4) as for recent bus fare from Sapa to DBP--i'm not sure but if you go to a ticket agent to book for yourselves directly, there will occure no problem of you even if it's much, i think.

(by ta_geckozy)

Edited: 3 years ago-:- 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.We are planning a 3 week trip to Japan. We are still in doubt about either May or September.

I have however already started crafting on an itinerary and would like some help with a few specifics.

1 AMS - Tokyo

2 Arrival Tokyo 10:00 am

3 Tokyo

4 Tokyo

5 Tokyo

6 Tokyo

7 Tokyo - Takayama

8 Takayama

9 Takayama - Magone - Tsumago

10 Tsumago - Kiso Fukushima

11 Kiso Fukushima - Kyoto

12 Kyoto

13 Kyoto

14 Kyoto

15 Kyoto - Kii katsuura

16 Kii katsuura surroundings (Kumano Kodo)

17 Kii katsuura - Ryujin onsen

18 Ryujin onsen - Koya San

19 Koya San - Osaka

20 Osaka

21 Osaka

22 Osaka - AMS

I am in doubt about the part in the Kii peninsula. I am wondering if we should go all the way to Kii Katsuura or just visit Koya San from Osaka and Ryujin Onsen.

I read Ryujin Onsen is really beautiful

On the other hand I also heard Takaragawa Onsen is really beautiful, but I am wondering if I should add that in, traveling there from Tokyo and then on to Takayama. Is it worth the trip? I read it is quite a hassle to get there

1. Is Ryujin Onsen worth it? Or should we spend time at another onsen? (for instance go to Takaragawa Onsen?). The 3 villages that inclyde Yunomine Onsen sound lovely as well but are a bit harder to travel to

2. Should we go into the Kii Peninsula if we have only 2 days extra there or should I just visit Koya San from Osaka and put the other 2 days in our itinerary at another place? Recommendations?

I don't really know if the Kii Peninsula is worth the effort (it is quite a hassle to travel around there)

I am wondering if the 2 extra days I now put into the Kii Peninsula maybe are better spend in the Japanese Alps region, or maybe travel from Osaka to Hiroshima?

Any nice onsen suggestions that are in the regions we travel to are most appreciated! :-)

Thank you for your time and effort in advance :-)

Edited: 3 years ago- Kenyan denies it has provided asylum to a former powerful minister in Robert Mugabe's administration

- Zimbabwean media claims the former minister is hold up in Kenya after Mugabe was overthrown

- The minister previously worked in Kenya with an NGO and was key to Grace Mugabe's ascension to power

President Uhuru Kenyatta's administration has been forced to come clean on claims that Kenya has provided asylum to a former powerful minister in deposed Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe's administration.

Kenya says contrary to claims being made by Zimbabwean media, former Zimbabwean Higher Education Minister Jonathan Moyo has not sought refuge in the country.

Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens

Moyo is believed to have fled to Kenya when the Zimbabwean military removed from office Robert Mugabe after over three decades in power.

Kenya denies hosting Mugabe's close ally after Zimbabwe leader was removed from power Photo: Facebook/Uhuru Kenyatta

READ ALSO: Alleged fallout between Uhuru and Ruto over cabinet nominees triggers reaction

He is among the powerful officials in Mugabe's administration being sought to answer to corruption allegations and running down the country's economy.

I would have known if he was in the country. Political asylum is a security issue and his request would have been processed by the National Security Advisory Council and the cabinet, government spokesperson Eric Kiraithe said as quoted by Sunday Nation.

His sentiments were echoed by Interior Ministry spokesperson Mwenda Njoka who said Moyo has not sought political asylum in Kenya.

Emmerson Mnangagwa took over from Mugabe Photo: BBC

READ ALSO: Youths try to swear in Raila in Budalangi

As reported by TUKO.co.ke, Mugabe was removed from office by Zimbabwean military when his wife, Grace, forced former vice president Emerson Mnangawa into exile in South Africa.

However, the military took over, forcing Grace to flee to Namibia as Mnangawa returned to take over as president.

The transition ended Mugabe's 37 years in power and saw Zimbabweans pour into the streets to celebrate his end.

Kenyans accuse NTSA of incompetence and corruption and want it disbanded on TUKO TV

Source: TukoThere was a rush for Pfizer vaccines at a couple of sites today, as the roll out of that vacChristmas is a spiritual and national holiday, which symbolizes the birth of hope for salvation, peace and justice, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said in his Christmas greeting posted on the official website of the head of state.

"Christmas is the birth of hope for salvation, hope for peace, and hope for justice. This is a spiritual and national holiday," the president said.

He added that for more than a thousand years Ukrainians had celebrated this day in a special manner. In particular, it has long been a tradition of not only singing Christmas carols, but also reproducing the birth of the Son of God in nativity scene puppet theaters. It has also been a tradition since ancient times to serve a special dish  kutia, which symbolizes wealth shared with everyone.

"We preserve our customs. They make us special and different from others," he said.

Poroshenko called on fellow citizens, wherever they stay, to remember those who defend Ukraine and to pray for them, asking God to give them health and strength.

The president's wife, Maryna Poroshenko, in turn, wished happiness to Ukrainians and a happy future to Ukraine.

"Let us remember with warm words those who live in our hearts! Let us thank our parents, children, relatives, friends and colleagues for being together!" she said."In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations  including, however, more explosions (almost 150)  compared with the previous reporting period (about 70 explosions)," the OSCE SMM said in an update on January 6 based on information received as of 19:30 Kyiv time on January 5, 2017.

Read also"DPR" militants prevent OSCE from accessing part of compound in heavy weapons holding area"In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations compared with the previous reporting period [no ceasefire violations]. Positioned in 'LPR'-controlled Kalynove (60km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard ten shots of small-arms fire 2-4km west," the report says.

"The SMM observed armoured combat vehicles, an anti-aircraft gun and other indications of military-type presence in the security zone. In government-controlled areas, the SMM saw six stationary IFVs (BMP-1) and an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23, 23mm) mounted on an armoured personnel carrier (MT-LB) near Popasna (69km west of Luhansk). On 4 January, the SMM observed light military vehicles parked at several houses in Orikhove-Donetske (44km north-west of Luhansk)," the observers said.The militants continue shelling Ukrainian troops in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, using weapons banned by the Minsk agreements.

Read alsoUkrainian reconnaissance officer killed in Donbas on Jan 3"In the Luhansk sector, the enemy fired 120mm mortars at the positions of the Ukrainian troops stationed near the village of Troyitske, launching over 10 mines. The militants violated the truce, using small arms outside Stanytsia Luhanska. In the daytime, they opened fire from small arms and heavy machine guns near the village of Novoluhanske. The Ukrainian soldiers did not return fire," the ATO HQ wrote on Facebook.

As a result of shelling, one Ukrainian soldier was wounded. Now his condition is estimated as satisfactory, the headquarters said.

As was earlier reported, monitors of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine reported 150 explosions in the ATO zone from 19:30 January 4 to 19:30 January 5.The prosecutor will demand the abolition of the state registration of the so-called "Representative Center of the Donetsk People's Republic" in France as early as this week, TSN.ua reports.

Read also"DPR" representation opening in France as "public association"He is expected to provide already prepared materials of pre-trial investigation and evidence of the violation by the "DPR" association of the French legislation and international law.

As was earlier reported, the representative office of Russia-controlled Donbas militants from self-proclaimed "DPR" was opened in Novotel hotel in Marseilles on September 2018. Among the separatists' guests were several local deputies. The French authorities have already disavowed the so-called "embassy."SYDNEY - Australia is to become the fourth country in the world to allow exports of cannabis-based therapies. The federal government hopes the reforms will help Australia become a world leader in the medicinal cannabis market.

Laws to allow exports of Australian cannabis-based therapies will come into force in February, according to the federal health minister.



It will allow Australian produced oils, lozenges, sprays and pills to be sold overseas for the first time. Advocates have argued the plant-based treatments can relieve severe pain associated with many medical conditions, including multiple sclerosis, and to reduce the impact of cancer therapies.



Potential export markets include South America, Spain, Canada and Germany.



Australian federal health minister Greg Hunt said allowing exports will help the developing domestic market to expand.



"We have a world class reputation for our clean and green farm products. Put them all together and we are brilliantly placed to be a world leader in medical development and medical cannabis," he said.



Officials say medicinal cannabis exports have the potential to create a lucrative new agricultural industry within Australia, similar to that already established for the use of Australian-grown poppies for medicinal and scientific purposes.



Only Canada, the Netherlands and Uruguay have so far legalized the export of medicinal marijuana. Israel has said it intends to do so within months.



Victoria became Australia's first state to legalize cannabis for medical use following changes to federal laws in 2016. However, there are some concerns doctors have been reluctant to prescribe the products.



Despite the new export laws, the use of cannabis for non-medicinal purposes remains illegal in Australia. Cannabis cultivation in Australia is still relatively small because recreational use of marijuana remains prohibited.ABUJA/DAKAR - A leading member of a separatist movement in Cameroon has been taken into custody in the capital of neighboring Nigeria with his aides, sources and secessionists said Saturday.

The once-fringe Anglophone movement in majority Francophone Cameroon has gathered steam in the last few months following a military crackdown on protests. It represents the gravest challenge yet to the 35-year rule of President Paul Biya who will seek re-election this year.

FILE - Cameroon's President Paul Biya attends a se FILE - Cameroon's President Paul Biya attends a session of the One Planet Summit on Dec. 12, 2017, at La Seine Musicale venue on l'ile Seguin in Boulogne-Billancourt, west of Paris. FILE - Cameroon's President Paul Biya attends a session of the One Planet Summit on Dec. 12, 2017, at La Seine Musicale venue on l'ile Seguin in Boulogne-Billancourt, west of Paris.

Julius Ayuk Tabe, the Nigeria-based chairman of the Governing Council of Ambazonia separatist movement, was taken into custody with six others at a hotel in Abuja on Friday, said an official in the West African country and a member of the separatist group in Cameroon.

Bilateral relations have been strained by a separatist movement in Cameroon that has clashed with the Cameroonian army and prompted thousands to flee violence by traveling across the border to Nigeria.

Cameroonian troops last month crossed into Nigeria in pursuit of rebels without seeking Nigerian authorization, causing diplomatic wrangling behind the scenes.

Separatists, including armed radical elements, seek an independent state for the nations Anglophone regions they call Ambazonia.

A Nigerian official said Tabe and six of his supporters were placed in custody at around 7 p.m. (1800 GMT) Friday.

They were having a meeting at Nera Hotels in Abuja, the official said on condition of anonymity. The official did not know who rounded up the separatists.

Cameroon Cameroon Cameroon

The separatist group later issued a statement saying that Tabe and six others were taken from Nera Hotels by Cameroonian gunmen in an illegal abduction. Reuters was unable to independently verify the allegation.

The unrest in Cameroon began in November, when English-speaking teachers and lawyers in the Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon, frustrated with having to work in French, took to the streets calling for reforms and greater autonomy.

French is the official language for most of Cameroon, but English is spoken in two regions that border Nigeria.

Protests by separatists prompted a violent crackdown by Cameroons military last year in which troops opened fire on demonstrators.WASHINGTON - The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, says it is "good for the United States" that North and South Korea are set to engage in high-level talks, but warned Pyongyang's nuclear weapons ambitions still pose a serious threat to the world.

"This is a very dangerous situation," Haley told ABC News on Sunday.

She said the United States is "not letting up on the pressure" to end North Korea's nuclear weapons development and warned, "We can destroy them, too." She said that if North Korean leader Kim Jong Un were to launch a nuclear attack on the United States, "It is not going to be us [The United States] that is destroyed."

She defended U.S. President Donald Trump's response to Kim after the North Korean leader said in a New Year's address that he had a "nuclear button" on his desk and that the whole territory of the U.S. is within the range of our nuclear strike.''

Trump, in a Twitter comment, retorted, Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!''

North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times. Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018

Numerous U.S. political figures say Trump's response unnecessarily inflamed tensions with North Korea, but Haley said, "You always have to keep Kim on his toes."

She said before the United States would engage in serious talks with North Korea, Pyongyang would have to end its missile tests "for a significant amount of time" and be willing to discuss ending its use of nuclear weapons.

High-level officials from the two Koreas are slated to talk Tuesday about North Korea's possible participation in the Winter Olympics next month in South Korea, but it's uncertain whether longer-term relations between the two countries will be discussed.

FILE - The Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium under const FILE - The Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium under construction in Pyeongchang, South Korea. FILE - The Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium under construction in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Trump said Saturday he hopes the newly arranged discussions between North and South Korea will go "beyond the Olympics" and promised the United States will take part "at the appropriate time."

Trump gave an unusual news conference from the Camp David presidential retreat, where he met with Republican lawmakers. Of the upcoming talks between Seoul and Pyongyang, Trump said, "I hope it works out."

"I would love to see them take it beyond the Olympics," he said.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media a U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media after the Congressional Republican Leadership retreat at Camp David, Maryland, Jan. 6, 2018. U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media after the Congressional Republican Leadership retreat at Camp David, Maryland, Jan. 6, 2018.

Trump said if something can happen and something can come out of those talks that would be a great thing for all of humanity. That would be a great thing for the world.''

The president also said he had spoken with South Korean leader Moon Jae-in, who thanks me very much for my tough stance.''

FILE - President Donald Trump, left, speaks as Sou FILE - President Donald Trump, left, speaks as South Korean President Moon Jae-in looks on during a joint news conference at the Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2017. FILE - President Donald Trump, left, speaks as South Korean President Moon Jae-in looks on during a joint news conference at the Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2017.

You have to have a certain attitude and you have to be prepared to do certain things and I'm totally prepared to do that,'' Trump said, suggesting that his tough language has helped persuade the North to sit down with the South.

Tuesday's talks are scheduled to take place at the truce village of Panmunjom in the heavily fortified demilitarized zone dividing the two Koreas.

On Sunday, North Korea announced a list of five officials who will represent Pyongyang, a day after South Korea confirmed its representatives.TEGUCIGALPA, HONDURAS - Thousands of demonstrators led by opposition leader Salvador Nasralla gathered in Honduras second-largest city Saturday to protest the re-election of President Juan Orlando Hernandez in a vote they say was fraudulent.

We will not stop until Hernandez says hes leaving, Nasralla told supporters, many of whom chanted JOH out! referring to Hernandez.

It was the first such march in San Pedro Sula since the Nov. 26 election, and the losing candidate once again appealed to the Organization of American States and the countries that have recognized Hernandezs victory to listen to the protesters as they oppose an illegal government.

According to the official count, Hernandez won with 42.95 percent to 41.42 for Nasralla, a former sportscaster backed by a left-leaning coalition.

An opposition supporter carries a sign with a mess An opposition supporter carries a sign with a message that reads in Spanish: "When dictatorship is the law, revolution is an order," during an opposition protest in support of Salvador Nasralla, in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, Jan. 6, 2018. An opposition supporter carries a sign with a message that reads in Spanish: "When dictatorship is the law, revolution is an order," during an opposition protest in support of Salvador Nasralla, in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, Jan. 6, 2018.

However the OAS, which had observers monitoring the election, called for a repeat of the vote, saying the official version of the count included extreme statistical improbability. An early lead by Nasralla disappeared after the public vote count mysteriously stopped for more than a day then restarted.

Hernandez denies the vote was fraudulent and has called on Hondurans to accept his re-election. Some countries, including the United States, have recognized his victory.

Street protests in Honduras left at least 17 dead last month but Saturdays march went without incident.Iran has banned the teaching of English in primary schools, a senior education official said, after Islamic leaders warned that early learning of the language opened the way to a Western "cultural invasion."

"Teaching English in government and non-government primary schools in the official curriculum is against laws and regulations," Mehdi Navid-Adham, head of the state-run High Education Council, told state television late on Saturday.

"This is because the assumption is that, in primary education, the groundwork for the Iranian culture of the students is laid," Navid-Adham said, adding that non-curriculum English classes may also be blocked.

The teaching of English usually starts in middle school in Iran, around the ages of 12 to 14, but some primary schools, below that age, also have English classes.

Some children also attend private language institutes after their school day. And many children from more privileged families attending non-government schools receive English tuition from daycare through high school.

Iran's Islamic leaders have often warned about the dangers of a "cultural invasion", and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei voiced outrage in 2016 over the "teaching of the English language spreading to nursery schools."



Khamenei, who has the final say in all state matters, said in that speech to teachers: "That does not mean opposition to learning a foreign language, but [this is the] promotion of a foreign culture in the country and among children, young adults and youths."

"Western thinkers have time and again said that instead of colonialist expansionism... the best and the least costly way would have been inculcation of thought and culture to the younger generation of countries," Khamenei said, according to the text of the speech posted on a website run by his office (Leader.ir).

While there was no mention of the announcement being linked to more than a week of protests against the clerical establishment and government, Iran's Revolutionary Guards have said that that unrest was also fomented by foreign enemies.

Iranian officials said 22 people were killed and more than 1,000 arrested during the protests that spread to more than 80 cities and rural towns, as thousands of young and working-class Iranians expressed their anger at graft, unemployment and a deepening gap between rich and poor.

A video of the announcement of the ban was widely circulated on social media on Sunday, with Iranians calling it "The filtering of English," jokingly likening to the blocking of the popular app Telegram by the government during the unrest.Irans parliament is set to hold a special session as soon as Sunday to discuss the anti-government protests that began Dec. 28 and continued through this week.

Irans ISNA news agency reported that Irans interior minister, head of intelligence and security council chief are all expected to attend. On the agenda are discussions of the root cause of the protests, as well as legal help for protesters jailed during the demonstrations.

The session was called by a group of reformist lawmakers, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. In a letter, those lawmakers called for legal assistance for the detained and condemned any outside interference in the protests, calling out the United States in particular.

U.S. President Donald Trump is set to decide next week whether to continue waiving sanctions on Iran that were suspended under the 2015 international deal on Irans nuclear program. The waiver must be renewed every 120 days, according to U.S. law. Trump could decide not to renew, putting U.S. trade sanctions back into effect.

People demonstrate in solidarity with anti-governm People demonstrate in solidarity with anti-government protests in Iran near the Iranian embassy in Paris, France, Jan. 6, 2018. People demonstrate in solidarity with anti-government protests in Iran near the Iranian embassy in Paris, France, Jan. 6, 2018.

In Europe, supporters of the anti-government protesters in Iran have been gathering to show their support in The Hague, Berlin, Hamburg, Stockholm, London and Paris.

At least 22 people have died in the protests, and more than 1,000 have been arrested. Hard-line cleric Ahmad Khatami told worshippers in a sermon Friday that those arrested should be treated as enemies of Islam, particularly those who have burned the flag.

There should be no mercy for them, he said.

Government official Mansour Gholami has told reporters that about a quarter of those arrested have been released, but he did not provide exact numbers.

UN Security Council

The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting Friday at the urging of the United States.

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley called the protests a powerful exhibition of brave people who have become so fed up with their oppressive government that they are willing to risk their lives in protests. She also addressed the Iranian government, saying, the U.S. is watching what you do.

In response, the Iranian ambassador, Gholamali Khoshroo, said it is a discredit to the Security Council to hold such a meeting on Iran in the face of the conflicts taking place in Yemen and elsewhere in the Middle East. He, along with a number of Security Council members, said the United States is meddling in Irans domestic affairs.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif atte Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif attends the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at U.N. Headquarters in New York, Sept. 20, 2017. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif attends the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at U.N. Headquarters in New York, Sept. 20, 2017.

After the meeting, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted, The UNSC rebuffed the U.S.s naked attempt to hijack its mandate. ... Another FP (foreign policy) blunder for the Trump administration.

Still, U.S. intelligence officials warn Tehran is at a crossroads, noting the protests are the biggest outpouring of public discontent since Iranians took to the streets in 2009 following a disputed presidential election.

The protests are symptomatic of long-standing grievances that have been left to fester, an intelligence official told VOA on condition of anonymity. Will it address the legitimate concerns of its people or suppress the voices of its own populace?

What is clear is that these concerns are not going away, the official said.

Critics of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani say he has abandoned the poor, pointing to rising prices for key commodities like fuel, bread and eggs.Iran's Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) said in a statement Sunday that the Iranian people and the country's security forces played a role in ending the recent wave of unrest that the IRGC says was fomented by foreign enemies.



The group said in a statement, "The new epic of the proud, conscious, pious, and revolutionary Iranian people, along with the distinguished presence of tens of thousands of loyal Basij volunteer forces in calming the riots and the sincere endeavors of the brethren of the Law Enforcement Force and the Intelligence Ministry have broken the chain woven by America, Britain, the Zionist regime [Israel], the Saudi royal family, the Hypocrites [the banned Mojahedin-e-Karl Organization] and monarchists and eliminated the witchery of a new sedition."



Iran's parliament holds a special session Sunday to discuss the anti-government protests that began December 28 and continued into the following week.

In this photo taken by an individual not employed In this photo taken by an individual not employed by the Associated Press and obtained by the AP outside of Iran, people are affected by tear gas fired by anti-riot police to disperse demonstrators in a protest over the country's weak economy, in Tehran, Iran, Dec. 30, 2017. In this photo taken by an individual not employed by the Associated Press and obtained by the AP outside of Iran, people are affected by tear gas fired by anti-riot police to disperse demonstrators in a protest over the country's weak economy, in Tehran, Iran, Dec. 30, 2017.

Iran's ISNA news agency reported that Iran's interior minister, head of intelligence and security council chief are all expected to attend. On the agenda are discussions of the root cause of the protests, as well as legal help for protesters jailed during the demonstrations.



The session was called by a group of reformist lawmakers, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. In a letter, those lawmakers called for legal assistance for the detained and condemned any outside "interference" in the protests, calling out the United States in particular.



U.S. President Donald Trump is set to soon decide whether to continue waiving sanctions on Iran that were suspended under the 2015 international deal on Iran's nuclear program. The waiver must be renewed every 120 days, according to U.S. law. Trump could decide not to renew, putting U.S. trade sanctions back into effect.



In Europe, supporters of the anti-government protesters in Iran have been gathering to show their support in The Hague, Berlin, Hamburg, Stockholm, London and Paris.

People demonstrate in solidarity with anti-governm People demonstrate in solidarity with anti-government protests in Iran near the Iranian embassy in Paris, France, Jan. 6, 2018. People demonstrate in solidarity with anti-government protests in Iran near the Iranian embassy in Paris, France, Jan. 6, 2018.

At least 22 people have died in the protests and more than 1,000 have been arrested. Hard-line cleric Ahmad Khatami told worshipers in a sermon Friday that those arrested should be treated as enemies of Islam, particularly those who have burned the flag. "There should be no mercy for them," he said.



Government official Mansour Gholami has told reporters that about a quarter of those arrested have been released, but he did not provide exact numbers.



The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting Friday at the urging of the United States.



U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley called the protests "a powerful exhibition of brave people who have become so fed up with their oppressive government that they are willing to risk their lives in protests." She also addressed the Iranian government, saying, "the U.S. is watching what you do."



In response, the Iranian ambassador, Gholamali Khoshroo, said it is a "discredit" to the Security Council to hold such a meeting on Iran in the face of the conflicts taking place in Yemen and elsewhere in the Middle East. He, along with a number of Security Council members, said the United States is meddling in Iran's domestic affairs.

Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations Gholamali Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations Gholamali Khoshroo, front, speaks during a Security Council meeting on the situation in Iran, Jan. 5, 2018, at United Nations headquarters in New York. Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations Gholamali Khoshroo, front, speaks during a Security Council meeting on the situation in Iran, Jan. 5, 2018, at United Nations headquarters in New York.

After the meeting, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted, "The UNSC rebuffed the U.S.'snaked attempt to hijack its mandate ... Another FP [foreign policy] blunder for the Trump administration."



Still, U.S. intelligence officials warn Tehran is at a crossroads, noting the protests are the biggest outpouring of public discontent since Iranians took to the streets in 2009 following a disputed presidential election.



"The protests are symptomatic of long-standing grievances that have been left to fester," an intelligence official told VOA on condition of anonymity. "Will it address the legitimate concerns of its people or suppress the voices of its own populace?"



"What is clear is that these concerns are not going away," the official said.



Critics of Iranian President Nassan Rouhani say he has abandoned the poor, pointing to rising prices for key commodities like fuel, bread and eggs.The Iranian town of Doroud should be a prosperous place  nestled in a valley at the junction of two rivers in the Zagros Mountains, its in an area rich in metals to be mined and stone to be quarried. Last year, a military factory on the outskirts of town unveiled production of an advanced model of tanks.

Yet local officials have been pleading for months for the government to rescue its stagnant economy. Unemployment is around 30 percent, far above the official national rate of more than 12 percent. Young people graduate and find no work. The local steel and cement factories stopped production long ago, and their workers havent been paid for months. The military factorys employees are mainly outsiders who live on its grounds, separate from the local economy.

Unemployment is on an upward path, Majid Kiyanpour, the local parliament representative for the town of 170,000, told Iranian media in August. Unfortunately, the state is not paying attention.

People demonstrate in solidarity with anti-governm People demonstrate in solidarity with anti-government protests in Iran near the Iranian embassy in Paris, France, Jan. 6, 2018. People demonstrate in solidarity with anti-government protests in Iran near the Iranian embassy in Paris, France, Jan. 6, 2018.

?It's the economy

Thats a major reason Doroud has been a front line in the protests that have flared across Iran. Several thousand residents have been shown in online videos marching down Dorouds main street, shouting, Death to the dictator! At night, young men set fires outside the gates of the mayors office and hurl stones at banks.

Anger and frustration over the economy have been the main fuel for the eruption of protests that began Dec. 28.

President Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate, had promised that lifting most international sanctions under Irans landmark 2015 nuclear deal with the West would revive Irans long-suffering economy. But while the end of sanctions did open up a new influx of cash from increased oil exports, little has trickled down to the wider population. At the same time, Rouhani has enforced austerity policies that hit households hard.

Demonstrations have broken out mainly in dozens of smaller cities and towns like Doroud, where unemployment has been most painful and where many in the working class feel ignored.

An Iranian woman raises her fist amid the smoke of FILE - An Iranian woman raises her fist amid the smoke of tear gas at the University of Tehran during a protest, in Tehran, Iran, Dec. 30, 2017. FILE - An Iranian woman raises her fist amid the smoke of tear gas at the University of Tehran during a protest, in Tehran, Iran, Dec. 30, 2017.

?Fury at ruling class

The working classes have long been a base of support for Irans hard-liners. But protesters have turned their fury against the ruling clerics and the elite Revolutionary Guard, accusing them of monopolizing the economy and soaking up the countrys wealth.

Many protests have seen a startlingly overt rejection of Irans system of government by Islamic clerics.

They make a man into god and a nation into beggars! goes the cry heard in videos of several marches. Clerics with capital, give us our money back!

Food prices jump

The initial spark for the protests was a sudden jump in food prices. It is believed that hard-line opponents of Rouhani instigated the first demonstrations in the conservative city of Mashhad in eastern Iran, trying to direct public anger at the president. But as protests spread from town to town, the backlash turned against the entire ruling class.

Further stoking the anger was the budget for the coming year that Rouhani unveiled in mid-December, calling for significant cuts in cash payouts established by Rouhanis predecessor as a form of direct welfare. Since he came to office in 2013, Rouhani has been paring them back. The budget also envisaged a new jump in fuel prices.

But amid the cutbacks, the budget revealed large increases in funding for religious foundations that are a key part of the clerical state-above-the-state, which receive hundreds of millions of dollars each year from the public coffers.

After the lifting of most sanctions in early 2016, the economy saw a major boost  13.4 percent growth in the GDP in 2016, compared to a 1.3 percent contraction the year before, according to the World Bank. But almost all that growth was in the oil sector.

Growth outside the oil sector was at 3.3 percent. Major foreign investment has failed to materialize, in part because of continued U.S. sanctions hampering access to international banking and the fear other sanctions could eventually return.

Young people spend their time at a cafe in downtow Young people spend their time at a cafe in downtown Tehran, Iran, Jan. 3, 2018. Young people spend their time at a cafe in downtown Tehran, Iran, Jan. 3, 2018. Unemployment among young people is 28 percent. Young people spend their time at a cafe in downtown Tehran, Iran, Jan. 3, 2018. Young people spend their time at a cafe in downtown Tehran, Iran, Jan. 3, 2018. Unemployment among young people is 28 percent.

Irans official unemployment rate is at 12.4 percent, and unemployment among the young, those 19 to 29, has reached 28.8 percent, according to the government-run Statistical Center of Iran.

The provinces face more economic hardship, but the pain has been felt in the capital, Tehran, and other major cities as well. But there its been more cushioned within a large middle class. Many can ignore those picking through trash for food. However, in December 2016, Iranians expressed shock over a series of photographs in a local newspaper showing homeless drug addicts sleeping in open graves in Shahriar, on Tehrans western outskirts.Israel is barring members of 20 global activist groups over their calls for a boycott of the Jewish state because of its Palestinian policies.



The 20 groups come from Chile, Europe, South Africa, and the United States. They include the Nobel Peace Prize winning Quaker activist group American Friends Service Committee.



"We have moved from defense to attack," Israeli Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said Sunday."The boycott organizations need to know that the state of Israel will act against them and will not allow them to enter its territory in order to harm its citizens."



An American Friends Service Committee official said the group "answered the call for divestment from apartheid in South Africa and we have done the same with the call for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions from Palestinians who have faced decades of human rights violations."



It is unclear how Israeli authorities plan to keep such activists from entering the country if they have the proper passports and visas.



Sunday's announcement comes after Israel passed a law last year barring entry to any individual who calls for a boycott of Israel.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he "completely agrees" with President Donald Trump's critique of the U.N. agency aiding Palestinian refugees.



Netanyahu at his Sunday weekly Cabinet meeting also reiterated support for Trump's threat to cut aid to Palestinians.



The development comes after Israeli media indicated that despite public declarations, Israel is concerned about the ramifications of such a move.



Netanyahu says the organization "perpetuates the Palestinian refugee problem" and the "right of return narrative, in order to eliminate the state of Israel."

The U.S. is the largest donor to UNRWA, the U.N. agency that assists Palestinian refugees. Ending the American aid could precipitate a humanitarian crisis, particularly in the impoverished Gaza Strip, where the majority of residents are eligible for UNRWA's support. Israel could find itself footing the bill.* Click here to read our story on the situation in Iran



1/8/2018 7:35 a.m. - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Monday all officials can be criticized and that protesters in Iran are upset about more than economic issues.Rouhani also called for the lifting of bans on social media.

1/8/2018 4:00 a.m. - Iran's foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif addressed a security conference in Tehran on Monday, echoing the Iranian authorities' stance which alleges that foreign countries have stirred up unrest linked to the protests.

Zarif says that "no country can create a secure environment for itself at the expense of creating insecurity among its neighbors.''

The official IRNA news agency quoted Zarif as saying that "such efforts'' will only backfire.

1/7/2018 9:25 a.m.  CIA Director Mike Popmeo says President Donald Trump supports the Iranian people who were out protesting against their government and wants them to have a voice. Speaking to Fox News, Pompeo said "This issue is very real."

1/7/2018 9:01 a.m.  Iran's parliament held a special session Sunday to discuss the anti-government protests that began December 28 and continued into the following week.

1/7/2018 3:45 a.m.  Iran's Revolutionary Guard said Sunday the country's people and security forces had defeated unrest fomented by foreign enemies, as parliament and key security officials met to discuss the boldest challenge to the clerical establishment since 2009.

"Iran's revolutionary people along with tens of thousands of Basij forces, police and the Intelligence Ministry have broken down the chain (of unrest) created ... by the United States, Britain, the Zionist regime (Israel), Saudi Arabia, the hypocrites (Mujahideen) and monarchists," the Guard said in a statement on its Sepahnews website.

Meanwhile, thousands of government supporters staged rallies for a fifth day in a backlash against the biggest anti-government protests since widespread unrest in 2009 over alleged election fraud.

State television showed live pictures of rallies in several cities, including central Shahr-e Kord where hundreds, many clutching umbrellas, had gathered despite heavy snowfall.

Residents contacted by Reuters in various cities have said the protests had subsided in recent days, after the government intensified a crackdown by dispatching Revolutionary Guard forces to several provinces.

Late Saturday, videos on social media showed a heavy police presence in cities, including Khorramabad in southwestern Iran where Wednesday evening social media posts showed protesters throwing stones at riot police.

People protest near the university of Tehran, Iran People protest near the university of Tehran, Iran, Dec. 30, 2017 in this picture obtained from social media. People protest near the university of Tehran, Iran, Dec. 30, 2017 in this picture obtained from social media.

The protests have drawn largely young people and workers as well as members of the educated middle-class that formed the backbone of a pro-reform revolt almost a decade ago.

A police spokesman said most of those arrested were "duped" into joining the unrest and had been freed on bail, the state news agency IRNA reported. "But, the leaders of the unrest are held by the judiciary in prison."

Tehran University Vice-President Majid Sarsangi said the university had set up a committee to track the fate of students arrested during the unrest.

Separately, a member of parliament said about 90 students were detained, 10 of whom were still not accounted for.

"It seems that the total number of detainees is around 90. Ten students from universities in Tehran and some other cities are in an uncertain position, and ... it is still unknown which body has detained them," the labor news agency ILNA quoted reformist politician Mahmoud Sadeghi as saying.

Videos that appeared on social media in recent days showed relatives of detainees gathering outside prisons seeking information about the fate of their loved ones.

?1/7/2018 3:17 a.m.  Demonstrators gathered Saturday outside the White House, in a show of support for anti-government protests taking place in Iran. VOA Farsi Instagram posted several photos.

The gathering, at Lafayette Park, across from the White House, was organized by the Organization of the Iranian American Communities. It was held in solidarity with those demonstrating in Iran.

A demonstrator dressed as the Iranian Supreme Lead A demonstrator dressed as the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei participates in a rally across from the White House in Washington, Jan. 6, 2018, in solidarity with anti-government demonstrators in Iran. Iran has seen its largest anti-government protests since the disputed presidential election in 2009. A demonstrator dressed as the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei participates in a rally across from the White House in Washington, Jan. 6, 2018, in solidarity with anti-government demonstrators in Iran. Iran has seen its largest anti-government protests since the disputed presidential election in 2009.

1/7/2018 2:26 a.m.  Iran's parliament is set to hold a special session as soon as Sunday to discuss the anti-government protests that began Dec. 28 and continued through this week.

Iran's ISNA news agency reported that Iran's interior minister, head of intelligence and security council chief are all expected to attend. On the agenda are discussions of the root cause of the protests, as well as legal help for protesters jailed during the demonstrations.

The session was called by a group of reformist lawmakers, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. In a letter, those lawmakers called for legal assistance for the detained and condemned any outside "interference" in the protests, calling out the United States in particular.

Iran's President Hasan Rouhani, center, leaves the Iran's President Hasan Rouhani, center, leaves the parliament at the end of his swearing-in ceremony for the second term in office, in Tehran, Iran, Aug. 5, 2017. Iran's President Hasan Rouhani, center, leaves the parliament at the end of his swearing-in ceremony for the second term in office, in Tehran, Iran, Aug. 5, 2017.

1/7/2018 12:20 a.m.  Much of the Middle East media is silent on the widespread protests in Iran.

         https://t.co/srwnrENrgo  VOA Farsi (@VOAIran) January 7, 2018

1/7/2018 12:06 a.m.  To understand why Iranians are protesting, consider the town of Doroud.

Doroud should be a prosperous place  nestled in a valley at the junction of two rivers in the Zagros Mountains, it's in an area rich in metals to be mined and stone to be quarried. Last year, a military factory on the outskirts of town unveiled production of an advanced model of tanks.

Yet local officials have been pleading for months for the government to rescue its stagnant economy. Unemployment is around 30 percent, far above the official national rate of more than 12 percent. Young people graduate and find no work. The local steel and cement factories stopped production long ago, and their workers haven't been paid for months. The military factory's employees are mainly outsiders who live on its grounds, separate from the local economy.

"Unemployment is on an upward path," Majid Kiyanpour, the local parliament representative for the town of 170,000, told Iranian media in August. "Unfortunately, the state is not paying attention."

FILE - Reformist Iranian presidential candidate, M FILE - Reformist Iranian presidential candidate, Mahdi Karroubi, with white turban at right, arrives in Doroud during his campaign tour to his home region in the Lorestan province about 190 miles (315 kilometers) southwest of Tehran, Iran, May 27 2009. FILE - Reformist Iranian presidential candidate, Mahdi Karroubi, with white turban at right, arrives in Doroud during his campaign tour to his home region in the Lorestan province about 190 miles (315 kilometers) southwest of Tehran, Iran, May 27 2009.

SUNDAY EVENTS 1/7/2018

*Some information for this report provided by AP.

More live blogs:

VOA Persian Service coverage of Iran Protests in Farsi



Follow @VOAIran breaking news coverage in Farsi on TwitterHAVANA - The United States has found no evidence that American diplomats in Havana were the victims of attacks with an unknown weapon, U.S. Senator Jeff Flake said Saturday.

Flake, an Arizona Republican who sits on the Foreign Relations Committee and has been a longtime advocate of detente with Cuba, met Friday with high-ranking Cuban officials, including Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez and officials from the Interior Ministry, which oversees domestic security and works with foreign law enforcement agencies.

The Cubans told Flake the FBI had told them that its agents, in four trips to Cuba, found no evidence that mysterious illnesses suffered by U.S. diplomats were the result of attacks.

Flake told The Associated Press that classified briefings from U.S. officials had left him with no reason to doubt the Cuban account, although he declined to discuss the contents of those briefings.

Cuban and FBI officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment Saturday.

Washington says 24 U.S. government officials and spouses fell ill in Havana in their homes and some hotels starting in 2016.

Diplomats withdrawn

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said he's "convinced these were targeted attacks,'' but the U.S. doesn't know who's behind them. The U.S. has withdrawn most of its diplomats from Havana, citing a health risk, and forced many Cuban diplomats to leave Washington.

Cuba has decried the reductions as an unjustified blow to U.S.-Cuban relations that were restored under President Barack Obama.

"The Cuban Interior Ministry is saying the FBI has told them there is no evidence of a sonic attack. Even though that term is being used, 'attack,' there is no evidence of it,'' Flake told the AP. "There's no evidence that somebody purposefully tried to harm somebody. Nobody is saying that these people didn't experience some event, but there's no evidence that that was a deliberate attack by somebody, either the Cubans or anybody else.



"As I said, I won't talk about what I have seen in a classified setting, but nothing is inconsistent with what the Cubans have said, and I think the FBI would say that.''

Several of the 24 U.S. diplomats and spouses reported hearing loud, mysterious sounds followed by hearing loss and ear-ringing, leading some U.S. officials to describe the incidents as "sonic attacks.'' But officials are now carefully avoiding that term.

Medical testing has revealed that some embassy workers had apparent abnormalities in their white matter tracts that let different parts of the brain communicate, several U.S. officials said, and acoustic waves have never been shown to alter those tracts.YANGON, MYANMAR - Rohingya Muslim insurgents said Sunday they have no choice but to fight what they called Myanmar state-sponsored terrorism to defend the Rohingya community, and they demanded that the Rohingya be consulted on all decisions affecting their future.

The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) launched raids on the Myanmar security forces Aug. 25, which sparked sweeping counter-insurgency operations in the Muslim-majority north of Rakhine State that led to widespread violence and arson and an exodus of some 650,000 Rohingya villagers to Bangladesh.

Photographers help a Rohingya refugee come out of FILE - Photographers help a Rohingya refugee out of the Nad River as they cross the Myanmar-Bangladesh border in Palong Khali, near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, Nov. 1, 2017. FILE - Photographers help a Rohingya refugee out of the Nad River as they cross the Myanmar-Bangladesh border in Palong Khali, near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, Nov. 1, 2017.

The United Nations condemned the Myanmar military campaign as ethnic cleansing. Buddhist-majority Myanmar rejected that.

But since the August raids, the small insurgent group has launched few if any attacks until Friday, when its fighters ambushed a Myanmar military truck, wounding several members of the security forces.

ARSA has ... no other option but to combat Burmese state-sponsored terrorism against the Rohingya population for the purpose of defending, salvaging and protecting the Rohingya community, the group said in a statement signed by leader Ata Ullah and posted on Twitter. Rohingya people must be consulted in all decision-making that affects their humanitarian needs and political future.

The ARSA claimed responsibility for the Friday ambush but gave no further details.

Plan to repatriate Rohingya

A Myanmar government spokesman said the insurgents were trying to delay the repatriation of refugees from Bangladesh under a plan the two governments have been working on.

ARSA aims to frighten those who are considering returning, to show the region doesnt have peace, Zaw Htay said.

Myanmar and Bangladesh have been discussing a plan to repatriate the refugees but more insecurity in Myanmar is likely to raise even more doubts about how quickly that might happen.

The refugees complain that they have not been consulted on the plan.

Fight to the end

Details of the repatriation plan have yet to be finalized, and many questions remain, not only about security but also about the terms refugees will return under, and whether they will be able to go back to their homes or be resettled in camps.

Rohingya have for years been denied citizenship, freedom of movement and access to services such as health care. Myanmar regards them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Zaw Htay rejected the ARSA call for the Rohingya to be consulted saying the government is negotiating with leaders of both the Buddhist and Muslim communities.

We will not accept terrorism and fight against them until the end, the spokesman said, adding that no one should offer any support to the group.

The ARSA dismisses any links to Islamist militant groups and says it is fighting to end the oppression of the Rohingya people.

A military spokesman declined to make any comment about the security situation in the north of Rakhine State.

The area is largely off-limits to reporters.

History of violence

Violence between Rohingya and ethnic Rakhine Buddhists erupted in 2012 and sporadic unrest followed.

The violence that began in August and the refugee crisis it caused has drawn international condemnation and raised doubts about Myanmars transition to democracy after nearly 50 years of military rule.

ARSA did not say where leader Ata Ullah was, but Myanmar suspects the insurgents flee into Bangladesh then slip back into Myanmar to launch attacks.At least 23 people, some of them civilians, were killed by a car bomb in the rebel held Syrian city of Idlib Sunday.



No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack in the capital.



Earlier Sunday, Syrian regime forces seized a key town in the province, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.



Government forces backed by Russian air power captured Sinjar, the biggest town in the southeast part of Idlib province, according to the Observatory.



Syrian rebels captured the region, which borders Turkey, from President Bashar Assad's regime in 2015. Since the start of a government miulitary operation in October, Assad's forces have recaptured roughly 60 towns and villages on the border between Idlib and the neighboring Hama region, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.BEIRUT, LEBANON - Syrian government forces and allied militiamen are advancing on the largest remaining rebel-held territory in the country's north, forcing thousands of civilians to flee toward the border with Turkey in freezing winter temperatures.



The offensive on Idlib - a large province in northwestern Syria packed with civilians and dominated by al-Qaida-linked militants - was expected after the defeat of the Islamic State group late last year. Last week, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the main military operations against IS in Syria have ended and signaled that the focus would shift to al-Qaida-linked militants.



The Idlib offensive carries significant risks.



The province bordering Turkey is home to an estimated two million Syrians, including tens of thousands of people who fled fighting elsewhere. A full-blown government offensive could cause large-scale destruction and massive displacement.



Turkey, a supporter of the rebels, has deployed military observers in the province as part of a de-escalation deal with Iran and Russia, but that has not stopped the fighting on the ground or Russian airstrikes against the insurgents.



It is not clear how far the current offensive aims to reach, and recapturing the entire province is expected to be a long and bloody process. Opposition activists say the main target for now appears to be the sprawling rebel-held air base of Abu Zuhour, on the southeastern edge of the province, and securing the Damascus-Aleppo road that cuts through Idlib province.



Over the past two months, troops backed by Russian airstrikes have captured more than 80 towns and villages in the northern parts of the nearby Hama province and breached Idlib itself for the first time since mid-2015.



The offensive gained more intensity on Christmas Day, when one of President Bashar Assad's most trusted and experienced officers took command of the operation to extend the government's presence toward Idlib and boost security for the road that links the capital, Damascus, with Aleppo, Syria's largest city.



Brig. Gen. Suheil al-Hassan, also known among his troops as "Tiger," has led elite forces to many victories against insurgents since the conflict began nearly seven years ago. He has been credited most recently with the defeat of IS in much of eastern Syria, including the months-long battle for the city of Deir el-Zour.



"Conditions on the ground are wretched for the rebels," said an opposition activist based in northern Syria who asked to be identified by his first name, Hassan, for fear of reprisals by insurgents. He said rebels are stuck in a two-front battle with government forces and remaining pockets of Islamic State militants. He said the Russian airstrikes have exacted a heavy toll.



Another opposition activist based in Hama province, Mohammed al-Ali, said the Russians and the Syrian government are "carpet bombing" villages before pushing into them.

In this photo provided Jan. 4, 2018, by the Syrian In this photo provided an. 4, 2018 by the Syrian anti-government activist group, Edlib Media Center, EMC, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows Syrian citizens load their belongings onto a pickup truck to flee from Russian airstrikes, in Tel al-Toukan village, eastern Idlib province. In this photo provided an. 4, 2018 by the Syrian anti-government activist group, Edlib Media Center, EMC, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows Syrian citizens load their belongings onto a pickup truck to flee from Russian airstrikes, in Tel al-Toukan village, eastern Idlib province.

"The Russian airstrikes, weak fortifications and Islamic State attacks in Hama" have all helped government forces, he said by telephone.



Hassan and al-Ali said it is highly unlikely that government forces would march toward the provincial capital, also named Idlib, because it would set up a costly battle with highly experienced and well-armed al-Qaida-linked insurgents. The province is dominated by the Levant Liberation Committee, which claims to have severed ties with al-Qaida but is widely believed to still be affiliated with it.



Al-Hassan's chief mission for now appears to be securing the Damascus-Aleppo road.



In December 2016, Assad's forces captured rebel-held parts of the city of Aleppo, marking the government's biggest victory since the conflict began. The main road to the capital remained perilous, however, with insurgents attacking it from the west and IS from the east. The troops have since driven IS back, but the western side remains exposed.



Four days after al-Hassan took over operational command, troops managed to break through the militants' heavy defenses and capture the town of Abu Dali, a link between Hama, Idlib and Aleppo.



Since then, thousands of people have been fleeing with their belongings amid harsh cold weather toward safer areas further north, including Idlib city and areas near the border with Turkey. Pro-opposition media say that more than 5,000 families have fled the violence over the past two weeks, some renting homes or staying in tents in open fields, others left homeless.



Last week, government forces advanced to within around 12 kilometers (8 miles) of Khan Sheikhoun, where a sarin nerve gas attack killed more than 90 people last year, prompting the U.S. to launch a missile attack on Assad's troops. Experts from the U.N. and other monitoring groups blamed the chemical attack on the government, which denied responsibility.



The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the fighting through a network of activists, says that some 43 civilians, 57 militants and 46 pro-government forces have been killed since the offensive led by al-Hassan began on Dec. 25.



"The regime wants to take the eastern part of Idlib province," said the Observatory's chief, Rami Abdurrahman. "Their aim is to remove any threat to the road" between Damascus and Aleppo, he said.



Al-Hassan, a general with the country's powerful Air Force intelligence service, has led elite forces to victory in Aleppo and across much of eastern Syria. Russian President Vladimir Putin praised al-Hassan during a visit to Syria last month, where he met him along with Assad and Russian officers at the Hemeimeem air base.



"Your Russian colleagues told me about your work and that you and your soldiers carry out the missions effectively," Putin told al-Hassan as Assad and Russian officers looked on. "I hope that this cooperation will bring more success in the future."Airstrikes on narcotics processing labs may be forcing the Taliban to seek new ways to finance their insurgency in southern Afghanistan.



Taliban officials say they have established a new customs house in the Delaram district of southern Nimruz province in the southwestern part of Afghanistan. The new effort to collect revenue follows joint Afghan-Coalition airstrikes on Taliban narcotics processing labs in the Helmand province last November. U.S-led coalition says such attacks will continue.



A Taliban statement says it will begin collecting a transit tax in the southern Nimruz and southwestern Farah provinces on Jan. 3.

An image of Taliban's statement says it will beg An image of Talibans statement says it will begin collecting a transit tax in the southern Nimruz and southwestern Farah provinces on Jan. 3. (Photo: K. Noorzai/VOA) An image of Talibans statement says it will begin collecting a transit tax in the southern Nimruz and southwestern Farah provinces on Jan. 3. (Photo: K. Noorzai/VOA)

Desperate to finance their insurgency, the Taliban has been using many illegal ways of making money, including kidnapping and extortion, and smuggling drugs, minerals and precious stones, according to Afghan officials.



Local security officials tell Voice of America that the militant group is using the money to purchase weapons and strengthen itself against Afghan security forces.



"They tax the transiting commercial vehicles and finance their insurgency in the southern Helmand and Farah provinces through this money," said Gul Bahar Mujahid, police chief of Farah province.



Officials in neighboring Nimruz province also confirmed to VOA that the Taliban is collecting money from transiting commercial vehicles.



"[The Taliban] has repeatedly engaged in extortion and looting in the route of the Delaram and Khashrwod districts, and we are using military force to prevent their vicious actions," said Khwaja Jelani Abu Bakr, police chief of Nimruz.



However, local travelers told VOA that the Taliban has established their own checkposts on the main highways connecting Farah and Nimruz to other neighboring provinces.



"There is a Taliban checkpost after every Afghan security checkpost, you can see their white-color flag raised over the checkposts. ... They tax commercial cars and trucks according to the sizes of the vehicle," said a local traveler identified only as "Ahmad."

FILE - A truck on Herat-Kandahar highway. (Photo: FILE - A truck on Herat-Kandahar highway. (Photo: K. Noorzai/VOA) FILE - A truck on Herat-Kandahar highway. (Photo: K. Noorzai/VOA)

A customs tariff by so-called Afghanistan Islamic Emirates shared on social mediashows a charge of 50,000 Afghanis ($717) to an oil tanker.The Taliban has also provided a local phone number the drivers can call in case of an emergency.

Local residents fear if the government fails to cut the Taliban's financial sources, the militants will expand their insurgency to relatively calmer provinces.



The Taliban in the Nimruz and Farah provinces has threatened to close the transit routes in those provinces if the customs revenue is denied.



Targeting Taliban's revenue streams



Afghan and U.S officials believe that close to 60 percent of the Taliban's financial revenue comes from narcotics smuggling.



Resolute Support Mission Commander Gen. John Nicholson said last November that a new massive campaign by joint Afghan-U.S forces will continuously target the Taliban's financial streams.



"We're hitting the Taliban where it hurts, which is their finances," said Nicholson.



The RSMC commander added that the Taliban has between 400 to 500 drug processing labs in Afghanistan, which he promised to hit.Police in Pakistan's capital are investigating banners that were put up on behalf of Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), a U.N.- and U.S.-designated terror group, that urged residents in Islamabad to donate money for Muslims in Myanmar and Syria.

The banners appeared near a mosque in the capital last week, days after the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) issued a directive barring groups placed on the U.N. Security Council's and Pakistan's terror watch list from collecting funds or arranging any political, social, welfare or religious gatherings in the country.

"The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan hereby prohibits all companies from donating cash to the entities and individuals listed under the UNSC sanctions committee's consolidated list," the SECP's directive read. Failure to obey the order could lead to legal consequences, including a fine of up to $90,000, it said.

The leaflets  this is the flip side  from U. FILE - Leaflets like this from U.N.-listed terrorist group Jamaat-ud-Dawa asked for donations to help Rohingya Muslims in Bangladesh's refugee camps. FILE - Leaflets like this from U.N.-listed terrorist group Jamaat-ud-Dawa asked for donations to help Rohingya Muslims in Bangladesh's refugee camps.

There are concerns that the terror groups are collecting money to fund militant acts inside Pakistan and in neighboring countries, including India and Afghanistan.



Directive's impact



Some experts maintain that the SECP's directive will have little impact unless militant groups such as JuD are directly scrutinized and held accountable for continuing to raise money, despite the government's warnings.

"It is a tradition in Pakistan, and such banners and signs appear mysteriously overnight, [posted] by unknown people on behalf of militant groups," Hasan Askari Rizvi, a security analyst from Pakistan, told VOA. "They should be held accountable for violating the law."

With a Security Council team scheduled to visit Pakistan this month, Rizvi said, "it will be highly critical for the government to take strict actions against U.N.-designated terrorist outfits."

Jamaat-ud-Dawa and its charity organization, Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF), are considered terrorist organizations by the U.N. and the U.S. State Department.

Muhammad Taqi, a U.S.-based South Asian analyst, said he believed that any negative reactions from the visiting U.N. team could add to the country's difficulties with Washington. The Trump administration announced on Thursday that it would suspend military aid to Pakistan until Islamabad took "decisive action" against the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network.

"Pakistan will have to take concrete steps to seize JuD's charities and financial assets to assure the U.N. and the U.S. that it is crushing the militants and choking their money supply," Taqi said.

Militant groups in Pakistan reportedly collect donations under the guise of religion and welfare for the poor, and instead use the money to fund terrorism.

Abdul Qayyum, a senator from the country's ruling party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), told VOA the recent directive from SECP "is aimed at barring the proscribed groups, including Jamaat-ud-Dawa, from collecting funds in the name of mosques, charity or madrassas [seminaries]."

"It's a step taken in the larger national interest," Qayyum stressed, adding that the government was serious about cracking down on fundraising by these banned groups.

Hafiz Saeed, head of the Pakistani religious party FILE - Hafiz Saeed, head of the Pakistani religious party Jamaat-ud-Dawa, gives a sermon at a mosque in Lahore, Pakistan, Nov. 24, 2017. FILE - Hafiz Saeed, head of the Pakistani religious party Jamaat-ud-Dawa, gives a sermon at a mosque in Lahore, Pakistan, Nov. 24, 2017.

?JuD's reaction

Jamaat-ud-Dawa, led by Hafiz Saeed, the alleged mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, has expressed its dissatisfaction with the government's recent announcement and said it would take the matter to court.

"There are clear rulings of the Lahore High Court and Supreme Court that JuD is free to continue its welfare activities in Pakistan. Yet the government still pulls such stunts for the appeasement of India," JuD's spokesperson, Yahya Mujahid, told reporters.

JuD is largely believed to be the front organization for Saeed's Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT), a militant group that is a proponent of liberating Indian-administered Kashmir and its subsequent merger with Pakistan.

LeT was designated a terrorist group by the United Nations in 2005 and is also designated as a terror organization by the U.S. State Department.

Lack of enforcement

Regional analysts, such as Taqi, maintain that many militant groups, including JuD, have been able to gather funds across the country and will continue to operate with impunity in the absence of serious government action.

"The government has made such announcements in the past, too, but unfortunately we didn't see a forceful implementation," Taqi said.

"The question is whether the civilian government will be able to act against Hafiz Saeed's charity network when they're already paving their way into the political sphere of the country," Taqi said, referring to the Milli Muslim League (MML), a political party established in August 2017 by Jamaat-ud-Dawa.

However, MML has yet to succeed in registering as a political party to enter upcoming state and provincial elections, because Pakistan's Election Commission last year rejected the party's registration application, citing its alleged terror links.

VOA Urdu's Shahnaz Nafees contributed to this report.WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump and aides on Sunday heaped scorn on a new book detailing his chaotic first year in the White House and suggestions that he is not mentally fit to be the U.S. leader.

Trump, in a Twitter comment, said, "Ive had to put up with the Fake News from the first day I announced that I would be running for President. Now I have to put up with a Fake Book, written by a totally discredited author."

Ive had to put up with the Fake News from the first day I announced that I would be running for President. Now I have to put up with a Fake Book, written by a totally discredited author. Ronald Reagan had the same problem and handled it well. So will I!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018

Trump's ire was aimed at journalist Michael Wolff, who, based on 200 interviews with Trump and numerous of his aides, described a dysfunctional White House in his book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, released Friday.

Trump said that three decades ago, another Republican president, Ronald Reagan, was also faced with stories questioning his mental acuity "and handled it well. So will I!"

Stephen Miller, Trump's top policy adviser, assailed Trump's former chief strategist Stephen Bannon for comments in the book alleging that Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., son-in-law Jared Kushner, now a key White House adviser, and then-campaign manager Paul Manafort were "treasonous" and "unpatriotic" for meeting in the midst of the 2016 presidential campaign with Russians claming to have incriminating information about Trump's challenger, Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Miller on CNN described Bannon as an angry, vindictive person whose grotesque comments are so out of touch with reality. Miller said the whole White House staff is deeply disappointed in his comments in the book.

White House senior policy adviser Stephen Miller d FILE - White House senior policy adviser Stephen Miller discusses U.S. immigration policy at the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, Aug. 2, 2017. FILE - White House senior policy adviser Stephen Miller discusses U.S. immigration policy at the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, Aug. 2, 2017.

Miller said the Wolff book "is best understood as a work of poorly written fiction. The author is a garbage author of a garbage book. ...The betrayal of the president in this book is so contrary to the reality of those who work with him."

CNN anchor Jake Tapper abruptly ended the interview with Miller, calling him "obsequious" and concerned only about pleasing "one viewer," Trump.

A short time later, Trump tweeted, "Jake Tapper of Fake News CNN just got destroyed in his interview with Stephen Miller of the Trump Administration. Watch the hatred and unfairness of this CNN flunky!"

Jake Tapper of Fake News CNN just got destroyed in his interview with Stephen Miller of the Trump Administration. Watch the hatred and unfairness of this CNN flunky!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018



Two other Trump administration officials, United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and Central Intelligence Agency director Mike Pompeo also expressed support for Trump's performance on Sunday news talk shows, a day after the U.S. leader described himself as "a very stable genius."

Haley told ABC News that based on her once-a-week visits to the White House, "No one disrespects the president." Pompeo told Fox News, "I have watched him take the information that the intelligence community delivers and translate that into policies that are of enormous benefit to America."

Bannon has not disputed quotes Wolff attributed to him in the book but on Sunday voiced some regret over his role.

President Donald Trump, left, and former White Hou FILE - President Donald Trump, left, and former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon. FILE - President Donald Trump, left, and former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon.

He told the Axios news site: "Donald Trump Jr. is both a patriot and a good man. He has been relentless in his advocacy for his father and the agenda that has helped turn our country around."

Bannon, who returned to Breitbart News, an alt-right website with nationalist views, after leaving the White House, also avowed his continuing support for Trump.

"My support is also unwavering for the president and his agenda," Bannon said, "as I have shown daily in my national radio broadcasts, on the pages of Breitbart News and in speeches and appearances from Tokyo and Hong Kong to Arizona and Alabama.

"I regret that my delay," he added, "in responding to the inaccurate reporting regarding Don Jr. has diverted attention from the president's historical accomplishments in the first year of his presidency."

Trump has claimed that he "authorized Zero Access" to Wolff at the White House to do his research for the book.

But Wolff told NBC that the president, personally, if reluctantly, allowed him to roam the corridors of the White House and conduct interviews with his aides, at one point saying, "Who cares about a book?"

But by Sunday, two days after its release, Fire and Fury was the top-selling book on the Amazon online retail site.U.S. President Donald Trump says he hopes the newly arranged talks between North and South Korea will go "beyond the Olympics" and promised the United States will take part "at the appropriate time."



Trump gave an unusual news conference Saturday from the Camp David presidential retreat, where he met with Republican lawmakers. Of the upcoming talks between Seoul and Pyongyang, Trump said "I hope it works out."



"I would love to see them take it beyond the Olympics," he said. "And at the appropriate time," he added, "we'll get involved." Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can download this video to view it offline. Download File 360p | 8 MB 360p | 9 MB Original | 9 MB Copy



On Sunday, the White House released a statement saying the president spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday and discussed the latest "developments on the Korean Peninsula, and to underscore American, South Korean, and international resolve to achieve the complete denuclearization of North Korea."



Assessing the upcoming discussions between the two Koreas on January 9, Trump said "if something can happen and something can come out of those talks that would be a great thing for all of humanity. That would be a great thing for the world.''



The president also said that he had spoken with South Korean leader Moon Jae-in, who "thanks me very much for my tough stance.''



"You have to have a certain attitude and you have to be prepared to do certain things and I'm totally prepared to do that,'' Trump said, suggesting that his tough language has helped persuade the North to sit down with the South.

A worker is seen at the Olympic Stadium, venue for A worker at the Olympic Stadium, venue for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Dec. 12, 2017. A worker at the Olympic Stadium, venue for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Dec. 12, 2017.

?Recently, Trump and Kim have traded barbs about their nuclear arsenals.



In a New Year's address, Kim said he had a "nuclear button'' on his office desk and threatened that "the whole territory of the U.S. is within the range of our nuclear strike.''

In this image made from video released by KRT on J In this image made from video released by KRT on Jan. 1, 2018, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivers his annual address from an undisclosed location in North Korea. In this image made from video released by KRT on Jan. 1, 2018, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivers his annual address from an undisclosed location in North Korea.



Soon after, Trump tweeted: "Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!''



North Korea on Friday accepted South Korea's offer of high-level talks on the upcoming Olympic Games to take place Tuesday (January 9) at the truce village of Panmunjom in the heavily fortified demilitarized zone dividing the two Koreas.



On Sunday, North Korea announced a list of five officials who will represent Pyongyang, a day after South Korea confirmed its representatives.U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday declared "everything I've done is 100 percent proper" amid increasing scrutiny about whether he sought to derail a federal investigation into possible collusion between his election campaign and Russia.

"There's been no collusion, there's been no crime," said Trump, suggesting Hillary Clinton might be under investigation. "But I'm not," said Trump, referencing the former secretary of state and Democratic Party nominee he defeated to become president.

Trump said if there had been any collusion with Moscow, it was by Clinton or the Democratic National Committee.

The special counsel's investigation of the Trump campaign is "making our country look foolish," the president asserted.

Trump spoke to reporters in a cold aircraft hangar at the Camp David presidential retreat, flanked by Republican congressional leaders, Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis.

Trump answered several questions about his early Saturday morning tweets in which he declared himself a "very stable genius" and attacked the author of a book about the first year of his presidency.

Trump also continued to lash out at his former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, who is quoted extensively in the new book that raises questions about the president's fitness for office.

"I consider it a work of fiction," Trump told reporters about Fire and Fury, which was released Friday and instantly became a best-seller.

The president suggested that the author, Michael Wolff, was able to get such a book published only because "the libel laws are very weak in this country."

Wolff's book portrays the first year of the Trump presidency as one in shambles, and the president as childlike and possibly in need of psychiatric help.

Trump blames the news media and Democrats for reviving a strategy he said they used against former Republican President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s (who, his younger son Ron Reagan has suggested, suffered from Alzheimer's disease while still in office).

The president then defended his mental and intellectual abilities, labeling himself a "genius"  unlike Hillary Clinton.

Trump told the White House press pool that had been summoned to Camp David that he tweeted about his mental fitness "only because I went to the best colleges or college ... made billions and billions of dollars" and had "tremendous success."

Trump's self-promotion of mental acuity is doing nothing to quell the debate about the president's stability.

Richard Painter, an ethics lawyer for President George W. Bush a decade ago, called Trump's Saturday tweets an embarrassment, saying they read like "a statement by an immature candidate for second-grade class president."

Painter, a prominent critic of the Trump presidency, tweeted, " 'I am a very stable genius' is the way people talk on the way to the funny farm, not the Situation Room. Or so it was a year ago."

John Aravosis, a former Republican congressional foreign policy adviser who has become a Democratic political consultant, tweeted, "If you want to avoid a national discussion of your sanity, don't rave publicly about your sanity."

In a Quinnipiac poll last month, 70 percent of respondents answered "no" when asked whether they considered Trump "level-headed."

Wolff said Friday that he stood by "absolutely everything" in the book.

"One of the things we have to count on is that Donald Trump will attack. He will send lawyer's letters. This is a 35-year history of how he approaches everything," he told NBC's Today show. "My credibility is being questioned by a man who has less credibility than perhaps anyone who has ever walked on Earth at this point."

"I will tell you the one description that everyone gave, everyone has in common: They all say he is like a child," Wolff added. "And what they mean by that is he has a need for immediate gratification. It is all about him."

Trump denies granting Wolff any interviews in the White House and blames Bannon for allowing him wide West Wing access.

"I guess sloppy Steve brought him into the White House quite a bit," Trump told reporters in the Camp David hangar.

WATCH: 'Fire and Fury' Author Defends Book's Accuracy Against White House Pushback

Trump's lawyers initially tried to block the book's publication, describing it as defamatory and libelous.

Wolff is known for publishing provocative material, some of which has turned out to be unsubstantiated or disputed.

Initial readers of Fire and Fury have spotted numerous factual errors in the book.

Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer, who is quoted in the book, said Friday on ABC's Good Morning America that even if parts of the book are not accurate, the problem is "the reader is not left to know which is true and which is not."

VOA's Peter Heinlein contributed to this report.Zimbabwes Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services, George Charamba, says President Emmerson Mnangagwas visit to opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirais Highlands home in Harare on Friday was not a publicity stunt.

In an interview with VOA Studio 7, Charamba said the courtesy call was part of Mnangagwas responsibility as a national figure to show his capacity to work across the political boundaries.

Well, I think good politicians know when to wear the national colors and when to wear club colors, if I may use that metaphor. Todays visit marked the president of Zimbabwe wearing national colors in order to relate to not just another national figure but also a person who is actually not well-disposed. It is an expression of compassion, an expression of responsibility which the president as a father figure of the nation is expected to show  That basically is significant. I know that the reflex of many people is to see to party political terms but I dont think thats the impulse that drove the new president to the meeting.

Charamba, who is also the presidential spokesperson, dismissed suggestions by some political analysts that the visit was a publicity stunt, saying there was nothing sinister about the new presidents meeting with the MDC-T leader as Tsvangirai attended Mnangagwas inauguration.

It will be very fair to ask those same analysts why they didnt level the same criticism to Mr. Tsvangirai when he came to attend the inauguration ceremony of the current president. Was it a publicity stunt? And if it is, well, then its a good turn that deserves another.

Asked whether the two will continue engaging each other in the near future, Charamba said,  The hallmark of the new era is capacity to build bridges and cross boundaries. If the mindset of the nation is fixated with boundaries which are drawn across political lines then the nation is in for a rude shock. We are likely to see a recognition that we are Zimbabweans first and foremost before we are Zanu PF, MDC or any other party.

Luke Tamborinyoka, a spokesperson for the opposition MDC-T leader, said, The importance of this meeting is that for us it was a good African gesture for the president to meet the former prime minister who is not feeling well  President Tsvangirai has taken advantage of that meeting to raise pertinent issues affecting Zimbabwe  issues to do with the cash crisis that has seen even old people sleeping at bank queues, issues to do with free and fair elections and a proper return to legitimacy through free and fair elections.

President Mnangagwa who was accompanied by vice president Constantino Chiwenga promised to continue doing consultations with the prime minister so that we open up a true and proper consultation between the leader of the opposition and leader of government. We hope that President Mnangagwa was being genuine in that overture and that he will keep his promise they they will continue to meet and discuss pertinent issues affecting Zimbabwe, especially as we are all concerned about free and fair elections.

He agreed with some political analysts suggestions that President Mnangagwas visit was a political stunt. It could be, it could be  It could be a publicity stunt. You cant leave that one out that President Mnangagwa could have taken advantage of that meeting to cut himself as a different political animal from (former) president Mugabe and to brand himself as a benevolent leader different from president (former) Mugabe. He could have taken it as a publicity stunt, which is true, but what is pertinent for some of us is that president Tsvangirai has taken advantage of that meeting to raise pertinent issues affecting the people of Zimbabwe.

Tsvangirai, who has cancer of the colon, left for South Africa after the meeting for his routine medical check up.Famous as the burial place of Keats, Shelley, Gramsci and many other poets, artists and writers, Rome's Non-Catholic cemetery is celebrated for its beauty and tranquillity, while also being an active burial ground.

Keats' final resting place. Photo Giovanni Dall'Orto.

The cemetery is located in the shadow of the pyramid of Caius Cestius in the city's Testaccio district and is open Mon-Sat 09.00-17.00 (last entrance 16.30), Sun/public holidays 09.00-13.00 (last entry 12.30).

Admission is free but donations to help with the cemetery's upkeep are accepted at the entrance.

Full information including history of the cemetery is available on its website while for further insights see Wanted in Rome feature article.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.Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 7/1/2018 (1336 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

All Aboard

A piece of history thats normally off limits is now open to the public. Cargo hold tours of the Nonsuch, a 17th-century ship, end today at the Manitoba Museum (190 Rupert Ave.). A storyteller will be onboard to share Canadian and European folktales from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tours run from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and are included with museum admission.

Ice Castles

Take a walk through a winter wonderland. Ice Castles is now open at The Forks, where towering ice structures aglow with LED lights illuminate the landscape. On weekends, ice princesses pose for photos and performers play with fire. Tickets to roam the colourful fortress range from $9.95 to $15. Check The Forks website for hours of operation.

Home Style Showcase

Nail down plans for your dream home at the Winnipeg Renovation Show. Exhibitors and speakers fill the RBC Convention Centre Friday through Sunday. Browse the booths, join a workshop and gain inspiration from special guest speakers. Tickets are $12 with free admission for children under 12.

Retro Recreation

The monthly-meet up for classic game enthusiasts returns Wednesday at the Handsome Daughter (61 Sherbrook St). Retro Video Game Night boasts a selection of 14,031 games on 24 systems. Nintendo, Atari 2600, WonderSwan and Gameboy are just a few consoles youll find on this nostalgic night. Play is free, starting at 8 p.m.

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Dark Documentary

Fans of the cult-classic film Blue Velvet may be keen on a new documentary about its production. Blue Velvet Revisited is told without narration featuring film footage, photographs and sound recordings captured 30 years ago on set of David Lynchs mystery-thriller. German filmmaker Peter Braatz directed the film playing at Cinematheque, Thursday at 9 p.m.

Musical Trivia

The Centennial Concert Hall hosts Soundcheck Your Facts: Music Trivia & Concert Night on Friday at 6:30 p.m. Brush up on R&B, jazz, pop and classical  all genres are fair game. Sign up with a team of four or be assigned a team. The concert features the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and Canadian virtuoso Alexandre Da Costa. Trivia is included in the price of admission.

Free Fitness Day

Fit in a free workout this Saturday at Canada Games Sport for Life Centre (145 Pacific Ave.). The newly-built facility hosts group fitness classes, workshops, kids activities and more on Free Fitness Day. Pre-register online for a class or drop in between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Giveaways and draws add an extra incentive to get moving on a weekend morning.Brad Pitt may be one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, but he wasnt able to secure the winning bid to watch an episode of Game of Thrones with series leads Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington, as reported by our sister site Variety. The actor attended Sean Penns annual gala for Haiti on January 6, where this silent auction item was offered with an initial opening bid of $20,000, and quickly ballooned to six digits. Pitt outbid himself several times during the process, but the item was eventually sold to another attendee for $160,000. Although the original offer was only to watch the show with Clarke, Harington was also in attendance and offered to come along once the bidding hit $90,000.

Read More:Sophie Turner Reveals Game of Thrones Season 8 Wont Premiere Until 2019

The event was filled with many other A-list actors, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Lena Dunham, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Segel, Connie Britton, and Patricia Arquette. DiCaprio was honored for his environmental work and spoke out about climate change.

The biggest challenge now is to make sure that everyone understands whats at stake, he said. But how can we do this when we have a president who, just this week, proposed a massive increase in offshore drilling? Their denial of so much of the scientific proof and evidence belongs in the Earth is flat chapter of human history.

Sign Up:Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.

Launch Gallery: 'Game of Thrones' Final Winner: Which of These 10 Characters Will Get The Throne?

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'Gunpowder' Review: Kit Harington Needs a Dragon's Fire to Spark This Handsome Historical Yarn

'Game of Thrones': Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington to Compete for Lead Actor in 2018

Emilia Clarke Defends 'Game of Thrones' Sex and Nudity: 'People F*ck For Pleasure'Getty Image

The FCC has trumpeted the death of Obama-era net neutrality regulations and appears pretty confident (arguably to the point of condescension) that the repeal isnt anything consumers should bother being upset about. On Friday, a number of web giants spoke up (again) about the battle they vow to engage in to prevent the FCCs dismantlement plans.

Wired reports that industry titans like Google, Amazon and Facebook are ready for legal action against the FCC courtesy of the lobbying group the Internet Association who will join lawsuits taking aim at stopping the agencys repeal of previous regulations. The Internet Association has indicated that they wont be launching any independent in this matter, electing to throw their weight behind the legal action commenced by other parties.

The final version of Chairman Pais rule, as expected, dismantles popular net neutrality protections for consumers, said Internet Association President Michael Beckerman via statement. This rule defies the will of a bipartisan majority of Americans and fails to preserve a free and open internet. IA intends to act as an intervenor in judicial action against this order and, along with our member companies, will continue our push to restore strong, enforceable net neutrality protections through a legislative solution.

Streaming colossus Netflix took aim at the FCCs net neutrality repeal in a more direct fashion on Friday, using the Internet Associations statement as a launching point. Unlike a number of high-profile peers, Netflix wasnt shy about associating their brand name with an FCC battle.

In 2018, the Internet is united in defense of #NetNeutrality. As for the FCC, we will see you in court, tweeted Netflix.

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In the summer of 2017, Netflix chief executive Reed Hastings noted that net neutrality wasnt going to be the companys primary battle in 2017. In 2018, Netflix is vowing (at least via tweet) to include legal clashes in their future plans.

(Via The Wrap & Wired)Trump claims he's 'like, really smart' and a 'stable genius' after Fire and Fury release

President Donald Trump is defending his mental stability following the publication of Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, the explosive new book from Michael Wolff. Amid a flurry of tweets posted to social media on Friday night, Trump trashed Wolff as a total loser and referred to himself as like, really smart and a very stable genius.

Now that Russian collusion, after one year of intense study, has proven to be a total hoax on the American public, the Democrats and their lapdogs, the Fake News Mainstream Media, are taking out the old Ronald Reagan playbook and screaming mental stability and intelligence, Trump wrote.

To clarify, special counsel Robert Mueller continues to investigate possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian officials to affect the outcome of the 2016 election.

Actually, throughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart, Trump continued. Crooked Hillary Clinton also played these cards very hard and, as everyone knows, went down in flames. I went from VERY successful businessman, to top T.V. Star to President of the United States (on my first try). I think that would qualify as not smart, but genius.and a very stable genius at that!

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Trump took issue with numerous embarrassing details printed in the book, including one excerpt in which Wolff wrote of Trumps staff, My indelible impression of talking to them and observing them through much of the first year of his presidency, is that they all  100 percent  came to believe he was incapable of functioning in his job.

Wolff also printed an essay in The Hollywood Reporter stating Trump had trouble recognizing old friends, an indication of an apparent fading memory.

The author appeared on the TODAY show Friday and stood by everything printed in Fire and Fury. I absolutely spoke to the president it certainly was not off the record, Wolff told Savannah Guthrie. He also added, I work like every journalist works, so I have recordings, I have notes. I am certainly, in absolutely every way, comfortable with everything Ive reported in this book.

Story continues

Michael Wolff is a total loser who made up stories in order to sell this really boring and untruthful book, Trump began his Friday night tweet stream. He used Sloppy Steve Bannon, who cried when he got fired and begged for his job. Now Sloppy Steve has been dumped like a dog by almost everyone. Too bad!

This also marks the latest attack from Trump on Bannon, his former chief strategist. In Fire and Fury, Wolff interviewed Bannon, who used treasonous and unpatriotic to describe Donald Trump Jr.s meeting with a Russian lawyer to purportedly obtain damning information on Hillary Clinton.

Trump further exacerbated the situation when he stated Bannon not only lost his job, he lost his mind.

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After portions of Fire and Fury were reported on by The Guardian and then printed in New York magazine, Trumps lawyers issued a cease and desist in an attempt to stop the books publication. However, Wolff and publisher Henry Holt and Co. bumped up the planned release to Friday, Jan. 5.

This publicity led Fire and Fury to jump more than 40,000 spots on Amazons best-sellers list to No. 1.

The president also tweeted that the African American unemployment rate fell to 6.8%, the lowest rate in 45 years during his first year in office, citing an analysis published in The Washington Post.

Trump then, again, slammed Brian Ross, the suspended ABC reporter who falsely reported former national security advisor Michael Flynn would testify that Trump instructed him to make contact with the Russians during the presidential campaign. Flynn plead guilty to lying to the F.B.I. over Muellers Russia investigation, though it was later reported Jared Kushner, Trumps son-in-law, told Flynn to contact Russian officials.

Ross is now returning to the network at a lower position, according to CNN.

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Brian Ross, the reporter who made a fraudulent live newscast about me that drove the Stock Market down 350 points (billions of dollars), was suspended for a month but is now back at ABC NEWS in a lower capacity, Trump wrote. He is no longer allowed to report on Trump. Should have been fired!WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump asserted that he is a very stable genius in a series of tweets early Saturday responding to concerns expressed in Michael Wolffs red-hot new book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House that he has a diminished mental capacity.

Trump has been attacking the author and the book for days, but early on Saturday sent out a series of Twitter messages refuting the idea that he is unfit for office. The book portrays the President as easily distracted, unable to comprehend policy, and uninterested in reading.

Now that Russian collusion, after one year of intense study, has proven to be a total hoax on the American public, the Democrats and their lapdogs, the Fake News Mainstream Media, are taking out the old Ronald Reagan playbook and screaming mental stability and intelligence.. Trump wrote.

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He then went on to say suggest that Hillary Clinton, who continues to be a target for him more than a year after he defeated her in the 2016 election, also questioned his mental state.

..Actually, throughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart. Crooked Hillary Clinton also played these cards very hard and, as everyone knows, went down in flames. I went from VERY successful businessman, to top T.V. Star..

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As he has done before, Trump also bragged that he has superior smarts and was a genius.

..to President of the United States (on my first try). I think that would qualify as not smart, but genius.and a very stable genius at that!

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Wolffs book release is not the only recent event that has stirred talk about Trumps critics on right and left over his ability to do the job. A recent interview Trump gave to the New York Times, at least in the eyes of detractors, appeared rambling and at times incoherent. Reporters this week asked White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders about Trumps mental fitness, and she called the question disgraceful and laughable.

Story continues

Trump is at Camp David for a summit with Republican leaders.

He also tweeted that Brian Ross, the ABC News investigative journalist, should have been fired! Ross returned to ABC News after his suspension for making a major error in a story about Michael Flynn, Trumps former national security adviser who is now cooperating with Special Counsel Robert Muellers Russia investigation.

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Related stories

'Fire and Fury' Sells Out at Bookstores on First Day of Release

Twitter Defends Its Refusal to Suspend Trump's Account

15 Wildest Claims From Michael Wolff's 'Fire and Fury'

Subscribe to Variety Newsletters and Email Alerts!One of the most consistent aspects of the Trump era has been the president's use of often offensive and always overzealous nicknames. As we noted here six months ago, that bullying spirit is directed at anyone who gets in the way, one that brings down everything that the administration stands for to an almost unbelievably childish level. Not quite sure what we're referring to? Well, in order to show just how insane the whole thing really is, we've gone through all the Trump tweets and media appearances and come up with a list of what he's repeatedly called his least favorite people (and media outlets) over the past few years. Spoiler alert: judging by the latest addition - on Jan. 4, railing on former aide Steve Bannon as being "Sloppy Steve" - this trend shows no signs of stopping anytime soon. Ahead, read through the full extent of the madness - and be sure to check back on this story, as we'll be updating as new nicknames are added to his lexicon.

Kim Jong-Un, Leader of North Korea: "Rocket Man"

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Steve Bannon, former top Trump aide: "Sloppy Steve"

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Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State and first lady: "Crooked Hillary"

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Mika Brzezinski, Morning Joe Host: "Dumb as a rock Mika"

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James Comey, former FBI director: "Leakin' James Comey"

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Face the Nation: "Deface the Nation"

Rep. Frederica Wilson of Florida: "Wacky Congressman Wilson"

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Megyn Kelly, NBC News Host: "Crazy Megyn"

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Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee: "Liddle' Bob Corker"

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Luther Strange, former Alabama Senator: "Big Luther"

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Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts: "Pocohontas"

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Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York: "Cryin' Chuck Schumer"

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CNN: "Clinton News Network"

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Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida: "Low Energy Jeb"

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas: "Lyin' Ted"

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Joe Scarborough, Morning Joe Host: "Psycho Joe"

Story continues

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Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont: "Crazy Bernie"

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Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona: "Jeff Flake(y)"

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Chuck Todd, Meet the Press Host: "Sleepy Eyes Chuck Todd"

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Al Franken, former senator from Minnesota: "Al Frankenstien"

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Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama: "Puppet Jones"

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Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida: "Little Marco"

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The Washington Post: "The Amazon Washington Post"

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Katy Tur, NBC News Reporter: "Little Katy"

The New York Times: "The Failing New York Times"Monica Wright, who used to live in Section 8 housing, now owns multiple properties and land and wants to pay it forward with free training for struggling parents in how to pursue opportunities in real estate. (Photo: Getty Images)

Monica Wright is a real estate agent, single mother, and, most important, no longer in poverty. Now, shes working to ensure that other single and low-income parents can someday say the same.

Wright, who works as an agent at DJCRE in Philadelphia and with the Association of Child Daycare Providers, is offering free courses in real estate for single parents. The goal is to provide them the tools they need to enter an industry that can offer a lot of flexibility and financial stability.

Having a real estate license basically got us out of poverty, the 54-year-old told Yahoo Lifestyle. Thats why shes paying it forward.

Having this knowledge will change your life and I am offering it FREE of charge, she wrote in the description of the Facebook event that advertises the class. I went from 5 kids and Section 8 to owning 6 properties in the city of Philadelphia and making $24,000 a month for 12 years.

The classes, which she plans to run starting Jan. 13 through March, will cover basics such as mortgages, estimating square footage, and knowing the housing discrimination laws and why they exist and whom they protect; her Facebook page says, I will be teaching and reinforcing all the knowledge you need to pass your real estate sales exam in Pennsylvania.

Wright started off with just wanting to teach her daughter, 27, the basics, but realized that a lot of young folks dont know much about the industry. She developed the class after her daughter and the daughter of someone in her real estate group didnt want to go in on an investment property.

Its so weird that they dont understand the stability from owning a property, she told Yahoo Lifestyle.

Her life is proof. As a real estate agent for the past 26 years, she currently owns four properties in the area, plus a plot of land. But that wasnt always the case.

She and her children used to live in Section 8 government housing. When her landlord told her that she needed to wait an extra 30 days before moving in (he wanted to redo the floors), she and her kids lived in her car.

Story continues

When we made it though those 30 days, I said, I will never be homeless again. And she fulfilled that promise.

She worked to get her Pennsylvania real estate license in 1990 and learned that buying a house was an investment. While every process for securing a loan for a house is different, Wright was able to go through an LLC and bought her first home. Instead going toward rent, the money she put into her properties went toward her owning them and always giving her a place for her and her children to live.

This was the ugliest, cheapest house  my mortgage was $186 a month  [but] I had money to make changes, Wright said.

With the money she saved on high rents, she took her kids to activities like dance classes and was able to live comfortably.

Katherine Scarim, a Florida real estate agent and the author of Before You Are Licensed, says that Wright is correct in trying to connect single parents, many of whom are women, to the real estate industry.

We have very few barriers of entry into our industry, she told Yahoo Lifestyle. In the state of Florida, all thats required is a high school diploma and minimum of 18 years of age, plus a background screening and licensing class.

She explained that agents need to hustle to create contacts, but they can still make their own hours  and sell as much as they can.

Its also a women-friendly industry  more than half of agents are women, and it works for families, she said, explaining that she took her kids to open houses all the time. I found a family-friendly office.

In addition to providing a secure career, knowing about real estate can open up a lot of doors, such as owning a property, as it did for Wright. She and Scarim said there are many ways to buy that dont always mean shelling out a large down payment, which may not be possible for lower-income folks. In certain cases, it may mean buying from someone who just wants to get rid of their property or buying in a bad neighborhood.

Parents may be catching on  so far, a whopping 32,000 have responded as interested in her free event. Wright stressed that the class wont supplement studying for the real estate licensing exam, but it will be a good primer. Those who attend, however, need to take it seriously.

Real estate can change someones life, but you have to work. she said. Shell just help get the ball rolling. Its my payment to the universe.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.



President Donald Trump launched a Twitter storm on Saturday to defend his mental stability and fitness for office in the wake of questions raised by senior White House officials in Michael Wolffs explosive new book, Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House.

Throughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart, Trump wrote.

I went from VERY successful businessman, to top T.V. Star to President of the United States (on my first try), he wrote, neglecting to mention his short-lived bid for the presidential nomination of the Reform Party in 2000. I think that would qualify as not smart, but genius.and a very stable genius at that!

Also Read: Michael Wolff Doubles Down on Trump White House Chaos: 'He's Like a Pinball' (Video)

The president did not directly reference Wolff or his book, but said, the Democrats and their lapdogs, the Fake News Mainstream, are taking out the old Ronald Reagan playbook and screaming mental stability and intelligence.

Still, Wolffs book  which quotes dozens of current and former senior Trump White House officials  seems to have triggered the presidents latest Twitter fusillade. The publisher, Henry Holt, moved up the books release to Friday despite the presidents lawyer sending a cease-and-desist letter seeking to block its publication altogether.

In an interview with Today co-host Savannah Guthrie on Friday, Wolff said 100 percent of the people around [Trump] have questioned the presidents intelligence and fitness for office.

Also Read: Who Is Michael Wolff? 6 Things to Know About Author of Trump White House Tell-All

According to Wolffs interviews with dozens of people who have worked in the Trump White House, Wolff said senior officials say hes a moron, an idiot. Actually, theres a competition to sort of get to the bottom line here of who this man is. Lets remember, this man does not read, does not listen. So hes like a pinball just shooting off the sides.

Story continues

They all say he is like a child, he added. He has a need for immediate gratification. Its all about him.

Trump is scheduled to have a physical examination next week, but according to the New York Times, those tests for presidents do not generally involve mental acuity.

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Also Read: Trump Didn't Want to Win and 8 Other Surprises in Michael Wolff's Explosive Book Excerpt

In another Saturday tweet, Trump also blasted veteran ABC News reporter Brian Ross, who had been suspended for four months after a quickly recanted news report about Trump, former campaign adviser and short-term national security adviser Michael Flynn and the Russians.

On Friday, ABC News announced that Ross had been demoted to produce long-form documentaries rather than breaking news. Should have been fired! the president wrote.

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Related stories from TheWrap:

Michael Wolff Doubles Down on Trump White House Chaos: 'He's Like a Pinball' (Video)

Donald Trump Has 'Close to Zero' Chance of Legally Blocking Michael Wolff's 'Fire and Fury'

Who Is Michael Wolff? 6 Things to Know About Author of Trump White House Tell-AllZiguinchor (Senegal) (AFP) - The Senegalese government vowed Sunday to be "relentless" in tracking down and bringing to justice those responsible for the execution of 13 people in the southern region of Casamance.

Gunmen ordered a group of men and youths, out looking for wood, to lie on the ground deep in the forest before opening fire, a survivor said following the first upsurge in violence in the isolated Senegalese region in years.

President Macky Sall, condemning an "armed attack of rare barbarity", summoned his national security council and ordered a ministerial delegation to the scene.

"A hard and relentless hunt will be conducted to find the perpetrators of this despicable act," interior minister Aly Ngouille Ndiaye told Senegalese press agency APS during a visit to survivors at the hospital in Ziguinchor, the region's capital.

The attack happened on Saturday in Borofaye forest in the commune of Boutoupa-Camaracounda.

According to the government, ten of the 13 killed were shot dead, two were stabbed to death and one was burned. Half a dozen more were wounded, with the most seriously hurt being transferred to Dakar for treatment.

- Shot in cold blood -

The as yet unidentified group stopped the young men and rounded them up before shooting them coldly, survivors told AFP.

"They made us lie face down and started firing," a 45-year-old father of two with two wives said Sunday at Ziguinchor Ayib Ly hospital as he received treatment for injuries to his back and foot.

"Injured people trying to escape were finished off" by the attackers, said another survivor, Amadou Diallo.

Ibrahima Daffe, described being hit by "two bullets in the back", fired by men "in military uniforms", wearing "rangers" type boots and speaking the local language.

A source in Ziguinchor said 13 youths were killed, while army spokesman Abdou Ndiaye told AFP seven others were injured.

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The Senegalese Press Agency said the assailants would have passed a buffer zone between the Senegalese army and separatist rebels of the Movement for Democratic Forces in Casamance (MFDC).

Abdoulaye Balde, a former armed forces minister and deputy mayor of Ziguinchor, told AFP those responsible were likely "not fully associated with the peace process" in a region where rebels began fighting in December 1982 -- though they have long ceased attacks on soldiers.

"When you negotiate with the main (MFDC) leaders, dissidents are often not involved," said Balde, who called the attack a surprise while noting that "we knew peace was precarious" in the tense region.

Sall has "ordered that the perpetrators of this criminal act be found and brought to justice," the government statement said, adding that the ministerial delegation would "evaluate the security situation and offer the nation's condolences to the families".

The army deployed 150 troops to evacuate the victims and flush out the attackers, and a resident of the nearby village of Bourafaye Bainuk said shots were heard as the army undertook a "deep search".

- Elusive peace deal -

Casamance, separated from the rest of Senegal by The Gambia, has been calm for several years since Sall took power in 2012, though peace talks have failed to yield a definitive settlement.

Ziguinchor governor Guedj Diouf said he thought the attack would not derail the peace process. "There's an irreversible dynamic in the direction of peace," Diouf said in remarks carried by the news website PressAfrik.

Former colonial power France, whose tourists visit other areas of Senegal in droves, removed Casamance from its list of danger zones in October 2016.

The attack came a day after the army released two MFDC fighters following negotiations spearheaded by Rome's Community of Sant'Egidio, a charity with ties to the Vatican specialising in peace mediation.

The Casamance separatist movement left thousands of civilians and military personnel dead and forced many to flee over three decades, as well as hurting the economy dependent on agriculture and tourism.

In a New Year's message last Sunday, Sall appealed to the Casamance rebels to continue talks to create a "definite peace".Lima (AFP) - Peru's Alberto Fujimori, a one-time university dean, rose to the presidency, waged a bloody campaign against insurgents and was sentenced to 25 years in prison for corruption and rights abuses.

The ailing 79-year-old, loved by many for going after the rebels but hated by others for the ruthless, authoritarian way he governed, was released into freedom late Thursday from a Lima clinic in a wheelchair, after receiving a "humanitarian pardon" on December 24.

He said the pardon ordered by President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski was a "surprise." In a video filmed from his hospital bed, he spoke to Peru's citizens, asking them "to forgive me with all my heart."

Fujimori's decade as president from 1990 were marked by a dramatic series of sieges, massacres and escapades.

He ultimately ended up in jail as a frail, gray figure crippled by back pain and high blood pressure, for which he required frequent hospital stays.

A descendant of Japanese immigrants, Fujimori was a marginal figure among political parties but cultivated the support of the armed forces.

Under him and his hardline security chief Vladimiro Montesinos, state forces virtually wiped out the leftist Shining Path and Tupac Amaru rebels.

Fujimori also clamped down hard on his political rivals. In 1992, he staged an internal coup, dissolving the legislature with the knowledge of only Montesinos and military chiefs.

"Act first, tell people about it later," he was quoted as saying.

- Faxing his resignation -

One of the most dramatic episodes of his time in power was a four-month hostage ordeal at the Japanese embassy in Lima from December 1996.

Commandos ended up raiding the embassy, saving nearly all the VIPs held by Tupac Amaru guerrillas and killing the 14 hostage-takers.

That strengthened Fujimori's reputation for fighting terrorism with a firm hand.

At the same time, he won popular support for boosting the economy of the South American country, a major mineral exporter.

Story continues

His neo-liberal economic policies won him the support of the ruling class and international financial institutions.

But the dark side of his supposed success was revealed when he was found guilty of human rights violations for the murders of suspects by death squads.

Fujimori's downfall began in 2000 after Montesinos was exposed for corruption.

The president fled to Japan and sent a fax announcing his resignation.

Congress voted to sack him instead and ban him from public office for 10 years.

He was eventually arrested when he set foot in Chile and extradited back to Peru for trial.

- Family drama -

A court held him responsible for the killings of 25 supposed guerrillas and sympathizers in 1991 and 1992.

It sentenced him in 2009 to 25 years in jail.

In a separate case, he pleaded guilty to bribing lawmakers and spying on former rivals while in power.

The soap opera within the Fujimori family matched the drama of his turbulent decade in office.

His former wife Susana Higuchi divorced him in 1994, and later accused his men of torturing her.

His daughter Keiko Fujimori took over as the nation's first lady at the age of 19.

Shortly after their divorce, Higuchi ran against her ex-husband in an election in 1995, but he blocked her by passing a law prohibiting presidents' close family from succeeding them directly in office.

Once jailed, Fujimori was in and out of the hospital with heart, back and stomach trouble. He had several operations to remove cancerous growths from his tongue.

The courts in 2017 rejected efforts by Fujimori's family to have him pardoned and freed from prison.

But just days after Fujimori's son Kenji helped Kuczynski survive an impeachment vote, the presidency announced that the jailed strongman would be granted clemency due to his poor health.Tyler Barriss, who allegedly made a hoax 911 call that led to a mans death, has made about 20 previous false claims including bomb threats, records show

Tyler Barriss, left, appears for an extradition hearing. Photograph: Irfan Khan/AP

A man accused of making a hoax 911 call that led to another mans death in Kansas has a history of making similarly false reports to the police, including bomb hoaxes centered around two schools and an ABC affiliate TV station, according to authorities.



Tyler Barriss, 25, is set to be transferred to custody in Kansas from Los Angeles, where he allegedly made the call to police that ended with an officer fatally shooting Andrew Finch, an unarmed Wichita man with no known connection to Barriss.

Police in Wichita said they received a call on the evening of 28 December claiming a man had been shot and two others had been taken hostage. When officers arrived at Finchs home, the man reached towards his waistband when told to raise his hands and was shot, according to Troy Livingston, Wichitas deputy police chief.

Livingston said: Due to the actions of a prankster we have an innocent victim.

Barriss is accused of making the call in order to exact revenge for a dispute arising from his activities as an online gamer. Police believe that Finch, who was studying to be a tattoo artist and had two children, had no connection to the dispute and was mistakenly targeted by the prank call, which is known as swatting after the involvement of police Swat teams.

According to police and court records, Barriss has made about 20 hoax calls and was sentenced to more than two years in jail in 2016 for making false bomb threats against two Los Angeles schools and an ABC affiliate TV station that led to their evacuations. Court records show that Barriss told one of the schools: There are 10 backpacks that have bombs in them. Do not take this lightly.

Barriss, who was released in January 2017, targeted numerous other venues as far away as Illinois and New Hampshire, according to police, before Finchs death. Barrisss grandmother, who had helped raise him and suspected him of making the bomb threats, alleged he issued constant threats to beat my face bloody.

Story continues

Dexerto, a gaming website, reported that Barriss became embroiled in an argument over a $2 wager while playing Call of Duty, resulting in threats between him and another player to swat each other.

Finch was unrelated to the argument and his family said he did not play online games.

While Finch is thought to be the first direct fatality from swatting, the FBI has warned it is a growing problem in the US, with about 400 incidents occurring each year. Callers often use software to disguise their number when making the hoax calls.

The rise of swatting has led to calls for police to improve processes that identify hoax calls, and to better handle confrontations with innocent parties who are reported to be armed.

Lawyers for Finchs family said that while swatters carry blame, ultimately it is the polices responsibility to ensure they do not shoot people who pose no risk.

Justice for the Finch family constitutes criminal charges against the shooting officer and any other liable officers as well as damages against the city of Wichita for the policies and practices of its police department, the attorney Andrew Stroth, who is representing the family, told the Associated Press.President Donald Trump said he wants Congress enact a measure to provide legal status to young, undocumented immigrants  provided his other immigration proposals, including funding for the wall on the U.S. border with Mexico, are adopted.

We want the wall, Trump said at a press conference Saturday at Camp David in Maryland. The wall is going to happen, or were not going to have DACA, he said, referring to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which Democrats are fighting to restore.

In addition to funding the wall, Trump detailed other immigration policies he wants to be part of any package including DACA, which was authorized by President Barack Obama in 2012 through an executive order overturned in September. He reiterated his push to eliminate family reunification or chain migration provisions in current law that give preferences to family members of legal immigrants, and the immigrant visa lottery system.

We all want DACA to happen, but we also want great security for our country, Trump said. He added that, in some form, Mexico will pay for the wall.

Republican leaders convened at the presidential retreat in rural Maryland to map out their legislative priorities for 2018. Trump said Saturday these included included national security, infrastructure, military funding and immigration.

Were going to have some really great bipartisan bills, Trump said. But we need more Republicans.Jakarta (AFP) - The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) needs to beef up its disaster management efforts after the region was hammered by deadly storms that left a path of destruction in their wake, its new chief said Friday.

Secretary-general Lim Jock Hoi, a veteran Bruneian diplomat, pointed to a tropical storm that battered the southern Philippines last month leaving at least 240 dead and tens of thousands displaced.

Also in December, a tropical cyclone pounded Indonesia's main island of Java and killed at least 41 people, with tens of thousands forced from their homes by severe flooding and landslides.

"Our region is disaster-prone," Lim said at his inauguration ceremony at ASEAN's Secretariat in Jakarta.

"This underscores the need to strengthen ASEAN cooperation in disaster management and humanitarian assistance."

The 10-member group has tended to focus much of its endeavours on regional diplomacy and economic growth.

Lim takes over from Vietnam's Le Luong Minh who said Friday that the organisation's main challenge is to bring it "closer to its people".

Lim said that ASEAN must be "more proactive" and "improve (its) capabilities" in disaster-relief efforts.

"It is therefore incumbent upon us all to enhance the resilience of our communities through disaster risk reduction interventions, climate change adaptation strategies, as well as conservation and sustainable management of biodiversity and natural resources," he added.

The ASEAN secretary-general serves a non-renewable term of five years with the post rotating among member states.Ecosystems thrive when theres an abundance of organisms capable of performing unique functions and filling different niches. A rudimentary picture of this would be how plants use sunlight and water and nutrients to grow, herbivores eat the plants, carnivores eat the herbivores, and fungi decompose all the dead matter back into nutrients for the plants to use. Some organisms perform the same function, like consuming the same prey, and directly compete against each other for this role. Scientists describe this richness of species as biodiversity, but have always struggled to make full sense of its complexity, and reconcile some of the paradoxical effects of biodiversity.

One of these major questions is whats known as the diversity paradox: Why one superior species doesnt out-compete all of its biological neighbors and drive them to extinction. Scientists might finally have a resolution to this riddle. In a paper published December 28 in the journal Physical Review Letters, physics professor Nigel Goldenfield, Ph.D. and his graduate student Chi Xue, both at Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, investigate the diversity paradox through an arms-race of microbial menaces.

Using the example of viruses that prey on bacteria, Goldenfield and Xue show how predator and prey compete to out-wit one another. Bacteria evolve better defenses to withstand viral attack, and viruses develop ways to overcome those defenses. The better the virus is at adapting as a predator, the more likely it is to decimate its prey  and therefore itself. This phenomenon is called Kill the Winner, and Goldenfield and Xue say it could resolve the diversity paradox.

A virus, like the influenza virus, has to have host bacteria to survive. But the more successful the virus is, the more bacteria it kills. Therefore, scientists say, the biological arms-race kills the winner.

Predators and their prey are a lot like Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner: Theyre always in an arms-race to see who can outsmart the other, but they also live in a sort of harmony. If Wile E. Coyote sets a trap, the Road Runner takes a different route to avoid it. Then Wile E. Coyote might set two traps, one on the main route and one on the detour. But what if it succeeds? Who is there left to prey on?

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If Wile E. Coyote was actually a successful predator, it would drive both itself and the Road Runner to extinction. This dynamic is one that Goldenfield examined in the virus-bacteria relationship, bringing into account factors like random population growth. He and Xue developed a so-called stochastic model that attempts to capture some of the randomnesses of nature to make a computer simulation more realistic.

Using the marine biology example of plankton, which is composed of bacteria, algae, protozoa, and other microorganisms, Goldenfield and Xue show how viruses keep competing members of a community under control. In short, they argue that there is no such thing as a steady state for an ecological community and that its always in flux. For example, as one protozoan species grows in population, its host-specific virus has more prey. Therefore, the population of that protozoan species goes back down, leaving more resources for its bacterium neighbor, which then experiences a similar boom and bust with its host-specific virus.

Therefore, the apparent balance in such a system is partly the result of competition  ecology  and partly the result of genetic variation that allows one species to outsmart its predators  evolution.

Below the surface of a pond, there's a constant microbial turf war going on.

Our results strongly suggest that diversity reflects the dynamical interplay between ecological and evolutionary processes, and is driven by how far the system is from an equilibrium ecological state (as could be quantified by deviations from detailed balance), Goldenfield and Xue write.

Their model, which they call the Coevolving Kill the Winner model, accounts not just for ecology but also evolution, and they say its much more holistic than previous models that only account for resource use.

Inside the bacterial community, different strains have distinct growth rates. They coexist, with no dominating winners, due to host-specific viruses controlling the corresponding strains. This results in two layers of coexistence through KtW dynamics (bacteria-plankton coexistence and bacterial strain coexistence), rested like Russian dolls.

Is it a perfect solution? By no means. No computer model can capture all the complexity of a natural system. But this one bets a lot closer than previous efforts.

Photos via Flickr / kat m research, Flickr / Me in ME, Flickr / Adam Greig

Photos via Flickr / kat m research, Flickr / Me in ME, Flickr / Adam Greig

Written by Peter Hess

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More From InverseA contractor who was doing a safety inspection inside a womans Florida condo claims he was attacked by a bobcat, but the pets owner says its just a legal house cat.

Meet Callithe fluffy, 10-pound animal thats at the center of contractor Marcos Hernandezs lawsuit against condo owner Christine Lee. Hernandez claims he was home alone doing routine work inside Lees home in May 2016, when her feline left him with serious, permanent injuries, Associated Press reports.

All I know is he was in here alone and he must have startled her, Lee, who isnt denying he got scratched, told Tampa Bay Times.

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But, other than that, Leewho has yet to hire a lawyer says the whole situation is blown out of proportion and ridiculous.

In the photograph below, taken by Tampa Bay Times, Lee is seen holding Calli, who doesnt appear to be a bobcat, which are typically a bit larger with a spotted pattern covering their bodies.

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A bobcat does look much different than this. Theyre much bigger than this 10-pound little thing, Lee told the AP. Its a litigious society and here we are.

She also owns another feline, named Max; however, he too isnt a bobcat and looks nothing like one. Skypoint Condominium Association, Inc.who is also named in the lawsuitinvestigated the matter and stands by Lees claims that she owns a regular housecat.

Skypoint has investigated the allegations made by Mr. Hernandez and has determined that the alleged 'bobcat' Mr. Hernandez claims attacked him is in fact a standard house cat named Calli, the condo association wrote in a statement, WTSP, a CBS-affiliate in Tampa reports.

Story continues

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The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation also looked into the matter and said they too only came across a housecat in the unit, according to WTSP.

They were like, Really? Lee said. I said Youre welcome to investigate the premises and see that I dont have a bobcat.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekWhen the Guardian published extracts of Fire and Fury, Washington was rocked. Now many are questioning the presidents chances of staying in the job

The week in Washington was dominated by Michael Wolffs account of life in Donald Trumps White House. Photograph: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

Portraits of Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt loomed watchfully. Five US senators with decades of collective experience stood in deference at their chairs. Donald Trump was about to enter the room, a prospect that assures a frisson of unpredictability.

The president strode in, shook hands with Chuck Grassley and patted Lindsey Graham on the back. Graham playfully punched the air.

Lindsey used to be a great enemy of mine, Trump told the gathering when all were seated a few minutes later, and now hes a great friend of mine.

The senator for South Carolina shifted awkwardly in his chair and grinned: I like me too, so we have something in common. There was a ripple of laughter.

Later, when 71-year-old Trump turned to Senator James Lankford and called him Tom, everyone pretended to ignore it.

Here in the elegantly appointed Roosevelt Room, cocooned in the West Wing as if in a wartime bunker, Trump and the loyalists who lavished praise on his leadership could maintain the pretence of business as usual. But outside, political fires were burning. The White House had been hit by a bombshell book that portrayed it as a hive of discord, dysfunction and farce, and the president himself as ignorant, capricious and clinically unfit for the office once occupied by the Roosevelts.

Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, by Michael Wolff, a devastating fly-on-the-wall account of life at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, has stirred speculation over the mental health of the man who began the week boasting to the world of the size of his nuclear button. His stability, Carl Bernstein, a veteran Washington Post reporter best known for his work on the Watergate scandal, told CNN. Thats really what this book is about.

Wolff, who parked himself for long hours on a West Wing sofa, says he interviewed more than 200 people in Trumps inner and outer orbit and they reached a joint conclusion.

Story continues

They all say, He is like a child, and what they mean by that is he has a need for immediate gratification, the author told NBC on Friday. Its all about him.

On Saturday, he spoke to the BBC. I think one of the interesting effects of the book so far is a very clear emperor has no clothes effect, Wolff said.

The story that I have told seems to present this presidency in such a way that it says he cant do his job.

Treasonous and unpatriotic

The new year had barely rubbed the sleep from its eyes when, on Wednesday morning, the Guardian published excerpts of Wolffs book a week ahead of its scheduled publication. It vividly depicted chaos and conflict as a default setting in the administration, even worse than many already suspected. At the centre of the palace intrigue was Steve Bannon, the hardline nationalist who helped put Trump in the White House.

Bannon, former chief strategist, had spilled the beans to Wolff with stunning candour. He described the decision by Trumps son, Donald Trump Jr, to meet a group of Russians at Trump Tower during the 2016 election campaign as treasonous and unpatriotic. He predicted that the continuing investigation into alleged collusion with Moscow would run and run: Theyre going to crack Don Junior like an egg on national TV. And he called Trumps daughter Ivanka as dumb as brick.

Bannon was not alone in his unflattering verdict. The book also reported that Rupert Murdoch once mocked Trump as a fucking idiot over his incoherent views on immigration policy, while Thomas Barrack Jr, a billionaire who is one of the presidents oldest associates, allegedly told a friend: Hes not only crazy, hes stupid. (Barrack has since denied this.)

Other claims by Wolff include Melania Trumps reaction to an election win that her husband and his team thought impossible  she was in tears  and not of joy; the couples preference for separate bedrooms; and Trumps habit of going to bed with a cheeseburger at 6.30pm, watching three TV screens and making phone calls. The president reprimands housekeeping staff for picking up his shirt from the floor and imposed a set of new rules: Nobody touch anything, especially not his toothbrush. His paranoia about being poisoned leads him to turn up without warning at McDonalds, according to the book, which Trump has branded boring and untruthful.

The barrage of damning revelations caught the White House off guard. The Washington Post reported: Trump spent much of the day raging about the book to top aides, officials and advisers said  As he fumed, some aides were still frantically searching for a copy of the book, and even senior aides like [Hope] Hicks had not seen it by the afternoon, officials said.

Said by officials to be disgusted and furious, Trump launched an abortive legal attempt to block the book, which doubtless boosted sales, and wasted little time in brutally disavowing Bannon. Usually he is content to hammer foes with a vituperative tweet  not this time. The White House released a bilious 266-word statement that played down Bannons role in Trumps electoral success and declared: When he was fired, he not only lost his job, he lost his mind.

It was an ugly, very public political divorce, the end of a relationship that had transfixed the political world. In August 2015, Bannon, a former naval officer, investment banker and film-maker, boasted that he had turned the rightwing website Breitbart News into Trump Central and joked that he was the candidates hidden campaign manager, the New York Times reported. He hosted Trump for friendly radio interviews and, in August 2016, took over as chief executive of his long-shot presidential campaign.

The scruffy, unshaven Bannon came to personify Trumps darkest, nativist impulses on immigration, building a border wall and threatening a trade war; he fanned the flames of America first, white nationalism and a blow-everything-up philosophy. In a November 2016 interview with Wolff for the Hollywood Reporter, the liberal bete noire boasted of his influence, declaring with relish: I am Thomas Cromwell in the court of the Tudors. It was grimly prophetic  Cromwell was eventually executed on the kings orders.

Sloppy Steve

The book chronicles feuding between Steve Bannon, second from left, and Jared Kushner, second from right. Photograph: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

Bannon made two fatal mistakes. One was overreach: he featured on the cover of Time magazine, was portrayed as more powerful than Trump on Saturday Night Live and was dubbed President Bannon, all bound to infuriate the Trump ego. He also displayed visceral hatred for Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, chronicled by Wolff in lurid detail. After seven months, he was ousted as chief strategist and returned to his perch as executive chairman of Breitbart.

He reportedly continued to speak to Trump by phone; officials say the last such conversation happened in early December. Around the same time, the Bannon-endorsed Roy Moore  accused of sexual misconduct involving teenage girls  lost a US Senate special election in the Republican stronghold of Alabama, casting doubt on Bannons so-called strategic genius.

Now, Bannon has not only lost Trump. Soon after, he lost his patron Rebekah Mercer, the billionaire Republican donor, who turned off the financial tap. If, as is speculated, he loses Breitbart too, he could be banished to the political wilderness. Reader comments on Breitbarts site seemed overwhelmingly supportive of the president. The alt-right, of which Bannon was once the rock star, appeared to be uniting around Trump.

In a tweet on Friday night, Trump said Bannon cried when he got fired and begged for his job. Now Sloppy Steve has been dumped like a dog by almost everyone. Too bad!

But Kurt Bardella, a political commentator and former Breitbart spokesman, predicted that Bannon may prove difficult to oust from the organisation, and may yet use it as a platform to get back into the presidents good graces.

If theres one thing we know about Donald Trump its that hes susceptible to being sucked up to, Bardella said. The ego of Trump would love nothing more than a humbled Steve Bannon coming grovelling for his forgiveness. He may have imagined just that scenario.

On Thursday, Bannon called Trump a great man, but reconciliation still seems a long way off. His demise has been embraced by the Republican establishment, which had feared an insurgent movement by Bannon-backed candidates with an America first agenda ahead of Novembers midterm elections. Recently, Bannon warned the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell: Youre like a deer thats been shot, youre just going to bleed out, brother. After the White House released Trumps statement denouncing Bannon as a self-aggrandising hanger-on who had lost his mind, McConnells campaign account tweeted a gif of the senator with a victorious smirk forming on his lips.

Bardella said: Steve Bannons crusade for 2018 is over. Instead of Republican versus Republican, the general election between Republicans and Democrats starts now.

He warned McConnell of a mixed blessing, however: You may have sidelined Steve Bannon but you still have to deal with Donald Trump. Republicans are going to be responsible for whatevers going to happen going forward. Theyre not going to be able to say that there were no signs of diminished capacity. Theyre not going to be looked on kindly by history.

The danger has become imminent

Michael Wolff on the set of NBCs Today show. Photograph: Brendan Mcdermid/Reuters

Wolffs book has revived swirling speculation about the state of Trumps mental health and the 25th amendment, which allows a majority of the cabinet and vice-president to remove the president by deeming him unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.

The Trump who emerges from Wolffs account is chronically incurious, contemptuous of experts and beholden to his gut instincts. Trump didnt read, he writes. He didnt really even skim  He could read headlines and articles about himself, or at least headlines on articles about himself, and the gossip squibs on the New York Posts Page Six. Some allies tried to explain this away as an attribute of his populism. He was postliterate  total television.

In another passage, Wolff recounts how Trump is repeating himself with greater frequency. Whereas he used to repeat, word-for-word and expression-for-expression, the same three stories every 30 minutes, now it is within 10 minutes. And in another anecdote, he wrote in a column for the Hollywood Reporter: At Mar-a-Lago, just before the new year, a heavily made-up Trump failed to recognise a succession of old friends.

Bandy Lee, an assistant clinical professor at the Yale School of Medicine, briefed a dozen members of Congress last month on the potential risks associated with the presidents behavior. Lee said this week she and other psychiatrists were speaking out because they feel the danger has become imminent.

Democratic congressman Jamie Raskin, who attended Lees presentation and has proposed legislation to create a commission that would determine whether the president is mentally fit for office, said Trumps behaviour was increasingly delusional. He told CNN: Its a very dangerous and unstable situation as a number of Republican senators have themselves observed. No Republican in Congress has yet called publicly for an evaluation of Trumps mental state.

Chris Ruddy, a longtime friend of Trump, believes the president has attention deficit disorder. Hes easily bored, he told the Observer. He likes moving around a lot of topics and asking a lot of questions. Hes so smart, hes easily bored. Its a big leap to say hes psychologically unfit for office.

Ruddy said he saw Trump several times over the Christmas holidays. I think hes mentally fit. I didnt see anything untoward. His conversation was consistent with any time Ive known him. He seemed to recognise everyone around us. I brought a New York Times journalist, Michael Schmidt, to meet him and at first he didnt recognise him but, when he did double take, he realised who it was.

He added: I would say Donald Trumps mental acuity in remembering faces and information is much higher than average.

Ruddy, chief executive of the conservative Newsmax Media, accused liberals of trying to use the issue to overturn the 2016 presidential election result. Its a highly politicised time and theyre trying to weaponise psychology and psychiatry. It makes no sense.

Trump made a similar argument in extraordinary tweets from 7.19am on Saturday, accusing Democrats and the mainstream media of taking out the old Ronald Reagan playbook. Reagan, whose record Trump broke as the oldest person to be elected president, came under scrutiny from opponents for forgetfulness and contradicting himself. Five years after leaving office, he was diagnosed with Alzheimers disease.

In comments unlikely to have the desired effect of quelling speculation over his own health of mind, Trump continued: Actually, throughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart... I went from VERY successful businessman, to top T.V. Star.... to President of the United States (on my first try). I think that would qualify as not smart, but genius....and a very stable genius at that!

Debate over a presidents erratic behaviour often invites comparisons with Britains King George III. But Wolffs portrayal of a man prone to wild mood swings, liable to call someone a friend one moment, an enemy the next, is also redolent of actor Forest Whitakers portrayal of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in the film The Last King of Scotland.

Youre a child, his despairing doctor tells him. You have the mind and ego of an angry, spoiled, uneducated child. And thats what makes you so fucking scary.Phnom Penh (AFP) - Cambodian premier Hun Sen led a huge rally on Sunday marking the anniversary of the fall of the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime, seizing the opportunity to burnish his image as saviour of the nation.

Tens of thousands of people attended the event organised by Hun Sen's ruling Cambodian People's Party, which has dominated the country since it was installed by the Vietnamese forces which toppled Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot on January 7, 1979.

The gathering on "Victory Over Genocide Day" attracted a much larger turnout than in previous years. Hun Sen's control over Cambodia is stronger than ever following the systematic removal of his rivals before a July election.

The crackdown culminated in the dissolution of the main opposition party in November, a move lambasted by Western democracies as a naked power grab by the strongman, who is determined to extend his 32-year rule.

Speaking before a sea of supporters on Sunday, Hun Sen took credit for the stability and growth his government has overseen since the Khmer Rouge era. At least 1.7 million Cambodians died during the regime's fanatical Maoist rule from 1975-79.

Most died through execution, starvation or overwork during the group's attempts to transform the country into an agrarian utopia.

Hun Sen, a former Khmer Rouge cadre who later defected and joined the resistance, frequently reminds the public of Cambodia's horrific past and warns that fresh unrest could break out if his government is ousted.

In a lengthy address Hun Sen also cheered the recent crushing of the opposition, saying it "evaded a new disaster for the nation, and will ensure the growth of democracy, human rights and rule of law in Cambodia".

Rights groups strongly disagree, saying the move plunged Cambodia's fragile democracy into peril.

The US and EU have withdrawn support for the July election due to the ruling, saying the vote would not be legitimate without the now dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party, which won 44.5 percent of the vote in the 2013 election, according to election authorities.

Story continues

Hun Sen has responded by ramping up his ultra-nationalist rhetoric, reiterating on Sunday that "Cambodia does not bow to external pressure".

After the speech Hun Sen and his wife released white doves into the crowd and received flowers from foreign diplomats.

Hun Sen's self-styled reputation as rescuer of the impoverished kingdom was also on display in the past week in a new documentary recording his role in the toppling of the Khmer Rouge.

But while the premier boasts about the stability and economic growth nurtured during his time in office, critics point out the myriad rights abuses and endemic corruption that have flourished under his watch.

Some Cambodians have also criticised the celebration of the January 7 anniversary, saying it represents the start of a decade-long occupation by Vietnam rather than a day of liberation.Rosario Dawson is among the many women in film, TV, theater, and media who are encouraging fans and supporters to make a statement supporting victims of abuse of power by wearing all black. (Photo: Getty Images)

Without a doubt, this years Golden Globes awards is going to feel like a different event. Rather than the traditional twirl and questions  what are you wearing?  this Sundays Golden Globes awards show is going to be hosting a different kind of conversation. And its a conversation in which stars and celebrities are asking everyone to participate.

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As has been reported, this years awards season will begin with a break with tradition: both men and women who walk the red carpet at the Golden Globes will be dressed in black. Rather than straight-up boycotting the event, the women representing the advocacy organization Times Up believe it would be better to participate and make a visible statement  one that could continue to increase awareness of abuse of power across all industries  by wearing all black. As Kerry Washington told the Los Angeles Times, We thought it was stronger to participate, but make sure we had a public sign of support.

Of course, not everyone who has been affected by these issues or cares about these issues will be walking the red carpet. So Times Up is asking people who want to be a part of the movement to post their own black-clad statements on social media with the tag #WhyWeWearBlack.

As Rosario Dawson explained on social media in her invite to participate: Its time to celebrate each other  not just the nominees. And after thanking the many notable people who have come out to share their stories of abuse, assault, and misconduct  both men and women  Dawson extended the invite to all. Please join us in blacking out Sunday  post your videos and pictures of yourself in all black, whether you watch or dont watch, or go or dont go. 

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At the time of this writing, the Times Up legal defense fund has raised more than $15 million to help support women in generally low-wage work environments fight back against harassment and misconduct. A lot of that funding was provided by the 300 women in film, television, and theater who created the organization this past October. Among the many women who signed the statement launching Times Up are Dawson, Eva Longoria, Jennifer Lopez, Salma Hayek, and Ashley Judd.

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Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.By Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump proposed new subsidies for coal and nuclear plants, it seemed like an obvious way to deliver on campaign promises to boost the nation's energy industry. And yet the plan, announced in September, set off sharp criticism from other sectors that Trump has also vowed to help, such as natural gas and utilities. Subsidies dont make you competitive - and dont make you great again, said Robert Flexon, the president and chief executive of Dynegy Inc , a Houston-based utility that owns both coal- and gas-fired power plants. Squabbling over the proposal exemplifies the administration's larger struggle to deliver on promises of a sweeping "energy renaissance" across the coal, oil, gas and nuclear industries. Trouble is, policies that help one of those sectors often hurt another, illustrating the complexity of energy regulation and the difficulty in appeasing competing interests. While election campaigns often seek to neatly divide voters into two camps - those supporting energy vs. those supporting the environment - such rhetoric fails to capture the messier policy impacts on profits, hiring and emissions reductions across the energy landscape. There is little evidence that Trump's moves so far have aided energy firms of any stripe; some administration proposals have languished amid divisive politics, while other regulatory changes have seen their impact muted by market forces. Utilities, for instance, have shown little interest in buying more coal-fired power despite the regulatory rollbacks in Trump's pro-coal push. A broader measure of investor sentiment on the energy industry - the Standard & Poor's 500 energy index - lost more than 7 percent in 2017 even as stock markets soared. White House and Energy Department officials did not respond to requests for comment. Another political flashpoint has been the administrations waffling over proposed changes to biofuels policy. Trump's Environmental Protection Agency initially entertained a plan from oil refiners to upend regulations requiring them to blend ethanol into their gasoline - then rejected it after a backlash from the ethanol industry, rooted in Midwest corn-growing states that supported Trump's election. The dispute sparked open warfare among the congressional backers of various industry interests, including threats to block Trump's agency nominations and accusations he had welched on campaign promises. Even the coal industry, which played a starring role in Trump's campaign, has seen a marginal return on its lobbying efforts. It has, for instance, had little success so far in attacking subsidies for wind and solar power. Trump and others in his administration have criticized renewable energy as expensive and dependent on government support. But the White House has not sought to repeal tax breaks expected to provide $12.3 billion to renewable energy firms by 2020, which other Republicans continue to support. Fossil-fuel firms clearly have more influence on policy under Trump and easier access to decision makers. Coal, oil, and gas company executives have met regularly with senior administration officials, according to official agency schedules. Their policy victories include rollbacks of regulations limiting emissions of carbon, methane and other pollutants; the opening of Alaskas Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling; and the lifting of a coal-mining moratorium on federal lands. But the impact of these moves on production, profits and jobs remains uncertain. Demand for additional drilling and mining leases on federal lands has been thin, and top U.S. oil and gas companies have told shareholders in regulatory filings that environmental regulations have little impact on their business. While coal advocates have generally cheered Trump's ascension, White House policies have so far had little effect on U.S. coal consumption. Robert Murray, chief executive of private coal company Murray Energy Corp., said Republican efforts to boost coal have addressed only the low hanging fruit of overturning a few environmental regulations while avoiding tougher issues. The oil and gas industry, also championed by Trump, similarly feels let down by an administration it had hoped would strip away government interference, said Susan Ginsburg, a senior vice president of regulatory affairs for the Independent Petroleum Association of America, which represents small oil and gas companies. The industry, she said, expected that "markets would be allowed to work." HELP FOR COAL HURTS NATURAL GAS For the coal industry - which has seen a decade of decline amid competition from cheap natural gas - the wish-list for the Trump administration is long. In the months after Trump was elected, Trump and senior cabinet members including Energy Secretary Rick Perry met with mining executives such as Murray. Other administration officials met with lobbyists for coal firms including Peabody Energy Corp, the nations largest miner. Murray handed the White House a long list of recommendations, including rescinding pollution controls, slashing the EPAs size and ending green energy incentives. Emails obtained by the Sierra Club in October revealed that Peabody had also given the administration a list of proposals, including a controversial electricity pricing measure based on the argument that coal and nuclear plants improve grid reliability. Perry proposed in September that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission reward coal and nuclear plants that have 90 days of fuel supply in reserve by covering their operating costs through power pricing changes. FERC is expected to decide on the request by Jan. 10. That proposal irritated oil and gas producers, along with renewable energy firms. Both were caught off guard, said a Washington-based oil-and-gas lobbyist who spoke on condition of anonymity out of concern over offending the administration. Nobody in the oil and gas industry, or in the renewables industry for that matter, was consulted," the lobbyist said. "It just came out of nowhere. The American Petroleum Institute, which represents major U.S. oil and gas companies, wrote that the plan upsets the very foundations of the competitive wholesale electricity markets. Michael Steel, a spokesman for the Affordable Energy Coalition, which has oil major BP as a member, called the proposal an unfair subsidy. "The Department of Energy is trying to pick winners and losers in a way that will raise costs for consumers by billions of dollars," Steel said. 'BROKEN PROGRAM' The political dustup over biofuels policy provides another telling example of the difficulty appeasing competing industry camps. The Renewable Fuel Standard was introduced under former President George W. Bush as a way to help farmers and reduce oil imports. But refining companies say it costs them a fortune and threatens their survival. Refiners expected changes to the policy after Trump named billionaire investor and refinery owner Carl Icahn as an unofficial adviser on regulation. Icahn and others proposed shifting the blending requirement to other businesses and reducing biofuels blending quotas. But the proposals drew heavy fire from the ethanol industry and its backers. Republican Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst of Iowa in October threatened to block a key EPA nomination until the administration rejected the proposals - which it did days later, at Trump's direction. The refining industry, in turn, was outraged by the reversal. Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and other lawmakers from states with refineries demanded a meeting with Trump. Cruz later said he would block a nomination to the Department of Agriculture over the issue. The White House is now mediating talks between both sides. EPA spokeswoman Liz Bowman, asked if the agency could have handled the situation differently, said: "It is good public policy to vet our options with all stakeholders, which is what we have  and will continue  to do." Follow Trumps impact on energy and environment at The Trump Effect https://www.reuters.com/trump-effect. For an interactive graphic charting the policy changes, see: https://www.reuters.com/trump-effect/energy-environment (Additional reporting by Richard Valdmanis; Editing by Richard Valdmanis and Brian Thevenot)Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site.

Stainless steel appliances remain popular in American kitchens. In fact, stainless appliances outsell white and black kitchen appliances, with dishwashers, ranges, and refrigerators boasting the stainless look in a big way. (One exception is the top-freezer refrigerator categorymost of those sold are white.)

"Stainless appliances have increased in popularity over the past six years," says Jill Notini, spokeswoman for the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers.

But there is a downside to some stainless steel appliances: They're like magnets for fingerprints, smudges, water spots, and streaks. That means a lot of cleaning time to keep your appliances looking their shiny best. I know how much work it takes firsthand: I have to regularly clean my stainless steel range with an all-in-one stainless cleanerthough I draw the line at spending more time cleaning the range than cooking with it.

The Basics on Cleaners for Stainless Steel

Avoid using harsh abrasives, scouring powders, steel wool, bleach, and ammonia, all of which can damage the finish.

Always check the owner's manuals and manufacturers' websites for other cleaners to avoid. Some manufacturers advise against using glass cleaner on stainless steel, for example. And Samsung even recommends you not use a grout cleaner with muriatic acid on the tile floor in your kitchen because the fumes from the grout cleaner can harm stainless steel appliance finishes.

Here's more advice on how to clean stainless steel appliances from Nancy Bock of the American Cleaning Institute.

Stainless Steel Cleaning Tips

Step 1: Dip a soft cloth in warm water mixed with a mild dish detergent. Wipe the surface, rinse the cloth and wipe again, then dry with a towel to prevent water spots.

Step 2: If you still see fingerprints, spray a glass cleaner onto a soft cloth and wipe fingerprints away.

Story continues

Step 3: To remove baked-on food and grease, make a paste of baking soda and warm water. Gently rub onto the surface using a soft cloth or sponge. Wipe with a clean wet cloth and towel dry. For scratches and stains, use a stainless steel cleaner and apply to the area, following directions. Rinse with a clean damp cloth, then dry.

Shying Away From Stainless?

If having to clean stainless steel lacks appeal, check out other finish options, such as that classic, white.





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Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright  2018, Consumer Reports, Inc.The author of the explosive new book on the Trump administration has claimed that the 25th Amendment is a concept that is alive every day in the White House.

Journalist Michael Wolffs searing assessment of Donald Trumps presidency has raised questions about the Presidents fitness to serve, and prompted some to consider a 25th Amendment solution. The amendment allows for the removal of a president if the vice president and a majority of the cabinet deem him physically or mentally unable to perform his duties.

Mr Wolff said members of the Trump White House speak openly about the option, saying things like: Were not at a 25th Amendment level yet, or Ok, this is a little 25th Amendment.

This, is I think, not an exaggeration and its not unreasonable to say: This is 25th Amendment kind of stuff, he told NBCs Chuck Todd.

Mr Wolffs book, Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, paints an unflattering portrait of Mr Trump, claiming the Presidents staff  and even his family members  regard him as like a child.

Asked by Mr Todd if he omitted positive anecdotes about the President from his book, the author replied: If I left out anything, its probably stuff that was even more damning.

Mr Wolff, however, maintained that it was not his initial intention to write a book critical of Mr Trump.

I would have been delighted to have written a contrarian account here: Donald Trump, this unexpected President is actually going to succeed, Mr Wolff said. Ok, thats not the story. Hes not going to succeed. This is worse than everyone thought.

Mr Wolff says his book is based on more than 200 interviews with the President and his senior staff over an 18-month period. The White House has repeatedly denied this, with press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders claiming the author made up a lot of stories to try to sell books.

Stephen Miller, a White House policy adviser, told CNNs Jake Tapper on Sunday that the President is a political genius.

Story continues

Even Steve Bannon, the former White House strategist who is quoted extensively in the book, walked back his comments calling a Trump campaign meeting with a Russian lawyer unpatriotic and treasonous on Sunday.

My comments were aimed at Paul Manafort, a seasoned campaign professional with experience and knowledge of how the Russians operate, he told Axios, referring to the former Trump campaign manager. He should have known they are duplicitous, cunning and not our friends. To reiterate, those comments were not aimed at Don Jr.

Mr Trump slammed Mr Bannon after his negative comments surfaced last week, claiming the former top aide has lost his mind. He did not respond to Mr Bannons apology on Sunday, but did lash out again at Mr Wolff and his book.

Ive had to put up with the Fake News from the first day I announced that I would be running for President. Now I have to put up with a Fake Book, written by a totally discredited author, he tweeted. Ronald Reagan had the same problem and handled it well. So will I!

Mr Trump previously defended himself on Twitter as a very stable genius and like, really smart.

British Prime Minister Theresa May dismissed concerns about Mr Trumps mental state after the books publication, saying the President would still be visiting the UK in the future.

I deal with President Trump. What I see is somebody who is committed to ensuring he is taking decisions in the best interests of the United States, Ms May told BBCs Andrew Marr.

But the conversation around the 25th Amendment has circulated on Capitol Hill even before the books publication. Congress members summoned an Ivy League psychiatrist to Washington to discuss Mr Trumps mental fitness last month, according to Politico. The psychiatrist, Yale University psychiatry professor Bandy X Lee, told legislators that the President is going to unravel, and we are seeing the signs.

Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin has proposed a bill to set up a Congressional body to evaluate the Presidents fitness for office. The bill now has 56 co-sponsors.

After Mr Trump tweeted about having a bigger nuclear button than North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, more than 100 medical professionals signed a letter saying they were deeply concerned about the Presidents psychological aberrations.

We urge that those around him, and our elected representatives in general, take urgent steps to restrain his behaviour and head off the potential nuclear catastrophe that endangers not only Korea and the United States but all of humankind, they wrote.Donald Trump addresses reporters at Camp David - Getty Images North America

President Donald Trump said on Saturday he would "absolutely" be willing to talk on the phone to Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader.

North Korea agreed on Friday to hold official talks with South Korea next week, the first in more than two years, hours after Washington and Seoul delayed a military exercise amid a standoff over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programmes.

Mr Trump, answering questions from reporters at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland, expressed a willingness to talk to Mr Kim but not without preconditions.

"Absolutely, I would do that," said Mr Trump. "I have no problem with that at all."

The two foes have exchanged insults ever since Mr Trump took office, with the American president repeatedly calling Mr Kim "rocket man" for testing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

Kim Jong-un delivering his New Year address Credit: AP

Earlier this week Mr Trump dismissed Mr Kim's taunt that the North Korean leader has a nuclear button on his desk, saying he has a bigger button.

The talks between North Korea and South Korea are expected to cover the Winter Olympics, to be held in South Korea next month, and inter-Korean relations.

Mr Trump suggested the talks might lead to an easing of tensions and took credit for the diplomatic breakthrough, saying it was a result of his steady pressure.

"Look, right now they're talking Olympics. It's a start, it's big start. If I weren't involved they wouldn't be talking at all right now," he said.

Mr Kim "knows I'm not messing around. I'm not messing around. Not even a little bit, not even one percent. He understands that," said Mr Trump.

"If something can come out of those talks, that would be a great thing for all of humanity, that would be a great thing for the world," he said.For more news videos visit Yahoo View.

President Donald Trump has hit out at very weak libel laws in the US as he branded an explosive new book detailing the inner workings of the White House as fiction.

Suggesting he would like to see tougher laws on speech, Mr Trump said that if libel laws were strong... you wouldnt have things like that happen where you can say whatever comes into your head  referring to Michael Wolffs book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House.

The book has caused a storm of controversy and has left the President facing questions about his mental state, with quotes in Fire and Fury  including from Mr Trumps former chief strategist Steve Bannon - suggesting that even those close to Mr Trump had questioned his capability.

Early on Saturday, Mr Trump wrote a string of messages on Twitter where he rejected such claims, saying he was a very stable genius whose two greatest assets are his mental stability and being, like, really smart.

Mr Wolffs new book, which has shot to the top of the bestseller list on Amazon after being released four days early, has clearly riled the President and he used a rare news conference during a retreat with Republican leadership to reinforce what he sees as a stellar list of life achievements.

Answering a question about why he saw the need to tweet about his mental state, Mr Trump said that he had attended the best college and was an excellent student. He added that he came out of college and made billions and billions of dollars... [and] became one of the best business people before touting his tremendous success over a decade on television. He went on to add that he ran for President one time, and won.

Mr Trump also called Mr Wolff a fraud and the book a complete work of fiction, saying that he doesnt know me at all and said that he had not been interviewed in the White House as Mr Wolff had said. He later admitted that he had spoken to Mr Wolff during his presidential campaign.

Story continues

The gathering at Camp David, with a number of members of his cabinet, is supposed to be a weekend for Mr Trump to concentrate on their agenda for 2018. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan were also present for the two days of talks, with the Republican party facing a battle to keep control of the US Congress in Novembers elections.

At the beginning of his remarks, Mr Trump described having some incredible meetings with colleagues, saying the party was readying its 2018 legislative agenda.

He said the group, 10 of whom were on stage with him, the only woman being Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, discussed a variety of topics, from national security and infrastructure to the military and the budget.

Mr Trump said: We are very well prepared for the coming year. He added that his administration finished very strong, referring to the passing of a tax reform bill in December that marked the biggest overhaul of the tax code in nearly three decades.

However, with the President taking a number of questions from the assembled journalists  another rarity for Mr Trump  attention soon turned back to Mr Wolffs book.

A lawyer for Mr Trump had sent a letter calling for its publisher not to release the book  but it did so anyway about a day later.

Mr Trump has labelled Mr Bannon sloppy Steve, and issued a furious statement over his quotes in Fire and Fury earlier in the week after a number of reports appeared about the contents of the book. The President continued in that vein as he spoke about Mr Wolff while answering the question about his mental state.

I dont know this man. I guess sloppy Steve brought him in the White House quite a bit and it was one of those things. Thats why sloppy Steve is now looking for a job, Mr Trump said.

In one of his morning tweets, the President said critics were taking out the old Ronald Reagan playbook and screaming mental stability and intelligence. Mr Trump added that going from successful businessman to reality TV star to President on his first try would qualify as not smart, but genius .... and a very stable genius at that!

Former President Reagan died in 2004, at age 93, from pneumonia complicated by the Alzheimers disease that had progressively clouded his mind. At times during his time in the White House Mr Reagan would appear to lose his train of thought, but his diagnosis came years after he left the Oval Office.

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly told reporters at Camp David that Mr Trump did not seem angry about the book and on Friday night had watched a new film, The Greatest Showman about legendary circus promoter P T Barnum, with Republicans and his cabinet.

Once beyond the issue of Mr Wolff during his news conference, Mr Trump opened up about a number of other topics. The President said he would absolutely be willing to talk on the phone to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and that he hopes a positive development results from talks between North Korea and South Korea.

Pyongyang agreed on Friday to hold official talks with South Korea next week, the first in more than two years, hours after Washington and Seoul delayed a military exercise amid a standoff over the Kim regimes nuclear and missile programmes.

The talks between North Korea and South Korea are expected to cover the Winter Olympics, to be held in South Korea next month, and inter-Korean relations.

Look, right now theyre talking Olympics. Its a start, its big start. If I werent involved they wouldnt be talking at all right now, Mr Trump said, but made clear his stance. Mr Kim knows Im not messing around. Im not messing around. Not even a little bit, not even 1 per cent. He understands that, he said.

If something can come out of those talks, that would be a great thing for all of humanity, that would be a great thing for the world, he added.

Mr Trump has given Congress until March to come up with legislation to protect hundreds of thousands of young people brought to the country illegally, who have been shielded from deportation and given the right to work under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme he has phased out.

Talking about the issue on Saturday, Mr Trump said he would not sign such legislation  a priority for Democrats - unless Congress agrees to overhaul the legal immigration system.

He said any deal must include an overhaul of the family-based immigration system as well as an end to the diversity visa lottery, which draws immigrants from under-represented parts of the world

We all want DACA to happen, but we also want great security for our country, he added.

Moving onto the mid-term elections in November, Mr Trump says he would be very involved with both House and Senate races, and will campaign for incumbents and anybody else that has my kind of thinking.

After a stinging Republican loss in Alabama, where Mr Trump supported Roy Moore, who lost to Democrat Doug Jones, the President said he will no longer support challengers, declaring: I dont see that happening.Nativity of Christ Cathedral (Egypt) (AFP) - Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Christians held a Christmas Eve mass on Saturday at a massive new cathedral east of Cairo amid tight security after a year of deadly jihadist attacks on the community.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi gave a short speech before the liturgy, which was led by Pope Tawadros II, wishing the Christians a merry Christmas and telling them that the country would prevail over the jihadists.

"You are our family, you are from us, we are one and no one will divide us," he said to ululations and chants from some of the congregants and visitors.

Police had set up barricades outside the cathedral in a new administrative capital Egypt is building east of Cairo.

The cathedral, Sisi said, was a "message to the world, a message of peace and a message of love".

Police had tightened security around the country's churches ahead of services following a spate of attacks that began in 2016.

More than 100 Christians have been killed in the violence, including a shooting at a church south of Cairo just last week claimed by the Islamic State group.

Since the military ousted divisive Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013, security forces have sought to quell attacks led by the Egypt branch of IS which has increasingly targeted Christians.

While the jihadists have also taken aim at other civilians, including more than 300 Muslim worshippers massacred at a mosque last November, they have focused on the ancient Coptic community.

In December 2016, an IS suicide bomber killed almost 30 worshippers at a church in Cairo located in the Saint Mark's Cathedral complex, the seat of the Coptic papacy.

In the Sinai Peninsula, where IS is based, hundreds of Christians were forced to flee in January and December after a wave of assassinations.

IS suicide bombers killed more than 40 people in twin church bombings in April and shot dead almost 30 Christians a month later as they headed to a monastery.

The year ended with an IS jihadist killing nine people in an attack on a church in a south Cairo suburb.

Copts, who make up about 10 percent of Egypt's 93 million people, have long complained of discrimination and intermittent sectarian attacks.Cairo (AFP) - Egypt's former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq said on Sunday that he will not now be a candidate in this year's presidential election, reversing a previous pledge to stand.

His decision to step aside is likely to pave the way for the poll to be dominated by incumbent Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

The National Elections Authority is expected to announce a date for the election on Tuesday.

Shafiq's decision not to stand came after he was returned to Egypt last month from the United Arab Emirates, where he had lived in exile since 2012.

"I have decided to not run in the upcoming 2018 presidential elections," Shafiq said in a statement posted online.

"I saw that I will not be the best person to lead the country in the coming period."

Shafiq was appointed premier by former president Hosni Mubarak shortly before he was toppled in 2011. He was seen as a main challenger for Sisi who has not yet officially announcing his candidacy but is expected to cruise to a new term.

"His withdrawal from the elections might be leaving the scene void of any strong personality that can challenge President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi," said Mustapha Kamel al-Sayyid, a political science professor at Cairo University.

- Deported from UAE -

Shafiq announced his plan to stand in a November 29 video from the UAE, saying that it seemed Egypt needed "new blood" to face "many problems in all aspects of life".

After angering his Emirati hosts by saying in a video first aired by Al-Jazeera that he was being prevented from leaving the country, his aides said he was deported on December 2.

After arriving in Egypt, Shafiq disappeared for around 24 hours before reemerging to tell a talk show host he was reconsidering his bid for the presidency.

On Sunday Shafiq appeared to have dramatically changed his tune on the situation in Egypt.

Being in exile "may have kept me away from carefully following updates in the homeland, of progress and accomplishments," he said.

Story continues

Shafiq narrowly lost out on the presidency in 2012 to Islamist president Mohammed Morsi.

After the election he was tried in absentia on corruption charges, and was eventually acquitted.

Sisi, a former army chief, was elected president in 2014, a year after leading the military's ouster of Morsi.

"Shafiq was considered a strong potential candidate to challenge President Sisi as he enjoyed popularity when he ran in the 2012 presidential elections," Sayyid said.

"Perhaps many people are nostalgic for the days of Hosni Mubarak, who see Shafiq as a continuation of Mubarak's rule. That's why it was expected he would attract a large number of voters," he said.

Other potential candidates may not be able to be muster similar interest, Sayyid added.

- Other candidates -

Such candidates include Khaled Ali, a rights lawyer and presidential candidate in 2012 who challenged the government over Red Sea islands Egypt gave to Saudi Arabia.

In November, Ali announced his intention to stand again in 2018.

However, he had been sentenced in September in absentia to three months in jail on accusations of "offending public decency", a ruling he appealed.

This was in relation to a photograph, that Ali says was fabricated and that appeared to show him making an obscene gesture while celebrating a court ruling in the case of the islands' transfer to Saudi Arabia.

Ali said only the committee organising the election can decide whether that ruling would disqualify him as a candidate.

Another presidential hopeful, military colonel Ahmed Konsowa, was given six years in prison in December by a military court after the previous month announcing his intention to stand.

Konsowa's lawyer said his client was given the jail sentence for stating political opinions while still in the military, even though Konsowa said he had been trying to resign from the military for more than three years.

Lawyer Asaad Heikal said Konsowa had only followed Sisi's example in announcing his candidacy. Sisi was in uniform when he did so, before later resigning as defence minister.CAIRO (Reuters) - The head of the Coptic Church, Pope Tawadros II, led midnight mass in the cathedral of Egypt's new administrative capital on Saturday, a service attended by President Abdel Fattah al Sisi. The mass, on the eve of Coptic Christmas which is celebrated on Jan. 7, was the first to be held in the newly-built cathedral and took place amid tight security. Sisi was cheered by worshippers as he entered the building. The new Egyptian capital, announced in March 2015, is intended partly to reduce crowding in Cairo. Some 45 km (28 miles) east of Cairo, the city, which has not yet been given a name, will be home to government ministries, housing and an airport. The celebrations were held days after attacks on a Coptic church and another Christian-owned shop that left more than 10 people dead. Egypt's large Christian minority has increasingly been targeted in recent years by Islamist militants including Islamic State, which is waging an insurgency in the north of the remote Sinai Peninsula. (Reporting by Ahmed Fahmy; Editing by Adrian Croft)Paris (AFP) - French President Emmanuel Macron suggested Friday that Turkey should renounce its ambition of joining the EU and settle instead for a looser "partnership" after talks with visiting Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkey was hoping to warm frosty relations with Europe during Erdogan's trip to Paris, but the talks were overshadowed by concerns over Turkey's huge crackdown after a 2016 failed coup.

Macron said there was no chance of Turkey's membership bid, which has been languishing for years, moving forward.

"I'd be lying if I said we could open new chapters," he said in reference to the accession process.

"As regards recent relations with the European Union, it is clear that recent developments and choices allow no chance for progress in the process," Macron said after what he described as "very frank" talks with Turkey's strongman.

"We must list the subjects that are blocking things from the EU's perspective... and see if we cannot rethink this relationship, not in terms of an integration process but a cooperation, a partnership," he added at a joint press conference.

He emphasised however that he wanted to see Turkey "remain anchored to Europe".

Erdogan said that Turkey's 54-year wait to join the EU was "seriously exhausting" the Turkish people and that he might be forced "to take a decision."

He did not specify what that might be but admitted: "We don't really have an attitude of 'let us in' (to the EU) anymore."

- Swipe at French reporter -

The visit was Erdogan's first to France since the botched putsch against him, which triggered a sweeping purge of the public service and an intensified crackdown on the media, civil society and opposition.

It came after a year in which Turkish-European relations hit a low point, with Erdogan notably accusing Chancellor Angela Merkel of "Nazi practices" for refusing to let his ministers campaign in Germany.

Story continues

Macron's invitation to Erdogan drew sharp criticism from the French left, trade unions and rights groups, and a group of Kurdish demonstrators who attempted to demonstrate outside the Elysee Palace on Friday were arrested.

The Reporters Without Borders group protested outside the Turkish embassy in Paris, holding aloft stencilled portraits of imprisoned journalists.

The French presidency insisted on the need to "maintain dialogue" without "covering up differences".

Tensions spilled over during Erdogan's meeting with the French press when a journalist pressed him on a report that Turkish intelligence services shipped arms to radical groups in Syria.

"Do not speak with the mouth of FETO," Erdogan retorted, referring to the Fethullah Terror Organisation -- the term Ankara uses for the movement of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkey accuses of being behind the failed coup as well as the Syria arms report.

- Macron criticism on rights -

Macron chided Erdogan over his rights record.

Over 140,000 Turks have been sacked or suspended from their jobs and over 55,000 officials, security force members, judges, academics, journalists, politicians and activists been arrested since the coup.

Referring to the jailing of dozens of journalists, whose cases the two leader discussed in detail, he said: "Democracies must fully respect the rule of law".

While admitting that he and Erdogan were in "disagreement on our vision of individual liberties", Macron noted that France had been able to obtain the release last year of two French journalists held in Turkey.

Erdogan insisted: "Turkey is a state based on the rule of law, the judiciary is independent."

Areas where they signalled agreement included fighting terrorism, with Macron describing their cooperation in the fight against the Islamic State group as "exemplary", and Syria, on which he hailed a "communion of views".

The Paris visit was also about trade, with Turkey signing accords on an antimissile defence projet with a Franco-Italian consortium and on purchases of new planes from European planemaker Airbus.

Erdogan met later Friday with Pierre Gattaz, head of the French employers' federation Medef.

- 'New start' with Germany -

His visit had been billed as a chance to turn the page on a torrid year for EU-Turkey ties in 2017.

In a column for the German newspaper group Funke on Friday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu -- who is heading to Berlin at the weekend for talks -- called for a "new start" in relations with that country also.

For Macron, hosting Erdogan was another diplomatic gamble after visits from US President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin last year.

A relative newcomer to politics and diplomacy, he has made it his goal to bolster France's standing on the world stage.

burs-cb/js/pvhPresident Donald Trumps son Eric Trump turns 34 years old Saturday, as the White House struggles to deal with a Russia probe and new tell-all book by Michael Wolff.

In the book, In Fire and Fury, Wolff was not terribly kind to Eric.

Donald Trump's sons, Don Jr. thirty-nine, and Eric, thirty-three, existed in an enforced infantile relationship to their father, a role that embarrassed them, but one that they also professionally embraced, Wolff wrote. The role was to be Donald Trump's heirs and attendees. Their father took some regular pleasure in pointing out that they were in the back of the room when God handed out brains.

Trending: Trump Renews Attack On ABC Reporter, Says He Should Have Been Fired

Eric echoed this himself, when he told the New York Magazine that his brother Don Jr. and sister Ivanka were the real parents to him.

"[Ivanka] took me under her wing and raised me, took me shopping, tried to make me cool," he said.

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And Eric isnt being let out of the Russia talk either. In November, a member of the House Intelligence Committee told Newsweek he wants the panel to interview Eric Trump as part of its investigation into Russia's election meddling.

Don't miss: Why Is Dippin' Dots Starting a Cryogenics Company?

We still have many interviews that are being scheduled, more documents that were receiving from witnesses and other evidence. We need to visit with some of the principals, including Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and others that weve not had a chance to sit down with yet, Representative Joaquin Castro (DTexas) said. Asked if such discussions were ongoing or would begin soon, the Texas congressman added, Yeah. Most of these requests have already been put forward by Democrats to the majority.

However, at the time, a Castro spokeswoman said that the interview request had not started so there are not any current plans to begin the process. But he is definitely intertwined in the Russia investigation.

Story continues

Eric is the youngest of the Trump/Ivana children, and after attending Georgetown, immediately went to work for his father -- and he hasnt stopped working for him since.

Today he works with his brother, Don Jr., leading the Trump Organization (President Trump had to step down once he won the election). In his current job, he keeps in close contact with his father.

Most popular: Epiphany: Ancient Christian Text Adds to Biblical Story of Three Magi Traveling to Bethlehem for Birth of Jesus

I talk to him a lot. Were pretty inseparable, Eric Trump recently told Forbes. Aside from the White House, Eric also owns and operates Trump Winery.

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Eric married Lara Kunaska in 2012. Kunaska also works in the Trump White House as a liaison from digital vendor Giles-Parscale to Trumps ongoing campaign, according to the Associated Press. The couple had their first child, Eric Luke Trump, in September 2017.

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This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekBerlin (AFP) - The European Union will invite Iran's foreign minister for talks about the recent anti-government protests that have hit the country, Germany's Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said Sunday.

"Together with the EU's foreign policy chief (Federica Mogherini), we agreed to invite the Iranian foreign minister, if possible next week," Gabriel told German public broadcaster ZDF, without giving further details.

21 people have died and hundreds arrested since December 28 as protests over economic woes turned against the Iranian regime as a whole, with attacks on government buildings and police stations.

"We very quickly affirmed that we support the freedom to demonstrate and that the state should support this," Gabriel said.

At the same time, Gabriel said Berlin will not follow the lead of US President Donald Trump, who pledged to help Iranians "take back" their government.

Trump also seized on the recent unrest to again slam a multiparty nuclear deal with Iran as deeply flawed.

Germany, as well as France, has "warned against attempts at instrumentalising the domestic conflicts in Iran," said Gabriel.

The US on Friday took the Iran protests to the UN Security Council, where deep divisions emerged over the issue, with Russia arguing the demonstrations posed no threat to international peace and security.By Jeff Mason and Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Following a tumultuous start to 2018, President Donald Trump and top Republicans began a two-day retreat in Maryland on Friday to lay out legislative priorities for the year and discuss strategy for pivotal November congressional elections. Trump and party leaders, including House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, face a Jan. 19 deadline on passing legislation to prevent a government shutdown. They also were due to discuss broader issues to highlight ahead of midterm elections in which Republicans will battle to keep control of Congress. "We have a lot of things to work on, a lot of things to accomplish," Trump told reporters as he left for the talks being held at the Camp David presidential retreat. The meeting comes on the heels of explosive comments by Trump's former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, contained in a new book that put the White House on the defensive. Trump is seeking more legislative wins after cementing the first major victory of his presidency in December with a tax overhaul long sought by his party and its supporters. The White House has said its next top priorities are a plan to invest in roads, bridges and other infrastructure, and an overhaul of welfare programs. Also on the agenda is immigration policy including addressing protections for hundreds of thousands of young adults who were brought to the United States illegally as children. While Trump and McConnell want to work on infrastructure first, Ryan is more interested in tackling so-called entitlement programs such as welfare. A White House official said the timing of legislation would be discussed, as well as the November election. All 435 members of the House and a third of the 100 members of the Senate will be up for re-election. A Democratic takeover of one or both chambers could stifle Trump's agenda. CHANGING THE SUBJECT The Camp David strategy session will provide an opportunity to switch subjects after the furor over the book, which went on sale on Friday, that describes an inept Trump White House. Trump broke with Bannon on Wednesday after comments attributed to his former advisor about his son Donald Trump Jr. were revealed in author Michael Wolff's "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House." Trump said Bannon had "lost his mind." "The White House doesn't mind the optics after a few days of the president unloading on Bannon and making our views clear on the book. The president sits down and charts the course forward ... with the actual leaders of the Republican Party," a White House official said. The White House said healthcare, the fiscal 2019 budget, the opioid crisis and the effort to win Senate confirmation of Trump's nominees for various government posts would be discussed at the retreat, which will also be attended by Vice President Mike Pence, Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise. Cabinet members including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt will also attend, along with a handful of senior White House advisers. The Republicans also are expected to talk about raising the budget caps for defense. Democrats have demanded any increase on defense spending be accompanied by higher caps for non-defense spending. Talks with Democrats are expected to resume on Tuesday, when leaders from both parties are slated to meet with Trump at the White House to discuss immigration. (Reporting by Jeff Mason; Additional reporting by Susan Cornwell, Steve Holland, Roberta Rampton and Susan Heavey; Editing by Will Dunham)(Photo: Carlos Barria / Reuters)

The Republican National Committee has started a war against the author of the wild tell-all book about President Donald Trump and his administration.

In an email blast and follow-up tweet, the RNC distributed a reimagined cover for Michael Wolffs Fire and Fury decorated with prominent journalists critiques of the book.

The Republican mock-up, titled Liar and Phony, quotes several notable journalists commenting on Wolffs book, including esteemed White House reporter Maggie Haberman of the New York Times, CNNs senior media correspondent Brian Stelter and Politicos senior media reporter Michael Calderone.

Out of context, all the quotes appear to lower Wolffs credibility.

He gets basic details wrong, the GOP quoted Haberman as saying. The Times correspondent made her remarks during a Friday appearance on CNNs New Day, in which she said Wolffs book is notionally and conceptually true, but includes details that are often wrong.

Trump retweeted the fake book cover Friday, on the same day he called Wolff a total loser who made up stories in order to sell this really boring and untruthful book.

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Since Fire and Furys release, readers, journalists and Republican pundits have criticized Wolffs writing, pointing out a number of errors he made in the book.

As Stelter pointed out in a Friday tweet, there was one page that contained three errors: Wolff misspelled Democratic strategist Hilary Rosens name, he misidentified Wilbur Ross as the labor secretary nominee (Ross is the commerce secretary) and he said Washington Post reporter Mark Berman was at a Four Seasons property which Berman claims hes never been to.

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While media critics are highlighting Wolffs inaccuracies, some maintain that there is still some value to the books truths.

Many of [Wolffs] key sources are not disputing the material. The story hes telling rings true and lines up with previous reporting from other journalists, Stelter wrote in his CNN newsletter for Reliable Sources.

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If even half the book is true, its deeply disturbing. I agree with that. However, the errors weaken Wolffs case, he added.

And, as the Washington Posts opinion writer Greg Sargent pointed out, many White House reporters agree with Wolffs conclusion that many of Trumps closest aides believe Trump is unfit for the roles of POTUS.

By all means, we should retain healthy skepticism about such reporting, particularly in its details, Sargent wrote of Wolffs book. But reporters who closely follow the White House know many people around him really do believe this.

Washington Post media reporter Paul Farhi also said Saturday that, while Wolffs book may have reported some details inaccurately, it doesnt make Wolffs conclusion wrong. Although, he added, it admittedly degrades the credibility of the conclusion.

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Now, Republicans are jumping on Wolffs inaccuracies, which continue to be highlighted by media critics, and using them to discredit the book altogether.

Stelter obtained the RNCs talking points on Fire and Fury, which includes several critiques on Wolffs professional background and even more disparaging quotes from media writers.

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Also on HuffPost

Trump throws rolls of paper towels into a crowd of Puerto Rico residents affected by Hurricane Maria as he visits Calgary Chapel in San Juan on Oct. 3.

Trump reacts as he sits in a truck on March 23 while welcoming truckers and CEOs to attend a meeting at the White House regarding health care.

Trump registers his surprise as he realizes 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 ASEAN Summit in Manila, Philippines, on Nov. 13.

Trump, along with first lady Melania Trump, Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, put their hands on an illuminated globe during the inauguration ceremony of the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 21.

Trump looks up toward the solar eclipse while standing on the Truman Balcony at the White House on Aug. 21.

Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May are pictured ahead of a photo opportunity of leaders as they arrive for a NATO summit meeting in Brussels, Belgium, on May 25.

Trump boards Air Force One to depart for Vietnam from Beijing, China, on Nov. 10.

Trump holds up a pen after signing the HBCU executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on Feb. 28.

Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel wait for reporters to enter the room before their meeting in the Oval Office on March 17.

Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their bilateral meeting at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, on July 7.

Trump welcomes 11-year-old Frank Giaccio to the White House on Sept. 15. Frank, who wrote a letter to Trump offering to mow the White House lawn, was invited to work for a day along the National Park Service staff.

Trump and Putin shake hands as they take part in a family photo at the APEC summit in Danang, Vietnam, on Nov. 10.

Trump jokes with French President Emmanuel Macron about their handshakes at the start of the NATO summit at their new headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on May 25.

Trump holds a mechanical tool as he attends a Made in America roundtable in the East Room of the White House on July 19.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.Donald Trump and Steve Bannon in the East Room of the White House on Jan. 22, 2017. (Photo: MANDEL NGAN/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  Just a few months ago, Steve Bannon was warning establishment Republicans that a day of reckoning was at hand.

As it turns out, he was right.

Bannon, President Donald Trumps initial top aide and self-described architect of his improbable victory, has fallen faster than might have seemed possible  from The Great Manipulator on the cover of Time magazine to the owner of a new, derisive Trump nickname in less than a year.

Sloppy Steve, Trump called him Friday  a continuation of the criticism that began on Wednesday when the president declared in a lengthy statement that Bannon had done little for his campaign or his presidency.

Bannon did not respond to a query for comment, even as his erstwhile allies abandoned him to declare their loyalty to Trump. In a new book by author Michael Wolff, Bannon is quoted as describing first son Donald Trump Jr.s meeting with Russians as treasonous and calling first daughter Ivanka Trump dumb as a brick.

The clearest beneficiary of the new schism: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), whose now 51-49 Republican majority was threatened by Bannons vow to defeat GOP incumbents and McConnell-backed challengers in the upcoming Senate primaries.

Id like to associate myself with what the president had to say about Steve Bannon, McConnell said, referring to Trumps broadsides against his former chief strategist.

It kind of goes to what weve been saying all along. Candidates get themselves too close to Steve Bannon, theyre going to have to answer for his toxic views, said Chris Pack, who is with the McConnell-endorsed Senate Leadership Fund super PAC. It seems common sense at this point that you would not want to associate yourself with somebody whos at war with the president of your own party.

Other Republicans, critics of Trump as well as Bannon, wonder whether Bannons exile matters at all.

At the end of the day, he is a fraud, and so is the president, said John Weaver, who ran Ohio Gov. John Kasichs GOP presidential campaign in 2016.

Story continues

Weaver added that what Bannon does next, or does not do, makes no difference. Trump and Bannon are backing the same people. Theyre backing nutjobs who would lose the general election. Trump was the original Bannon. Its not like Bannons the only alt-right loon whos talking to the president.

Bannon was the earliest right-wing media impresario to champion Trump. In the summer of 2015, he threw his Breitbart website and radio show behind the New York City reality TV host in a field of GOP senators and governors.

That move, though, was more about making Bannons anti-immigration ideology a central issue in the Republican primary  Bannon had previously considered backing then-Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions for the same reason  than a belief that Trump could actually win.

When Trump wound up defeating the last of his Republican rivals in the spring of 2016, Bannon was given much of the credit. He took on an unofficial advisory role in the campaign, and then was given charge of it in late summer at the urging of Robert and Rebekah Mercer. The billionaire father and daughter team had supported Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in the primaries, but came over to Trump after he locked down the nomination. They had for years funded Bannons ventures, including Breitbart.

Trumps unexpected victory in November catapulted a man best known for running a white-nationalist-leaning, anti-immigrant website directly into the West Wing. On paper, Bannon was a co-equal with chief of staff Reince Priebus and on a key committee on the National Security Council. But because Bannon had no official job duties, he was free to do whatever he wanted.

And what Bannon wanted was to push through as many of his Breitbart-world agenda items as possible, as fast as possible, from withdrawing from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement to a disastrously implemented travel ban against a handful of majority-Muslim countries.

The resulting chaos of those early weeks became the leitmotif of the Trump White House  an outfit that could not get out of its own way, despite having a largely docile Republican Congress at its beck and call. As spring became summer, Trumps own family began advocating for a more traditional structure.

In August, that structure came in the form of John Kelly, the retired Marine general running the Department of Homeland Security. He took over as chief of staff with the understanding that everyone in the West Wing would henceforth report to him  a condition that led to Bannons easing out by the middle of the month.

Bannon claimed he had wanted to leave and that he was actually more powerful outside the White House. Always fond of apocalyptic themes and militaristic language, Bannon told The Weekly Standard: Ive got my hands back on my weapons. Someone said, Its Bannon the Barbarian. I am definitely going to crush the opposition.

To prove it, he inserted himself into a Senate primary race in Alabama  on the side of Roy Moore, who had been twice removed from the state Supreme Court for defying federal court orders. Trump announced his support for Luther Strange, who had been appointed to the post after Sessions became Trumps attorney general, at the request of McConnell. McConnell and other mainstream Republicans argued that Strange would certainly win the general election, while Moore could quite possibly lose.

As it happens, that split with Trump wound up foreshadowing the even deeper, seemingly unbridgeable rift created by Wolffs book.

Bannon relished the fight. Mitch McConnell and this permanent political class is the most corrupt and incompetent group of individuals in this country, he said shortly before the September runoff election. When Moore easily won, Bannon promised that it was merely the first in a series of victories that his stable of populist insurgents would win over McConnells candidates. Your day of reckoning is coming, he said.

When a series of women came forward accusing Moore of having sought sexual relations with them when they were teens  including one who claimed Moore had sexually assaulted her when she was 14  Bannon refused to back down, even sending reporters from Breitbart to Alabama to destroy the womens credibility.

Trump, apparently consulting with Bannon, declared that he believed Moores denials. Get out and vote for Roy Moore, Trump said just days before the election at a rally in Pensacola, Florida, just over the bridge from Mobile, Alabama.

When Moore lost to Doug Jones  the first Democrat to win a Senate election in Alabama since 1992  Trump then turned the blame on Bannon. He even cited that race in his 266-word statement on Wednesday in response to Bannons quotes in the book.

Steve had everything to do with the loss of a Senate seat in Alabama held for more than thirty years by Republicans, Trump said. Steve doesnt represent my base  hes only in it for himself.

Trumps feud with Bannon has cast his former top aides entire future in doubt. The Mercers have reportedly broken with Bannon, while candidates Bannon was hoping to call his own are distancing themselves from him.

Steve Bannon is only one of many high-profile endorsements Dr. Ward has received, said the campaign of Kelli Ward, who is running for the GOP Senate nomination in Arizona. Her focus remains on winning this race, which she is in a great position to do, and then helping President Trump advance an America First agenda.

New York Republican Michael Grimm, who left his House seat after his prison sentence for tax fraud and is now seeking to return, also disowned Bannon. I strongly denounce the comments by Steve Bannon as quoted by Michael Wolff, Grimm said in a statement.

When youve got people like Michael Grimm putting out statements, things arent going well, said Rory Cooper, once an aide to former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.).

Cooper and other Republicans argued that Bannon had always been overrated. He was more of a barnacle on the side of the Trump movement than vice-versa  His political organization, whatever that was, was always an empty suit, Cooper said. It also goes to the question of whether you can replicate the Trump situation to lower ballot candidates, and I dont think you can.

What influence Bannon can retain in the coming months remains an open question. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders suggested from the podium that Breitbart consider firing Bannon.

Breitbart did not respond to a query on Bannons status, but if he winds up being forced from his role as chairman, it could leave him without a platform at all, just as primary contests begin.

If a tree falls in the woods and nobodys around to hear it make a noise, does it make a sound? asked Pack, of the Senate Leadership Fund.

But Weaver warned that no conclusions about Bannons future can be drawn with Trump as president. Who knows, he and Omarosa could wind up back at the White House in two months, he said.

Amanda Terkel contributed reporting.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.Port-au-Prince (AFP) - The rampant corruption that plagues Haiti is denounced roundly in official speeches, but despite probes implicating former ministers, legal action has yet to take place to end a practice that has become a habit.

Whether it's a Transparency International ranking on corruption or a Forbes one on the business climate, Haiti stubbornly stays at the bottom of the list year after year. Determined to buck the trend, President Jovenel Moise has pledged to clean up politics.

"Corruption in all its forms plagues and atrophies the economy. It has severely weakened the country's political foundation and social fabric. Corruption is a crime against development," the Haitian leader told the United Nations General Assembly in September.

The anti-corruption campaign could have been launched in November, after a parliamentary report found that more than a dozen ex-ministers who served from 2010 to 2016 were involved in "widespread fraud."

The 600-page report detailed possible irregularities and potentially illegal activities in the management of the Petrocaribe oil alliance fund.

The loan program, linked to the purchase of Venezuelan oil, was launched by Hugo Chavez for nearly 20 Caribbean and Latin American countries.

Since Haiti joined the program in 2009, Petrocaribe has raised concerns about potential misuse because, unlike other international aid, the funds are dispensed at the governments' discretion without submitting to Venezuelan conditions.

"We know there's bad management because more than $2 billion were spent and you don't see that translate in the country's growth," said economist Kesner Pharel.

Analyses of Petrocaribe have been swiftly swept under the carpet. A report on the management of the funds in mid-2016 accused numerous politicians, but no legal action was taken against them and the accused did not publicly seek to rebuild their tarnished image.

Story continues

Today, while the government enjoys the backing of a broad majority in the senate, no official debate has yet begun there to discuss a potential second report.

- Politics to plush retirement -

Pharel said the parliament's refusal to discuss the commission's corruption report hints at "possible collusion."

"You don't want to attack the person in power because you wouldn't want to be attacked when you get there too. It's awful to develop a culture like this."

Corruption is so deeply embedded in senior politicians that "there are even sayings that reflect this tendency, like 'whoever fleeces the government is not a thief,'" senate president Youri Latortue recognized, with a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Once they reach their post, politicians think they can get rich and once they finish their mandate or the government ends its term, they head to Miami, New York or stay comfortably here without any worries," Latortue added.

With a legal system that advances at a snail's pace, Haiti is struggling to emerge from the vicious cycle of impunity. And judges and lawyers themselves are widely suspected of practicing law to the advantage of the highest bidder.

The apathy of a majority of the population toward the waste of already-meager public resources also does not encourage a legal crackdown.

Tens of thousands of people in the neighboring Dominican Republic -- which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti -- marched this summer against the Odebrecht scandal, in which a Brazilian construction group paid bribes to secure public works contracts.

But only a few thousand took to the streets to protest against corruption in Port-au-Prince on December 5.

"The people have not yet been educated either about the impact of corruption on citizens, and that needs to change," said Magguie Rigaud, who was among the protesters.

"Unfortunately, for many people, it's become normal to steal when you work for the government. A minister without a beautiful car is considered unclean. Some who worked honestly live in poverty. All of these years of corruption makes for a big lack of role models."Tehran (AFP) - Iran, where fresh pro-regime demonstrations took place Friday, has been rocked by days of opposition protests over the economy and the Islamic regime as a whole.

The unrest has left 21 dead, mostly demonstrators, and prompted hundreds of arrests. It is the biggest such movement in the tightly controlled country since a protest movement over a disputed election in 2009.

Here is a summary:

- First demonstrations -

A few hundred demonstrators gather in the northeastern city of Mashhad and several other towns on December 28 to protest high living costs.

Videos on reformist media show protesters focusing their ire on President Hassan Rouhani but there are also slogans lambasting the entire regime and Iran's involvement in conflicts across the Middle East.

The next day larger-scale protests flare up in more cities including religious centre Qom, where footage shows hundreds of demonstrators chanting "Death to the dictator" and "Free political prisoners".

- Warnings, violence, deaths -

On December 30, regime supporters rally around the country for officially sanctioned demonstrations to commemorate the defeat of the 2009 protest movement.

Despite government warnings, anti-government protests grow. Tear gas fills the streets of downtown Tehran as hundreds of people scuffle with police.

Videos show demonstrators attacking a town hall, overturning a police car and burning the Iranian flag.

The unrest claims its first victims when two people are killed in the western town of Dorud.

On December 31, the authorities issue more warnings and block access to online messaging services that were instrumental in organising protests.

Rouhani insists people are "absolutely free" to express their anger but "criticism is different to violence and destroying public property".

- Public buildings attacked -

Nevertheless the unrest continues as videos on social media show demonstrations across the country for a fourth night.

Story continues

Iranian media and officials report 10 deaths in protests overnight Sunday to Monday in the west of the country.

US President Donald Trump says it is "time for change" in Iran.

- More deaths, arrests -

State television says nine people, including a policeman and Revolutionary Guards member, are killed in unrest on January 1.

Six die in the town of Qahderijan, in the central province of Isfahan, where protesters try to storm a police station, the state broadcaster reports. The number of arrests rises to 450.

- 'Enemies' -

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei breaks his silence on January 2, saying Iran's "enemies have united and are using all their means" against the regime.

Rouhani phones French leader Emmanuel Macron to demand action against a "terrorist" Iranian opposition group he accuses of fomenting the protests, likely referring to the Paris-based Mujahedeen-e-Khalq.

The French president calls for restraint.

- End of 'sedition' -

On January 3 the commander of the elite Revolutionary Guards, General Mohammad Ali Jafari, announces "the end of the sedition".

At the United Nations, Iran accuses Washington of "grotesque" meddling.

On January 4, the United States imposes sanctions on five Iranian companies it alleges are working on Iran's illegal ballistic missile program.

- New pro-regime demonstrations -

On January 5 pro-regime rallies are held around Tehran for the third day running.

Prosecutor Mohammad Jafar Montazeri accuses the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia of being behind the violence. His deputy criticises the government for not having blocked the internet.

Iranian officials say they have arrested four members of a "terrorist cell" linked to the Mujahedeen.

In the evening the UN Security Council holds closed-door talks on Iran -- before starting a formal meeting -- with Russia and the United States at odds over whether the top UN body should discuss the demonstrations.Tehran (AFP) - Iranian lawmakers held a closed-door session on Sunday to discuss the deadly protests that hit the country last week, while more pro-regime rallies were held in several cities.

"The security officials confirmed that most of those arrested have been released," Gholamreza Heydari, a reformist lawmaker in Tehran, told parliament's ICANA website.

He was speaking after the session in which MPs grilled Interior Minister Abdolrahmani Rahmani Fazli, Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi and secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani over the days of unrest that straddled the new year.

Mohammad Reza Kachouie, another deputy, said most of those detained were unemployed people, "without university degrees".

"The parliament meeting principally looked into the condition of the people, the economic situation and unemployment. The enemy is trying to infiltrate the country by using these issues," he told ICANA.

A reformist MP Bahram Parsaie said blame should not focus on President Hassan Rouhani but on decades of poor governance.

"I hope we face up to reality and take lessons from past mistakes," ICANA quoted him as saying.

The protests began on December 28 over economic issues before quickly spiralling out of control and turning against the regime as a whole, leaving 21 dead and hundreds arrested.

Police have previously said they have released many of the hundreds arrested during the unrest, but that the main instigators were "in the hands of the judiciary".

Some lawmakers voiced concern over the internet controls put in place during the unrest, including a ban on Iran's most popular messaging app, Telegram, which officials said had been used to incite violence.

"The parliament is not in favour of keeping Telegram filtering in place, but it must pledge that it will not be used as a tool by the enemies of the Iranian people," Behrouz Nemati, spokesman for the parliament's presiding board, wrote on Instagram, which was also temporarily blocked during the unrest.

Story continues

Many Iranians use Telegram as their main source of news and a way of bypassing the highly restrictive state media, with almost a third of Iran's 80 million people using the app daily.

Some 9,000 online businesses have been disrupted by the blocking, semi-official news agency ISNA reported, quoting a report by the culture ministry's digital media centre.

Pro-government rallies were again held in several cities on Sunday, this time in Qazvin, Rasht, Shahr-e Kurd and Yazd.

Tens of thousands of people have participated in similar rallies in the past few days.

The rallies are "the people's response to the rioters and troublemakers and their supporters", said state television.

It also repeated official claims that the unrest was orchestrated by the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia with the complicity of "anti-revolutionary" groups.By Parisa Hafezi ANKARA (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of government supporters rallied across Iran on Friday, swearing allegiance to the clerical establishment and accusing arch-enemy the United States of instigating the biggest anti-government protests for nearly a decade, state TV reported. Tehran's Friday prayer leader called on authorities to deal "firmly" with those responsible for igniting over a week of demonstrations, in which 22 people have died and more than 1,000 have been arrested, according to Iranian officials. (For graphic on Iranian protests, click http://tmsnrt.rs/2CXDYXZ) "But those ordinary Iranians who were deceived by these American-backed rioters should be dealt with based on Islamic clemency," cleric Ahmad Khatami told worshippers at Tehran university, TV reported. Khatami also called on the government to "pay more attention to people's economic problems." Protests erupted on Dec. 28 in the holy Shi'ite city of Mashhad after the government announced plans to raise fuel prices and cut monthly cash handouts to lower-income Iranians. Unrest spread to more than 80 cities and rural towns as thousands of young and working class Iranians voiced anger at graft, unemployment and a deepening gap between rich and poor. Some 42,000 people took part in the unrest across the country, Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli was quoted as saying by state TV. To try to allay tensions, the government suspended its planned fuel price hikes and cash handout cuts. Ali Rabiei, Iran's minister of cooperatives, labor and social welfare, said the government had plans to create over 900,000 jobs by March 2019, the state news agency IRNA reported on Friday. Iranian officials said the protests were the result of foreign instigation and mocked U.S. President Donald Trump's support of protesters against what he called a brutal and corrupt establishment. The authorities have produced no evidence of any U.S. role in the demonstrations, which have lacked a unifying leader. GUARDS QUELLED UNREST Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Iran's statements that external influences fomented the unrest were not groundless and that Washington used any possible method to destabilize governments it disliked. He added that U.S. calls for an extraordinary meeting of the U.N. Security Council to discuss the turmoil in Iran interfered with the country's sovereignty, news agency Interfax said. The Council met on Friday to discuss Iran. Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations Gholamali Khoshroo told the U.N. Security Council meeting that the United States had abused its power as a permanent member of the Council by calling for a meeting on the turmoil in Iran. He added that Iran had hard evidence that recent protests in Iran were very clearly directed from abroad. But U.S. Ambassador to U.N. Nikki Haley said the United States stood "unapologetically with those in Iran who seek freedom for themselves, prosperity for their families, and dignity for their nation". "We will not be quiet. No dishonest attempt to call protesters 'puppets of foreign powers' will change that. The Iranian people know the truth. And we know the truth," she told the U.N. meeting on Iran. Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif wrote on his Twitter account that the meeting was "another foreign policy blunder of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration". Residents contacted by Reuters in various cities said the protests had shown sign of abating since Thursday, after the establishment intensified a crackdown on the protesters by dispatching Revolutionary Guards forces to several provinces. Iran's elite Guards and its affiliated Basij militia suppressed the country's 2009 unrest over alleged election fraud, in which dozens of pro-reform Iranians were killed. UNITED FRONT On Friday rallies, protesters chanted "Death to America" and "Death to Israel", carrying pictures of Iran's top authority Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and waved Iranian flags. Television footage of rallies in several cities showed people chanting "We support Imam Khamenei ... We will not leave him alone in his fight against enemies". "Demonstrators demand the punishment of those behind foreign-linked riots which insulted religion and our authorities," state television reported, referring to unrest in which social media footage showed protesters tearing down pictures of Khamenei. Hardliner Khatami said the government should take more notice of Iranians' economic problems. "There are workers who say they have not received their salaries for months ... These problems should be resolved," Khatami said, according to state TV. Fearing that further unrest could undermine the Islamic republic altogether, Iran's faction-ridden political elite has displayed a united front. But Khamenei and his hardline allies have criticized Iranian President Hassan Rouhani for failing to revive the economy after most sanctions on Iran were lifted in 2016 under a deal reached between Tehran and major powers aimed at curbing the country's nuclear program. Rouhani secured the deal in 2015, raising hopes of better economic times among many Iranians, but discontent has since risen over the lack of broad improvement in living standards. (Additional reporting by Yara Bayoumy in Washington; Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by James Dalgleish)DUBAI (Reuters) - Thousands of government supporters staged rallies in Iran for a fourth day on Saturday, in a backlash against widespread protests that the clerical establishment has blamed on the country's enemies. Saturday's show of support came a day after Iran's foreign minister said a United Nations Security Council meeting called by the United States to discuss the protests had proved a "blunder" by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. State television showed rallies in cities including Amol, Semnan and Shadegan waving Iranian flags and chanting "Death to America", "Death to Israel" and "Death to Britain". More than a week of unrest has seen 22 people die and more than 1,000 arrested, according to Iranian officials, in the biggest anti-government protests for nearly a decade. Unrest spread to more than 80 cities and rural towns as thousands of young and working class Iranians voiced anger at graft, unemployment and a deepening gap between rich and poor. Residents contacted by Reuters in various cities on Friday said the protests had shown sign of abating, after the government intensified a crackdown on protesters by dispatching Revolutionary Guards forces to several provinces. The provincial governor in northeastern Mashhad, where the protests started, was quoted as saying on Saturday that 85 percent of detainees there had been released after signing a pledge not to re-offend. "Those with a criminal record, or those charged with sabotage such a setting fire to motorcycles or damaging public buildings have been referred to judicial authorities," governor Alireza Rashidian told the ISNA news agency. Tehran University Vice-President Majid Sarsangi said the university had set up a committee to track the fate of students arrested during the unrest. "Our efforts at the university are aimed at cooperating with the relevant authorities to create the conditions for the return of the detained students to the university and their families in the shortest possible time," Sarsangi told ISNA. Separately, a member of parliament said about 90 students were detained, 10 of whom were still not accounted for. "It seems that the total number of detainees is around 90. Ten students from universities in Tehran and some other cities are in an uncertain position, and ... it is still unknown which body has detained them," the labor news agency ILNA quoted reformist politician Mahmoud Sadeghi as saying. Iran has several parallel security bodies and residents say arrests are often not immediately announced. Videos that appeared on social media in recent days showed relatives of detainees gathering outside prisons to seek information about the fate of their loved ones. A United Nations Security Council meeting on Friday to discuss the protests turned into criticism of the United States for requesting to meet on what some member states said was an internal issue for Iran. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted: "The UNSC rebuffed the U.S.'s naked attempt to hijack its mandate ... Another FP (foreign policy) blunder for the Trump administration." Iran's elite Guards and its affiliated Basij militia suppressed the country's 2009 unrest over alleged election fraud, in which dozens of pro-reform Iranians were killed. (Reporting by Dubai newsroom; Editing by Mark Potter)DUBAI (Reuters) - Thousands of government supporters staged rallies in Iran for a fourth day on Saturday, in a backlash against widespread protests that the clerical establishment has blamed on the country's enemies. Saturday's show of support came a day after Iran's foreign minister said a United Nations Security Council meeting called by the United States to discuss the protests had proved a "blunder" by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. State television showed rallies in cities including Amol, Semnan and Shadegan waving Iranian flags and chanting "Death to America", "Death to Israel" and "Death to Britain". More than a week of unrest has seen 22 people die and more than 1,000 arrested, according to Iranian officials, in the biggest anti-government protests for nearly a decade. Unrest spread to more than 80 cities and rural towns as thousands of young and working class Iranians voiced anger at graft, unemployment and a deepening gap between rich and poor. Residents contacted by Reuters in various cities on Friday said the protests had shown sign of abating, after the government intensified a crackdown on the protesters by dispatching Revolutionary Guards forces to several provinces. The provincial governor in northeastern Mashhad, where the protests started, was quoted as saying on Saturday that 85 percent of detainees there had been release after signing a pledge not to re-offend. "Those with a criminal record, or those charged with sabotage such a setting fire to motorcycles or damaging public buildings have been referred to judicial authorities," governor Alireza Rashidian told the ISNA news agency. A United Nations Security Council meeting on Friday to discuss the protests turned into criticism of the United States for requesting to meet on what some member states said was an internal issue for Iran. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted: "The UNSC rebuffed the U.S.'s naked attempt to hijack its mandate ... Another FP (foreign policy) blunder for the Trump administration." Iran's elite Guards and its affiliated Basij militia suppressed the country's 2009 unrest over alleged election fraud, in which dozens of pro-reform Iranians were killed. (For graphic on Iranian protests, click http://tmsnrt.rs/2CXDYXZ) (Reporting by Dubai newsroom; Editing by Mark Potter)By Ori Lewis JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel said it will restore full electricity supply to the Hamas dominated Gaza Strip on Monday following a request last week by the Palestinians who said they will resume payments. Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas withdrew his guarantee to pay Israel for power in April, leaving Gaza's two million residents with only three to four hours of electricity a day as supplies were cut by about half. Abbas's move, which affected schools, factories, hospitals and households, was part of a bid to press Hamas to loosen its hold over the enclave a decade after the Islamist movement seized the territory from forces loyal to him. A brief statement by Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz on Sunday said he had ordered the power lines, that can deliver up to 120 megawatts of electricity, to be prepared for full operation "no later than tomorrow (Monday)." The move will restore an additional 50 megawatts of power to Gaza. A Gaza economist said the restoration of electricity from Israel, the enclave's main electricity supplier, could raise power delivery to six hours. Gaza's sole power station generates only a small amount of power. Prompted partly by Abbas's sanctions and fears of financial and political isolation, Hamas signed an Egyptian-brokered reconciliation agreement with his Fatah movement in October and agreed to hand over administrative control of the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority. But both groups have failed to finalize details of the deal, which had been due to be completed on December 1. The Authority's decision to resume the electricity payments could help smooth the way towards completing the accord. The resumption of power delivery comes at a time of heightened Israeli-Palestinian tensions. Palestinians have been mounting protests in the occupied West Bank and violence has flared along the Israel-Gaza border since U.S. President Donald Trump announced on December 6 that he was recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a state they seek to establish in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip. (Additional reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza, Writing by Ori Lewis; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)President Donald Trump not only praised the work of son-in-law and White House senior adviser Jared Kushner but also thought he could be secretary of state one day, according to a newly released book.

Shortly after taking over as White House chief of staff, John Kelly held a meeting with the president and wanted to discuss the roles Kushner and Trumps eldest daughter Ivanka would have in the administration going forward, author Michael Wolff claimed in his tome Fire and Fury: Inside The Trump White House.

Kelly reportedly sought to make changes and institute order in a White House that had been rather dysfunctional under his predecessor Reince Preibus, and wanted to control access to Trump and his office.

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Getty Images/Drew Angerer

Kelly, according to the book, wanted to find a way to squeeze the politically inexperienced Kushner and Ivanka Trump out of the administration. Trump, instead, envisioned a much larger role for his son-in-law on the national and global political stage.

"In an early meeting with the president, General Kelly had Jared and Ivanka on his agenda  how the president saw their role; what he thought was working and not working about it; how he envisioned it going forward, Wolff wrote. It was all intended to be a politic way of opening a discussion about getting them out."

Wolff went on: But the president was, Kelly soon learned, delighted with all aspects of their performance in the West Wing. Maybe at some point Jared would become secretary of state  that was the only change the president seemed to foresee. The most Kelly could do was to get the president to acknowledge that the couple should be part of a greater organizational discipline in the West Wing and should not so readily jump in the line.

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Trump, the White House and book and media critics have chastised the author Wolff for his storytelling style and sources, questioning whether everything he wrote is factual.

Trump called it a phony book in a tweet Friday.

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Though, Kelly did appear to be successful late last year. A report indicated both Kushner and Ivanka Trumps roles had diminished in the White House despite their lofty titles.

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Trump, coming from his family-run company, has long kept his brood close when conducting business and Kushner and Ivanka Trump have maintained power within the White House.

Former White House chief political strategist turned pariah Steve Bannon was also quoted in the book as nicknaming Kushner and Ivanka Trump Javanka.

President Trump even thought of tapping Kushner to be his chief of staff until popular conservative author and pundit Ann Coulter talked him out of it, according to Wolff.

Nobody is apparently telling you this, Coulter reportedly told the then-president-elect during the transition to the White House. But you cant. You just cant hire your children.

Nevertheless, Trump went on to assign Kushner a plethora of duties like developing a plan for peace in the Middle East, heading up better relations with China and improving the Department of Veterans Affairs, to name a few.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekJohn Young aboard Gemini III in March 1965 - AFP

John Young, an astronaut who walked on the moon in 1972 and even smuggled a corned beef sandwich into orbit during a career that made him the only person to fly with three Nasa space programmes, has died at age 87, officials said on Saturday.

Young, who went to space six times, died on Friday night at his home in Houston following complications from pneumonia, Nasa spokesman Allard Beutel said in an email.

The former US Navy test pilot was the ninth person to set foot on the moon, an experience shared by three others after Young. He eventually became one of the most accomplished astronauts in the history of the US space programme.

He flew into space twice during Nasa's Gemini programme in the mid-1960s, twice on the Apollo lunar missions and twice on space shuttles in the 1980s. He was the only person to fly on all three types of programs.

"Astronaut John Young's storied career spanned three generations of spaceflight. We will stand on his shoulders as we look toward the next human frontier," Robert Lightfoot, Nasa administrator, said in a statement.

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Young, described in a Nasa tweet as "our most experienced astronaut," retired in 2004 after 42 years with the US space agency.

The Apollo 16 mission in April 1972, his fourth space flight, took Young to the lunar surface.

As mission commander, he and crewmate Charles Duke explored the moon's Descartes Highlands region, gathering 200 pounds (90 kg) of rock and soil samples and driving more than 16 miles (26 km) in the lunar rover to sites such as Spook Crater.

Recalling his lunar exploits, Young told the Houston Chronicle in 2004: "One-sixth gravity on the surface of the moon is just delightful. It's not like being in zero gravity, you know. You can drop a pencil in zero gravity and look for it for three days. In one-sixth gravity, you just look down and there it is."

John Young salutes the US flag during his 1972 lunar mission Credit: Nasa

Young's first time in space came in 1965 with the Gemini 3 mission that took him and astronaut Gus Grissom into Earth orbit in the first two-person US space jaunt.

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It was on this mission that Young pulled his sandwich stunt, which did not make Nasa brass happy but certainly pleased Grissom, the recipient of the snack.

Astronaut Wally Schirra, who was not flying on the mission, bought the corned beef sandwich on rye bread from a delicatessen in Cocoa Beach, Florida, and asked Young to give it to Grissom in space. During the flight, as they discussed the food provided for the mission, Young handed Grissom the sandwich.

Nasa later rebuked Young for the antics, which generated criticism from lawmakers and the media, but his career did not suffer.

His May 1969 Apollo 10 mission served as a "dress rehearsal" for the historic Apollo 11 mission two months later in which Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the moon. Young and his crew undertook each aspect of that subsequent mission except for an actual moon landing.

Commander John Young (l) and Robert Crippen during training in 1980 for the first space shuttle mission Credit: Nasa via AP

Young's fifth space mission was as commander of the inaugural flight of Nasa's first space shuttle, Columbia, in 1981. He became the first person to fly six space missions in 1983, when he commanded Columbia on the first Spacelab trek, with the crew performing more than 70 scientific experiments.

He never went to space again. Young had been due to command a 1986 flight that was canceled after the explosion of the shuttle Challenger earlier that year.

"John was more than a good friend," former President George HW Bush said in a statement. "He was a fearless patriot whose courage and commitment to duty helped our nation push back the horizon of discovery at a critical time."

Young was born on September 24, 1930, in San Francisco and grew up in Orlando, Florida. After receiving a degree in aeronautical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1952, he entered the Navy and graduated from its test pilot school. Nasa picked him in 1962 for its astronaut program.Paris (AFP) - Thousands of Kurds protested in Paris on Saturday over the failure of the French authorities to convict anyone over the 2013 murders of three female Kurdish rebels in the French capital.

The demonstrators repeatedly chanted "Erdogan, assassin", in reference to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday.

"Five years of silence, five years of denial of justice, five years of impunity," read one giant banner held aloft at the forefront of a demonstration which police said numbered some 4,700.

The bodies of the three women -- Sakine Cansiz, a 54-year-old founder of Turkey's outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Fidan Dogan, 28, and 24-year-old Leyla Soylemez, were found with bullet wounds to the head and neck in central Paris in January 2013.

The Turkish national intelligence agency MIT officially denied any role in the killings, but French investigators at the time concluded Turkish spies were "implicated" in the case, according to a judicial source.

The only suspect, Turkish national Omer Guney, died in prison in late 2016 before his case came to trial.

Ali Dogan, brother of Fidan, demonstrated with other family members and said they "no longer have hope" of justice.

"I watched on television the press conference between Erdogan and Mr Macron yesterday. It's sad that the president did not mention the murder of my sister... it seems that we are hiding things and France doesn't want to divulge information to preserve its interests" with Turkey, he told AFP.

The Turkish state has fought a decades-long conflict against the PKK, which has resulted in about 40,000 people being killed since the 1980s.

Meanwhile, the Armenian community in France also expressed anger on Saturday over Erdogan's visit to Paris, saying it revealed him to be a "dictator".

"Recep Tayyip Erdogan showed the French his true face, a dictator who expresses himself as if he were in his palace, in defiance of the European standards which he claims to adhere to," said the Coordinating Council of the Armenian Organisations of France (CCAF).

At a press conference with Macron on Friday, Erdogan lashed out at a French reporter who asked him about claims that Ankara sent arms to Syria.

Erdogan told the journalist he was talking like a member of an outlawed group that he blames for last year's failed coup in Turkey.Friday marks 25 years since Washington State hanged admitted child molester Westley Allan Dodd for the kidnapping, rape and murder of three small boys. Though more than two decades have passed, the grisly case is still a lesson in the nature of crime and punishment in the United States.

Dodd, who had been molested himself as a child and had a long criminal history, said that he started the 1989 spree that led to his eventual arrest  stalking children, armed with shoelaces to tie up victims and a knife  because, in his words, he didnt have a TV and was getting bored. In 1993, as the execution date approached, TIME described one of his most gruesome killings:

Dodd found a four-year-old boy playing alone in an elementary school playground. He coaxed Lee Iseli home with him to play some games. When we got there, I told him he had to be real quiet because my neighbor lady didnt like kids, Dodd said. He then stripped off Lee Iselis clothes, tied the boy to the bed and began taking Polaroid pictures as he molested the child. He later mounted the photos in a 4-in.-by-6-in. pink photo album labeled FAMILY MEMORIES.

He paused at one point to make an entry in his diary: 6:30 p.m. Will probably wait until morning to kill him. That way his body will still be fairly fresh for experiments after work. Dodd began strangling the boy at 5:30 a.m. He revived the child twice before finally killing him and hanging the body in a closet and burning the boys clothing, except the Ghostbusters underpants, which he kept as a trophy.

In addition to the brutal nature of the crimes, part of what got the case so much attention is that Dodd appeared to like the attention that came with his arrest. He kept news clippings [of the crime], watched himself on TV, kept a diary, says Dirk C. Gibson, author of Serial Murder and Media Circuses. Dodd also surprised many by speaking so candidly to the police. Each time I entered treatment, I continued to molest children, he wrote in a 1991 court affidavit that was quoted by TIME. I liked molesting children and did what I had to do to avoid jail so I could continue molesting. After his incarceration, he even wrote a coloring book for parents and children on how to avoid child molesters. Most serial killers dont go to such great lengths to produce a document like that, Gibson adds.

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Dodd specifically requested to be hanged because thats how his last victim died. The Jan. 5, 1993, hanging was the first legal execution by that method since 1965, when Kansas executed George York and James Latham, who were famously associated with Richard Eugene Hickock and Perry Edward Smith, whose 1959 murder of a family inspired Truman Capotes In Cold Blood.

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Dodds request was unusual given that hanging had fallen entirely into disuse by that point, says Brandon Garrett, a professor at the University of Virginia School of Law. Public hangings outside courthouses would result in botched executions that created a public discomfort with brutal execution, so states moved to control the process more in an effort to make it less public, more sanitary, more medical.

For many observers, however, the idea of giving Dodd the death he requested did not sit right. National attention to Dodds execution, due to the gruesome nature of his crimes, drove conversations about how society addressed sex offenders  that his prior run-ins with the law had not gotten him off the streets left many feeling that such crimes were not taken seriously enough  and about the meaning of capital punishment.



The prospect of what amounts to a glamorous public suicide was vastly more appealing than a life spent alone in a cell the size of a parking space, crushed by boredom, without the least chance of freedom, TIME noted. For him, perhaps justice would have been better served by denying him his death wish and letting him wait, for a very long time, for death to come to him.

Since Dodds execution, two other hangings have taken place in the U.S., but other methods have execution have largely replaced it. Moreover, capital punishment has disappeared in many places throughout the United States.

And, 25 years later, something else remains notable about the case, too. In addition to being the first execution by hanging in nearly three decades, the Dodd case stands out as an extreme moment in a very particular time period marked by heightened awareness of sexual violence.

As Philip Jenkins, author of Moral Panic: Changing Concepts of the Child Molester in Modern America and professor of History at Baylor University, explains, many of the terms associated with the topic  from sexual predator to stalking  either originated or were popularized during the early 1990s. Pop culture, with movies such as Thelma and Louise, also fueled the conversation. News about ritual child abuse and charges of abuse within the Roman Catholic church also fueled talk of an abuse epidemic,' Jenkins told TIME in an email. On the other side, he adds, the press eagerly reported on vigilantism directed at child molesters.

Those very few years witnessed a kind of revolution in gender conflict, Jenkins puts it, which found demon figures in people like Dodd.Corey Lewandowski is among those jumping to discredit the author of explosive tell-all book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, possibly due to the fact his personal relationship with the presidents press secretary is mentioned in the tome.

The presidents former campaign manager, who left Trumps team in June 2016 amid rumors of in-fighting, dismissed the claims in Michael Wolffs book as false and described it as a fabrication, although he did not specifically mention the excerpt that alludes to his alleged on-off relationship with Hope Hicks.

The guy is a liar, is what it comes down to, and I dont think anybody who looks at whats in this book can take it honestly," Lewandowski told Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday.

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Hope Hicks

Alex Wong/Getty Images

This is a book of fiction. Not only is it not accurate, there are so many misrepresentations in this book that it shouldnt be taken seriously," he continued, adding This book is a complete fabrication."

An excerpt from Fire and Fury, reported by MSNBC, claims the president made the comment to his thenpress secretary Hicks after she expressed concerns about how the press was treating Trumps former campaign manager Lewandowski.

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The book states Hicks was sitting in Trump Tower with Trump and his sons and was wondering aloud how she could help him with the press, when the president interjected.

Youve already done enough for him, Trump allegedly responded to Hicks.

Youre the best piece of tail hell ever have, he added, in a comment that reportedly sent Hicks running from the room.

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The presidents comment was an apparent reference to an on-off romantic relationship between Hicks and Lewandowski, the book claims.

On Sunday Lewandowski also denied speaking to Wolff for the book, stating: Mr. Wolff and I never spoke about this book, so where he comes up with the assertions on what I think of the Trump kids or Jared Kushner are completely made up. Ive never spoken to him about this.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekIn Mandarin, Emmanuel Macron's name is rendered "Makelong", or "the horse vanquishes the dragon" -- an encouraging image for the French president as he heads to China on Sunday hoping to forge closer ties with President Xi Jinping.

During the three-day trip which begins Monday, Macron plans to seek a "strategic partnership" with Beijing, notably on terrorism and climate change, an official in the president's office said.

In particular, France is hoping Beijing will join it in playing a decisive role in implementing the Paris accord to fight climate change after the US pullout pledged by President Donald Trump.

Although China is the world's biggest polluter, it is also the biggest investor in clean energy technologies.

Macron also said this week that China had a key leadership role to play in easing the crisis provoked by North Korea's nuclear programme, following Trump's escalating war of words with Kim Jong-Un.

"The ambition of the Chinese leadership is to persuade the French president to position himself on issues like North Korea as a 'go-between', defending 'dialogue' against the more aggressive posture of the United States, and to implicitly recognise by his choices the pre-eminence of China in the region," analyst Valerie Niquet said.

Macron will also ask Beijing to help support the G5 Sahel force being created with forces from Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso, Niger and Mauritania, tasked with fighting jihadist forces spread across an area of desert the size of Europe.

China has already become a key business partner across Africa, with total investments reaching $31.6 billion in 2016 in projects including railways, highways, ports and power stations.

They are part of the extensive network of transport links Xi is developing as part of his "One Belt, One Road" initiative for increasing trade.

- 'Mutual confidence' -

The state visit will be the first by a European leader since China's Communist Party conference in October, which reinforced Xi's grip on power as he was formally handed a second term.

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China has praised Macron's decision to make it the first Asian nation he visits.

"We hope this visit will reinforce mutual political confidence and strategic communication," China's foreign minister Wang Yi said this week.

Macron will be travelling with a delegation of business executives hoping for a bonanza of contracts, including from AccorHotels, LVMH, Airbus and BNP Paribas.

"We will be signing an exceptional number of strategic deals, about 50," the official said, including sales of Airbus planes and Safran jet engines.

State nuclear giant Areva is also negotiating a contract to build a reprocessing site for radioactive waste.

France is pushing to "rebalance" its trade relations with China. Although China is France's second-biggest supplier of goods, it ranks eighth in terms of the top buyers of French goods.

That leaves France with a Chinese trade deficit of 30 billion euros ($36 billion), its biggest with any trading partner.

"Paris intends to seek a rebalancing and market access, for example in financial services," the official at the Elysee palace said, at a time when major French banks are hoping to tap into the rapidly expanding Chinese market.

The two leaders also plan to announce a French-China investment fund worth 1 billion euros which would help midsize companies, mainly from France, get a foothold in China.

- Museums and a manifesto -

Accompanied by his wife Brigitte, Macron will begin his visit in the northern city of Xi'an, "an important symbol because it is the cradle of Chinese civilisation, and the starting point for the ancient Silk Roads," the Elysee official said.

After visiting the terracotta statues of warriors near the city excavated from the tomb of emperor Qin Shihuangdi, who ruled from 221 to 210 BC, Macron will give a speech on the future of France-China relations.

An agreement is also expected to be finalised for a temporary exhibition in Shanghai by Paris's Pompidou Centre for modern art.

Not least, Macron will also be exporting his "Revolution" -- the campaign manifesto published in 2016 ahead of his sweep to the presidency.

The Chinese edition of the book, in which France's youngest president lays out his vision for France, hits bookstores on Monday.A man allegedly broke into a Utah police departments evidence area to take back his bicycle.

David Elwin Snow, 37, showed up at the Provo Police Department on Dec. 18., asking for his bike, which had been recovered from a man who was arrested in an unrelated issue, reports said.

Snow had not reported the bike stolen, however, so police needed to verify that the bike was his, before giving it to him, the Desert News reported.

Snow and his brother were allegedly able to see where the bike was stored in an outdoor area, according to a police report. Police said later that night the men returned to take it back.

"This is a first," Provo Police Sgt. Nisha King told the Desert News.

Police didn't know the bike was gone until the man originally accused of stealing the bike was arrested again and told authorities hed heard that two men had gotten the bicycle out of the police station.

Snow's brother "had been bragging that they (the brothers) had 'pulled off the crime of the century and broken into the police department, according to a police report.

Snow was then arrested on Wednesday. No charges have been filed in the case, however.

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Related Articles:When one Pennsylvania man was faced with the task of clearing snow off his driveway during this weeks winter storm, he came up with an idea that would make MacGyver proud.

Jonathan Schill, of Chambersburg, Pa., recently moved into a new home, USA Today reported. Schill only had a shovel at the time and was faced with a new and bigger driveway. Realizing a shovel wasnt enough for the job, but without access to a snow plow, Schill found a cardboard box for a 50-inch TV, complete with a shiny coating, according to USA Today. He then attached the cardboard box to his lawn mower, creating a makeshift snow plow.

His fiance, Kaitlynn Toporzycki, recorded Schills feat and posted the video on Facebook. The video already garnered more than 11 million views since it was posted Dec. 30.

And Schill still doesnt have to run out and get a snow plow in this cold weather. Schill said the box is still in near perfect condition, and could even be used again, according to USA Today.This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

An Ohio man has been arrested for allegedly robbing two banks of thousands of dollars, which he is believed to have used to buy an engagement ring for his fiancee, police said.

A man walked into the Fifth Third Bank in Trenton on Dec. 16 and handed a piece of paper to the teller that indicated he had a bomb strapped to him and that he wanted $20,000, according to an affidavit filed by police in court that was obtained by the Middletown Journal-News.

The man left with $8,800, cops said.

Surveillance photos released by police showed the suspect was wearing an orange Titleist cap, mirror sunglasses and a two-tone gray Columbia jacket.

On Dec. 22, a man wearing the same jacket and a Titleist hat robbed a U.S. Bank location after saying he had a bomb strapped to his body, the affidavit said.

Police appealed for the publics help on their Facebook page, and numerous tips came in identifying the suspect as Dustin Pedersen, according to the document.

In addition, images on Pedersens own Facebook page also show him wearing the same hat worn in both robberies, officials said.

Pedersen proposed to his girlfriend one day after the Dec. 16 bank robbery, police said.

He bought an engagement ring for about $4,500 less than an hour after the first robbery, officials said.

Pedersen was charged with aggravated robbery for the Dec. 16 incident. He pleaded not guilty.

A warrant has been issued in connection for the Dec. 22 robbery.

He appeared in court Wednesday for a preliminary hearing, where police said they found the sunglasses, gloves and hat  believed to be worn in the robberies  in Pedersens car.

Pedersen reportedly denied robbing any banks, but told police that surveillance photos of the robber look like him.

He has been held in the Middletown City Jail since Dec. 16 on $250,000 bond, and will await grand jury consideration of his case at the Butler County Jail.

Pedersen's attorney, James Cooney, told InsideEdition.com that his client has been cooperative with police and has been "very calm" throughout this ordeal.

Story continues

He confirmed Pedersen purchased the ring he proposed with half an hour after the robbery took place and that Pedersen acknowledged he resembled the person suspected in the Dec. 16 bank robbery.

Cooney said Pedersen's family has been supportive of him since his arrest and that his fiancee is "upset for all the right reasons."

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Related Articles:(Photo: Bloomberg via Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  The marijuana industry and its advocates collectively held their breath this week following the release of new Justice Department guidance that gave federal prosecutors the go-ahead to aggressively pursue state-legal marijuana operations. But just a day after the decision, many experts are cautiously optimistic that their initial fears of a crackdown were overblown.

In an announcement Thursday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions officially reversed a set of Obama-era memos that had advised federal prosecutors in legal weed states to de-prioritize marijuana cases. Although the new guidance gives significant authority to U.S. attorneys in the eight states that have already legalized marijuana, the practical effect of the decision will ultimately depend on how they exercise it  if they do at all.

The rescission of the [memos] doesnt affect the industry at all. What affects the industry is when DEA agents start kicking down doors and U.S. attorneys begin prosecuting people, said marijuana expert John Hudak, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, a nonprofit public policy think tank.

And theres little reason to believe federal authorities will take Sessions up on the invitation to reignite the war on state-legal marijuana, said Patrick Moen, a former Drug Enforcement Administration official who now serves as general counsel for Privateer Holdings, a private equity firm that invests in marijuana companies.

I still keep in touch with a lot of my former colleagues, and they are almost universally uninterested in maintaining cannabis prohibition, Moen said. The majority of U.S. attorneys feel similarly.

Senior Justice Department officials who briefed reporters on the policy change on Thursday faced a barrage of questions about the Sessions memo. They struggled to articulate the message they intended to send to the marijuana industry, with one simply stating the obvious fact that marijuana continues to be against federal law.

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In states where marijuana use is legal, the Sessions memo left people scrambling to ascertain the views of their local U.S. attorney, the top federal prosecutor in each of the nations 94 federal districts. The attorneys who spoke out gave little indication that the new guidance would change the status quo, which industry officials took as a positive sign. In many cases, federal prosecutors signaled that they would proceed as they had under Obama-era policy by focusing on issues of marijuana distribution to children, the diversion of marijuana to other states, violence and use of firearms, and using state-authorized marijuana operations as a cover for illegal trafficking.

Take a statement issued by Adam Braverman, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of California. He wrote that the Sessions memo returns trust and local control to federal prosecutors and allows DOJ to enforce the laws enacted by Congress, and Braverman noted that marijuana cultivation, distribution, and possession has long been against federal law. But his statement also acknowledged cold reality: His office cant take on everything and would continue to utilize long-established prosecutorial priorities to carry out our mission to combat violent crime, disrupt and dismantle transnational criminal organizations, and stem the rising tide of the drug crisis. (U.S. attorneys for Californias other three districts have not yet weighed in.)

In Oregon, U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams said his office would continue to place an emphasis on stemming the overproduction of marijuana and the diversion of marijuana out of state, dismantling criminal organizations and thwarting violent crime in our communities.

In Colorado  the first state to implement legalized recreational marijuana  U.S. Attorney Bob Troyer said his office would keep focusing in particular on identifying and prosecuting those who create the greatest safety threats to our communities around the state.

U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes of the Western District of Washington noted her office had already been prioritizing cases involving organized crime, violent and gun threats, and financial crimes related to marijuana, and said it would continue to focus resources on those who pose the greatest safety risk to the people and communities we serve. (Joseph Harrington, her colleague in the states Eastern District who is in the office on an interim basis, referred questions to Justice Department headquarters.)

In Alaska, U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder said that no enforcement priorities would change and that his office would continue combating violent crime, including as it stems from the scourge of drug trafficking.

Halsey B. Frank, U.S. attorney for Maine, said he would consult with his staff before determining how the Sessions memo might affect charging decisions. He also stated his intent to follow long-established principles to prosecute federal crime, including to combat the current drug crisis.

Perhaps the most opaque statement came from U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling in Massachusetts, who told The Boston Globe that marijuana is in fact a dangerous drug and that his office will continue to investigate and prosecute bulk cultivation and trafficking cases, and those who use the federal banking system illegally.

In Nevada, which voted to legalize cannabis in 2016, interim U.S. Attorney Dayle Elieson has yet to comment. Sessions appointed Elieson on Wednesday, the day before releasing his memo.

U.S. attorneys are typically Senate-confirmed presidential nominees and often have political aspirations. Its by no means a firewall, but marijuana industry officials may take small comfort in the notion that U.S. attorneys by and large might be unwilling to be seen as circumventing the will of voters in their home states, especially now that the cannabis industry is past the startup phase.

Even if they were to wade into some kind of enforcement action, thats a decision thats fraught with political peril, Moen said. The field offices and the federal prosecutors are local in nature, they live and work in these communities, they are the ones that have to deal with blowback from the local governors office, the state attorney general, and they frankly rely on their state and local partners for cooperation as a force multiplier so they can get their jobs done.

It could also prove difficult for a U.S. attorney to obtain a conviction. (Though simply charging and prosecuting individuals who complied with state marijuana laws could send a damaging message, even if cases arent successful.)

If the feds begin to go in and arrest business owners, theyre going to go on trial somewhere in that state, and if you have a state like Colorado where something like 60 percent of Coloradans support marijuana reform, its probably going to be hard to find 12 jurors without at least one of them thinking the feds are overstepping their bounds, Hudak said.

Although many saw the Sessions memo as largely symbolic, it did mark a clear shift away from the recent trend toward normalizing the marijuana industry. That change was enough to trigger some concern in the cannabis market.

Were talking with our investors and making clear that as of today nothing has changed. People had questions yesterday about what this meant, but today theyre moving ahead, said Kevin Conroy, the former deputy attorney general of Massachusetts who now works at a local law firm where he represents prospective marijuana businesses and investors.

It has always been against federal law to dispense marijuana, so anybody who is in this industry by nature is somewhat of a risk taker, added Conroy. There has always been uncertainty in this industry. Yesterdays announcement brought further uncertainty, but how much further uncertainty we just dont know yet.

But larger financial institutions may be easier to spook. At least a few banks that had been considering getting involved in the marijuana industry appeared unwilling to wait around and see if the announcement would actually lead to concrete action.

Ive had two large national financial institutions put their efforts to lend capital to California marijuana business on hold, said Scott Martinez, who served as Denvers city attorney during the launch of Colorados recreational marijuana program before joining local law firm Snell & Wilmer, where he now advises businesses on regulatory issues regarding the cannabis industry.

Whether or not a crackdown is coming, the new guidance does make it harder for the financial industry to justify the risk of getting involved in the marijuana business, Martinez said. And that uncertainty alone makes it harder for up-and-coming marijuana companies to get access to the financial resources they need to get off the ground.

For those folks who are already in the marijuana business, its going to be business as usual, because theyve already made the calculation about the risk they want to undertake as a business proposition, Martinez said. What yesterdays announcement really affects in a major way is the new entrants into the marijuana industry, and it affects business partners who may be involved in legal marijuana in the states.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article misstated how many U.S. attorneys are in California. There are four, not three.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.Each January, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg rings in the New Year with a personal challenge, like learning Mandarin, running 365 miles, or building an artificially intelligent assistant for his home. His pledge for 2018, however, is far less personal, far more vital, and a goal that he should have prioritized sooner than the turn of this new year.

The world feels anxious and divided, and Facebook has a lot of work to do  whether its protecting our community from abuse and hate, defending against interference by nation states, or making sure that time spent on Facebook is time well spent, Zuckerberg wrote on his Facebook page on Jan. 4. My personal challenge for 2018 is to focus on fixing these important issues. We wont prevent all mistakes or abuse, but we currently make too many errors enforcing our policies and preventing misuse of our tools. If were successful this year then well end 2018 on a much better trajectory.

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Indeed, 2017 turned out to be a landmark year for Facebook, but not in a way that the company might have hoped. Despite Zuckerbergs well-publicized intentions to use Facebook to make the world a better place, his company has found itself embroiled in one controversy after another in recent months and years.

Take last fall, when Facebook revealed it had found a connection between $100,000 in ad spending on its platform and phony accounts likely operated out of Russia. That spending, which occurred between June 2015 and May 2017, was linked to roughly 3,000 ads, and served as evidence of Russias desire to influence the outcome of the 2016 U.S. presidential election. How did Facebook, which prides itself on being able to process billions of data points and instantly transform them in the personal connections with its user, somehow not make the connection that electoral ads, paid for in rubles, were coming from Russia? former Minnesota senator Al Franken, who recently resigned amid sexual misconduct allegations, asked when grilling company representatives during an October hearing on Russian election meddling.

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The year before, an investigation by Gizmodo suggested that Facebook suppressed conservative news outlets in the websites Trending sidebar, raising concerns over how the site determines which content gets shown to the one billion people who visit daily. This is a problem because it demonstrates the ability to manipulate the marketplace of ideas from behind the scenes, Kelly McBride, media ethicist and vice president of The Poynter Institute, wrote at the time. Thats nothing new, but it undercuts social media proponents who say Facebook is a more democratic news distribution forum.

Meanwhile, Facebooks live-streaming video tool, known as Facebook Live, emerged as a vehicle for broadcasting horrific acts, a problem that plagues many livestreaming platforms. In one particularly gruesome instance, a man in Thailand broadcast himself killing his 11-month-old daughter on Facebook before committing suicide. BuzzFeed News reported in June that at least 45 instances of violence, including shootings and other brutal attacks, have been streamed on the platform since December of 2015.

To be sure, Facebook has already taken some steps to address these and other issues. In May, it said it would hire thousands of workers to help prevent violent videos from appearing on its social network. The company has also published blog posts and white papers sharing details about the information its gathered regarding inauthentic activity and steps its taking to prevent and mitigate that problem. Facebook has also introduced several tools to combat fake news, including a feature that provides additional context about media outlets and stories appearing on the site. We know we have a responsibility to prevent everything we can from this happening on our platforms, Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg said in an October interview with Axios when asked about Russian activity on the site. Were determined. These are threats, these are challenges, but we will do everything we can to defeat them.

During that same interview, Sandberg took a step towards reversing Facebook executives longstanding argument that Facebook is not a media company, long seen as a way for the company to duck accepting responsibility for whats posted on the platform.

We dont write any news articles so certainly were different than a media company, she said. But that doesnt mean we dont have responsibility.

That viewpoint aligns far better with reality (two-thirds of Facebooks users get news on the platform, according to the Pew Research Center). Zuckerberg, too, now appears to be taking his companys role in the world more seriously  his New Years resolution comes just little more than a year after he dismissed the notion that Facebook played a role in President Donald Trumps victory as a pretty crazy idea. Ultimately, Zuckerbergs new goals are a sign that hes finally coming to terms with one simple fact: He runs what may be the most influential company in history, and its no longer okay to simply move fast and break things, as Facebooks motto once held.James Holmes

Security, Asia

Yes, there are lots of variablesbut it is possible.

North Korea Could Sink a U.S. Aircraft Carrier

Could North Koreas armed forces sink an American aircraft carrier? Yesdepending on what type of carrier they confront, how skillfully U.S. Navy commanders employ the flattop and its consorts, how well North Korean warriors know the tactical surroundings and, most crucially, whom fortune favors in combat. Fortune is a fickle ally, prone to switch sides and back again in battle. Its doubtful an American carrier would fall prey to undersea or aerial attackbut only the foolish say never or always in martial competition, a topsy-turvy affair in which the weak sometimes best the strong.

It could happen, and that warrants forethought.

First, some preliminaries. We know for a fact that the DPRK Navy can sink surface vessels. It did so in 2010, launching a sneak submarine attack on the South Korean corvette ROKS Cheonan. Granted, Cheonan was a single ship operating alone, not the centerpiece of a carrier or amphibious task force ringed with escort ships equipped to hunt and assail submarines. The Cheonan incident nevertheless offers proof, if more is needed, of a timeless truth about undersea combat: even a technologically backward diesel sub running slowlyand thus silentlycan approach, strike and sink a modern surface craft crewed by highly professional mariners such as those comprising the ROK Navy. The same could befall the U.S. Navy.

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Indeed, examples are legion of weaker navies equipped with subs giving superior foes fits. In 1982, a Royal Navy task force defending the Falkland Islands expended most of Great Britains war stock of antisubmarine ordnance in a vain effort to dispatch a single Argentine Type 209 diesel-electric boat, ARA San Luis. The Argentine skipper reportedly brought his craft to rest on the seafloor in time-honored fashion. Stopping propulsion eliminated machinery noise, letting San Luis evade detection. Tactics refined during World War II worked on the lesser combatants behalf against a NATO navy optimized for antisubmarine combat.

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Or take 2006, when a Chinese Type 039 Song-class diesel boat slipped through the defenses of the USS Kitty Hawk carrier strike group, surfacing about five nautical miles from the flattop. While the carrier group wasnt on guard against submarine attack, navy spokesmen nonetheless voiced concern that the Songs approach had gone undetected. As well they might: antisubmarine warfare isnt just a difficult art, but one the U.S. Navy consciously let slip after the Cold War. Thats when the leadership resolved to transform the sea service into a fundamentally different naval force that ventured only perfunctory efforts to prepare for high-seas combat. It is playing catch-up in the undersea realm.

Its amusing when commentators describe this or that submarine as a stealth submarine. Presumably that word stealth exudes sex appeal, and generates web traffic. But all subs are stealthy. A nonstealthy sub is wreckage strewn across the seafloor. DPRK skippers have demonstrated they can avoid that fateand do their jobshould they exploit their advantages at a time when circumstances align in their favor. Yes, American carriers are heavily armored and so forth, as carrier proponents like to say, and yes, sinking one would represent no easy feat. Thats a commonplace. But weve known for nearly a century that armored ships can be sunk by aerial, surface, or subsurface attack. Indeed, U.S. Navy aviators, battleship gunners and submariners honed antiship warfare to a fine art seventy-five years past, even before precision-guided munitions made their debut. There are no grounds for hubris vis-a-vis the DPRK Navy.

Second, the DPRK Navys prospects depend on the type of carrier force it faces. A carrier strike group centered on a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier (CVN) is a different creature from an amphibious ready group centered on an amphibious carrier (LHD or LHA) such as USS Wasp, currently steaming to its new homeport in Sasebo, Japan. Both CVNs and amphibs like Wasp can carry high-tech aircraft such as F-35 joint strike fighters. But the bigger CVN boasts a full-fledged air wing, with lots more fighter/attack aircraft along with associated support aircraft. Its also outfitted with catapults capable of slinging warplanes into the sky bearing larger fuel loads and weapons complements. LHDs and LHAs displace about half as much as CVNs, they have no catapults, and thus they carry a humbler mix of helicopters and vertical-launch U.S. Marine F-35s featuring shorter range than their U.S. Navy brethren.

An amphibious ready group, then, presents less formidable challenges to North Korean aviators, rocketeers and mariners than does a full-up carrier strike group. In all likelihood, then, U.S. Navy commanders would hold amphibious groups in reserve until the heavy fighting off Korean shores subsided. The gators could venture close to shore once air and missile attacks had abated the antiship threatrendering it manageable for the groups more modest defenses. In short, how U.S. commanders arrange forces on the nautical chart and sequence operations will help determine whether a carrier suffers assault from North Korean warbirds, surface or subsurface craft, or antiship missiles.

American overseers will certainly exploit the rudimentary state of North Korean reconnaissance technology. Oceans and seas are big places, the biggest carrier group tiny by contrast. It is no simple task to detect, target and engage maritime forces riding the high seas. Chinas Peoples Liberation Army found this out to its chagrin during the 199596 Taiwan Strait crisis, when President Bill Clinton dispatched two carrier groups to the islands vicinity to deter military action disrupting that years presidential elections. Beijing could neither target nor even find U.S. naval forces cruising the Western Pacific, ostensibly a Chinese nautical preserve. Theres little reason to suppose Pyongyang would enjoy better prospects todayunless, say, the DPRK military is a beneficiary of information passed to it by the PLA under the table. China might seek paybacks by proxy for 199596.

But third, the strategic canon warns us to expect the perverse in martial competition or strife. Clausewitz counsels that chance and uncertainty help constitute the climate surrounding warfare, and that the wisest military sage can do little more than stack the deck in his favor. He may lose anyway. Edward Luttwak reminds us that while we may conduct our affairs according to rational cost/benefit logic in peacetime, combatants are susceptible to ironic reversals in wartime, meaning turnabouts of fortune on the battlefield. They tend to overextend themselves, whether out of ignorance or euphoria, and thereby expose themselves to setbacks or defeat.

Luttwaks paradoxical logic of strategy exempts no oneincluding U.S. naval aviation. So lets frame maritime strategy toward North Korea with confidence, while abjuring overconfidence like the plague.

James Holmes holds the J. C. Wylie Chair of Maritime Strategy at the Naval War College and is coauthor of Red Star over the Pacific (second edition forthcoming 2018). The views voiced here are his alone.

Image: Flickr / Department of Defense

Read full articleAs a powerful 'bomb cyclone' ravaged the U.S. East Coast with snow and high winds this week, a Norwegian Cruise Line ship sailed right into its path, giving thousands of passengers a fearsome experience they aren't likely to forget.

SEE ALSO: Incredible photos from space show off the historic East Coast 'bomb cyclone'

Passengers on the Norwegian Breakaway cruise were treated to monstrous waves, winds, rain, and flooding for multiple days as the ship made its way to New York City, navigating right into the storm that made headlines all week, passengers told CBS New York Friday. The videos that passengers shared are harrowing.

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Some were more in awe of the boat-rocking waves than afraid of them.

Even if passengers steered clear of the deck and windows on the cruise, the onslaught of rain caused flooding, and one passenger shared a video showing running water on the carpeted floor and more leaking through the ceiling.

Passengers who spoke to CBS New York shared stories of people crying and throwing up, and general panic.

"When youre on a boat in the middle of the ocean and water is pouring down the stairs, you're thinking 'this is not going to end well,'" passenger Karoline Ross told CBS New York. "This was the worst moment of my life."

"I'm completely traumatized," passenger Emma Franzese told CBS New York. "I'll never go on any type of boat again in my life after this."

After the tumultuous trip, Norwegian Cruise Line apologized to guests in two statements, saying the ship "encountered stronger than forecasted weather conditions." Though as meteorologists were quick to note on social media, the storm was well-forecast, and the ship should not have been in that location.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.A shop employee puts up a sign of support for the Orlando community following the shooting at Pulse nightclub - 2016 Getty Images

The wife of Omar Mateen, the gunman who killed 49 at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando in June 2016, allegedly knew he was preparing for the deadly attack, according to reports of a handwritten statement she gave to the FBI.

Hours after the shooting, Noor Salman is said to have told agents that she knew her husband's plans and that he was going to target the Orlando club when he left their home.

"My fears had come true and he did what he said he was going to do. I was in denial and I could not believe that the father of my child was going to hurt other people," she wrote.

"He said if he did jihad everybody would know who he is."

The mother of one added that during the two-years before the attack, Mateen would look at jihad websites almost every day and watch beheading videos. He was angry and frustrated about treatment of Muslims in the Middle East and talked about retaliating against Americans.

An undated file photo showing mass murderer Omar Mateen Credit: AFP/Getty Images

However, it appeared the 12 page statement, which was released among a batch of papers relating to the case at the end of December and obtained by the Orlando Sentinel, was made without a lawyer present and before she was read her legal rights. Her lawyers have been fighting against the use of it in court.

Prosecutors have said she was not under arrest and that all of her statements were voluntary.

Ms Salman was arrested last year charged with providing material support to a terrorist and tampering with evidence and pleaded not guilty, claiming she was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. At that time she said Mateen abused her and that she was unaware of his plans.

But in the earlier statement she wrote that Mateen bought a rifle about four days before the attack. She saw it in the trunk of his car and asked him about it. He told her not to say "anything to anybody," covered it up then said it was for his security guard job.

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Days ahead of the attack, Mateen, who died in the attack, bought ammunition and went to the shooting range "a lot," Ms Salman wrote. He also spent a large amount of money and made Ms Salman a beneficiary on his bank accounts, telling her it was "in case something happened," she wrote.

In the statement, she described driving slowly by several destinations, including Disney World and Pulse nightclub, before the shooting. He asked Ms Salman when driving by Pulse, "How upset are people going to be when it gets attacked?" the statement said.

Two days before the shooting, Ms Salman saw Mateen looking at the website for the club. When she saw what he was doing, he said, "this is my target," the statement reads.

Ms Salman told FBI agents, "I knew that the time to attack the club was close."

The night before the attack, he left the house and looked "pumped up," she wrote in the statement, adding he told her, "This is the one day."

He had a handgun in a holster around his waist and put on a backpack that had ammunition inside, she wrote, adding she knew "this was the time that he was going to do something bad."

"I knew when he left the house he was going to Orlando to attack the Pulse nightclub,"Moves to oust Jeff Sessions as Attorney General could pave the way for the Trump administration to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller, critics have warned.

On Friday, House Intelligence Committee member Rep. Chris Stewart joined a growing number of Republicans calling for Sessions to step aside.

0725_trump_sessions_01

Mike Segar/File Photo/Reuters

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We have been weakened in our investigation into very important concerns at the Department of Justice and the FBI, Stewart told CNNs Wolf Blitzer.

Jeff Sessions is not able to take the reins and direct that investigation."

Sessions recused himself from the probe into allegations of collusion between the Trump camp and Russia after his contact with Russian officials ahead of the 2016 election emerged. Critics have warned that a new attorney general appointed by the president could be free to sack Robert Mueller, the special counsel overseeing the Russia probe, and take a direct role in the investigation.

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The end game here is to fire Mueller. The rest is noise. If Trump fires Mueller we will have a constitutional crisis, and Trump will be removed, tweeted Richard W. Painter, White House ethics chief under President George W. Bush, linking to a report on Stewart joining calls for Sessions to quit.

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Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, on Friday called for special bipartisan legislation to protect Mueller, appointed in May and overseen by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

Threat of AG Sessions firing as means to shut down Mueller. Republican colleagues must sound the alarm and support bipartisan legislation protecting Special Counsel, tweeted Blumenthal.

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Sessions is one of the few cabinet members who will not attend an inner-circle legislative meeting hosted by President Trump this weekend, according to reports, as tensions between the two men deepen. The New York Times reported Thursday that Trump had asked White House counsel, Don McGahn, to ensure that Sessions didn't recuse himself - despite his promise during Senate confirmation hearings in March - and exploded with rage when McGahn said he had been unsuccessful.

Mueller is reportedly aware of Trump's attempts not to have Sessions recuse himself.

Politico, meanwhile, reported on Friday that Environmental Protection Agency chief and Trump loyalist Scott Pruitt is jostling to take over from Sessions at the Department of Justice.

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Mark Meadows, Freedom Caucus chair, and Jim Jordan, a member who sits on the oversight and judiciary committees in the U..S House of Representatives, in an op-ed for the Washington Examiner earlier in the week called for Sessions to quit and criticized his handling of the Russia probe.

"Attorney General Jeff Sessions has recused himself from the Russia investigation, but it would appear he has no control at all of the premier law enforcement agency in the world."

"It is time for Sessions to start managing in a spirit of transparency to bring all of this improper behavior to light and stop further violations."

The Republican congressmen wrote that "if Sessions can't address this issue immediately, then we have one final question needing an answer: When is it time for a new attorney general? Sadly, it seems the answer is now."

President Donald Trump has previously criticized Sessions decision to recuse himself from the Russia investigation.

Sessions should have never recused himself, and if he was going to recuse himself, he should have told me before he took the job and I would have picked somebody else, Trump said in a July interview with The New York Times.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekWashington, D.C. Demonstrators hold Iranian flags during a rally in Lafayette Park across from the White House in Washington, on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018, in solidarity with anti-government demonstrators in Iran. Iran has seen its largest anti-government protests since the disputed presidential election in 2009. (Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP)

Hundreds of Iranians held rallies on Saturday in support of the anti-government protests in Iran, in cities including Washington, D.C., Stockholm, London, Paris and Berlin.

About 400 people gathered in central Paris, and several hundred held a rally in front of Berlins Brandenburg Gate with Iranian flags, drums and banners calling for a change of government. (Reuters)

See more news-related photo galleries and follow us on Yahoo News Photo Twitter and Tumblr.Countries that are very harsh on drug epidemics and take it very seriously have less difficulty curbing the problem, claimed President Donald Trump in a press conference on Saturday.

Speaking among cabinet members and lawmakers at Camp David, near Thurmont, Maryland, Trump said that the current opioid crisis in the U.S. is among his priorities for a 2018 agenda.

We are going to do everything we can, said Trump. Its a very difficult situation, difficult for many countries. Not so difficult for some, believe it or not, they take it very seriously, theyre very harsh, those are the ones that have much less difficulty. But we are going to be working on that very, very hard this year, and I think were going to make a big dent into the drug problem.

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Chris Kleponis-Pool/Getty Images

Trump said that he was concerned about the drugs pouring into this country and that weve never had a problem with drugs like we do right now.

Trump did not specify which countries he believes have been more successful after cracking down on drugs with very harsh" measures, but hes made the claim before that the current opioid crisis, which he declared a public health emergency in October, is unprecedented. Drug overdoses are currently the leading cause of death in America for people under the age of 50. But not all public health experts agree that the best way to solve the problem is with harsh measures that abounded in the last decade of the war on drugs.

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For example, in Portugal, all drugs were decriminalized in 2001, and drug use is treated as a disease, not a crime. Drug use and addiction has steadily fallen since then, and drug overdose death rates are among the lowest in the world.

On the flip side, the decade of the war on drugs, intended to be a hardline approach to rising drug use, increased violence in Mexico, and brought increased violence in Mexico, and brought thousands of civilian deaths.

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson, speaking at the Manhattan Institute, said that the war on drugs has "disproportionately affected minority communities" and criticized Attorney General Jeff Sessions approach to the problem.

In addition to his claims about how to handle the current deadly opioid epidemic facing the nation, Trump spent his speaking time at Camp David by sharply rebuking allegations raised in Michael Wolffs new book Fire and Fury: Inside The Trump White House, calling it fiction and complaining about very weak libel laws that allow such work to be published without legal danger.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from Newsweek(ORLANDO, Fla.)  Investigators say the widow of the man who killed dozens of people at a gay nightclub in Florida knew her husband was going to do something bad before the attack.

The Orlando Sentinel reports that a statement written by an FBI agent and signed by Noor Salman says that she was in denial that her husband, Omar Mateen, could hurt other people when he left their home with guns and ammunition.

Salman faces charges of aiding a terrorist organization and obstruction of justice. Mateen killed 49 people and wounded at least 68 others during the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub on June 12, 2016.

Salmans attorneys and federal prosecutors continued a hearing Friday to discuss whether sealed evidence and an expert witness testimony should be allowed at her March trial. The hearing was closed to the public.As Donald Trump battles to build a wall to keep Mexican immigrants out of the United States, the Securities and Exchange Commission is probing the real estate company owned by the family of his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and its link to a lucrative federal visa program, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The EB-5 visa program provides green cards to immigrants who invest a minimum of $500,000 in certain American businesses. The Associated Press reported last year that wealthy Chinese spent $7.7 billion obtaining 40,000 of the golden visas in the U.S. in the last decade.

The SEC in May subpoenaed records from Kushner Cos. concerning its links to the program, according to the Journal. Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, meanwhile, began to examine company projects funded through the program. The probes involve twin, 66-story office and housing towers in New Jersey, sources told the Journal.

Emily Wolf, attorney for Kushner Cos., told the newspaper that the company did utilize the program, but that it fully complied with its rules and regulations and did nothing improper.

Though Kushner, a senior White House adviser, stepped down from running the company, he still maintains a stake in projects.

According to his most recent financial filing, he remains an investor in New Jerseys Trump Bay Street development in Jersey City, which also benefitted from the EB-5 program, the Journal reported. Kushner has reported receiving up to $5 million from the Jersey project thats the target of the SEC probe, according to the newspaper.

As part of a marketing campaign targeting Beijing and Shanghai, Kushners sister, Nicole Meyer, urged wealthy Chinese last year to invest in the Kushner New Jersey project in return for a green card. People were told that as many as 300 individuals who invested $500,000 each into the project could be eligible for green cards, the Journal reported. Most of the 10,000 EB-5 visas issued each year go to rich Chinese immigrants, according to the newspaper.

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During a marketing presentation in China in May, Jared Kushners name and White House status were invoked, and a photo of Trump was used in the pitch. The Kushner family later apologized, saying it hadnt intended to capitalize on the role of the presidents son-in-law in the White House as part of the presentation.

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The visa program has been attacked for ignoring low-income immigrants while essentially selling green cards to the well-heeled.

Also on HuffPost

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.01_05_JeffSessions

When Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded the Cole Memo on Thursday, giving federal prosecutors leeway to go after marijuana in states where the drug is legal, he opened up a fiery debate on whether the Republican Party still stands by one of its core planks: States rights.

Related: Can Jeff Sessions End Legal Marijuana? Key Obama-Era Policy to Be Reversed

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That policy, known as the Cole Memo, was one of a handful of barriers holding a line between federal and state government in the convoluted area of marijuana regulation. With the policy change, Sessions moved that line closer to federal control, something hes been pushing for for a long time.

But despite 29 states (plus the District of Columbia) voting overwhelmingly to legalize medical marijuana, and eight states (plus the District of Columbia) voting to legalize recreational marijuana, Sessions doesnt see it as a states rights issue: "I do not believe theres any argument, because a state legalized marijuana, that the federal law against marijuana is no longer in existence," he told radio host Hugh Hewitt back in October.

Instead, he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein pivot the discussion to the rule of law, a phrase theyve used in abundance this week. The previous Obama-era marijuana policy "undermines the rule of law, Sessions said on Thursday.

Rosenstein used that same phrase a whopping 19 times in a single speech on Friday.

01_05_JeffSessions

GETTY/Chip Somodevilla

Indeed, marijuana is illegal at the federal level, no matter how many states legalize it. Republicans, however, are more torn about the issue. Do they support the Republican administration, despite its flip-flop, or do they support their party's alleged ideology, and, perhaps most of all, their constituents' desires?

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The gray area is home to a burgeoning split in the party. This is a states rights issue, and the federal government has better things to focus on, Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said in a statement.

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Likewise, Senator Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) took to the Senate floor on Thursday, calling the policy change extremely alarming. Sessions, according to Gardner, had in fact promised him that his DOJ wouldn't make marijuana prosecution a priority.

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"I am prepared to take all steps necessary, including holding DOJ nominees, until the Attorney General lives up to the commitment he made to me prior to his confirmation, Gardner said. In 2016, President Trump said marijuana legalization should be left up to the states, and I agree."

And for Republicans, leaving it up to the states and to individual rights has been central to the party's stance on so many of its core issues: among them, the abortion debate, Obamacare, guns and gay marriage.

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.), always one to speak in lofty ideologies, summed it up neatly on a Wisconsin radio show during the 2016 presidential campaign season: There is, underneath all of this, a big fight between two political philosophies."

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The liberal philosophy, according to Ryan, is "one that tries to take us off of our founding philosophy, off of the founding principles and into a state, a government where we lose our freedoms, our self-determination, our liberties. Where we no longer have equality before the law, but we have this sort of arrogant, paternalistic, condescending government-knows-best philosophy.

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(Ryan has not returned Newsweek's request for comment on the Cole Memo.)

Marijuana "is going to be a test" of that political philosophy, Nicholas Sarwark, chair of the Libertarian Party, told Newsweek. I doubt that the Republican Party has a strong enough core ideology on anything right now, let alone states' rights."

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Libertarians, though sometimes aligning with Republican Party viewpoints, are more consistent in their push for federalism, Sarwark said.

Jonathan Blanks, a fellow at Libertarian think tank Cato Institute, calls Sessions' position on marijuana "situational constitutionalism." Citing the 10th Amendment, he said, "Federalism is ingrained in the constitution...What happens within state borders should be the states business."

But, he added, when it comes to drug policy, otherwise pro-states' rights politicians tend to renege.

Its a key criticism from Democrats  surely, neither party is wholly consistent in its messaging. But cries for states rights, individual rights and small government have been such a central component to the GOP's stances on hot-button issues, that the flip-flop is jarring. Even the Trump administration, with its unrelenting cutting down of federal regulations, holds a confusing stance on this issue.

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Trump promised during the campaign that he wouldn't touch marijuana, but since his inauguration, he's been notably quiet on the issue, leaving it to his attorney general to handle. The work of attorneys general is typically supposed to reflect the current White House's agenda  but it's unclear if that's the case here.

Related: How Jeff Sessions Plans to End Medical Marijuana

Its funny (but not actually funny) that states rights matter to the Trump Administration and Republicans only when its expedient, Representative Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) told Newsweek. Sessions' vendetta against democratically legalized marijuana is a humongous waste of federal resources, and has proven to be unpopular at the state and national level.

For now, marijuana legalization advocates, and perhaps states' rights advocates, will have to keep an eye on the precarious status of the Rohrabacher-Farr Amendment (which blocks the DOJ from using any money to prosecute medical marijuana in states where it's legal) as a next step in the debate. Since it's a budget rider, Congress votes on it every year as part of the federal budget; since Congress has stalled that vote twice now, it's still unclear whether Rohrabacher-Farr will be included in the package.

The Department of Justice and the White House have not responded to requests for comment.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekA democratic mega-donor purchased a copy of Michael Wolffs tell-all book on Donald Trumps presidency for every single member of Congress to read, he told Californias KQED public radio station today.

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Steyer, an environmental activist, told the station that he plans to hand-deliver all 535 copies of Wolffs Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House to each member of the House and Senate.

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This is only the most recent of Steyer's acts of defiance toward the president. According to The Hill, he spent at least $20 million of his personal money on the "Need to Impeach" campaign against Trump.

During the KQED interview, Steyer also said he plans to make a major announcement about his political plans on Monday. According to the publication, this could include a possible candidacy for California's governor or for the House of Senate.

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The book has been making the rounds online in recent days, but hit bookshelves Fridayfour days early.

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"Due to unprecedented demand, we are moving the on-sale date for all formats of 'Fire and Fury,' by Michael Wolff, to Friday, January 5, at 9 a.m. ET, from the current on-sale date of Tuesday, January 9," a Henry Holt spokeswoman told CNN.

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In it, Wolff claims that Trump didnt want, or expect, to win the presidency. He depicts Trump as juvenile, unwilling to listen, crass and unthoughtful.

The book claims that Trump spent just 10 minutes on the decision to ban transgender personnel from the military.

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Ten minutes after receiving the discussion points, and without further consultation, Trump tweeted his transgender ban, Wolff wrote.

The controversial book also claimed that Trump isnt very kind to either of his sons.

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Donald Trump's sons, Don Jr. thirty-nine, and Eric, thirty-three, existed in an enforced infantile relationship to their father, a role that embarrassed them, but one that they also professionally embraced, Wolff wrote. The role was to be Donald Trump's heirs and attendees. Their father took some regular pleasure in pointing out that they were in the back of the room when God handed out brains..."

Trump has already lambasted Wolffs book in a tweet.

Well, now that collusion with Russia is proving to be a total hoax and the only collusion is with Hillary Clinton and the FBI/Russia, the Fake News Media (Mainstream) and this phony new book are hitting out at every new front imaginable. They should try winning an election. Sad!

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On Friday, the White House said the book was full of lies. Meanwhile, Trump's personal attorney issued a cease-and-desist letter to Holt and Wolff on Thursday morning demanding that the book not be published, released or disseminated.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekRipples waves may have come to an abrupt halt. Coinbase, the cryptocurrency exchange service with more than $50 billion traded and more than 10 million users, has poured water over rumors that its about to add Ripple to its service. The news hit the cryptocurrency hard, with its token value dropping almost 20 percent following the news.

Rumors circling earlier this week suggested that Coinbase was about to roll out support for more cryptocurrencies. At the moment, the service offers four tokens: Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum and Litecoin.

The company clearly stated in its most recent update, posted on Thursday:

As of the date of this statement, we have made no decision to add additional assets to either GDAX or Coinbase. Any statement to the contrary is untrue and not authorized by the company.

You May Also Like: Ripple vs. Bitcoin: The 5 Biggest Differences Between the Cryptocurrencies

The company drew attention to its Digital Asset Framework, which determines whether to support a new asset. A committee of internal experts meets to decide whether a cryptocurrency meets a long and complex list of checkboxes, like a decentralized financial structure and a clear roadmap. It seems the committee has yet to give the thumbs-up that Ripple has satisfied these conditions.

Its a sliver of bad news in an otherwise incredible week for Ripple. The tokens price has moved from strength to strength, from $0.26 per token on December 2, 2017, up to $3.02 on January 5. The days figure represents a 17 percent drop compared to January 4s all-time high of $3.89 per XRP token.

The Ripple cryptocurrencys total market cap is now valued at $117 billion, pushing Ethereum into third place with its $96 billion valuation. Ripple has even been gaining on Bitcoin, though its still comfortably ahead at $282 billion. In total, the market is worth a staggering $766 billion, with juggernaut Bitcoin accounting for 36.9 percent of its total value.

Coinbase support could have meant still further big gains for Ripples value. When the service rolled out Bitcoin Cash support late last year, the price almost immediately surged from $3,500 to a staggering $8,500. GDAX, the professional exchange run by Coinbase, halted trades just two minutes after going live, which was officially attributed to the volatile price.

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In many ways, though, its to be expected. Coinbase has been reluctant to open up its services to so-called altcoins, and CEO Brian Armstrong has previously held the line that these alternatives are a distraction for Bitcoin.

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Ripple still has plenty to be excited about, though. Its focus on business transactions is paying off, with over 100 industry customers and over 75 deploying commercially. Big names like American Express, UBS and Santander have pledged their support, and three major Japanese credit card companies have also expressed interest in rolling out support.

Although Coinbase is out of the picture for now, theres still a number of other ways to buy Ripples XRP tokens.

Photos via Getty Images / Anthony Harvey

Photos via Getty Images / Anthony Harvey

Written by Mike Brown

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More From InverseWASHINGTON  For the second time in as many months, the House Committee on Natural Resources has taken a public swing at Patagonia. This time its after the outdoor retailer turned down an invitation to testify before the legislative body about its opposition to the Trump administrations efforts to dismantle national monuments.

On Friday, the committee  which is chaired by Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah)  posted an image to Twitter that reads, Patagonia Is Lying Hiding. The post from the official government account links to a letter Bishop sent Friday to company CEO Yvon Chouinard in which he accuses the company of living in a bubble and shielding itself from competing viewpoints.

In my 15 years of congressional service I have found most people jump at the opportunity to share their views before Congress  at least those who are confident in their positions, Bishop wrote.

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A fierce critic of the Trump administrations monthslong review of protected national monuments, Patagonia has joined a coalition thats suing to block the sweeping cuts that President Donald Trump made last month to Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments. After Trump signed a pair of proclamations to dismantle the protected Utah sites, the company updated its home page with the words The President Stole Your Land.

In a post that closely resembled the one from Patagonia, Bishops committee accused the outdoor retailer of lying in order to sell its merchandise. The response raised both ethical and legal questions.

Walter Shaub, the former director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, said at the time that the attack on Patagonia sure looks a lot like a violation of House committee rules on social media communication.

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A week later, on Dec. 15, Bishop invited Patagonia to join the committee to discuss its views on monuments and federal land management.

Chouinard declined for his company. In a Dec. 19 response he said has little hope that Bishops invitation was in good faith.

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I find it disingenuous that after unethically using taxpayers resources to call us liars, you would ask me to testify in front of a committee for a matter already decided by the administration and applauded by the Utah delegation just a week ago, he wrote. A macabre celebration of the largest reduction in public lands in American history.

Chouinard accused Bishops committee of being like many committees in this failed Orwellian government and shackled to special interests of oil, gas, and mining.

Chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources Rob Bishop (Photo: Tasos Katopodis via Getty Images)

In his letter Friday, Bishop again blasted the company for its continued effort to mislead the public about the Utah monument rollbacks, in particular its claim that the move represents the largest elimination of protected land in American history.

High-profile corporate citizens who make factually inaccurate and misleading statements and then hide from further scrutiny do a disservice to their customers and the American public, Bishop wrote. He added that although it is your right, living in a bubble isnt healthy, nor is it conducive to a robust discussion on important matters of public policy.

While its true that the collective 2 million acres that the Trump administration has stripped from the two Utah monuments remain public and under federal control, withdrawing monument status opens the door for drilling, mining and other development.

Bishop hasnt been alone in the fight against Patagonia.

Following the administrations rollbacks in Utah, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke  who led the controversial monuments review  dismissed the private company as a special interest that makes its products in China. He told Fox Business that it should focus on how to bring manufacturing back into the country instead of lying to the public about losing federal land.

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Bishop Response to Patagonia by CM D'Angelo on Scribd

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Also on HuffPost

Basin and Range National Monument, Nevada

Bears Ears National Monument, Utah

Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, California

Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, Colorado

Carrizo Plain National Monument, California

Cascade Siskiyou National Monument, Oregon

Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho

Giant Sequoia National Monument, California

Gold Butte National Monument, Nevada

Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, Arizona

Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, Utah

Hanford Reach National Monument, Washington

Ironwood Forest National Monument, Arizona

Mojave Trails National Monument, California

Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, New Mexico

Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, New Mexico

Sand to Snow National Monument, California

San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, California

Sonoran Desert National Monument, Arizona

Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument, Montana

Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona

Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, Maine

Marianas Trench Marine National Monument, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands/Pacific Ocean

Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, Atlantic Ocean

Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, Pacific Ocean

Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, Hawaii/Pacific Ocean

Rose Atoll Marine National Monument, American Samoa/Pacific Ocean

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.Russia is going to pay a huge price for supporting Irans regime and its vision for the Middle East, President Donald Trumps top security adviser said.

The White Houses National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster spoke out, calling for the global community to jointly confront Irans behavior that is causing so much suffering, around a week after anti-government protests erupted across the Islamic republic.

The protests began as demonstrations against corruption and high prices and have since adopted a wider anti-government stance, and summoning turnouts unseen for almost a decade. At least 22 people have died since protests began last Thursday. Russia is one of the Iranian regime's most powerful allies, a bond reinforced ever since Moscow and Tehran joined forces to fight for the survival of their mutual ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in 2015.

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Over the course of an interview with U.S.-government-funded broadcaster Voice of America, McMaster listed Iran and North Koreas nuclear missile program as topics where U.S. and Russian interests should overlap. So far, the general fallout between the West and Russia, starting with Russias military actions in Ukraine and culminating with alleged meddling in western elections, has set a very different trend for relations.

What we have seen recently is, it seems as if Russia will actually act against its interests to spite the United States, the West, our European allies, he said.

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0105_McMaster_Trump

Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

How can it be in Russias interest to help empower Iran from the Middle East? McMaster asked. Theyre going to pay a huge price for that. McMaster did not clarify what the consequences would be, but suggested "empowering" Iran was an ill-advised strategy to secure stability and friends in the Middle East.

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Every state, every Arab state certainly, should recognize what Russia has been doing, and Russia should pay the price in terms of its reputation, its access to the region for what it is doing to enable Iran and Irans very destructive activities, McMaster urged. Russia shouldnt give cover and support to Iran so it can continue its nefarious designs across the region.

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Moscows actions have already chipped away at the Kremlins credibility on the global arena, McMaster argued. Referring to the election-meddling scandals, troops in eastern and southern Ukraine, and the support for a Syrian regime prone to striking its own citizens with chemical weapons, McMaster said Russias actions were now in the realm of implausible deniability.

Read more: U.S. war with North Korea would be a big catastrophe, says Russia

What we need to do with Russia is confront their destabilizing behavior, he said, arguing that the best first step toward this is to pull the curtain back on it.

Once everybody sees what theyre up to, they lose a lot of their power to foment lack of confidence and to pit communities against each other, he concluded.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekKyle Mizokami

Security,

It is very stealthy.

This Russian Submarine Is Called the "Black Hole" For One Terrifying Reason

Twenty-four Kilo-class submarines were operated by the Soviet Union, of which eleven are still operated by Russia. One was sold to Poland, which remains operational, but another, sold to Romania, is no longer in service. Ten were sold to India; nine are still operational while the tenth caught fire and sank pierside in August 2013. Iran has three Kilos, and Algeria has two. China had two submarines, purchased after the end of the Cold War.

Unlike the United States Navy, which went all-in on nuclear power, Russia maintains fleets of both diesel and nuclear-powered submarines. A land power encompassing much of Eurasia, Russian submarines are based much closer to the action than American submarines are. While Russia maintains nuclear submarines for distant ocean patrols, its fleet of diesel submarines is more than adequate for conflicts in Europe, the Middle East and the Russian near abroad.

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The mainstay of the Russian Navys conventionally powered fleet are Project 877class submarines, known as the Kilo class to NATO and the West. Nicknamed the Black Hole submarine by the U.S. Navy, the Improved Kilos are extremely quiet. The class has been built more or less continuously for thirty years, a testament to their effectiveness at sea.

The Kilo class was originally meant to serve the navies of the Warsaw Pact countries, replacing older Whiskey- and Foxtrot-class boats. The sub measures just 238 feet long by thirty-two feet wide, and displace 3,076 tons submerged. The ship has a crew of just twelve officers and forty-one enlisted men, and has an endurance of forty-five days before needing to be resupplied.

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The ships are powered by two diesel generators and an electric drive, giving them enough power to make ten knots at the surface and seventeen knots underwater. They are not fast submarines. They have a range of six thousand to 7,500 nautical miles, meaning that from the Russian Northern Fleet headquarters they can patrol for one thousand nautical miles and then go on to Cuba.

Neither are they particularly deep divers. According to Combat Fleets of the World, the Kilo class normally dives to just 787 feet, with a maximum diving depth of 984 feet. The submarines do particularly well in shallow water, where a pair of ducted props powered by low-speed motoring motors likely allows it to operate closer to the sea floor.

A lot of silencing went into the Kilos. The hull is described as having the approximate shape of a drop of water and greatly reducing water resistance over older, World War IIera submarine designs. The propulsion plant is isolated on a rubber base so it doesnt touch the hull, preventing vibrations from turning into noise that can be heard outside the boat. The ship has a rubbery anechoic coating to deaden noise emanating from the submarine, which occasionally gives the submarines a blocky appearance noticeable in photographs. The air regeneration system can keep the crew supplied with oxygen for up to 260 hours, giving the ship almost two weeks worth of underwater endurance.

The sensor suite consists of the MGK-400 Rubikon (Shark Gill) low-frequency active and passive radar suite with a passive hull array. It also has a MG519 Mouse Roar high-frequency radar for target classification and mine avoidance. For simple surface navigation and search the Kilos are equipped with the MRK-50 Albatros radar.

Finally, the Kilos have six torpedo tubes of standard 533-millimeter diameter, and were originally configured to carry homing torpedoes and eighteen SS-N-15A Starfish antisubmarine missiles. On the last ships of the class, two of the torpedo tubes are capable of firing wire-guided torpedoes. Also unique to this class is a position for a seaman with a shoulder-figured Igla man-portable air-defense missile launcher.

Twenty-four Kilo-class submarines were operated by the Soviet Union, of which eleven are still operated by Russia. One was sold to Poland, which remains operational, but another, sold to Romania, is no longer in service. Ten were sold to India; nine are still operational while the tenth caught fire and sank pierside in August 2013. Iran has three Kilos, and Algeria has two. China had two submarines, purchased after the end of the Cold War.

Submarines were some of the first vessels Russian shipyards started building after the dissolution of the USSR. An improved version of the Kilo class, known as Project 636.3 or just Improved Kilo, was developed to rejuvenate a flagging Russian submarine force and gain hard currency from exports.

The 636.3 class was an all-around upgrade. The dimensions of the submarine are essentially the same, but the bow has been reshaped to improve hydrodynamic flow. It features improved quietness due to further isolation of the machinery, moving other machinery to areas where they would make less noise. The submarine also has 25 percent greater range than previous versions. Major sonar systems however are largely the same as in the original Kilo class.

One major improvement of the 636.3 class is the ability to launch Kalibur cruise missiles. Kalibur (the export version is known as Klub) is a versatile class of missile with land-attack, antiship, and antisubmarine warfare versions. In December 2016, the Russian submarine Rostov-on-Don launched Kalibur land-attack missiles against Islamic State.

The Peoples Republic of China was an early customer for the 636.3, buying ten submarines in the 1990s. The subs are apparently split between the East and South Sea Fleets. Another customer has been Algeria, which has bought two modern Kilos to supplement its pair of original submarines.

Vietnam bought six 636.3 boats, with five so far delivered, as the nucleus of an anti-access/area denial force against its traditional enemy, China. The two countries have a history of mutual hostility, currently stoked by Chinese oil drilling in a contested Exclusive Economic Zone and competing claims in the South China Sea. Vietnam purchased six submarines for an estimated $1.8 billion dollarsa real bargain.

Finally, Russia bought six 636.3 submarines to shore up its own submarine fleet. The last submarine, Kolpino, was launched in February from the Admiralty Shipyard in St. Petersburg. Kolpino will serve in the Black Sea Fleet, where it could conduct future cruise missile strikes against ISIS targets. Russia has apparently halted further purchases of the Kilos, seeking to transition to the Lada class.

The Kilo class of submarines were very successful in both a technical and export sense. A submarine meant nearly as an afterthought for Soviet allies became a legend in the eyes of NATO. Fifty-three submarines were built over a period of thirty-three years, often providing Russian shipyards with critical work that kept them open during the lean post Cold War years. In addition to Russian operations against Islamic State, as tensions in the South China Sea increase the possibility of a naval skirmish, we could see Kilo submarines in action in Asian waters.

Kyle Mizokami is a defense and national security writer based in San Francisco who has appeared in the Diplomat, Foreign Policy, War is Boring and the Daily Beast. In 2009 he cofounded the defense and security blog Japan Security Watch. You can follow him on Twitter: @KyleMizokami.

Image: Creative Commons.

This first appeared in 2016.

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Read full articleSaudi authorities have detained 11 members of the royal family who staged a rally at the palace in Riyadh to protest austerity measures forcing them to pay for their own utility bills, Saudi media reported on Saturday citing anonymous sources.

One online news website affiliated with the authoritarian government, sabq.org, said the princes opposed a royal decree that halted the state payment of royal family members water and electricity bills. They also demanded compensation for a death sentence issued against one of their relatives.

All 11 princes, who were not identified in the media reports, were arrested after they refused to leave the premises and were brought to the al-Hair maximum-security prison awaiting trial because, the sources told the website, everyone is equal before the law.

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01_06_CrownPrince

Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images

News of the arrest was published in at least one another Saudi publication, but could not be confirmed with official sources, Reuters reported.

The arrests were carried out by an elite force of the Royal guards known as Al Ajrab Sword Brigade, which is directly linked to King Salmans son, Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, sabd.org reported in a separate article, without mentioning sources.

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In November 2017, King Salman placed the young crown prince, who is widely expected to succeed his father to the throne, at the helm of an anti-corruption committee that soon launched a crackdown against members of the Saudi elite, resulting in the arrest of dozens of people, among them princes and government officials. As many as 23 of them reached a financial settlement with the government and were released at the end of December, Reuters reported at the time, citing Saudi media, while others would face trial.

Story continues

Low oil prices have put a strain on the kingdoms finances. Saudi Arabia introduced its first-ever 5 percent VAT tax on January 1 as well as an increase in electricity tariffs and gasoline prices.

To soften the blow, King Salman announced on Saturday the restoration of an annual pay rise and a 1,000-riyal ($200) bonus for Saudi government workers and extra monthly payments to retirees and social benefits recipients, Bloomberg reported. Soldiers fighting the war in Yemen were also awarded 5,000-riyal ($1,333) bonus.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekPARIS (Reuters) - Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is to travel to Paris to meet French President Emmanuel Macron at around the end of February or early March, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told French TV CNEWS. Asked if Prince Mohammed, known as MbS, would be visiting Paris, Jubeir said: "Yes, god willing. He received an invitation from President Emmanuel Macron. We're thinking about an end February-early March date." He said the exact date had not been finalised yet but would be decided upon in the coming weeks. Jubeir's comments were broadcast via a French translation. Spearheaded by Prince Mohammed, Saudi Arabia has detained dozens of senior business people and government officials, accusing them of crimes including money laundering although not of terror financing. Prince Mohammed is also leading sweeping economic and social reforms intended to remodel the world's top oil exporter and biggest Arab economy into a modern state no longer dependent on petroleum. These include the planned the sale of five percent of state oil giant Saudi Aramco, which could be the biggest IPO in history.[nL8N1OE63Z] (Reporting by Ingrid Melander, Editing by William Maclean)By Mark Hosenball and Warren Strobel WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate Intelligence Committee probe of Russian meddling in the 2016 election is nowhere near over, as lawmakers probe issues including a June 2016 meeting between top aides to then-Republican candidate Donald Trump and a Russian lawyer, the panel's top Democrat indicated on Friday. Senator Mark Warner said committee staff have interviewed everyone at the meeting, where President Trump's son Donald Jr. expected to be given derogatory information about Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, with the exception of "one or two individuals who are Russian." "But I feel very strongly that you can't, you could never conclude without the senators themselves being able to talk to the principals involved," Warner said. "We have not gotten there yet." Warner, in an interview with Reuters, said the Senate investigation has made progress on several fronts. It has, he said, "re-validated" a Jan. 6, 2017, U.S. intelligence assessment that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign aimed at the 2016 presidential election, with the goal of undermining Americans' trust in their institutions and denigrating Clinton. In an effort that has been "frustratingly slow," Warner said, the investigation also prompted the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to warn 21 U.S. states whose election systems were the subject of tampering attempts by Moscow. "DHS has upped its game. The state election officials have upped their game. And I think we are  not as fast as I'd like  but I think electoral systems are going to be on better guard" for congressional elections in November this year, Warner said. Warner and fellow Democrats have worked closely with the Senate panel's Republican chairman, Senator Richard Burr. The bipartisanship contrasts with a parallel investigation by the House Intelligence Committee, where inter-party feuds have imperiled the effort, and may lead committee Republicans and Democrats to issue competing reports. In the interview, Warner repeated a warning that he made in a Dec. 20 Senate floor speech that any move by Trump aimed at firing Special Counsel Robert Mueller would provoke a "constitutional crisis." Mueller is conducting a criminal probe of whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia, something the White House denies. Two Trump campaign associates, former national security adviser Michael Flynn and aide George Papadopoulos, have pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI in Mueller's probe. Warner said his concern that Trump might take a step to dismiss Mueller was confirmed by news reports on Thursday detailing steps the president reportedly took to blunt the Russia investigation. Trump, the reports said, ordered White House counsel Donald McGahn to convince Attorney General Jeff Sessions not to recuse himself from the Justice Department's Russia probe, so Sessions could remain in charge of it. Sessions recused himself anyway. "If true, it's one more example of this president's unusual behavior," the senator said. "And it's one of the reasons why I don't take as absolute the White House's assurances, 'oh no, we have no plans'" to fire Mueller. "Because clearly this is based upon the president's actions on a variety of topics  things can change on a dime." (Reporting by Mark Hosenball and Warren Strobel; additional reporting by Jonathan Landay; Editing by John Walcott and Grant McCool)The Bureau of Fire Protection has declared the fire at Ayala Center Cebus Metro Department Store and Supermarket was declared under control yesterday afternoon, with damages initially pegged at P100 million. BFP-Central Visayas director Samuel Tadeo said the blaze, while it has yet to be declared a fire-out, can no longer affect other establishments in the mall. Senior Fire Officer 2 Christopher Orbiso only the shoe section of the department store on the second floor remained on fire. Firemen had difficulty entering the building as the structure has weakened and the upper floors were in danger of collapsing. By 3 a.m. Saturday, the fourth floor of Metro Ayala already collapsed. Employees and customers of the department store, which is within the Ayala Center Cebu mall, safely got out of the establishment when the fire started Friday evening. Meanwhile, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines is calling for a joint fire safety audit of all malls nationwide following the two separate fire incidents in Davao and Cebu.It is outrageous to see another fire taking place in Metro Ayala mall and Gaisano mall in Cebu City when just 15 days ago 38 workers perished in NCCC Mall fire in Davao City. These are not isolated incidents. There is a widespread violation of malls owners to fire safety standards and compromise the safety of mall goers and well-being of mall workers to cut costs and make bigger profit for themselves, TUCP President Raymond Mendoza said. The ongoing Metro Ayala Mall and the Gaisano mall and the NCCC Mall fires are symptoms of the wanton disregard of department store owners to go around our building safety laws and ignore workplace policy on workers health and safety. We have to find out other malls nationwide how safe or how fire-risks these are, he added. lan Tanjusay, spokesman of the Associated Labor Unions-TUCP, said a fire safety audit must be conducted. Fire safety audit to all malls is important because workers work here and children, old folks and entire families consider malls as home. It is the place for work, recreation and business. Malls have become very important place in the community, but how safe are our malls in the light of these twin mall fatal fire incidents? Tanjusay said.Johannesburg (AFP) - The death toll from one of South Africa's worst ever rail crashes has risen to 19 including four children, the authorities said Saturday.

The passenger train, travelling from Port Elizabeth to Johannesburg, smashed into a lorry at a level crossing near Kroonstad in central Free State province on Thursday and burst into flames .

Provincial health department spokesman Mondli Mvambi said the number of dead had risen to 19 and that work on identifying the victims was continuing.

Another 164 people were admitted to hospital after the crash but only one, a 14-year-old, was still being treated on Saturday for multiple fractures.

South African police on Friday launched a manslaughter investigation, with the lorry driver central to the probe.

"The truck driver was taking chances... that cost lots of lives," Transport Minister Joe Maswanganyi said at the scene on Thursday.

However noone is in police custody or has been charged in connection with the crash.Sebastien Roblin

Security, Asia

The K-9 Thunder is a beast of a "big" gun.

South Korea Has Its Own Massive Artillery That NATO Loves (and North Korea Hates)

In December 2017, Norway announced it would purchase twenty-four K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzers from South Korean firm Hanhwa for $215 million, with an option for up to twenty-four more in the future. The K9 edged out an upgraded M109 howitzer offered by the Swiss firm RUAG and the German Panzerhaubitze 2000, which has a similar main gun and performance profile, but a slightly faster rapid-fire rate compared to the K9. However, the PzH 2000 is considerably more expensive.

This marks just the latest success of the South Korean howitzer system, which is already serving with Turkey and will soon enter service with three other NATO countries, as well as India and Finland. South Korea itself will have more than 1,200 of these guns deployed by 2019, to face down their intimidating North Korean counterparts along the mountainous demilitarized zones that separate the two states.

The turret on the fifty-two-ton K9 mounts a huge 155-millimeter howitzer with a long fifty-two-caliber barrel that can strike targets up to twenty-six miles awayor as far as thirty-five miles using rocket-assisted projectiles. The vehicles five-man crew is fully enclosed with protection from ambient nuclear, biological and chemical hazards, and protected by nineteen millimeters of steel armorjust enough to deflect heavy machine-gun rounds and shrapnel, but not anything heavier. A .50 caliber machine gun on the turret offers a modicum of air- and close-defense capability.

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South Korea designed the K9 to operate on the rugged mountains of the demilitarized zone with North Korea, and accordingly gave it advanced hydropneumatics suspension to overcome the rocky terrain. Despite weighing more than the U.S.-built M109 Paladin, which has been in widespread use across the globe since the 1960s, the K9 is faster (at forty-one miles per hour), has a higher power-to-weight ratio thanks to its thousand-horsepower engine, and has a nearly 40 percent greater operational range of three hundred miles before requiring refueling. While the gun isnt stable enough to be fired on the move, it can be deployed for firing in just one minute.

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The gun uses an automatic feed mechanism to reduce the burden on the two loaders in the crew. It is capable of rapid-firing three rounds in just fifteen seconds using its Multiple-Round Simultaneous Impact mode, allowing a modernized version of a World War II tactic known as Time on Target. Operational research has shown that artillery is deadliest during the opening moments of barrage, when the targets are likely out in the open and unaware of the incoming attack, then declines steeply in effectiveness as adversaries hunker down into cover. By timing the shells in an opening salvo to land simultaneously before the enemy is aware they are incoming, they are likely to inflict far greater damage.

The Thunder can carry up to forty-eight shells, and is resupplied by K10 ammunition resupply vehicles, which can transfer up to 104 more rounds via an automated bridge that does not require the crew to expose themselves to fire. The K10 uses the same hull as the K9 for maintenance commonality.

The Thunders mobility, fast deployment time and MRSI capability make it well suited for delivering brief but deadly fires and then rapidly redeploying to new firing positions to avoid retaliatory counterbattery fire.

The K9 actually first saw action with the Turkish army, in the form of a license-built variant called the T155 Firtina (Storm). The Firtinas were first employed in a cross-border incursion targeting Iraqi Kurdish PKK forces in 2007, and later were heavily engaged in attacks on Kurdish and ISIS forces across Turkeys border with Syria. However, ISIS fighters filmed themselves knocking out three Firtinas at Gaziantep using Metis wire-guided antitank missiles in April 2016. Turkey currently possesses at least three hundred T155s, and has exported thirty-six to Azerbaijan, where they may see use in its on-and-off again war with Armenia.

South Koreas K9s saw their own baptism by fire under less than auspicious circumstances on the afternoon of November 23, 2010, at Yeonpyeong Island, at the extreme western tip of the North-South border. Apparently feeling provoked by a South Korean naval exercise earlier in the morning, North Korean artillery based in the Kaemori Peninsula and on the tiny island of Mudo began an indiscriminate hour-long bombardment of Yeonpyeong Island, killing two civilians and two Korean marines, and wounding twenty-two more.

The battery of six Thunders located on the island eventually responded, but two had their fire-control systems damaged by the attack and could not fire, while a third was temporarily jammed but was brought into action. The active K9s fired eighty shells targeting the barracks on Mudo Island. Because the howitzers had exhausted most of their onboard ammunition during an earlier exercise, Korean Marines were soon forced to manually reload them. South Korean intelligence estimated the counterbattery fire resulted in thirty-five to forty killed or wounded, while North Korea denied sustaining any losses.

The Korean DMZ bears the risk of erupting into an intense artillery war, and South Korea is currently working on producing a new version of the K9 with an automatic turret, reducing the crew size to only two.

Countries in northern and eastern Europe are also seeking to improve their artillery capabilities due to Russias more aggressive posture in the region. Even Estonia, with its tiny population of 1.2 million, is planning to acquire twelve Thunders by 2021 to increase the costs of a hypothetical Russian invasion. Poland, meanwhile, is even building a domestic version of the K9 called the AHS Krab, which uses the turret of a British AS90M Braveheart howitzer. Warsaw plans to have five regiments totaling 120 Krabs, of which one is already operational. Further north, Finland announced in February 2017 that it was acquiring forty-eight used Thunders.

And far away in India, one hundred K9 VAJRA-Ts optimized for desert environments will be domestically manufactured with an option for fifty more, replacing outdated and smaller-caliber Abbot and 2S1 self-propelled howitzers. The VAJRAs are the first modern addition to Indias undersized self-propelled artillery force.

The U.S. military has placed decreasing importance on artillery until recently, as armored howitzer systems are heavy and difficult to deploy and resupply across the globe into an active theater. But for countries facing potential adversaries on their borders, artillery can respond much more rapidly, sustainably and cheaply than airpower. Improvements in technology now allow greater range and accuracy than before. This, combined with relatively affordable price, may explain why the advanced Korean howitzer is experiencing a surge in popularity.

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Stephen Miller and Steve Bannon (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Andrew Harnik/AP, Brynn Anderson/AP)

Stephen Miller, the senior policy adviser for President Trump, lashed out at Breitbart News chairman Steve Bannon on Sunday for his contribution to a scathing book that shows the White House beset by ineptitude and disorder.

On CNNs State of the Union with Jake Tapper, Miller said the entire Trump administration is deeply disappointed in Bannons critical comments about the White House in journalist Michael Wolffs Fire and Fury, published on Friday. In the book, Bannon described Donald Trump Jr. and Jared Kushners controversial meeting with a Russian lawyer in Trump Tower as treasonous and unpatriotic.

Miller was asked to respond to a passage in the book in which Bannon is quoted saying, The chance that Don Jr. did not walk these Jumos up to his fathers office of the 26th floor is zero.

Miller replied, Steve Bannons eloquence in that description notwithstanding, its tragic and unfortunate that Steve would make these grotesque comments, so out of touch with reality and obviously so vindictive.

Bannon led Trumps campaign in its final months and served as the White Houses chief strategist for the first seven months of Trumps presidency, before they had a highly publicized falling out.

And with respect to the Trump Tower meeting that hes talking about, he wasnt even there when any of this went down, Miller said. So, hes not really a remotely credible source on any of it. It reads like an angry, vindictive person spouting off to a highly discredible [sic] author.

Following Trumps lead, Miller said Fire and Fury is best understood as a work of very poorly written fiction and that Wolff is a garbage author of a garbage book.

And the tragic thing about this book  and there are many things about it that are unfortunate  but the portrayal of the president in the book is so contrary to reality, to the experience of those who work with him, to my own experience, having spent the last two years with him, Miller said.

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Toward the end of the interview, Miller started to chide CNN. He accused the network of running anti-Trump material 24 hours a day. Tapper said Miller was being obsequious, only caring about Trump.

I think I have wasted enough of my viewers time, Tapper said, before cutting Millers microphone.

Conservative political operative Corey Lewandowski, who managed Trumps campaign from January 2015 to June 2016, was similarly disturbed by Bannons critiques. Lewandowski said he has a difficult time believing what Wolff wrote but that Bannon should be ashamed if its true.

He owes Donald Trump, he owes Donald Trump Jr., he owes Jared Kushner and the entire Trump family an apology if thats what he said. And if thats what he said, then shame on Steve Bannon because that is so out of bounds to accuse somebody of treason, Lewandowski said.

Bannon expressed regret in a statement to Axios on Sunday and heaped praise on the Trump family, including Trump Jr., whom he described as a patriot and a good man.

I regret that my delay in responding to the inaccurate reporting regarding Don Jr has diverted attention from the presidents historical accomplishments in the first year of his presidency, Bannon said.

Read more from Yahoo News:Former White House strategist issues statement

Trump allies insist political genius president is mentally fit for office

Steve Bannon, then Donald Trumps chief strategist, at Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida last year. Photograph: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images

Steve Bannon on Sunday withdrew his allegation that Donald Trump Jr committed treason, as he expressed regret over his role in the controversy around an explosive book about the White House.

The Guardian revealed last week that Bannon, formerly Trumps chief strategist, said a Trump Tower meeting between Trump Jr and Russians during the 2016 presidential election campaign was treasonous and unpatriotic.

In his statement given to the Guardian and other outlets on Sunday, Bannon did not apologise for any of his remarks to the author Michael Wolff, which included strident criticisms of the presidents daughter, Ivanka Trump  whom he called dumb as a brick  and her husband, Jared Kushner.

But he said he should have been quicker to clarify that his remarks about the June 2016 meeting in Trump Tower referred to Trumps then campaign chairman, who was also present.

My comments were aimed at Paul Manafort, a seasoned campaign professional with experience and knowledge of how the Russians operate, Bannon said. He should have known they are duplicitous, cunning and not our friends. To reiterate, those comments were not aimed at Don Jr.

Declaring Trump Jr to be both a patriot and a good man, Bannon added: I regret that my delay in responding to the inaccurate reporting regarding Don Jr has diverted attention from the presidents historical accomplishments in the first year of his presidency.

In the Wolff book, Bannon is also quoted as saying the inquiry into Russian election interference led by special counsel Robert Mueller would crack Don Jr like an egg on national TV.

Bannon issued his statement after coming under sharp criticism from Trump and his allies and losing the support of major Republican donors.

Following the publication of the remarks in Wolffs book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, the president claimed Bannon had lost his mind when he was fired from the White House last summer. Trump also lambasted Bannon on Twitter as Sloppy Steve who cried when he got fired and begged for his job and has been dumped like a dog by almost everyone.

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In an interview with CNNs State of the Union on Sunday, Stephen Miller, a senior White House official, described Bannons statements as grotesque and out of touch with reality.

Trump Jr agreed to the meeting with Russians including Natalia Veselnitskaya, a well-connected lawyer, after being promised documents that would incriminate Hillary Clinton, his fathers Democratic opponent.

The meeting, which was also attended by Kushner, is being investigated by Mueller, who is looking into possible collusion between Trumps campaign and Moscow during the election campaign.

US intelligence agencies have concluded that Russias president, Vladimir Putin, ordered a covert operation to help Trump win.

There was no collusion and the investigation is a witch hunt, Bannon said. I regret that my delay in responding to the inaccurate reporting regarding Don Jr has diverted attention from the presidents historical accomplishments in the first year of his presidency.

The statement issued also contained an extraordinary explanation for Bannons remark that the Trump Tower meeting had been treasonous, or unpatriotic, or bad shit.

He said: My comments about the meeting with Russian nationals came from my life experiences as a naval officer stationed aboard a destroyer whose main mission was to hunt Soviet submarines to my time at the Pentagon during the Reagan years, when our focus was the defeat of the evil empire, and to making films about Reagans war against the Soviets and Hillary Clintons involvement in selling uranium to them.Steve Bannon backpedaled on comments to journalist Michael Wolff, whose explosive new book sparked a backlash against the former top Donald Trump aide over his remarks about a meeting at Trump Tower in June 2016.

According to the book, released a week early due to high demand, the former White House strategist called the infamous meeting in New York between Donald Trump Jr. and Russian operatives at Trump Tower treasonous.

In a statement to Axios on Sunday, Bannon heaped praise on Trump and his agenda, and called Don Jr. a patriot and a good man.

My comments about the meeting with Russian nationals came from my life experiences as a Naval officer stationed aboard a destroyer whose main mission was to hunt Soviet submarines to my time at the Pentagon during the Reagan years when our focus was the defeat of the evil empire and to making films about Reagans war against the Soviets and Hillary Clintons involvement in selling uranium to them, Bannon said in the statement.

Bannon added that his comments to Wolff were aimed at Paul Manafort, the former Trump campaign manager who has been charged as part of an investigation into possible collusion between the Russian government and members of Trumps team. Manafort was also at the 2016 Trump Tower meeting.

Manafort, Bannon said, should have known how the Russians operate. He should have known they are duplicitous, cunning and not our friends. To reiterate, those comments (about the meeting with the Russians) were not aimed at Don Jr.

In the statement, Bannon again denied that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia. And though he did not deny any of the remarks that were attributed to him in the book, Bannon said he regretted that my delay in responding to the inaccurate reporting regarding Don Jr has diverted attention from the presidents historical accomplishments in the first year of his presidency.

Bannon released the statement after a three-day barrage of criticism from Trump and his allies. The president dubbed Bannon Sloppy Steve.

Story continues

Bannons statement also followed a CNN appearance on Sunday by Stephen Miller, the presidents senior policy adviser and former Bannon ally, who eviscerated his comments to Wolff as grotesque.

Earlier Sunday, Trump railed about what he called Wolffs Fake Book on Twitter:

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.Khartoum (AFP) - A student was killed in Sudan on Sunday during protests against soaring bread prices, officials and witnesses said.

Protests broke out in areas of war-torn Darfur and Blue Nile states as well as the capital Khartoum with demonstrators burning tyres and blocking roads and police firing tear gas.

Bread prices more than doubled this week as flour manufacturers raised prices amid dwindling wheat supplies after the government decided to stop importing grain and allowed private companies to do so.

Anti-riot police fired tear gas at hundreds of students and residents who staged rallies in the towns of Geneina and Nyala in Darfur and Damazin in Blue Nile, witnesses said.

"In the incidents that occurred in Geneina, one student was killed and six other people were wounded," Fadalelmola Al-Haja, governor of West Darfur of which Geneina is the capital, said in a statement.

"The situation is now calm," he said without specifying how the student had been killed.

Anti-riot police also clashed with stone-throwing students outside Khartoum University, an AFP correspondent reported.

"No, no to high bread prices!" chanted students and residents in Damazin as anti-riot police broke up their rally, witnesses said.

Pictures and videos of protests were quickly uploaded to social media sites.

"The price of bread is only rising in Nyala because many bakeries closed due to the shortage of flour," one resident told AFP by telephone.

A government official in Nyala said the situation there was under control.

"Police have dispersed the protesters. Our security forces are ready to deal with any disturbances," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Bread prices soared after the cost of flour surged to 450 Sudanese pounds ($25) for a 50-kilo (110-pound) sack from 167 pounds.

Leading opposition groups called for anti-government protests in response to the price rise.

- Newspapers seized -

Earlier on Sunday, security agents seized the print runs of six newspapers after they criticised the government over the rising cost of bread.

Story continues

"No reason was given for confiscating copies of our newspaper, but I think it was due to our transparent coverage of the food price rise," said Hanadi Al-Sidiq, editor of Akhbar Al-Watan which saw its entire run seized along with Al-Tayar, Al-Mustagilla, Al-Karar, Al-Midan and Al-Assayha newspapers.

Sudanese media are often targeted over their reporting. The country regularly ranks near the bottom of international press freedom rankings.

There were also sporadic protests in late 2016 after the government cut fuel subsidies.

The authorities cracked down on those protests in an attempt to prevent a repeat of deadly unrest that followed an earlier round of subsidy cuts in 2013.

Dozens of people were killed in 2013 when security forces crushed large street demonstrations, drawing international condemnation.Beirut (AFP) - Syrian regime forces on Sunday seized a strategic town as they pushed towards a jihadist-held airbase in an offensive to reclaim ground in northwestern Idlib province, a monitor said.

Government forces backed up by Russian air power are conducting an operation to carve out a foothold in the southeast of the province, the last one that had remained completely beyond regime control.

Troops captured Sinjar, the "biggest town in southeast Idlib", from Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate and were within 14 kilometres (9 miles) of the Abu al-Duhur military base, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The base -- which government troops lost to the jihadists in 2015 after a two-year siege -- could provide President Bashar al-Assad's forces with a vital forward post in the Idlib province.

The drive into the region is aimed at securing a key road that links Syria's second city of Aleppo -- recaptured by the government just over a year ago -- to the capital Damascus, the Observatory said.

State news agency SANA reported Saturday evening that the regime forces had taken control of "some towns and villages in the southeast" of Idlib province.

Since the start of the operation in late December, Assad's forces have recaptured roughly 60 towns and villages on the border between Idlib and neighbouring Hama province, Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.

In response to the situation on the ground the jihadists' "military council" under leader Mohammad al-Jolani convened an "urgent meeting", coalition Hayat Tahrir al-Sham said.

"The campaign by the criminal regime will not be easy," said the group, dominated by the one-time Al-Qaeda affiliate, previously known as Al-Nusra Front.

More than 340,000 people have been killed in Syria and millions displaced since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests.

Russia's intervention in support of Assad has shifted the balance firmly in the regime's favour.By Lisa Barrington and Ellen Francis BEIRUT (Reuters) - Rapid advances by the Syrian army into rebels' largest remaining stronghold, Idlib province, have brought it closer to a key insurgent-held military airport and displaced tens of thousands of people struggling to find shelter in winter weather. Supported by Iran-backed militias and Russian air power, President Bashar al-Assad's forces have taken territory in northeastern Hama and southern Idlib provinces since beginning an offensive in late October. The fighting and air strikes have forced more than 60,000 people to leave their homes since Nov. 1, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). In recent days the offensive has escalated, with forces progressing towards the strategic Abu al-Duhur military airport, to which rebels laid siege in 2012 before completely ousting Assad's forces in September 2015. A commander in a military alliance fighting in support of Damascus has said the army and its allies intend to capture the air base. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Friday the Syrian army and its allies had taken around 84 villages since Oct. 22, including at least 14 in the past 24 hours. The Britain-based war monitor said the rapid advance this week was made possible by intense air strikes which caused rebels to withdraw. The Syrian army lost Idlib province, which borders Turkey, to insurgents when the provincial capital fell to insurgents in 2015. It became the only province fully under opposition control. Tahrir al-Sham, spearheaded by al-Qaeda's former branch in Syria formerly called the Nusra Front, is the main rebel force in the province. A Syrian military source said the Nusra Front and its allies are the target of the military operation in northeast Hama and southeast Idlib provinces. "The army's operations there are continuing and the army is achieving advances. The terrorists (are facing) big losses in the area," he told Reuters. Idlib is part of Russian-engineered "de-escalation zones" meant to reduce fighting in western Syria. Turkish troops are also present in northern Idlib under the de-escalation deal struck with Assad's allies Russia and Iran. "De-escalation zones do not cover the Nusra Front at all, and the Nusra Front is in reality the one fully controlling Idlib," the military source said. Tahrir al-Sham is simultaneously under attack from Islamic State, which has been expanding a small pocket of territory in northeastern Hama on the edge of the Idlib enclave since the Syrian army ousted it from central Syria in October last year. Mustafa al-Haj Yousef, head of Idlib's Civil Defence, rescuers who work in opposition-controlled areas of Syria, said: "If martyrs, the displaced, the injured, are on the rise, collapsing the houses, striking civilians, targeting civilians? It's as if there's no de-escalation." DE-ESCALATION? The United Nations said the situation of civilians newly displaced by the fighting in Idlib was "dire", with humanitarian agencies struggling to meet their needs. Yousef, of the Civil Defence, said that even after fleeing heavy frontline air strikes and shelling, people face an air campaign deeper inside the province. He said there are not enough camps to cope with the flows, warning that if the army pushes up to Abu al-Duhur and beyond, "the displacement will double, it will multiply". "Most of them are sleeping on the ground, in tents that can't protect from the rain or the cold. Some people are able to rent, but the rent prices have also been very high." Idlib has been a haven for tens of thousands of rebels and civilians forced to abandon their homes in other parts of western Syria that the government and its foreign military allies have recaptured. It has also been the target of intensive Russian and Syrian air strikes that have killed thousands of civilians and destroyed hospitals and civil defense centers. Communities and camps, already hosting thousands of displaced, are struggling to absorb new arrivals. U.N. OCHA spokesman Jens Laerke said that in Idlib province 55 percent of communities are overburdened. In around 10 percent of these communities, internally displaced persons make up more than 70 percent of the total population. OCHA also said the fighting had forced some humanitarian organizations to stop work in parts of southern Idlib. "The greatest need we're seeing among people struggling to survive in this part of Syria is for food. Having been displaced repeatedly by conflict, they've exhausted their resources and are left with few choices, none of them good," said Christy Delafield of Mercy Corps, one of the largest organizations delivering aid in Syria. "It doesn't look to us like things will get easier any time soon." (Reporting by Lisa Barrington and Ellen Francis in Beirut with additional reporting by Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva; Editing by Mark Heinrich)Theresa May has brushed off concerns about Donald Trumps mental state raised in an explosive new book, which also prompted the US President to declare himself a very stable genius.

Dismissing concerns over Mr Trumps fitness to hold office, the Prime Minister also confirmed that he will be coming to the UK, though refused to be drawn on details of any trip.

Mr Trumps fitness for office has been the subject of debate after Michael Wolffs explosive book Fire And Fury: Inside The Trump White House included questions over his mental capacity.

In retaliation, Mr Trump branded Wolff a fraud and in a series of tweets proclaimed himself a very stable genius.

Mental state  Donald Trumps fitness to hold office was questioned in Michael Wolffs explosive book (Pictures: Getty)

Appearing on BBC1s The Andrew Marr Show, Mrs May was asked whether concerns about his mental state were serious, to which she replied: No.

As I say, when I deal with President Trump what I see is somebody who is committed to ensuring that he is taking decisions in the best interests of the United States.

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On the issue of a visit by the president to the UK, she said: He will be coming to this country.

But the PM  who controversially extended the offer of a state visit to Mr Trump when she became the first world leader to meet him in the White House following his inauguration last year  would not confirm what form the visit would take.

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Earlier, Mr Trump hit back at the claims in Mr Wolffs book in a series of tweets, saying: Actually, throughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart.

I went from very successful businessman, to top T.V. Star to President of the United States (on my first try).

I think that would qualify as not smart, but genius.and a very stable genius at that!San Pedro Sula (Honduras) (AFP) - Tens of thousands of people marched Saturday against the reelection of conservative President Juan Orlando Hernandez, demanding that his rival be recognized as the real winner of the November presidential race.

Supporters of the Opposition Alliance Against the Dictatorship rallied and marched in the streets of San Pedro Sula, the country's second-largest city, calling for Salvador Nasralla to be named the winner and sworn in this month.

"The people are not going to put up with this imposition, so that the dictator can stay on," Nasralla, a former TV host, said of Hernandez outside the city's colonial-era cathedral.

Marchers walked about two kilometers (1.25 miles) waving banners bearing slogans including "Electoral Fraud Shall Not Stand," "No more political killings," and "Freedom for Political Prisoners," demanding that Hernandez, 49, step aside.

Marchers also called for a national strike, including a boycott of Hernandez's inauguration and road blocks around the impoverished Central American nation.

Electoral officials on Friday rejected the opposition's appeal demanding the annulment of Hernandez's reelection, which was lodged over voter fraud allegations in the bitterly-disputed poll.

The country's Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), in a statement, cited a lack of evidence and dubbed the opposition's actions "groundless."

Hernandez stood for re-election against Nasralla despite a constitutional ban on presidents serving more than one term.

According to election officials, the final results showed the conservative Hernandez winning with 42.95 percent of the vote, over Nasralla's 41.42 percent.More than 2000 Afghan Shiite fighters, recruited by Iran and sent to fight on the side of President Bashar AL Assad, have been killed in Syria, media reports said.

The reports quoted an official in the Afghan force, The Fatemiyoun Brigade of Afghan Volunteer, which has been fighting in Syria for five years.

Iran denies sending professional troops to fight in the region, saying it has only provided military advisors and organized brigades made up of volunteers from Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The Fatemiyoun Brigade was set up in Iran after the Syrian civil war erupted in 2011. It was reported to be the second-biggest foreign force fighting for President Assad, behind the Lebanese militia Hezbollah, the Guardian reported.

Daily recruitment of Afghan refugees is taking place in the Iranian cities of Mashhad and Qom, which the Guardian said has the highest population of Afghans.

Afghans under the age of 18 are being accepted to go and fight if their parents grant them permission. At least one 16-year-old has been killed this year in Syrias brutal civil war.San Pedro Sula (Honduras) (AFP) - Tens of thousands of people marched Saturday against the reelection of US-backed President Juan Orlando Hernandez, demanding that his rival be recognized as the real winner of the November presidential race.

Supporters of the Opposition Alliance Against the Dictatorship rallied and marched in the streets of San Pedro Sula, the country's second-largest city, calling for Salvador Nasralla, 64, to be named the winner and sworn in this month.

"The people are not going to put up with this imposition, so that the dictator can stay on," Nasralla, a former TV host, said of conservative Hernandez outside the city's colonial-era cathedral.

"We're not going to stop until we get the corrupt out of power," Nasralla stressed.

Marchers walked about two kilometers (1.25 miles) waving banners bearing slogans including "Electoral Fraud Shall Not Stand," "No more political killings," and "Freedom for Political Prisoners," demanding that Hernandez, 49, step aside.

Many of them sang and chanted "JOH (Hernandez), OUT is where you are headed."

- National Strike -

Marchers also called for a national strike, including a boycott of Hernandez's inauguration and road blocks around the impoverished Central American nation.

"We are headed to a national strike," said opposition leader Manuel Zelaya, an elected leftist who back in 2009 was ousted himself from the presidency.

Without giving dates, Zelaya said civil disobedience would be the new strategy. Demonstrators plan to mount roadblocks on major avenues and highways, and at ports and airports, "so that the will of the people is respected," he said.

Zelaya said demonstrators rejected the idea that the vote be redone, a suggestion from the Secretary General Luis Almagro of the Organization of American States.

"I don't believe what the OAS says, but if it is to come watch Nasralla take office, that will do," Zelaya said.

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"I don't believe the United States either. But if it's coming to watch Salvador Nasralla take office, that will do too."

The United States recognized Hernandez as the winner, and about 20 others followed suit -- though many countries have not.

Washington is Honduras' main aid donor and largest trading partner.

Electoral officials on Friday rejected the opposition's appeal demanding the annulment of Hernandez's reelection, which was lodged over voter fraud allegations in the bitterly-disputed poll.

The country's Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), in a statement, cited a lack of evidence and dubbed the opposition's actions "groundless."

Hernandez stood for re-election against Nasralla despite a constitutional ban on presidents serving more than one term.

Hernandez had implicit backing from the United States, which is pouring millions of dollars into Honduras and neighboring Guatemala and El Salvador to improve security conditions there.

Those three countries, collectively known as Central America's "Northern Triangle," are the biggest source of undocumented migrants heading to the United States.

According to election officials, the final results showed the conservative Hernandez winning with 42.95 percent of the vote, over Nasralla's 41.42 percent.

When Hernandez was declared the winner, a wave of protests gripped the country; more than 30 people were killed in police operations, and another 800 have been arrested, human rights groups say.Christmas and New Year's may have ended, but that doesnt mean the holiday season is over.

For many Christians in Spain and Latin America, the holiday season officially ends on January 6, which is the 12th day of Christmas known as the Feast of the Epiphany, or Three Kings' Day. The holiday celebrates the biblical tale in which the Three Kings, or Three Wise Men, visit baby Jesus after his birth.

In the Gospel of Mathew, the three Kings find baby Jesus by following the path of a star across the desert for twelve days. According to the Gospel, the three Kings, named Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar traveled to Bethlehem to bring gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the baby Jesus.

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When Jesus was born in Bethlehem during the time of King Herod, the Three Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him, the tale goes.

The gifts the Three Kings gave Jesus were meant to be symbolic. Gold was associated with the belief that Jesus was the King of Jews. Frankincense, which is often burned in churches today, was meant to represent the divine nature of Jesus and the fact that people would come to worship him as the Son of God. And myrrh, a perfume sometimes used to embalm dead bodies, represented the fact that Jesus would eventually suffer and die. Each gift represented a distinct part of the baby's destiny.

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Today, children celebrate Three Kings' Day by receiving gifts of their own. Children in Spain and Latin America are instructed to leave their shoes by the door of their house so, like Santa Claus, the three kings can come and leave them presents.

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Many families also leave gifts of salt or grass for the camels that the Three Kings are said to ride in on, similar to the milk and cookies kids leave for Santa Clause during Christmas.

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Parades and performances are also typical on Three Kings' day. For families in Spain and Latin America, Three Kings' Day is as important and as widely celebrated as Christmas. In Mexico, bakers make a rosca del rey, a sweet bread meant to represent a Kings crown, that is a mile long. People fill the streets to get a slice of the special holiday bread. The bread often has a baby Jesus doll hidden inside.

In Spain, the streets fill with revelers gathering to watch parades that take place in cities across the country the day before Three Kings' Day. In the United States, many Latino communities also celebrate the Three Kings.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekEarlier this week news broke of a pair of massive chip vulnerabilities dubbed Spectre and Meltdown (for an explainer see this post). We learned that the larger cloud vendors like Amazon, Google and Microsoft have been in touch with chip vendors and have been working behind the scenes to mitigate the vulnerabilities.

But what about smaller cloud hosting vendors like Linode, OVH and Packet who were not in the inner circle? How were they coping with it?

Details have begun to emerge. These companies left on the outside looking in have been forced to scramble to find answers for their hundreds of thousands of customers and to find ways to protect them from this massive threat. Executives from these "Tier 2" vendors began informally contacting one another when the news of the threats broke on Wednesday.

Much like the childrens book Swimmy by Leo Lionni, the companies realized by banding together they could behave like a much bigger fish.

"Then suddenly he said, I have it! We are going to swim all together like the biggest fish in the sea! ~ Leo Lionni, Swimmy

According to information provided by the companies, the contact began when Edouard Bonlieu, VP for marketing strategy at French hosting provider Scaleway, reached out to Packet CEO, Zac Smith about an information sharing arrangement. Bonlieu had already contacted fellow French provider OVH.

Eventually six cloud providers -- Scaleway, DigitalOcean, Packet, Vultr, Linode and OVH -- formed a consortium of sorts to help one another and share information. In order to make the process more efficient, they started a Slack channel with CEOs, CTOs and engineers from the various companies sharing information and fixes as they became available.

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This approach has allowed them to get information much more quickly, taking advantage of modern enterprise communications tools like Slack. Not being part of the select group that received advance notice of Meltdown and Spectre, weve been playing catch up. Banding together with the folks at Scaleway, OVH and others has allowed us to short circuit a painfully slow game of telephone and provide our customers with as much detail as possible as they try to understand where and how their systems may be vulnerable, Nathan Goulding, Packets SVP of engineering explained.

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Yann Leger, SVP at Scaleway added, We discovered these vulnerabilities in the press before the full disclosure and started to put pressure on manufacturers as fast as we could to fully understand the situation. Working with other cloud players is one of the best decisions we've made so far to mitigate the issue in the most accurate way, he said.

The companies also sent out tweets and wrote blog posts to keep their customers updated with the latest information they had.

This was a case where cloud companies that normally compete hard with one another had to work together for the good of all in the true spirit of cloud computing cooperation. The large vendors have a direct pipeline to the various parties providing patches, fixes and detailed information. The Tier 2 vendors didn't have that luxury and this level of cooperation appears to be helping them cope with an extremely difficult situation.

Note: We learned after we published this story that three other vendors --Nexcess, prgmr.com, and Exoscale -- also joined the Slack channel after the original six referenced in this article.Authorities in Alabama are investigating a suspected arson attack on the home of Tina Johnson, who accused former Alabama GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore of sexually assaulting her in 1991.

The fire at Johnsons home in Gadsen, Alabama, occurred on January 2, reported AL.com.

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"I am devastated, just devastated. We have just the clothes on our backs," said Johnson as quoted by AL.com.

No-one was hurt in the fire, which began when Johnson and her husband were out at work.

In a statement, Etowah County Sheriff's Office said: "Investigators are speaking to a person of interest."

"The on-going investigation does not lead us to believe that the fire is in any way related to Roy Moore or allegations made against him," adds the statement.

A GoFundMe campaign by former Obama staffer Katie Jacobs Stanton to raise funds to help Johnson to rebuild her home had reached $58,000 at the time of publication.

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I don't know Tina Johnson. But I believe her, the page reads. It has always been dangerous and risky for women (and men) to speak out against sexual harassment. Today, this danger reached a disturbing level. Tina's home burned down and she lost everything."

Johnson was 28 years old when, in 1991, she visited Moores law office with her mother to discuss a custody petition for her son.

She alleges that when she was leaving the office Moore, who was an attorney at the time, grabbed my behind.

Speaking on Megyn Kelly Today in November, Johnson said she believed Moore had wanted to take my power so he could feel powerful.

As soon as we came into his office, it was ongoing flirting, telling me I was pretty, Johnson told Kelly.

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Johnson said that Moore even asked her on a dateeven though he was married at the time.

He got out of his desk and his sat on the end...his knee was touching my knee and I could smell his breath even, Johnson recalled.

Describing the alleged sexual assault, she said: He just grabbed my behind. I mean, forcefully grabbed it. And I didn't even react, I just walked out," she said. "I was so ashamed. I thought I did something.

Johnson added: The day he'd done that, he scarred me for life. I was vulnerable from the start, and he was in a position of power. I think that he wanted to take my power so he could feel powerful.

Johnson was the ninth woman to accuse Moore of sexual impropriety during the firebrand conservatives Senate run, which culminated in December when he crashed to defeat at the hands of Democrat Doug Jones.

Amongst Moores accusers was Leigh Corfman, who alleged that Moore abused her when she was 14 in 1979.

Moore has denied all accusations, blaming the allegations on a conspiracy by "liberals," the "Washington establishment" and homosexuals.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekA transgender woman who is currently serving a 10-year sentence in Illinois for burglary is now seeking a rarely granted transfer to a female prison after enduring sexual assault, taunting, and beatings in male prisons.

Deon Strawberry Hampton said she filed a lawsuit last year asking to be transferred after receiving brutal treatment from guards and fellow inmates at the southern Illinois Menard Correctional Center and at Pinckneyville Correctional Center, AP reported.

The 26-year-old said while she was at Pinckneyville prison, she allegedly said the guards made her and other transgender inmates perform sexual acts on one another as the guards laughed and threw insults at them.

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Hampton also argues that she is unable to wear her nails or hair long, and cannot represent herself as a female in the male prison. She has also said it is psychologically devastating, according to one of her lawyers at the Chicago based MacArthur Justice Center and the Uptown Peoples Law Center.

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On Friday, a U.S magistrate judge began a first-of-its-kind evidentiary hearing in Hamptons case in St. Louis, Missouri to assist the court in deciding if there should be a transfer. The hearing will take several days and will be focused on Hampton's gender identity and if she poses a risk to female inmates if she is moved.

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Allowing a court to decide where to send Hampton and other transgender inmates "would directly interfere with the operations of the (department) in a situation where Plaintiff is merely attempting to manipulate the system," Illinois Department of Corrections lawyers argued in a filing.

The state filing doubts Hamptons accounts of abuse by the guards and her gender identity, alleging that Hampton told prison health workers that she never claimed to be transgender and said she was ok with being male.

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Clinical psychiatrist George Brown, a key witness to Hamptons case, said in a declaration to the court before Friday's hearing that Hampton has identified as female since she was 5-years-old and shows all the features of someone convinced of their identity as a female. He also said to the court that Hampton is not a greater risk to women just because she hasnt had sex reassignment surgery, saying these views conflicts with all reliable medical literature.



A decision on the transfer request isn't expected for several weeks

Data shows that transgender inmates are at a greater risk for abuse. The Justice Department data estimates there were over 3,200 transgender inmates in state and federal prisons as of 2012. Forty percent of transgender inmates reported being victims of sexual misconduct by other inmates and guards, compared to 4 percent of the general prison reporting such abuse.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekAFP/Getty

President Donald Trump and his administration are disappointed in the European Union for not doing more to support Iran's anti-government protesters, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said.

The comments from the country's top diplomat come despite the EU's stated support for Iranian citizens' right to peaceful protest, with the bloc calling only for the end to violence from both sides.

While some individual European countries have joined the US in explicitly backing the protesters, Mr Tillerson lamented a perceived lack of similar support from the 28-nation union.

"We're disappointed that the European Union has not taken a more definitive stance in supporting those voices in the country that are calling for reform," he said.

There have been 21 deaths and more than 1,000 arrests as a result of the protests so far, which erupted in Iran's second largest city Mashhad on 28 December and spread across the country.

Mr Trump has thrown his weight behind the protesters' attempt to "take back their corrupt government", pledging "great support" at the "appropriate time" in a tweet.

Despite Mr Tillerson's comments, the European Union said it was "closely following the ongoing demonstrations in Iran, the increase in violence and the unacceptable loss of human lives".

"For the EU, human rights have always been a core issue in our relationship with Iran," read a statement.

"Peaceful demonstration and freedom of expression are fundamental rights that apply to every country, and Iran is no exception.

"In the last few days, we have been in touch with the Iranian authorities. In the spirit of frankness and respect that is the basis of our relationship, we expect all concerned to refrain from violence and the right to expression to be guaranteed, also in light of the statements made by the Iranian Government."

The protests are made up mostly of working class citizens under the age of 25 who are said to be angry at government corruption, a stagnant economy and rising food prices.

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Experts also believe discontent has been on the rise since the nuclear deal with the P5+1 in 2015, with many in Iran of the belief that there has been an unfair distribution of benefits throughout the population since the lifting of sanctions.

The P5+1 includes the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - the US, the UK, Russia, China and France - and Germany.

The President has been a vocal critic of the P5+1 deal which was negotiated by his predecessor Barack Obama and some observers think he might use the unrest in Iran to follow through on one of his campaign promises and tear it up.

Mr Trump has sent mixed messages about the European Union in the past.

In July 2017, the President took to Twitter to criticise the EU for being "very protectionist with the US" and said that it had to "stop". This came after he claimed to be working on a "major trade deal" with the UK.

And in January 2017 during an interview with Michael Gove he praised the UK's Brexit decision and predicted the EU would continue to break apart as a result of the refugee crisis.

However, a month later in February Trump hailed the EU as "wonderful" and said that he is "totally in favour of it".

Mr Tillerson also said that the administration was working with key members of Congress on a legislative fix that could enable the US to remain in the Iran nuclear deal.President Donald Trump speaks as Kris Kobach, Kansas secretary of state, listens during the initial meeting of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C., on July 19. Trump created the advisory commission in May, after claiming without evidence that 3 million people or more illegally voted for Hillary Clinton. (Photo: Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The Trump administration says it will fight a court order telling its voter fraud commission to hand over communications and documents to a Democratic member who sued the panel and alleged he was being illegally excluded from its decision-making process.

D.C. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly sided with the commissioner, Maine Secretary of State Matt Dunlap, on Dec. 22. She ordered the panel to give Dunlap documents, including a draft of the commissions controversial request for state voter data and communication relating to the planning of the panels Sept. 12 meeting in New Hampshire.

But President Donald Trump suddenly dissolved the commission on Wednesday, and Justice Department lawyers said Friday in a letter that they would ask Kollar-Kotelly to reconsider her order because the panel no longer exists.

Because the commission is no longer considering issuing final recommendations, the lawyers wrote, Dunlap faces no harm if he is excluded from the communications. The DOJ lawyers said that Dunlaps right to information was on the same level as that of the general public because he was no longer a commissioner.

As you know, of course, the Commission has been terminated as of January 3, 2018, and your client is, therefore, no longer a Commission member, they wrote to Dunlaps lawyers. The Commissions activities ceased without it ever issuing any report or recommendation, and therefore there is no prospect of future injury, much less future irreparable injury.

Dunlap said after the commission was disbanded that he was more determined than ever to get the information he believed he was entitled to.

Perhaps the only surprising aspect of the Department of Justice response is their rich blend of arrogance and contempt for the rule of law, Dunlap said in a statement Saturday. It is unthinkable, unconscionable, and un-American that the administration would engage in actions that demonstrate such a flagrant disregard for a court ruling and the rule of law.

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I think my accessand the access to the information by the rest of the now-former members of the commissionis more critical than ever, he added. The government cannot cloak major undertakings in changes to public policy in total secrecy without any public scrutiny or accountability.

The Justice Department attorneys also indicated in their letter that the voter data collected by the commission is not being transferred or utilized. That comment is at odds with the White House, which has said the Department of Homeland Security would take up the panels preliminary findings.

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach (R), the commissions vice chair, told Politico that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, a part of DHS, would run state voter roll information against federal databases of noncitizens in hopes of identifying people who were on the rolls illegally. Experts say thats not a reliable way to detect fraud.

Trump cited the cost of litigation against the panel as one of his reasons for disbanding it, but the lawsuits look increasingly unlikely to end. On Friday, the ACLU of Florida filed an emergency motion in federal court to stop the panel from transferring any data to DHS. The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the Brennan Center for Justice also have pending lawsuits seeking the records and communications of the commission.

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The sun rises behind the U.S. Capitol Dome early in the morning before the ceremonial swearing-in of President Barack Obama during the 57th Presidential Inauguration in Washington, Monday, Jan. 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

The Capitol dome is silhouetted as the sun rises in Washington, Monday, Oct. 15, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

The moon rises behind the U.S. Capitol Dome in Washington as Congress worked into the late evening, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012 to resolve the stalemate over the pending "fiscal cliff." (AP Photo/J. David Ake)

Dark clouds surround the Capitol dome on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, June 1, 2012, as severe weather comes to the area. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The U.S. Capitol dome is seen on December on 17, 2010 in Washington, D.C. (KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images)

The dome of the Capitol is reflected in a skylight of the Capitol Visitor's Center in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Storm clouds fill the sky over the U.S. Capitol Building, June 13, 2013 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Law enforcement officers line up on the lawn on the east side of the U.S. Capitol during the 32nd annual National Peace Officers' Memorial Service at the U.S. Capitol May 15, 2013 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Storm clouds fill the sky over the U.S. Capitol Building, June 13, 2013 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

A U.S. flag flies at half staff on the U.S. Capitol April 15, 2013 on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

The U.S. Capitol dome and Christmas tree are seen December 18, 2011 in Washington. (KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images)

A view of the U.S. Capitol's rotunda and a TV truck's satellite dish before the State of the Union address on Capitol Hill January 25, 2011 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)

A flag flies at half-mast over the dome of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., January 10, 2011, in honor of the six people killed in the shooting in Tucson, Arizona, that also severely wounded Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords. SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

A Christmas after being lit by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif, is pictured before the Capitol Hill dome in Washington on December 7, 2010. (JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)

The Capitol Dome is seen during a rehearsal for the Inauguration Ceremony January 11, 2009. (PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images)

The U.S. flag flies in front of the US Capitol dome on December 24, 2008 in Washington, D.C. (KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images)

The dome of the U.S. Capitol is seen at dusk on December 9, 2008 in Washington, D.C. (KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images)

The Capitol dome is seen silhouetted against the rising sun in Washington, DC, on February 1, 2010. (JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)

The illuminated Capitol Dome is pictured late November 21, 2008 in Washington, D.C. (PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images)

The dome of the U.S. Capitol is seen in Washington, D.C. on September 20, 2008. (KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images)

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.President Trump continued his extraordinary feud with author Michael Wolff with a Friday night tweet that will likely only boost sales of Fire and Fury, Wolffs irresistibly salacious account of the Trump administration.

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The tweet comes as Trump prepares for a weekend of political strategizing at Camp David with congressional Republicans ahead of the 2018 midterm elections. A photo released by the White House earlier in the evening showed Trump dining with several members of Congress and his administration. He was flanked, at the table, by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, Republican of Wisconsin.

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Joyce N. Boghosian/White House

It was Trumps fourth tweet about the book, whose publication dominated the news this week. Celebratory discussion of the massive tax cut signed into law last month was virtually nonexistent. Infrastructure was forgotten. And the looming fight over control of Congress was supplanted by the deliciously deadly drip of details from Woolfs book, which was excerpted in The Hollywood Reporter, British GQ and The Guardian.

Trumps tweet also included a link to an earlier tweet, from the Republican National Committee. That tweet included a mock advertisement for Woolfs book, only instead of blurbs, it included doubts about Woolfs reporting that had been voiced by prominent journalists, including Maggie Haberman of The New York Times, generally considered the most reliable reporter on the West Wings goings-on.

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Some have, indeed, taken issue with a number of Wolffs quotes and descriptions; the accuracy of Wolffs reporting has been a longstanding matter of discussion in the Manhattan media world, with many assuming (whether fairly or not) that he took creative license beyond what journalistic propriety allowed. But for the most part, his description of a bumbling president and a chaotic administration in Fire and Fury has not been contested.

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Among those quoted in the book is Sam Nunberg, an aide who reportedly called Trump an idiot. Wolff writes that Trump quickly grew bored when, during the presidential campaign, Nunberg attempted to explain the U.S. Constitution to the candidate.

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Confronted earlier this week with the portions of Fire and Fury that relate to him, Nunberg made no denial. Yes, but out of context and/or I dont remember those quotes verbatim, he said in a text message. The presidents former chief political strategist, Stephen K. Bannon, has also not denied or apologized for his many incendiary statements to Trump, which include deeming Ivanka Trump, the presidents favorite child, dumb as a brick.

If Trump is hoping that his tweets depress sales of Fire and Fury, he is likely to be disappointed. The book is currently Amazons top seller, while bookstores in Washington, D.C., quickly sold-out of physical copies. The San Francisco Public Library, meanwhile, said that Fire and Fury was the most demanded item in the systems history, with more than 900 hold requests, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The previous record was held by Frozen.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekThe U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) under President Donald Trump plans to make 90 percent of the countrys outer continental shelf available for privatized offshore drilling, according to a new draft proposal released Thursday. If enacted, this would be the largest offshore lease sale of federal waters in U.S. history, and reverse the Obama administrations indefinite ban on drilling in the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. The proposal has been widely criticized by Democrats, environmental groups, and some Republicans, who fear an increase in offshore drilling will induce devastating environmental and economic consequences.

The offshore lease plan would last from 2019 to 2024, and open up chunks of the Arctic, Atlantic, and Pacific oceans to oil and gas exploration. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke released a a statement saying the decision would provide billions of dollars to fund the conservation of our coastlines, public lands, and parks.

The response from environmental proponents has been swift and fierce. Over 60 environmental groups have already denounced the proposal.

The Southeast coast is built around a thriving tourism industry that attracts visitors from around the world to the pristine beaches, picturesque coastal communities, and beautiful waters that could be devastated with a single major oil spill, the Southern Environmental Law Center said in its own statement. Even without a catastrophic accident, the industrialization and infrastructure associated with drillingthe rigs, refineries, pipelines, and trafficwould irreparably change coastal communities and the thriving tourism economy.

Crews clean oil from the beach at Refugio State Beach. About 21,000 gallons spilled from an abandoned pipeline on the land near Refugio State Beach, spreading over about four miles of beach within hours.

The continental shelf at the heart of the proposal is part of an area is called the Exclusive Economic Zone, 200 miles away from the coastline, but still within American borders. The DOI manages the zone and can lease parts of it to private companies for energy development. In return, these companies pay government royalties on whatever energy resources they procure from the leased lands.

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But the side effects to such ventures can wreak havoc on the ocean and turn its waters into toxic traps. Offshore drilling produces bulk waste in the form of drilling muds (used to lubricate and cool the drill bit), and produced water, which is brought up with oil and gas and can contain small amounts of chemicals.

There is also, of course, the potential for pipeline leaks and catastrophic spills akin to the Deepwater Horizon Spill, which led to the discharge of 4.9 million barrels into the Gulf of Mexico. According to the conservation nonprofit Oceana, 195 million gallons of gas end up released into the ocean annually due to offshore drilling.

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And private drilling companies have an extraordinary amount of work to do to prevent the possibility of a massive spill and mitigate environmental degradation. A report commissioned by former President Barack Obama in 2011 in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon Spill, found that the scientific understanding of environmental conditions in sensitive environments in sensitive environments in deep Gulf waters, along with the regions coastal habitats, and in areas proposed for more drilling, such as the Arctic, is inadequate. The drilling rigs themselves, the authors wrote, pose a serious danger to those working on them, and the risk of disaster is compounded by the cold, distant environments where the rigs are located.

The reports authors, led by former Florida governor Bob Graham, specifically indicted the industrys dependence on complex technologies and processes fraught with risks, combined with the related tendency for a culture of complacency to develop over time in the absence of major accidents. The challenges in offshore drilling, they write, are analogous to those at a nuclear power plant.

In other words, offshore drilling possesses a host of hazardous factors that create a recipe for disaster, and companies have done little to demonstrate they can competently prevent and manage problems when they arise. The dangers fall not just on the ecosystem, but on the rigs workers as well.

Public meetings around the country will begin on January 16 where people can give their opinions on the draft proposed program. If you cant wait until then, you can deliver your comments online beginning January 8.

Check out this video where Bill Nye predicts the future of bacon, the environment, animals, and bacteria.

Photos via Getty Images / David McNew, Getty Images / Chris Graythen

Photos via Getty Images / David McNew, Getty Images / Chris Graythen

Written by Sarah Sloat

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More From InversePresident Donald Trump took to Twitter on Saturday to slam an ABC reporter who made a mistake in his reporting over a month ago, calling on the company that they should have fired him.

Brian Ross, the reporter who made a fraudulent live newscast about me that drove the Stock Market down 350 points (billions of dollars), was suspended for a month but is now back at ABC NEWS in a lower capacity. He is no longer allowed to report on Trump. Should have been fired! Trump tweeted.

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ABC News was forced to correct a report by Brian Ross in the beginning of December after he had said Trump discredited his former national security adviser Michael Flynn in order to make contact with Russian officials during the campaign. Trump issued the direction after he had already been elected, according to the corrected report.

Stocks plummeted after it was released on air before it was corrected. Ross was suspended for four weeks without pay for the error and is no longer allowed to cover stories about Trump.

This has not been the first time Trump has called Ross out. Ross was called a fraudster by Trump during a rally in a December rally and said he should have been fired for his mistake. Trump used his mistake and several other errors to call out the media for being biased and for producing fake news.

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Trumps attack on the media doesnt stop there. In early December, Trump called out a reporter from the Washington Post after he posted an inaccurate picture on Twitter about the crowd size at a Florida rally.

@DaveWeigel @WashingtonPost put out a phony photo of an empty arena hours before I arrived @ the venue, w/ thousands of people outside, on their way in. Real photos now shown as I spoke. Packed house, many people unable to get in. Demand apology & retraction from FAKE NEWS WaPo! Trump tweeted

Story continues

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Weigel has apologized for the mistake and said it was fair to call him out on it. The reporter also added that this was a story on his personal account page and not a story for the Washington Post.

It was a bad tweet on my personal account, not a story for Washington Post. I deleted it after like 20 minutes. Very fair to call me out, tweeted Weigel.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekDonald Trump has headed to the woods of Camp David, desperate to push ahead with his legislative priorities, yet seemingly unable to escape the controversy triggered by the publication of explosive allegations from his former top strategist.

Keen to seize on the momentum he and Republicans secured at the end of last year with the passage of a major tax overhaul, Mr Trump and senior party figures including Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, travelled to the presidential retreat in Maryland for a two-day session to draw up priorities for 2018. Among them are said to be a infrastructure bill, the cutting back of welfare programmes and immigration reform.

But while he was able to leave the nations capital, he could not avoid the furore sparked by the publication of a new book, Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, by veteran New York journalist Michael Wolff. Reports said Mr Trump was said to be furious about its contents and the apparent betrayal contained therein.

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In the book, the Presidents former campaign chairman and White House strategist, Steve Bannon, is quoted as saying a meeting Mr Trumps eldest son held with a Kremlin-linked Russian lawyer was treasonous and that his daughter was dumb as a brick.

He also portrayed Mr Trump as someone who was out of his depth, who had the instincts of a child and that the team he had assembled at the White House possessed no brain trust.

If [Trump] was not having his 6.30pm dinner with Steve Bannon, then, more to his liking, he was in bed by that time with a cheeseburger, watching his three screens and making phone calls  the phone was his true contact point with the world  to a small group of friends, who charted his rising and falling levels of agitation through the evening and then compared notes with one another, Wolff writes.

Rather than downplaying or ignoring the allegations, Mr Trump retaliated in kind. He issued a scathing statement claiming his former friend and ally had lost his mind after he had been fired. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters the book was full of errors and claimed even journalists who had been critical of the White House believed Mr Wolffs book had damaged the credibility of the media.

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This is a guy who made up a lot of stories to try and sell books, she told Fox News.

Providing further oxygen for what might otherwise have been a one-day story, a lawyer for Mr Trump wrote a cease and desist letter to the books publisher, Henry Holt and Company, demanding it halt release of the book. Lawyers also sent a similar letter to Mr Bannon accusing him of breaking his employment agreement with the Trump organisation and defaming the President.

The publisher responded by bringing forward the publication date by four days to Friday, citing the unprecedented interest in the book.

On Friday morning, as Mr Trump made his way to Maryland, Mr Wolff was in front of television cameras in New York, defending his work and denouncing the President.

I absolutely spoke to the President. Whether he realised it was an interview or not I dont know, he said on NBC. But it certainly was not off the record.

He said he spoke with Mr Trump for a total of about three hours over the course of the presidential campaign and after the inauguration. He added that he has recordings and notes and remains absolutely in every way comfortable with everything Ive reported in this book.

My credibility is being questioned by a man who has less credibility than, perhaps, anyone who has ever walked on earth, he said.

Mr Trump tweeted late on Thursday that Mr Wolffs book was fiction and reliant on fake sources.

I authorised Zero access to White House (actually turned him down many times) for author of phony book! I never spoke to him for book. Full of lies, misrepresentations and sources that dont exist, he said.

Look at this guys past and watch what happens to him and Sloppy Steve.

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Mr Trump and top Republicans realise that the midterm elections due to take place in November could be very bad for them.

After a succession of strong performances in places ranging from Virginia to Alabama, Democrats believe they have a chance of winning back control of the Senate and even possibly the House. Control of the House would allow Democrats to push ahead with impeachment proceedings if party leaders decided to do so.

Mr Bannon had been planning to back a large number of insurgent candidates to challenge mainstream Republicans in the midterms, despite the defeat of Roy Moore, the former judge he backed in Alabama and for which he was blamed for giving the Democrats their first senate victory for more than 25 years.

Yet while Mr Bannon still heads the powerful and influential Breitbart News, his political future now appears less clear. After his public dust-up with Mr Trump, Rebekah Mercer, the billionaire Republican donor and Breitbart co-owner, issued a statement distancing her family from her former friend.

I support President Trump and the platform upon which he was elected, she said.

My family and I have not communicated with Steve Bannon in many months and have provided no financial support to his political agenda, nor do we support his recent actions and statements.

Mr Trump hailed that move on Twitter on Friday, saying: The Mercer Family recently dumped the leaker known as Sloppy Steve Bannon. Smart.President Donald Trump taunted his former chief strategist Steve Bannon for having poor hygiene, according to new extracts from Michael Wolffs bombshell new book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House.

According to extracts published Saturday in Londons The Times newspaper, Trump maligned his dishevelled adviser at every given opportunity.

If there was anything wrong with his White House, it was Steve Bannon. Maligning Bannon was Trumps idea of fun, writes Wolff.

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Steve Bannon, Donald Trump

Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Imaes

When it came to Bannon, Trump rose to something like high analysis: Steve Bannons problem is PR. He doesnt understand it. Everybody hates him. Because . . . look at him. His bad PR rubs off on other people," writes Wolff.

The president had assembled a wide jury to weigh Bannons fate, putting before it, in an insulting Borscht Belt style, a long list of Bannons annoyances: Guy looks homeless. Take a shower, Steve. Youve worn those pants for six days. He says hes made money, I dont believe it. (The president, notably, never much took issue with Bannons policy views.) The Trump administration was hardly two months old, yet every media outlet was predicting Bannons coming defenestration.

Bannon was formerly one of the presidents closest confidantes, but his relationship with the president has collapsed since the first extracts of the book were published last Wednesday. Bannon told Wolff that he believed that Trumps son, Donald Trump Jr., had committed treason when he met with a Russian lawyer touting negative information about Hillary Clinton in June, 2016, and described Trumps eldest daughter and adviser, Ivanka, as dumb as a brick.

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Bannon also told Wolff he believed that Trump could be removed under the 25th Amendmentunder which presidents deemed mentally unfit can forced to step asideafter Trump suggested that both sides were to blame for the violence by white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August that left an anti-racism activist dead.

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According to reports, Trump bridled in early 2016 at reports claiming that Bannon was the mastermind behind the populist insurgency that led to Trumps election, and in particular at a February, 2017, Time magazine cover story that labelled Bannon the "second most powerful man in the world."

Wolff, meanwhile, predicted in an interview Friday that his book would spell the end of the Trump presidency.

"I think one of the interesting effects of the book so far is a very clear emperor-has-no-clothes effect," Wolff said in a BBC interview broadcast Saturday.

"The story that I have told seems to present this presidency in such a way that it says he can't do his job," Wolff said.

"Suddenly everywhere people are going 'oh my God, it's true, he has no clothes'. That's the background to the perception and the understanding that will finally end ... this presidency."

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In a tweet late Friday, Trump lashed out again at Bannon, who was removed from his position in August, and at Wolff, whom he described as a total loser who made up stories in order to sell this really boring and untruthful book.

He used Sloppy Steve Bannon, who cried when he got fired and begged for his job. Now Sloppy Steve has been dumped like a dog by almost everyone. Too bad!

In his book, Wolff writes of Bannons struggles to adapt to life in the White Houseand the sense of mission that motivated him to stay.

As an antisocial, maladjusted, post-middle-aged man, he had to make a supreme effort to get along with others, an effort that often did not go well. Most especially, he was miserable because of Donald Trump, whose cruelties, always great even when they were casual, were unbearable when he truly turned against you.

I hated being on the campaign, I hated the transition, I hate being here in the White House, said Bannon, as quoted by Wolff.

But Bannon was, he believed, here for a reason. And it was his firm belief  a belief he was unable to keep to himself, thus continually undermining his standing with the president  that his efforts had brought everybody else here.

The idea of a split electorate  of blue and red states, of two opposing currents of values, of globalists and nationalists, of an establishment and populist revolt  was media shorthand for cultural angst and politically roiled times, and, to a large degree, for business as usual. But Bannon believed the split was literal," the book goes on.

The United States had become a country of two hostile peoples. One would necessarily win and the other lose. Or one would dominate while the other would become marginal. This was modern civil war  Bannons war.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekIstanbul (AFP) - The leaders of Turkey and Bulgaria are Sunday due to reopen the Bulgarian St Stephen's Church in Istanbul after seven years of restoration, in a gesture of harmony in an often turbulent relationship between the two neighbours.

The Bulgarian Orthodox church in Balat, a historic Istanbul neighbourhood on the shores of the Golden Horn traditionally home to Christians and Jews, was built in 1898 after its original wooden structure was destroyed in a fire.

Made out of cast iron, the iconic ornate building has been dubbed the "Iron Church".

For President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who hosts Bulgaria's conservative Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, the ceremony will be a riposte to charges that Turkey's Islamic-rooted government does not do enough to protect the rights of Christian minorities and their heritage.

It is also seen as a sign of appeasement after a spat erupted in spring in the run-up to Bulgarian elections, and a Turkish referendum on expanding Erdogan's power.

Bulgaria, which holds the rotating EU presidency for the next six months, shares a 270-kilometre (165-mile) border with Turkey.

Turkey is home to more than 200,000 ethnic Turks with Bulgarian passports who left Bulgaria during the communist era.

Around a third of them regularly turn out for Bulgarian elections, with the last ballot taking place on March 26.

Bulgaria, meanwhile, is home to a 700,000-strong ethnic Turkish minority, a legacy of the Ottoman empire.

Sofia had accused Ankara of meddling in its March polls, summoning Turkey's ambassador and recalling its own envoy from Turkey for consultations.

Meanwhile the main party representing the Turkish minority in Bulgaria had denounced Turkey's April vote on granting Erdogan sweeping powers as "madness".

But in a show of cooperation, Bulgaria and Turkey co-funded St Stephen's restoration, one of the world's oldest prefabricated cast iron churches.

The iron elements were produced in Austria in the 19th century and shipped to Istanbul through the Danube and the Black Sea.

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Vasil Liaze, president of a foundation overseeing the church, told Turkish media that the church had been restored under so-called rules of reciprocity.

This means that Sofia has given the green light for the Cuma (Friday) Mosque in Bulgaria's second city of Plovdiv to be restored in return.

In a key trip to neighbouring Greece in December, Erdogan said the rights of Turkish-speaking Muslim minorities should be safeguarded.

Istanbul also insists it has passed reforms to improve minorities' rights including legislation allowing minority groups to buy and renovate their properties.

In June 2014, when he was prime minister, Erdogan said that the government had returned to minority foundations their confiscated assets worth over $2 billion.

But opponents say Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party have done little to expand rights for minorities, and showed intolerance for dissenting voices.President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on June 27, 2017. (Photo: Carlos Barria / Reuters)

Twitter appeared to clear up any confusion over whether it might block the account of President Donald Trump, publishing a blog post on Friday that said removing content from world leaders would hamper necessary discussion around their words and actions.

Twitter is here to serve and help advance the global, public conversation, the company said. Elected world leaders play a critical role in that conversation because of their outsized impact on our society. Blocking a world leader from Twitter or removing their controversial Tweets would hide important information people should be able to see and debate.

The post did not mention Trump by name.

Activists began flashing messages on the side of Twitters headquarters in San Francisco this week, demanding the company ban Trumps account after he compared the size of his Nuclear Button to that of North Korean strongman Kim Jong Un. The messages included: Be a hero: Ban Trump, Endangers the World, and Trump or @jack must go  referring to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey.

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Critics have called on the company to ban Trump  or at least to remove some of his tweets, particularly those in which he appears to threaten nuclear action. They typically cite a Twitter rule that states users may not make specific threats of violence or wish for the serious physical harm, death, or disease of an individual or group of people.

Twitter did take action this week against loyal Trump supporter David Clarke, the bombastic former Milwaukee County sheriff. The company locked Clarkes account after he posted a series a threatening tweets, including one in reference to the media that said: Punch them in the nose & MAKE THEM TASTE THEIR OWN BLOOD.

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Twitter reportedly ended its freeze on Clarkes account when the offending tweets were removed.

Also on HuffPost

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.Twitter released a statement Friday explaining why the company wont block world leaders from its platform.

The calls for Twitter to block Trump, which have been going on since the 2016 election, resurfaced on Tuesday after the president boasted his nuclear button was much bigger than the one Kim Jong Un said was on his desk.

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Some Twitter users argued that Trump's tweets incite violence.

Twitter's policy states that specific threats of violence or wishing for serious physical harm, death, or disease to an individual or group of people constitute violations, but they have no plans on banning Trump.

"Blocking a world leader from Twitter or removing their controversial Tweets would hide important information people should be able to see and debate. It would also not silence that leader, but it would certainly hamper necessary discussion around their words and actions," the company said in a blog post Friday.

Twitter also stated they view tweets by world leaders "within the political context that defines them" and then "[enforces] our rules accordingly.

The activist group Color of Change launched a petition, calling for Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to kick Trump off the platform.

Please kick Donald Trump off Twitter. Now, hes using the social media platform to threaten nuclear war. Donald Trump has launched an assault on the very communities that drives Twitter to flourish, the petition read.

His abusive behavior has violated your user agreement multiple times while rising to power by promoting hateful conduct towards Black people by providing succor to white nationalists after Charlottesville, he has promoted violent threats against protesters, hes called for the mass harassment of Latinx folks, and Muslims."

Twitter also seemed to address opinions that they've chosen not to remove Trump because his presence on the platform helps the company's growth through advertising and capturing the attention of users.

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"No one person's account drives Twitter's growth, or influences these decisions. We work hard to remain unbiased with the public interest in mind," it added. "We are working to make Twitter the best place to see and freely discuss everything that matters. We believe that's the best way to help our society make progress."

Related Articles:UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A United Nations Security Council meeting on Friday to discuss recent protests in Iran turned into criticism of the United States for requesting to meet on what some member states said was an internal issue for Tehran. France's ambassador to the UN said the protests do not threaten international peace and security, in what may be an implicit criticism of the United States. "We must be wary of any attempts to exploit this crisis for personal ends, which would have the diametrically opposed outcome to that which is wished," Ambassador Francois Delattre said. "However worrying the events of the last few days in Iran may be, they do not constitute per se a threat to international peace and security." Demonstrations erupted in Iran over a week ago after the government announced plans to raise fuel prices and cut monthly cash handouts to lower-income Iranians. The unrest spread over 80 cities and towns and has resulted in 22 deaths and more than 1,000 arrests, according to Iranian officials. The U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Nikki Haley, said Iran is "on notice," after listing what she referred to as slogans chanted by Iranian protesters. "The Iranian regimes contempt for the rights of its people has been widely documented for many years," said Haley, adding that the United States stood "unapologetically with those in Iran who seek freedom for themselves, prosperity for their families, and dignity for their nation. We will not be quiet. No dishonest attempt to call the protesters 'puppets of foreign powers' will change that." Iran's U.N. Ambassador Gholamali Khoshroo told the Security Council that his government has "hard evidence" that recent protests in Iran were "very clearly directed from abroad." Khoshroo also said the United States had abused its power as a permanent member of the Security Council by calling for a meeting to discuss the protests. "It is unfortunate that despite the resistance on the part of some of its members, this council has allowed itself to be abused by the current U.S. administration in holding a meeting on an issue that falls outside the scope of its mandate," he said. Russia's UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said the United States was abusing the Security Council's platform and the meeting was an attempt to use the current Iranian situation to undermine the Iran nuclear deal, which the U.S. administration opposes. Discussing the domestic situation of Iran at the council "does not help resolve the domestic issue of Iran," said China's Deputy U.N. Ambassador Wu Haitao. (Reporting by Rodrigo Campos; Writing by Eric Beech; Editing by James Dalgleish)Charlie Gao

Security, Asia

Thanks to Vietnam.

This War Turned China Into a Military Superpower

When the Sino-Vietnamese war ended on March 16, 1979, it was hardly a definite resolution of the conflict. Both sides claimed victory, and Vietnam continued to pressure Chinas allies in Cambodia and Thailand. As a result, the PLA continued to apply pressure to Vietnam by launching attacks across the Vietnamese border throughout the 1980s. While casualties were small relative to the tens of thousands who died during the 1979 war, the regimental and divisional scale operations across the border incurred significant casualties on both sides.

Chinese operations against Vietnam in the 1980s are often divided into four phases. In the first, the Chinese and Vietnamese further entrenched their positions along the border. This lasted until 1981. The second and third phase consisted of escalating offensive operations across the border from 1981 to 1987, gradually increasing in intensity. The last phase involved the PLAs withdrawal from the border region. The political objectives of the Chinese incursions were to punish Vietnam for its continued belligerence towards Thailand and Cambodia. Since Vietnamese troops were going into Cambodia, Chinese troops would continue to do the same. Militarily, China saw the border conflict as a way to evolve the PLA from an antiquated fighting force to a modern one, by testing new doctrines and equipment on the border.

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The PLAs performance in the 1979 war was so bad, even Vietnamese commanders were surprised, according to some sources. This was a result of its reliance on Korean Warstyle infantry assault tactics, due to the operational inflexibility and stagnation of military thought in the PLA. The layout of the command structure, and the infrastructure that supported it, could not support maneuver warfare by smaller units of higher-quality forces.

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Following the 1979 war, many reforms and reorganizations occurred within the PLA. Old leadership was removed, and a fresh set of new officers was brought in. Finally, in 1984 the situation presented itself for a test of these reforms. Late in 1983, Deng Xiaoping met with Prince Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia. The prince wanted help, as Vietnamese soldiers were making significant gains inside of Cambodia. As a result, Deng decided to mobilize the PLA for a significant offensive operation in 1984. The offensives objectives were to capture the areas of Laoshan and Zheyinshan. After preparatory barrages throughout most of April 1984, the ground offensive was finally launched on April 28. Five infantry regiments assaulted hilltop positions around Laoshan, taking them one by one. This was not a total success story, as these regiments took heavy casualties and used inflexible tactics similar to 1979. The two regiments assigned to assault Zheyinshan fared better. Flexible command allowed the attacks to be postponed until the opportune time, and the attack was a great success, with all Vietnamese positions being captured. The divisional commander in charge of those regiments was soon promoted to command the Eleventh Army, and the attack was cited as a textbook example of what the PLA could now accomplish.

The Vietnamese launched counterattacks in the MD-84 Campaign in an attempt to reclaim the positions they lost in the Laoshan offensive. Counterattacks occurred against the Chinese positions at Laoshan throughout June and July. After-action reports from these offensives suggest that Chinese military modernization proved to be a possible reason for success. Vietnamese veterans recalled being shelled by Chinese artillery even at nighttime, due to the deployment of new Chinese night-vision devices to the frontline. In addition, Chinese logistics achieved new levels of efficiency. One Chinese artillery commander remarked that in repelling the counterattacks, he could execute as many fire missions as he wished without worrying about ammunition supply for the first time in his career.

Operations in the Laoshan sector also were the catalyst for the development of greater direct-action capability among the PLAs reconnaissance units. After a Vietnamese Dac Cong commando unit destroyed a PLA counterbattery radar in 1984, Deng Xiaoping asked the PLA General Staff to create similar capabilities. All Chinese military regions were ordered to organize reconnaissance brigades, which were then rotated throughout the Laoshan sector. Fifteen reconnaissance brigades were created, three to five of which were deployed to the sector at any given time. These brigades were very active in raiding rear areas, and experience gained by them was later used by the PLA to help create their own special-operations forces.

Overall, while the Sino-Vietnamese border wars might have seemed insignificant, they proved to be an effective testing ground for the PLAs reforms. Trials by fire in the Laoshan sector allowed the PLA to grow a new cadre of forward-thinking leadership. New technologies and organizational structures were also trialed and reformed, and combat experience was gained that lead to the creation of Chinese SOF. In one Chinese generals words, the border conflict allowed him to achieve his dream of waging modern war by modern methods. The Sino-Vietnamese border conflict of 1979 to 1990 can be seen as the crucible in which the modern PLA was born, reformed from the lumbering army that attacked Vietnam in 1979.

The author was informed by Chinese Military Strategy in the Third Indochina War by Edward C. Dowd and Deng Xiaopings Long War: The Military Conflict between China and Vietnam 19791991 by Xiaoming Zhang.

Charlie Gao studied political and computer science at Grinnell College and is a frequent commentator on defense and national-security issues.

Image: Reuters

Read full articleGOSLAR, Germany (Reuters) - Germany and Turkey's foreign ministers on Saturday agreed to pull out all the stops to improve ties that have soured due to disputes over Ankara's post-coup crackdown and the arrests of German citizens in Turkey, but they stressed differences remain. Meeting in an ornate imperial palace in central Germany, the pair said they were keen to make amends after falling out as Ankara rounded up suspected supporters of a failed 2016 coup, a comedian mocked Turkey's president and a German-Turkish journalist was detained without charge. German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel pointed to historic links between the countries including the role Turkish guest workers played in rebuilding Germany after World War Two, Turkey's hospitality in taking in German refugees during the Nazi era and the 3 million-strong Turkish community here. "We've both made it our business to do everything we can to overcome the difficulties there have been in German-Turkish relations and to find more common ground in the future by remembering everything that binds us together," Gabriel said. German politicians have been outspoken critics of Turkey's post-coup crackdown, in which some 50,000 people have been arrested pending trial and 150,000, including teachers, judges and soldiers, have been sacked or suspended from their jobs. Turkey says the crackdown, targeting alleged supporters of a Muslim network it blames for the coup, is necessary on security grounds. Ankara has criticized Germany's refusal to hand over asylum seekers it says were involved in the failed putsch. Adding to the tension, the German government believes seven Germans, of whom four have dual citizenship, are being held in prison in Turkey for political reasons. But in a sign of recovering relations, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the NATO allies believed they could overcome recent escalations in tension through dialogue. Cavusoglu said Turkey and Germany shared similar views on conflict-hit Middle East countries and they were cooperating on humanitarian issues like migration. During a working lunch on Saturday, he and Gabriel would discuss steps they can take together in future, Cavusoglu said. THORNY ISSUES But the pair acknowledged areas of disagreement. Cavusoglu said one bone of contention was whether Turkey should be allowed to join the European Union - a move that Germany opposes - but he sounded a conciliatory note. "There is benefit in pushing our disagreements aside and continuing on our path. We should focus on issues that serve as win-win for our countries, like the Customs Union," he said. One of the disputes between Berlin and Ankara centers around the arrest of Deniz Yucel, a reporter for German newspaper Die Welt. Turkish authorities accuse him of spreading propaganda for the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). He denies the charge. Gabriel said he had discussed thorny issues including Yucel's case with Cavusoglu but did not give details. Germany is Turkey's biggest trade partner but exports from Europe's largest economy to Turkey dropped by 5.9 percent year-on-year in the first nine months of 2017. Gabriel told magazine Der Spiegel on Friday Germany had refused to authorize "a large number of arms exports" to Turkey and that would remain the case until Yucel's case was resolved. But on Saturday he said the German government would consider whether to deliver mine protection gear for armored vehicles in Turkey, an issue not linked to arrests, he said. (Reporting by Reuters Television; additional reporting by Ece Toksabay in Ankara; Writing by Michelle Martin; Editing by Ros Russell)Failure is the result of exaggeration. In the 1990s, the Oslo Agreements were based on conceptual exaggeration. The idea that an arch-terrorist like Yasser Arafat could be turned into a real partner for peace, and that we could arm terrorists with weapons and hope for the best, was rooted in wishful thinking in the Left. Bloodshed and dozens of terror attacks could have been prevented, if it werent for this exaggeration, but they wanted it so badly that they closed their eyes and rushed forward.

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In 2018, most Israelis believe the conflict cant be solved in the spirit of the Oslo vision. It can be managed. And when it isnt managed, we just keep going.

Party supporters demonstrate during Likud Central Committee meeting. There's no such thing as applying Israeli law exclusively to Jews (Photo: Reuters)

The Likud Central Committees decision to apply Israeli law to Judea and Samaria, on the other hand, suffers from two main flaws: exaggeration and an unwillingness to manage the conflict, but simply to keep going. With all its festivity, the decision raises a smoke screen over the fact that successive right-wing governments haven't annexed a single inch in Judea and Samaria. We are basically being fooled.

There is no real process aimed at legally creating established facts on the ground. The State of Israel is failing to take advantage of Donald Trumps presence in the White House to advance right-wing ideology. At best, it is putting out fires and promising the same 300 homes in Beit El over and over again.

Former Minister Gideon Sa'ar is right when he says it's time to lift the evacuation threat from Judea and Samaria communities, but what does that have to do with the Likud Central Committee's decision? The last time they made a decision on the Greater Land of Israel was a moment before the Likud-initiated disengagement. What does the decision have to do with what is happening in practice?

Gush Etzion had not been annexed, despite Likud promises to do so (Photo: Gush Etzion Tourism)

There is no such thing as applying the law exclusively to Jews. The law can be applied to a territory. Any intelligent person can understand that. Whoever lives in that territoryboth Jews and Arabswill become an Israeli citizen. It's what could have happened if the Ma'ale Adumim area or Gush Etzion had been annexed, as Likud promised. Neither happened, and judging from the level of exaggeration, it isn't going to happen anytime soon.

So what exactly did Likud's Central Committee decide to do? Are we going to annex the Palestinian Authority territories? Or maybe only Area C, as Bayit Yehudi leader Naftali Bennett's plan suggests? Is this an ideological statement like Two Banks has the Jordanthis is ours and, that is as well, when there is actually no such plan, or is it just a statement for the sake of making a statement?

Several days ago, my colleague Ben-Dror Yemini slammed Likud's decision and Minister Gilad Erdan for failing to prevent it, arguing that it provides BDS activists with a weapon. Thats possible, but there is a price that is worth payingas long as there's a purpose. A political spin is not a purpose.

Gideon Sa'ar is right when he says it's time to lift the evacuation threat from Judea and Samaria communities, but what does that have to do with the Likud Central Committee's decision? (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

On the day after the decision, Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley will remain administered territories in official Israeli parlance. Netiv HaAvot and other communities will deal with the same odd situation in which their fate is decided by the court rather than the government. There is no real plan that can be presented to the American administration, and mainly to ourselves. The bottom line is that we got a party event with elected representatives and with a lot of statements and objections.

At the moment, there are two serious plans in the Right. One has to do with Gaza and includes creating carrots and economic measures to finally disconnect the strip from Israel. The plan's initiator, Minister Yisrael Katz, hasn't succeeded in holding a single cabinet discussion on the issue. The more he specifies the plan and adds practical measures, the more it slips away. There is no discussion to avoid having to make a decision.

The second plan is Bennett's, and it includes annexing the non-PA territoryapplying Israeli law to part of the territory, with a clear understanding that the PA territories won't be annexed but will exist as an expanded autonomy or a state minus, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu put it. Bennett's plan is unripe, but it's an excellent basis for a logical move.

Likud's Central Committee could have held a discussion on these plans accepting, adjusting, changing or rejecting them. Instead, they voted on a decision that can't be implemented. There is no government that would annex Nablus and Jenin to give their residents National Insurance funds and education budgets. The law won't really be applied, as Likud is against a bi-national state.

So what do we have here? An apparent political spin. A party that has had trouble creating a political platform in the past three election campaigns, and is therefore moving back into its comfort zonea sort of imitation Bayit Yehudi with additional exaggeration.The Palestinians are planning to ask the UN Security Council to upgrade their status from a non-member observer state to a full member state with voting rights at the United Nations.

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The Palestinian move is the latest in a diplomatic war that was sparked by US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital , escalated when the Palestinians pushed for the adoption of a UN General Assembly resolution rejecting the American declaration , and recently culminated in US threats to cut funding for the Palestinian Authority and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

While the latest Palestinian move is the most extreme to date, it is expected to be mostly declarative and symbolic in nature, as Washington is expected to veto it.

Palestinian President Abbas (Photo: Reuters)

To be accepted as a UN member state, the Palestinians would need a majority of nine out of the 15 member states at the Security Council. Meanwhile, each of the five permanent membersUS, Russia, China, Britain and Francehas a veto right.

Regardless, the Palestinians will have a hard time mustering up the required majorityboth because their move is unilateral in nature, and because the makeup of the Security Council changed on January 1 in Israel's favor, with the addition of Poland, Ivory Coast and Equatorial Guinea, all of whom are likely to oppose the Palestinian request.

On the other hand, Kuwait also joined the Security Council this year, and it is expected to support the Palestinian request.

Israel's Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon slammed the Palestinian move, saying, "The Palestinians are failing to understand reality. After years in which they've ignored Israel and promoted unilateral moves, they are making the mistake of thinking they could ignore the US and determine facts on the ground by bypassing (Israel). The rules haven't changed, and the only way to achieve progress is by abandoning terrorism and incitement and holding direct talks with Israel."People Protest Deaths and Injuries in Workplace

By Gvantsa Gabekhadze

(TBILISI)On December 30, people gathered in front of Parliament building in Tbilisi to protest hundreds of deaths and injuries in workplace in Georgia for years, with Parliament postponing discussions of the work safety draft law.Protesters demanded tough safety regulations in the workplace and accused the government of pleasing businesses at the expense of health and lives of its people.On December 28, an expert, who was inspecting devices at the construction site in Batumi, fell off the height; he was hospitalized due to the injuries in the head and remains in critical condition.On December 27, two workers were killed at the construction site in Kutaisi. A few days before on December 21, the media reported that a worker was killed and another one was injured when dismantling a ride in the Mtatsminda Park in Tbilisi.169 people were killed and 350 injured in the workplace in 2013-2016. 18 were killed and 34 injured only in the first half of 2017.On June 1, 2017 the work safety draft law was initiated in Parliament, though it has been adopted only in the first reading.The attitude shows that the labour safety has not yet become a priority on the Governments agenda, Georgias Public Defender Nino Lomjaria wrote.The Public Defender called on Parliament of Georgia to advantageously consider the draft law, taking into account the severity of the problem, and take effective measures to protect the life and health of employees.Israel's Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef on Saturday night came out against Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman's bill proposal that seeks to ease restrictions on capital punishment for terrorists.

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According to Yosef, the execution of Palestinian terrorists could cause outrage in the world and thus risk the lives of Jews living abroad.

In addition, the chief rabbi expressed concern that the death penalty might in the future also apply to Jewish terrorists who murdered Arabs, while capital punishment is forbidden according to Halacha (Jewish law).





Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef

"What's the benefit here? All security officials say there is not much benefit to it. That is why all of the great, true sages were always against the death penalty," Yosef said. "It's not about left-wing or right-wing. It's about careful consideration. A smart man, a great man, considers these things."

The contentious legislation passed a preliminary Knesset vote last week, with the ultra-Orthodox Shas party voting in favor.

While the Sephardic chief rabbi does not make official Halachic ruling for the Shas party since his official office precludes him from intervening in political matters, many in the Sephardic Haredi public see him as the successor of his father, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the spiritual leader of Shas, and give his words much credence.

Now, the Shas party would have a hard time supporting Lieberman's bill proposal without seriously examining the Halachic aspect, as the Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party had done, leading its members to skip the vote last week so as to not have to support the legislation.

Chief Rabbi Yosef with Shas leader Deri (Photo: Yaakov Cohen)

Today military courts are authorized to impose the death penalty on convicted terrorists on condition that the decision is unanimously taken by the panel of three judges.

The new legislation, however, seeks to significantly moderate the criteria by allowing for a simple majority of a military court panel to hand out such a sentence, while simultaneously extending the jurisdiction over the matter into the realm of civilian courts and making it impossible to commute a death penalty that was pronounced in a final verdict.

Addressing the Knesset plenum on Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he backed the rationale behind the bill.

"Whoever holds a knife, murders and laughsdeserves to die. He doesn't deserve to live," Netanyahu said, referring to the slaughter of the Salomon family in Halamish.

"There are extreme situations of people who commit terrible crimes and therefore do not deserve to live, they deserve the full amount of punishment," Netanyahu continued. "We support a change in the law for these situations, and especially on the ability to make a decision not under the guidance of the government or the defense minister, but on the basis of the opinion of two out of three judges. This is the main change we are interested in."

MK Ahmad Tibi (Joint List), who headed the discussion in the plenum, implied to the bill's supposed discriminatory nature, asking the prime minister whether he would support the application of the bill in cases of Jewish terrorists as well.

"Is the case in Duma an extreme case in which you support the death penalty?" he asked, referring to the firebombing of the Dawabsheh family.

Not missing a beat, Netanyahu replied: "In principle, yes."WASHINGTON

In its explosive and unstable situation, the last thing the Middle East needs is edgy and indecipherable tweets from the person who is supposed to be the broker and maker of peace and stability: The president of the United States.

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When all eyes in Ramallah and in Jerusalem, in Riyadh and in Amman, are on Washington, and there is a desire to understand what Donald Trump intends on offering or imposing on the Middle Eastif at allto reach a state of calm ahead of a reconciliation, an American president's word could be decisive.

Moreover, when the Iranian people have launched an uprising and the ayatollah regime is building outposts on Israels border and keeps supporting Hezbollah as well as Hamas, an American presidents word could be decisive.

But Donald Trump hasnt proved thus far that he is capable of presenting a proper diplomatic doctrine or that he is capable of coming up with a plan that has a beginning, a middle and an end, with lines of action and a timetable.

US President Donald Trump after recognizing Jerusalem as Israels capital (Photo: Reuters)

He outdid himself last week: After US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley announced Americas intention to halt funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the agency tasked with assisting Palestinian refugees, the president left many people speechless with his tweet about the Palestinians and Jerusalem: We have taken Jerusalem, the toughest part of the negotiation, off the table, but Israel, for that, would have had to pay more, he wrote after stating that Pakistan is not the only country that we pay billions of dollars to for nothing and that the US pays "the Palestinians HUNDRED OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and gets no appreciation or respect."

Does he plan on halting aid to UNRWA, as Haley said, or does he also want to cut the American aid to the Palestinian Authority? Thats unclear. Put simply, what Trump likely wanted to say in his tweet was: You ungrateful Palestinians are receiving a fortune from us, and not only have you no respect for us, but you have no appreciation as well. So the partys over, and Uncle Sam is closing his wallet.

And look at how you keep living up to your reputation as people who dont miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity: I declared Jerusalem as Israels capital, but you failed to understand the importance of this move. I did it so that Israel would make concessions towards you, ones you never would have dreamed of. I gave Israel a few words about Jerusalem, and had you only realized the greatness of that moment, you would have jumped on the negotiation bandwagon and received concessions that only I could get Israel to make, because Im the one who recognized Jerusalem.

No such thing as a free lunch

Trump used the same opportunity to indicate to Israel, implicitly and vaguely, that his declaration carries a priceand that it wasnt born, as the White House said, because Trump thinks its a moral move. No, Israel will be charged for this one way or another.

Protest outside US Embassy in Beirut after Trumps Jerusalem announcement (Photo: Reuters)

Thats what was hiding between the lines of Trumps strange tweet about the Palestinians and Jerusalem, and thats what made so many people around the Middle East and the entire world wonder: If Trump has concessions from Israel, why isnt he presenting themif not in public, then at least to the Palestinians?

If he has been so successful in getting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make concessions for a future agreement, why isnt he starting the negotiations from this point? He could have slightly reduced the Palestinian anger over the declaration. And he also embarrassed Israel, revealing that theres no such thing as a free lunch on his watch and that Israel was willing to pay.

Donald Trump has a plan to solve the conflict. He hasnt invented anything. The plan, which is pretty general, is based on elements of the Saudi initiative , which has been ratified by the Arab League more than once. Trump likes to boast that he has a special and efficient relationship with the royal family in Riyadh and has implied time and again that he will not only bring about peace between Israel and the Palestinians, but also a reconciliation with all Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, which hasnt made one goodwill gesture and even refused to reward Trump by providing Israeli chess players with the visas they needed to attend an international tournament, although the president really tried to get them to do so through his assistants.

An unfulfilled promise

On January 20, Trump will mark one year in office. So far, he has failed to present a single diplomatic achievement or an improvement in one of the urgent foreign affairs. He threatened North Korea on Twitter last week, stating that he had a bigger and more powerful "nuclear button" than North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and that and my Button works!"

American experts, some from the State Department, said it was the most dangerous tweet released by Trump so far. Former Vice President Joe Biden, who has kept quiet since leaving the White House, said in response to Trumps tweet: This is not a game.

Children in Pakistan stand on US and Israeli flags during a protest following Trumps Jerusalem declaration (Photo: Reuters)

Then Trump promisedonce again, in a tweetto help the Iranian protestors, despite all expert opinions that the US would only harm the rebels by supporting them.

The tensions with North Korea are alarming, Irans entrenchment in Syria is terrifying, and the way things look now, all of Trumps promises to bring about a glorious peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians are false promises. And this was a key election promise. He even let his closest associatehis son-in-law and senior advisor, Jared Kushnerlead the move.

He hasnt kept his other election promises either (apart from signing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act), and it now seemsmore than everthat the Middle East and its troubles are drifting away from the White House and its leader.

All three previous presidentsBill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obamamade a serious and committed effort to bring the parties closer together, each in his own way. Trump has failed to make a single significant positive move in that direction, and he could have done much more than his predecessors, as both the Israelis and the Palestinians had faith in him the minute he took office. In his first days in office, the Palestinians saw him as someone they could get somewhere withuntil the Jerusalem declaration and the vague threat to cut US aid.An Israeli rights group said Sunday authorities only bring indictments in about one in 10 ideologically-motivated attacks by Israelis against Palestinians in the West Bank.

In an annual report, Yesh Din says it has monitored 225 investigation files since 2014. Of the 185 files processed, it says just 21 have resulted in indictmentsan 11.4 percent rate. Though the figures mark an increase over previous years, the group says its findings still show that Israel "fails to fulfil its duty to guarantee the safety of the Palestinian public in the occupied territories."

As a result, it says Palestinians have been increasingly refraining from turning to police.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked ministers in his Likud party on Sunday to ensure three bill proposals are passed: the supermarkets bill, death penalty to terrorists, and the state budget.Despite efforts by the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement to impose an academic boycott on Israel, Israeli business schools continue publishing over 200 articles annually in leading international peer-reviewed journals.

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A new study by the Faculty of Business Administration at the Ono Academic College examined several articles by business administration faculty members published in academic journals, based on the JCR.

In 2014, Ben-Gurion University had 49 articles published, Tel Aviv University had 42, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem had 38, the Ono Academic College had 21, the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya (IDC) had 14, Ariel University had 12 and Haifa University had 10 articles publisheda total of 214.

In 2015, the year after Operation Protective Edge when BDS supporters increased their activities, Israeli academic institutions had 219 articles published internationally: Ben-Gurion University once again led with 52 articles, the Hebrew University had 36, Tel Aviv University had 34, Haifa University had 25, the Ono Academic College had 18, the Open University had 13, Ariel University had 12, the IDC had eight and Bar-Ilan University had eight as well.

In 2016, meanwhile, the number of published articles increased to 239. Ben-Gurion University's Business Administration Faculty members had 65 articles published in international journals, Tel Aviv University had 51, Haifa University had 27, the Hebrew University had 21, the Ono Academic College had 16, Ariel University and the Open University each had 13.

In 2017 there was a decline, though not a significant one, with 202 articles published. Ben-Gurion University had 53 articles published, Tel Aviv University had 40, Ariel University had 22, the Hebrew University had 20, the Ono Academic College had 19, the Ruppin Academic Center had 11 and Haifa University and Bar-Ilan University each had nine articles.

The study's authors stressed that many of the articles were the result of cooperation between Israeli academics and their counterparts in top universities around the world, particularly in the US, which indicates that attempts to encourage academic boycotts of Israel were mostly unsuccessful.

In addition, some Israeli universities have joint study programs with leading business administration faculties around the world. For example, Tel Aviv University has a joint program with the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, which is ranked third in the US.The Jerusalem municipality agreed Sunday to withdraw over 2,000 letters of resignation sent to its employees and halt the strike it launched on Saturday in order to hold discussions with government ministries about funding to the capital.

The municipality and the Finance Ministry agreed to establish a special team to discuss the issues under dispute.BEIRUT - Syria's army and its allies pressed further into the country's largest remaining rebel stronghold on Sunday, capturing a town and several villages as they approached a military airport, a pro-Damascus media unit and a war monitor reported.

Forces loyal to Bashar Assad have stepped up the offensive in the southern province of Idlib in recent days, advancing towards the Abu al-Duhur airport, which rebels captured from the president's troops in September 2015.

The Syrian army and its allies "have gained control over the town of Sinjar," 14 kms (nine miles) from Abu al-Duhur, and three villages to the west, the media unit run by Assad ally Hezbollah reported.Former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was reportedly arrested for inciting unrest, Al-Quds Al-Arabi said Saturday, citing "reliable sources in Tehran."

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The London-based pan-Arab newspaper said the arrest received the approval of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei, and that Ahmadinejad was later put on house arrest.

In a speech at the city of Bushehr on Thursday, Ahmadinejad criticized President Hassan Rouhani's government, saying "Some of the current officials live away from the problems and concerns of the people, and do not know anything about the reality society lives in."

Former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (Photo: AP)

Rouhani's government, he asserted, "believes they own the land and that society is ignorant to that... The people are angry at this government because of its monopoly on public wealth ... Rouhani and his government do not accept any criticism or objection."

"What Iran is suffering from today is mismanagement and not lack of economic resources," Ahmadinejad further said.

His comments came in response to Rouhani himself, who said earlier that day that Ahmadinejad was "on a course for confrontation with the regime."

More than a week of unrest has seen 22 people die and more than 1,000 arrested, according to Iranian officials.

Unrest spread to more than 80 cities and rural towns as thousands of young and working-class Iranians voiced anger at graft, unemployment and a deepening gap between rich and poor.

Residents contacted in various cities have said the protests had subsided in recent days, after the government intensified a crackdown by dispatching Revolutionary Guard forces to several provinces.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he "completely agrees" with President Donald Trump's critique of the UN agency aiding Palestinian refugees.

Netanyahu at his Sunday weekly Cabinet meeting also reiterated support for Trump's threat to cut aid to Palestinians.

The development comes after Israeli media indicated that despite public declarations, Israel is concerned about the ramifications of such a move.

Netanyahu says the organization "perpetuates the Palestinian refugee problem" and the "right of return narrative, in order to eliminate the state of Israel."

The US is the largest donor to UNRWA, the UN agency that assists Palestinian refugees. Ending the American aid could precipitate a humanitarian crisis, particularly in the impoverished Gaza Strip, where the majority of residents are eligible for UNRWA's support. Israel could find itself footing the bill.Egypt categorically denied Sunday morning a recent report in the New York Times that claimed Cairo had revised its position on east Jerusalem and that it would not insist it necessarily be the capital of any future Palestinian state.

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The General Information Authority in Egypt said the claims were false, and that President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry supported the idea of east Jerusalem as a Palestinian capital, rejecting the notion that Ramallah could be an acceptable substitute.

According to the New York Times, a senior Egyptian intelligence officer, Captain Ashraf al-Kholi, told TV presenters in his country that instead of condemning Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, they should convince their viewers to accept it, rhetorically asking, "How is Ramallah different from Jerusalem?"

Not content with a mere denial, Egypt issued a statement slamming the New York Times for its report.

It is not appropriate that such a large newspaper like the New York Times publishes a story like this, the General Information Authority said in its statement.

Nothing can be deduced about the Egyptian position on international matters from leaks that are connected to an unknown person. Positions are laid out by the president and foreign minister through officially stated positions, the statement sought to clarify.

All of these people have expressed their positions on Jerusalem, and they have been translated into action in the UN and other international bodies, without referring to threats by the US ambassador in the UN on the issue of (financial) aid. Even the article recognized these Egyptian positions, it concluded.

In the press conference described in the report, Capt. Al-Kholi said, "We publicly denounce the decision like our other Arab brethren," but added that despite appearances, he did not consider a confrontation with Israel in Egypt's national interest.The number of migrants who died crossing the Mediterranean Sea surpassed 3,000 for the fourth year in a row, despite an overall drop in the number of refugees making the journey.





The International Organization for Migration

the Mediterranean "by far the world's deadliest border," as more than 33,000 migrants have died at sea trying to enter Europe since 2000.





migrants died making the trip in 2017, but the IOM notes the number of fatalities is likely higher due to the number of boats that sink without rescue crews knowing. Last year,

people died along the sea route.





"People are still dying at sea in enormous numbers, even after years of seeing this happen repeatedly," Eugenio Ambrosi, IOM regional director for the European Union, Norway and Switzerland,

. "We have to ask ourselves, why is this still happening?"





The death toll continues to rise even though the number of migrants crossing the sea has significantly decreased. The number of arrivals has sharply dropped since the European Union

with Turkey in March 2016 to close a main route along the Eastern Mediterranean into Greece.



CIA Director Mike Pompeo (pahm-PAY'-oh) gives President Donald Trump his regular intelligence briefings, and says Trump is full engaged, understands complex issues and asks difficult questions.

Pompeo tells "Fox News Sunday" that Trump is "completely fit" to be commander in chief and Pompeo says it's "ludicrous" that he's being asked such a question. But the issue has arisen as a result of a new book that's raising just that question.

The CIA chief says those kind of questions are coming from "people who just have not accepted the fact that President Trump is the United States president and I'm sorry for them and that."Jordan says it will permit a one-time crane drop of UN aid to tens of thousands of displaced Syrians stranded in harsh conditions on its border.

The kingdom sealed its border with Syria in 2016, after Islamic State extremists killed seven Jordanian border guards. The closure ended regular UN aid shipments from Jordan to displaced Syrians struggling for survival in a remote stretch of desert.

Jordan alleges that the Rukban border camp has been infiltrated by IS and that cross-border traffic endangers the kingdom. It insists that the UN deliver aid from war-ravaged Syria.

Jordan's Foreign Ministry said on Sunday it would permit a one-time crane drop from its soil after the UN submitted a plan for aid delivery from Syria.The official group for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which seeks to vilify and isolate Israel internationally, uploaded a Facebook post this week urging their supporters to donate money because, "Israeli students are disturbing our activities by using an app and through social networking sites."

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The disturbance BDS leaders complained about was Act.il, launched three years ago as an initiative by students of the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya (IDC) and the Israeli-American Council (IAC) as a response to the rise in anti-Israel sentiments on social networking sites, especially after the IDF's military campaigns of Operation Pillar of Defense in 2012 and Operation Protective Edge in 2014.

More than 1,000 students, most of them at IDC, volunteer and use the platform to respond to what they see as anti-Israel slander on the web. IDC students hail from dozens of countries, enabling them to respond to online defamation in some 35 languages.

Act.il student volunteers (Photo: Tzvika Tishler)

About six months ago, Act.il released a mobile app that was downloaded by thousands of people around the world and significantly widened its circle of activists.

The post on the BDS page continued, "They disrupted an internet event attended by senior BDS figures and they are paid trolls, racists, inciters and Islamophobes and they are spreading anti-Palestinian propaganda."

The post was received with glee among pro-Israel activists. "This post is a certificate of honor for our volunteers," said Yarden Ben Yosef, the administrator of Act.il. "If we have reached a point in which they are anxious about us and are using us to ask for donations, apparently we are doing a good job."

Israel bars BDS activists from entering country

More on BDS, Israel recently published a list of 20 organizations from around the globe whose members are banned from entering the country for advocating boycotts of Israel over the Palestinian issue.

BDS activists

Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan said Sunday that the groups blacklisted are the main ones who "operate consistently and continuously" against Israel using a "campaign of incitement and lies."

It is not clear how the ban will be enforced, but it could affect thousands of people.

Among the groups is the US-based Jewish Voice for Peace, which counts more than 13,000 members. Groups from France, Chile and South Africa are also among those banned.The parents of Sgt. Hadar Goldin, whose body is being held by Hamas in Gaza, expressed disappointment with the government after Minister of Energy Dr Yuval Steinitz directed the Electric Company to renew the electricity supply to Gaza no later than Tuesday.

"The Israeli government, under Netanyahu and the cabinet ministers, chose to give in to Hamas and not condition the renewal of the energy supply to Gaza on the return of (missing soldiers) Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin," they said.

They added that "All humanitarian moves regarding Gaza by Israel and the international community should be conditioned on the immediate return of Oron and Hadar (to their families)."

The government decided to renew the electricity supply to Gaza upon request by the Palestinian Authority. In June, the PA asked the Israeli government to suspend electricity supply over a payment disputeEnergy Minister Yuval Steinitz instructed the Israel Electric Corporation Sunday to restore regular power supply to Gaza starting Monday due to the "Palestinian Authority's willingness to renew payments." The decision had been reached in coordination with the security establishment.

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In response, the family of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, whose body is held by Hamas, attacked the government. "The Israeli government headed by (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and the Cabinet ministers decided today to once again surrender to Hamas in not conditioning the return of regular power supply to Gaza on returning soldiers Oron (Shaul, whose body is also still held by Hamased) and Hadar," a message from the Goldin family said.

Gaza has faced a power crisis since June when the PA stopped paying Israel for it (Photo: AFP)

"It's folly that the State of Israel is time and time again abandoning the soldiers it sent into battle to their fate," the Goldin family continued.

"Our stance is clear," the fallen soldier's family declared. "Every humanitarian effort undertaken by either Israel or the international community vis-a-vis Gaza must be conditioned on the immediate return of Oron and Hadar home."

Leah Goldin , Hadar's mother, also appealed directly to the residents of the Gaza Strip. "Mothers, fathers and childrenkidnapping bodies is unacceptable, inhumane and not humanitarian. Every mother would want to visit her son's grave, and not allowing Hadar to be buried is a crime under Islamic law.

"This cynical use of the bodies is also an affront to the human conscience. Do not be taken hostage by the Hamas terrorist organization," Leah Goldin requested.

Not returning the body of her son was against Islamic law, Leah Goldin (L) said (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

In addition to the family's announcement, the office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) published a post on its Arabic-language Facebook page saying, "The Israeli Cabinet approved in principle in addition of 100 megawatts to the strip more than a year agobut the humanitarian issue runs both ways."

"The bodies of IDF soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldinstill held in Gazaare a humanitarian issue of the highest magnitude. Israel will therefore not act rashly to grant final approval for the 100-megawatt increase before the Israeli humanitarian issue of returning (the bodies) and the Israeli citizens still held captive in Gaza is addressed," COGAT said.

The issue surrounding electricity in Gaza started this past June, when the Palestinian Authority (PA) sought to reduce supply and its monthly payment for itfrom NIS 40 million to NIS 25 million.

Now with the PA willing to renew payments, Minister Steinitz instructed power to be restored.

Cost of Gaza power estimated at NIS 40 million per month (Photo: EPA)

Ten high voltage powers lines currently exist that are capable of providing up to 120 megawatts to the Gaza Strip. Now, with Steinitz's instruction to be implemented, the power lines will be recalibrated to operate at full capacity starting Monday.

The cost of Gaza power consumption had been estimated to be NIS 40 million per month, which Israel then offsets from tax money collected from the PA.

The Gaza power crisis originally erupted in April 2017, when the PA announced to COGAT it will no longer be paying for the power Israel provided Gaza. In return for renewing power payments, the PA demanded to receive from Hamas civilian control of Gaza and the border crossings into the isolated enclave as well as taxes collected by Hamas from its residents for the services the PA providessuch as levies on health and goods.

With Hamas rejecting the demands out of hand, PA President Mahmoud Abbas decided to cut Gaza's power supply as a negotiations measure until he regained control of the territory.The European Union's Ambassador to Israel Emanuele Giaufret expressed his disapproval for the death penalty for terrorists bill in a Ynet studio interview Sunday, saying, "Our position is that the death penalty is in violation of human dignity and human rights." Last week, the European Union (EU) released a statement saying that the death penalty was inhumane.

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"We did not attack anyone," said Giaufret. "All EU countries abolished the death penalty, in fact, in order to join the EU, a country must abolish the death penalty. It is in the European Union's European Convention on Human Rights."

Emanuele Giaufret (Photo: EU)

Pressed on the inhumanity of those killing Israelis in the streets, the ambassador responded: "Definitely, it is inhumane to carry out terror attacks against civilians and those must be condemned. We consistently condemn them; we find any terror attack unacceptable. The question is what is the solution. We do not believe that the death penalty is conducive to progress. It is a mutual value of ours on which the EU disagrees with Israel and we want to make our stance clear."

The EU's stance is unpopular among Israelis, but the ambassador insisted that it did not make the EU irrelevant. "Israeli exports to the EU during 2017 increased by 20 percent. The Union is the primary export market for Israeli products. 35 percent of Israeli production, $16 billion, goes to Europeand it is increasing," said Giaufret.

The matter of UNRWA funding

Ambassador Giaufret also addressed President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. "Nobody can deny the deep connection between the Jewish people and Jerusalem: a connection rooted in history, religion and emotions. It is not going anywhere," he said.

"Jerusalem is very important to the three monotheistic religions. It is important to the Palestinians and the Arab world as well. Jerusalem is a very sensitive issue and we believe that the way to move forward towards a solution is through bilateral negotiations. That is why we differ in our stance on Jerusalem," Giaufret added.

When confronted with the EU's lack of supervision over the funding it gives to organizations such as the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), the ambassador responded: "We are big sponsors of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and UNRWA and expend much effort to ensure that our donations reach the right place. It is important that the funds given to the PA are used to fund democratic, transparent, institutions that do not contribute to incitement or terror. We do the same with UNRWA."

The EU expended efforts to make sure its donations to UNRWA reached the right place, the ambassador said (Photo: AFP)

The EU ambassador condemned the rockets fired at Israeli civilians from Gaza but stressed that deterioration of the situation needed to be avoided.

On the UNRWA topic, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on the Trump administration's decision to freeze funding for UNRWA during a Cabinet meeting Sunday morning. "I fully agree with President Trump's criticism of UNRWA, which exacerbates the Palestinian refugee's problem," Netanyahu said. "UNRWA must cease to exist. It is an organization that was established for Palestinian refugees alone while there is another organization for all other refugees in the world."

The prime minister continued: "The absurdity must stop. I recommended that assistance funds should be gradually transferred to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, with clear criteria for supporting genuine refugees."

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zohari issued a response: "The American decision to freeze funding for UNRWA is intended to destroy the Palestinian right of return. The decision is part of an American plan to deny the national rights of the Palestinians and completes Trump's decision on Jerusalem."With both Rwanda and Uganda denying over the weekend they had agreement with Israel in place to receive illegal African immigrants Israel is endeavoring to deport, one of the leaders of the "Stop the expulsion" movement said in a Ynet studio interview Sunday, "Israel will soon be expelling thousands of people to their deathsand the Israeli public will be partly responsible."

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"Stop the expulsion" leader Yoav Klarman further expounded, "The country is about to deport people to mortal danger. It can't just pass on by with tut-tutting, with people straddling the fence and not taking a stand."

"It's a disgrace, and the public is culpable. Responsibility can't be levied at the High Court or public officialsit's the public's job to make itself heard on this matter," Klarman said.

The group's leader said the public was partly to blame for the deportation of African refugees (Photo: Haim Horenstein)

"Stop the expulsion," Klarman said, was a "spontaneous organization, with many citizens now deciding they simply won't turn a blind eye."

Israel was not even reviewing the requests of asylum seekers, Klarman claimed, and up until now only 11 people were granted the status of refugeesout of a total of about 70,000.

"That means we're in the midst of the gravest refugee crisis since World War II. What is Israel's shouldering of this burden? Eleven people," he accused.

Group leader Yoav Klarman said the government was busy reaping electoral gains by 'dumping' refugees in south Tel Aviv

In Klarman's opinion, the government couldn't care less where those people ended up, as attested by Rwanda and Uganda's position. "It's clear no one really knows the situation. The only thing the government cares about is reaping electoral gains over what's happening in south Tel Aviv, with residents' distress," he said.

Asked whether his own organization considered locals' plight, Klarman said the answer was an unequivocal yes. "Saying you have to choose between the interests of the people of south Tel Aviv and the State of Israel or caring for human lifeit's not true. We demand that the budget we so frivolously throw away at Holot and Saharonim (migrant detention facilitiesed), the money invested in this clandestine agreement will instead be invested in policy.

"The state dumped them in south Tel Aviv to begin with. We have a recording of the south Tel Aviv district police chief saying they have no intention of removing them. It's all about gentrification and construction now."

In conclusion, Klarman added that if Israel had enacted a fair and equitable policy, it would not have left tens of thousands of migrants living "among Israel's weakest population, which has to shoulder this burden instead of the state. We say we have to form policy. Fix south Tel Aviv, and it is fixable."

Refugees were dumped on south Tel Aviv residents, Klarman said (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

Population and Immigration Authority undertakes recruitment drive

The Population and Immigration Authority, meanwhile, is continuing preparations for the migrants' deportation, and is set to commence a drive Monday to recruit 140 employees, including 100 inspectors, to help carry out the plan to expel Eritrean and Sudanese migrantseither through "willing expulsion" to Rwanda or Uganda or through imprisonment at Saharonim or deportation to those countries.

According to the wanted advertisements the Authority will publish in newspapers starting Monday, it is seeking personnel in three areas: 70 immigration inspectors for enforcement missions against illegal aliens, 30 inspectors to carry out the "willing expulsion" arrangement and 40 employees for the RSD department, which deals with asylum requests.

This recruitment process will last two weeks, and when it concludes new employees will beginning training that will last through March, after which the Holot facility will be closed and enforcement will commence against migrants who refuse to leave willingly.

Head of the Authority's Enforcement and Foreigners Administration Yossi Edelstein stressed to Ynet inspectors' role was to maintain contact with the migrants after they leave and make sure they are doing well. "They're responsible for review vis-a-vis the third country," he said. "We contact the people who leave and ascertain they get everything they need."

While immigration inspectors have yet to remove Eritrean or Sudanese nationals from Israel, they will begin doing so in April, hence the need to bolster their numbers.

File photo (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

While the goal was to deport them migrants to Africa, Edelstein said so long as they were in Israel the Authority's inspectors were tasked with making sure they are paid their rights in full by their Israeli employers.

"We enforce their labor rightswages, conditions, medical insurance and so on," Edelstein said. "We don't want employers to be able to take advantage of their weakness."

"We do hope they'll cooperate, receive their grant and leave, because we don't want to have to begin enforcement measures," Edelstein concluded.Maj. (Res.) Hugo Marom passed away Sunday morning, he was 89. Hugo, who resided in Tel Aviv, was one of the founders of the Israeli Air Force and a graduate of the first pilot's course. His funeral will be held Monday at 13:00 at Kiryat Shaul cemetery in Tel Aviv.

Marom was born in Brno, Czechoslovakia as Hugo Meisel in 1929. Shortly before the outbreak of WWII he was sent in the Kinder-transport to England along with 668 other children; he returned home after the war.

He completed a pilot's course in Czechoslovakia and then made his way to Israel during the War of Independence where he led air squadrons and was lauded as an outstanding pilot.For picture posts from 2010 and earlier, see the Earlier Picture Posts PageIndian River County, FL  A Connecticut woman was taken into custody by sheriff's deputies after they say she punched one of the deputies in the face at Indian River Medical Center early Wednesday.

Deborah Arkison, 43, was at the hospital because of a foot injury she sustained Tuesday night while intoxicated, according to reports. A nurse at the hospital flagged down two deputies as they were leaving and asked them to aid her with Arkison, who the nurse said was creating a disturbance and trying to leave the hospital.

When deputies made contact with Arkison about 3:30 a.m., she was talking loudly and using obscenities, according to reports. She insisted on leaving the hospital  and even being taken to jail  but deputies told her she was too drunk. The jail wouldn't accept her at her current intoxication level. The nurse told police she had already dealt with Arkison multiple times earlier that night.

Deputies were able to walk the woman back to her hospital room. After continued resistance, Arkison leaped out of the hospital bed and punched a deputy in the face, according to an arrest report. The deputy attempted to hold Arkison back, but he noticed Arkison drawing her hand back to punch him again, and he struck her in the face with a closed fist, according to reports.

"Arkison immediately fell backwards onto the hospital bed," the deputy reported.

Arkison was bleeding from her nose and lip and was taken for an X-ray. The deputy reported swelling to his lip and redness on his face from Arkison's punch.

Arkison was booked into the Indian River County Jail on charges of battery on a law enforcement officer and disorderly intoxication. Her bail is set at $3,500.

Arkison works as a teacher, according to an arrest report. She was an English teacher for the 2008-09 school year at St. Edward's School in Vero Beach, according to the school.



DILLON MOSELEY-LECHEMINANT: KUTV.COM REPORTS UTAH MAN ALLEGEDLY MOLESTED THREE SEPARATE CHILDREN AND THREATENED TO KILL TWO OF THEM IF THEY TOLD ANYONE WHAT HAPPENED Layton, UT - Layton, Utah, police booked a man into jail Wednesday who allegedly molested three separate children and threatened to kill two of them if they told anyone what happened. Dillon Jordan Moseley-Lecheminant was named in probable cause court documents that outlined the three cases. One child was a 4-year-old boy, another was a 12-year-old girl and the third was listed as a 13-year-old boy. The case started when Bountiful police were told of allegations of a sex offense involving a child. In an interview, the 4-year-old victim said at the Farmington Children's Justice Center, that Lecheminant touched and penetrated his anus in a sexual way. It was then learned that a 13-year-old girl may also be a victim of the same man and she was interviewed according to police. Lecheminant allegedly gave the girl a ride in his car but stopped the vehicle near Main Street and Antelope Drive in Layton, Utah. Police said in the stopped car he touched and penetrated her vagina with his fingers between August and September of 2017. He reportedly threatened her with a knife and said he would kill her if she told anyone what happened. After police had spoken to the first two victims, Layton Police Department received a report about another victim. The 13-year-old boy said he was grabbed by the penis and was asked to participate in additional sex acts. Lecheminant threatened to kill him with a knife if he told anyone what happened. That incident also took place in Layton in March, 2017. The documents asked for continued detention: The person would constitute a substantial danger to any other person or to the community, or is likely to flee the jurisdiction of the court Lecheminant has threatened to kill two of the three alleged victims if they reported what occurred.  Your name: Your e-mail (optional): Url: Description: Mugshots.com : 163260451 All are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Published mugshots and/or arrest records are previously published public records of: an arrest, an indictment, a registration, supervision or probation, the deprivation of liberty or a detention. The mugshots and/or arrest records published on mugshots.com are in no way an indication of guilt and they are not evidence that an actual crime has been committed. Arrest does not imply guilt, and criminal charges are merely accusations. A defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty and convicted. For latest case status, contact the official Law Enforcement Agency which originally released the information. The following Official Record of DILLON MOSELEY-LECHEMINANT is being redistributed by Mugshots.com and is protected by constitutional, publishing, and other legal rights. This Official Record was collected on 1/07/2018. Last updated on 1/07/2018 unconstitutional mugshot laws, exonerations, arrest records, FBI most wanted, editorials, opinion



MUGSHOTS.COM - ** EXONERATED **: RICHARD BURKHART  MONTANA INNOCENCE PROJECT SUCCESSFULLY HELPS EXONERATE MAN OF MURDER AFTER 15 YEARS IN PRISON Mugshots.com Writing Staff. Missoula, MT - Richard Burkhart, 38, has been exonerated of the 2001 murder of a man in Montana. He has been freed after serving 15 years in prison. Burkhart was convicted in 2002 of the murder of William Ledeau, and sentenced to life in prison. Ledeau was bludgeoned to death with a ball-peen hammer on Nov. 13, 2001, on 12th Street North, between Central and First Avenue North. Later the same night as Ledeaus body was found, Burkhart and a friend had approached police to report that Burkharts car had been broken into. At trial, prosecutors used this as motive. They claimed Burkhart killed Ledeau for breaking into his car and a jury found him guilty. Burkhart has been in prison ever since. The Montana Innocence Project (MTIP), a nonprofit that works to exonerating the wrongfully convicted, investigated Burkharts case and in 2014 filed for relief on his behalf after discovering that the sole eyewitness in the case recanted his trial testimony. MTIP also discovered that another suspect had confessed to killing Ledeau, but his confession was not disclosed to Burkharts defense. In November 2016, a judge vacated Burkharts conviction and ordered a new trial based on this evidence. However, another judge decided that the evidence didnt support having a new trial for Burkhart in late 2017. Accordingly, attorneys with MTIP filed a motion in December 2017 to dismiss the case for violation of Burkhart's right to a speedy trial. This prompted the district prosecutors to file a motion of their own after reviewing the case. The district prosecutors filed their own motion to dismiss the case on December 28, citing a lack of evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. On December 29, a new court order was issued dismissing the murder charge against Richard Burkhart.  Your name: Your e-mail (optional): Url: Description: Mugshots.com : 163281166 All are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Published mugshots and/or arrest records are previously published public records of: an arrest, an indictment, a registration, supervision or probation, the deprivation of liberty or a detention. The mugshots and/or arrest records published on mugshots.com are in no way an indication of guilt and they are not evidence that an actual crime has been committed. Arrest does not imply guilt, and criminal charges are merely accusations. A defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty and convicted. For latest case status, contact the official Law Enforcement Agency which originally released the information. The following Official Record of MUGSHOTS.COM - ** EXONERATED ** is being redistributed by Mugshots.com and is protected by constitutional, publishing, and other legal rights. This Official Record was collected on 1/07/2018. Last updated on 1/07/2018 unconstitutional mugshot laws, exonerations, arrest records, FBI most wanted, editorials, opinionSeveral businesses in American Canyon have had their windows shot out in the last few weeks, according to American Canyon Police.

All of the targeted businesses have been in the area of Eucalyptus Drive and Main Street, where H&R Block, Great Clips and GNC are located, police said. Police believe the vandalism is being performed with either some type of pellet gun or rifle; however, they said, this type of activity is difficult to catch.A new bipartisan plan for reforming the H-1B visa program holds out modest hope that 2018 will be better than its predecessor for the tech industry.

It isnt the fundamental, comprehensive legislation that San Jose Rep. Zoe Lofgren has sought for years. But the bill by Rep. Darrell Issa, a California Republican, would make some welcome improvements.

It will help level the playing field for tech firms, from startups to the likes of Apple and Google, which have an increasingly difficult time attracting skilled workers in a tight labor market.

Issas legislation has passed the House Judiciary Committee. Congress should pass it quickly to avoid any political silliness in this congressional election year.

The H-1B program is a temporary U.S. visa designed to allow companies to hire highly skilled foreign professionals in positions for which there is a shortage of qualified American workers.

The program is critically important in places like the Bay Area. A 2017 report by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group revealed that an estimated 57 out of every 100 jobs in the region requiring a bachelors degree or more is filled by someone who was not born in the United States, including an estimated 25,000 H-1B holders.Over the past five years, eight states and the District of Columbia have affirmed cannabis reform in statewide votes, reflecting this public approval. In 2012, Colorado and Washington state voters approved reform with 55 percent of the vote. In 2014, 56 percent of Oregonians, 53 percent of Alaskans and 65 percent of District of Columbia residents approved reform. And in November 2016, voters in California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada approved reform.

In fact, when the first states legalized in 2012, about 50 percent of Americans supported adult-use cannabis reform. Since states began to experiment with this policy, support has grown significantly - up 14 percentage points nationwide. Cannabis reform is now supported by a majority of Democrats, independents and Republicans. Governors - including Democrats, Republicans and independents - in the states that have legalized have told the federal government to stay away because their systems are working well and reflect the will of their citizens.

Even the president has suggested that he disagrees with a policy like this. During the presidential campaign, candidate Donald Trump mentioned numerous times that he supported a states' rights approach to adult-use cannabis. He did not say he supported federal intervention, an activist attorney general or a reigniting of the drug war. He said he supported states' rights on the issue.There was a time  not even that long ago  when a website functioned as little more than a billboard and a telephone directory.

Today, however, a website is a crucial element for every company, brand, artist or individual looking to do business. It tells your story, it brings customers and followers into your business and your life, and it helps define your relationship with the public.

The same is true for government  or at least it should be. Too many governments seem to be slow to evolve online, continuing to use their websites as simple bulletin boards, or concealing valuable information behind outdated or user-unfriendly interfaces.

So it was with pleasure that we encountered Napa Countys new web design at countyofnapa.org.

While the old one was hardly the worst government website around (or even the worst one in the county), there is no question that it was sterile, old-fashioned and often hard to navigate, even for people familiar with the general structure of the county government.Morocco has strongly condemned the deployment of Polisario militiamen in the demilitarized border crossing with Mauritania, known as Guerguarat.

Moroccos Ambassador to the UN, Omar Hilale, told the Moroccan news agency (MAP) that the Polisarios provocations in the Guerguarat crossing represent a blatant violation of the UN brokered ceasefire agreement and a disregard for the calls made by the UN Secretary General for the withdrawal of all troops from the demilitarized buffer strip.

He said that Morocco has informed the UN Secretary General and the Security Council of the detrimental impact of the Polisarios irresponsible acts on the political process.

In this respect, the Moroccan diplomat stressed the need to maintain the flow of traffic unhindered, noting that a rally will take place on January 8 and the crossing needs to be free of Polisario elements.

He also welcomed the statement issued by the UN Secretary General calling on the Polisario to retreat from the area.

Hilale explained that through this new incursion, the Polisario made proof of amnesia in a bid to recreate the same scenario of March and April last year when its armed men set checkpoints in the area but then ensued a humiliating retreat in fear of being condemned by the Security Council.

The Moroccan diplomat deplored that the Polisario and its paymaster Algeria, which equips it with vehicles to block Guerguarat road, have not drawn lessons from their humiliating defeat last April.

Morocco, the UN Secretary General and the International Community consider that the Polisarios provocations are detrimental to the efforts led by Mr Kohler (UNSG Personal Envoy to the Sahara) to relaunch the political process, he said.

Hilale reiterated that the political process requires upholding commitments and that such a process is not within sight when considering the recurrence of provocations by the Polisario.

He made it clear that Morocco remains faithful to its commitment and has withdrawn from Guerguarat last year in response to calls by the UN Secretary General, noting however that Moroccos patience has limits.Let me tell you again about how great Trump is. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Senior White House adviser Stephen Miller has never been shy about expressing his unreserved adoration for President Trump, which is one reason hes among the most powerful people in America.

On Sunday, he appeared on CNNs State of the Union with Jake Tapper to defend his boss amid the furor surrounding Michael Wolffs explosive new book. The results were predictably weird.

Dodging specific questions about whether Trump met with Russians at Trump Tower, the heavy-lidded immigration hawk savaged Steve Bannon, one of the authors central sources, repeatedly. He called his comments to Wolff grotesque. He maintained that Bannon had little to do with Trumps political success, offering twice an authoritarian-tinged anecdote about the presidents ability to dictate a speech on the fly. He labeled Wolff a garbage author of a garbage book.

And responding to Trumps Twitter claim that he is a very stable genius, Miller stood by his man, repeatedly asserting that the president speaks the truth.

The president is a political genius  who took down the Bush dynasty, who took down the Clinton dynasty, who took down the entire media complex, he said.

Tapper, sensing that Miller was catering to a very specific viewer with his comments, said, Im sure hes watching and hes happy you said that.

Miller grew incensed and accused Tapper of being condescending, and the two started talking over each other. Miller became so irate that Tapper told him to settle down at one point.

Later, Miller dodged another question about the presidents fitness by attacking CNN for promoting very fake news, and again proclaimed Trumps genius.

Theres one viewer you care about right now, and youre being obsequious, youre being a factotum in order to please him, Tapper said, concluding the interview as Miller struggled to get a word in. Ive wasted enough of my viewers time.

It may have been a satisfying climax to anyone in tune with reality, but the one viewer that mattered immediately gave Miller a glowing review for his performance.

Jake Tapper of Fake News CNN just got destroyed in his interview with Stephen Miller of the Trump Administration. Watch the hatred and unfairness of this CNN flunky!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018

Tapper led off his next segment with the words, Welcome back to CNN and planet Earth.One of the Kushner Companies EB-5 events in China last May. Photo: Albee Zhang/AFP/Getty Images

Kushner Companies, the family real-estate business of President Trumps senior adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is facing an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission over its use of the U.S. EB-5 investment-for-visa program, according to The Wall Street Journal. The investigation is being conducted in concert with a previously reported investigation into the companys EB-5 use by federal prosecutors from the U.S. attorneys office in Brooklyn. Both have subpoenaed the company for information regarding its use of the program, and their probes began in May not long after it came to light that the company seemed to be leveraging the Kushner familys connection to President Trump as part of its marketing for events promoting EB-5 visas to would-be Chinese investors.

The oft-criticized EB-5 visa program offers green cards to immigrants who invest $500,000 or more in U.S. businesses, so long as that investment creates at least ten jobs. EB-5s have been particularly popular in China in recent years, where it is referred to as the golden visa, and the Kushner Companies events in China last year were offering EB-5s in exchange for investments in the companys Kushner 1 project in Jersey City. After the resulting controversy over the Jared and Trump-linked marketing of those events, the company apologized and announced an end to the pitches.

A Kushner Companies spokesperson told the Journal that the company did nothing improper in its utilization of the program, and that it is cooperating with the investigation.

Jared Kushner resigned from his role running the company after he was named a White House senior adviser, but he still retains a stake in part of the business.

Late last month, it was reported that federal prosecutors in Brooklyn had also requested Kushner Companies records from Deutsche Bank, a longtime business partner that has lent hundreds of millions of dollars to the company. That may be part of a different investigation into the company, however, and not necessarily related to special counsel Robert Muellers investigation, either.The Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) has rolled out an ambitious plan to build six new industrial and business parks.

Shs 500 billion more planned for Namanve Industrial Park

Authority sources say that the parks will be located in Jinja, Nakasongola, Arua, Buliisa, Gulu and Lira districts.

The drive to breathe more life into private sector investment will also benefit from governments plan to secure an additional Shs 500 billion to complete Kampala Industrial and Business Park (KIBP), Namanve.

According to a strategic plan that will run until 2021, the parks will promote Uganda as a destination for profitable investment, business and innovation.

It is anticipated that the resulting investment could create an estimated 1,000,000 (one million) jobs by 2021.

The UIA strategy follows President Musevenis directive to fast-track development of the 22 gazetted industrial parks countrywide as a means to accelerated industrialisation, job creation, wealth growth and inclusive development.

Already, Kiira Motors Corporation is extending electricity and water to the Jinja Industrial and Business Park where their vehicle plant is to be situated.

The contribution to employment is estimated at over 850 jobs in the start-up investment phase. At full-scale operation, 2,000 jobs will be created directly and over 12,000 indirectly.

The authority also plans to develop four regional Science, Technology and Industrial Parks (Stips) over the five-year period.

Each Stip will house a German-model multi-skills development centre to offer broad-based, multi-disciplinary and hands-on training in various industrial and technical fields.

The objective of this German model of vocational education and training is to produce industry ready skilled graduates.

UIA has also proposed four regional Israeli-model agribusiness technical and vocational skills institutes. Central Ugandas institute will be located in Nakaseke District. It will focus on crop agriculture and animal resources value chains.

Eastern Ugandas is planned for the border of Katakwi (Teso sub-region) and Napak districts (Karamoja sub-region). It will teach dryland agriculture with irrigation and animal resources value chain.

The Northern Uganda institute will be located in Rhino Camp, Arua District on the banks of the River Nile. UIA sees aqua-culture (commercial fish farming), apiary (commercial bee keeping and honey production), and citrus/fruits value chains being taught here.

In Western Uganda, Kabarole District has been selected to host the school dealing in livestock and diary value chain.

Financing for these regional centres will tap into Shs 500 billion innovation fund set up by Museveni, according to UIA. The agribusiness and vocational institutes are expected to feed into the industrial parks in their respective regional catchment areas. They will admit young people with qualifications right from O levels, certificates, diplomas to degrees.

Training and mentoring in both the German and Israel models centres is expected to take between 1-2 years. Both should be operational by 2019/2020, according to UIA with at least 500 students at the opening. Over 2,000 skilled graduates are being projected by 2021.

This new blue-print hopes to make Uganda a profitable hub and destination for investment. It is based on the country being a land of entrepreneurial and innovative people.

International goodwill towards Uganda is to be harnessed by UIA through global strategic partnerships with China, South Korea, Israel and Singapore to ensure that this plan to accelerate industrialisation is achieved.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...The central African nation of Equatorial Guinea says it thwarted an attempted "coup" in late December against the government of Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, Africa's longest-serving leader.



The government accused at least 30 armed mercenaries from Chad, Sudan and the Central African Republic of attempting to overthrow Mbasogo with the support of Guinean opposition forces just before Christmas, a government minister said this week.



The "mercenaries ... were recruited by Equatorial Guinean militants from certain radical opposition parties with the support of certain powers", AFP news agency quoted Nicolas Obama Nchama, the country's security minister, as saying.



Nchama did not explicitly name what opposition groups or foreign powers the government believes were involved in the alleged coup.



On Wednesday, AFP reported, citing state television station TVGE, that Guinean security forces clashed with mercenaries, reportedly killing one, near the border.



The attempted putsch took place in the night between December 27 and 28, news website Jeune Afrique reported.



Military general arrested



Police in Cameroon arrested a military general from Chad among 30 heavily armed men at the Kye-Ossi border between that country and Equatorial Guinea in late December, according to Cameroon media outlet Cameroon-Info.net.



Mbasogo ordered the border be shut after the arrests, the website reported.



The opposition Convergence for Innovation party published a list of 146 activists it said were detained since the alleged coup attempt, Anadolu reported.



On December 29, however, Equatorial Guinea's ambassador to France appeared to play down the events.



"We have nothing to hide," Miguel Oyono Ndong Mifumu told Radio France International. "We cannot talk about an attempted coup. Everything is calm in Malabo."



He was later quoted by AFP as saying that an "invasion and destabilisation attempt" had been committed against the country.



Mbasogo has been in power since 1979 in the oil-rich central African nation.



"Corruption, poverty, and repression continue to plague" Equatorial Guinea under his rule, according to Human Rights Watch, and "mismanagement of public funds and credible allegations of high-level corruption persist, as do other serious abuses, including torture, arbitrary detention, and unfair trials".



In October, a French court found Mbasogo's son, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, who is also the country's vice president, guilty in absentia of embezzling tens of millions of euros from the country and laundering the money in France.



The court seized $120m worth of assets and handed down a three-year suspended prison sentence and a $35m fine.

Source: Aljazeera









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Featured VideoThe party of Gambias former president Yahya Jammeh, the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) is protesting against a planned sale of cattle belonging to the exiled leader. The sale has, however, been postponed.



APRC spokesperson, Seedy Njie, last week, slammed the decision by a presidential fact finding committee to sell Jammehs cattle and other assets, stating that an act of the sort will be against the Janneh Commissions mandate and will also amount to stealing.



Following the illegal and unjustifiable order made by the Janneh Commission to dispose assets and cattle of the former president Jammeh from Sunday 31 December to Wednesday 3rd January by public sale (which I described as cheating during my interview on Friday with a local radio news).



I have been engaging officials and expressed my disappointment and that the sale must not proceed as its beyond the mandate of the Commission of inquiry and its in contravention of section 200, 201, 202 and the right to property, he told The Gambian Standard.



Late last week, the Commission which was inaugurated by president Adama Barrow in July 2017 said it had postponed the disposal of Jammehs assets in order to streamline its mandate.



What the Commission is working on is to harmonise its order with that of the one before the court in order to harmonise the two before the sale. The Commission is not under any pressure, be it political or otherwise to rescind its decision, a source told The Standard.



Jammeh who left the country after his over two-decade rule ended in January 2017 is currently in Equatorial Guinea. He has not commented on the situation back home since he left. The last that was seen of him was when pictures emerged of him working on a farm in his new country.



Jammeh lost elections to an opposition coalition in December 2016. He accepted the loss to much admiration by political watchers before flipping on his word.



Regional mediation failed but Guinean and Mauritanian leaders managed to get him to leave at the last minute  at a time that regional forces were ready to enter the country and oust him.

Source: Africanews.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Chavez Cuanto te queremos!



Por culpa de Chavez



Cerveza Polar







Algun dia Colombia volvera a la ideologia de Bolivar







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LOS REVOLUCIONARIOS NO TOMAN CACA-COLA No se trata solamente de un capricho, sino de una sana actitud en todos los sentidos. Desde la solidaridad con el pueblo colombiano donde la empresa Caca-Cola ha cometido los mas grandes abusos contra sus trabajadores incluyendo el presunto secuestro y asesinato de los dirigentes del sindicato, hasta la proteccion de la salud de nuestros hijos, enviciados por ese jarabe de cola y azucar, que les produce obesidad prematura. Pensemos tambien los revolucionarios, que ese dinero que gastamos en los refrescos es utilizado por esas empresas para financiar el terrorismo en nuestro pais. Es cierto, no se trata solo de la Caca-Cola, sino tambien de la cerveza, de los cigarrillos y todos esos articulos innecesarios y mas que eso, daninos para nuestra salud. Podriamos incluso pensar en un dia de parada para cada uno de ellos. Es cuestion de irnos organizando. Pero para empezar, que tal si dejamos de comprar Caca-Cola y sus similares?



























Cuando lo extraordinario se vuelve cotidiano...



Discurso del Acto de Grado en Barinas en 12 de Febrero del 2005 Queridos Graduandos:



Mas que un discurso, quiero dirigirles algunas palabras que escribi anoche, despues de visitar en las clinicas, a los estudiantes heridos, a consecuencia de los enfrentamientos con la policia de hace apenas dos dias.



Me ha tocado por razones del destino, ser la persona que les otorgue el titulo que bien merecieron con sus estudios. Y me siento sumamente orgulloso de serlo. Me consta que la Universidad de Los Llanos Occidentales Ezequiel Zamora, a pesar de lo dicho por los enemigos de esta universidad, es una universidad de primera.



No tendremos la mejor planta fisica, en los salones hace calor. En el comedor hace calor. Pero no es en lo material que las cosas deben valorarse. El mayor capital es el ser humano. Y en eso, nuestra UNELLEZ, lo digo con conocimiento de causa, esta sobrada. Los llaneros venezolanos son nobles, valientes, de coraje.



En la UNELLEZ hacen vida, en este momento, aproximadamente 67000 personas. El 97% de ellas son estudiantes. Jovenes que, como Ustedes hasta el dia de hoy, buscan ese titulo, que constata los anos de dedicacion y de estudio.



Los jovenes son el rio de la vida, ustedes graduados deben ser los capitanes de esos barcos que naveguen por el rio de la vida.



Nuestra Patria atraviesa momentos muy dificiles porque decidio dejar de ser esa matrona de edad vetusta y complaciente, para ser joven, rebelde y altanera. Nuestra imagen ya no es la de una acaudalada ricachona mayamera. En nuestro rostro brilla ahora la sonrisa del Che Guevara, con su diente delantero torcido, su pelo largo y su boina con la estrella.



Entender esto, a mi me ha tomado practicamente toda la vida. Tengo 53 anos, y ya perdi mi oportunidad de derramar sangre joven a causa de un ideal.



Ustedes son jovenes, estan en la flor de la vida. No cometan por favor el error de renunciar a su instinto de rebelion. El Che Guevara fue Ministro de a Economia en Cuba. Los billetes y las monedas se adornaban con su rostro. Nada de eso le importo. Primero fue a Angola donde paso un penoso ano de combate. Despues se fue a Bolivia, donde encontro la muerte. El Che era el ultimo que comia, el que cargaba la mochila mas pesada. Siempre se sacrificaba por los demas en un estoicismo que mas parecia fervor religioso que ideologia marxista.



Si quieren un modelo de vida. Ahi lo tienen.



Dije hace unos momentos que el 97% de la poblacion de la UNELLEZ es estudiante. Se imaginan Ustedes la Universidad que podriamos tener si todos los estudiantes tuvieran la abnegacion, la combatividad del Che?



Los momentos que se avecinan van a requerir de una gran unidad del pueblo venezolano. La alternativa de continuar siendo libres o regresar a la pobreza se nos planteara en los proximos dias de forma enmascarada, o quizas peor, desenmascarada, vestida con uniforme de soldado del Imperio.



Por nuestra parte podemos esperar lo mejor. La macroeconomia no podria ir mejor, la justicia social ha mejorado notablemente. Las misiones ocupan un papel muy importante en el pago de dicha justicia social. Aqui en Barinas ya hemos cumplido con dos de las misiones, la mision Robinson y la mision Sucre. No hay analfabetismo y no hay exclusion en la educacion superior, en estas tierras de Zamora.



Pero ay malhaya! Son precisamente estos exitos los que nos hacen mas antipaticos al Imperio. Para ellos, somos inclusive un mal ejemplo que se esta contagiando al resto del continente y cuidado sino al resto del mundo.



Nunca venceremos al Imperio. Estara siempre ahi, acechando. Por lo menos hasta que el mismo no se autodestruya. Porque, sepanlo senores, el neoliberalismo es canibal. Cuando le ataque el hambre, se devorara a si mismo.



Ustedes, queridos graduandos, a partir de hoy pasan a conformar la elite profesional que debe sostener este pais en los proximos cuarenta o cincuenta anos. Anos decisivos para el logro de nuestra libertad y del rescate de nuestra Soberania.



No se dejen comprar. No se dejen corromper. No se dejen gritar. No se dejen pisar. Que nadie les diga que comer, o que vestirse, o que leer. Sean siempre autenticos, rebeldes, contestatarios. Pero eso si, profundamente patriotas, dignos de ser hijos de Bolivar.



Muchas gracias y que Dios los bendiga.





Alguna duda?



Medio siglo de Holocausto Palestino



Oscar Zanartu Nacio en Caracas en 1960. Ha realizado exposiciones individuales en las galerias Minotauro, Clave y San Francisco, y en salas de Coro, estado Falcon, y Puerto Ordaz, estado Bolivar. En Paris su obra ha sido exhibida en el Centro Cultural Tanagra, en la Exposicion Cite Internationale des Arts, en las galerias De Mars y Arver Space, al igual que en la Galeria Municipal Levallois, en Levallois Perret (Francia). En muestras colectivas, su obra se ha expuesto en Belgica, Francia, Estados Unidos y Venezuela; en Caracas intervino en la exposicion "Del genesis a la memoria", 1995, organizada por la Fundacion La Previsora. En 1982 obtuvo el Premio Nacional Critven y en 1990 la Mencion de Honor Jose Antonio Paez, en la Embajada de Venezuela en Paris. En 1991 se le concedio el primer premio de Pintura Itinerante, en Levallois Perret, Francia.



OZ1



OZ2



OZ3



OZ4



Homenaje a Jason Galarraga



La Victoria de Samotracia



Odalisca



Mas fotos de la nevada del pasado agosto 2008



























La Sierra Nevada de Merida



Nuestro precioso Churum Meru



Homenaje a Picasso



Autoretrato



Sabes lo que bebes en una Coca-Cola?

La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar.

Mi profesion?

Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos.

Sal en la Coca Cola?

A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar.

De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla:

Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gusto

Acido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido)

azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa)

Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantas

Mucha Cafeina

Conservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o Potasio

Dioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebe

Sal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracion

El uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja.

Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos.

Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja.

En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero).

Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma.

La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate.

Bebidas Light?

Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el

Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal.



Publicado por loretahur



En realidad, la formula secreta de la Coca-Cola se puede detallar en 18 segundos en cualquier espectrometro optico, y basicamente la conocen hasta los perros. Lo que ocurre es que no se puede fabricar igual, a no ser que uno disponga de unos cuantos millones de dolares para ganarle la demanda que te metera la Coca-Cola ante la justicia (ellos no perderian).La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar.Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos.A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar.De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla:Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gustoAcido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido)azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa)Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantasMucha CafeinaConservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o PotasioDioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebeSal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracionEl uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja.Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos.Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja.En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero).Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma.La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate.Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el aspartamo , despues de tres semanas mojado, pasa a tener gusto de trapo viejo sucio.Para evitar eso, se agregan una infinidad de otros productos quimicos, uno para alargar la vida del aspartamo, otro para neutralizar el color, otro para mantener el tercer quimico en suspension porque sino el fondo de la gaseosa quedaria oscuro, otro para evitar la cristalizacion del aspartamo, otro para realzar el sabor, dar mas intensidad al acido citrico o fosforito que perderia su sabor por el efecto de los cuatro productos quimicos iniciales... y asi sucesivamente.Un consejo final !!Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal.Publicado por loretahur

MARGARINA o MANTEQUILLA La margarina fue producida originalmente para engordar a los pavos; cuandolo que hizo en realidad fue matarlos.Las personas que habian puesto el dinero para la investigacion quisieronrecobrarlo asi que empezaron a pensar en una forma de hacerlo.Tenian una sustancia blanca, que no tenia ningun atractivo como comestible,asi que le anadieron el color amarillo, para venderselo a lagente en lugar de la mantequilla.Que tal esa?... Ahora han sacado algunos nuevos sabores para vender mas alos incautos como usted y yo.CONOCE USTED la diferencia entre la margarina y la mantequilla?Siga leyendo hasta el final... porque se pone bastante interesante!Comparacion entre mantequilla y margarina:

1.- Ambas tienen la misma cantidad de calorias.

2.- La mantequilla es ligeramente mas alta en grasas saturadas: 8 gramos,comparada con los 5 gramos que tiene la margarina.

3.- Comer margarina en vez de mantequilla puede aumentar en 53% el riesgo deenfermedades coronarias en las mujeres, de acuerdo con un estudiomedico reciente de la Universidad de Harvard.

4.- Comer mantequilla aumenta la absorcion de gran cantidad de nutrientesque se encuentran en otros alimentos.

5.- La mantequilla provee beneficios nutricionales propios mientras lamargarina tiene solo los que le hayan sido anadidos al fabricarla.

6.- La mantequilla sabe mucho mejor que la margarina y mejora el sabor deotros alimentos.7.- La mantequilla ha existido durante siglos mientras que la margarinatiene menos de 100 anos.

Ahora... sobre la margarina:

1.- Es muy alta en acidos grasos trans. (Si, esos que recien ahora loscientificos descubrieron que son malisimos y los gobiernoscomenzaron a prohibirlos) .

2.- Triple riesgo de enfermedades coronarias.

3.- Aumenta el colesterol total y el LDL (el colesterol malo) y disminuye elHDL (el colesterol bueno).

4.- Aumenta en cinco veces el riesgo de cancer.

5.- Disminuye la calidad de la leche materna.

6.- Disminuye la reaccion inmunologica del organismo.

7.- Disminuye la reaccion a la insulina.

Y he aqui el factor mas inquietante (AQUI ESTA LA PARTE MAS INTERESANTE! ):A la margarina le falta UNA MOLECULA para ser PLASTICO...!!Solo este hecho es suficiente para evitar el uso de la margarina de porvida, y de cualquier otra cosa que sea hidrogenada (esto significaque se le anade hidrogeno, lo cual cambia la estructura molecular de lassubstancias).Usted puede ensayar lo siguiente:Compre un poco de margarina y dejela en el garaje o en un sitio sombreado.Dentro de unos dias notara dos cosas:

* No habra moscas; ni siquiera esos molestos bichos se le acercaran (esto yale debe decir a usted algo).

* No se pudre ni huele mal o diferente porque no tiene valor nutritivo; nadacrece en ella. Ni siquiera los diminutos microorganismos puedencrecer en ella.Por que? Porque es casi plastico!!



No a la guerra, Si a la Paz



Misterios de la ciencia...



Los costos de la guerra



medicos y capitalismo...



Capitalismo...



medicos (2)



Quien educa a nuestros hijos?



Los Medios...



Sin Palabras...



Chistes feministas

- Cual es el problema, Eva?

- Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz...

- Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas.

- Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas...

- Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti.

- Que es un hombre?

- Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente.

- Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente.

- Cual es el truco?.

- Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion.

- Cual?

- Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer.





Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas?  Porque todos son unos cerdos

Un dia, en el Paraiso, Eva llamo a Dios: Tengo un problema.- Cual es el problema, Eva?- Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz... - Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas.- Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas...- Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti.- Que es un hombre?- Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente.- Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente.- Cual es el truco?.- Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion.- Cual?- Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer.Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas?  Porque todos son unos cerdos

Ellas...



Ellas (2)...



Tres venganzas femeninas VENGANZA NUMERO 1

Hoy mi hija cumple 21 anos y estoy muy contento porque es el ultimo pago de pension alimenticia que le doy, asi que llame a mi hijita para que viniera a mi casa y cuando llego le dije:

-Hijita, quiero que lleves este cheque a casa de tu mama y que le digas que: Este es el ultimo maldito cheque que va recibir de mi en todo lo que le queda de su puta vida!!! Quiero que me digas la expresion que pone en su rostro.

Asi que mi hija fue a entregar el cheque. Yo estaba ansioso por saber lo que la bruja tenia que decir y que cara pondria.

Cuando mi hijita entro, le pregunte inmediatamente: -Que fue lo que te dijo tu madre?

-Me dijo que justamente estaba esperando este dia para decirte que no eres mi papa!



VENGANZA NUMERO 2

Un hombre que siempre molestaba a su mujer, paso un dia por la casa de unos amigos para que lo acompanaran al aeropuerto a dejar a su esposa que viajaba a Paris.

A la salida de inmigracion, frente a todo el mundo, el le desea buen viaje y en tono burlon le grita:

- Amor, no te olvides de traerme una hermosa francesita Ja ja ja!!

Ella bajo la cabeza y se embarco muy molesta.

La mujer paso quince dias en Francia.

El marido otra vez pidio a sus amigos que lo acompanasen al aeropuerto a recibirla.

Al verla llegar, lo primero que le grita a toda voz es:

- Y amor me trajiste mi francesita??

- Hice todo lo posible, - contesta ella - ahora solo tenemos que rezar para que nazca nina.



VENGANZA NUMERO 3

El marido, en su lecho de muerte, llama a su mujer. Con voz ronca y ya debil, le dice: - Muy bien, llego mi hora, pero antes quiero hacerte una confesion.

- No, no, tranquilo, tu no debes hacer ningun esfuerzo.

- Pero, mujer, es preciso - insiste el marido - Es preciso morir en paz.

Te quiero confesar algo.

- Esta bien, esta bien. Habla!

- He tenido relaciones con tu hermana, tu mama y tu mejor amiga.

- Lo se, lo se Por eso te envenene, hijo de puta!!!



machismo y cibernetica



Chiste machista La NASA ha enviado al espacio una mision experimental tripulada por dos monos y una mujer.Apenas abandona la atmosfera, se establece comunicacion con Houston.

-Atencion, simio 1, verifique sistemas hidraulicos, controle adecuada presion de los propulsores de arranque. A 60.000 pies disminuya un 25% la velocidad.

El simio hace la sena de OK.

-Atencion, simio 2, nivele al cruzar la estratosfera y active sistemas anticongelantes. No olvide monitorear sistemas de comunicacion e indicadores de presion. Comprendido?.

El simio hace la sena de OK.

-Atencion, Houston llamando a mujer: no se olvide.

-Mujer: Si, si, ya se! -interrumpe enojada- que no me olvide darles de comer a estos monos de mierda y que no se me vaya a ocurrir tocar nada!.



.Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti.

Un abogado mantiene un romance con su secretaria.Al poco tiempo, esta queda embarazada y el abogado, que no quiere que su esposa se entere, le da a la secretaria una buena suma de dinero y le pide que se vaya a parir a Italia.Esta pregunta: Y como voy a hacerte saber cuando nazca el bebe ? El abogado responde: Para que mi mujer no se entere, tan solo enviame una postal y escribe por detras: Spaghetti. Y no te preocupes mas, que yo me encargare de todos los gastos.

Pasan los meses y una manana la esposa del abogado lo llama al bufete, algo exaltada: Querido, acabo de recibir el correo y hay una postal muy extrana viene desde Italia. La verdad, no entiendo que significa.El abogado, tratando de ocultar sus nervios, contesta:Espera a que llegue a casa, a ver si yo entiendoCuando el hombre llega a casa y lee la postal, cae al suelo fulminado por un infarto.Llega una ambulancia y se lo lleva. Ya en el hospital, el jefe de cardiologia se queda consolando a la esposa y le pregunta cual ha sido el evento que precipito tan masivo ataque cardiaco.

Entonces la esposa saca la postal y se la muestra diciendole: No me explico, doctor; el solamente leyo esta postal. Vea usted mismo lo que trae escrito.Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti."Tres con salchicha y albondigas y dos con almejas



Gol !!!!



Chistes de Borrachos Entra un borracho a su casa todo manchado con lapiz labial por todos lados hecho un desastre, y la mujer le pregunta:-Hombre que te paso?Y el borracho le responde:-No me vas a creer, me pelee con un payaso!



Este es un borracho que entra en un bar y le dice al camarero:-Me da cinco copas de whisky?Al rato:-Me da cuatro?Al rato:-Me da tres copas?Despues:-Me da dos copas?Luego le dice:-Me da una copa?Y le dice al camarero:-Ves? Cuanto menos bebo, mas borracho estoy!

The fringe reinforces the mainstream, and the mainstream nurtures the fringe. They are two sides of the same coin. One should have no illusions on this score

Blogs, The Times of India, January 6, 2018

A word that has gained increasing currency in recent times is afringea. Every excess, outlandish statement, aberration, deviation, derogation from the law, or arbitrary act of violence, is ascribed to the afringea. This fringe is distinguished from the amainstreama. The aim is to portray the fringe as the extreme, and, by contrast, the mainstream as its opposite.

But it is now becoming increasingly clear that the categorical divide between the two is artificial and expedient. Indeed the two are not different entities. A fringe has an organic connection to the mainstream because, after all, without the mainstream there cannot be a fringe. And if it is from the mainstream that the fringe derives its strength, then the difference between the two becomes only a matter of convenience.

Let us test this thesis against some recent examples. In December 2014, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, a minister in the central government, made the atrocious remark about aramzadon and haraamzadona. Obviously, she represented the fringe, because Prime Minister Narendra Modias lofty slogan on assuming power was asabka saath, sabka vikasa. His approach was the mainstream, and the Sadhvias comment was the loony fringe. But when only a perfunctory apology was sought from her by the PM, and she was not even asked to resign, one is entitled to ask who was the fringe, and who the mainstream?

The raging controversy about the film Padmavati offers another good example. The Rajput Karni Seva, described as a fringe group, demanded a ban on the film because it adistorted historya. Consequently, it openly resorted to violence, the issuance of threats, including beheadings of the film crew, and payments of vast amounts to those who would kill the director, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, and cut off the nose of Deepika Padukone. But, it was soon apparent that the Karni Sena fringe had substantial support from the mainstream.

Suraj Pal Amu, who held the responsible post of BJPas chief media coordinator in Haryana, openly doubled the bounty a to Rs 10 crore a for eliminating Deepika and Bhansali. Rajasthan chief minister weighed in to say that no communityas sentiments should be hurt. And, in an unprecedented move, even before the designated authority, the Central Board of Film Certification, could pronounce its verdict, five BJP ruled states, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, UP, Rajasthan and Bihar banned the film!

Sangeet Som, a two-time BJP MLA, made the outrageous comment in October 2017 that the iconic Taj Mahal is a blot on Indiaas history. Obviously the assumption would be that his is an insane voice from the fringe. But his comments were subsequently endorsed by Vinay Katiyar, who has been the national general secretary of BJP and three times member of the Lok Sabha.

What is worse, GVL Rao, the national spokesperson of BJP, while disagreeing perfunctorily with Som, proclaimed the mainstream view in a generalised indictment of epic proportions: aThe period of Islamic rule a around 800 years a was a period of extreme exploitation, insane barbarism, and unprecedented intolerance.a Ergo, the fringe and the mainstream were identical.

The umbilical cord between the fringe and the mainstream is both transparent and verifiable. If the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, one of the larger affiliates of the Sangh Parivar, makes a clarion call for India to become an exclusive aHindu rashtraa, it is the fringe. But if a Union minister, Anant Kumar Hegde, said last month that BJP is here to change the Constitution to rid it of the word aseculara, is he fringe or mainstream?

Sakshi Maharaj, who had once said that Nathuram Godseas martyrdom should be commemorated, is definitely the fringe. In September 2017 he announced that couples who indulge in avulgar behavioura, (read being physically affectionate in public), instigate rape.

But his statement had the support of Manohar Lal Khattar, no less than the chief minister of Haryana, who said in 2014: aIf a girl is dressed decently, a boy will not look at her in the wrong way.a When queried about whether girls should have freedom of choice, he reportedly retorted: aIf they want freedom, why donat they roam around naked?a

Dina Nath Batra, and his unverified assertions that ancient India a for all its creditworthy achievements a had achieved everything that science has discovered today, is definitely the fringe. But, no less a person than PM Modi, echoed what Batra said when in October 2014 in Mumbai, he claimed that the manner of the birth of Karna in the Mahabharata, and Ganeshjias adorable form with an elephant head, showed the existence of advanced genetic science and plastic surgery in ancient India. Is Batra the fringe, or is he the mainstream?

In April 2017, Pehlu Khan was carrying cattle for his dairy farm in Nuh, for which he had a valid licence. He was lynched in full public view, by a mob of cattle vigilantes. In spite of substantial evidence to nail the culprits, they were all let off. Was the Rajasthan government the fringe or the mainstream?

The truth is there are no such distinctions. The fringe reinforces the mainstream, and the mainstream nurtures the fringe. They are two sides of the same coin. One should have no illusions on this score. Candid confession of error on mandatory minimums from former Idaho Attorney General and Chief Justice | Main | SCOTUS back to work with remarkable split habeas ruling giving capital defendant another (long-shot?) chance to obtain relief 

January 7, 2018

Noticing the continued decline of the federal prison population (for now) ... and a story embedded with intricacies

Over at the Washington Post's WonkBlog, Keith Humphreys has this important little discussion of the federal prison population under the headlined "The number of people in federal prisons is falling, even under Trump." Here are excerpts (with a few lines emphasized for some follow-up commentary):

When states began shrinking their prison populations almost a decade ago, the federal prison system was still growing each year and thereby undermining progress in reducing mass incarceration. But in the past four years, the federal system has cut its inmate population by one-sixth, a decrease of over 35,000 prisoners. Because criminal justice is mainly the province of the states, the federal prison system holds only about 13 percent of U.S. inmates. Yet that is still a significant number of people in absolute terms: The system held 219,300 inmates at its peak in 2013. Four subsequent years of significant contraction dropped the federal inmate population to 184,000 by the end of 2017. Obama-era changes to drug crime prosecution and sentencing coupled with a historic level of clemency grants to federal inmates by President Barack Obama helped bring the federal prison system to its lowest population size since mid-2004 and its lowest incarceration rate (i.e., adjusted for population) since the end of 2002. Given President Trumps penchant for tough on crime rhetoric, some observers may find it surprising that the federal prison population kept dropping under the first year of the Trump administration. The most likely cause is also the most obvious. When a nation is blessed with two decades of falling crime rates, this eventually translates into lower incarceration rates because there just arent as many offenders to arrest, charge and imprison. Whether the federal prison population continues to decline will depend in part on Trump administration policies. Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently reversed the Obama-era policy of avoiding mandatory minimum sentences in low-level drug cases, which could result in some future growth in the federal inmate population even if crime continues to fall. The other key determinant of the federal prison populations future is whether Trump will make use of his powers to pardon or commute the sentences of federal inmates. He only did so for one inmate this year, but that doesnt necessarily mean he wont grant more clemencies later.

Though it is important and useful to notice that the federal prison population continued its downward trend in the first year of the Trump Administration, it is not quite accurate to attribute this reality to either "two decades of falling crime rates" or to Presidential commutation practices. For starters, we had falling crimes rates in the decade from 1992 through 2002, and yet the federal prison population more than doubled from less than 80,000 inmates in 1992 to more than 163,000 inmates in 2002. And we had another decade of falling crimes rates from 2002 through 2012, and yet the federal prison population rose another 55,000 inmates in that period. And, of course, crimes rates started ticking up significantly in 2015 and 2016.

Moreover, and perhaps even more importantly, there is actually a very limited (and quite unclear) relationship between the FBI's reported reductions in violent and property crimes  which is the data base for "falling crime rates"  and the federal criminal caseload which is primarily made up of drug and immigration and firearm and fraud offenses. Indeed, in light of the empirics of the opioid crisis  not to mention increased marijuana activity thanks to state legal reforms  there is reason to speculate that federal drug offenses have actually been rising (perhaps significantly) in recent years. The dynamics surrounding recent crime rates for federal immigration and firearm and fraud offenses are hard to assess, but that very reality is part of the reason it is hard to link federal prison population changes to what we know (and do not know) about crime rates. But, without any doubt, there are still plenty of "offenders to arrest, charge and imprison" engaged in the activities that serve as the modern bread-and-butter of federal prosecution. Though there are a range of linkages between various crime rates and various federal prosecutorial policies and practices, it is very hard to see and measure and assess with any confidence how basic criminal offending (especially as to classic state crimes) may directly impact the size of federal prison populations.

What we can effectively see and measure are changes in federal sentencing laws and federal prosecutorial practices, and these changes suggest a set of intricate stories help account for recent federal prison population changes. For starters, the US Sentencing Commission enacted a set of broad retroactive changes to the federal drug sentencing guidelines, with crack guideline reductions in 2007 and 2011 and the "Drugs -2" reductions in 2014. These changes reduced the sentences of, and is continuing to lead to the early release of, many thousands of federal prisoners. In addition, and perhaps even more statistically important for the very latest federal prison data, federal prosecutors after 2012 began decreasing dramatically the number of cases getting all the way to federal sentencing. According to US Sentencing Commission data, in Fiscal Year 2012, federal prosecutors brought over 84,000 cases to sentencing, whereas by Fiscal Year 2016, federal prosecutors brought fewer than 67,750 cases to sentencing. And, especially with a slow transition to new US Attorney positions, it may take some time for the new Attorney General to ramp up yearly federal prosecutions (assuming he even wishes to do so).

In other words, the always dynamic stock and flow story of prison populations provides a somewhat more granular understanding of declines in the federal prison population. Changes to federal sentencing laws made retroactive has had a significant impact on the "stock" of federal prisons. (Prez Obama's commutations are a small part of this "stock" story, but not until they really got going in 2016, and in the end more than 25 federal prisoners got reduced sentences thanks to retroactive guideline changes for every prisoner who got a commutation from Prez Obama.) And while guideline changes were reducing the federal prison "stock," it seems the prosecutorial policies announced by Attorney General Holder in 2013  and perhaps other factors, including decreased national concerns about crime  finally began to reduce what had previously been, for two decades, an ever-increasing federal prison "flow."

I would predict that the May 2017 Sessions charging/sentencing memo could contribute, over time, to increasing both the stock and the flow of the federal prison population. But other directions coming from Main Justice might complicate this story. AG Sessions has urged US Attorneys to focus on violent crimes, and there may well be fewer of these cases to bring and they may take more time to prosecute than lower-level drug and gun and immigration cases. But, of course, the AG has also expressed concerns about drug and gun and immigration cases, and he has been seeking to hire and empower more federal prosecutors in certain arenas. I will be especially watching how all these developments ultimately impact the US Sentencing Commission's data on cases sentenced (and average sentence imposed) in order to try to predict where the federal prison population may be headed next.

January 7, 2018 at 11:45 AM | Permalink

Comments

Police reports of crime sent to the FBI are political documents, subject to the orders of mayors and governors. They should not be used to measure the crime rate. Only standardized, household surveys of victimization are reliable. Obama "improved" their gold standard methodology to minimize crime by blacks. His changes should be reversed. The household survey is the sole reliable measurement.

Here is the problem with the Survey. It measures 8 common law crimes. It needs to be updated to ask about internet and identity theft victimization. Rape should be clearly defined as rape rape, forcible rape. It should not reflect retaliatory and buyer's regret false allegations suborned by feminists.

Posted by: David Behar | Jan 7, 2018 1:25:45 PM

Is it a federal crime to attack a Senator? Here, pro-criminal Paul Rand discusses the result of his being attacked. Refuses to mention mental illness as the real cause.

https://ijr.com/the-declaration/2018/01/1045557-rand-paul-speaks-attack-neighbor-says-injuries-suffered-left-living-hell/

California officials run down our country, fires. Carrie Underwood disrespects our country, a fall with bad facial injuries. Puerto Rico disrespects our country by voting for Hillary, Hurricane Maria.

Coincidences?

Posted by: David Behar | Jan 8, 2018 10:12:51 AM

The Washington Post article quoted in this blog post mentions Obama's clemency grants as a factor contributing to reductions in the federal prison population. I don't think there is data to support the conclusion that Obama's clemency policy played a significant part in reducing the federal prison population. When viewed in the context of the total federal prison population (about 200,000 at the time), the number of clemency grants was small (about 1,000 as I recall). Moreover, a clemency grant did not necessarily immediately open the prison door. Some of the clemency grants converted life sentences into sentences to a term of years (typically, 20 years). Many of those who received this version of clemency (including an inmate whom I represented) are still in prison because they have years to serve before they will be released.

Posted by: Late Inning Relief | Jan 8, 2018 3:18:04 PM

Post a comment "Prosecutors and Democracy: A Cross-National Study" | Main | Candid confession of error on mandatory minimums from former Idaho Attorney General and Chief Justice 

January 6, 2018

Some notable recent empirical research on crime

I recently tripped across some recent empirical crime research that seemed worth noting:

From the Journal of Public Economics, "The effect of Medicaid expansion on crime reduction: Evidence from HIFA-waiver expansions," authored by Hefei Wen, Jason Hockenberry and Janet Cummings:

Abstract: Substance use figures prominently in criminal behavior. As such expanding public insurance and improving access to substance use disorder (SUD) treatment can potentially reduce substance use and reduce crime. We examine the crime-reduction effect of Medicaid expansions through the Health Insurance Flexibility and Accountability (HIFA) waivers. We find that HIFA-waiver expansion led to a sizeable reduction in the rates of robbery, aggravated assault and larceny theft. We also show that much of the crime-reduction effect likely occurred through increasing SUD treatment rate and reducing substance use prevalence. The implied benefit-cost ratio estimate of increased treatment on reducing crime ranges from 1.8 to 3.2.

From the American Journal of Public Health, "Easiness of Legal Access to Concealed Firearm Permits and Homicide Rates in the United States," authored by Michael Siegel, Ziming Xuan, Craig Ross, Sandro Galea, Bindu Kalesan, Eric Fleegler and Kristin Goss:

Abstract Objectives. To examine the relation of shall-issue laws, in which permits must be issued if requisite criteria are met; may-issue laws, which give law enforcement officials wide discretion over whether to issue concealed firearm carry permits or not; and homicide rates. Methods. We compared homicide rates in shall-issue and may-issue states and total, firearm, nonfirearm, handgun, and long-gun homicide rates in all 50 states during the 25-year period of 1991 to 2015. We included year and state fixed effects and numerous state-level factors in the analysis. Results. Shall-issue laws were significantly associated with 6.5% higher total homicide rates, 8.6% higher firearm homicide rates, and 10.6% higher handgun homicide rates, but were not significantly associated with long-gun or nonfirearm homicide. Conclusions. Shall-issue laws are associated with significantly higher rates of total, firearm-related, and handgun-related homicide.

January 6, 2018 at 04:34 PM | Permalink

Comments

Silly, lying, false propaganda from notorious, left wing, hate speech propaganda outlets. They are advocating their sicko, misleading agendas. Medical rent seeking is three times as big as lawyer rent seeking, and ten times as deadly. I am not addressing it. It is too big for me.

Also, doctors who feel threatened become mass murderers. See Al Qaeda. See Che Guevara. See the ethnic cleansing of Bosniaks. I do not want to die, just yet.

The reason for the reduction in crime is the reduction in addicts by death, not by treatment.

The reason for must carry rules, is that they are in high violence areas.

Dismissed, pro-criminal, left wing trash. As usual, here.

On another collateral subject, I admire the public accessibility of academic law review contents. They are subsidized by the tax payer, and do not charge for access.

That Commie filth, dirt bag, left wing garbage science outlet, American Journal of Public Health wants $35 to read its stupid article.

Posted by: David Behar | Jan 6, 2018 8:10:35 PM

Post a commentIn the Jan. 4 Fort Lauderdale mayoral debate hosted by the Sun Sentinel, a night mostly devoted to infrastructure and development issues briefly saw Vice Mayor Bruce Roberts and Dist. 2 Commissioner Dean Trantalis engage in personal criticism of each other.

You bring politics in Fort Lauderdale to its lowest level, Trantalis flung at Roberts. While Roberts asked, If somebody cant tell the truth, theyre supposed to be the mayor of the City of Fort Lauderdale?

Roberts, Trantalis, and former city commissioner Charlotte Rodstrom will face off in the mayoral primary on Tuesday, Jan. 16. If no candidate gets 50 percent plus one of the vote, a runoff between the top two vote-getters will be held Tuesday, March 13. If elected, Trantalis would be the citys first openly-gay mayor. If elected, Rodstrom would be the citys second female mayor after Virginia S. Young. Current Mayor Jack Seiler, who stated he hopes Roberts wins the election, is term-limited and cant run for re-election.

The cause of the personal attacks was a series of mailers put out by the Florida Community Alliance PC, a PAC with a Tallahassee mailing address. Sun Sentinel reporter Brittany Wallman said that quite a few voters told her they thought the mailers were homophobic.

Related: Anti-Trantalis Ads Result in Accusations of Homophobia

The mailers depict Trantalis in various outfits and clown makeup and accuse him of hypocrisy over the issue of development. Dean Trantalis registered as a lobbyist for a developer in Wilton Manors. His hypocritical rant is just another act in The Dean Trantalis Show . . . Fort Lauderdale needs a leader  not a liar, reads one of the mailers. In the past Trantalis has represented developers before the Wilton Manors Commission, including the failed G Resort hotel proposal.

Roberts said he was involved with the mailer but did not mean it to be homophobic. He cited his past record of pro-LGBT decisions, including being the swing vote in support of Fort Lauderdales pro-gay marriage resolution in 2014.

Other people may interpret it that way . . . If you look at my record, you will see that I am completely the opposite [of homophobic], Roberts said.

Trantalis didnt accuse Roberts of being homophobic, but he did criticize his involvement in the mailer. Im really surprised you would associate yourself with this kind of chicanery. Besides the fact that these outfits I would never be seen in, I think it really demeans you as an individual. You bring politics in Fort Lauderdale to its lowest level. Thats unacceptable. If we see another one in the mail I think you should think twice about your ability to lead this community as mayor, Trantalis said.

Related: 2017 SFGN Achievements in Excellence Award - Fort Lauderdale City Commissioner Dean Trantalis

Roberts responded back and called Trantalis a liar, but did not get specific.

If somebody cant tell the truth theyre supposed to be the mayor of the City of Fort Lauderdale? Dean, thats very sly of you. You talk about things that are completely untrue in your PAC statements and mailers.

However, on development and the citys water and sewage infrastructure problems, something everyone seems to agree is the biggest challenge facing the city right now, the candidates were more closely aligned and congenial. But they were not without disagreement.

When asked if they would put a moratorium on new development until the water and sewage system was brought up to date, Trantalis and Rodstrom said yes. This is a recipe for disaster. We have to make sure [developers] pay their fair share. We are way behind the eight ball, said Rodstrom. We are beyond capacity, said Trantalis.

Roberts said he wouldnt institute a blanket moratorium but would go on a case by case basis. There has to be a balance.Le Collectif Cheikh Yassine a organise un certain nombre dactivites et de festivites pour les enfants de Gaza sous le theme  La joie des enfants de Gaza pour lAid . Ces activites ont commence le premier jour de lAid et continue jusquau 4eme jour de lAid dans la bande de Gaza.



Plusieurs activites, ont ete organisees parmi lesquelles : des competitions recompensees par des prix, des jeux, des animations et des chants presentes par un groupe ainsi que des distributions de cadeaux et daides financieres.



Twenty horses tragically lost their lives in a barn fire that took place on Friday night (January 5).

According to an article by CBS 46 in Georgia, a chicken house that was being used to board horses in Hall County went up in flames.

Fire services arrived on the Pillsbury Road scene to find roughly 70 per cent of the structure ablaze.

Two dogs were also killed in the fire, which investigators have deemed as accidental.

The CBS 46 story does not indicate the breed of the horses that perished in the blaze.

The photos of the fire that appear below come courtesy of Hall County Fire Services.

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to all those affected by the fire.

(With files from CBS 46)Yonkers Raceway took the bow off its 2018 season today (Sunday, January 7), and Consolidator, the lone mare in the tracks $50,000 Open Handicap Trot, captured the extended-distance event in 2:29.

Originally drawn with nine entrants, the field was pared to seven after the eight-hole (Meladys Monet, sick) and nine-hole (Tight Lines, weather) assignees were scratched.

Consolidator ($16.60), who started from Post 4 with driver Jim Marohn Jr., worked out a third-over trip. She set it up after Mostinterestingman (driven by Brent Holland) stuffed Money Maven (Yannick Gingras) into the pocket before eventually yielding to the 9-10 post time choice, Cash Me Out (Eric Goodell).

All of that action took place through early intervals of :29.4, 1:00 and 1:30.2. Money Maven then made his second move, as he went right at Cash Me Out at the 1:59.3 milepost.



Consolidator (4), pictured defeating male rivals at Yonkers Raceway on Sunday, January 7, 2018 (Mike Lizzi)

A second-up Luminosity (George Brennan) wasnt the problem, but Consolidator was. She closed fastest and picked off Money Maven by a head in the mile-and-a-quarter contest. Cash Me Out faded to third, while Homen Dry (Matt Kakaley) and Luminosity settled for the remaining spoils.

A casualty of the demise of the passing lane was Mostinterestingman, who was pocketed behind the tiring leader and ending up finishing sixth.

Consolidator, a five-year-old daughter of Triumphant Caviar, is co-owned (as Allard Racing) by (trainer) Rene Allard, Bruce Soulsby, Laura Baker and Alan Weisenberg. She was sent off as the publics fourth choice. Consolidators winning 2018 debut pushed her career earnings over $488,000. The exacta paid $79.50, with triple returned $256.50.

(With files from Yonkers Raceway)"Capstone interests are in stability. Their business interests in the county can not be realized [if] the country is war torn, Stone said. "The Al Queda off-shoot [sic] Al Shabaab is quite violent and deadly. The topography of Somalia unlike Afghanistan lends itself to a successful drone based US campaign against the insurgency.Despite a rich history in electoral politics and the influence industry, Stone hasnt registered to lobby the federal government since 2000 when he represented the company of his longtime confidante and future president, one Donald Trump. Stones work for Capstone began in May 2017, as the Trump administration stepped up U.S military operations in Somalia, including a major escalation in drone strikes against insurgent groups in the country. The number of U.S. troops in Somalia has more than doubled to over 500 since Trump took office.Initial reports on Stones registration suggested that he may have flouted the legal timeline for disclosure of lobbying activity. But Stone insists that he disclosed that activity in a timely manner as required. Hes worked with Capstone since May, Stone told The Daily Beast. But, he added, reportable lobbying activity only began in November.

That lobbying itself was sparse, Stone said. It consisted only of "casual conversation on two occasions with a single member of Congress about the status of the insurgency and the security of Somalia. Stone declined to specify which member of Congress with whom he spoke. But the offices of Reps. Chris Collins (R-NY) and Brian Higgins (D-NY), who represent the area of Buffalo/Western New York where Capstone is based, both denied that they had been lobbied by Stone.



Capstone and its chief executive, a prominent investor and Hillary Clinton donor named Darin Pastor, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. But the firms filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission suggest that it has significant business interests in Somalia.



In late 2016, it inked multiple deals with unidentified suppliers to sell sheep and cattle to customers in countries including the gulf nation of Oman. Though it redacted the names of its suppliers, the filings mentioned they were based in Africa, and one in particular suggested a Somali seller by alluding to the drought that ravaged the country from 2015 until last year.



"Investors should be aware that the opportunities we are pursuing in the livestock trading and minerals industries tend to be exceptionally high-risk, the company said in a filing in late 2016.



Capstone seems to be an obscure client for an operative with Stones high profile. But the company also has interesting geographic ties. Somalias current president, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, lived in the Buffalo area, and worked for New York state government, before returning to his native country to run for the office he now occupies.



The Somali governments official U.S. lobbying firm, Park Strategies, also maintains a Buffalo office. That firm linked up with Mohamed by way of Joel Giambra, a Park Strategies VP and former Erie County executive who on Wednesday announced a New York gubernatorial run. Giambra and Mohamed became good friends while the latter worked in New Yorks department of transportation, according to John Zagame, another Park Strategies VP who works on the Somalia account.



Zagame said he wasnt familiar with Stones work on the issue, but welcomes all efforts to improve the security situation in Somalia. "Youd like to see Somalia stabilized enough to receive some foreign investment, Zagame told The Daily Beast. "They are resource rich, but what company is going to go into a situation where your people arent safe?



Lasting security there, Zagame noted, will require the training of Somali forces more than the drone strike campaigns to which Stone alluded. But any help in bringing Somali security issues to the attention of U.S. policymakers is welcome.



"I dont know what Roger Stone is doing, Zagame said. "Whatever hes doing, if it can help, more power to him.Todays Events



Discussion

Work for a Better Bangladesh Trust organises a discussion on 'Rikshaw Industry: Human Rights Perspective' at its conference room in the city's Rayerbazar at 11 am.

Conference

Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum organises a press conference about report on child rights situation in Bangladesh-2017 in Sagor-Runi Auditorium of Dhaka Reporters Unity at 2:30 pm.

Human chain

Garments Sramik Trade Union Kendra will form a human chain in front of the Jatiya Press Club at 11 am demanding Tk 16,000 as gross salary for the garments employees.

Trishala and Sanjay Dutt are giving us major father-daughter goals



Trishala & Sanjay Dutt are giving us major father-daughter goals we must say! Trishala took to Instagram to post an adorable selfie with her dad and her dad replied with the most endearing reply ever - Love you. I will always have your back ?

Sanjay Dutt welcomed New Year with family in Dubai.

On the work front, Sanjay Dutt is shooting for Torbaaz, directed by Girish Malik.Child labour situation in Bangladesh

Rayhan Ahmed Topader :

The definition of child labour varies depending on region, culture, organization, and government. The Western perspective portrays childhood as a carefree stage of life in which a person does not possess the capacity to be an adult. Although there is no universal definition for child labour, various organizations have defined child labour and its parameters.

The International Labour Organization's Minimum Age Convention 138 states that at age 12 a child is allowed to light work in non-hazardous situations and at age 15 a child is allowed to enter the work force. The ILO defines child labour as "work that exceeds a minimum number of hours, depending on the age of a child and on the type of work. The ILO also has three categories pertaining to children in work: economically active children, child labour, and hazardous work. Children can be categorised as economically active if they are involved in work outside of school or the home at least one hour once every seven days. Children can be categorised as performing child labour if they are under the age of 12 or performing hazardous work. Children are categorised as performing hazardous work if they are involved in activities that may harm their physical, mental, or developmental health or safety. Child labour in Bangladesh has been a subject of persistent debate. But there really should be no argument about it; children should be at school and other means need to be found to help families who depend on their earnings to get by.

We simply cannot justify the fact that millions of children in the country are out of school. Families on the breadline are allowing children as young as five year olds to work and that is how more children are joining the labour force every day. Child labour is an issue that is as old as it is endemic, and while there are laws banning the practice, they have proved difficult to fully enforce. The reason for this is simple: it is extreme poverty that leads the guardian of young children to put them to work for whatever pittance they are granted by their employers. And this is the reason the practice is so hard to stamp out. There is an urgent need for a comprehensive survey of child labour in this country. There is also a need to eradicate the confusion that exists over child labour.

Perhaps, speaking of the immediate, it is inevitable. But at the very least we can adopt measures to protect children in their workplace. A pragmatic first step towards eradicating child labour would be the establishment of registries under welfare bodies where the names of children employed in households are entered so that their welfare can be monitored on a frequent basis.

Overseas Development Institute survey finds 15% of six-to 14-year-olds living in poorest households work an average of 64 hours a week. Most mornings,15-year-old Iqbal arrives for his job at a Dhaka panel beaters at about 10am, working on cars for up to 13 hours before he can go home. The teenager, who earns less than 60 a week, has been working these hours since the age of 12, when his family's financial problems forced him out of school and into a full-time job.

A major study released on Wednesday suggests his case might be typical of Bangladesh's poorest young people. A survey of 2,700 slum households, carried out by the Overseas Development Institute, found that child labourers living in slums worked an average of 64 hours each week many in supply chains connected to the world's most popular brands. The survey, among the largest conducted in the south Asian country, found 15% of children aged between six and 14 did not go to school and worked full-time. Two-thirds of girls from slum areas who were working full-time were employed in Bangladesh's $30bn (24bn) clothes manufacturing industry, which is one of the world's largest despite an extremely poor safety record.

The manager of one unnamed garment factory told researchers that, while he was aware children aged 11 and 14 should not be working, he did not regard their employment as illegal.

He also admitted that many of his employees did not carry identification cards that would verify their age. There was no immediate comment from Bangladesh authorities or its powerful garment manufacturers, but union leaders said child labour in factories was rampant. The extent of child labour in Bangladesh's textile industry was laid bare in July when a nine-year-old boy was brutally killed at one of the largest spinning factories. Police probing the case said they found a quarter of the workforce at the factory outside Dhaka were children.

International brands have been part of the push to eradicate child labour and improve safety standards in factories since the 2013 Rana Plaza collapse that killed 1,135 people.

But the chief executive of Save the Children, Kevin Watkins, who co-authored the report, said that given the number of children working in the industry it was implausible to believe that there isn't significant pollution of the value chains of large-scale, western companies. Many of these girls are not in the biggest factories in the formal sector, but they're certainly in the supply chains of those factories, Components of textile manufacturing such as sewing buttons were sometimes contracted out by the large factories to smaller workshops, over which government scrutiny was likely to be poor or non-existent,

There are very significant levels of child labour in products that end up in retail outlets in the UK and elsewhere. The study also found that more than 36% of boys and 34% of girls said they had experienced extreme fatigue on the job. It said that families were usually keen for their children to remain in school, but were unable to afford to live without the extra income, albeit meagre. West are very much worried and tense. In the long term, of course, the only thing that can end such exploitation of children is poverty alleviation and family planning. Schools should be set up for children in their workplace and a limit put on the hours of labour. We need to ensure that the lives of so many children in our country are not destroyed.

Too many children are denied opportunity because they must go out to work. There have also been findings that the poor state of public sector schools and the refusal of children to attend them results in parents sending them out to work in the hope that they will learn a trade. This cycle of evil needs to be addressed collectively and everything possible done to protect children, a large number of whom are employed in hazardous professions despite the fact that Bangladesh has signed international conventions against such practices.

(raihan567@yahoo.com)Money laundering law is not applied impartially

MONEY laundering has become a common phenomenon in our national politics and economy at the moment when the country just stepped out from the high risk country list in money laundering and terror financing. Despite many suggestions made by Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) to prevent money laundering and terror financing that encourages money laundering and capital flights combative measures remain stagnant.







A national daily reported that there is no progress in 31 out of 138 actions adopted in the national strategy for preventing money laundering and terror financing. We must say the government is still silent in preventing money laundering while capital flight and money laundering are almost negating the national economic growth.







Inspite of prevailing inaction in general, Customs Intelligence last November filed a case against seven persons on charges of laundering about Tk 1,000 crore through the import of alcohol, cigarettes and various consumer goods using fake documents and addresses. Meanwhile, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) interrogated former chairman of AB Bank for his alleged involvement in laundering Tk 165 crore to the United Arab Emirates from the bank. The illegal capital flight surged 33.78 percent year basis on-year in 2013 --- more than six percent of the country's GDP and one-third of the export receipts in 2013. It is three times the size of average foreign aid Bangladesh received in recent times. Of the amount, $8.35 billion or over 86 percent was siphoned off through trade misinvoicing while the rest $1.31 billion could not be traced in the balance of payments data.







A former Central Bank governor said that illegal capital flight from the country was USD 9.66 billion in 2013 which was worthy of three Padma-Bridge Construction projects. While foreign investment remains low, and the country's banking sector became vulnerable in terms of cyber protection and internal governance, the money laundering by a section of politicians, bureaucrats, and businesses has been driving the country to economic failure. Despite prevailing strict Anti-Money Laundering Acts in the country, the ghosts inside banks, including Bangladesh Bank, and other perpetrators' nexus with the ruling-party have bent the rule of law and made law enforcers abstain from taking action.







In last August, Bangladesh went up 28 notches in the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-terrorist financing index of the Basel Institute on Governance. The country came in at No. 82 out of 146 in the 2017 edition of the Basel AML Index, up from its previous spot of 54. The report said Bangladesh saw a big jump in its ranking due to the results of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Mutual Evaluation Report in October 2016.

The state of Bangladesh Economy is not positive in general, except the remittance inflows and RMG exports, due to weakness in all governmental institutions and a vacuous political situation which prevents laws from being impartial against offenders.





Iraq returning displaced civilians from camps to unsafe areas

Displaced Iraqi children are seen at the Amriyat al Falluja camp in Anbar Province, Iraq.

Reuters, Iraq :

Iraqi security forces are forcibly returning civilians from refugee camps to unsafe areas in the predominantly Sunni Anbar province, exposing them to death from booby-traps or acts of vigilantism, refugees and aid workers say.

Managing more than two million Iraqis displaced by the war against Islamic State is one of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's most daunting tasks. But critics say he is more interested in winning elections in May than alleviating the suffering of displaced Iraqis and returning them safely home.

Authorities are sending back people against their will, refugees and aid workers say, to ensure that the election takes place on time. People must be in their area of origin to vote and if they do not get home, this could delay the election.

Abadi is riding a wave of popularity after defeating Islamic State in Iraq and is anxious the election should not be held up.

His strategy is not without its hazards. Abadi risks alienating Sunni voters if displaced Sunnis are seen to be suffering from being sent home to dangerous areas.

Abadi is seeking a second term in which he plans to fight corruption and maintain national unity in the face of Kurdish separatism. He will need all the votes he can muster to face down a challenge from candidates linked to Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias.

Interviews with aid workers and dozens of displaced people at camps in the town of Amriyat al-Falluja, located in the Sunni heartland of Anbar province, 40 km (25 miles) from Baghdad, as well as with several families who were returned to other areas in the province, reveal that many were forced to go home and several suffered death or injury.

Aid workers said military trucks arrive at camps unannounced and commanders read out lists of people, who have one hour to pack their belongings and go.

The aid workers, who all spoke on condition of anonymity, estimated that between 2,400 and 5,000 people were forcibly returned between Nov. 21 and Jan. 2.

"These returns are not safe," said one aid worker. "Even those who don't openly resist really have no other choice. They cannot really say no to a bunch of people with guns."

'THEY GAVE HIM A TENT'

An Iraqi military spokesman said the claim that the military forced displaced civilians to return against their will was an exaggeration.

"Our primary concern is the safety of our citizens, our job is to protect people," Iraqi Joint Operations Command Spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Rasool told Reuters.

However, "citizens have to go home" now that Islamic State had been defeated, he said.

Some aid workers said local military commanders told them the orders came from Abadi's office. The prime minister's spokesman did not respond to requests for comment.

On Nov. 25, security forces arrived at a camp in Amriyat al-Falluja and told Saleh Ahmed, 37, and his family to return to their home town of Betaya, his father, Mahdi Ahmed, said.

They refused because contacts at home told them the area was filled with booby-traps left by retreating Islamic State fighters and their houses had been destroyed.

A local commander assured them the area was safe, saying it was "better to go live in a tent in your home town than live in a tent in the camp".

Saleh reluctantly took his wife and some of his children and got on the truck. Mahdi Ahmed, 72, remained at the camp with his sick wife, another son, and some of Saleh's children as their names were not on the list.



Ministerial reshuffle coming soon: May

Reuters, London :

British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Sunday she would be making changes to her team of ministers soon following the forced resignation of her deputy Damian Green in December, but declined to give further details.

"Obviously, Damian Green's departure before Christmas means that some changes do have to be made, and I will be making some changes," she told the BBC.

Twenty British MEPs, including three Conservatives, have urged the Government to change course and keep Britain in the EU single market after Brexit.

The cross-party group, which includes representatives of the Conservatives, Labour, the SNP, Greens and Liberal Democrats, expressed "deep concern" over the Government's current Brexit strategy, which will see Britain leave the single market and customs union after a transitional period. The case for staying in the trading bloc has grown stronger since last year's Brexit vote, they said.

In an open letter, the MEPs suggested people were right to question "whether the Brexit course chartered by our Government is the right path for our country".

The letter was signed by 12 Labour MEPs, including the party's deputy leader in the European Parliament, and three Conservatives, including the Tory group's foreign affairs spokesman. Two SNP representatives, two Greens and one Liberal Democrat also backed the call.

It puts the Conservative and Labour MEPs on a collision course with their party leaders and raises the prospect of them being forced to give up the party whip.

Both Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn have previously taken a tough line against those who defy their position on Brexit.

Two Conservative MEPs, Julie Girling and Richard Ashworth, had the whip removed in October after they voted in support of a motion saying "sufficient progress" had not been made in Brexit negotiations. Both signed the new letter, which was published by the Open Britain campaign.



Construction work on power plant at Moheshkhali to begin on Jan 25

Chittagong City BNP President Dr Shahadat Hossain distributing warm clothes among the distressed people at Bakalia Ward in the city yesterday.

bdnews24.com :

Bangladesh to inaugurate construction work of 1200MW Matarbarhi power plant on Jan 25.

On Friday, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid visited the project site.

Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Hiroyasu Izumi, Japan International Cooperation Agency or JICA Chief Representative Takatoshi Nishikata, Power Development Board Chairman Khaled Mahmood, Coal Power Generation Company Bangladesh Limited or CPGCBL Managing Director Abul Kashem accompanied the state minister.

State Minister Nasrul said the type of the power plant would be ultra-supercritical.

According to him, 18 percent work to construct associated facilities like jetty and coal handling facilities for coal import, coal storage, township and roads was already completed.

The estimated cost to build the plant on a 1,414-acre piece of land is around Tk 360 billion.

Japan is providing around Tk 290 billion in loan support for the project while the government will fund over Tk 70 billion.

The state minister expressed hope that it would be possible to supply electricity to the national grid from the Matarbarhi power plant by 2023.

Asheq Ullah Rafiq MP of Maheshkhali, who also accompanied the minister during the visit, told bdnews24.com that the ruling Awami League's local units took preparations to welcome party chief Hasina.

"We hope the Matarbarhi project will help us develop this neglected coastal area," he said.

Among the 10 projects prioritised by the government, Matarbarhi power plant is placed second after Rooppur nuclear power plant project in terms of cost.

The government cleared the Matarbarhi project in August 2015, but the tender process was postponed after the killings of 17 foreigners, including Japanese engineers, in the Gulshan cafe attack on July 1, 2016.

State-owned CPGCBL finally signed the deal with Japanese consortium of Sumitomo Corporation, Toshiba Corporation and IHI Corporation on July 27 last year to build the plant.

The government has also started work to set up a deep sea port and liquefied natural gas or LNG terminal along with a special economic zone, which is expected to create a huge number of jobs.CHTC condemns killing of UPDF leader Mithun Chakma, punishment of culprits demanded

A Correspondent :

The Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission (CHTC) is deeply concerned about the killing of Mithun Chakma, a UPDF leader based in Khagrachari who was shot dead in front of his own house according to media sources , says a press release.

The carrying out of such a brutal killing in the heart of town in broad daylight once against brings into focus the abysmal law and order situation in the hill region. It also illustrates the vulnerable situation in which the indigenous political activists are operating and the impunity enjoyed by perpetrators of human rights violations. Despite the high level of security and military presence in the area, indigenous people live under constant threats.

According to media sources, earlier in the day Mithun went to the Khagrachari Court to attend a hearing in a case filed against him. After returning to the house from the court he was talking to his to the brother at around 12:00 noon in front of the gate of the house when a group of armed men came and forced him into a motorcycle and abducted him. Afterwards, they shot him several times on his head and other parts of the body and dumped his body in the Sluice Gate area.

The killing of Mithun Chakma and a number of incidents of attacks and harassment of indigenous political activists including the murder of a former UP chairman in Naniarchar, and an Awami League leader in Jurachari indicates an alarming trend in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Although 20 years have passed since the signing of the Accord, these killings and the continued repression and land grabbing of indigenous people, violence against women and communal attacks demonstrate that the government has failed to bring peace in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

Mithun earlier served three months in jail from July to October 2016 where he was held without any charges. A number of criminal cases were later filed against him and some of these cases were brought under the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Act 2006.

The ICT law is a questionable law that violates citizens freedom of expression and promotes human rights violations by government agencies. Mithun wrote about human rights violations of indigenous people in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and his writing was blamed for provoking violence in the region.

Mithun had to appear before court on a regular basis and this prevented him from carrying out his human rights activism. Filing cases against indigenous rights activists is a very common harassment tool.

The Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission demands the immediate arrest and exemplary punishment of those involved in the murder of Mithun Chakma. At the same time the Commission urges the Awami League-led government to stop the repression and harassment by the law enforcers on the general public and indigenous political activists.



ACC quizzes 6 AB Bank directors

Summons new chairman, one Board member

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Sunday quizzed six more directors of AB Bank over alleged laundering of Tk 165 crore to UAE.

ACC Assistant Director (Public Relations) Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya told UNB that ACC director Syed Iqbal Hossain and assistant director Gulshan Anwar, who are investigating the allegation, started interrogating them at 9:30 am. A notice to the chairman of the bank was issued on Monday (January 1) asking for their appearance in the ACC on January 7.They are - Shishir Ranjan Bose, Mejbahul Haque, Fahimul Haque, Syed Afzal Hasan Uddin, Runa Zakia and Md. Anwar Jamil Siddiqui, said Pranab.

Five officials of the bank-Mohammad Mahfuz Ul Islam, head of corporate treasury, Mohammad Lokman, head of Offshore Banking Unit, Arif Neaz, OBU at EPZ branch, Mahadeb Sarkar Sumon, company secretary, and MN Azim, who works in financial institutions and treasury section - were interrogated by ACC on January 2. Earlier, on December 28 of the last year, the bank's former chairman M Wahidul Haque and former managing director M Fazlur Rahman were interrogated.

Wahidul Haque, along with AB Bank's vice chairman and a director, resigned from the bank's board of directors on December 21, 2017, amid allegations of laundering around Tk 165 crore to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) through two shady organisations in the name of investment.

Meanwhile, the ACC imposed a ban on the travel of 16 senior officials of the bank.

Meanwhile, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Sunday summoned newly appointed chairman of AB bank MA Awal and one of its directors to appear before it on Monday over alleged laundering of Tk 165 crore to UAE.

A notice was issued on Sunday asking for their appearance before the ACC on January 8, said ACC Assistant Director (Public Relations) Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya. Besides, the ACC quizzed six more members of the AB Bank's Board of Directors on Sunday in this connection. On December 21, MA Awal was appointed the chairman of the bank following the resignation of former chairman M Wahidul Haque.

Wahidul along with AB Bank's vice chairman and a director, resigned from the bank's board of directors on December 21, 2017, amid allegations of laundering around Tk 165 crore to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) through two shady organisations in the name of investment.

Meanwhile, the ACC imposed a ban on the travel of 16 senior officials of the bank.Govt losses Tk 700cr due to illegal mobile handset import

BSS, Dhaka :

The government is losing around Taka 700 crore duties every year due to illegal import, mainly through luggage, of unauthorized mobile phone sets.

"The government has been losing huge amount of duties due to the sale of unauthorized mobile sets in the country. As per the rules of the government, everyone has to pay around 25 percent duties while importing mobile handsets," Moinul Khan, director general of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID), told BSS.

He said the CIID has started conducting drives to seize unauthorized mobile handsets from the market to give a message to mobile store owners that the government would not allow selling any illegally imported mobile phone sets in Bangladesh market.

"The drive will be intensified in the coming days, if the mobile phone traders do not refrain from selling unauthorized mobile phone sets," he added.

Recently, the director general informed, CIID seized more than 200 illegal mobile phone sets, including iPhones, by conducting drives at Bashundhara Shopping Complex in Panthapath and Molly Capita Centre at Gulshan in the city.

The sized phone sets entered the country in luggage dodging the officials, he added.

Talking to BSS, Mohammad Mesbah Uddin, joint secretary of the Bangladesh Mobile Phone Importers Association (BMPIA), said as per their market analysis, the government lost over Taka 700 crore duties in 2017 as a huge number of mobile sets worth about Taka 3,000 crore have entered the Bangladesh market though illegal ways.HC stays Sonali, Rupali and Janata banks' recruitment test

Staff Reporter :

The High Court on Sunday stayed the recruitment examination for Senior Officers, Officers and Cash Officers of Sonali Bank, Rupali Bank and Janata Bank scheduled to be held on January 12.

In response to a writ petition, the court also stayed the process for recruitment to these posts on the basis of circulars issued by Bangladesh Bank in 2017.

The HC also issued a rule asking the respondents to explain as to why they should not be directed to hold the examinations for the recruitment on the basis of the circulars issued in 2016 before holding the examinations for the recruitment on the basis of the circulars issued in 2017.The bench of Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Justice J B M Hassan passed the order and issued the rule after hearing a writ petition filed by 28 candidates who had applied for the recruitments on the basis of the circulars issued in 2016.

Advocate Rashedul Haque Khokan and Advocate Tanzim Al Islam appeared for the writ petitioners.

Citing from the writ petition, Advocate Tanzim told the journalists that Bangladesh Bank had issued three separate circulars in 2016 for recruiting Senior Officers, Officers and Cash Officers to three state-run banks -- Sonali Bank, Rupali Bank and Janata Bank. Without holding the recruitment examinations on the basis of the 2016 circular, the central bank issued a combined circular on December 26 last year for recruitment to these posts of eight state-run banks including Sonali Bank, Rupali Bank and Janata Bank, which is illegal, he said, adding that his clients have not applied for the posts on the basis of circulars issued in 2017.

Finance Secretary, Governor of Bangladesh Bank and Chairman and Secretary of Bank Recruitment Selection Committee have been made respondents to the rule.

The examination was scheduled to be held to recruit employees for 527 posts in Sonali Bank Limited, 161 in Janata Bank Limited, 283 in Rupali Bank Limited, 39 in Bangladesh Development Bank Limited, 351 in Bangladesh Krishi Bank, 231 in Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank, 70 in Investment Corporation of Bangladesh (ICB) and one post in Bangladesh House Building Finance Corporation, according to the release.Hindu refugees eagerly await return to Myanmar

Reuters, Yangon :

Hindu farmer Surodhon Pal has packed his bags, eager to return to Myanmar after fleeing for Bangladesh during a wave of violence last year, but he is in a tiny minority-most of the refugees are terrified of going home.

Bangladesh wants the more than 655,000 refugees who have flooded into the country since late August to start returning to Myanmar by the end of this month under a controversial agreement between the two nations.

The vast majority are Rohingya Muslims who have faced decades of persecution in Myanmar, which sees them as illegal immigrants, even though many have lived there for generations.

They say they would rather stay in the squalid camps in Bangladesh than return to the scene of violence the US and the United Nations have said amounts to ethnic cleansing.

But a small community of Hindus who lived alongside the Rohingya in Myanmar's Rakhine state and were caught up in the turmoil say they do want to return.

"We want security and we want food. If the authorities can give us those assurances we'll happily go back," Pal, 55, told AFP.

"The Bangladeshi government and the UN looked after us well, but now we have prepared our bags and are ready to return to our country."

Last month Dhaka sent a list of 100,000 refugees to Myanmar authorities for repatriation after the two governments signed an agreement in November for the process to begin on January 23.

But rights groups and the United Nations say no one should be repatriated against their will and so far only around 500 Hindu refugees have expressed willingness to go.

Modhuram Pal, a 35-year-old community leader, said some 50 Hindus had already returned to Rakhine where they were welcomed by Myanmar security forces.

Hindus who fled the area have told AFP that masked men stormed into their community and hacked victims to death with machetes before dumping them into freshly-dug pits.

Myanmar's military alleges the Arakan Rohingya Solidarity Army (ARSA) carried out the massacre on August 25, the same day the rebel group staged deadly raids on police posts that sparked a military backlash. At least 45 bodies have been found in mass graves.

The ARSA has denied the allegations, saying it does not target civilians. But Pal and his fellow Hindu refugees say they will only go back if they are rehoused away from their former villages in Rakhine. Monubala, a Hindu woman who like many of the refugees goes by one name, told AFP masked men dressed in black had attacked her village near Kha Maung Seik, where the massacre occurred.

"I left my home, including my chickens, ducks, goats and all property, and came to Bangladesh to save my life," she said.

Doctors without Borders estimates that thousands were killed in the violence that hit Rakhine in late August.35 cops hurt as bus plunges into roadside ditch

UNB, Kushtia :

Thirty five policemen were injured as a bus carrying them plunged into a roadside ditch in central bus terminal area of the district town on Saturday night.

The bus carrying 40 policemen plunged into the ditch as the driver lost control over the steering and hit a roadside tree while giving side to a truck around 10:30 pm, said Joynul Abedin, additional superintendent of Kushtia Police.

On information, members from Kushtia fire service rushed to the spot and rescued the injured.

Among the injured, the condition of five policemen was critical, said Taposh Kumar Sarker, medical officer of Kushtia general hospital. Most of the injured policemen are from Barisal Range Police and they were returning after performing their duty for President Abdul Hamid at Shilaidah Kuthibari, said the police official.Sylhet BCL man stabbed dead 'by rivals'

UNB, Sylhet :

A local activist of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) was stabbed to death allegedly by rivals at Tilagarh in the city on Sunday night.

The deceased was identified as Tanim Khan, an activist of Sylhet Govt College unit BCL and son of Israil Khan of Nij Bhurungamari village in Osmaninagar upazila. Akhtar Hossain, officer-in-charge of Shah Paran Police Station, said two BCL groups had long been a

loggerheads over establishing their dominance at MC College.

As a sequel of the enmity, rivals swooped on Tanim at Tilagarh Point around 9pm and stabbed him indiscriminately, leaving him critically injured. Locals rescued him and took him to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital where doctors declared him dead, the OC added.Submission of probe report deferred

Court Correspondent :

The Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court of Dhaka on Sunday deferred the submission of the investigation report of the case lodged against businessman Moosa Bin Shamsher to February 11.

Magistrate Nurunnahar Yasmin passed the order as the concerned official did not submit the probe report yesterday. The case was filed against Moosa on the charge of dodging customs duty and for submitting erroneous report about his deposit in the Swiss Bank.

On March 21, customs detectives raided Moosa's Gulshan house and seized a valuable car. Later, officials of Dhaka Customs House lodged a suit against him for dodging customs duty.The Undead Archives

I have finally salvaged my pre-Blogger TDR archives and added them into Blogger. They are almost totally in the form of one giant post for each month. And the formatting strayed from the originals. Sorry. But historians everywhere can rejoice that this treasure trove of my thoughts is restored to the world.Qatar's Public Works Authority (Ashghal) said it has fully completed the tunneling works in the Western branch of the Main Trunk Sewer of the Doha South Sewage infrastructure project.

A joint venture between Bouygues Travaux Publics and UCC is the contractor for the project, while 'CH2M' has been roped in as the project management consultant.



The project site witnessed the breakthrough of the Tunnel Boring Machine into the wall of the tunnel shaft, in the presence of Abdulla Hamad Al Attiyah, the assistant president at Ashghal and Khalid Saif Al Khayareen, the manager of Drainage Networks Projects Department Manager, along with a number of officials and engineers from the projects consulting and contracting companies.



Ashghal said this major milestone represents the completion of one of the three main branches forming the Main Trunk Sewer of Doha South Sewage infrastructure project, which will convey the sewage flows through pumping stations to the existing Doha South Treatment Works.



The 5-km-long tunnel covers several key areas including Al Sadd, Al Maamoura, and Salwa Road, up to the Doha South Sewage Treatment Works.



On this occasion, Al Attiyah said todays achievement shows that Ashghal was still making progress in all its roads, expressways, buildings projects as well as the infrastructure and drainage projects that are being carried out deep underground.



The Western branch of the Main Trunk Sewer, completed today (January 7), stretches from Al Thumama Area to Salwa Road through Abu Hamour Area, representing about 30 per cent of the total length of the main tunnel.



The tunneling works, which began in January last year, have been completed within a year clocking an average rate of 13.7 m per day.



Tunneling works were implemented using a TBM named Al Zubara, and its one of the projects two TBMs which were designed specifically for the geological features encountered in Doha.



Excavation works were implemented using the Earth Pressure Balance (EPB) tunneling technique, which is ideal for Doha's soft ground and rock conditions, at a depth ranging between 30 and 40m, without impacting the traffic flow or the buildings surrounding the tunnel.



The Main Trunk Sewer of Doha South Sewage infrastructure project comprises three branches; Eastern, Western, and Northern with a total length of 16 kilometres, said the statement from Ashghal.



The Main Trunk Sewer is being constructed using pre-cast segments, where it takes six segments to build one concrete ring of the tunnel, which includes 13,537 concrete rings with an internal diameter of three metres.



The project also includes the construction of seven lateral interceptor sewers with a total length of about 24 km which will convey flows from areas in the centre of Doha to the main tunnel.



This is in addition to the construction of 11 shafts at a depth ranging from 20 to 40 metres, which will be used to excavate the main tunnel, said the statement.



The Doha South Sewage Infrastructure Project is designed to serve areas in the south of Doha and the expected population growth,, it stated.



The project can be linked to future infrastructure projects, and when completed, it will enable the decommissioning of more than twenty old pumping stations currently located in the residential and commercial areas in the south of Doha, it added.



Ashghal started implementing the Doha South Sewage Infrastructure Project in August 2015, and 70 per cent of the works are completed so far. The project is set for completion in the first quarter of 2019.-TradeArabia News ServiceBahrain-based Majaal Warehouse Company has renewed its sponsorship as the kingdoms premier industrial facilities market leader at the upcoming Gulf Industry Fair 2018.

The annual industrial expo takes place from February 6 to 8 at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Center under the patronage of HRH Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of Bahrain.

Majaal Warehouse Company, a leading developer and operator of industrial facilities in Bahrain, reaffirmed its participation at GIF as the company is currently studying investment opportunities for the year and will meet with potential partners at the fair.

Majaal, a subsidiary of First Bahrain Real Estate Development Company, has an established reputation for offering facilities and services uniquely positioned to support small to medium-sized enterprises.

We are really proud of Majaal as it represents a company that is now a leader within its sector and is attracting the attention of investors locally and regionally. As a mature and established company, Majaal is now ready to expand through new partnerships and potential REIT listings, said Amin Al Arrayed, Managing Director of Majaal.

Gulf Industry Fair is the only expo in the region that is dedicated to promoting industrial developments in Bahrain and the wider region, stimulating Bahrains industry growth, Al Arrayed said.

Majaals presence at Gulf Industry Fair is essential recognition of the important contribution of first-class innovative industrial facilities to industrial development, said Jubran Abdulrahman, Managing Director of organizers HCE.

To register or for more information visit: www.gulfindustryfair.com - TradeArabia News ServiceAzizi Developments, one of the fastest growing developers in the UAE, said it has seven projects, worth a combined Dh1.8 billion ($489 million), at its Al Furjan community lined up for delivery ahead of schedule this year, mainly in the first and second quarters.



As part of group chairmans vision to deliver projects ahead of schedule, the construction of the seven projects is ongoing round the clock.



Roy Mediterranean and Montrell are set to be delivered in February, while the other projects to be handed over this year include Plaza, Azizi Star, Samia, Farishta and Shaista in the second quarter.



The projects will add more than 2,000 quality homes to Al Furjan community comprising spacious studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments and commercial area, while maintaining the use of superior quality materials, sourced from Europe and renowned local UAE companies such as RAK Ceramics, which are used across all Azizi Developments projects.



CEO Farhad Azizi said: "Construction is a crucial part of our business and we remain committed to building and delivering homes to our customers on time. Azizi Developments was one of the first developers to start building in Al Furjan community back in 2013."



"Since then, Al Furjan has emerged as a premier residential real estate destination in Dubai, offering a unique and comfortable community lifestyle to residents who would like to be located close to what is fast becoming a new hub in Dubai," he stated.



Al Furjan is one of Dubais fastest growing residential neighbourhoods, with easy access to Ibn Battuta Mall, Jebel Ali Free Zone, the Expo 2020 site, schools, shopping mall and community centre, he added.-TradeArabia News ServiceNetwork coverage of telecom operators in Bahrain has met of 99 per cent of the population in outdoor use of mobile services whether through calls or data usage on both 3G and 4G handsets, said the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA).



All operators have improved their performance levels for data use, particularly since the activation of 4G in 2014; the TRA added in its recently published its mobile quality of service report for 2017.



The average speed for a download session, which was 8.4 Mb/s in 2011, is now 37.3Mb/s, and 73.6 per cent of files are now downloaded with a speedexceeding10Mb/s.



Uploading a file is also faster than the previous years, as the average speed was approximately 1Mb/s with 3G only, while it is now over 23Mb/s. The average time to upload a 50MB file is now less than 30 seconds, which is particularly relevant in the use social networking applications.



Voice service Quality on mobile networks has significantly increased since 2014, as the rate of perfect calls (2 minute calls, with no drop and no quality defect during the communication) is now 99.3 per cent, against 93.8 per cent 3 years ago. This quality level was stable at around 94 per cent since 2010.



While SMS service usage has decreased with the rise of social networks and messaging apps, are still at a well performing level, as 96.6 per cent of SMS messages are received within 15 seconds.



The use of internet has been evaluated by browsing on most popular websites in Bahrain (Google, Facebook, YouTube etc.). The average time to load a webpage is around 3 seconds, and 96 per cent of web pages have been downloaded within 10 seconds.



The most popular social networks have been evaluated as far back as 2016. On Facebook, the available speed for uploading is around 10MB/s, which means that an average volume of 18Mb of data is transferred within 30 seconds. On Instagram, it takes approximately five seconds to publish a photo made with the handset.



The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of the Kingdom of Bahrain prepared this report in the continued interest of the promotion and improvement of Quality of Service, said Mohamed Alnoaimi, TRA director of Technical Operations.



TRA is the only authority in the GCC to publish results of field tests measurements using protocols built to be as close as possible to user experience. The effect of this policy is that industry results of Mobile Network in Bahrain are maintained at the best international standards quality levels for the whole range of mobile services as shown in the report published on the TRAs website, he added.  TradeArabia News ServiceThe upcoming Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) 2018, a major event for renewables, will explore three key global trends that are impacting the shift to sustainable energy  climate change, urbanisation, and digitisation.



The event, themed Driving the Global Energy Transformation, will run from January 13 to 20 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), reported Emirates news agency Wam.



Held under the patronage of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, ADSW will be co-located with World Future Energy Summit (WFES), International Water Summit (IWS), Zayed Future Energy Prize award ceremony, the eighth session of International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Assembly, and the EcoWASTE exhibition.



Khalifa Al Qubaisi, acting chief commercial officer of Adnec, said: "With Adnec teams working around the clock, the preparations for hosting ADSW 2018 have entered the final stages. We are confident that this mega event will reinforce its dominant status as one of the leading international platforms for the renewable energy sector."



"Adnec collaborates with a cross-section of industry associations and event organisers to drive the growth of business tourism in Abu Dhabi. Our cutting-edge facilities and infrastructure have contributed to the continued success of several high-profile international events including ADSW. In hosting events of such calibre, we seek to help position Abu Dhabi as the gateway for prominent international companies to this vital region, Al Qubaisi added.



Dedicated to advancing the understanding of the major social, economic, and environmental trends shaping sustainable development worldwide, ADSW seeks to empower the global community to create and implement viable and effective strategies to address climate change. The annual mega event convenes world leaders, policy- and decision-makers, thought leaders, scientists, C-suite executives, and academics to discuss the energy and sustainability challenges of the future.



Adnec offers 133,000 sq m of interconnected floor space to meet the requirements of a wide variety of events and exhibitions. Equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and built to international standards, the venue attracted 1.5 million people across 480 events in 2016.Dubai Safari, home to the most diverse array of animals in the UAE, welcomed UAE dignitaries and VIPs on January 6.



Eng. Hussain Nasser Lootah, director general of Dubai Municipality, hosted a tour of the 119-hectare park, including stops at the Arabian Village, African Village as well as the open Safari Village, in addition to the UAEs largest walk-through aviary, which is home to more than 25 species of birds.



Dubai Safari would like to thank its guests for visiting the park today. It was our honour to host them and give them a tour of the various villages and activities that make Dubai Safari a must-visit experience for both UAE residents as well as visitors from around the world. We are delighted by their positive response and extend our deepest gratitude for their constant support and guidance, said Eng. Lootah.



Dubai Safari is open daily from 9 am to 5 pm including all public holidays and is located in Al Warqaa 5 district across Dubais Dragon Mart off the Dubai-Hatta Highway. There are different tickets available to the public at Dubai Safari, one of which is the Safari Park ticket; where visitors get access to Dubai safari Park including the Arabian village, African village, Asian village, and Alwadi except the Safari Village, and costs Dh20 ($5.4) for children and Dh50 ($13.6) for adults.



The ticket, the Combo Ticket, gives visitors access to Dubai safari Park, Arabian Village, African Village, Asian Village, Alwadi and Safari Village, and costs Dh30 ($8) for children and Dh85 ($23) for adults. Furthermore, senior citizens and children under the age of three will enter Dubai Safari for free, while people of determination will also get free admission as well as have their own gate with wheelchairs available if needed. - TradeArabia News ServiceShaza Hotels, an independent five-star luxury hotel operator, recently hosted the grand opening of its Mysk flagship hotel in Al Mouj, Muscat.



The event, held under the auspices of Shihab Bin Tariq Al Said, Advisor to His Majesty the Sultan and chairman of the Research Council, was organized by the Golden Group Holding, one of the leading groups in the field of hotel investments and the owners of the hotel.



The grand opening celebrations commenced with a local band performing Omani folklore while VVIP guests graced the red carpet in the presence of the president, top management of Shaza Hotels and Mysk by Shaza.



A ribbon cutting ceremony was held after which Simon Coombs, president of Shaza Hotels, and Sheikh Salim Bin Ahmed Al Ghazali, chairman of Golden Group Holding addressed the crowds. The grand opening was attended by several senior officials, heads of diplomatic missions in the sultanate and Omani businessmen.



Speaking about Mysk Al Mouj, Coombs said: It is a matter of great privilege and honour for me as the chief executive officer of Shaza Hotels to stand before you today and to welcome you to the opening of our first Mysk by Shaza. We are privileged to associate with the Golden Group Holding and its chairman, Sheikh Salem Al Ghazali, in developing this hotel. Al Mouj is a very unique development that has rapidly acquired recognition for an outstanding Marina lifestyle, its integrated community, and leisure experiences all within this mixed-use environment. May we also extend our heartfelt gratitude to the CEO of Al Mouj, Nasser bin Masoud al Sheibani for supporting this hotel and its development. Shaza Hotels bring a head turning product to the already rich flavour of hospitality in Oman, clearly demonstrating our growth ambitions in Oman where we currently have three hotels.



Al Ghazali added: The opening of Mysk Hotel by Shaza will surely add to the Muscat branded hotels' inventory and to the tourism sector in the sultanate in general.



The opening of the hotel coincides with the commercial launch of the Muscat International Airport which will create a qualitative leap in the number of flights coming to the Sultanate. This requires doubling of residences and hotel services, he said.



The flagship opening of Mysk by Shaza Hotels in Muscat, comes in line with the rapid growth in tourism witnessed by the sultanate over the past years and the building of many infrastructure projects and services. Situated in the bustling Al Mouj Muscat Marina and close to the Muscat International Airport, Mysk is an upscale hotel with 195 rooms and suites equipped with the latest technology. A contemporary brand that is inspired by Arabic culture and ancient Omani history, the hotel has four restaurants, a business center, multi-use halls with modern amenities, a swimming pool with a magnificent view overlooking the marina, and a center for recreation and fitness. - TradeArabia News Service

UK's TAG Farnborough Airport has once again launched its annual TAG Flying Scholarship, which will provide training towards a Private Pilots Licence (PPL).



The TAG Flying Scholarship is part of the airports Aviation to Education programme. Now in its 11th year, the programme engages schools and colleges within the local area to inform and educate about aviation.



Each year, under the auspices of the Honourable Company of Air Pilots scholarship programme, TAG Farnborough Airport grants one young person a scholarship with the aim of supporting individuals who might otherwise not have the necessary resources to gain flying experience and ultimately achieve their PPL.



Over the past decade, scholarship recipients have progressed to a variety of professional roles within the aviation industry such as commercial airline pilot. Last years winner, Leo Tang, was able to undergo flight training at Phoenix Aviations base in Lee-on-the-Solent and was successful in gaining his PPL in Autumn 2017.



Tang said: "I would like to thank TAG Farnborough Airport for providing me with this fantastic opportunity. My ultimate goal has always been to pursue a career within the aviation industry, to become a professional pilot and qualify as a flying instructor, allowing me to pass on my skills to the next generation of young flying enthusiasts. The support of the Flying Scholarship has been invaluable, allowing me to make my dreams a reality."



Brandon OReilly, CEO TAG Farnborough Airport, said: We are keen to encourage young people to not only become involved in the world of aviation but also reach their full potential and are extremely proud to support this initiative through our community engagement. - TradeArabia News Service

Oman Air was recently praised by GE Aviation for its record breaking Boeing 787 engine change. The procedure was completed in just 20 hours, earning Oman Air world-wide recognition for its remarkable engineering feat.



The record breaking achievement was acknowledged at the recent Dubai Air show, where Oman Airs executive vice president engineering and maintenance, Ali Redha Mohammed Al Lawatiya, was presented with a commendation.



The achievement was accomplished in line with Oman Airs Engineering and Maintenance objectives, which aim to maintain, safe and efficient operation.



Al Lawatiya, executive vice president engineering and maintenance, said: I am delighted to accept this commemoration on behalf of Oman Airs hardworking engineering and maintenance team. We are a dedicated unit, Our goal is to respond to engineering issues in the quickest and most efficient way possible. This recent recognition from GE Aviation is further acknowledgement of Oman Airs strong position in the airline industry; we are fully committed to delivering the best possible service to guests and a critical part of this is to ensure the highest quality of engineering & maintenance services to our aircraft.



Oman Air engineering and maintenance works around the clock to provide services to Oman Airs own fleet and third party aircraft, with routine maintenance inspections up to and including 'A' checks, minor aircraft repairs / modifications & aircraft component replacements.



The team has been much focussed on ensuring the maintenance schedule is as efficient as possible and extending the capabilities in-house. The outsourced heavy maintenance (C-check) for Airbus 330 are now performed every 24 months instead of 18 months, by accommodating the 18 months maintenance checks for the 10 existing A330 aircrafts in-house.



Another evident improvement on a wider scale has also been achieved on the B737 fleet, previously requiring the heavy Maintenance (C-check) approximately every 24 months. The engineering and maintenance team, with the support of Boeing, managed to escalate the heavy maintenance interval to 36 months and for the A-check maintenance from approximately 60 days interval to 120 days resulting in better utilisation of maintenance ground time and an increase in aircraft operational availability



Oman Air Engineering has also extended its technical capabilities on handling British Airways B787, Qatar airways Airbus 350 & SriLankan airlines A320 neo aircraft types. The service platform provided has also extended to include the full technical handling of customer airlines aircraft at Sohar Airport.



With the additional capabilities added to the existing operation, Oman Air Engineering is committed to maintaining the highest standards of safety and an honourable audit status which was evident with the performed audits by EASA and IOSA of the engineering and maintenance division.



GE Aviation is a world leading provider of commercial, military, business and general aviation jet and turboprop engines and components as well as avionics, electrical power and mechanical systems for aircraft. - TradeArabia News Service

Four Seasons Hotel Amman has appointed Thomas Krooswijk as hotel manager, where he will take on the role of overseeing and managing the day-to-day operations at the property in Amman.



Prior to joining the team in Amman, Krooswijk was the hotel manager at Four Seasons Hotel Toronto since April 2015. However, his career with Four Seasons started back in 2001 in New York, and then he joined the team in Dublin for another three years. He left the company to experience other opportunities in the hospitality industry but rejoined the team back in 2012 at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel as director of food and beverage and was subsequently promoted to hotel manager and transferred to Toronto in the spring of 2015.



Commenting on his appointment, Krooswijk said: Four Seasons Hotel Amman is going to have an exciting year with the renovation of our rooms and suites, and I am honoured to be a part of the team and a part of this important milestone. Our continued success as an iconic destination in Amman is to be able to create lasting memories for both our guests and employees." - TradeArabia News ServiceWe associate the infamous Mattel children's creation with being able to do anything, Barbie has been a vet, nurse, policewoman, rock star and even a pilot in her decades' long career. Now there is a new Barbie style Doll causing controversy on the internet among parents.

The VWH pregnant Doll Mom Doll Have A Baby In Her Tummy Attractive Barbie Toy For Kid Child, by VWH was spotted by an eagle-eyed bargain hunter and posted on the popular Lastestdeals.com It quickly went viral in the parenting community and took social media by storm.

The twenty-eight-centimetre doll has caused a mixed reaction among parents with one online user branding it, "horrid and shouldnt be for little kids".

However, the 2.48 doll being sold on Amazon is doing something right with some positive reviews from those who have purchased the mum-to-be plastic doll.

It has even scored five out of five stars by one reviewer who said;

Very good product, I expected it to be really poor quality as it was so cheap, but I was quite impressed!

Cheap imitation

Some have said via social media the doll is a cheap imitation which is shipped from China and not licenced by Mattel as bad quality and "scary".

It has been suggested the doll could be used to explain to a younger child how reproduction works but may result in a few questions being asked when the baby is removed from the stomach only. Sure, we have C-Sections, but they dont quite look like this.

Website PopSugar also said it could be a tool to introduce the idea of a new sibling to a child.

Those who have commented online have questioned the doll not being anatomically quite right.

Body image

Other than the fact babies are not born from removing your whole stomach and leaving a large hole for them to be pulled out of we also must address the body image problems the doll has.

From verging on painfully thin legs to the fact she is heavily pregnant and about to give birth sporting a full face of make-up, impeccably groomed long hair and wait for it, every pregnant womans go-to shoe high heels.

Not only is the doll selling for a fraction of the price of an actual Barbie but also includes free delivery, a steal if you can hold out for the month-long wait to be shipped from China.

It is a number one best seller in Fashion Dolls according to the online shopping giant Amazon and available on online marketplace heavyweight, E Bay. If you are considering purchasing the doll, you can even buy a six-piece educational family set for under ten pounds!

Complete with a brightly coloured pregnancy smock, your children can play mummy and baby again and again with the baby being able to go back in for another birth later!Donald Trump will have known that when he announced the moving of the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem it would cause outrage. Trump a man it seems who is thin-skinned and yet at the same time doesn't care what anyone thinks about him.

Trump, it seems though has been launching a charm offensive to say the Israeli - Palestinian peace deal is not dead. It seems though the Palestinians, the Pope and countries around the world are not convinced of Trump's assertions.

The UK for one is not moving its embassy to Jerusalem neither will other western nations like Germany and France.

Protests, as was expected, have broken out on the Gaza Strip and West Bank with 22 people being wounded.

Holding Trump's feet to the fire

Donald Trump during his election campaign made many promises to his devoted followers. Like building a wall to keep Mexicans out and banning Muslims from entering the US. Many of the people who put Trump in office are now expecting him to deliver on his promises.

The ban on Muslims from certain countries after long debates, delays and squabbling is finally law. Whether his wall sees the light of the day is another thing and as for making America great again and creating jobs, the jury is still out on that one.

Recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel was one of Trump's other promises and it seems he has delivered on this.

Many Presidents before thought about doing this but held back at the last moment for fear of worldwide anger.

Trumps supporters

Trumps supporters come from a wide range of backgrounds and yes ethnicities too. They are ordinary out of work Americans in the rust belt of billionaire Republican donors and far-right evangelicals.

Many of these followers of Trump's policies are indeed from the large fringe of far-right evangelical Christians regardless of socio-economic background. The religious right is a strong lobbying group as are Jewish groups.

To them having Jerusalem as the Capital Of Israel is fulfilling a Biblical prophecy about the return of Jesus.

The surprising thing is though only 16% of Jewish Americans supported the moving of the US embassy to Jerusalem. A poll was taken in September saying 63% of all Americans did not agree with the moving of the US embassy to Jerusalem by American Jewish Opinion.

Will Trump now try and bring the two sides together in the years-long conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. This has been hinted at however the proof, as they say, will be in the pudding.

Meanwhile, a Christian leader who is certainly no Zionist Desmond Tutu has said: "God is weeping".THE CONSERVATIVE government face increasing pressure over the NHS winter crisis after Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, accidentally admitted in a Tweet that the NHS was within a Current winter crisis. This admission comes midst the Conservative rhetoric that states the NHS receives 'more funding' and is 'better prepared than ever'. The admission undermines the fact that Hunt went onto Newsnight and was adamant that there was no winter crisis.

Since 2010, the standards of the NHS have been rapidly slipping due to chronic underfunding and the increase of privatisation within the Health Service.

These moves are deliberate and ideological driven.

Privatising the health service

Since 2010, the Conservatives have taken the best health service in the world and driven it to the point where doctors are describing conditions as hellish and apologising for the 3rd world state of hospitals. The UN have previously described the current issues as a humanitarian crisis and the IMF recently stated that if the government wanted to meet its targets for the UK economy, they would have to privatise the health service under current economic policy.

Jeremy Hunt is also the co-author of a book that describes how to privatise the health service in the UK, which includes deliberate underfunding. The idea behind Conservative policy on the health service is ideologically driven and designed for the eventual collapse of the NHS.

This will leave it open for privatisation and create a profit-driven health service over patient care, affecting the poorest in society.

The attack on the poorest in society is a systemic decision by the government and has been British economic fascist policy for the last 100+ years, with Attlee and Wilson perhaps providing some semblance of humanity during their times in office.

Continued severe cutbacks of welfare, the elitist appointment of Toby Young as Conservative university advisor (who described disabled people as illiterate troglodytes), the cutting of police, education and the NHS, extending surveillance powers and the multiple times Whitehall has 'lost' historical documents that often highlight the atrocities committed by the British government throughout history, are deliberate acts to keep people in poverty and under control. They are systemically creating a fascist state through the dogma of austerity and Conservative economic policy, this is economic fascism.Education has suffered severe cuts since 2010 but what has been even more detrimental is that there has been very little reform on the education system within the last 100 years. Whether it was the switch from O levels to GCSEs or more recent reforms in the grading system plus other changes with grammar schools or the free schools. Despite the changes and reforms, none of them have done much to combat the decrease in standard of education.

Most of the changes by any party over the decades have been largely cosmetic and fail to address the problems within the fundamental base of the education system.

Furthermore, the curriculum is set by central government, who don't understand the various Local Communities around the country.

Real reform is necessary

Education is vital for a cohesive society and has a huge impact on the economy. From a personal perspective, history is something that isn't taught to a high standard in most schools, in fact, it leaves out most of the atrocities caused by Britain across the world and close by in Ireland and Scotland. It paints this picture of how 'great' Britain is despite the number of murders committed across the world and at home, in a bid for power and wealth.

But away from history, politics is not taught from an early enough stage, there is very little understanding on how everything works.

Luckily, we are living within a period where more young people are getting involved. Furthermore, education only tends to focus on national politics rather than local communities where schools and colleges are based, this leaves a democratic deficit because people then only vote based on a national agenda, when their local communities are the ones that provide the vast number of services they use, of course, central government provide the base and funding but they have little understanding of what each community needs as they differ from each location, the needs of rural Dorset will differ greatly from central London.

The actual teaching of subjects is a problem because it doesn't provide enough information on real world aspects. For example, Finland changed its system to topics that would see courses such as cafeteria services, which would encompass maths, languages, writing skills and communication skills or cross-subjects topics such as the European Union which would involve economics, history, languages and geography.

These topics provide a base on what people will do with their lives in the future and provide a base knowledge that improves inclusiveness within society.

Our education system needs to look to this idea to improve the country's prospects, furthermore, it needs to be run by local communities because they are the ones who know what their schools need to focus on. Our system is archaic and punishes those who don't show academic potential from a very young age, even though every person develops at a different pace.We all have our favourite tv star, it could be Ellen DeGeneres, Jimmy Fallon, or Oprah Whinfrey. Nowadays, it's very easy for someone to become famous via the internet, or social media such as Facebook or Youtube, viral videos, Instagram stories and many other ways. From the other side, 20 or 30 years ago, television was the main media where someone could be famous and have his own `fan club` as we say. One comedian figure that managed to be worldwide famous with his funny moments, was undeniably Mr Bean the creations of British actor Rowan Atkinson who is now 63 years-old.

Who is Rowan Atkinson and how did he develop his unforgettable role as Mr Bean?

Rowan Sebastian Atkinson was born in the city Consett England on 6 January 1955. His father was a company director. Rowan is the youngest of four boys. Something that we don't really know is that one of his brothers, Paul, died as an infant. Rowan Atkinson went to Newcastle University where he received a degree in Electrical Engineering.

How has acting and television invaded Rowan`s life?

In his early twenties, Rowan wrote and performed different sketches for shows in Oxford`s University Dramatic Society. After three years, by the finish of his MSc studies, he began working for the BBC Radio 3, by performing in many comedian shows, called The Atkinson People.

Meanwhile, he began his television-acting career with the participation in Not the Nine O`Clock News for the BBC, where he was one of the main sketch writers. After that big success, he became more popular to the audience and took a Leading Role in the medieval sitcom Black Adder in 1983, which was one of the most successful BBC series of the 80`s and managed to have two more sequels as Blackadder II (1986) and Blackadder Goes Forth (1989).

Meanwhile, Rowan began his film career with a leading role in Dead On Time (1983) and a supporting part in the 'unofficial' James Bond movie Never Say Never Again.

The international big thing, the legendary role as Mr Bean

Atkinson's biggest success was the hapless Mr Bean, who appeared on New Year`s Day in 1990 in a half-hour special for Thames Television.

Many sequels of Mr Bean appeared on New York`s television until 1995 and Rowan became famous internationally. He also released two films about Mr Bean, one in 1997 with the title Bean and one in 2007 with the title Mr Bean`s Holiday. Even though in an interview in 2012, Rowan spoke about a "retirement" of Mr Bean, he went on to appear as Mr Bean in the Chinese film Huan Le Xi Ju Ren in 2017.

What about the personal and present life of Rowan Atkinson?

In his personal life, Rowan was married in 1990 to Sunestra Sastry and had two children, Ben (23) and Lilly (21). The couple separated in 2014. Rowan is now in a relationship with actress Louise Ford who is pregnant with Rowan`s third childThe Polk County Sheriffs Office had a busy December, with 30 drunk driving arrests during the month. However, on New Years Eve their work was made a little easier by a man who called 911 shortly before 9 p.m. to report his own crime. He told the dispatcher that he was drunk and was driving his red Ford F-150 all over the town of Winter Haven but was unable to give his current location.

Drunk driver reports himself to police

Michael Lester, 39, was so drunk, he told the dispatcher that he didnt know where he was at the time of the call. While DUI is a serious crime, the Polk County Sheriffs Office saw the humorous side of the incident and on Friday posted the 911 call to their Facebook page, which can be heard below.

As reported by WFLA, during the call, the dispatcher can be heard repeatedly asking Lester where he was, but he has no idea. When asked what he had been doing all evening, he said he was drunk had been driving around, trying to get pulled over. Eventually he tells her that he is currently driving on the wrong side of the road and that he is near a Publix.

Lester then added that he was going to get something to eat and that the officers could catch up with him. When the dispatcher again asks him to pull over, he said he had, but added that he was currently parked in the middle of the road. As reported by KTLA, sirens can then be heard in the distance as deputies catch up with Lester.

Officers track down the culprit

When the officers finally managed to track him down, Lester said he had drunk several beers and that he had accidentally swallowed meth, instead of smoking it. He added that he also hadnt slept for around four days.

In their tongue-in-cheek Facebook post, the Polk County Sheriffs Department stressed that DUI is no laughing matter, but went on to say that in this case, luckily no one was hurt, so they couldnt help but LOTO, which translates as Laughed Our Tasers Off.

As Lester was their 30th DUI arrest for the month, they added a special note of thanks to him for handing himself in, adding that they loved round numbers.

They said at least he didnt get involved in a crash and had survived the New Year's Eve experience, adding that maybe Lester will read their Facebook post, so they added the words, Hi Michael!

The Polk County Sheriffs Office also noted that Lester has a criminal history including aggravated battery, DUI, drug possession, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and a hit and run and that he was jailed for his crime.In less than a week, voters will head to the polls in Alabama to decide whether Republican Roy Moore or Democrat Doug Jones will represent that state in the United State Senate. For President Donald Trump, the choice is clear.

Trump on Moore

It was just one month ago when the Washington Post broke their bombshell story accusing Roy Moore of attempting to engage in sexual activity with at least four underage girls. The paper had 30 sources, including four accusers who all had similar stories. In the weeks that followed, more women broke their silence about Moore, including one who claims the Senate candidate sexually assaulted her when she was only 14-years-old.

As expected, Moore has denied the allegations, instead hitting back against the "liberal media" for allegedly trying to take down his campaign. The reaction from Republicans and the conservative media has been split, but Donald Trump decided to go all in on Moore, saying of his Democratic opponent Doug Jones, "We don't need a liberal in the Senate." The president doubled down on his support during a December 8 post on Twitter.

LAST thing the Make America Great Again Agenda needs is a Liberal Democrat in Senate where we have so little margin for victory already. The Pelosi/Schumer Puppet Jones would vote against us 100% of the time. Hes bad on Crime, Life, Border, Vets, Guns & Military. VOTE ROY MOORE!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 8, 2017

Taking to Twitter on Friday morning, Donald Trump made no mistake about his feelings in regards to the Alabama Senate seat.

"LAST thing the Make America Great Again Agenda needs is a Liberal Democrat in Senate where we have so little margin for victory already," Trump tweeted.

Not stopping there, Donald Trump went on to smear the Democratic leadership, while making inaccurate remarks about Doug Jones. "The Pelosi/Schumer Puppet Jones would vote against us 100% of the time.

Hes bad on Crime, Life, Border, Vets, Guns & Military," he tweeted, before adding, "VOTE ROY MOORE!"

Instant response

Within minutes of his tweet in support of Roy Moore, Donald Trump's Twitter feed was littered with negative reaction. "Roy Moore represents you and all that is wrong with your 'Base,'" one tweet read.

The last thing the Senate needs is another Republican pedophile like Moore.  Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) December 8, 2017

Make America Agenda more important than having morals and standing up against a child molester. Would you feel the same if this happened to your daughter or grandchildren? @potus is #weak on #childmolester #weakoncrime  Mark Miller (@itsmarktime) December 8, 2017

Roy Moore represents you and all that is wrong with your Base. This candidate cannot and will not serve as a leader to this country! His racist venom is not welcome in our halls  BuLLsh!+ Detector (@EricChavez14) December 8, 2017

"The last thing America needs in the White House is a treasonous a liar like you.

The last thing the Senate needs is another Republican p*dophile like Moore," one Twitter user wrote. "Make America Agenda more important than having morals and standing up against a child molester. Would you feel the same if this happened to your daughter or grandchildren?" an additional tweet added.

The President of the United States of America has just told us, in no uncertain terms, that his hate filled agenda is more important than our children.  Woman In The Moon (@SassyKadiK) December 8, 2017

But notably weak on humping minors.  Gary M. Sarli (@GMSarli) December 8, 2017

"But notably weak on hu*ping minors," yet another tweet noted. "The President of the United States of America has just told us, in no uncertain terms, that his hate filled agenda is more important than our children," a follow-up tweet stated. The negative reaction continued as the backlash to Roy Moore, Donald Trump, and the entire Republican Party moved forward.A US-based company, Ocean Infinity, has begun a second search for Malaysian Airlines MH370, which disappeared four years ago. The marine company dispatched a search vessel early this week to begin the search of one of aviation's biggest mysteries, according to Fox News reports.

The first search attempt, which was conducted by three countries, Australia, Malaysia, and China, was called off in January last year, after three years without bearing fruit.

In a final report after the search was called off, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau admitted that it was not any closer to discovering the circumstances of the Boeing 777's disappearance, or the exact location of its wreckage.

No cure, no fee contract terms

According to the terms of the "no cure, no fee" search contract between the Malaysian Government and Ocean Infinity, the company will not be paid unless they find the plane's wreckage.

Announcing the new search efforts for the elusive flight MH370 on Saturday (Jan. 6), Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Ting Lai added the search would cover an area mapped out by Australian experts as the most likely location to find the wreckage.

Lai also stressed that he did not want to offer high hopes to families and friends of the victims, but promised the Malaysian Government would not give up in its quest to solve the mystery of flight MH370's disappearance.

Difficult search ahead

In a statement, the Houston-based marine surveyor company said their search vessel, Seabed Constructor, left the South African port of Durban on Tuesday (Jan. 2) and headed straight to the search area.

The statement further added the company would take advantage of the prevailing favorable weather to begin the search in earnest.

The previous three-nation search ran into difficulties from the onset, as the system designed to transmit the plane's location automatically after 38 minutes, failed. Other methods such as studying satellite imagery also proved futile, but the search team was able to map out an area approximately the size of Vermont where the plane was most likely to be found.

Ocean Infinity will be using autonomous underwater vehicles, compared to sonar vehicles used in the previous search, which were attached to cables, and encountered problems when they came across rough terrain or bad weather.

Autonomous underwater vehicles can reach depths of up to 20,000 feet and have the ability to move faster, which will be an added advantage for the US company.

Malaysian Airlines flight MH-370 disappeared on March 8, 2014, together with all 239 passengers and crew on board. To date, only three confirmed pieces of the ill-fated plane's wreckage have been found washed up on the western Indian Ocean Shores.

The largest piece was a wing-part which measured two meters known as the flaperon.With allegations of sexual assault and harassment are on the rise against men in power, Donald Trump is no stranger to the situation. In an exclusive report by the New York Post, a former female host on Fox News is accusing the president of making a move during the start of his marriage to the first lady.

Trump accused

Just one month before voters went to the polls on Election Day last year, Donald Trump was hit with an October surprise in the form of the now infamous "Access Hollywood" tape. On the recording, the former host of "The Apprentice" could be heard bragging to then host Billy Bush about using his fame and money to be able to touch women as he pleased, saying, "When you're famous, they let you do it." The video was viewed as so damaging that Trump was forced to make a rare publicly apology, doing so on the internet and across most major news networks.

In the weeks that followed, a dozen women came forward to accuse Trump of various forms of sexual assault and harassment, though none of the claims had much legal traction. As expected, Trump has denied each allegations, but has been dealing with renewed backlash after several celebrities and politicians have been caught up in their own scandal. Reported by the New York Post on December 8, a former Fox News host is coming out with her own story against the president.

According to Page Six of the New York Post on Friday night, Former Fox News anchor and part-time host Juliet Huddy has accused Donald Trump of trying to kiss her in an elevator during the time he was just married to Melania Trump.

During an interview on "Mornin! with Bill Schulz," on Friday, Huddy detailed Trump's attempt at a kiss on her lips.

EXCLUSIVE: Former Fox News anchor Juliet Huddy says Donald Trump tried to kiss her after he took her to lunch at Trump Tower in 2005 https://t.co/kSTg9pwrvL  Page Six (@PageSix) December 9, 2017

"He took me for lunch at Trump Tower, just us two," Juliet Huddy said of a lunch date she had with the current president.

"He said goodbye to me in an elevator while his security guy was there, rather than kiss me on the cheek he leaned in to kiss me on the lips," she explained. Huddy noted that she wasn't offended by Trump's attempt at a kiss, and that everything was "copacetic" between the two after the incident, which she said was in either 2005 or 2006.

The president married his wife, Melania Trump, in January 2005. Huddy went on to note that she was "surprised," that Trump attempted to go that far, but that after turning down his advances, he never tried to make a move again.

Huddy's past

Juliet Huddy was in the headlines earlier this year after reaching a settlement with Fox News following her sexual harassment claims against former network host Bill O'Reilly. Huddy addressed these issues in the fall during an interview on "Megyn Kelly Today," which occurred on October 23, which ironically was the same day that her brother John Huddy was fired by Fox News after years as serving as a journalist for the network.Over the last 24 hours, the biggest political headlines have been involving a new book about the first year of the Donald Trump presidency. After former Chief Strategist Steve Bannon turned on Trump while being interviewed for the book in question, the president quickly fired back and caused many to speak out, including actor Alec Baldwin.

Baldwin on Bannon

Over the last two and a half years, the presidency of Donald Trump has taken the world by storm. From the day the former host of "The Apprentice" announced he was running for president, he's found himself in the spotlight, and often for all the wrong reasons.

During the campaign and since the election, one prominent voice at the side of president has been Steve Bannon, the current head of the right-wing Breitbart News. Even after his controversial departure from the White House over the summer, Bannon had been in support of Trump, though that ended on Wednesday with the release of excerpts of an upcoming book about the president's campaign and administration. Bannon was extremely critical of the entire Trump family and administration, leading to the billionaire real estate mogul lashing out. The feud quickly went viral with even Alec Baldwin mocking Bannon during a tweet on January 4.

I picture Bannon breaking open a bag of adult diapers, taking out the polymer adhesive lining, cooking that up, smoking it and reading THE ART OF WAR while standing fully nude in the Bomb Cyclone.  ABFoundation (@ABFalecbaldwin) January 4, 2018

Taking to Twitter early Thursday morning was Alec Baldwin, as the actor who has recently been known to play a satirical version of Donald Trump on "Saturday Night Live" decided to poke fun at Steve Bannon.

"I picture Bannon breaking open a bag of adult diapers," Baldwin wrote from the official Twitter account of the Alec Baldwin Foundation. "Taking out the polymer adhesive lining, cooking that up, smoking it and reading THE ART OF WAR while standing fully n*de in the Bomb Cyclone," he concluded in a clear shot at the rift between Bannon and Trump.

Trump's break with Steve Bannon forces Republicans to choose sides https://t.co/oqSn9VR0iu pic.twitter.com/eR1U2WGCmw  Bloomberg (@business) January 4, 2018

Baldwin's opposition

Alec Baldwin has been known to be vocal in his opposition to Donald Trump ever since being hired to play a mock version of the president on "Saturday Night Live" after the conclusion of the Republican primary in the summer of 2016.

While Baldwin plays Trump on the sketch comedy show, he has also spoken out against the commander in chief on multiple occasions, including during his appearance along side filmmaker Michael Moore at a protest in New York City last year. Baldwin will return to his role as the satirical Trump when "Saturday Night Live" returns from their holiday break on January 13 to continue with season 43 of the award-winning show on NBC.The award-winning theater group known as Blessed Unrest knows how to remake classic stories with flare. Their 2016 production of A Christmas Carol was very well received by critics and audiences alike. In January of 2018, they debuted a new show for children (and adults) titled The Snow Queen at the New Ohio Theater in New York City which runs from December 31, 2017, to January 14, 2018.

The Snow Queen was inspired by the classic fairy tale penned by Hans Christian Andersen and developed via residency at the New Victory LabWorks. The rendition was intended for children ages seven and upas well as adults of all agesand contains a number of multi-layered themes.

The story centers on a brave young woman named Gerda who aims to save her best friend, Kay, from a world that is frozen and devoid of any feelings or emotions. The show includes a lot of humor, very creative costumes, dance, singing, and music. Although the staging is quite plain from a production perspective, the incredibly talented cast of six makes full use of the space and expertly portrays a range of wildly different characters, both human and animal.

Play themes, audiences, and perspectives

The Snow Queen was promoted as a play centering on interpersonal relationships but the extent of the smartly written and emotionally layered content is truly remarkable. Gerda clearly expresses that her family does not care about her the way that they should in a number of terse, yet telling lines such as how she does not need to ask permission to eat dinner at Kays house and how she doubts her family will even notice her missing for extended periods of time.

This backstory--as vague as it seems--conveys why her close relationship to Kay and his loving Nana is so very important to her.

Watching the show from an adult perspective, it could be argued that the glass that enters Kays eye and heart (attributed to The Snow Queen) is an analogy for depression and the great lengths loved ones go to when someone they care for is afflicted with such a condition.

Likewise, a creepy--yet seemingly sweet--woman who lives in a spring valley and is overly affectionate towards Gerda is clearly a warning sign against strangers and/or obsessive love and/or over-protectiveness.

Many of these themes obviously come directly from the original fairy tale since many of those stories notoriously contain adult content (usually warnings related to social situations or what we now term strange danger) masked as storybook elements, but Blessed Unrest expertly crafted them into their recent retelling.

It is a clever move that keeps the story on-track and even more intriguing. In fact, it is the hidden elements within the story (and the expert portrayal by the stellar cast) that will likely keep audience members of all ages thinking about them long after the show ended. Hence, it is a show that certainly warrants a revival.

Story, children, and layered content

Recently co-founders and driving forces behind the Blessed Unrest ensemble  writer Matt Opatrny and director Jessica Burr  discussed their experiences creating The Snow Queen and their feelings about its content.

Meagan Meehan (MM): What was it like to stage a fairly epic story like The Snow Queen with only six actors and very minimal props?

Blessed Unrest: Weve been tackling impossible plays with little resources for seventeen years at Blessed Unrest, so in making this play we were right at home. We always look first to the performers and their bodies to create whatever world we need and prefer the challenge of that to solving things with elaborate sets or video projections. Costumes, lights, and sound play huge roles in this show and collaborating with Sydney Maresca, Jay Ryan, and Beth Lake is fantastic. Sam Vawters scenic design is simple and dramatic and gives plenty of room to the performers. Taking costumes as an example, some characters are quite elaborate, like the Snow Queen in her incredible twenty-foot dress, while others are super simple, like having a reindeer played by two shirtless men simultaneously using hand-held antlers!

And you can make a river onstage with only lights and sound. When you have bold, strong, adventurous performers and innovative designers, you can make just about anything!

MM: The story has a lot of very deep meanings. For instance, it could even be argued that Kays mood change is symbolic of conditions such as depression. Do you think children pick up on these deeper and more realistic themes that are under the surface of the fairy tale? Moreover, as you developed the play, were you keenly aware of these multi-layered undertones?

BU: Yes, when we brought thirty fourth graders into the rehearsal room, we realized that they pick up on, and actively interpret, a lot more information than we commonly give them credit for.

We found that children are more capable of comprehending and finding meaning in abstract performance and obscure narrative than most grownups we know. One of the things that drew us to tell this story was the complexity and subtlety of the challenge the protagonists face. Often villains are presented very simplistically: they are bad and must be fought and defeated. In The Snow Queen we see a villain that is unfeeling and causes others to be unfeeling, and the only way to combat that is through love and caring. That feels much more like the real problems we all face every day, like depression as you mentioned. This is a story that encourages kids to be bold and adventurous, to trust their instincts, to ask for help when they need it, and to approach challenges with love and compassion.

MM: The princess's dress is made up of numerous gowns, so who thought up that wonderfully whimsical design?

BU: Our brilliant costume designer, Sydney Maresca. We knew we weren't interested in a stereotypical pretty, ditzy princess, but in an intellectual one. Sydney came up with the idea that she embodies Extreme Princess on many levels and hence, the dress. Theres nothing straightforward about this princess!

MM: In the final scene, Gerda stares out at the audience intently as Kay sits with his aged grandmother, was there any suggestion of what she was thinking at the realization that shed spent years searching for her friend? What do you think she was thinking at this moment?

BU: Thats a question every audience member has to answer for themselves.

Gerda has completed the task she set out to accomplish. Shes brought Kay back home and reunited him with his Grandma. There is no celebratory parade, no grand wedding at the palace, no singing forest animals. Its real. Shes done a huge thing for her friend, and the act of doing it has changed her profoundly. Now she has to move on. What shes thinking and feeling at that moment is quite complex, and what she does next is up to each of us to figure out.

MM: You created this play in collaboration with a childrens theater, so what was it like to work with them?

BU: Amazing, the New Victory LabWorks is an incredible program that gave us vital support, feedback, and trust. They put no expectations on what we created or at what pace and supported our process of creation.

They gave us space, time, and financial support, which took care of the three biggest obstacles to creating a new piece of theater. Part of our process was working with a class of fourth graders from P.S.3 as I mentioned before, and that was mind-blowing. These children were so smart, and fun, and engaged, and ready to go as deep and complex as we want to go. They appreciate humor in a way that adults sometimes resist, and find meaning and connection everywhere they look if you give them a chance. They were also harsh critics in the best way, and this play grew immensely because of their feedback.The results of the "Caucasian Barometer" study, conducted periodically in South Caucasus by the Caucasus Research Resource Centers (CRRC) and published in December of 2017, in order to monitor socio-economic and political trends in the region, were very alarming. 1648 citizens over 18 years old throughout Armenia participated in this study, statistical error was around 2.3%. Experts familiar with the situation in the country keep saying about the fact that Armenia's population supports Russia less and less with each passing year, while Western funds and representatives of local civil society, supported by them, are systematically working to weaken Russian authority and influence. The "Caucasian Barometer" 2017 confirms these fears and shows specific data.

Answering the question of which state is currently "Armenia's main friend", 64% of the respondents named Russia. At the same time, in 2013, 84% of respondents called Russia the main friend, and in 2015 this figure dropped to 74%. In other words, in the period from 2013 to 2017, the credibility of Russia as the main friend of Armenia dropped by 20%. It's curious that in the same period of time, the number of those who consider France the main friend of Armenia grew from 4% to 17%. In addition, France is the only EU state in the survey, so it's fair to say that growing authority of the European Union and France in particular is obvious.

Another example that shows that Armenians view Russia differently was how respondents answered the question about Armenia's cooperation with the CSTO and NATO. Exactly 50% of respondents believe that Armenia mainting qually close ties with the CSTO and NATO. 5% of respondents said that Armenia should join NATO, and 27% said that Armenia should stay in the CSTO. Considering the fact that Armenia is completely dependent on Russia's security guarantees, receives preferential loans for arms purchases from Russia, and external borders of Armenia are protected by Russian military, only 27% is an extremely low figure. When it comes to question of which integration association should Armenia choose in the future, Armenian citizens' answer was pretty much the same: only 25% of respondents said that Armenia should stay in the Eurasian Economic Union. 54% said that the country should maintain equally close relations with the EEU and the EU, and 5% said that Armenia shoukd join the EU.

Finally, the opinion of Armenian citizens about the "Sasna Tsrer" criminal group aslo tells a lot. When the group stormed a police station in Yerevan in the summer of 2016, Colonel Arthur Vanoyan was killed and three more employees of the Interior Ministry of Armenia were wounded. At the same time, members of Sasna Tsrer stated that their goal was "to fight against Russian colonialism". Surprisingly, 19% of respondents completely supported the actions of this group. 17% said that they likely support the group's actions, 28% were neutral, 10% likely condemn and only 6% strictly condemn. In other words, overall, to a greater or lesser extent, 36% of respondents expressed their support for extremists, while only 16% of respondents denounced them.

It would be wrong to say that Russia's support for Armenia dropped in recent years, even though it would be a logical explanation for observed negative trends. After the clashes of April 2016, Yerevan received two preferential defense loans from Moscow, a discount on gas, and trade turnover between the countries increased by 30% in 2017 (by 23.5%, according to Armenian data). The problem lies in apparent inability of nominally pro-Russian Armenian authorities to conduct normal economic and social policy in the republic. And this problem is associated not only with high level of corruption in Armenian government, but also with Armenia's inability to reach an agreement with neighboring Azerbaijan about liberation of at least some of the occupied territories in exchange for restoring economic ties. In addition, Turkey expressed its readiness to open its border with Armenia if that happened.

Study also showed that population doesn't trust authorities. Right now only 6% of Armenian citizens completely trust current President Serzh Sargsyan. 12% of respondents trust him a little bit. At the same time, 20% don't trust him, and 44% don't trust the head of state at all. Indicators of popularity, or rather unpopularity of Sargsyan seem even more disastrous in the light of the country's future transition to a parliamentary form of government. The thing is that the National Assembly enjoys even less popularity than Armenia's leader - only 12% of support against 66% of those dissatisfied with its activities. Obviously, against this background, if Serzh Sargsyan will become a Prime Minister in April of 2018, it clearly won't help to strengthen the authority of current government.

For Russia, such development of events would result in extremely negative consequences. Thanks to Western and pro-Western funds, mass media and NGOs, who feel at ease in Armenia, failures in social and economic policy will be associated with pro-Russian policy of Armenian authorities and the country's membership in the EEU. The expected strengthening of grant and financial support from the EU after signing of the cooperation agreement in November of 2017 will also actively contribute to this process, as a result of which Armenian society will slowly move away from Moscow. There are few ways of preventing such scenario from happening. One of them is putting pressure on Armenian authorities so that they take steps to severely limit Western influence in the country. It's difficult to say how effective will such actions be in the long term, since they won't remove existing social and economic problems from the agenda.

Armenia's integration into regional cooperation with Azerbaijan and Turkey would be a great way out of this situation, since it turn the country from "appendix" of South Caucasus into a full-fledged partner. Current authorities in Armenia are ideally suited to accept uncomfortable compromises over Nagorno-Karabakh and to permanently leave political life of the country. And while the degree of influence of Western influence in Armenian society hasn't reached the point of no return, Russia has all necessary opportunities and levers to implement such scenario in Armenia, thinks to which there will be a change of elites, but not geopolitical goals. may occur in the country. It would be dangerous for Russian foreign policy interests to ignore situation in Armenia.Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has reportedly been placed under house arrest for criticizing current President Hassan Rouhani and inciting unrest, Al-Quds Al-Arabi reported, citing reliable sources in Tehran.

Some of the current leaders, the former president of Iran apparently said in late December, live detached from the problems and concerns of the people and do not know anything about the reality of society.

What it suffers Iran today is mismanagement and not lack of economic resources, he said, The Daily Caller writes.Members of the Georgian Orthodox Church, together with part of the Orthodox world, celebrate Christmas today according to the Julian calendar, Agenda.ge reports.

The special liturgy commenced at Tbilisi's Holy Trinity Cathedral at midnight as Georgia's Patriarch Ilia II led the annual ceremony.

The followers of the Georgian Orthodox Church, including President Giorgi Margvelashvili, Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili and other members of the Cabinet, joined the celebration at the Cathedral.

On Christmas night, believers also light candles in their homes and place them next to the windows so that the light may be seen from outside.

The midnight church service is traditionally followed by the morning march in the streets, called 'Alilo', during which participants sing Christmas carols, exchange gifts and give clothes, food and other items to the needy.

Georgia celebrates Christmas on January 7 due to the two week difference between the Gregorian and Julian Calendars.Irans authorities have fully unblocked access to Telegram messenger following a ban imposed amid anti-government protests, TASS reported on Sunday citing the Fars news agency.

Access to Instagram and Telegram social networks has been opened for users after the lifting of temporary restrictions introduced upon the decision of Irans Supreme National Security Council on December 31, the report said.

Earlier Irans Minister of Information and Communications Technology Mohammad-Javad Azari Jahromi threatened to fully block the messenger unless "terrorist channels" were closed.An Iranian oil tanker collided with a bulk freighter and caught fire off China's eastern coast, leaving its entire crew of 32 missing, most of them Iranians, authorities said, Al Jazeera reports.

The collision between the Sanchi and the Chinese freighter occurred on Saturday evening roughly 300km off Shanghai, where the Yangtze River meets the East China Sea.

The missing - 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis - are all from the Sanchi tanker, which spilled oil and was floating while still burning early on Sunday, Chinese maritime authorities said.

Chinese authorities already dispatched specialised vessels to the scene to limit the damage from the oil spilling out of the tanker.Kislovodsk authorities signed agreement on cooperation with St. Petersburg.

The document involves scientific, technical, educational, social and cultural spheres, the city's administration reported.

The report notes that that the parties expressed particular interest in the development of resort infrastructure.The President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, congratulated the Orthodox Christians of our country on Christmas, Kazinform reported citing the press service of Akorda.

"Dear compatriots, I wholeheartedly congratulate all the Orthodox Christians of our country on Christmas! This bright holiday sets an example of the deep-rooted traditions of humanism, compassion, mercy, love, and care for one another as the modern world's backbone," the President says.

The Head of State underlines that the Orthodox Christians of our republic make their noticeable contribution to the preservation of peace and reconciliation in Kazakhstan as our common home.

"One of the most crucial principles of the government policy is the respect and caring attitude towards citizens' religious feelings. Therefore, we have managed to maintain peace and reconciliation and attained economic and social development achievements. This day once again I would like to express my appreciation and gratitude for the relentless work of each of you for the benefit of our Homeland, good deeds, wise intentions, and bright ideas. I wish everyone well-being and prosperity, love and welfare, peace and happiness in every house, to each Kazakhstani!" the President of Kazakhstan notes.Turkey now boasts more than 100,000 millionaires, making it the Middle East's top country for the wealthy, according to an expert on high net worth individuals, Daily Sabah reported.

Andrew Amoils of New World Wealth in London predicted Turkey would see a 60 percent increase in the number of millionaires living in the country by 2025.

Wealthy individuals are particularly attracted to Istanbul's high-end boutiques, expensive restaurants and spacious seaside villas. "Istanbul is the undoubted jewel of the Middle East in terms of wealth," Amoils told Anadolu Agency.

"Despite the rise of Dubai and Doha, Istanbul remains the main hub of Middle Eastern business. Whilst Dubai and Doha rely on only a few sectors, Istanbul is strong in a much larger number of key sectors," he added.Using sugar palm leaves for art goes back a long time in Viet Nam.

Long ago, monks used them as something on which they could write Buddhist prayers.

Now, sugar palm leaves are used in art.

The first modern artist in Viet Nam to paint on sugar palms leaves was Vo Van Tang, from An Giang Province.

by Luong inh

A long time ago, monks in the South used sugar palm leaves to maintain a written record of Buddhist prayers.

However, it was in the nineties that the leaves were used to make stunning, meticulous, artistic and unique paintings.

The maker of the first sugar palm paintings is artisan Vo Van Tang, who lives in Nui Sap Town, Thoai Son District, An Giang Province. He has made thousands of paintings on various topics and in different sizes, which have been appreciated and collected by many.

The first time I learned about sugar palm painting was during my field trip to Long Xuyen, the provincial capital city of An Giang, in the year 2000. In the reception of a hotel, I saw a famous horse painting, 360cm by 235cm in size, in an unusual colour, which appeared different from oil paintings on canvas, since it looked a bit like it was made with water colours.

I later discovered the use of sugar palm leaves as the canvas to paint on.

Most offices and hotels in the province are adorned with several sugar palm paintings, such as the portrait of President Ho Chi Minh, the landscape of Bay Nui, cedar trees and cranes, tigers and horses.

The artist behind these amazing works is Tang, director of the Social Policy Bank in the provinces Thoai Son District.

He is always looking for new ways to use materials in fine arts, and is continuously searching and experimenting with techniques.

Once, while travelling with his co-workers to appraise and help the ethnic Khmer people with funds for their project to make fans with sugar palm leaves at Vong The Commune, Thoai Son District, Tang was inspired by the idea of making palm leaf paintings.

Following the experience of local residents who use sugar palm leaves to make fans, Tang meticulously selected young sugar palm leaves that were over eight years old, so that when he painted, the picture was both of high quality and the colour lasted longer.

The best time to cut a sugar palm leaf is early summer; it should then be left to dry for two weeks, soaked with alum, then allowed to dry once again.

The next step is to cut the leaf into small slabs, depending on the size of each painting to make the pattern on the frame, Tang said.

To draw the pattern of the painting, he said that a special kind of pen is needed, such as the electric pen that helps to meticulously and painstakingly create elements of darkness and light.

Most of the paintings he has created on sugar palm leaves are copied from landscape pictures, portraits and famous ancient paintings by Vietnamese and foreign artists. Many of his large-size paintings are especially a labour of love and took months to complete.

The artisans style of painting is unique. Not to forget, this style does not need paint or colour but is the combination of patterns with brown, black and yellow lines that are made by pressing and releasing the electric pen to make dark and light lines, depending on the painters desire to present vibrant details, in an impressive water colour-like style, Tang said.

When the painting is finished, it is polished with a special oil that protects the palm leaves, and is then framed. According to the artisan, this oil that helps the leaves retain their colour adds to the artistic value of the painting.

Since the day he made his first painting Tung Hac (Cedars and Cranes) on sugar palm leaves in 1996, up till now, Tang has made thousands of artworks of various sizes and on different topics.

Nguyen Khac Truong, an art lover, said it was really a joy to look at these paintings every day. I have been a fan of sugar palm paintings for a long time. People who collect this kind of art love it because it is natural, unique and inspiring, he said.

Following his retirement in 2003, Tang founded his own sugar palm producing foundation to pass on his skills to workers, implementing many different processes to create various kinds of artwork -- from landscapes of the Vietnamese countryside and portraits to paintings of worship.

His latest painting The Will of President Ho, 1.20m by 2.20m, got him the Guinness record for the best painter on sugar palm leaves in Viet Nam. VNS



GLOSSARY

A long time ago, monks in the South used sugar palm leaves to maintain a written record of Buddhist prayers.

To maintain means to keep.

However, it was in the nineties that the leaves were used to make stunning, meticulous, artistic and unique paintings.

Stunning means very attractive.

Meticulous means paying lots of attention to detail.

If something is unique there is only one of it.

The maker of the first sugar palm paintings is artisan Vo Van Tang, who lives in Nui Sap Town, Thoai Son District, An Giang Province.

An artisan is somebody who creates things using his, or her, hands.

Most offices and hotels in the province are adorned with several sugar palm paintings, such as the portrait of President Ho Chi Minh, the landscape of Bay Nui, cedar trees and cranes, tigers and horses.

Adorned means decorated.

He is always looking for new ways to use materials in fine arts, and is continuously searching and experimenting with techniques.

To do something continuously means to carry on doing it.

Experimenting means trying new ways of doing things to see if they work.

Techniques are ways of doing things.

Once, while travelling with his co-workers to appraise and help the ethnic Khmer people with funds for their project to make fans with sugar palm leaves at Vong The Commune, Thoai Son District, Tang was inspired by the idea of making palm leaf paintings.

Your co-workers are people who work with you.

To appraise means to judge.

If something inspires you it makes you want to go out and do something positive.

Following the experience of local residents who use sugar palm leaves to make fans, Tang meticulously selected young sugar palm leaves that were over eight years old, so that when he painted, the picture was both of high quality and the colour lasted longer.

Selected means chosen.

To draw the pattern of the painting, he said that a special kind of pen is needed, such as the electric pen that helps to meticulously and painstakingly create elements of darkness and light.

Painstakingly means with great care.

Many of his large-size paintings are especially a labour of love and took months to complete.

Something that is a labour of love is a job someone does because they love doing it, rather than doing it to get paid.

Not to forget, this style does not need paint or colour but is the combination of patterns with brown, black and yellow lines that are made by pressing and releasing the electric pen to make dark and light lines, depending on the painters desire to present vibrant details, in an impressive water colour-like style, Tang said.

A desire is a wish.

Vibrant means lively.

According to the artisan, this oil that helps the leaves retain their colour adds to the artistic value of the painting.

Retain means keep.

Following his retirement in 2003, Tang founded his own sugar palm producing foundation to pass on his skills to workers, implementing many different processes to create various kinds of artwork - from landscapes of the Vietnamese countryside and portraits to paintings of worship.

Your retirement is the time after which you stop working because of your age.

Implementing means putting into practice.

Various means different.

Portraits are pictures of a persons head and shoulders.

WORKSHEET

State whether the following sentences are true, or false:

Long Xuyen is the capital city of An Giang province. The best time of the year to cut sugar palm leaf is in late summer. Vo Van Tang stopped working around fourteen years ago because of his age. Vo Van Tangs latest sugar palm painting is called The Will of President Ho. When a sugar palm painting is finished, it is polished with a special oil.

ANSWERS: 1. True; 2. False; 3. True; 4. True; 5. True.by An Vu

The Red River Delta civilisation, original home of the Viet people, has developed strong cultural aspects, such as Bac Ninh Provinces ong Ho folk paintings of babies and farm animals, and Ha Nois Hang Trong woodcuts of heroic figures, such as Tran Hung ao repelling the Mongols. However, much of the skills have been lost, largely because younger people show less interest in the rural and historic past.

But there is one national artistic treasure which is on the path to restoration, Kim Hoang painting. Kim Hoang (golden-made) painting, is a common name given to folk painting invented in the second half of the 18th century and strongly developed since the 19th century at Kim Hoang Village, Van Canh Commune, in Ha Nois suburban district of Hoai uc. It can be said to be a blend of both old styles.

The subjects in Kim Hoang paintings are taken from the plain and ordinary lives of the citizens of the Red River Delta, so they easily win peoples hearts. Each painting has familiar sights of animals as swell as epicting local daily life, Lunar New Year holidays and worship of the Kitchen Gods.

According to Sach o Hoa Co Viet Nam (The Ancient Graphic Arts of Viet Nam), ancient Kim Hoang village comprises mostly residents who migrated from the central province of Thanh Hoa to the North in the early 1700s. They united the two villages of Kim Bang and Hoang Bang.

Aware that the modern Hang Trong and ong Ho paintings were mostly sold at markets in Ha Noi, Bac Giang, Bac Ninh and Hai Duong, and were then not favoured by farmers because of their high price, the residents of Kim Hoang were determined to create a new style, which combined the techniques and fine arts of the two styles.

The Nguyen Sy and Nguyen The families were pioneers in Kim Hoang painting, which flourished in the 19th century. But a flood in 1915 inundated all the villages of ancient Phung town (now rural district of Ha Nois an Phuong) to Cau Giay District, washing away printing blocks. Only a few original paintings survive, such as Phuc Man uong (All of Good Fortune Come to the House), Rooster and Pig. They are at the Viet Nam Fine Arts Museum.

While Kim Hoang combines the best of two kinds of paintings, it has more delicate, detailed lines than ong Ho paintings, and the colours arer as bright as that of Hang Trong paintings.

In addition, Kim Hoang has a special folk poem written on the left of the painting. While ong Ho uses paper covered with seashell powder and Hang Trong uses poonah paper, Kim Hoang is known as the "Red painting" for its use of red, pink or yellow paper.

The most noticeable trait of Kim Hoang is that craftsmen use only one woodblock to print the black outline onto the paper, while the rest of the colour is filled in by the craftsman, making each painting a unique work of art.

What is left at Kim Hoang Village, the birthplace of the painting, are memories of elders. Nguyen The Nhuan, 92, chief of the Kim Hoang communal house relic managing board, said that after the flood, only a few artists were left. The tough life forced people to forget the joy of collecting and hanging the paintings.

Traditional art: An art centre presents traditional folk paintings: Hang Trong, Kim Hoang and ong Ho.  VNS Photo oan Tung

According to collector Nguyen Thi Thu Hoa, director of Ha Nois private pottery and porcelain museum, and whose private collection has 60 Kim Hoang paintings, she is joining hands with artists Nguyen uc Hoa and Tran Nguyen an to restore the carvings and folk paintings.

If we fail to revive the paintings, there will be no traits of them left for posterity. Those who can remember them well are already 80 and 90 years old. The last time I came back to the village, I verified how to print the paintings and their colours. Luckily, a book by Maurice Durand, a French man, featuring many Vietnamese folk paintings, was reprinted, and I was able to successfully restore some of them, said Hoa.

At present, the painting style has only one heir, artist ao inh Trung, 38, who was born in Kim Hoang Village. Hoa noted his ability with folk painting and persuaded him to help her efforts. Lately, he has invented a new style of Kim Hoang painting, using as his subject the flamboyant Nghe (kylin).

According to Hoa, the restoration project consists of three parts. What makes this painting unique is its childish but vivid brush strokes. Firstly, we will restore 50 old samples (with reference to the document from the book Imagerie Populaire Vietnamienne by Durand reprinted in 2011), she said.

Describing the paintings, Hoa said that the contents of the 50 existing Kim Hoang paintings were mostly stories of human life, with only four paintings of chickens and pigs. All of them are printed on paper with a typical red-orange background, using simple and delicate strokes and often with three more colours: white, light green and purple. Kim Hoang is also called the Red painting. Red is the colour of Tet (Lunar New Year).

There were various ways to print the paintings in the past. But now they are printed with the woodblocks lying with the engraving surface upward. The lines are printed and colours are added by hand.

Hoa designed 10 samples whose images relate to those carved on the Kim Hoang communal house, and painter an has produced 10 samples based on boat themes, Ha Noi and Hoi An.

"Another task is finding a plot of land in the village for our studio. The citys culture and trade authorities have been asked to help with finance. This year, we hope to publish 25 folk paintings as a method to reserve this unique cultural legacy, Hoa said.  VNSKing, Michael

Mr. Michael Frederick King, 77, of Murray, KY passed away at home on Friday, January 5, 2018. He was baptized as a child in the Lutheran Church and was a member of the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Murray. Mike was born on December 11, 1940 in Commerce, TX and is preceded in death by his parents, Dr. Newell and Doris King, and one brother, Phillip. On June 25, 1965, he married Nita Abernathy King in Commerce, TX. Mike attended East Texas State University where he was a member of Kappa Alpha Order and completed his BS in Biology and Chemistry at Austin College in Sherman, TX. In 1963, he and his father built Oaks Manor Nursing Home in Commerce before expanding to three additional locations throughout East Texas. He and several physicians also founded and built Commerce Medical and Surgical Center which is now part of the Presbyterian Hospital System. In 1980, Mike and Nita moved into retail with the purchase of The Collegiate Shoppe in Mt. Pleasant, TX. They also opened and operated a men's clothing store, The Canterbury Shoppe. Mike was active in his community, serving as President of the Downtown Merchants' Association and President of Band Boosters and Tiger Doll Supporters. Mike was known and loved as a good and gentle man. He had a special heart for animals, particularly those that were lost or abandoned. He and Nita always had at least one rescue dog as a pet. His care-givers often commented on his sweet smile, his humble disposition, and his kindness towards everyone he met. He was also a lover of Broadway Musicals, classical music, and an avid opera enthusiast. He fell in love with opera at 9 years old and, over the years, attended dozens of operas in Dallas and New York. He experienced the live performances of notables such as Maria Callas, Joan Sutherland, Leontyne Price, Marilyn Horne, Luciano Pavarotti and Beverly Sills. During their years in Murray, Mike and Nita would even travel to Paducah, KY to enjoy The Metropolitan Opera's "Live in HD" performances. One of Mike's fondest and most recent memories was a 2015 trip to the Met in New York City to see Puccini's Turandot. He was accompanied by his family, Nita, Chris, Catherine, Jenn and Patrick, and it was a highlight of his life. Above all, Mike adored his family and grandchildren, and always desired to be close to them. He and Nita relocated several times over the past 15 years, enjoying seasons in Baton Rouge, LA, Clarksville, TN and eventually, Murray, KY. He passed from this world to the next, peacefully, surrounded by his family. He will be deeply missed. Survivors in addition to his wife include a son, Dr. Christopher Michael King (Jenn King) of Ithaca, NY; a daughter, Catherine King Smith (The Rev. Patrick Smith) of Quincy, IL; four grandchildren, Jacob, Chloe, Adeline and Piper; a brother, Kenneth King (Betty) of Dallas, TX; a brother in law, Bill Abernathy (Mary) of Lewisville, TX; and four nieces and nephews. He was cremated, according to his wishes and a memorial ceremony will be held at a future date. His family wishes to thank all of his care-givers at Murray Calloway County Hospital, Hospice, the staff of Brookdale Senior Living, and Dr. Daniel Butler and his nurse, Kelly. Condolences may be sent to: 905 Glendale, Apt. 103, Murray, KY 42071 or at www.imesfh.com. Memorials may be sent to Murray Calloway County Animal Shelter, 81 Shelter Rd., Murray, KY 42071 or No Kill Hunt County Animal Shelter (NKHC), 1303 CR 4208, Campbell, TX 75422. Imes Funeral Home & Crematory, downtown Murray is in charge of arrangements.Yes, you can transfer your domain to any registrar or hosting company once you have purchased it. Since domain transfers are a manual process, it can take up to 5 days to transfer the domain.

Domains purchased with payment plans are not eligible to transfer until all payments have been made. Please remember that our 30-day money back guarantee is void once a domain has been transferred.

For transfer instructions to GoDaddy, please click here.Jan 7, 2018 | By David

Heres another round-up of some of the best 3D printing projects that have come out of the ever-growing hobbyist community in recent weeks. Weve got five DIY 3D printing efforts for you, including an ergonomic keyboard and a programmable coffee grinder.

1. 3D printed ergonomic keyboard

Repetitive strain injury is a real problem for a growing number of office-bound computer monkeys, as the unnatural positions their hands are contorted into at their keyboards eventually cause stress and injuries to the wrists and hands. There are a broad range of ergonomic keyboards currently commercially available, but none of them had all the features that 3D printing enthusiast Fabio Pugliese Ornellas was looking for. So he set out on a courageous five-year quest to create the perfect ergonomic keyboard, using 3D printing technology.

Ornellas managed to salvage a PCB from another keyboard, one that was less ergonomically designed. One of the main limitations of commercial offerings was their use of the standard QWERTY layout as opposed to the custom DVORAK setup that, he finds, improves his typing speed. From there, he then programmed everything on a Teensy microcontroller, added an OLED screen, and soldered it all together (including a set of Cherry MX switches).

3D printing was used to put together the case, housing all these components safely and securely. The case was designed from scratch to maximize physical comfort for keyboard frequent flyers, and Ornellas has made the CAD files, drawn up in browser-based software OnShape, available for other users to take and print their own version. He printed with a Prusa i3 MK2S 3D printer in PLA, after the CAD model was sliced with Slic3r Prusa Edition.

2. 3D printed sound wave Christmas gift

Theres nothing more important at Christmas than sending out a Christmas card to friends, relatives, neighbours and colleagues, making sure they know youre aware of them and are wishing them well. The only problem is the boring two-dimensional images these cards tend to feature, such as a robin, a snowman, or jolly ol Saint Nick. One tech-minded 3D printing hobbyist decided to shake up this tradition by replacing the card entirely, replacing it with a 3D model. The twist is that the model is that of a soundwave, representing his daughter giving a Christmas greeting. Festive and futuristic? You bet!

Chris Wolsey made a recording of his daughter saying the words Happy Christmas From the Wolsey Family with sound software Audacity, and then took a screenshot of the resulting waveform. This screenshot was then brought into Adobe Illustrator and exported to SVG, before being imported into CAD design software Fusion 360. He scaled the image and rotated it to produce the final virtual three-dimensional object. He then printed a mold from this model, which he would use to cast resin into the soundwave sculptures that he would be sending out. The design was a little tricky for his Anet A8 or Prusa i3 MK2 FDM machines to handle, so he eventually made the switch to stereolithography. The final mold was printed using a Form 2 SLA machine, by online 3D printing service 3D Hubs.

3. 3D printed erosion simulation

Erosion is, like repetitive strain injury, a long-term, slow moving phenomenon that can bring about significant changes to a physical body. Teaching students about such a concept can be tricky, however. A Michigan-based 3D printing hobbyist decided to use his skills to help them understand, by creating a physical representation of erosion in action.

Robert Hemlichs 3D printed object shows how erosion from rivers led to the formation of the Grand Canyon. It consists of a topographic map of the Grand Canyon as we know it today, 3D printed in rigid PLA, and an insert 3D printed from water-soluble PVA in the shape of a river valley. As water passes through the valley, it dissolves the PVA, leaving behind a canyon much in the same way that natural erosion created the Grand Canyon over many millennia.

Hemlich was the winner Pinshapes Create to Educate Lesson Plan Contest as a result of this innovative project. He has made the design files available for free download on Thingiverse, along with a lesson plan that conforms to Michigans Common Core Science Standard.

4. 3D printed programmable coffee grinder

Coffee is an enjoyable and even necessary part of life for many people around the world, but getting a nice cup of quality coffee isnt easy. If you want to brew your own caffeinated beverage starting from fresh coffee beans, you have to put up with the noise and physical effort involved with a grinder, which isnt ideal first thing in the morning. A 3D printing enthusiast called Christine Sunu has set out to make this whole process much easier and more efficient.

Sunu used a motor, some wires and a few 3D printed add-ons to create a modified, automatic coffee grinder thats almost silent as well as being programmable. She took parts from her ordinary coffee grinder and wired them up to a specially designed circuit. The result is a grinder that works without noise and can be set up to grind in advance using an easy-to-use algorithm. You can even decide exactly how much coffee you want it to make for you, in case youre looking to cut down on your caffeine intake. The design files for the 3D printed parts that house the whole system are available online for free.

5. 3D printed electro-mechanical Christmas decorations

One 3D printing hobbyist named Gavan Fantom wanted to create a decoration for his Christmas party that was a little bit special, at the end of a remarkable year. He was interested in LEDs and different ways of displaying images, and wanted to put together something with a retro feel to it. He made use of 3D printing to put together an impressive, yet somewhat impractical, electro-mechanical pixel grid. Each part of the grid rotated in time in order to create an interesting pattern with some unique sounds.

Each pixel consists of seven 3D printed components, one servo motor and two nails. That meant there was a total of 448 3D printed components, 64 servo motors and 128 nails when scaled up to an 8x8 grid. An Original Prusa i3 MK2S was used to print the larger parts, and the four small components (motor bracket, servo arm adapter, and the two parts of the nail mechanism) were made using a Creality CR-10 3D printer. Total printing time was around two weeks, not counting mistakes.

Posted in 3D Printing Application

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Siddhartha Mukherjee in The New York Times:

Of the many small humiliations heaped on a young oncologist in his final year of fellowship, perhaps this one carried the oddest bite: A 2-year-old black-and-white cat named Oscar was apparently better than most doctors at predicting when a terminally ill patient was about to die. The story appeared, astonishingly, in The New England Journal of Medicine in the summer of 2007. Adopted as a kitten by the medical staff, Oscar reigned over one floor of the Steere House nursing home in Rhode Island. When the cat would sniff the air, crane his neck and curl up next to a man or woman, it was a sure sign of impending demise. The doctors would call the families to come in for their last visit. Over the course of several years, the cat had curled up next to 50 patients. Every one of them died shortly thereafter. No one knows how the cat acquired his formidable death-sniffing skills. Perhaps Oscars nose learned to detect some unique whiff of death  chemicals released by dying cells, say. Perhaps there were other inscrutable signs. I didnt quite believe it at first, but Oscars acumen was corroborated by other physicians who witnessed the prophetic cat in action. As the author of the article wrote: No one dies on the third floor unless Oscar pays a visit and stays awhile. The story carried a particular resonance for me that summer, for I had been treating S., a 32-year-old plumber with esophageal cancer. He had responded well to chemotherapy and radiation, and we had surgically resected his esophagus, leaving no detectable trace of malignancy in his body. One afternoon, a few weeks after his treatment had been completed, I cautiously broached the topic of end-of-life care. We were going for a cure, of course, I told S., but there was always the small possibility of a relapse. He had a young wife and two children, and a mother who had brought him weekly to the chemo suite. Perhaps, I suggested, he might have a frank conversation with his family about his goals?

But S. demurred. He was regaining strength week by week. The conversation was bound to be a bummah, as he put it in his distinct Boston accent. His spirits were up. The cancer was out. Why rain on his celebration? I agreed reluctantly; it was unlikely that the cancer would return. When the relapse appeared, it was a full-on deluge. Two months after he left the hospital, S. returned to see me with sprays of metastasis in his liver, his lungs and, unusually, in his bones. The pain from these lesions was so terrifying that only the highest doses of painkilling drugs would treat it, and S. spent the last weeks of his life in a state bordering on coma, unable to register the presence of his family around his bed. His mother pleaded with me at first to give him more chemo, then accused me of misleading the family about S.s prognosis. I held my tongue in shame: Doctors, I knew, have an abysmal track record of predicting which of our patients are going to die. Death is our ultimate black box.

More here.The University of Tehran is working to track and secure the release of its students who were arrested for taking part in recent anti-government protests in Iran, according to the semiofficial Iranian Students' News Agency.

"A committee has been established to follow up on and track Tehran University's detained students' situation. Our aim is to work with relevant authorities and facilitate the quickest release and return of those students to their studies and family embrace," Majid Sarsanghi, the University of Tehran's deputy chancellor for cultural affairs, is quoted by the news agency.

Authorities in Iran have said 450 people have been detained The US State Department has put the number held at 1,000

It's not clear how many students have been arrested in connection with the protests, which broke out more than a week ago. At least 21 people were killed, many in clashes with security forces trying to quell the rallies.

Authorities in Iran have said 450 people have been detained. The US State Department has put the number held at 1,000. It is unclear how many of the detained have since been released.

Reformist Iranian lawmaker Mahmood Sadeqi told the semiofficial Iranian Labor News Agency that he holds details on detained students. But he said he does not know the whereabouts of 10 of the 90 who he believes were detained from across the country.

"On the basis of our figures, at least 58 students from different Tehran universities have been detained so far and the strange point is that many of them are not involved in any political activities at all," he said. Sadeqi told ILNA he had spoken to the Ministry of Intelligence and hoped that most of the students would be released soon.

Rights group Amnesty International accused Iran of having an "appalling" track record of carrying out mass arbitrary arrests of peaceful demonstrators.

"Given the alarming scale of the current wave of arrests, it is highly likely that many of those held are peaceful protesters who have been detained arbitrarily and now find themselves in prisons where conditions are dire and torture is a common tool to extract confessions and punish dissidents," said Philip Luther, Amnesty International's research and advocacy director for the Middle East and North Africa.

Four UN human rights experts on Friday urged Iran to respect protesters' rights and allow freedom of expression and assembly.

The protests, the most powerful challenge to the regime in years, appeared to have fizzled Thursday after Revolutionary Guards commander Mohammad Ali Jafari asserted the unrest was officially over.

Mass pro-government rallies have taken their place in many Iranian cities. Government supporters turned out in force in Tehran and elsewhere Friday.

Russia, US clash at UN Security Council

Russia and the United States clashed Friday at an emergency UN Security Council session that Washington called to discuss recent events in Iran.

Nikki Haley, US ambassador to the United Nations, called the protests "something the world must take note of" and a "powerful exhibition of brave people" risking their lives to exercise their right to speak.

But Russia's UN envoy, Vassily Nebenzia, slammed the United States for using the meeting to bring up the Iranian protests under a "bogus pretext."

"Let Iran deal with its own problems," said Nebenzia, who again raised the idea of a Security Council meeting about protests in Ferguson, Missouri, and Occupy Wall Street demonstrations, as the Russian mission to the United Nations did in a tweet earlier this week.

Gholamali Khoshroo, Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, said the United States had abused its power by calling for the meeting, saying the Iranian protests fell outside the scope of the Security Council mandate.

"There is a long history of US bullying at the UN, but this is a preposterous example -- the purely internal affairs of a nation," Khoshroo told the council.

Shadow of the Green Movement

Many in Iran still feel the shadow of the crackdown that followed the so-called Green Movement protests over Iran's disputed 2009 election.

Some 4,000 people -- including former lawmakers, journalists, students and foreign nationals -- were arrested in connection with those protests. While many were released, hundreds appeared in mass trials and were convicted of conspiring against Iran's government. An unknown number were sentenced to death.

Mohammad Hossein Moghimi, governor of Tehran province, indicated he did not want to see a repeat of the kind of detentions that occurred following the Green Movement protests.

"Care will certainly be taken in order to avoid a repetition of prisoner and detainee abuses that occurred a few years ago," Moghimi said, as quoted by Iranian Labor News Agency.

A parliamentary report detailed the "harsh corporal punishment, humiliating and insulting techniques" used against prisoners held at the Kahrizak Detention Center in southern Tehran in 2009, the semiofficial Mehr news agency reported at the time.

"The deaths of some detainees were a result of beatings and neglect of the physical condition of the injured by the detention center's officials," an excerpt of the parliamentary report read.Sunny skies returned to the forecast after a rainy end to the work week. It was good to see some of the wet weather after a dry start to Winter. Sunday looks like another beautiful day, sunshine and mild temperatures, however a large WINTER STORM will impact California for the coming work week. Clouds will thicken up Sunday night with perhaps a few showers coming in Monday morning.



The storm arrives on Monday and definitely looks significantly stronger and wetter than the last few that moved through recently. National Weather Service has issued WINTER STORM WATCH in effect from Monday evening through Tuesday evening for Western slope of the Sierra. Western Plumas County and Lassen Park should pick up some heavy snowfall.

Models are in good agreement on the heavy rain for Monday, with more moderate showers into Tuesday. It's looking like the Valley will see about 1-2" of rain for the 2-day span.

The heavier snow will impact more of the Mountains into Monday night and early Tuesday as colder air mixes in with the moisture. Snow levels looking like they'll start above 7000' on Monday but lower to 6000' by early morning Tuesday. Travel will be hazardous with several inches of snow on the ground and poor visibility with heavy, blowing snow. Total snow accumulations of 6-12 inches with localized amounts up to 24 inches are possible at the highest elevations.

The sunshine returns on Thursday as things dry out once again. Valley highs warming up and pushing around 60 quickly. We'll push towards the mid-60 range by the end of the work week!Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the family of vendor Basheer, who succumbed to his injuries on Sunday.

Basheer Ahmed who ran a food stall in Mangaluru was attacked in Surathkal by four people on Wednesday.

The incident came to light the same day when Bajrang Dal worker Deepak Rao was murdered by four unidentified persons.

Basheer was allegedly attacked in retaliation for the murder of Rao.

Police have arrested four people in connection with Basheers murder.

Rao and Basheer were attacked on Wednesday, while Rao died the same day; Basheer succumbed to his injuries on Sunday.

Siddaramaiah on Thursday had condemned Raos murder, asking the citizens to not be swayed by forces that are spreading mischievous propaganda and trying to divide the society on communal lines.

It is alleged that Rao, a resident of Katipalla Kaikamba, was riding his motorbike when he was waylaid by a car whose individuals then attacked him.

Before Deepak could escape, they attacked him with weapons and fled in a car. He was later declared brought dead by doctors in a private hospital.

The state government has, however, deployed additional police to maintain law and order and ensure peace, as the BJP and Bajrang Dal called for a daylong shutdown in the coastal district on Sunday in protest against the murder.Film actor Akshay Kumar has agreed to partner with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to promote cleanliness in Mumbai as part of the Swachh Survekshan 2018, civic officials informed.

The Swachh Survekshan 2018 will be carried out between January 4 to March 10 by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and it will rank urban and rural areas of the country on the basis of cleanliness.

BMC officials said the actor had given his consent after the municipal commissioner wrote to him on January 5 requesting his support for spreading the word about cleanliness in the metropolis.China could play a helpful role in convincing Pakistan that it is in its national interest to crackdown on terror safe havens, a senior White House official has said.

The official said China shares some of the concerns of the US about the terror issue in Pakistan and Washington is seeking to work with Beijing and other regional players to convince Islamabad about the need to crackdown on terror groups.

The official said that dismantling terrorist safe havens in Pakistan is the key to bring stability in Afghanistan and in the region.

Pakistan already has deep historical ties with China going back to many years and they have close military ties.

The economic relationship is also growing due to China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the senior administration official said on condition of anonymity.

But, China shares some of the concerns of the US about the terrorism problem. The US is seeking to work with other regional players and China would be one of the main ones to deal with this issue. It wont serve Chinas interests to have terrorist sanctuaries in Pakistan, the official said.

The official was quick to point out that China has been playing a more helpful role in terms of encouraging better relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is taking a more active role in this regard.

So, I would disagree with the assertion that China will not play a helpful role in convincing Pakistan it is in its own interest to crack down on the terror sanctuaries, the official told a group of reporters on Friday.

Ultimately, China is also working towards a stable Afghanistan. Thats going to take them back to the same issue which are the sanctuaries in Pakistan, the official said.

China-Pakistan relationship is already very strong and appeared unconcerned over reports that the US decision to freeze approximately $2 billion in security assistance to Pakistan would push Islamabad towards Beijing, the official added.

That relationship is already very strong. But what we have seen is an interest by Pakistan in having a strong relationship with both the US and China. So thats one issue, the official said.

And the second issue is that China is also concerned about terrorism and extremism in South Asia, the official said.

Noting that China has taken a more active role in trying to help stabilise Afghanistan, trying to improve relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, the official said the US believes that China is also interested in stability in Pakistan and also for the China Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Ultimately if they want to see stability in the region, and I think they do, they also will have an interest in seeing Pakistan crack down on the Haqqani and Taliban network, the senior administration official said.

The Trump administration has suspended about USD 2 billion in security aid to Pakistan for failing to clamp down on the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network terror groups and dismantle their safe havens.

The freezing of all security assistance to Pakistan comes after President Trump in a New Years Day tweet accused the country of giving nothing to the US but lies and deceit and providing safe haven to terrorists in return for USD 33 billion aid over the last 15 years.Thousands of commuters were left stranded across the state as the indefinite strike called by some transport unions over wage-related issues entered the fourth day on Sunday.

Even as private buses were being operated, many passengers complained that they did not carry destination boards unlike government buses.

I have been waiting here for two hoursI need to go to Vandalur but I do not know which bus to board. We have to go ask the bus drivers every time, Kanagavel, a passenger at Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus said.

In several districts, a majority of the buses stayed off roads prompting the transport department authorities to operate them with temporary drivers and conductors.

The state government claimed that 66.49 per cent of buses belonging to State Transport Undertakings were plying since Saturday night across the state.

DMK, the main opposition party in the State assembly, had urged the government to hold talks with trade unions and bring an end to the impasse.

As many as 17 trade unions had launched an indefinite stir since Thursday night, with scores of Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) staff joining the protest.

The striking unions want the factor for wage revision to be fixed at 2.57 times while the state government insisted it be 2.44.

On January 5, the Madras High Court had issued an interim order restraining employees from striking work.

The government had also issued an ultimatum, asking workers to return to work; else, it will not hesitate to take action as per law.

However, the trade unions were firm on their demand and said agitation would continue till their demands on wage revision were met.Kamal Haasan has already warmed up to DMK. Most likely he will join them or be a campaigner for them, rather than starting his own party. Even if he starts his own, he certainly will align with DMK rather than fighting on his own. Assuming that Karunanidhi doesnt want to fight one more election, DMK will not think beyond M K Stalin. So, even if Kamal launches a party and becomes a DMK ally, I dont think he will be even considered for CM post. Till now Kamal has been publishing tweets about selective incidents. He needs to expand this to get more acceptances. Right now the view is that he is someone with no (political) responsibility and uses his popularity to pass his opinions. While there is nothing wrong with it, this approach may not lead to any political dividend. People should feel that he has good ideas about governance and will do better for Tamil Nadu.

Certainly he will pull crowds and can influence people. He can be suitably rewarded by DMK too, if they end up in winning side (maybe he can contest in some assembly seat or get some party position). Beyond this, I dont think he wouldve planned anything for now.

On the other hand, there are die-hard fans of Rajinikanth, who are ready to sacrifice their lives for him, they can definitely chose him as a CM. Assuming all of the above possibilities, we may see Kamal in some active political role with some serious responsibility after 2019 Lok Sabha elections. This may eventually open the road for his political journey, but will he take that road is the million-dollar question! What I love about Kamal and Thalaivar is both are selfless people, their entry to politics would benefit a lot of people and the miseries common man are facing.

Kamal Haasan is an actor, so he will always get greater visibility on news media. Now, we do not know if his subtle hints are an indication of things to come. We do not know if he will throw himself into the fray? But if he does, will Kamal Haasan become the CM of Tamil Nadu one day?

Im sure he has much better vision for Tamil Nadu than many seasoned politicians and definitely much better than Thalaivars. Kamal has always been an one-man army, so I wonder if he can work with head strong individuals party men, cabinet ministers and the alike.

To become a CM candidate, he has to represent a party that hasnt one. That rules out DMK, AIADMK, and PMK. Congress and BJP dont have strong CM candidates, but both the parties are not quite strong enough in Tamil Nadu. Even though Kamals presence might improve their fortunes, I dont think Kamal has enough power to pull them through to the finish line. And more importantly, I dont think Kamal will pick either party.

DMDK, MDMK and TMC are mere fringe parties now. I dont see Kamal in them. VCK might not be a fit. A new party would be an option. However, he might need a decent ally, may be the DMK. The case with Thalaivar Rajini though might be different.

Kamals first love is movies! I doubt he would ever want to leave his field which he loves like craze for politics. Kamal during an interview said if Thalaivar is entering, he wont float a party as their relationship is nearing 50 years and he never wanted to be an obstacle on his friends new journey. It could also be DMKs strategy to counter Thalaivars entry, as even before entering officially, his vote bank stands for 21 per cent, which is quite a large percentage.

He has clearly and categorically stated that he sees both DMK and AIADMK as two eyes of the same dragon called corruption. Therefore, a new reformist movement is necessary for the state and it must uphold the values of governance, corruption free administration and he must follow the rationalist vision of Anna and Periyar rather than the sentiments and interests of a dynasty and family. Every political observer can see two distinct faces of Tamil Nadu politics viz., resurrection, social justice and equal participation, reform in education, growth and development based politics largely dominated during the pre-MGR era. During MGR era, it looks like it was a learning curve for most politicians to perfect the art of looting public money. Subsequent to the demise of MGR, the great degeneration of the state politics has started. Corruption and dynastic ethos became the bloodline of Tamil Nadu politics.

Kamal Haasan is not just an accidental leader but a leader born and grown in the soil where Periyar was born. He might have been a mute, helpless witness to all the corruption that has been taking place in the name of the Dravidian rule, might have also been the worst victim of the above politics as he was in public life for several decades. Haasan will be a leader from the heart and head, true spirit and soul of Periyar and Anna, uncorrupt and incorruptible. Rationalism, scientific temperament, creativity, innovation, improvement, achieving incredible fete are other exemplary qualities of Kamal Haasan. Certainly, youths of the state could easily connect with Kamal Haasan and people wants him to be more vocal against DMK as well because AIADMK is already a dead horse so beating it repeatedly makes no sense. Kamal Haasan can invoke the true values of Periyar and can put an end to dynastic and family centric Dravidian exploitative politics.

Rajinikanth and Kamal went on to become cornerstones of Indian cinema. They approached the art of acting in different ways. Kamal became a case study for methodical acting, Rajinikanth showed everyone how to make mass commercial blockbusters. The differences between them do not stop there. Kamal is a rationalist and Rajinikanth is a hard-core believer in God. Kamal has made it abundantly clear that saffron is not my colour and Rajinikanth has repeatedly demonstrated his liking to the BJP. Kamal appreciated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the demonetisation but was also quick to criticise him when economic experts suggested it was a failure. The actor even issued an apology for supporting demonetisation without understanding it fully. Rajinikanth was quick to praise PM Modi for scrapping the high-value notes but did not react after it was reported that the government botched up the scheme. The list of differences between Rajinikanth and Kamal goes on. But at the end, both Kamal and Rajinikanth have promised to deliver a clean and efficient government, if voted to power, with peoples welfare being the priority. They also have promised that they wont fall into the vicious power struggle and engage in dirty politics to stay in the position of power.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on [email protected])The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) might be keen to go ahead with the makeover of its fleet of buses and construct better bus terminals, but the organisation has failed to provide better amenities to its staff. Uniforms of staff too will be redesigned in colours of khaki, grey, blue and brown but their salaries and allowances have not been revised. The MSRTC employees union has urged the organisation to revise their salaries and implement the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission. More than one lakh employees of the firm had gone on strike in October last year demanding hike in salary. They had urged the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Transport Minister Diwakar Raote to intervene in this matter.

The Bombay High Court had asked the government to address the problems faced by MSRTC employees. Despite this, no breakthrough has been achieved as workers continue to fight for their rights. Raote had termed the demands of employees as unreasonable and added that it would be difficult for MSRTC to fulfil their demands. He said that unions had demanded highest ever wage hike proposal. Even Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray came forward in support of the employees demands. Thackeray said that employees deserve pay hike and the government should address their grievances at the earliest.

The 7th Pay Commission is nothing but a gimmick said, NCP MLA Kiran Pawaskar. It is applicable only for the state and central government employees but private sector employees dont come under its ambit. All these policies are good for displaying policy advertisements but not in reality. The government should come up with policies which guarantee job security as maximum employees in India work on contractual basis. Hire and fire policies should be discouraged. When Raote and other ruling party leaders were in opposition they used to put forward several demands for workers welfare. But after becoming transport minister, he is least bothered to resolve their grievances, he added.

Hanumant Tate, the General Secretary of Maharashtra State Transport Kamghar Sanghatana said, The committee appointed by the Bombay High Court to discuss on workers salary hike will deliver its verdict on January 10. Both government and Workers Union will discuss this matter and they may arrive at a solution. If they fail to meet our demands then union will again go for strike.

Gopal Shetty, BJP MP said, The 7th Pay Commission is a governments policy and it has to be implemented in every state. Whenever MSRTC has adequate funds, government gives them directives to use the money for providing better amenities to commuters. Raote is an efficient leader and he will take a right decision at an appropriate time in the interest of employees. Since BEST is incurring severe losses and if in such situations it implements the 7th Pay Commissions recommendations, the corporation will have to bear the entire financial burden. Government is not unaware about employees demands and they will be paid reasonable wages.

With an aim to secure lives of passengers, MSRTC and the government is all set to roll new steel buses, Transport Minister Diwakar Raote told Afternoon Voice. He further said, New buses would be much more strong and cheaper than the existing fleet. Three workshops of MSRTC will construct the buses. Existing buses have three tonne body weight and maximum calculated weight of passengers and luggage is around 3.5 tonnes. It means, the buses are running with just seven tonne weight despite though carriage capacity of chassis and the engines is 15 tonne. Body weight of the existing buses will be increased by half tonne after adding steel body. The MSRTC is having fleet of 18,000 buses and every year 1,000 to 1,500 buses are replaced by the organisation. We have saved Rs 80 crore this year in fuel component. We have encouraged competition between fuel supplier companies after which the companies had offered discount of Rs 1.20/litre. This had given a relief to MSRTC as Rs 28 crore were saved last year and Rs 80 crore would be saved this year, told Raote. He further stated that, life of chassis of a bus is 15 years, however, the buses in existing fleet lasts for barely eight years. Hence, the MSRTC has decided to use old chassis to construct new buses and improve a lot in financial management.

Conductors and drivers get paid between Rs 8,000 and Rs 10,000 per month, while private bus drivers are paid Rs 18,000. We are demanding wages as per the 7th Pay Commission. The government is ready to spend money on facelift of buses, but they dont have heart to offer salary hike to those drivers who slog to earn revenue for MSRTC. Sandeep Shinde, president of the Maharashtra ST Workers said.

The MSRTC bus services are used by 65 lakh passengers in the state daily. The organisation runs 18,000 buses, some of which ply at remote locations which remain unserved by rail network. The transport undertaking incurs a loss of Rs 450 crore per year. The government agreed to offer only a part of interim hike, which is not acceptable to us. We have been rendering our services to passengers since long, but this time we need every support for our survival, Shinde added.Socialite Paris Hilton has hired private security to guard her and watch over the two million dollar engagement ring she received from fiance Chris Zylka.

Hilton and Leftovers star Chris Zylka got engaged during a ski trip to Aspen, Colorado. Zylka presented her with a massive 20-carat ring.

The couple have security personnel shadowing them and specifically guarding the ring round-the-clock, sources close to Hilton told TMZ.

The security team, dressed in plain clothes, will be charged with protecting her, and her rock, at all times when she is on the go.The leaders of Turkey and Bulgaria reopened the Bulgarian St Stephens Church on Sunday in Istanbul after seven years of restoration, in a gesture of harmony in an often-turbulent relationship between the two neighbours.

The Bulgarian Orthodox church in Balat, a historic Istanbul neighbourhood on the shores of the Golden Horn traditionally home to Christians and Jews, was built in 1898 after its original wooden structure was destroyed in a fire.

Made out of cast iron, the iconic ornate building has been dubbed the Iron Church.

For President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who hosts Bulgarias conservative Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, the ceremony was a riposte to charges that Turkeys Islamic-rooted government does not do enough to protect the rights of Christian minorities and their heritage.

It was also seen as a sign of appeasement after a spat erupted in spring in the run-up to Bulgarian elections, and a Turkish referendum on expanding Erdogans power.

Bulgaria, which holds the rotating EU presidency for the next six months, shares a 270-km border with Turkey.

Turkey is home to more than 200,000 ethnic Turks with Bulgarian passports who left Bulgaria during the communist era.

Around a third of them regularly turn out for Bulgarian elections, with the last ballot-taking place on March 26.

Bulgaria, meanwhile, is home to a 700,000-strong ethnic Turkish minority, a legacy of the Ottoman empire.

Sofia had accused Ankara of meddling in its March polls, summoning Turkeys ambassador and recalling its own envoy from Turkey for consultations.

Meanwhile, the main party representing the Turkish minority in Bulgaria had denounced Turkeys April vote on granting Erdogan sweeping powers as madness.

But in a show of cooperation, Bulgaria and Turkey co- funded St Stephens restoration, one of the worlds oldest prefabricated cast iron churches.

The iron elements were produced in Austria in the 19th century and shipped to Istanbul through the Danube and the Black Sea.

Vasil Liaze, president of a foundation overseeing the church, told Turkish media that the church had been restored under so-called rules of reciprocity.

This means that Sofia has given the green light for the Cuma (Friday) Mosque in Bulgarias second city of Plovdiv to be restored in return.

In a key trip to neighbouring Greece in December, Erdogan said the rights of Turkish-speaking Muslim minorities should be safeguarded.

Istanbul also insists it has passed reforms to improve minorities rights including legislation allowing minority groups to buy and renovate their properties.

In June 2014, when he was prime minister, Erdogan said that the government had returned to minority foundations their confiscated assets worth over USD 2 billion.

But opponents say Erdogans ruling Justice and Development Party have done little to expand rights for minorities, and showed intolerance for dissenting voices.Rosie Anderson is proud of the fact she could pick 200 pounds of cotton a day when she was young. That's not her proudest achievement, though-- her proudest is that she and her husband Jerry have been married for 72 years.

Rosie, 91, and Jerry, 94, are both from Orrville. They live together at Bibb Medical Center Nursing Home, where they had a party Friday to celebrate the milestone.

"We met at church, but I'm not sure what all happened!" Rosie said, laughing.

Rosie, one of 12 children, grew up on a farm and spent her days in the fields. "I could pick 200 pounds a day!" she said. "It was hard work, but I loved it."

She attended Antioch Baptist Church in her hometown, and said she was baptized in a creek next to the church. That's where she met Jerry.

Jerry would ride his horse to Rosie's house to "court" her, she said. She would always ride in front-- that way, she knew she couldn't fall off. They married when she was 18 and he was 21, in a church wedding with their families on Jan. 5, 1945.

After they were married, the two went to work--both working on the farm. Later, Jerry worked in the lumber business and Rosie worked in a restaurant.

Rosie loved working in the fields, but enjoyed a night on the town, too. She loved to dance and was in two bands-- once with a group called "The Heavenly Doves," and another with her two daughters called "The Red Roses."

"I was known to dance," she said, "and might even have a nip of moonshine every once in a while!" Staff at the nursing home said sometimes she's still caught doing the jitterbug.

Jerry, on the other hand, was a "quiet man," Rosie said. He didn't drink, and was very religious. Rosie said he was at church whenever the doors were open.

Soon after their wedding, Jerry bought Rosie a "black Ford straight shift," Rosie said. "I did pretty good," she said, laughing as she showed how she shifted gears. As time went on in their marriage, she said their love grew, and their life was good.

The Andersons had three children-- Sherry, Ruby, and Joe. Ruby and Joe moved to Washington D.C., but Sherry still lives in Orrville. Sherry said when she talked about getting married and moving, her father wasn't shy. He told his soon to be son-in-law, "If you don't do my daughter right, then you bring her back to me."

He meant it, too.

The Andersons have 14 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren, and 8 great-great grandchildren.

Rosie also loved to fish. "I could catch them anytime I went," she said. She said she's waiting for the weather to get warmer, and she will go again this year. Jerry never liked fishing, but he loved to farm and be around animals. He had pigs, chickens, and cows-- Rosie said he loved being around the farm animals so much, she nicknamed him "Bull." Rosie still calls him that to this day.

Rosie is active at the nursing home, staff members said. She is often in the recreation room playing bingo or other games and attending parties for the other residents. "She comes to everything!" the recreation director, Cindi Harrison said. Rosie also wants to start a quilting club.

Jerry prefers to stay out of his wife's way, and she likes to give him alone time. Harrison said it's not uncommon to hear Rosie yelling, "Hush Bull!" in the rec room, saying her husband is interrupting bingo.

Staff at the nursing home planned a party for the Andersons' anniversary weeks ago, but the couple was not aware. When asked if she wanted a party, Rosie told the staff, "Well, we don't have to. But if we do, we'll party."

On the secret to a 72-year-marriage, Rosie said it's simple-- they never fought.

"You know, I can honestly say we ain't never fought. But when we fussed, I'd go out front door and by the time I came in the back door, it was over."

The couple, and later their children, was very active in their church. Jerry was a deacon and a church elder, and Rosie sang in the choir and helped the youth group. They were always helping others, their daughter Sherry said: Rosie drove kids who didn't have transportation to choir, and Jerry transported people back and forth to work. Sherry said her parents were completely devoted to helping others.

The Anderson's advice for couples today? "Base your life on church, respect others, laugh, and have a good time... Love each other through the good and the bad times, and don't forget to walk out the front door and in the back."

If it's worked for them, it must be good.A head-on crash in western Birmingham Saturday sent two people to the hospital.

The crash happened about 1 p.m. in the 1200 block of Bankhead Highway. According to police scanner traffic, one of the drivers is pregnant and had to be cut out of her vehicle.

Birmingham police said a northbound SUV crossed the center line into oncoming traffic for unknown reasons and struck one vehicle, and then hit a second car head-on. The driver of the second vehicle was reportedly pregnant, but police on the scene said they couldn't confirm that account.

The woman was pinned behind her steering wheel. Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service had to cut the vehicle's roof off to remove the woman. She was conscious and taken to the hospital, as was the driver of the SUV.

Police said it appeared both victims would be OK, but that it was too soon to know for sure. The crash remains under investigation.Authorities are looking for a 49-year-old inmate who left his assigned job in Tuscumbia late Saturday afternoon.

Escapee Glenn Ardizone. (Alabama Department of Corrections)

Glenn Patrick Ardizone left his work location at about 4:15 p.m., authorities said. He is 5'6" tall, weighs 154 pounds and has black hair and brown eyes.

Ardizone was a prisoner at the Decatur Work Release Center and working an assigned job at the time of his escape. He was jailed in 2011 for first degree theft of property.

The Alabama Department of Corrections asks anyone who sees Ardizone to call police, the Decatur Work Release Center or (800)-831-8825.Al Jazeera exposes a deal to sell part of $1.5bn suspected stolen by former Ukrainian President Yanukovich.

The girls will be here shortly, said the bodyguard with a heavy French accent as our cameraman set up for the interview. Just joking! He laughed. Please wait. Mr Onyschenko is coming.

He walked out of the presidential suite of the five-star Barcelona hotel. Three hours later, one of Ukraines most-wanted men walked in. Alexander Onyschenko cuts a remarkably relaxed figure, considering his fugitive status.

AL JAZEERA EXCLUSIVE: THE OLIGARCHS Ukraines former President Viktor Yanukovich is estimated to have syphoned off at least $1.5bn from the country through his cronies before his removal in 2014 Al Jazeera has traced at least $160m of the suspected misappropriated assets frozen in Cyprus upon the request of the Ukrainian authorities The investigation by Al Jazeeras Investigative Unit has revealed that three Ukrainian oligarchs illegally traded the frozen assets linked to Yanukovich

I be not corrupt, he says with a strong accent and one qualification. I just do instruction what President say. In my country, there is no other way.

The gas tycoon, former MP and friend-to-the-stars is accused of running a corruption scheme in Ukraine worth $100m.

Separately and unrelated, Al Jazeeras Investigative Unit has obtained an unsigned document that puts Onyschenko and his Cyprus company, Fastilo Limited, at the heart of a deal to buy one-tenth of about $1.5bn in illicit assets, traced to cronies of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich.

Unbelievable! says Daria Kaleniuk, executive director of the Anti-Corruption Action Centre (ANTAC), when she sees the contract. I think its illegal to make such an agreement. It sounds like an agreement between criminal bosses, you know? You can sign it with your blood!

Ukrainian authorities froze the assets in June 2014 across numerous companies in Cyprus, the UK, Panama, Belize and the British Virgin Islands. The $1.5bn total is a fraction of what Yanukovich is estimated to have stolen.

Quickpace Limited, a Cyprus company, held about $85m in cash across various bank accounts at Ukrainian banks and about $75m in bonds that would soon mature, all frozen by a Ukrainian judge. Thats a total of about $160m, which Onyschenko and another oligarch would buy for just $30m, paying in cash and with a private jet.

I think this is a really interesting discovery, says anti-corruption writer Oliver Bullough. This is distressed debt, basically. Its like these companies in the city of London who, if someones refusing to pay their debt, buy it for 20 pence on the pound, and then do their utmost to get it back and make a profit on it.

The difference is that its illegal to tamper with frozen assets.

The whole idea is Ive frozen the asset because I think its the proceeds of crime, says Jon Benton, former director of the International Corruption Unit at Britains National Crime Agency.

Its like trading in stolen goods that have been taken by the police. Youre putting the cash in the getaway car, arent you?

Onyschenko is a gas tycoon, former MP and currently one of Ukraines most-wanted men [Al Jazeera]

According to Article 4.4 of the contract, the buyers will cooperate in taking action to remove the arrest from the accounts held by Quickpace Limited.

To do that, they would need to persuade a judge to issue an unfreezing order.

Kaleniuk is in little faith in the judiciary.

The majority of judges which hear cases in Ukraine are still those appointed under Yanukovich. They are themselves engaged in corruption.

Pavel Fuchs

The second buyer named alongside Onyschenko is Pavel Fuchs, a Ukrainian real estate tycoon who made his fortune in Moscow and has close relations with US President Donald Trump and his business.

Fuchs has negotiated several times, in 2004 and again between 2008 and 2010, with Trump and his son to build a Trump Hotel in Moscow.

He is named in the contract as the owner and controller of Dorchester International Limited, a company registered in the Caribbean tax haven, St Kitts and Nevis.

Whats interesting about him is the extent to which he shows that the separation between Ukraine and Russia, though they are different countries, can be a bit skin-deep, says Bullough.

The elites of both Ukraine and Russia; they went to school together, they served in the army together, they were in the KGB together. For them, its basically the same country. The money flows backwards and forwards. The business deals go backwards and forwards. The criminal gangs go backwards and forwards.

Baby-faced gas king

Documents obtained by Al Jazeera, including emails and a $160m loan agreement from 2013, suggest the assets are being sold by Serhiy Kurchenko.

Ukrainian investigators say he acts as Yanukovichs family wallet, doling out money to the former president on demand.

The baby-faced gas king of Ukraine, Kurchenko, emerged as a billionaire aged just 27, running large sections of the oil and gas industries in Ukraine.

After Ukraines EuroMaidan revolution in February 2014, Kurchenko fled to exile in Moscow and remains sanctioned by the US and Europe.

Al Jazeeras Investigative Unit tracked him down to the 46th floor of a skyscraper in the Moscow City Complex, an elite business property development led by Fuchs companies.

Anti-corruption efforts

Soon after the 2014 revolution, the new pro-Western government in Ukraine began a series of reforms that included the establishment of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU).

In June 2016, it accused Onyschenko, the gas tycoon and politician involved in the Quickpace deal, of short-changing the state to the tune of about $100m while running his gas business.

Onyschenko was stripped of his seat in parliament and of the immunity from prosecution that all Ukrainian parliament members enjoy.

It is NABUs first major case.

Resistance is very strong from the elites who are in power now and the more we investigate the more we face this resistance, said NABU director Artem Sytnyk.

He says the Onyschenko case has further annoyed our opponents, declaring the rival prosecutor generals office, corrupt judges, parliament and the government itself as the agencys enemies.

Parliament is taking steps to sideline the management of the Anti-Corruption Agency and take control, he said.

We are faced with a serious attempt at sabotage from the judicial branches of the state. All of us involved in this process knew it was going to be difficult. Weve chosen our cross to bear.

NABU obtained a copy of the document that outlines the Quickpace deal during a raid on one of Onyschenkos premises. Despite that, they have not listed it as part of their case against him.

Nazar Holodnitsky, Ukraines special anti-corruption prosecutor, refused Al Jazeeras requests for information, saying: Until this investigation is complete, any comments, assertions regarding the existence or absence of certain documents are premature.

Onyschenko takes the position that theres nothing wrong with buying a company holding frozen assets thought to be stolen by a world-famous kleptocrat.

You can buy cheap and try to fix the problem to make money, he told Al Jazeera.

He confirmed Fuchs and Kurchnekos role in the deal, but denied the deal went ahead.

It was like normal business, but this has not happened. We didnt buy.

His claim that he and his partner did not buy Quickpace goes against the evidence.

Al Jazeera obtained a record of an initial payment of $2m from Barclays Bank to a Russian-owned Latvian bank, Norvic Banka.

NABU and a Cypriot lawyer who worked on the deal also confirmed the sale.

The most compelling proof that the sale took place is that the registered owner of Quickpace was changed at the time the deal was drafted.

Today, Quickpace is owned by Evermore Property Holdings Limited, a company based in the British Virgin Islands, which is owned by Dorchester International Incorporated. Pavel Fuchs is its owner.

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/DC-search-projectid-36660-the-oligarchs.htmlAl Jazeera probes a businessman who conspired to buy frozen assets linked to former Ukrainian President Yanukovich.

When I was young, I beat people up, Pavel Fuchs tells the presenter of Russian television show Business Persona. I dont like it when someone lies to me.

He recounts a story about his Turkish builders. While refurbishing, I told them not to smoke, but when I arrived they were smoking. I asked them again not to smoke.

AL JAZEERA EXCLUSIVE: THE OLIGARCHS Ukraines former President Viktor Yanukovich is estimated to have syphoned off at least $1.5bn from the country through his cronies before his removal in 2014

Al Jazeera has traced at least $160m of the suspected misappropriated assets, frozen in Cyprus upon the request of the Ukrainian authorities

The investigation by Al Jazeeras Investigative Unit has revealed that three Ukrainian oligarchs illegally traded the frozen assets linked to Yanukovich

And they continued smoking? asks the presenter.

Yes, and they had to eat their cigarette butts, Fuchs replies.

How beautiful, remarks the presenter.

Al Jazeera has discovered Fuchs bought a company and $160m of frozen assets held within it, part of $1.5bn traced to former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich.

Investigators believe Yanukovich and businessmen close to him stole the money.

When the deal was made, officials were working on seizing the money and returning it to the Ukrainian budget.

Mercenary

Born in October 1971, in Ukraines second city of Kharkiv, Fuchs earned the nickname Naemnik, Mercenary, according to restricted Russian interior ministry records.

He graduated from Kharkiv State Universitys department of economic and social planning in 1994 and headed to Moscow.

Currently, he sits at the helm of a huge business empire with holdings in oil, gas, luxury real estate and banking.

His investments span Russia, Ukraine, the UK, the United States and many of the worlds tax havens.

He is so influential that Russian President Vladimir Putin has honoured him for his services to the Russian economy.

Trump-Russia

During the noughties, Fuchs cultivated links to now US President Donald Trump, negotiating with his organisation in 2004 and again between 2008 and 2010. He reportedly baulked at a $200m asking price for the rights to a Trump Hotel Moscow.

Fuchs told a Ukrainian news agency they dealt with Trump in the later stages.

In 2016, Newsweek quoted a former Trump executive as saying the organisation retains close links with Fuchs. He has also been photographed with Trumps cybersecurity adviser, Rudy Giuliani.

Fuchs is trying, with another investor, to buy Prominvestbank, the Ukrainian subsidiary of Russian-state owned VEB Bank. VEB has been placed at the centre of an international firestorm that threatens the Trump presidency. Ukrainian regulators have blocked Fuchs purchase.

Kharkiv links

A number of sources have suggested Fuchs is well connected in Kharkiv.

The current Mayor, Gennady Kernes, regularly appears in Fuchs family photos on social media.

Kernes caused controversy in August 2014 by naming Fuchs and Russian parliamentarian Alexander Shishkin Honorary Citizens of Kharkiv.

The following day, a prosecutor announced that the titles had been rescinded, following resistance from local government.

Four months earlier, Kernes survived an assassination attempt that left him wheelchair-bound. Two of his associates, Yuri Diment and Sergei Batozsky  were both assassinated in 2016. Fuchs had been photographed with Diment before his death.

Strong political links

Fuchs has told Russian media he made a name for himself working for two of Russias richest men, Vladimir Potanin and Mikhail Prokhorov.

They made their money in the 1990s buying up huge stakes in the precious metals sector, before investing in numerous other industries. Prokhorov ran for president in Russia in 2012.

Fuchs is now extremely well-connected in his own right.

Russian company records put his name beside some of the most powerful and well-connected Russian politicians.

They include deputies in the State Duma, Alexander Ter-Avanesov and Amir Gallyamov.

Also named are Dagestans representative in the Federation Council, Suleiman Kerimov, who is worth an estimated $7.5bn, and politician and businessman Vladimir Gruzdev.

Fuchs has also been involved in a joint venture with a man closely linked to Moscows all-powerful mayor, Yuri Luzhkov.

In 2000, Fuchs invested in oil via Nefthold LLC, which leads to numerous high-ranking Russian politicians and government officials.

One of Fuchs fellow shareholders is named Nikolai Borodin. He is low profile, but is also named as founder of a charity co-founded with Sergei Stepashin, formerly prime minister and head of Russias spy agency.

The jewel in the Fuchs real-estate crown is Moscow City, a cluster of skyscrapers that loom over the Russian capital.

Construction began in 2004. Fuchs developed two of the towers  Eurasia and Imperia  through his Moscow City Group company.

The two towers were reportedly a joint venture with Valentin Yumashev, the powerful son-in-law of former Russian President Boris Yeltsin, who is thought to have been instrumental in Vladimir Putins rise to power.

Friends and business partners

Fuchs has done business with a number of people who have been caught up in alleged fraud scandals.

One big investor in Eurasia Tower was a man now at the centre of the largest alleged fraud case ever to have been heard in Britains High Court.

Mukhtar Ablyazov began his Eurasia investment company in 2005, with a view to developing the tower.

However, by 2011, he had fled Russia for London, accused of syphoning billions out of Kazakhstans BTA Bank.

That left Fuchs without an investment partner or finance.

Having then fled UK jurisdiction, Ablyazov spent three years in a French prison over the alleged fraud, facing extradition. He was released in December last year and is still wanted in both Russia and his home country of Kazakhstan.

Fuchs also appears close to a man known as the King of Bling, jeweller to stars including rappers 50 Cent and Kanye West.

Jacob the Jeweller, aka Jacob Arabo, aka Yacub Arabov, is an American of Turkmen origin who spent 18 months in prison 10 years ago, after making a plea deal with prosecutors who had accused him of money laundering for Detroits Black Mafia gang.

He appears several times in Fuchs family photos posted on social media and has recently denied links to a gold mine in Swaziland owned by the countrys absolute monarch.

In 2012, Fuchs bought shares in disgraced Pushkino Bank.

The head of the bank, Alexei Alyakin, is on Russias federal wanted list, accused of withdrawing and laundering millions of dollars.

Authorities revoked the banks licence in 2013 for multiple violations, including money laundering and fraudulent accounting.

Another colourful billionaire, Vijay Mallya, appears to have indirect company links to Fuchs. He is the former owner of Indias Kingfisher Airlines, now facing extradition to India on fraud charges which he denies.

Fuchss offshore vehicle, Dorchester International Incorporated, based in the Caribbean tax haven of St Kitts and Nevis, is a shareholder in three layers of companies that lead to a trust declared by Mallya in SEC filings from 2000. Mallya denies having any relationship with Fuchs.

International network

The Panama Papers, a huge leak of offshore company documents, help illuminate a huge international network of more than 250 companies with links to Fuchs.

His vehicle, Dorchester International Incorporated of St Kitts and Nevis, lays a trail to another Indian billionaire, a Nigerian senator, Malaysian billionaires, a Cuban pharmaceutical company and mining in Tanzania.

Dorchester has stakes in Stallion Group Holdings in the British Virgin Islands, which belongs to the richest Indian in the Gulf, Sunil Vaswani. He is worth a reported $7.5bn, according to Forbes magazine.

Five layers of offshore companies lead to the Cement Company of Northern Nigeria (CCNN).

Sokoto East Senator Dr Ibrahim Gobir was the chairman of CCNN before becoming a politician. The Panama Papers show he remained a shareholder.

Following a similar path of offshore companies leads you to LabioFam Asia, part of a Cuban state company that specialises in medicine, pesticides and perfumes. Labiofam was run by Cuban leader Fidel Castros cousin, Jose Antonio Fraga Castro, until his death in 2012.

Dorchester jointly holds shares in Westmead Holdings Ltd of Cyprus with two Malaysian billionaires, Lee Shin Cheng and Lee Yeow Chor, who lead multibillion-dollar palm oil business IOI Group. Fuchs was also invested in Kibo Mining of South Africa, which owned concessions in Tanzania.

Dorchester International also has numerous sister companies sharing the same name but registered in other offshore jurisdictions.

Company formation agent

Group Chesterfield, not to be confused with the insurance company, Chesterfield Group, has offices in London, Ireland, Isle of Man, Cyprus, and The Bahamas.

Property records show Fuchs company owns the London premises, and Dorchester International is the named director of a number of Chesterfields registered entities.

If youve got a company formation agent registered and that company formation agent is forming companies for you then thats immediately suspicious, says Benton. I cant see how youd even be allowed to do that. Theres no checks and balances there, are there?

Nearly all of Fuchs companies appear to have been incorporated by Chesterfield, which is almost always the registered secretary of his offshore companies. Chesterfield denies it is owned by Fuchs and says it does not primarily form companies for him.

Ukraine

Besides buying frozen assets linked to the former president of Ukraine, and his own company formation agency, Fuchs has invested in oil and gas in the country.

The Russia-based oligarch visits Ukraine regularly. On one occasion, his armed security guards confronted a journalist from Radio Free Liberty who had filmed Fuchs private jet arriving at Kiev airport. The following day, his PR representatives sent the journalist an apology.

Since 2014, Fuchs has stepped up investments in oil and gas in Ukraine, investing in at least four major local oil, gas and coal mining assets reported to have formerly been controlled by Yanukovich and his associates.

According to Ukrainian Pravda newspaper, Fuchs has purchased several oil and gas mining assets that formerly belonged to former government ministers Edward Stavitsky and Yuri Boyko.

Fuchs family

Fuchs has a brother, Roman, who is also in business. He is connected to at least 35 Russian companies, including a chain of over 280 restaurants. Roman is co-director of two of Fuchs major offshore companies, including Belize-registered Quadrill Investment.

With his wife, Fuchs co-owns a prestigious six-bedroom home in Londons most exclusive neighbourhood, Belgravia. It features two vaults in the basement and was purchased in 2012 for about $40m.

Records show he also owns property at 15 Central Park West in New York City, dubbed the worlds most powerful address, as well as having owned a luxury condo in Miami.

His daughter, Anastasia, married the grandson of one of Libyan dictator Muammar Gadaffis henchmen in a plush ceremony in the French Riviera last year.

Pavel Fuchs declined to comment for this story.Almost four years since Yanukovichs removal, estimated $1.5bn in stolen assets remain outside the countrys coffers.

Tyres burning in the streets, tents pitched in the centre of the capital behind barricades, people on stage and an audience demanding an end to a corrupt government.

This was a typical scene in Ukraines capital, Kiev, between November 2013 and February 2014.

Public protests in Maidan Nezalezhnosti, or Independence Square, culminated in bloody unrest that toppled Ukraines pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovich  events now branded as the Revolution of Dignity.

We managed to get rid of Yanukovich along with his party and directed our country towards the European Union. But these two objectives were not the main reason why people were standing in the streets, said Anna Stetsko, who was involved in the uprising from the beginning  first as a food distributor and later as a coordinator of a volunteer emergency medical team.

The Maidan was about getting justice and respect for the Ukrainian people, she told Al Jazeera, referring to the protest movement by its popular name after its main location.

The public had demanded corrupt officials and Yanukovichs cronies to be prosecuted, and called for the return of assets stolen from the budget.

The new government, headed by Arseniy Yatsenyuk, promptly asked Ukraines international partners to freeze the assets and economic resources of those identified as responsible for the misappropriation of the countrys funds.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutors Office (SAPO) were established.

But the public has not seen any important results, and the current government is accused of being no better than its predecessor.

Very unfortunately, we didnt manage to destroy the corruption. Sadly, it remains just like it was [before the Maidan], said Stetsko.

Nobody important was actually jailed for corruption. The billions of stolen dollars were not returned to Ukraine, to the Ukrainian state budget. It is sad in a way.

She said it could be blamed on the fact that the government was stretched by dealing with the armed conflict in the countrys two eastern regions, where pro-Russian rebels established Luhansk Peoples Republic and Donetsk Peoples Republic in 2014  breaking away from Kiev.

We had to form a government and elect a president under emergency conditions. People did not have much choice. We didnt have well-prepared leaders, she said.

Reforms were made just because the EU was demanding them and the public was demanding them. Not all of those reforms are working. The top was changed but the middle is still the same in a lot of spheres.

They either renamed the departments where they changed the leaders but the middle people remained. For example in the police, people who used to work before the revolution are taken back, she added.

The unrest forced Yanukovich to resign in February 2014 [File: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images]

The lack of thorough reform was the main reason behind the failure to return stolen assets to the Ukrainian budget, according to Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, the executive director at Transparency International Ukraine.

He told Al Jazeera that the security services were not providing evidence fast enough, to prevent the frozen assets from being reclaimed by the people accused of corruption.

Besides, the corruption cases involving theft of billions of dollars were reviewed by unreformed lower courts alongside minor criminal cases, which slowed down the process, giving corruption room to flourish, said Yurchyshyn.

In January 2016, the General Court of the European Union in Luxembourg had to annul the freezing of assets and economic resources of five Ukrainians, including two former prime ministers, due to the lack of information confirming that they were public funds misappropriated and unlawfully transferred out of Ukraine.

The longer it takes to prove that these assets were stolen from Ukraine, the smaller the chances of their return to the countrys budget, said Yurchyshyn.

People who are suspected of corruption and whose assets are frozen, are using the courts that have not been reformed yet to have the asset arrest orders lifted, at least temporarily in Ukraine and also abroad, so that they sell them.

Al Jazeera has uncovered a similar, but more brazen scheme used by an owner of frozen assets.

An unsigned contract obtained by Al Jazeeras Investigative Unit reveals that a seller of frozen assets, which our evidence indicates is Serhiy Kurchenko  Ukrainian gas tycoon, Yanukovichs crony  did not even bother to get the arrest lifted from the assets before selling them, which is an illegal act.

The evidence indicates he owns Cyprus-based company, Quickpace, which had $160m-worth of assets arrested on suspicion of being misappropriated funds from the Ukrainian budget, and Kurchenko sold these assets to two other Ukrainian oligarchs, who hoped to get the arrest lifted themselves and make a $130m return on the $30m investment.

Yurchyshyn said there was no hope of recovering the assets that have changed hands.

Meanwhile, the people who stood on the Maidan for months to bring about change console themselves with some of the smaller achievements.

Stetsko said there were slight improvements in petty corruption in the countrys police, healthcare and education system.

A lot of people are refusing to pay bribes and taking legal actions to resolve problems. It is a tiny step, but it is quite noteworthy.

Maidan was worth it without any doubt. People had to realise that something depends on them. They started going to elections, they started to think, she said.

I hope that at least after a long, long time we will reach what we were fighting for at the Maidan.

Follow Al Jazeeras Tamila Varshalomidze on Twitter @tamila87vThe Saudi crown prince has launched an ambitious modernisation plan. But what does this mean for its religious elite?

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is presently undergoing dramatic changes in the sociopolitical domain. The drive to modernise the kingdom and open it to the world is spearheaded by the young and ambitious Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman (MBS). He is seen as the mastermind behind Riyadhs strategy to revamp the Saudi economy and limit the power of the clerics over state affairs.

We are returning to what we were before  a country of moderate Islam that is open to all religions and to the world, MBS said to international investors in Riyadh in October 2017.

Explaining his ambition to return Saudi Arabia to the path of moderate Islam, the crown prince told the Guardian that what happened in the last 30 years is not Saudi Arabia. He explicitly blamed the kingdoms turn towards ultraconservatism on the Iranian revolution in 1979 and Tehrans attempts to spread the revolution across the Middle East.

These comments are remarkable for two reasons: first, because they acknowledge that moderation is lacking in the interpretation of Islam that the Saudi state has followed; second, because they reflect the notion that the religious system currently in place hinders socioeconomic development and is not compatible with the demands of the young generation.

Yet they are also somewhat misleading as they try to deflect responsibility for the situation inside Saudi Arabia to external factors, namely the 1979 Islamic Revolution. But was it really revolutionary Iran that pushed Saudi Arabia towards ultraconservatism?

Saudi Arabia in 1979

1979 is a significant year in Saudi history by all accounts. It is famously known for the seizure of the Grand Mosque in Mecca by a group of insurgents whose goal was to overthrow the House of Saud for its perceived corruption and emulation of the West.

On November 20, around 500 armed men, led by Juhayman al-Otaybi, a Saudi Bedouin and former National Guard serviceman, seized the Grand Mosque and proclaimed that his brother-in-law Mohammed al-Qahtani was the Mahdi, or the saviour, who would cleanse the Muslim world of Western corruption.

Although the events of the 1970s indeed affected Saudi Arabia, the country did not become ultraconservative then.

During a two-week siege, hundreds of pilgrims, fighters and members of the Saudi security forces were killed. Following the revolution in Iran earlier the same year, there was a great deal of speculation that the seizure of the Grand Mosque was directed from Tehran, a suspicion that was later dispelled. The self-proclaimed Mahdi, Mohammad al-Qahtani, and the leader of the mosque takeover, al-Otaybi, could not have been inspired by the events in Iran simply because they considered the Shia heretics and their religious ambitions were irrelevant to them.

At the time when the Grand Mosque seizure took place, the Saudi monarchy was facing a spate of instability. Four years earlier, King Faisal (ruled 1964-1975), who had pushed for modernisation of the kingdom, launching the first television broadcast, implementing soicioeconomic reforms and promoting public education (including girls schools), had been assassinated by one of his nephews. Most of Saudis religious establishment had not welcomed these modernisation initiatives.

The seizure of the Grand Mosque shook the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. And when Ayatollah Khomeini, who had just overseen the passing of an Islamic republic constitution in Iran, blamed the seizure on the US and Israel, and people across the Muslim world listened to him launching deadly protests, the House of Saud was terrified. These were signs that its authority in the Muslim world as the protector of the two holy cities of Mecca and Medina was under threat.

The House of Sauds response to the crisis was to roll back King Faisals modernisation initiatives and empower the religious authorities. The government began enforcing a strict religious code, the police cracked down on businesses not closing for the five prayers and women were virtually excluded again from public life. The Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, commonly known as the religious police, visibly benefitted from the injections of government cash and took on a more prominent role in monitoring the lives of ordinary Saudis.

{articleGUID}

Although the events of the 1970s indeed affected Saudi Arabia, the country did not become ultraconservative then. Its embrace of rigid interpretations of Islam goes as far back as the 18th century when the Saud family struck a deal with an ultraconservative Islamic scholar.

The Wahhab-Saud pact

Wahhabism, cited as the official Saudi religious doctrine for which the countrys leadership has been so vehemently criticised and which MBS is looking to rebrand, is based on the teachings of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (1703-1792).

Abd al-Wahhab was an Islamic scholar from the Nejd region of the Arabian Peninsula, an avid traveller and the author of The Book of Unity, which was rejected by most of his contemporaries in Mecca and Medina. Abd al-Wahhab preached returning to the Quran and the Hadith, rejected religious innovation (bidaa) and advocated eliminating practices (such as Sufi rites and veneration of saints) that are not grounded in the Quran. He even accused other Muslims of being infidels for following practices that were, in his opinion, un-Islamic and called for strict adherence to traditional Islamic law (sharia).

There was nothing new in Abd al-Wahhabs teachings which were based on some old ideas and constituted a revival of the Hanbali doctrine in the most ultraconservative form. It was, however, his religious zeal that ultimately drove him close to the Saud family.

MBS's policies are catering to young Saudis, but they do not hold the key to power.

Muhammad ibn Saud ruled over the area of al-Diriya, today on the outskirts of Riyadh, around the time when Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab was unsuccessfully preaching in Mecca and elsewhere across the Middle East. In 1744, fleeing from Medina, Abd Al-Wahhab arrived in al-Diriya and sought protection from ibn Saud. The two formed an alliance dividing power and responsibilities: ibn Saud ruling over the military and political matters and Abd al-Wahab over the religious ones. Armed with religious legitimacy, ibn Saud expanded his rule beyond al-Diriya, establishing the first Saudi state.

The death of Abd al-Wahhab did not impact the power-sharing arrangement that had been solidified during his lifetime. The descendants of Abd al-Wahhab (the Sheikh family) remained in charge of religious affairs under Saudi rule. To this day, they legitimise the political power of the House of Saud by approving succession and endorsing the kings decisions. In exchange, the Sheikh family enjoys a privileged position in the state structures and plays a key role in the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Islamic Affairs.

A moderate Saudi Arabia?

The Wahhab-Saud pact survived more than 250 years, guaranteeing religious legitimacy for Saudi power in the Arabian Peninsula. So has its time finally come? Has it run its course and is no longer needed by the House of Saud?

In the past few years, the Saudi authorities have been gradually and cautiously limiting the extent of the Sheikh familys power. In August 2010, for example, the late King Abdullah issued a decree that only state-vetted scholars were allowed to issue fatwas.

Under King Salman, and his son  MBS, more drastic measures have been taken. In April 2016, the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice was stripped of arresting powers which curbed its policing functions. In December 2016, the king appointed more moderate clerics to the Council of Senior Scholars, the highest religious body in the country. And in 2017, music concerts were allowed, mixed public events for both genders were held, and cinemas were scheduled to reopen after 35 years.

However, the most monumental shifts are yet to take place in the Saudi power structure. The countrys legal system operates within Islamic law, which is the ultimate source of legislation in Saudi Arabia. Strictly abiding by traditional interpretations of Islamic law is a crucial element of the worldview Abd al-Wahhab introduced. This is why, in simplified terms, breaking the Saudi-Wahhabi pact would mean breaking up with this traditional interpretation and potentially codifying law rather than relying on judges to interpret it.

A more important question at this point is whether the country needs to part with its Wahhabi roots at all in order to implement reforms and open up to foreigners. The diminishing significance of religious authorities is a general trend across Gulf monarchies and it seems that Saudi Arabia is set to slowly embrace a similar model.

The Saudi religious establishment has been publicly supportive of the crown princes war on corruption and the weakening of the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice even if they feel disadvantaged as a result of these developments. The centuries-old monolithic religious structure might turn out to be a paper tiger whose fate is in the hands of the monarch.

Yet, MBS breaking up with the decades-long policy of cosying up to the religious elites in favour of modernisation, could provoke some to call it corruption and an embrace of Western influence again. It is also likely that the policies MBS is introducing would force a lot of dissenters among the clerics underground. Discontent could simmer for years before surfacing in some form or another.

MBSs policies are catering to young Saudis, but they do not hold the key to power. It is the older generation that has lived through decades of conservative rule, the disenfranchised princes whose access to power has shrunk and the vast religious elites who are now in a position of vassals that legitimise the Saudi royal family.

Many of them feel marginalised which could drive them to extremes and bring about a repeat of 1979.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.Three Ukrainian oligarchs traded part of around $1.5bn in illicit assets traced to cronies of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich, an exclusive investigation by Al Jazeera revealed on Sunday. They did so as the war-torn country struggled to return suspected misappropriated funds to its coffers.

An unsigned contract obtained by Al Jazeeras Investigative Unit identifies Alexander Onyschenko  the gas tycoon, former member of parliament and currently one of Ukraines most-wanted men  and Pavel Fuchs, a real estate tycoon who made his fortune in Moscow, as the buyers in the illegal deal.

Other documents suggest the seller was Serhiy Kurchenko  a fugitive Ukrainian gas tycoon based in Moscow who was known as Yanukovichs family wallet.

The contract obtained by Al Jazeera, revealed in The Oligarchs investigation, said Onyschenko and Fuchs paid $30m, including cash and a private jet, for the Cyprus-based company, Quickpace Limited.

That company held $160m-worth of bonds and cash, which was frozen by a Ukrainian judge as they were suspected of being proceeds of crime.

The findings were unbelievable, said Daria Kaleniuk, executive director of the Anti-Corruption Action Centre (ANTAC).

It sounds like an agreement between criminal bosses, you know? You can sign it with your blood.

It is illegal in Ukraine and abroad to trade with frozen assets.

The whole idea is Ive frozen the asset because I think its the proceeds of crime, said Jon Benton, former director of the International Corruption Unit at Britains National Crime Agency.

Its like trading in stolen goods that have been taken by the police. Youre putting the cash in the getaway car, he told Al Jazeera.

The buyers aim to make a $130m profit by persuading a judge to unfreeze the assets.

Article 4.4 of the contract said that the buyers would cooperate in taking action to remove the arrest from the accounts held by Quickpace Limited.

Looted state

Ukrainian authorities froze the assets in June 2014 across numerous companies in Cyprus, the UK, Panama, Belize and the British Virgin Islands totalling $1.5bn. It is estimated that that Yanukovich and his cronies stole far more.

Evidence found on Yanukovichs abandoned property hidden outside Kiev showed one of his clans corporate networks. Documents obtained by Al Jazeera expose another.

They reveal how Yanukovichs clan pumped stolen money into companies in Ukraine with bank accounts in Latvia and gradually passed it through dozens of offshore shell companies in Cyprus, Belize, British Virgin Islands and other money-laundering hotspots including the UK.

The philosophy of money launderers is just to create a situation where the money has moved through so many different companies and so many different countries, in so many different accounts that it would be almost impossible to recreate the trail, said Bill Browder, chief executive of Hermitage Capital.

Yanukovichs name never appeared on any of the paperwork.

The companies bear the names of nominee directors  cut-out characters who appear to be the owner of a company, but simply act on instruction by the real owner.

Ukraines new authorities started to look into the corrupt schemes after Yanukovichs removal from office in 2014.

It began a series of reforms that included the establishment of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU).

But nothing important has been achieved in terms of the prosecution of the corrupt individuals or the recovery of the stolen assets.

Resistance is very strong from the elites who are in power now and the more we investigate, the more we face this resistance, Artem Sytnyk, NABU director, told Al Jazeera.

Parliament is taking steps to sideline the management of the Anti-Corruption Agency and take control.

Nazar Holodnitsky, Ukraines special anti-corruption prosecutor, refused Al Jazeeras requests for information, saying: Until this investigation is complete, any comments, assertions regarding the existence or absence of certain documents is premature.

Onyschenko took the position that there was nothing wrong with buying a company holding frozen assets.

You can buy cheap and try to fix the problem to make money, he told Al Jazeera.

Onyschenko confirmed Fuchs and Kurchnekos role in the deal, but denied the deal went ahead.

It was like normal business, but this has not happened. We didnt buy.

However, a Cypriot lawyer and the NABU, who worked on the deal, confirmed the sale of Quickpace went through and company documents record a transfer of ownership to one of Mr Fuchss companies.

Al Jazeera obtained a record of an initial payment of $2m from an account at Barclays Bank to another at a Russian-owned Latvian bank, Norvic Banka.

Currently, Quickpace is owned by Evermore Property Holdings Limited, a company based in the British Virgin Islands, which, in turn, is owned by Dorchester International Incorporated. Fuchs is its owner.

The Oligarchs can be viewed on Al Jazeera:

Sunday, January 7  20:00 GMT

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Saturday, January 13  01:00 GMT

Sunday, January 14  06:00 GMTAl Jazeera unveils plot to profit from Ukraine billions

Secret documents reveal a plot by Eastern European oligarchs to profit from billions of dollars believed to have been stolen by the removed Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich.Arab foreign ministers are calling for international recognition of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, aiming to nullify a controversial US decision on the holy citys status.

Ayman Safadi, the Jordanian foreign minister, hosted a committee of officials from Egypt, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Palestine in Amman on Saturday to discuss the Arab Leagues response to US President Donald Trumps decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel last month.

The committee  created at an emergency meeting of the Arab League in Cairo on December 9, just days after Trumps declaration  is hoping to reverse the decision and to assert that it has no legal effect, Safadi told reporters at the summit.

We [the Arab League] will confront the decision by seeking a [UN] resolution, an international one, to recognise a Palestinian state on 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital, he said.

We have specific requests, the most important of which is the recognition of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital according to the June 4, 1967, borders.

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmad Abu Al-Ghait attended the summit in the Jordanian capital Amman [Shadi Nsoor/Anadolu]

Based on the discussions, ministers will make further recommendations to a full meeting of the Arab League, due to be held at the end of this month, Safadi added.

Al Jazeeras Mohammed Jamjoom, reporting from Ramallah, said the summit revealed that Arab leaders feel more pressure should be applied to the international community on the issue of a future Palestinian state.

Theyre calling for an emergency meeting within the next few weeks to discuss the issue [and] to try to take it up with more urgency to ensure that, once again, this is very much on the agenda  not just for Arab governments, but also for the international community, he said.

Divide in the Arab world

The summit was held as a report published by the New York Times on Saturday asserted that while Egypts government was publicly condemning Trumps Jerusalem move, a state intelligence officer was asking influential TV hosts in the country to persuade their viewers to accept it.

The report was based on audio recordings obtained by the Times, in which Ashraf al-Kholi, the intelligence officer, can be heard telling the hosts that Egypt, like its Arab brothers, are denouncing this matter, but that after that, this thing will become a reality.

The report has raised questions about the level of consensus among Arab countries on the issue of Jerusalem, underscoring how complicated the issue of Jerusalem has become in the region, Jamjoom said.

You have the public condemnation by Arab countries of Trumps decision, but then on the other hand, especially among ordinary citizens, they say that Arab leaders simply arent doing enough to stand in solidarity with their Palestinian brethren at a time when they really need them to rally to the cause, our correspondent said.

International condemnation

Trumps Jerusalem decision has prompted widespread condemnation from many leaders throughout the Middle East, as well as from the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

On December 21, 128 members of the UNGA voted in favour of a resolution rejecting Trumps decision. Nine countries  including the United States  voted against the resolution, and 35 abstained.

The status of Jerusalem, home to sites holy to Muslims, Jews and Christians, is one of the core issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. After occupying the citys eastern part in the 1967 War, Israel annexed the territory and proclaimed it as its eternal, undivided capital.

Palestinians, however, see East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.Bangladesh, Myanmar set to implement Rohingya repatriation deal

Bangladesh and Myanmar say they are ready to go ahead with a plan to bring Rohingya refugees back home.Salman al-Awda detained over refusal to tweet specific text to support the Saudi-led blockade of Qatar, his family says.

A prominent Muslim scholar has been detained by Saudi Arabia for the past four months without charge, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said.

Saudi authorities detained Salman al-Awda on September 7 and later imposed travel bans on members of Awdas family, the US-based rights group said on Sunday.

A family member told HRW that Awda was being held over his refusal to comply with an order by Saudi authorities to tweet a specific text to support the Saudi-led blockade of Qatar.

Instead, Awda posted a tweet on September 9, saying: May God harmonize between their hearts for the good of their people  an apparent call for reconciliation between the Gulf countries, HRW said in a statement.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt imposed a boycott against Qatar on June 5, accusing Doha of aiding terrorists and having close ties with Iran. Qatar denies the allegations.

The family member cited by HRW said that authorities permitted Awda only one phone call in October.

Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salmans efforts to reform the Saudi economy and society are bound to fail if his justice system scorns the rule of law by ordering arbitrary arrests and punishments, said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at HRW.

Theres no justification for punishing family members of a detainee without showing even the slightest evidence or accusation of wrongdoing on their part.

Saudi crackdown

According to HRW, Awda was among the first of dozens of people detained in mid-September as part of a crackdown against what Saudi authorities said were those acting for the benefit of foreign parties against the security of the kingdom and its interests.

Saudi Arabia carried out another wave of arrests in November against people they accused of corruption and held many at five-star hotels until they agreed to turn over assets to the state.

Awdas brother, Khaled, was also held after he tweeted about his brothers detention, media reported. He remains in detention, according to HRW.

Saudi authorities imposed travel bans on 17 members of Awdas family, according to HRW.

If Mohammad bin Salman wants to show that a new era has begun in Saudi Arabia, a refreshing first step would be the release of activists and dissidents who have never been charged with a recognisable crime and should never have gone to jail in the first place, Whitson said.At least 17 killed and dozens injured in Syrian government bombardments on the weekend, monitors report.

At least 17 civilians have been killed in aerial bombardments carried out by Syrian government forces in Eastern Ghouta, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

A series of attacks carried out on Saturday in the district killed 12 people in the Hammuriyeh area, three in Arbin city and two in Medyara, the British-based monitor said.

According to the Syrian Civil Defence, four children and two women were among those killed in the raid on Hammuriyeh.

12 civilians were killed  including 4 children and 2 women  , +40 injured in a horrific attack by #Russian warplanes forces on civilians in #Hamouriyah

city in #EasternGhouta. pic.twitter.com/THWk1PpiEM  Ahmad Alyousef (@AHMADscd7) January 6, 2018

The death toll from Saturdays attacks was expected to rise, with at least 25 other people injured, some of whom were in critical condition, the SOHR said.

The Syrian Civil Defence reported that more than 40 people were injured during the raid on Hammuriyeh alone.

Government assaults on Eastern Ghouta, situated on the outskirts of the Syrian capital, Damascus, have been frequent in recent weeks and are believed to be part of the Syrian governments strategy to retake rebel-held positions.

At least 23 civilians were killed by government air raids in rebel-held parts of the district on January 3. The total number of casualties in the region has reached 96  including 40 women and children  since December 29, according to the SOHR.

Al Jazeera could not independently verify the figures.

Horrific spate of attacks

Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, an adviser to a coalition of medical charities operating in Syria, told Al Jazeera from the UK city of Salisbury that more than 120 children were in need of urgent medical care in the region.

The last 10 days have been horrific in terms of the amount of attacks, particularly over the Christmas and the New Year period, he said.

We have seen over 10 hospitals attacked and put out of commission in both Eastern Ghouta and Idlib province, [and] what we absolutely need in Syria is a ceasefire so that those seriously injured children get treated.

Eastern Ghouta is one of a handful of so-called de-escalation zones in Syria, where military activity is prohibited under a ceasefire agreement endorsed last year by Turkey, Russia and Iran.

The area is one of the last rebel strongholds in the country and is home to some 400,000 people. A four-year government siege has led to a humanitarian crisis, with severe shortages of food and medicine.Crew of 32 missing after tanker collides with freighter roughly 300km off the coast of Shanghai.

An Iranian oil tanker collided with a bulk freighter and caught fire off Chinas eastern coast, leaving its entire crew of 32 missing, most of them Iranians, authorities said.

The collision between the Sanchi and the Chinese freighter occurred on Saturday evening roughly 300km off Shanghai, where the Yangtze River meets the East China Sea.

The missing  30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis  are all from the Sanchi tanker, which spilled oil and was floating while still burning early on Sunday, Chinese maritime authorities said.

Al Jazeeras Rob McBride, reporting from Beijing, said Chinese authorities dispatched specialised vessels to the scene to limit the damage from the oil spilling out of the tanker.

The main priority is finding the missing crew members of the Sanchi, but a big concern is the blaze and the oil aboard the ship. It was heading north carrying about 136,000 tonnes of refined oil for South Korea, McBride said.

There have been reports of oil in the water. The East China Sea is shared by China, South Korea and also some of the southern islands of Japan. There will be a lot of concern in all of those countries about any developing slick and which direction it may be heading, he added.

It was not immediately clear what caused the collision.

The Sanchi ship has operated under five different names since it was built in 2008, according to the UN-run International Maritime Organization (IMO).

The IMO listed its registered owner as Hong Kong-based Bright Shipping Ltd, care of the National Iranian Tanker Co, a publicly traded company based in Tehran.

It is the second collision for a ship from the National Iranian Tanker Co in less than a year and a half. In August 2016, one of its tankers collided with a Swiss container ship in the Singapore Strait, damaging both ships but causing no injuries or oil to spill.Bethlehem, occupied West Bank  Israel has published a list of 20 international groups whose members will be barred from entering the country due to their support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

The so-called blacklist, which was released on Sunday by Israels strategic affairs ministry, includes organisations based in a number of European countries, as well as the United States, Chile and South Africa.

The BDS movement is a Palestinian-led nonviolent campaign launched more than a decade ago seeking to end Israels occupation of the Palestinian territories. It demands equal rights for Palestinians by putting pressure on the Israeli government via economic and cultural boycotts.

Israel has long tried to to squash the movement, and Sundays move is seen as a continuation of a March 2017 decision to amend its entry law, permitting Israeli authorities to bar entrance to activists who promote the boycott of Israel or its illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Gilad Erdan, Israels strategic affairs minister, called the newly-published BDS registry another step in our work to thwart anti-Israel boycott organisations.

BDS blacklist According to Israels ministry of strategic affairs, the banned groups are:

Europe: AFPS (The Association France Palestine Solidarite) BDS France BDS Italy ECCP (The European Coordination of Committees and Associations for Palestine) FOA (Friends of Al Aqsa) IPSC (Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign) Norge Palestinakomitee (The Palestine Committee of Norway) Palestinagrupperna i Sverige (PGS- Palestine Solidarity Association in Sweden) PSC (Palestine Solidarity Campaign) War on Want BDS Kampagne United States: AFSC (American Friends Service Committee) AMP (American Muslims for Palestine) Code Pink JVP (Jewish Voice for Peace) NSJP (National Students for Justice in Palestine) USCPR (US Campaign for Palestinian Rights) BNC (BDS National Committee) Latin America: BDS Chile Africa: BDS South Africa

The State of Israel will actively prevent such groups from spreading their falsehoods and odious methods from within the country, he said in a statement on Sunday.

A tactic to silence people

Israels move elicited a variety of responses from the targeted groups, with some expressing disappointment and condemnation, and others hailing it as a clear victory for the BDS movement.

Shamiul Joarder, head of public affairs at Friends of Al Aqsa (FOA), one of the banned groups, said the list was evidence that BDS is working.

Israel sees this as a deterrent, but I think that people will be even more dedicated to the cause, he told Al Jazeera, adding that such policies could end up having positive effects for the movement.

Calling the move a tactic to silence people, Joarder said the list was meant to intimidate our supporters and members and to scare people from being active and resisting the occupation.

Also included in the list is the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), a group that won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1947 partly for its work rescuing and providing relief to Jews during the Holocaust.

Responding to the ban, the AFSC said in a statement that it had been supporting nonviolent resistance for more than 100 years -and had no plans of stopping now.

We answered the call for divestment from apartheid South Africa and we have done the same with the call for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions from Palestinians who have faced decades of human rights violations, said Kerri Kennedy, AFSCs associate general-secretary for international programmes.

We will continue to stand up for peace and justice in Israel, occupied Palestine, and around the world.

We will not be bullied

A spokesperson for Israels ministry of strategic affairs told Al Jazeera that the list did not represent a blanket ban on all members of the organisations, but the entry of their members would be considered on a case by case basis.

Those who would be banned, the spokesperson said, were the main activists who have demonstrated ongoing, consistent and significant action to promote and advance the boycott of Israel.

The spokesperson added that an inter-ministerial committee was working out the criteria that would necessitate barring an activists entry into Israel.

But activists said the new policy represented a broader crackdown on nonviolent Palestinian rights movements aimed at holding Israel accountable to international law.

Rebecca Vilkomerson, executive director of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), which was also included in the list, said Israels move was disconcerting but not surprising.

We will not be bullied by these attempts to punish us for a principled political stance that increasing numbers of Jews and non-jews support worldwide, she said in a statement, while noting Israels erosion of democratic norms and its rising anxiety about the power of BDS as a tool to demand freedom.

Ahmad Tibi, a member of the Arab Joint List, a coalition of parties representing Palestinian citizens of Israel in the Knesset, said it was ironic that Israel  a self-proclaimed Jewish state  is permitting figures such as Austrian far-right leader Hans-Christian Strache to visit the country while banning the members of JVP.

You cannot ban groups who are against settlements, occupation and apartheid and still call yourself a democracy, Tibi told Al Jazeera.

As for Vilkomerson, who has family in Israel, the ban would be a personal hardship.

She was quick to add, however, that she was heartened by the fact that it signaled the BDS movements growing strength.

[I] hope that it will bring the day closer when just as I go to visit my friends and family in Israel, so will Palestinian friends and colleagues be able to return home, she said.Kashmir: Funerals held for policemen killed in IED blast

Funerals have been held for four policemen killed in a bomb attack in the town of Sopore, about 50km northwest of Srinagar city, in the northern part of Indian administered Kashmir.The 92-year-old will attempt to lead the opposition to victory against embattled current leader Najib Razak.

Malaysias long-serving former leader Mahathir Mohamad will run in this years election as head of an opposition alliance  a move that poses a significant threat to Prime Minister Najib Razak who is mired in corruption allegations.

Mahathir, 92, was chosen on Sunday to lead the opposition after putting aside a decades-old feud with popular politician Anwar Ibrahim, who is currently jailed on a conviction for sodomy.

Anwars wife, Wan Azizah, will run alongside Mahathir in a bid to be deputy prime minister.

If the opposition alliance wins, it plans to pardon Anwar and install him as prime minister, its Secretary-General Saifuddin Abdullah said.

Malaysias election must be called by August, but speculation is mounting it will be held in the next few months.

The decision to pick Mahathir as candidate was endorsed by senior leaders of the four-party coalition, Pact of Hope, at their convention outside of Kuala Lumpur, rousing cheers by hundreds of supporters.

Our great focus is to save our beloved country, Mahathir said in a speech. It wasnt easy for the parties that were my enemies before to accept me, but they are aware of the importance of bringing down the current government.

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Known for his authoritarian ways, Mahathir returned to political life after stepping aside 15 years ago, to take on Najib amid public anger over corruption accusations involving state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

In civil lawsuits, the US Justice Department has alleged about $4.5bn was misappropriated from 1MDB.

The fund has denied any wrongdoing, and Najib  who founded 1MDB in 2009  has denied all allegations. He was also cleared of wrongdoing by Malaysias attorney general.

Najibs United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) has led the country in a coalition since independence from Britain in 1957.

Anwar, 70, was once a protege of Mahathir, but they had a falling out in the late 1990s. Mahathir sacked Anwar as deputy prime minister and he was later jailed for sodomy and corruption  charges he dismissed as politically motivated.

Mahathir acknowledged the suffering of Anwar and his family on Sunday.

I know how Anwar feels. It was during my administration that he was sent to [prison]. It is not easy for him to accept me and shake my hand, The Malaysia Insight quoted Mahathir as saying.

And its not just Anwar but his family as well who felt pressure when he was jailed. They suffered for 20 years.Some 5,500 Nigerians trapped in Libya while attempting to reach Europe to be evacuated amid reports of slavery and rape.

Nigeria is flying out thousands of its citizens from Libya who face grave abuses such as rape and slavery as they attempt to reach Europe through the war-torn North African nation.

Large numbers of Nigerians have been trapped in Libya where they were trying to cross to Italy by sea, but were stopped by local armed factions and the Libyan coastguard.

Nigerian officials on a fact-finding mission to Libya expressed shock at what they saw and heard from victims.

They talked about various abuse  systematic, endemic, and exploitation of all kinds, said Nigerias Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey Onyeama. There were obviously interests that wanted to keep as many of them there as possible because they were commodities.

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Al Jazeeras Ahmed Idris, reporting from the Libyan capital Tripoli, said Nigerians there told of abuses such as slavery, rape, imprisonment, and torture.

These happened either in the hands of the authorities or people-smugglers, Idris said.

The journey back home for them is a mixed bag. A lot of them are happy that they are free at last, but disappointed that many lost so much in this country and they are going back with nothing.

Thousands to be evacuated

Citizens of Nigeria, the most-populated country on the African continent, have been the largest group of migrants travelling to Libya to try and cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe.

Nigerias government said the rescue flights will continue for as long as necessary, estimating that about 5,500 people would be flown back to their country.

If Ill die, I want to die in my country. I have suffered so much in the last few months after I left my great country of Nigeria, a migrant waiting to fly back home told Al Jazeera, warning others not to make the same mistake he made.

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Another said he wanted to go to Italy when he reached Libya. But now in this situation, I want to go back to my country.

The UNs International Organization for Migration said 171,635 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea during 2017, with nearly 70 percent arriving in Italy. The remainder were divided among Greece, Cyprus and Spain.

This compared with 363,504 arrivals during the same period in 2016, according to the agency.Cut off from the rest of Jerusalem by Israels separation wall, the densely populated area suffers from severe neglect.

Kufr Aqab, occupied East Jerusalem  Construction never ends in Kufr Aqab. Cranes and bulldozers are perpetually growling, sifting through concrete and dirt to make room for thousands of Palestinians moving into this densely populated Jerusalem neighbourhood.

Kufr Aqab and Shuafat refugee camp  consisting of eight neighbourhoods that house at least 140,000 Palestinians  have been cut off from the rest of Jerusalem by Israels separation wall.

While these areas are governed by Israel, they are located on the West Bank side of Israels wall, declared illegal by the International Court of Justice more than a decade ago.

Kufr Aqab and Shuafat refugee camp are neglected by the Jerusalem municipality, but beyond the control of the Palestinian Authority (PA). Police are absent and municipal services are limited.

All of these people are living here solely to keep their Jerusalem IDs, Moien Odeh, a Jerusalem-based legal expert, told Al Jazeera, gesturing to a sea of high-rise buildings in Kufr Aqab.

The lack of available land means that these homes are built higher and higher to accommodate an exploding population, estimated to be about 65,000.

Most Palestinians here are escaping a housing crisis and soaring prices in Jerusalem, while couples with mixed IDs  Jerusalem and West Bank  are forced to live in the area simply to stay together.

We used to have a beautiful life

Piles of rubbish cover roadsides in Kufr Aqab and overflow from dumpsters, growing larger each day as residents wait for the municipalitys infrequent rubbish collection services.

Munir Zaghayer, who heads Kufr Aqabs neighbourhood committee, remembers when Kufr Aqab was a scenic and upscale Jerusalem neighbourhood. We used to have a beautiful life here, he said.

Zaghayer moved to Kufr Aqab from Jerusalems Old City in 1962. Before the wall was built, the population in Kufr Aqab did not exceed 12,000, he said.

However, when Israel constructed the separation wall, the neighbourhood started transforming. Israel had implemented policies more than a half-century ago that would determine Kufr Aqabs fate.

In 1967, when Israel occupied and subsequently annexed East Jerusalem, Palestinians in East Jerusalem were not granted Israeli citizenship, but were instead issued Jerusalem residency status.

The lack of available land means that homes are built higher and higher to accommodate an exploding population [Jaclynn Ashly/Al Jazeera]

Palestinians with Jerusalem IDs must consistently prove to Israel that Jerusalem is the centre of their life, or else face the revocation of their residency. Almost 15,000 Palestinians have had their Jerusalem IDs revoked since 1967, according to Human Rights Watch.

Following its takeover of East Jerusalem, Israel reduced the land zoned for Palestinian construction to some 13 percent, most of which was already built up. A housing crisis in Palestinian neighbourhoods ensued, followed by routine Israeli demolition campaigns carried out on Palestinian homes and structures, as residents were forced to build without permits.

But in Kufr Aqab, Israel ceased enforcing its municipal regulations once the wall was built, making home demolitions extremely rare. Coupled with the cheaper cost of living, this prompted tens of thousands of Palestinian Jerusalem residents to flock to the neighbourhood. Since Kufr Aqab is still within Jerusalems municipal borders, Palestinians moving there can maintain their Jerusalem residency.

Yet the municipality fails to provide basic services to the neighbourhoods beyond the wall, including education, waste removal and road maintenance. The residents receive just two days of running water a week, despite paying municipal and other taxes.

Discrimination and neglect

Odeh says Israels neglect has reached a discriminatory level, noting that as of 2015, the entire budget for improving infrastructure in Jerusalem was 880 million shekels ($256m)  but Kufr Aqab and Shuafat refugee camp were allocated just 800,000 shekels ($233,000) between them.

Theres discrimination against all Palestinian communities in East Jerusalem, Odeh told Al Jazeera. But its nothing like what communities face on the other side of the wall.

When the neighbourhood does receive services, the city hires private sub-contractors, who deliver the services as cheaply as possible. This involves burning rubbish, smoke from which poses serious health risks, and hiring as few workers as possible, Odeh said.

Kufr Aqab resident Hamdi Abu Saada told Al Jazeera that traffic was one of the worst aspects of life here. To visit relatives or go to work in Jerusalem, he must enter the city through Israels congested Qalandiya checkpoint, forcing him to endure a two-hour commute each day  even though his workplace is just several hundred metres from his home on the other side of the wall.

Its painful, Abu Saada said. I live on the 10th floor of my building. I can see everything in front of me, but I cant reach it.

Piles of rubbish cover roadsides in Kufr Aqab and overflow from dumpsters [Jaclynn Ashly/Al Jazeera]

At least 2,000 Palestinian couples in Kufr Aqab are living there solely because one of the spouses has a West Bank ID, Zaghayer said.

Palestinians with West Bank IDs are not allowed to cross Israeli checkpoints into Jerusalem or Israel without Israeli-issued permits. Kufr Aqab, like other Jerusalem neighbourhoods cut off by the wall, is a place where Palestinians with Jerusalem IDs can live with their West Bank spouses without endangering their residency status.

Jihad Hadross, 39, moved to Kufr Aqab from the small village of Deir Ballut in the Salfit district of the occupied West Bank five years ago after marrying his wife from Jerusalems Old City. He has been waiting for six years to receive a permit through Israels family reunification process that would allow him to live in Jerusalem with his wife. We live in this place just to wait, he told Al Jazeera.

When Hadross two children, who have Jerusalem ID numbers, become sick, he cannot accompany them to the hospitals in Jerusalem. He has also missed out on countless school events and activities, unable to obtain an Israeli permit in time to enter Jerusalem.

Its a very difficult life, Hadross told Al Jazeera. But we live our lives with the hope that things will change.

Its a very difficult life, Jihad Hadross says. But we live our lives with the hope that things will change [Jaclynn Ashly/Al Jazeera]

Other couples in Kufr Aqab have been waiting for up to 10 years for their spouses to receive permission to live in Jerusalem on the other side of the wall, Hadross said.

Its a waiting game, he said. The Israelis dont say no to you, but they make you wait for years, with the hope that you will just give up and move to the West Bank.

Once a couple moves to the West Bank, the Jerusalem resident loses the right to live in Jerusalem.

I feel very lonely here, Hadross said, taking a slow drag from a cigarette. Im not sure what will happen with us. But I know that I do not want to continue living in Kufr Aqab. No one does.

Pushing Palestinians out

According to Odeh, the lack of municipal services and the problems facing couples with different IDs are all part of Israels long-term goal: push Palestinians out of Jerusalem.

The municipalitys decision not to enforce building regulations in Kufr Aqab and Shuafat refugee camp was meant to create a mass influx of Palestinians to these areas beyond the wall, Odeh said.

Israeli leaders have been discussing for years the possibility of removing these areas from Jerusalems municipality.

Israel wants to make the Palestinian population to be about five to 10 percent of Jerusalems population, Odeh said, noting that this is done through the systematic expulsion of Palestinians from the citys limits and policies aimed at increasing the number of Jewish residents.

Palestinians in Kufr Aqab fear that if the area is removed from Jerusalems municipality, Israel will then make moves to strip them of their Jerusalem IDs.

Israel wants a land without a people, Odeh said. This is why this land is considered Israeli, but its people are not. They want Jerusalem to be a Jewish city.

Follow Jaclynn Ashly on Twitter: @jaclynnashlyItalys coastguard recovers bodies of eight female refugees and rescues 86 others in the first such shipwreck of 2018.

At least eight refugees have died and 86 others were rescued off the coast of Libya after a rubber dinghy ran into trouble in what is believed to be the first Mediterranean shipwreck of 2018.

Italys coastguard said an aircraft on patrol for a European anti-smuggling operation spotted the dinghy on Saturday morning.

Sergio Liardo, an Italian coastguard commander, told Italian state TV RaiNews24 that it appears the dinghy deflated after a puncture.

When rescuers arrived in the early afternoon, some 20 people were still in the dinghy while others were in the water.

All eight victims were women, Liardo said.

Rescue agencies said many more were still missing, and said the death toll could be as high as 25.

Proactiva Open arms, a Spanish humanitarian group, said some people on the boat spent hours in the water before being saved.

Shipwreck off the coast of Libya, east of Tripoli. Dozens of people missing who will die without a burial, it said in a Twitter post.

#ULTIMAHORA Naufragio frente a las costas #Libia Este de Tripoli. Tras horas en el agua, rescatadas @guardiacostiera 86 personas con vida, 8 cadaveres y decenas de desaparecidos que se convertiran en muertos sin sepultura.

Arranca el contador de ahogados 2018 #Mediterraneo pic.twitter.com/BJMJpwo0sU  Open Arms (@openarms_fund) January 6, 2018

Sea Watch, a German charity, said it had been alerted to the disaster by Italys coastguard, which believed 150 people had been aboard.

Al Jazeeras Mahmoud Abdel Wahed, reporting from the Libyan capital, Tripoli, said the boat had set sail from the eastern town of Garbouli.

Libyas coast guard says it had no role in the rescue operation and that it was taken care of by Italys coast guard, he said. The boat was small and in a bad condition  it capsized in international waters. The Libyan coast guard said they cannot spot these boats because they are usually small, unless there is a distress call.

The International Organization for Migration describes the Mediterranean Sea as the worlds deadliest border. Last year, 3,116 people died trying to cross from North Africa to Europe, it said.

More than 119,000 refugees and asylum seekers arrived in Italy by sea last year, it said. The figure is roughly one-third drop over the previous year.Push by government troops causes thousands of civilians to head towards Turkish border in freezing winter conditions.

Syrian government troops and allied forces are advancing in an offensive to gain ground in northwestern Idlib province, the countrys largest remaining rebel-held territory.

The push has forced thousands of civilians to flee towards the border with Turkey in freezing winter conditions, according to humanitarian groups.

The operations main target appears to be the rebel-held airbase of Abu Zuhour on the southeastern edge of Idlib, a province largely dominated by Hayet Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former al-Qaeda affiliated group.

On Sunday, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group, reported that forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad had gained control over the town of Sinjar, less than 20km from the airbase.

The pro-government forces also want to secure the Damascus-Aleppo road that cuts through Idlib, which was captured by rebels in 2015.

Supported by Iran-backed militias and Russian air power, Assads troops have since late October recaptured rebel-held territory in Idlib and also seized dozens of villages in the northern parts of the nearby Hama province.





Big need

Idlib is supposed to be one of the so-called de-escalation zones set up in Syria last year with the backing of Russia, Iran and Turkey.

The plan was aimed at halting fighting and offering safety to civilians in those four areas: Idlib province, East Ghouta, northern Homs province and the countrys south.

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However, the Syrian government and its allies have not abided by the deal and continue to target all areas included in the deal, apart from the south.

As fighting continues, human rights groups have expressed concern that a full-blown government offensive in Idlib could cause large-scale destruction and further displacement.

Abdusselam El Sherif, a spokesman for IHH, a Turkish humanitarian group, said the push has already had a significant effect on civilians.

Speaking to Al Jazeera from the Turkish province of Kilis near the Syrian border, El Sherif said that 23,775 families  more than 100,000 people  had fled southern Idlib and eastern Hama this week due to heavy bombardment.

The majority of them have reached the Syrian-Turkish border, he said.

They are distributed in many camps, where there is a big need for food items and clothing, added El Sherif.

According to the UN, Idlib is home to an estimated 2.6 million Syrians, including many internally displaced people who have already fled fighting elsewhere in the country.US president describes inter-Korean talks as a big start, says they would not be happening without his tough stance.

US President Donald Trump said he would be willing to talk to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on the phone, but not without conditions.

I always believe in talking, Trump briefly told reporters on Saturday.

Absolutely, I would do that, he said when asked if he would be willing to talk to the North Korean leader.

Trump also said he hoped the upcoming talks between North and South Korea on Pyongyangs participation in the 2018 Winter Olympics would ease tensions over the North Koreas missiles and nuclear programme.

The high-level talks, to be held on January 9, will be the first such communications in more than two years.

Trump said he very much wants to see it work out between the two countries, and took credit for the rapprochement.

Without my rhetoric and tough stance, he said, they wouldnt be talking.

The US president and the North Korean leader have repeatedly traded barbs in the past  Trump has called Kim rocket man, while Kim described Trump as a dotard.

Earlier this week, Trump responded furiously to Kims taunt of a nuclear button, by saying his button was bigger and more powerful.

The offer for talks on Olympic cooperation also came after South Korea and the US announced they would postpone joint military exercises that rile North Korea. Pyongyang says the war games held multiple times each year are a precursor to an American-led invasion.

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Trump described the inter-Korean dialogue as a big start.

If something can happen and something can come out of those talks, that would be a great thing for all of humanity, that would be a great thing for the world, he said.

South Koreas Yonhap news agency said on Sunday that North Koreas five-member delegation to the talks will be led by Ri Son Gwon, head of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland.

Cho Myoung-gyon, South Koreas unification minister, will head the delegation from Seoul.

The talks are to be held in the border village of Panmunjom.As students moved back to campus for the semester, UF Housing and Residence Education notified those who live on campus of a three-hour long power outage that affected parts of campus.

Buildings on the east side of campus lost power Saturday morning, UF spokesperson Janine Sikes said. The three-hour outage, which started at 7:15 a.m., was due to a equipment failure at a substation on Archer Road, said Peveeta Persuad, a Duke Energy spokesperson. Duke Power notified UF officials that it was working to restore power at 9:15 a.m. By about 10 a.m., power came back on.

Sikes couldn't confirm which buildings were affected, but Duke Energy said some of the buildings included the Cancer and Genetics Research Complex and Emerging Pathogens Institute.

After the power was restored, Duke Energy and UF Facilities Services continued to check the system to ensure power stayed on, Sikes said.

WUFT tweeted the outage affected their offices in Weimer Hall and disrupted their radio services on channels 89.1, 90.1 and 102.7. ESPNs Gainesville channel and 103.7 also went offline, according to the tweet.

UF Health Shands Hospital clinical areas were unaffected by the outage, said spokesperson Nickie Doria.

Matt Bizer, a UF chemical engineering senior, said he read a mass email from UF Housing and Residence Education before he left Orlando to go back to Gainesville Saturday morning.

Although he was concerned about unpacking in the dark, Bizer said his resident assistant texted him that the outage didnt affect his dorm, the Keys Residential Complex.

It was what I expected when I walked in, but it was relieving that it was resolved, the 21-year-old said.

Correction: An earlier version of this story stated some residence hall's lost power. It is unknown which buildings lost power.

Contact staff writer Meryl Kornfield at mkornfield@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @merylkornfield.

Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe NowDACA and the Rule of Law

In its introductory section on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA immigration policy, Wikipedia closes by citing the findings of several studies  to wit, that DACA decreased the number of "unauthorized" immigrant households living in poverty and that it increased mental health outcomes for those households. According to "most economists," DACA benefited the economy. (What other economists say on this point is not mentioned here or elsewhere in the Wikipedia entry.) And "there is no evidence that DACA-eligible individuals are more likely to commit crimes than any other person in the US." In other words, if an "unauthorized" alien benefits from entering the U.S., and, "according to most economists," the economy benefits as well, and the alien commits no more crimes than average (not including the crime he committed by illegally entering the country), the law that prohibited his entry should be ignored.

To put it in another context, say a man "without authorization" kills another man. Before we assess any penalty, we must first assess whether the loss of the victim is a net positive or negative for society. Did he have a job, or was he on welfare? (Was he Democrat or Republican?) Such reasoning puts economic considerations above the law. It puts materialistic concerns above concerns for justice. Some, no doubt, would deny this. They would point to some "unauthorized" alien minor and contend that the minor did no wrong, and so, were he deported to his parents' nation of origin, that would be the injustice. The problem with this is that the people whose laws were violated did no wrong, either. So why should they be prevented from enforcing their laws? There is a third party to consider as well, comprising those seeking to immigrate into the United States legally. To the extent that illegal immigration occurs, there is less opportunity for these prospective legal immigrants. They did nothing wrong, either, yet they are the ones receiving the real punishment. Do we, on account of "economic considerations," forget about them? Are they somehow less economically beneficial to the United States than illegal  I mean, "unauthorized"  aliens? Would they be less likely to assimilate and to become law-abiding citizens than those who, from the very start, violate the laws of the United States without consequence? Obviously not. Obviously, the opposite is true. But the illegal aliens are here, and the ones seeking to be legal immigrants are not here. Possession, they say, is nine tenths of the law. But there does remain that pesky other tenth, which is guided not by possession (or economic considerations), but by the demands of justice. If we look to justice, it gives no answer, for the minor is not to blame, the laws and the people who enacted them and want them enforced are not to blame, and those seeking legal entry are not to blame. So who is to blame? First, the parents are to blame. One can understand and be sympathetic toward their crime, but it is a crime nonetheless. Failing to deport a minor because the minor himself is not to blame rewards the crime. Can a nation that professes to honor the rule of law reward those who break it? Can a nation that rewards the breaking of a law hope or expect its immigrants to assimilate into a law-abiding a society when, through that very process, it demonstrates its disregard, if not contempt for the law? Second, those Democrats who, for perceived political purposes, facilitated such illegal entries are to blame  as are Republicans who, fearing political backlash, did not oppose such measures. Given the demands of politics, the role of both in this matter may, like that of the parents, be understandable. The one who really merits the greatest blame and condemnation is Barack Obama. This is not because he was a Democrat seeking to bring in more Democrat voters  coming from a partisan Democrat politician, this is understandable. But Obama was more than a Democrat  he was the president, sworn to "preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States." Under the Constitution, it is clear that the enactment of laws lies with the Legislative Branch of government. It is also clear that immigration policy falls within such purview. (If it doesn't, what does?) Nonetheless, when the legislation Obama desired failed to pass Congress, Obama "enacted it" through executive action. What can be passed through executive action can be removed through executive action, particularly when that action is unconstitutional. Obama created a legal status for immigrants, but it was a status that could be removed with the stroke of another president's pen. Obama surely did not think that would happen. He surely believed he was creating a situation that, politically, would be hard to undo. (Indeed, it is.) But for this very reason, it should be undone. If it is not, then, through his abuse of presidential authority to create a situation difficult to undo, Obama has achieved his aim. He will be rewarded, and a precedent will be set. If we are to be a nation of laws, there must be some penalty for the violation of the law. For this reason, this writer suggests that, as an alternative to full deportation, DACA minors should be required to return, presumably with their parents, to the nation of their origin, but with the proviso that they will have the right to return after four years. Should they return, it will be as permanent residents, not as citizens. They will, under the laws, be treated the same as American citizens, but they will not have the right to help determine laws; they will not have the same rights as those immigrants who have come to this nation legally from the start. Unless there is some price to be paid for the violation of law, sufficient to deter, there is no law. Bert Peterson is the author of a newly released and timely e-book, Does Our Banner Still Wave? The NFL Protests and Trump's Opportunity.Additionally, Nunes demanded and has received assurances that his committee will get access to eight key witnesses. The witness list includes FBI agent Peter Strzok, FBI lawyer Lisa Page (who previously worked on the Russian probe), and FBI general counsel James Baker (who has been reassigned). Also on the list are FBI head of counterintelligence Bill Priestap (Strzok's boss during the relevant events and the man who Comey said decided not to inform the Committee of 8, who by law should have been alerted to the dossier-inspired investigation) and Bruce Ohr, a DOJ official now reassigned after concealing meetings with figures involved in the dossier.

Chairman Nunes demanded and got from the long stonewalling FBI and DOJ the FD-302s and FD-1023s relating to the unverified, unverifiable, and totally discredited Steele dossier. These forms document interrogations and interviews by agents. Nunes now has the record of what Steele was asked by the FBI and what he answered. I assume that this is the predicate for establishing that the FISA warrant permitting the spying on the Trump campaign (and subsequent unmasking) by the Obama administration was not based on legally adequate grounds to get a warrant. Possibly, as well, they will show that certain individuals deliberately misled the FISA court (FISC).

Congressman Devin Nunes, chairman of the House Select Committee on Intelligence, and Judiciary chairman Senator Chuck Grassley (along with Judiciary member Lindsey Graham) fired the first salvos of the year.

The new year began with a bang as the long stalled congressional investigations of the top FBI and Department of Justice officials and Fusion GPS begin to see daylight and the Clinton Foundation slush fund investigation resumed, this time with greater probity than the former top officials at the FBI and DOJ permitted.

And on the Republican side of the aisle, we have Colorado senator Cory Gardner , the Washington Post's new darling maverick, who is threatening to block all Justice Department nominees unless Attorney General Sessions backs off allowing U.S. attorneys to sue states for violating federal law on marijuana sales. Perhaps some Colorado middle school student will send him a Constitution showing that if Congress really wants states to make marijuana sales legal, all it has to do is quit grandstanding on the issue and change the law, instead of demanding that the administration ignore what Congress itself passed.

As of 2013, it was estimated that there were 630,700 illegal aliens residing in Arizona (including American-born anchor babies), a population larger than the total population of any single colony at the time of our Founding. Over 10 percent of the state's public school population is composed of illegal alien children . The Arizona Department of Corrections estimates that illegal aliens compose 17 percent of its prison population and 22 percent of all felony defendants in Maricopa County. When coupled with the fiscal strain of health care and incarceration, the total cost of illegal immigration is $2.4 billion a year.

There are 2.1 million illegal and legal immigrants convicted of crimes , but 1.2 million criminal aliens remain at large in the United States and have not been deported. Remember, the prime demographic for violent crime is young males, broadly covered by the "dream" amnesty.

Illegal aliens account for 13.6 percent of all offenders sentenced for crimes committed in the United States, even though they ... represent [only] 3.5 percent of the population.

For illegal aliens, the American Dream is a free ride  or at least, it has been. President Trump has called an end to DACA and will pull the plug in late MAGA, er, March.

Other studies reveal even more problems caused by Obama's DACA program. The Congressional Budget Office reported that 1 in 5 DACA-eligible illegal aliens would be on food stamps in under a decade. Harvard's Roberto Gonzales told CIS that 73 percent of DACA recipients are living in low-income housing and reap welfare benefits plus more from taxpayers. Breitbart reported that only 4 percent of DACA illegals complete college, "[m]aking the DACA population far less likely than the native American population to finish college with a degree."

The Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) tells us that nearly half of illegal aliens who are eligible for DACA have only a "basic" proficiency of the English language and 24 percent are considered "below basic" or "functionally illiterate." This blows away the claims of the [l]eft that D[REAM]ers are productive members of our society, when it appears most don't want to assimilate at all. ...

In the background to all this, Congress still has not abandoned our need for laughs. On the Democrat side of the aisle is the threat to shut down the government if the president refuses to extend Obama's unconstitutional run around our immigration laws. What strategic genius advised them that it would be a good idea to have Grandma worrying about her Social Security checks and soldiers going unpaid to benefit 700,000 illegal aliens , aliens certain to be a drag on our economy and a negative value to our society?

Former presidents in either the Democratic or Republican [P]art[y] are not above the law. Now it's up to President Donald Trump to make this fact abundantly clear.

Why did Rosenstein (and many other officials, including New York [a]ttorney [g]eneral Eric Schneiderman)[] fail to require Laureate Education and the Clinton Foundation to explain how they organized the "Clinton Global Initiative University" and why the Clinton Foundation tax filings for 2010 through 2016 don't explain what Bill Clinton did for the $17.6 million he was paid as part-time chancellor while he held key roles at the Clinton Foundation? ...

How did Rosenstein miss obvious errors in the Clinton Foundation tax filings for 2010 (originally submitted in 2011 with amended versions submitted in 2015) concerning a $37.1[-]million donation to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund at a P.O. Box address in Baltimore, Maryland, that was never declared, as required, in key states like New York?

How did Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, while U.S. attorney in Maryland, miss the fact that the Clinton Foundation was promoting use of potentially adulterated HIV and AIDS drugs from October 2003 forward, even as he took until May 2013 to help win a $500[-]million set of penalties against the Indian manufacturer of the generic drugs?

Apart from an honest investigation into her mishandling of classified materials, a more formal review of the Clinton Foundation (slush fund, pay-to-play scheme) is apparently underway and has been under the radar for some months now. Financial analyst Charles Ortel details the tap dance the Foundation has been performing with the help of complaisant officials who have to date given it and its principals a free pass. Here are some highlights in his detailed report on the Foundation's peculations and inadequate investigations to date:

These records apparently reveal what reporters and organizations Fusion GPS paid in the period relevant to the congressional investigation of the dossier.

Fusion GPS has argued that records turned over to Congress are likely to leak, "potentially exposing their clients' identities, violating the firm's First Amendment rights[,] and damaging their business."

The handover of the 70 documents comes after a federal judge on Thursday dismissed the firm's protests to the documents being turned over to Congress.

Despite an effort to block congressional investigations from obtaining by subpoena its bank records and abandoning a claimed appeal, "[a] congressional lawyer said Friday that TD Bank 'produced all remaining responsive documents'" to the House Intelligence Committee under the terms of a confidential settlement, CNN reported .

Grassley, York notes, says, "Maybe there's some innocent explanation for the inconsistencies we have seen, but it seems unlikely."

In his London case pleadings, Steele says his employer, Fusion GPS, betrayed him, that he "did not provide the confidential December memorandum to media organizations or journalists. Nor did they authorize anyone to do so." Even more significantly, he acknowledges that he put "unverified, 'raw intelligence'" into the memorandum.

He defends himself by saying he was betrayed by his client and that he followed proper internal channels by giving the dossier to Sen. John McCain , Arizona Republican[.]

In a court filing, Mr. Steele also says his accusations against the president and his aides about a supposed Russian hacking conspiracy were never supposed to be made public, much less posted in full on a website for the world to see on Jan. 10.

Christopher Steele, the former British spy who wrote the infamous anti-Donald Trump dossier, acknowledges that a sensational charge his sources made about a tech company CEO and Democratic Party hacking is unverified.

As to York's reference to Steele's testimony to a London court, here's what that is about :

It appears that Grassley and Graham are pursuing inconsistencies between what Steele told the FBI and what Steele told the London court. If they conflict, which is true? If what Steele told the FBI was untrue, that's a problem.

One way to find that out is to compare what Steele told the London court with what Steele told the FBI. Some of the London court testimony is public. As for what Steele told the FBI, the Senate Judiciary Committee has examined a lot of dossier-related material from the FBI under an agreement that allows the committee to view materials the bureau has originally produced to the House Intelligence Committee.

When Steele was discussing working for the FBI, did he fully inform the FBI of what his work for the Clinton campaign involved, in particular his briefing the press on the findings he would be reporting to the FBI? To use Grassley's and Graham's words, were the "statements the committee has reason to believe Mr. Steele made regarding his distribution of information contained in the dossier" accurate?

Graham and Grassley know [that] the motive to lie about the Steele Dossier does not necessarily belong to Christopher Steele. The motive is within the corrupt FBI.

What Grassley and Graham are now doing is forcing the DOJ to reconcile the conflicts between the FBI presentations to the judiciary committee  about the origin of, and their use of, the Steele Dossier  against known evidence.

These senators sent a letter of criminal referral to the Department of Justice's Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Christopher Wray, director of the FBI, indicating that Christopher Steele may have violated 18 USC Sec. 1001 "for statements the Committee believe Mr. Steele made regarding his distribution of information contained in the dossier." Conservative Treehouse has a long explanation of the background for this referral, with documents supporting its view that the FBI reports of the meetings with Steele do not "align with the known evidence." It adds:

Since no FISA warrant could have been issued without then-attorney general Loretta Lynch's signature of approval on the application, it might appear that the committee is working its way up the ladder. If Lynch was not misled about the factual basis for the warrant and signed it anyway, she will be on the ever larger hot seat. In that case, it will be interesting to see how she avoids questions as to her conversations with then-president Obama indicating that she had okayed spying on the opposition during the election.

"The FBI in particular is not used to having its inner discussions kind of brought to light, and I think that's of huge concern for probably people at the FBI," former Justice Department official Robert Driscoll said.

The agreement could subject the DOJ and FBI to a level of scrutiny to which they are not accustomed.

The new year began with a bang as the long stalled congressional investigations of the top FBI and Department of Justice officials and Fusion GPS begin to see daylight and the Clinton Foundation slush fund investigation resumed, this time with greater probity than the former top officials at the FBI and DOJ permitted.

Congressman Devin Nunes, chairman of the House Select Committee on Intelligence, and Judiciary chairman Senator Chuck Grassley (along with Judiciary member Lindsey Graham) fired the first salvos of the year.

Devin Nunes

Chairman Nunes demanded and got from the long stonewalling FBI and DOJ the FD-302s and FD-1023s relating to the unverified, unverifiable, and totally discredited Steele dossier. These forms document interrogations and interviews by agents. Nunes now has the record of what Steele was asked by the FBI and what he answered. I assume that this is the predicate for establishing that the FISA warrant permitting the spying on the Trump campaign (and subsequent unmasking) by the Obama administration was not based on legally adequate grounds to get a warrant. Possibly, as well, they will show that certain individuals deliberately misled the FISA court (FISC).

Additionally, Nunes demanded and has received assurances that his committee will get access to eight key witnesses. The witness list includes FBI agent Peter Strzok, FBI lawyer Lisa Page (who previously worked on the Russian probe), and FBI general counsel James Baker (who has been reassigned). Also on the list are FBI head of counterintelligence Bill Priestap (Strzok's boss during the relevant events and the man who Comey said decided not to inform the Committee of 8, who by law should have been alerted to the dossier-inspired investigation) and Bruce Ohr, a DOJ official now reassigned after concealing meetings with figures involved in the dossier.

The agreement could subject the DOJ and FBI to a level of scrutiny to which they are not accustomed. "The FBI in particular is not used to having its inner discussions kind of brought to light, and I think that's of huge concern for probably people at the FBI," former Justice Department official Robert Driscoll said.

Since no FISA warrant could have been issued without then-attorney general Loretta Lynch's signature of approval on the application, it might appear that the committee is working its way up the ladder. If Lynch was not misled about the factual basis for the warrant and signed it anyway, she will be on the ever larger hot seat. In that case, it will be interesting to see how she avoids questions as to her conversations with then-president Obama indicating that she had okayed spying on the opposition during the election.

Chuck Grassley and Lindsey Graham

These senators sent a letter of criminal referral to the Department of Justice's Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Christopher Wray, director of the FBI, indicating that Christopher Steele may have violated 18 USC Sec. 1001 "for statements the Committee believe Mr. Steele made regarding his distribution of information contained in the dossier." Conservative Treehouse has a long explanation of the background for this referral, with documents supporting its view that the FBI reports of the meetings with Steele do not "align with the known evidence." It adds:

What Grassley and Graham are now doing is forcing the DOJ to reconcile the conflicts between the FBI presentations to the judiciary committee  about the origin of, and their use of, the Steele Dossier  against known evidence. Someone is lying. Graham and Grassley know [that] the motive to lie about the Steele Dossier does not necessarily belong to Christopher Steele. The motive is within the corrupt FBI.

Byron York has a somewhat different take:

When Steele was discussing working for the FBI, did he fully inform the FBI of what his work for the Clinton campaign involved, in particular his briefing the press on the findings he would be reporting to the FBI? To use Grassley's and Graham's words, were the "statements the committee has reason to believe Mr. Steele made regarding his distribution of information contained in the dossier" accurate? One way to find that out is to compare what Steele told the London court with what Steele told the FBI. Some of the London court testimony is public. As for what Steele told the FBI, the Senate Judiciary Committee has examined a lot of dossier-related material from the FBI under an agreement that allows the committee to view materials the bureau has originally produced to the House Intelligence Committee. It appears that Grassley and Graham are pursuing inconsistencies between what Steele told the FBI and what Steele told the London court. If they conflict, which is true? If what Steele told the FBI was untrue, that's a problem.

As to York's reference to Steele's testimony to a London court, here's what that is about:

Christopher Steele, the former British spy who wrote the infamous anti-Donald Trump dossier, acknowledges that a sensational charge his sources made about a tech company CEO and Democratic Party hacking is unverified. In a court filing, Mr. Steele also says his accusations against the president and his aides about a supposed Russian hacking conspiracy were never supposed to be made public, much less posted in full on a website for the world to see on Jan. 10. He defends himself by saying he was betrayed by his client and that he followed proper internal channels by giving the dossier to Sen. John McCain, Arizona Republican[.]

In his London case pleadings, Steele says his employer, Fusion GPS, betrayed him, that he "did not provide the confidential December memorandum to media organizations or journalists. Nor did they authorize anyone to do so." Even more significantly, he acknowledges that he put "unverified, 'raw intelligence'" into the memorandum.

Grassley, York notes, says, "Maybe there's some innocent explanation for the inconsistencies we have seen, but it seems unlikely."

Fusion GPS's troubles do not seem to end there.

Despite an effort to block congressional investigations from obtaining by subpoena its bank records and abandoning a claimed appeal, "[a] congressional lawyer said Friday that TD Bank 'produced all remaining responsive documents'" to the House Intelligence Committee under the terms of a confidential settlement, CNN reported.

The handover of the 70 documents comes after a federal judge on Thursday dismissed the firm's protests to the documents being turned over to Congress.

Fusion GPS has argued that records turned over to Congress are likely to leak, "potentially exposing their clients' identities, violating the firm's First Amendment rights[,] and damaging their business."

These records apparently reveal what reporters and organizations Fusion GPS paid in the period relevant to the congressional investigation of the dossier.

Hillary Clinton

Apart from an honest investigation into her mishandling of classified materials, a more formal review of the Clinton Foundation (slush fund, pay-to-play scheme) is apparently underway and has been under the radar for some months now. Financial analyst Charles Ortel details the tap dance the Foundation has been performing with the help of complaisant officials who have to date given it and its principals a free pass. Here are some highlights in his detailed report on the Foundation's peculations and inadequate investigations to date:

How did Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, while U.S. attorney in Maryland, miss the fact that the Clinton Foundation was promoting use of potentially adulterated HIV and AIDS drugs from October 2003 forward, even as he took until May 2013 to help win a $500[-]million set of penalties against the Indian manufacturer of the generic drugs? How did Rosenstein miss obvious errors in the Clinton Foundation tax filings for 2010 (originally submitted in 2011 with amended versions submitted in 2015) concerning a $37.1[-]million donation to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund at a P.O. Box address in Baltimore, Maryland, that was never declared, as required, in key states like New York? Why did Rosenstein (and many other officials, including New York [a]ttorney [g]eneral Eric Schneiderman)[] fail to require Laureate Education and the Clinton Foundation to explain how they organized the "Clinton Global Initiative University" and why the Clinton Foundation tax filings for 2010 through 2016 don't explain what Bill Clinton did for the $17.6 million he was paid as part-time chancellor while he held key roles at the Clinton Foundation? ... Former presidents in either the Democratic or Republican [P]art[y] are not above the law. Now it's up to President Donald Trump to make this fact abundantly clear.

In the background to all this, Congress still has not abandoned our need for laughs. On the Democrat side of the aisle is the threat to shut down the government if the president refuses to extend Obama's unconstitutional run around our immigration laws. What strategic genius advised them that it would be a good idea to have Grandma worrying about her Social Security checks and soldiers going unpaid to benefit 700,000 illegal aliens, aliens certain to be a drag on our economy and a negative value to our society?

The Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) tells us that nearly half of illegal aliens who are eligible for DACA have only a "basic" proficiency of the English language and 24 percent are considered "below basic" or "functionally illiterate." This blows away the claims of the [l]eft that D[REAM]ers are productive members of our society, when it appears most don't want to assimilate at all. ... Other studies reveal even more problems caused by Obama's DACA program. The Congressional Budget Office reported that 1 in 5 DACA-eligible illegal aliens would be on food stamps in under a decade. Harvard's Roberto Gonzales told CIS that 73 percent of DACA recipients are living in low-income housing and reap welfare benefits plus more from taxpayers. Breitbart reported that only 4 percent of DACA illegals complete college, "[m]aking the DACA population far less likely than the native American population to finish college with a degree." For illegal aliens, the American Dream is a free ride  or at least, it has been. President Trump has called an end to DACA and will pull the plug in late MAGA, er, March.

Over 92% of foreign nationals in our prisoners are illegal aliens.

Missing from the DACA extension proponents' calculus are these facts:

And on the Republican side of the aisle, we have Colorado senator Cory Gardner, the Washington Post's new darling maverick, who is threatening to block all Justice Department nominees unless Attorney General Sessions backs off allowing U.S. attorneys to sue states for violating federal law on marijuana sales. Perhaps some Colorado middle school student will send him a Constitution showing that if Congress really wants states to make marijuana sales legal, all it has to do is quit grandstanding on the issue and change the law, instead of demanding that the administration ignore what Congress itself passed.How Do Liberals Flunk Science? Let Us Count the Ways.Is Society Evolving toward Extinction?

A recent online article about a computer glitch has exposed yet another vulnerability civilization faces  not despite its technological complexity, but because of it. We all know that society depends heavily on computers, and we have become painfully aware that viruses and malware can disable those computers, leading to catastrophic disruptions in air traffic, communications, the power grid, and national defense, to name a few. The very technology that makes our lives safe and comfortable can also become our downfall unless we understand what is happening and how to protect ourselves. Some examples from the animal world are helpful to that understanding. Two creatures that have adapted to their environments are the starfish and the elephant. The starfish is far more simple and primitive, but it enjoys an important survival advantage. If it is cut (or bitten) in half, each half can independently regrow its missing half and continue living. You cannot easily kill one.

By contrast, the elephant is a far more complex creature, and it enjoys the benefits of great size a tough, leathery skin  but a single tiny spear point can abruptly end its life. This is because complex creatures (including elephants) have vital organs, and in order for the animal to survive, each and every vital organ must not only function well, but function in precise coordination with all the other parts of the organism. Our computer infrastructure has evolved to a phase in which it has made us exceptionally vulnerable to a cybernetic spear, but without the leathery skin to protect the vital components of that infrastructure. The irony is not merely symbolic. More than once, our advanced technology has been defeated by primitive methods, at least in small ways. For example, during the Gulf War, we were able to disrupt enemy communications by jamming their electronic signals. Then it was revealed that the enemy could communicate by couriers on mopeds  not as swiftly, of course, but effectively. More recently, a sniper attack on a single substation in the power grid occurred. It could have, but for good fortune, disabled a large portion of the West Coast power grid and perhaps produced a cascading effect that would have crippled the nation for a long time. What is particularly disturbing about all this is that even when flaws in the system are detected, the very repairs that are suggested could themselves prove worse than the problems they are intended to fix. As the article cited earlier points out, the remedy to any one problem affects every other part of the system, and does so in ways that may not be evident until serious additional damage has been done. In this case, banks are hesitant to put in a software patch designed to compensate for a defect in a microchip, because the patch might corrupt anti-virus defenses that are already in place. This principle will become a major problem in the near future, when so-called self-driving cars begin to replace the kind of car you now drive or ride in, assuming you are not Amish. (The Amish use a more primitive system involving horses.) Self-driving cars are already a reality, although not yet in widespread use. The first serious advances in this technology were the result of a competition sponsored by DARPA (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency). What is notable about this competition is that in its first year, none of the competitors was able to meet the standards, but in the second year, all of them did  underscoring the exponential speed of technological advance when proper incentives are applied. The main issues here include the fact that self-driving vehicles will not smoothly integrate themselves into the transportation system. The integration, instead of being purpose-designed from the ground up, will be the product of various committees, each with its own agenda and competing interests. It will be like converting your automobile into an airplane but using it every day during the conversion. Highways have been designed and constructed for human drivers, not for robots. Autonomous vehicles are designed to incorporate artificial neural networks, an advanced form of artificial intelligence. In contrast to human drivers, each "robot" driver will be able to monitor all the others simultaneously. This will enable them to avoid collisions and to cooperate with each other to effect orderly and efficient flows of traffic. Human drivers will impede that system, perhaps in the same way horse-and-carriage drivers impede present-day traffic flows. Therefore, human drivers will compete for the roadways, and at a disadvantage. Perhaps the most significant thing about autonomous vehicles is that they will be vulnerable to hacking. Another danger is that big government will find a way to control self-driving vehicles, in much the same way that it provides air traffic control for airlines. Worse yet, the government already possesses the means to monitor your every movement. Autonomous vehicles will enable government to control where and when you may travel. If in 1776 we were a starfish, today we are a mighty elephant, but tiny North Korea has become a serious threat. No longer can we simply send in the Marines and have them home for supper, as we did against banana republics in earlier years, to assert our dominance. North Korea can easily be conquered, but not without horrific losses by our allies. The age of complexity overtook us some time ago, and we have yet to work out how to defeat the aboriginal aiming his spear at our heart. At 70 years of age, I have no answer  but you had better get one.But there's even more: get rid of income inequality, put more constraints on the rich, stop America's love of autos and such wasteful stuff as wanting to be warm in the winter ( remote control over home thermostats is on the horizon ), and we would have a more healthy, unified, and good society and world.

Commentaries by the left repeatedly emphasize the words "fairness," "morality," "equality," "community," and "the poor." According to the left, morality and fairness are economic concepts, not biblically based, divinely approved commands. Morality and fairness are undermined by "disparity." The rich, and possibly those awful, fanatical, and outrageously hypocritical conservative Christians, are disrupting "community" (sometimes referred to as the "global village"). Without the distractions of Christians and conservatives, there would be much more social coherence, fairness, community, and even better weather!

Wait. There's more: subjugate the conservatives and religionists, the pro-lifers and the heterosexual lobby, and then you'll have a "free society" without ignorant hypocrites. We are oppressed and beleaguered by that crowd of country bumpkins who go to NASCAR races and cling to their religion and their guns (oh, my  the Second Amendment has to go, too!).

Let us squash once and for all those dead and superficial thoughts from the white, elitist, Protestant, racist, homophobic, nativist, sexist, self-centered, hypocritical American past. (What a horrible place this country has always been!) Let's get over the 18th- and 19th- century ideals and move on to the future with a "new" corporate-government alliance, where the government part of the alliance assures and controls that the common good is adhered to.

Wall Street can be and will be replaced with a more knowing and enlightened elite. The government will restore balance and a vision of the greatest good for the greatest number. Utilitarianism tweaked with a Marxist sense of the radical disconnect between the exploiters and the exploited will replace laissez-faire ideas. We will move from the present mixed economy to a new stage of a controlled mixed economy, with more control and less "mix."

According to the hyped and hyper left, now having its epicenter not in the Socialist Party or the Progressive Workers' Party, but in the Democratic Party, if we could get out of the mindset of the past, we can really advance the modern cause of security, not liberty. To the left, the nation-state is an excrescence. Globalism and one-world government are the preferred format, and that is where we are going and must be going. Further, individual liberty is an illusion in a world controlled by capitalist greed. We can be in tune with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations, which affirms the goal of "Life, Liberty, and Security of the Person," not "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."

With the Marxist principle of "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need" applying in North America as well as around the world, poverty would belong to history.

By listening to the sweet tones of the dialectic materialist vision, we can allow ourselves to be drawn into a new religious vision, a religious vision without God. Science will be put in the service of people  not in the service of a race to the patent office, the banks, or the pharmaceutical companies. The technology of warfare will be eliminated. This is the true "peace on earth and good will toward man." One can almost hear the demonic, derisive laughter of the atheistic left as it contemplates belief in the "Prince of Peace."

Day and night, they reflect on the selfishness of reactionary minds, which keeps them from catching this vision.

However, the truth is the opposite of this egregiously distorted vision. The rich getting richer is not the cause of the poor getting poorer. The middle class did not arise in this country because the rich were (first) less rich, nor is poverty a result of increased wealth either in the middle classes or among the rich. The rise of a managerial class or middle class can be traced to large-scale industrialization just as much as the proletariat can be traced to that period. Land grant colleges were created to increase the numbers of scientifically trained experts (middle class) in agriculture, and later in engineering.

Colleges were founded by industrious and wealthy Protestants to provide advanced education for ministers (middle class). Public education gave rise to the normal school movement to turn out sufficient numbers of teachers (middle class) for the increased student population. Andrew Carnegie and others were benefactors of society (Carnegie founded and funded the New York Public Library system). Thousands and tens of thousands of small businesses contributed to the building of the railroads, the steel industry, automobiles, ship-building, tool and die, meat-packing and processing, and the construction of skyscrapers and subways in our urban centers. (The subways of NYC, by the way, were built and financed privately when they were created.) Never mind the millions of mom-and-pop hardware, grocery, jewelry, barrel-making, blacksmithing, carriage-making, dry goods, etc. businesses.

The idea of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer expresses resentment for the rich and is a ploy of demagogues rather than a significant or useful economic concept. The drumbeat of class warfare is a bottomless pit. It can and will turn around and bite everyone, not only the top 1% or top 0.1%. The top 1% already pays 60% of the taxes. What's fair about that? Can I rob a bank or shoplift with the thought "they have so much; they'll never miss what I take"? Robin Hood was a criminal. I have prospered because of my students, but does that mean part of my income should be taken and redistributed directly to my students each year? Let's think through the implication of some of these ideas from the pseudo-egalitarian lexicon.

How often has this writer heard leftists criticize Christians for not living up to biblical standards of morality? However, while Christ expressed a preference for the poor, Christian morality based largely on the morality given by God to the Israelites in the Old Testament does not put the wealth of the faithful in opposition to true morality. Many biblical heroes from Abraham to David to Solomon were among the super-rich of their times. The problem with wealth is not that the wealthy have the money, but that they are too absorbed by their wealth and thus resist true, God-centered morality. That is the true meaning of "You cannot love God and mammon, too" (Luke 16:13).

The Judeo-Christian standard of morality is a standard of righteousness based on the commandments of God! It is wrong to steal, not to be in the top 1%. It is wrong to seduce your neighbor's wife, not to be in the top 0.1%. Until this is understood and accepted, there will be a tendency among various circles of people to confuse wealth with criminality (unless your name is Kennedy or Clinton), to confuse order imposed by government from above with true community based on caring ("love thy neighbor as thyself"), and to confuse rabble-rousing with reason.Michael Wolff is a total loser who made up stories in order to sell this really boring and untruthful book. He used Sloppy Steve Bannon, who cried when he got fired and begged for his job. Now Sloppy Steve has been dumped like a dog by almost everyone. Too bad! https://t.co/mEeUhk5ZV9

2) Bob Corker, who begged Trump for re-election help.

Senator Bob Corker "begged" me to endorse him for re-election in Tennessee. I said "NO" and he dropped out (said he could not win without...  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 8, 2017

3) John McCain.

The very foul mouthed Sen. John McCain begged for my support during his primary (I gave, he won), then dropped me over locker room remarks!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 11, 2016

4) Senator Richard Blumenthal.

Never in U.S.history has anyone lied or defrauded voters like Senator Richard Blumenthal. He told stories about his Vietnam battles and....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 7, 2017

...conquests, how brave he was, and it was all a lie. He cried like a baby and begged for forgiveness like a child. Now he judges collusion?  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 7, 2017

5) Governor Rick Perry.

.@GovernorPerry in my office last cycle playing nice and begging for my support and money. Hypocrite! https://t.co/axPAVsLEqx  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 22, 2015

6) Carly Fiorina.

7) The Manchester Union Leader, which endorsed Chris Christie for president.

If their highly unethical behavior, including begging me for ads, isnt questionable enough, they have endorsed a candidate who cant win.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2016

8) Conservative activist Brent Bozell, who also, like "Sloppy Steve," begged like a dog.

.@BrentBozell, one of the National Review lightweights, came to my office begging for money like a dog. Why doesn't he say that?  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 23, 2016

9) Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who would do "anything" for Trump.

Lightweight Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a total flunky for Chuck Schumer and someone who would come to my office begging for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them), is now in the ring fighting against Trump. Very disloyal to Bill & Crooked-USED!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2017

Exit question: Who do you think will be next to beg President Trump like a dog?

Ed Straker is the senior writer at Newsmachete.com.IN HAVANA on Dec. 20, a group of artists and activists were preparing to perform a piece titled "Psychosis."

The plot revolves around a person enclosed in a very small space, showing signs of madness, who wants to leave.

The play was inspired by events in 2010 at a psychiatric hospital in Havana, where 26 patients died of hunger and cold.

The story is obviously a metaphor about the regime of Fidel and Raul Castro, who have ruled the island for nearly six decades, intolerant of dissent and free speech.

In the performance, there were to be allusions to Raul Castro and terms such as "dictatorship."

Predictably, before the performance, the authorities swooped in and made arrests.

The director was detained temporarily, as well as the chief actor.

Also arrested was activist Lia Villares. When released Dec. 22, she said she had scratched a message on the prison cell walls: "Art Yes, Censorship No. I am free." She was fined for defacing the walls.

The authorities warned her sharply against any activity on behalf of Cuba Decide.

The movement advocates a plebiscite for free elections and free speech in Cuba and is led by Rosa Maria Paya Acevedo, whose father, Oswaldo Paya, championed the Varela Project seeking these goals in earlier years.

Clearly, the Castro regime does not like the idea that Cubans could "decide" anything about their own destiny.Well, why wouldn't the people in charge of Harvey take liberties with the public treasury? The state legislature just broke the Illinois bank in a recent spending bill, setting the example for these minor potentates.

In a recent blog post here at American Thinker, Thomas Lifson chronicles the tale of Harvey, Illinois, a failing community where government officials have stolen everything not nailed down. Now, having exhausted all sources of revenue, the municipality is facing insolvency.

Apparently, the state legislature imbibed a bit too much eggnog over the holidays, passing over 200 new laws to drive away businesses, steal the residents' money, and yoke as many yokels as possible.

Here are some of the lowlights:

- A law forcing hairstylists, dry cleaners, and other businesses to post standard pricing for males or females. A man's haircut can no longer be cheaper than a woman's styling, nor can her dresses be more costly to clean.

- H.B. 1785 lets someone change the sex listed on his birth certificate without even having his genitalia mutilated to look like the opposite sex's.

- A new law forces car-dealers to remove stickers from cars before they are driven away  even before a test drive.

- One law opens the door for 16- and 17-year-olds to sign up to be organ- and tissue-donors when they apply for a driver's license or identification card.

- Obama's birthday is now an official state holiday.

- Phone services will have to foot the bill for women who are abused and need to change their phone numbers and whatnot.

- Judges will now be forced to waste time in divorce cases deciding custody of pets.

- A new law protects elephants from abuse in circuses, and any African or Asian elephants from circuses operating in Illinois.

- A guarantee that customers can post on Yelp.

- S.B. 1586 allows DNR to establish rules for the public to scatter ashes in a state park.

- S.B. 1884 provides that research facilities shall make reasonable efforts for adoption of dogs or cats previously used in research.

- S.B. 1761 provides that knowledge of sexual orientation is not a mitigating factor in criminal cases.

- H.B. 2369 forces public schools to provide breastfeeding accommodations for schoolgirls with babies.

Here is a complete list.

Now, here we have graft and corruption on an unprecedented scale in cities like Harvey and Chicago, and the state government does nothing. We have violence on a par with the Middle East and Honduras in Chicago, and the legislature worries about elephants and teenage breastfeeding. Illinois is broke and may well be the first state that actually goes into bankruptcy, but the legislature is worried about Obama's birthday and restaurant reviews on Yelp and hairstyling prices.

Four out of the last seven governors of Illinois went to prison. So did the Reverend Jesse Jackson's son, a U.S. congressman from Chicago.

Even the liberal Chicago Tribune calls Illinois one of the most corrupt states in the union.

It's also a state full of illegal aliens. One in seven Illinoisans are immigrants, with 450,000 official illegals. One point two million jobs are taken by aliens in Illinois. This is one of the most heavily invaded states in the Union. Naturally, the Prairie Barrio became a sanctuary state when the Republican governor, Bruce Rauner, signed a bill decreeing it thus.

With such utter disrespect for the law on the part of the highest officials in the land, why wouldn't some local big wheel develop sticky fingers? Illinois more closely resembles a Central American banana republic than a state in the U.S.

The infuriating thing about it is that when the chickens come home to roost, the people who looted the state will demand that the U.S. taxpayer bail them out and will refuse to relinquish power. House speaker for life James Madigan will no doubt remain to loot the bailout money, and the rest of us are going to be forced to subsidize their leftist hypocrisy and lavish lifestyles. And don't think for a minute that we won't; even if the president refuses, the courts will likely demand it, and the GOP in Congress will fear opposing it.

The only workable answer is to do a serious investigation into the entire Illinois government and start sending people  lots of people  to jail now.

I fear that Illinois is doomed.

Read more from Tim at the best kept secret site on the web The Aviary  www.tbirdnow.mee.nu.The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AAMPAS), organization that gives out the Academy Awards Oscars, is having second and third thoughts about having expelled Harvey Weinstein. The problem: too many other members would have to be expelled if their standards are going to be consistent. Merle Ginsburg of Page Six reports:

When Hollywoods most prestigious organization, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)  the group of nearly 7,000 actors, directors and other industry types who dole out the Oscars  expelled Harvey Weinstein on Oct. 14,audiences applauded. But by acting so swiftly, a mere nine days after the New York Times first reported allegations of sexual assault against the movie producer, the outfit now finds itself facing a dilemma. Put simply: What to do with the rest of them? Harvey opened the floodgates, said one male Academy member. Now the Academys drowning in a tide of st. They dont know what hit them.

There are two categories of trouble ahead. One consists of future, as yet unknown, misbehavior that can come to light. As Gonzo Overkill points out on our home page, misbehavior  including homosexual pedophilia among the Hollywood powerful  has been an open secret.

But equally awkward are the existing allegations (and more) for such figures as Bill Cosby and Roman Polanski, the latter of whom was convicted of raping a 13-year-old and avoided imprisonment by fleeing overseas. This crime did not prevent AAMPAS from awarding him with a Best Director Oscar (in absentia because he is a fugitive from justice over a rape conviction) in 2003.

The queen of self-righteous outrage herself, Meryl Streep, leaped to her feet applauding the honor to a child anal rapist:

Most immediately, Casey Affleck, last years Best Actor laureate, is by tradition supposed to award this years Oscar. But his own accusers have sparked a petition to deny him the honor this year. Academy CEO Dawn Hudson and newly elected president John Bailey have a big problem on their hands:

Hudson had no comment, but her office reissued her original statement on the matter, which read in part: [A] task force will finalize procedures for handling allegations of misconduct, assuring that we can address them fairly and expeditiously. This process will ultimately guide the board of governors in assessing if certain allegations warrant action regarding membership. Those procedures will be sent to you in the new year. Mused another AMPAS member, Dawn may not know what theyre going to do next. Thats why the statements so vague. The board says theyre going to take action, but what action? It will have to be case by case. They must revisit and reinvent the rules of membership  and its gonna get nasty.

There are two underlying and unspoken problems in this mess Hollywood has gotten itself into:

1. As Gonzo Overkill visually editorialized, Hollywood knew and did nothing about not just Weinstein and the homosexual pedophiles, but about the casting couch system that has operated since the early days of movies. They are all complicit to one degree or another. True accountability would involve mass career suicide. Academy voters are 76% male and average 63 years old. They came up under the system of sexual exploitation and few have clean hands, directly or indirectly.

2. Calling amnesty on Weinstein, Affleck, Polanski and company indirectly amnesties President Trump, whose continuing leadership of the nation annoys Hollywood liberals more intensely than Polanskis conviction for anal rape of a child.

While tonights Golden Globe awards officially have nothing to do with AAMPAS, the show is regarded by the public as a precursor for the Oscars. The level and nature of political disparagement of the POTUS may be a tell for Hollywoods treatment of its own. If there are no references to the famous Access Hollywood tape, perhaps there is hope for Weinstein to be rehabbed. Superstar director Sir Ridley Scott apparently hopes so.As Iran spins into chaos, former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was reportedly arrested for inciting unrest in the city of Shiraz , home of the wine of the same name, after he made a speech in Bushehr , home of Iran's nuclear reactor.

According to al-Quds al-Arabi, Ahmadinejad said:

"Some of the current officials live away from the problems of the people and concerns, and do not know anything about the reality of society," adding that "what it suffers Iran today is mismanagement and not lack of economic resources. " "The government of Hassan Rowhani believes that they own the land and that the people are a ignorant society that does not know," Ahmadinejad said. "The people are angry at this government because of its monopoly on public wealth."

Which sounds about right for the purposes of the rally.

What's likely to cheese the mullahs off is that Ahmadinejad has always been considered a "working class" Iranian. He's lined his pockets like the rest of them but he came from working class stock and gave the appearance of an austere lifestyle dating from his time as mayor of Tehran. His Member's Only jacket, as well as his sloppy back-slapping friendship with the late Venezuelan Marxist-populist dictator, Hugo Chavez, during his 2005-2013 presidency, endeared him to the Iranian "street." Today's protests are working class in character and motivated by bread and butter issues. Obviously, Ahmadinejad saw his opportunity.

Because Ahmadinejad has actually been on the outs with the mullahs for at least a year now, which would work to his advantage. Earlier this year, in April, he was banned from running for president by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, but did so anyway. After that, he was brought up on corruption charges stemming from misuse of public funds, and at last report, faced sentencing, something he apparently managed to get out of by the time of the protests.

He's obviously someone the mullahs consider a troublemaker.

It's hard to imagine this guy as popular, given his previous collaborations with the regime, his ruinous presidency, and his Chavista socialist perspective. But Iran lacks visible opposition leaders and he may be trying to persuade Iranians he's a 'new Mahmoud.'

What the whole thing tells us is that the mullahs fear Ahmadinejad in all his working-class glory, meaning, yes, the ongoing Iranian revolt really is working class in character, it's not just anedcotal.

Let's hope they all go down together.Young walked on the Moon in 1972 on Apollo 16. He is the only astronaut to visit the Moon twice - the landing in 1972 and also on Apollo 10, which orbited the Moon in 1969 and was a dress rehearsal for the Apollo 11 Moon landing.

John Young, a pioneering astronaut who was the only person to participate in 3 NASA manned space programs, is dead at the age of 87.

Young also flew 2 missions for the Gemini, two-man capsule program, and also flew 2 shuttle missions.

Reuters:

Youngs first time in space came in 1965 with the Gemini 3 mission that took him and astronaut Gus Grissom into Earth orbit in the first two-person U.S. space jaunt. It was on this mission that Young pulled his sandwich stunt, which did not make NASA brass happy but certainly pleased Grissom, the recipient of the snack. Astronaut Wally Schirra, who was not flying on the mission, bought the corned beef sandwich on rye bread from a delicatessen in Cocoa Beach, Florida, and asked Young to give it to Grissom in space. During the flight, as they discussed the food provided for the mission, Young handed Grissom the sandwich. NASA later rebuked Young for the antics, which generated criticism from lawmakers and the media, but his career did not suffer. His May 1969 Apollo 10 mission served as a dress rehearsal for the historic Apollo 11 mission two months later in which Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the moon. Young and his crew undertook each aspect of that subsequent mission except for an actual moon landing. Youngs fifth space mission was as commander of the inaugural flight of NASAs first space shuttle, Columbia, in 1981. He became the first person to fly six space missions in 1983, when he commanded Columbia on the first Spacelab trek, with the crew performing more than 70 scientific experiments. He never went to space again. Young had been due to command a 1986 flight that was canceled after the explosion of the shuttle Challenger earlier that year. John was more than a good friend, former President George H.W. Bush said in a statement. He was a fearless patriot whose courage and commitment to duty helped our nation push back the horizon of discovery at a critical time. Young was born on Sept. 24, 1930, in San Francisco and grew up in Orlando, Florida. After receiving a degree in aeronautical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1952, he entered the Navy and graduated from its test pilot school. NASA picked him in 1962 for its astronaut program.

Young clearly had the "Right Stuff." He flew the very first Gemini mission with Gus Grissom, who later died in the Apollo 1 fire. He also flew the very first space shuttle mission. Only the very best test pilots are chosen to take up new aircraft, and Young is the only astronaut to be chosen to test two major NASA space programs.

Young was part of the second group of astronauts chosen. It was the "original 8" and "second 12" as the astronauts were referred to at NASA.

Suffice it to say, Young grew up with NASA when the space agency dreamed big dreams and sending people into space was exciting and new. Now, we have to beg a ride to the International Space Stations from the Russians. The stark contrast between NASA of the 1960s and 70s and today only points up the depths to which the space agency has sunk.

It's not that NASA doesn't do some incredible stuff. The Kepler Space Telescope has been scanning the universe for planets orbiting other stars and has discovered at least 2500 new worlds. The Mars rovers are still working after more than a decade of exploration, making fantastic and unexpected discoveries about the red planet. The New Horizons trip to Pluto was a spectacular success, sending back data that scientists will be studying for decades.

But the heart of NASA was always in manned space flight. Today, it appears that SpaceX, the company created by Elon Musk, is about to send humans into space aboard its Falcon rocket sometime this year or next. Other private space companies are not far behind. The future of manned space flight probably belongs to private corporations, although NASA continues to develop a new rocket and capsule system. That program is years behind schedule and billions of dollars over budget -- another sign that NASA is no longer on the cutting edge of spaceflight.

Perhaps its best this way. It's very expensive to launch humans into space and if private companies can do it for less, NASA should get out of the way.

The death of John Young makes many of us nostalgic for the glory days of NASA. But the torch has been passed to a new generation of pioneers who will be standing on the shoulders of giants like Young as they go where no one has gone before.We've seen this in other states, including Illinois, New York, and California. But in Connecticut, the exodus appears to be especially heavy among rich taxpayers, leading to a huge loss in revenue that the state can ill afford.

Cause and effect. In the case of Connecticut, high taxes are leading to an exodus of wealthy residents, reducing the tax take for a state already struggling trying to balance its budget.

Hartford Courant:

It's common knowledge now that Connecticut is seeing an exodus of residents. But are the rich leaving? According to the latest IRS data, they are. Legislators who hope to solve the state's budget crisis with ever-higher taxes should pay attention. The data are clear: Those who moved out of Connecticut from 2015 to 2016 took with them more than $6 billion in adjusted gross income, or AGI. People who moved to Connecticut brought with them only about $3.36 billion in AGI. The total net loss to Connecticut: $2.7 billion. In one year. That was in the top five of all states, regardless of population. Connecticut realized $6.85 billion in income tax from the 2015 tax year, or 4.3 percent of the $161 billion in AGI reported from all filers. If that same ratio held true in 2016, then the loss of $2.7 billion in AGI would have meant an actual loss of more than $100 million in income tax revenue. In one year. That doesn't account for all of the problems in a $20 billion budget, but it's a serious dent, and it's indicative of a deep problem: Many of Connecticut's wealthy residents are moving out, and they're taking their money with them. Legislators, this is strong evidence that taxing residents at high rates is becoming counterproductive.

To that I say, "Duh." It isn't a surprise to anyone - except liberals and 4 year old kids - that there is a level of taxation that becomes unbearable to everyone - including the rich.

The states that poached the most taxpayers from Connecticut were New York (8,202 tax returns) and Florida (7,944). The average adjusted gross income for those who left for New York was $111,653. That's pretty bad, but it's nowhere near as shocking as Florida, where the average return from former Connecticut residents was $253,187 in adjusted gross income. That means more than $2 billion in income moved from Connecticut to Florida from 2015 to 2016, more than twice as much money as moved to New York.

The French socialist President Francois Hollande learned this same lesson the hard way. His government raised the top tax rate on the rich to 75% only to see thousands of wealthy taxpayers flee the country. The drain was so severe that Hollande eventually rescinded the increase.

High tax states brag that their government services are so much better than less expensive red states. But given the financial and budgetary problems in most blue states, the cost of spending other people's money eventually gets too high.But on the question of welfare reform, the president suggested that the issue would have to wait until next year.

Donald Trump met with Republican congressional leaders on Saturday to discuss the agenda for 2018. On the GOP to do list will be immigration reform and a infrastructure bill.

Reuters:

They want me to be involved, and very involved, Trump said of Republican leaders. We have to have more Republicans ... So I will be actually working for incumbents and anybody else that has my kind of thinking.The party that controls the White House typically loses seats in the first congressional election after a presidential election, and Trumps relatively low approval rating could increase the chances of Republican losses. Trump and party leaders face a Jan. 19 deadline on passing legislation to prevent a government shutdown. The White House has said its next top priorities are a plan to invest in roads, bridges and other infrastructure. Republicans also want to reach an agreement on immigration policy, including addressing protections for hundreds of thousands of young adults who were brought to the United States illegally as children. Welfare reform, a priority for Ryan and other House Republicans, appeared to be waning as a Trump goal for this year. He said we are looking at it but that the goal was to get a bipartisan deal on welfare reform. If that is not possible, the effort might be left to do later, he said.

The president has proposed spending $33 billion over the next 10 years on border security enhancements, including $18 billion for a wall. It's unclear at this point whether the government funding bill currently under negotiation would include all of that border security spending or just funding for the wall. Democrats are insisting that they will shut down the government unless any funding measure includes legislation legalizing DREAMers. Trump is adamant that any legislation regarding DREAMers include funding for the wall. The congressional deadline for government funding is January 19 and the two sides are still far apart in coming up with a spending plan.

These things don't get done until the last minute anyway, so what we're seeing now is posturing for the folks back home. There is definitely the outline of a deal - wall funding for DREAMers - but the two sides have a long way to go.

Trump also wants visa reforms as well as an end to "chain migration." Those are tough issues to resolve if they are included in a government funding bill, so the likelihood is that they will be taken up separately at another time.

The refusal of the GOP to deal with welfare reform is disappointing. With Republican prospects for maintaining control of the House in doubt, the time to deal with entitlements is now. However, realistically, the GOP congress has a full plate already and there just isn't time to resolve the thorny issue of welfare reform.According to a pharma industry body, Indian pharma companies secure 70-75 per cent of APIs from China.

Hyderabad: The Central government has issued showcause notices to eight Chinese pharmaceutical firms for supplying poor quality raw material to Indian drug makers, said a news agency, adding that these companies may be blacklisted.

The allegations against the companies are of providing poor quality products and the action against them will soon be decided by the government. This will be harsh as we dont want the quality of drugs in India compromised, said IANS quoting a senior DCGI officer. The notices were issued after a special inspection team of the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) inspected the eight companies in China, it said.

Most Indian pharma firms are of late depending on active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) or raw material for medicine from Chinese companies, raising concern in the Indian government.

According to a pharma industry body, Indian pharma companies secure 70-75 per cent of APIs from China. India typically imported around Rs 12,000 crore worth APIs every year from China. However, this figure had risen to Rs 18,372.54 crore in FY17.

The Indian drug makers have shifted to Chinese APIs as they were about four times cheaper than those produced in India. The Chinese companies manufacture in large scale and have cheaper power, helping them to cut down on the cost.

Calling it a bold decision by the government, Dr Appaji, former director-general of Pharmexil, said, Though it sends a signal to importers that we are vigilant about the quality of drugs, the government should be extremely careful and cautious to ensure that it does not lead to supply disruption.

He said the Centre should also take care of the Indian pharma industrys needs by promoting domestic APIs, which are cost-effective.

Last year, the government had proposed to give preference to formulations produced from indigenous API and its intermediates in government procurements.Few days back, the world saw a glimpse of Shah Rukh Khan as a dwarf in Zero announcement video.

Mumbai: Few days back, the world saw a glimpse of Shah Rukh Khan as a dwarf in Zero announcement video. But the movie wasnt always supposed to be that way, revealed the lead actress Katrina Kaif.

"Initially, I was supposed to play myself in Zero. The film was titled Katrina Meri Jaan. There was a different cast on board and Shah Rukh sir wasn't part of it. Now, it's a satirical take on an actress," Katrina told Mid-Day.

Further speaking about working with SRK, Kat added, "Shah Rukh sir is one of the best actors in the industry. His drive, energy and passion are commendable. It's great to be around him on a set."

Katrina Kaif is getting a lot of appreciation for her role in Salman Khan starrer Tiger Zinda Hai. She is also working with Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan in Thugs Of Hindostan.BJP sources said eight other Congress candidates contesting for posts of ward members in the civic body were also most likely to join the party.

Bhopal: BJP here has ensured its victory in polls to a civic body in Madhya Pradesh by winning majority of Opposition Congress candidates.

In an interesting turn of events, ruling BJP won the posts of chairman as well as 10 ward members in Sendhwa municipality in Barwani district after their rival Congress candidates bowed out of the fray by extending support to them.

All these Congress candidates later joined BJP.

The Congress candidates withdrew their papers on the last day of withdrawal of nomination to Sendhwa municipality, ensuring elections of BJP candidates uncontested.

Basanti Bai of BJP was elected to the post of chairperson of the civic body uncontested when her Congress rival withdrew her nomination papers. Similarly, 10 of 18 wards in the municipality have gone to BJP candidates after their rival Congress candidates withdrew from the fray.

BJP sources said eight other Congress candidates contesting for posts of ward members in the civic body were also most likely to join the party.The UIDAI mentioned in its statement that the FIR was not launched for exposing the breach, but for unauthorised access.

The journalist had exposed how an online racket was selling personal Aadhaar details of individuals for nominal amounts. (Photo: File)

Mumbai: Unique Identification Data Authority of India (UIDAI) on Sunday released a statement clarifying its stand on lodging an FIR on The Tribune reporter Rachana Khair earlier in the day.

Khair, The Tribune journalist had exposed how an online racket was selling personal Aadhaar details of individuals for nominal amounts, was mentioned in the FIR lodged by UIDAI.

The complaint also names people who were involved in this online racket.

However, the Editor's Guild of India promptly condemned the action taken by the UIDAI.

"It is clearly meant to browbeat a journalist whose investigation on the matter was of great public interest. It is unfair, unjustified and a direct attack on the freedom of the press," the Guild said in a statement.

The UIDAI's clarification statement says, its intention was not to target the media in any way.

Again denying the alleged data breach, the UIDAI mentioned in its statement that the FIR was not launched for exposing the breach, but for unauthorised access.

"UIDAI respects free speech including the Freedom of Press and Media...However UIDAI's act of filing an FIR with full details should not be viewed as UIDAI targetting the media or the whistle-blowers or 'shooting the messengers,'" the statement read.

To substantiate its argument, the authority also said that it had narrated the entire chain of events to the police in the FIR and the reporter's name was mentioned in context.

The UIDAI cited the example of the Supreme Court's 2014 verdict in the Rajiv Prasad versus CBI case to state that a person's guilt or innocence is not asserted by the presence of their name in an FIR but only after a police probe and a trial.Taking serious note of the deaths, Haridwar administration has forced the beggars to shift to the shelter homes.

Few days ago, due to intense cold three unknown people died after which the district authority have started taking various measures to save lives. (Photo: ANI)

Haridwar: As cold wave continues to grip the northern belt of the country, the Haridwar police have arrested the beggars and sent them to jail in order to save them from bone chilling winter.

Haridwar's District Magistrate had sent the order to the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) to arrest the beggars.

For the first time, the woman beggars were also arrested by the police.

Few days ago, due to intense cold three unknown people died after which the district authority have started taking various measures to save lives.

Taking serious note of the deaths, Haridwar administration has forced the beggars to shift to the shelter homes.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the temperature in north India is likely to drop further in the coming days.Addressing the Indian diaspora at the ASEAN-India Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Singapore, Swaraj reaffirmed India's commitment to ASEAN.

'We are here to reaffirm our commitment and to share the course of our journey ahead to the future of India and ASEAN in the world,' Swaraj told some 3,000 delegates. (Photo: @SushmaSwaraj)

Singapore/ New Delhi: India's dialogue partnership with ASEAN has evolved into a strategic partnership and the Indian diaspora provides a platform for stronger ties with the grouping, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Sunday.

Addressing the Indian diaspora at the ASEAN-India Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Singapore, Swaraj reaffirmed India's commitment to ASEAN.

"We are here to reaffirm our commitment and to share the course of our journey ahead to the future of India and ASEAN in the world," Swaraj told some 3,000 delegates.

"Our diaspora provides a platform for a stronger relationship between India and ASEAN countries," she said.

Noting the 25-year milestone of ASEAN-India partnership, she said, "Our dialogue partnership has evolved into a strategic partnership."

"India's engagement with the ASEAN region lies in the clarity of the principles that we share. We believe that when all nations adhere to international rules and norms and when we conduct on the basis of sovereign equality and mutual respect, our nations feel secure and our economies prosper," Swaraj said.

"As India's economy grows its ties will deepen, its trade and investment flow will grow," she said, emphasising that ASEAN was a part of India's Act East Policy.

She said states play a vital role in India's progress and advancing the country's economic ties with the world.

She highlighted the presence of Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal at the gathering and underlined that the North East will grow and become a bridge to South East Asia.

"Our North East region will prosper when it is better connected to South East Asia and when the North East becomes our bridge to South East Asia, we will be closer to realising our hopes for India and ASEAN ties," she said.

She called for addressing the common challenges in the region like creating skills for the digital age, generating jobs in the age of disruption, meeting the need of rapid urbanisation, protecting the bio-diversity and making the energy sources cleaner.

"We are moving from industrial age to information age. The global power balance is shifting, and the relation between nations are changing," said Swaraj.

"There is interesting new technology but unsettled question of history still divides us. At the same time, we see progress and opportunities as never before," said the minister.

"It is the time for India and South East Asia to work for prosperity for its people and secure a peaceful future for new generation," she stressed.

ASEAN is India's 4th largest trading partner, accounting for 10.2 per cent of India's total trade. India is ASEAN's 7th largest trading partner. Trade is back on track and registered an 8 per cent increase in 2016-17, as compared to the previous year.

New Delhi will host a commemorative summit on January 25 to mark the 25th anniversary of the Dialogue Partnership between India and the ASEAN in which all the leaders of the grouping are expected to participate.

ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.The PDP party had a policy of visiting the families of local militants who were killed in counter-insurgency operations by security forces.

The PDP chief spokesman said that whether a policeman gets killed or a local militant, 'it is very unfortunate and we condemn it'. (Photo: PTI)

Srinagar: A senior leader of the ruling PDP on Sunday stoked a controversy by saying there was "no bar" in condoling the killing of local militants in Kashmir.

"Whether it is a CRPF man... or a local militant, there is no bar on offering condolences. However, it depends on the security situation, sometimes we can go and sometimes not," PDP chief spokesperson, Rafi Ahmad Mir, told reporters in Srinagar.

Even before coming to power, the party had a policy of visiting the families of local militants who were killed in counter-insurgency operations by security forces, he said.

"The PDP had a policy. Whenever a militant was killed, I used to visit (the family) to offer condolences, and at that time the PDP president would also visit," Mir said, adding that "whoever becomes a martyr is before God and I think we should not talk about that".

Referring to Saturday's IED blast in Sopore in which four police personnel were killed, the PDP chief spokesman said that whether a policeman gets killed or a local militant, "it is very unfortunate and we condemn it".

"It was a heart-wrenching incident. We were hopeful and thinking that the situation was getting better, but got this shock. It is very unfortunate. They were our own sons," he said.

"Whoever gets killed, be it (from) the police force or militants, it is very unfortunate and we condemn it. We hope this does not recur," Mir said.

The PDP had to shelve its election agenda to form government with the BJP, "otherwise, the state would have incurred losses as it needed Delhi's assistance in running the government in the state", he said.

"Unfortunately, what happened is that we had to shelve our election agenda. We won around 28 seats. In Jammu, the BJP got the highest share of probably 26 seats.

"We needed the assistance of Delhi here. We took a decision, a very harsh decision, a bitter decision (of forming government in an alliance with BJP)," Mir said.

There was resentment in our voters also. There is no doubt about it, the chief spokesperson said.Singh also asked India's top police brass to take strong action in cases of riots and desecration of religious places.

Singh said Pakistan's encouragement to the separatist anti-India sentiment in Jammu and Kashmir often led to law and order problems. (Photo: PTI)

Tekanpur: Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said terror infrastructure in Pakistan continued to exist and the neighbouring country was leaving no stone unturned to instigate the youth of Jammu and Kashmir against India.

He also asked India's top police brass to take strong action in cases of riots and desecration of religious places.

Addressing the annual conference of the DGPs and IGPs in Tekanpur, Singh said terror infrastructure in the form of training camps, launch pads and communication stations continued to exist in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK).

He said the neighbouring country was leaving no stone unturned to provide all help, including financial, to terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and that youths of the state were being instigated against India, sources privy to the home minister's speech said.

Singh said Pakistan's encouragement to the separatist anti-India sentiment in Jammu and Kashmir often led to law and order problems.

Highlighting the appointment of a representative for initiating dialogue in Jammu and Kashmir, he said it was a matter of satisfaction that security forces were successful in tackling the situation in the state to a great extent.

The home minister said the violence perpetrated by Naxals had come down to a great extent and assured that the government would encourage surrender policy for Naxals in the coming days.

Referring to the north-east, Singh said insurgency had come down in the region but camps and hideouts of underground outfits in Myanmar was a matter of concern.

The home minister said there was a slight increase in communal violence in the country and asked the top police officers to take strong action wherever such incidents and desecration of religious sites take place.

Singh also talked about growing incidents of cyber crime, use of Internet and social media by anti-social elements to create tension in the society and asked police officers to be vigilant.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the three-day conference on Sunday.

A tweet by the Home Minister's Office said three police stations were awarded by Singh at the conference. These were RS Puram Police Station (Coimbatore City), Panjagutta Police Station (Hyderabad) and Gudamba Police Station (Lucknow).

The conference of the DGPs and IGPs is an annual affair, where senior police officers of the states and Centre meet and discuss issues.

The Narendra Modi-led government has been organising the conference outside the national capital since it came to power in 2014. The last three conferences were held in Guwahati, Rann of Kutch and Hyderabad.Stunned by its dismal performance in last year, the BMC has been trying hard to improve citys standing in the scheme.

Mumbai: Film star Akshay Kumar, like his character in his film Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, is all set to provide cleanliness lessons to Mumbaikars. The actor will be the face of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporations (BMC) Swachh Survekshan drive, launched to maintain cleanliness in the city.

According to civic officials, civic chief Ajoy Mehta had asked the film star whether he would like to feature in BMCs commercial on Swachh Bharat Survekshan. Akshay has agreed to participate in the advertisement, which will soon be aired on cinema halls and various media to promote cleanliness in the city. The shooting of the campaign is presently on.

The advertisement is based on the concept Thank You Mumbai, wherein some employees of civic solid waste management department will be thanking Mumbaikars for keeping the city clean. Followed by their thank you message, Akshay will address Mumbaikars appealing them to maintain high standards of cleanliness, said Kiran Dighavkar, assistant commissioner of A ward.

The Swachh Bharat Survekshan 2018 will be held from January 4 to March 10 by the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs, which will be assessing cleanliness standards of various cities in the country on the basis of citizen feedback.

Stunned by its dismal performance in last year, the BMC has been trying hard to improve citys standing in the scheme. Mumbai had slipped to the 29th position in the Swachh Survekshan 2017 from its 10th rank in 2016.A senior DMC official said that they have rec-eived the replies and the-se will be put up before its executive committee.

File image of Max HospitalThe Delhi Medical Council (DMC) has received replies from the nine doctors and two nurses of Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh who were issued notices last month for alleged medical negligence in connection with the case.

New Delhi: The Delhi police will proceed with its probe into the case of a newborn being wrongly declared dead by a city-based hospital only after it receives a reply from the Delhi Medical Council on whether there was medical negligence in the matter, a police official said.

The Delhi Medical Council (DMC) has received replies from the nine doctors and two nurses of Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh who were issued notices last month for alleged medical negligence in connection with the case.

A senior DMC official said that they have rec-eived the replies and the-se will be put up before its executive committee.

The committee will form an expert panel comprising paediatricians and gynaecologists that will prepare a report in the matter, he said.

The process might take a fortnight. A police official, privy to the probe, said that they will proceed further with the investigation only after they receive a report in the matter from the DMC.

The DMC had sent the notices on December 20 and sought a response from them within 15 days. The case pertains to a baby boy being wrongly declared dead after his birth on November 30 by the upscale private hospital. His twin, a girl, was still-born. The infant boy died a week later at a nursing home in Pitampura.

The case sparked a public outcry. Their family has been protesting in front of the hospital after an appellate authority stayed the order of the Delhi government cancelling the licence of the facility.The victim Gopi Verma (20), an audio assistant, was working inside the studio when the fire broke out, said sources.

Mumbai: The charred remains of a 20-year-old technician were recovered on Sunday morning from the Kanjurmarg-based Cinevista studio, where a massive fire broke out on Saturday evening. The victim Gopi Verma (20), an audio assistant, was working inside the studio when the fire broke out, said sources.

All the people, including the cast and crew, were evacuated from the studio and were reported to be safe. The blaze, it is suspected, originated from a generator in the studio. The incident occurred a week after a deadly fire killed 14 people in the Lower Parels Kamala Mills compound.

Vermas father Swaroop Kumar Verma identified the body using his Aadhaar card and mobile handset. Verma was a Goregaon resident and his father is a technician employed with Film City.

According to the police, the body was found during a search on Sunday morning. Stating that no studio personnel had realised that Verma didnt make it out, DCP (Zone 7) Akhilesh Singh said, We were very much present when the cooling and dousing operations were going on.

Senior police inspector Vilas Jadhav of the Parksite police station said, His dad arrived at the site at 8.30 am. After his son was not to be seen, we started our search and got to know that he was charred to death.

Talking to The Asian Age, a fire official said, We were winding up our operations when the police interrupted us and told us to search for Gopi who went missing. None of the crew members from the set had realised.

Dr Vidya Thakur, medical superintendent of the civic-run Rajawadi Hospital, said, His body was brought to us in the morning. We have sent samples for further analysis to the Kalina laboratory. Forensic doctors have mentioned that he was engulfed in flames, which resulted in his death.

Two TV serials Bepanaah and Haasil were being shot at the studio when the fire broke out. Initial reports had indicated that there were no casualties in the fire since the actors and crewmembers had safely exited the premises but later the body of techinician was found.The globalisation 2.0, which China claims to be spearheading, is detrimental to human rights, environmental protection and democracy.

The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus said that there is nothing permanent except change. But if the pace of change is drastic and attains a critical mass at a given point in time, then we should prepare for the advent of a new order altogether rather than routine flux.

Such is the state of the world as we enter 2018. It is on the cusp of completing a transformation that has been underway for a while  the acceleration of a post-Western international system which is not yet a China-dominated one, but where China looms as a determining force as America and Europe are trapped in internal convulsions.

In his New Years address, Chinese President Xi Jinping declared that his country is a keeper of international order, which has something to say on all major global issues. His vow to speed ahead with the intercontinental Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2018 is credible, given that the Chinese economy has revived and clocked growth of 6.8 per cent last year.

Notwithstanding the risks posed by grey rhinos (Chinese companies that have accumulated unsustainable debts), Beijing can commit billions in loans to overseas infrastructure projects and extend its creditor imperialism in the New Year with no rivals in sight. The globalisation 2.0, which China claims to be spearheading, is detrimental to human rights, environmental protection and democracy. But it does carry powerful materialistic incentives for governments in poor countries to accept Chinese hegemony.

A parallel advancement in Chinas military capabilities to fulfil Mr Xis vision of a technologically cutting-edge force ready to fight and win wars is breathtaking. Chinas refusal to fully comply with United Nations sanctions on North Korea, even at the risk of war breaking out, is a tactic within a broader strategy of elbowing the US military out from Beijings enlarging sphere of influence.

America is not unaware of this adverse trend. The Donald Trump administrations National Security Strategy (NSS) has labelled China a rival power whose repressive vision of world order must be countered. However, a massive question mark hangs over Mr Trumps actual will and interest in implementing the NSS stated goal of tightening existing treaty alliances and fostering new partnerships in Asia to contain the Chinese juggernaut.

During Mr Trumps first year in the White House, Chinas strategic sway expanded instead of declining. The Quadrilateral that the US relaunched with India, Japan and Australia in late 2017 is a glimmer of hope, but Mr Trumps penchant for deal-making and linking issues in diplomacy leave ample space for China to charge ahead in 2018.

As to the US own economic health, the decade-long slide since the crisis of 2008 has eased and Mr Trumps corporate tax cuts could spur GDP growth to over 2.5 per cent in 2018. This may prevent the power gap with China from widening in the near term. But the discredited neoliberal formula of deregulation of big businesses, which Mr Trump is promoting, is laying the basis for the next capitalist crash.

Economist Larry Summers has predicted that the US economy will fall into a protracted and deep recession three years from now. Should this forecast come true, China will celebrate it as the coup de grace to free market economics and a final vindication of its state capitalism.

Like America, Europe is experiencing relatively improved GDP growth projected to touch 2.1 per cent in 2018. But the acrimonious Brexit process, the weakened political leadership of Germany and the open defiance by central and eastern European countries of the European Unions core liberal charter suggest that 2018 will hardly be stable.

Europe is so enfeebled by the right-wing populist challenge to continental integration and immigration that it can barely play a role in shaping world affairs for the foreseeable future. Again, the Chinese would not mind the pitiable condition of Europe as they seek to demonstrate the superiority of their non-Western model to the developing world.

In 2018, China will want to consolidate its influence over Africa, where the phenomenon of Western abdication began years ago. The entrenchment of repressive regimes in Zimbabwe, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo was a major setback to African peoples aspirations in 2017. But Beijing prefers such outcomes as it can continue wheeling and dealing with pre-existing corrupt state elites in Africa to grab natural resources and gain control over the continents fate.

Latin America is at a critical juncture as 2018 dawns. The region-wide fall of a diminished left-wing and its replacement with right-of-centre alternatives means that there may be opportunities for the US to claw its way back after being sidelined by China and Russia for a decade. But Mr Trumps racist anti-Latino tirades, his hatred of Cuba, and his trade protectionism pose significant hurdles to the US recovering lost ground in its backyard.

Oil-rich economies like Russia and Persian Gulf monarchies are feeling buoyant about 2018 owing to the pickup in crude prices and possibility of demand-driven revenue inflows as world output as a whole is resurrecting. But the lack of diversification in fossil fuel-dependent countries means only short-term joy for them. The authoritarian stability these petro-powers exude is deceptive and can be imperiled by geopolitical flare-ups.

This year, West Asia will remain a cauldron fuelled by extreme regional and sectarian animosities. The eternal tussle between dictatorships and peoples urge for self-determination and accountable government is another complicating variable. Here, the US remains heavily invested in military and diplomatic alliances, but is getting progressively diminishing returns. Mr Trumps reliance on an Israel-Saudi Arabia combo to check the Iran-Turkey-Russia axis is unlikely to succeed. The net result of these worsening faultlines is to keep the ground fertile for jihadist terrorists even though the territorial caliphate of the Islamic State (IS) is vanquished, thus tying the US down permanently in this hotspot and leaving China free to sail in its worldwide odyssey without headwinds.

The US international cup of woes is brimming under Mr Trump and China is enjoying the power transition in its favour. The rest of the world, especially India, must adjust to this epochal change and simultaneously work to prevent universalisation of a Sino-centric order. To cite a Chinese proverb as a New Year resolution, the gods cannot help those who do not seize opportunity.NASA called Young as the only agency astronaut, the first to fly into space six times.

Legendary astronaut John Young, who walked on the moon and later commanded the first space shuttle flight, has died on Friday night at home in Houston following complications from pneumonia Young was 87.

NASA called Young one of its pioneers - the only agency astronaut to go into space as part of the Gemini, Apollo and space shuttle programs, and the first to fly into space six times. He was the ninth man to walk on the moon.

Young was born Sept. 24, 1930 and grew up in Orlando, Florida. He became interested early on in aviation, making model planes. He spent his last high school summer working on a surveying team.

The job took him to Titusville due east of Orlando; he never imagined that one day he would be sitting on rockets across the Indian River, blasting off for the moon. He earned an aeronautical engineering degree from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1952 and went on to join the Navy and serve in Korea as a gunnery officer. He eventually became a Navy fighter pilot and test pilot.

Young was the only spaceman to span NASA's Gemini, Apollo and shuttle programs, and became the first person to rocket away from Earth six times. Counting his takeoff from the moon in 1972 as commander of Apollo 16, his blastoff tally stood at seven, for decades a world record.

He flew twice during the two-man Gemini missions of the mid-1960s, twice to the moon during NASA's Apollo program, and twice more aboard the new space shuttle Columbia in the early 1980s. His NASA career lasted 42 years, longer than any other astronaut's, and he was revered among his peers for his dogged dedication to keeping crews safe - and his outspokenness in challenging the space agency's status quo.

"Astronaut John Young's storied career spanned three generations of spaceflight," NASA administrator Robert Lightfoot said in an emailed statement. "John was one of that group of early space pioneers whose bravery and commitment sparked our nation's first great achievements in space."

Chastened by the 1967 Apollo launch pad fire that killed three astronauts, Young spoke up after the 1986 shuttle Challenger launch accident. His hard scrutiny continued well past shuttle Columbia's disintegration during re-entry in 2003.

"Whenever and wherever I found a potential safety issue, I always did my utmost to make some noise about it, by memo or whatever means might best bring attention to it," Young wrote in his 2012 memoir, "Forever Young." He said he wrote a "mountain of memos" between the two shuttle accidents to "hit people over the head." Such practice bordered on heresy at NASA.

Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins, who orbited the moon in 1969 as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked its surface, considered Young "the memo-writing champion of the astronaut office." Young kept working at Johnson Space Center in Houston "long after his compatriots had been put out to pasture or discovered other green fields," Collins wrote in the foreword of "Forever Young."Indeed, Young remained an active astronaut into his early 70s, long after all his peers had left, and held on to his role as NASA's conscience until his retirement in 2004.

"You don't want to be politically correct," he said in a 2000 interview with The Associated Press. "You want to be right." Young was in NASA's second astronaut class, chosen in 1962, along with the likes of Neil Armstrong, Pete Conrad and James Lovell.

Young was the first of his group to fly in space: He and Mercury astronaut Gus Grissom made the first manned Gemini mission in 1965. Unknown to NASA, Young smuggled a corned beef sandwich on board, given to him by Mercury astronaut Wally Schirra. When it came time to test NASA's official space food, Young handed Grissom the sandwich as a joke.

The ensuing scandal over that corned beef on rye - two silly minutes of an otherwise triumphant five-hour flight - always amazed Young. Sandwiches already had flown in space, Young said in his book, but NASA brass and Congress considered this one a multimillion-dollar embarrassment and outlawed corned beef sandwiches in space forever after.

Two years later, with Gemini over and Apollo looming, Young asked Grissom why he didn't say something about the bad wiring in the new Apollo 1 spacecraft. Grissom feared doing so would get him fired, Young said. A few weeks later, on Jan. 27, 1967, those wires contributed to the fire that killed Grissom, Edward White II and Roger Chaffee in a countdown practice on their Cape Canaveral launch pad. It was the safety measures put in place after the fire that got 12 men, Young included, safely to the surface of the moon and back.

"I can assure you if we had not had that fire and rebuilt the command module ... we could not have done the Apollo program successfully," Young said in 2007. "So we owe a lot to Gus, and Rog and Ed. They made it possible for the rest of us to do the almost impossible."

Young orbited the moon on Apollo 10 in May 1969 in preparation for the Apollo 11 moon landing that was to follow in a couple months. He commanded Apollo 16 three years later, the next-to-last manned lunar voyage, and walked on the moon. He hung on for the space shuttle, commanding Columbia's successful maiden voyage in 1981 with co-pilot Robert Crippen by his side.

It was a risky endeavour: Never before had NASA launched people on a rocket ship that had not first been tested in space. Young pumped his fists in jubilation after emerging from Columbia on the California runway, following the two-day flight. Crippen called flying with Young "a real treat." "Anybody who ever flew in space admired John," said Crippen, a close friend who last spoke to him a few months ago. Young made his final trek into orbit aboard Columbia two years later, again as its skipper.

Young's reputation continued to grow, even after he stopped launching. He spoke out on safety measures, even before the Challenger debacle. "By whatever management methods it takes, we must make Flight Safety first. If we do not consider Flight Safety first all the time at all levels of NASA, this machinery and this program will NOT make it," he warned colleagues. As then chief of the astronaut corps, Young was flying a shuttle training aircraft high above Kennedy Space Center when Challenger ruptured. He took pictures of the nose-diving crew cabin. The seven Challenger astronauts never knew of all the dangerous O-ring seal trouble leading up to their flight. "If I had known these things, I would have made them aware, that's for damn sure," Young wrote in his book.

Young noted that even his friends at NASA considered him "doom and gloom," and that a shuttle launch "always scared me more than it thrilled me." He always thought the probability was there for a space shuttle accident, he observed in his autobiography, given that it was "such an incredibly complex machine." "It wasn't pessimism. It was just being realistic," he wrote. Yet Young maintained that NASA and the nation should accept an occasional spaceflight failure, saying it's worth the risk.

"I really believe we should be operating (the shuttle), flying it right now, because there's just not a lot we can do to make it any better," Young said in 2004, a year after the Columbia tragedy. Another year passed before shuttle flights resumed. Throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s, Young maintained the United States should be doing two to three times the amount of space exploration that it was doing. NASA should be developing massive rockets to lift payloads to the moon to industrialize it, he said, and building space systems for detecting and deflecting comets or asteroids that could threaten Earth.

"The country needs it. The world needs it. Civilization needs it," Young said in 2000, adding with a chuckle, "I don't need it. I'm not going to be here that long." In his book, Young noted that his "relentless" stream of memos about volcanic super-eruptions and killer asteroids was aimed at scaring and educating at the same time. Humans need to start living off the planet in order to save the species, he stressed again and again, pointing to the moon. "Some folks surely regarded me as a crackpot," he wrote. "But that didn't stop me."

Young spent his last 17 years at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston in management, focusing on safety issues. He retired at the end of 2004, seven months shy of NASA's return to space following the Columbia accident.

Young received more than 100 major accolades in his lifetime, including the prestigious Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 1981. Even after leaving NASA, he worked to keep the space flame alive, noting in his official NASA biography that he was continuing to advocate the development of technologies "that will allow us to live and work on the moon and Mars."

"Those technologies over the long (or short) haul will save civilization on Earth," he warned in his NASA bio, almost as a parting shot.Trump reiterated that there has been no collusion between him, his campaign and the Russian interference in the 2016 presidential elections.

'Everything that I've done was 100 percent proper. The story, by the way, in The Times was way off, or at least off,' Trump said. (Photo: AFP | File)

Washington: US President Donald Trump asserted on Saturday that everything he has done is 100 per cent "proper" and there has been no collusion between between him and Russia in the 2016 presidential elections.

Trump told reporters that a new report in The New York Times that he directed the White House Counsel to lobby Attorney General Jess Sessions not to rescue himself from the Russian investigation was way off.

"Everything I have done is 100 per cent proper. That is what I do, is I do things proper," Trump told reporters at a press conference in the Camp David, a picturesque presidential retreat of Maryland, where he is holding meetings with his Republican leaders in the Congress.

"Everything that I've done was 100 percent proper. The story, by the way, in The Times was way off, or at least off," Trump said in response to a question.

Trump reiterated that there has been no collusion between him, his campaign and the alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential elections.

"I guess the collusion now is dead. There's been no collusion between us and the Russians. Now, there has been collusion between Hillary Clinton, the (Democratic National Committee) and the Russians. Unfortunately, you people don't cover that very much. But the only collusion is between Hillary and the Russians and the DNC," he said.

"You will find out," he said when asked how The New York Times story was way off. Trump said that he stands with his Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

Trump also said he is not under investigation, "maybe" his presidential opponent Hillary Clinton is.

"Just so you understand, there's been no collusion. There's been no crime. And in theory, everybody tells me I'm not under investigation. Maybe Hillary is, I don't know, but I'm not," he said.US is seeking to work with other regional players and China would be one of the main ones to deal with this issue.

China-Pakistan relationship is already very strong and appeared unconcerned over reports that the US decision to freeze approximately USD 2 billion in security assistance to Pakistan would push Islamabad towards Beijing. (Photo: File)

Washington: China shares some of the concerns of the US, about the terrorism problem in Pakistan and Washington is seeking to work with Beijing and other regional players to convince Islamabad, about the need to crackdown on terror safe havens, a senior White House official has said.

As Trump Administration is determined to eliminate terrorist safe havens in Pakistan, which is key to bring stability in Afghanistan and in the region, the official hoped that China will play a helpful role in convincing Pakistan that it is in its own national interest to crackdown on these sanctuaries.

Pakistan already has deep historical ties going back to many years and they have close military ties, the official said, adding that the economic relationship is also growing with the China Pakistan Economic Corridor.

"But, China shares some of the concerns of the US about the terrorism problem. The US is seeking to work with other regional players and China would be one of the main ones to deal with this issue. It won't serve China's interests to have terrorist sanctuaries in Pakistan," the senior administration official said on condition of anonymity.

The official was quick to point out that China has been playing a more helpful role in terms of encouraging better relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

It is taking a more active role in that regard.

"So, I would disagree with the assertion that China will not play a helpful role in convincing Pakistan it's in its own interests to crack down on the sanctuaries," the official told a group of reporters on Friday.

"Ultimately, China is also working toward a stable Afghanistan. That's going to take them back to the same issue which are the sanctuaries in Pakistan," the official said.

China-Pakistan relationship is already very strong and appeared unconcerned over reports that the US decision to freeze approximately USD 2 billion in security assistance to Pakistan would push Islamabad towards Beijing, the official added.

"That relationship is already very very strong. But what we have seen is an interest by Pakistan in having a strong relationship with both the US and China. So that's one issue. And the second issue is that China is also concerned about terrorism and extremism in South Asia," the official said.

Noting that China has taken a more active role in trying to help stabilise Afghanistan, trying to improve relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, the official said the US believed that the Chinese are also interested in stability in Pakistan and also for the China Pakistan Economic Corridor.

"Ultimately if they want to see stability in the region, and I think they do, they also will have an interest in seeing Pakistan crack down on the Haqqani and Taliban network," the senior administration official said.The United Nations condemned the Myanmar military campaign as ethnic cleansing. Buddhist-majority Myanmar rejected that.

Yangon: Rohingya Muslim insurgents said on Sunday they have no option to fight what they called Myanmar state-sponsored terrorism to defend the Rohingya community, and they demanded that the Rohingya be consulted on all decisions affecting their future.

The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) launched raids on the Myanmar security forces on August 25, which sparked sweeping counter-insurgency operations in the Muslim-majority north of Rakhine State that led to widespread violence and arson and an exodus of some 650,000 Rohingya villagers to Bangladesh. The United Nations condemned the Myanmar military campaign as ethnic cleansing. Buddhist-majority Myanmar rejected that.

But since the August raids, the small insurgent group has launched few if any attacks until Friday, when its fighters ambushed a Myanmar military truck, wounding several members of the security forces.

ARSA hasno other option but to combat Burmese state-sponsored terrorism against the Rohingya population for the purpose of defending, salvaging and protecting the Rohingya community, the group said in a statement signed by leader Ata Ullah and posted on Twitter. Rohingya people must be consulted in all decision-making that affects their humanitarian needs and political future.

The ARSA claimed responsibility for the Friday ambush but gave no details of the clash. A Myanmar government spokesperson declined to make any immediate comment saying he had yet to read the statement.

A military spokesperson declined to make any immediate comment about the security situation in the north of Rakhine State. The area is largely off-limits to reporters. Authorities have previously said attacks by the insurgents would be met with force and they ruled out any negotiations with terrorists.

The ARSA dismisses any links to Islamist militant groups and says it is fighting to end the oppression of the Rohingya people. Rohingya have been denied citizenship, freedom of movement and access to services such as healthcare. Myanmar regards them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Serious communal violence between Rohingya and ethnic Rakhine Buddhists erupted in 2012 and sporadic unrest followed.

The violence that began in August and the refugee crisis it caused has drawn international condemnation and raised doubts about Myanmars transition to democracy after nearly 50 years of military rule. ARSA did not say where leader Ata Ullah was but Myanmar suspects the insurgents flee into Bangladesh then slip back into Myanmar to launch attacks.

Myanmar and Bangladesh have been discussing a plan to repatriate the refugees but more insecurity in Myanmar is likely to raise even more doubts about how quickly that might happen. The refugees complain that they have not been consulted about their repatriation.Saeed's lawyer claims that the JuD has no nexus with Lashkar-e-Taiba and the UN resolution against it is 'illegal'.

Pakistan banned JuD and FIF and other organisations from collecting donations on Monday, after Trump accused Islamabad of giving nothing to the US but 'lies and deceit' and providing safe haven to terrorists. (Photo: File)

Lahore: JuD chief Hafiz Saeed has served a Rs 100 million legal notice to Pakistans defence minister for defamation, days after the government banned the Jamaat-ud- Dawah from collecting donations following US President Donald Trumps outburst against Islamabads sheltering of terrorists.

I call upon you (minister Khurram Dastgir) to send a written apology to my client (Saeed) within 14 days and seek his forgiveness and promise to be careful in future, failing which criminal proceedings under section 500 of Pakistan Penal Code punishable for two years will initiated against you, said the notice by lawyer A K Dogar who served it on behalf of Mumbai attack mastermind Saeed.

Pakistan banned JuD and FIF and other organisations from collecting donations on Monday, after Trump accused Islamabad of giving nothing to the US but lies and deceit and providing safe haven to terrorists.

Dastgir had said that action against JuD, Falah-i- Insaniat Foundation (FIF) and other organisations had been taken so that terrorists cannot open fire on schoolchildren anymore.

Dogar claimed the JuD has no nexus with Lashkar-e-Taiba and the UN resolution against it is illegal.

He alleged the minister had caused immense damage to the reputation of Saeed and JuD by issuing an irresponsible statement.

Dastgir had also said that Pakistan did not act against JuD and FIF under pressure from the US but after serious deliberations.

The government has banned companies and individuals from making donations to the JuD, the FIF and other organisations on the UN Security Councils sanctions list.

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) also issued a notification prohibiting the collection of donations by the JuD, the front organisation of terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, as well as several other such groups named in a list of outfits banned by the UN Security Council.Pak government said those giving funds to such individuals or groups may face '5 to 10 years in jail or up to Rs 10 million fine or both'.

The government has banned companies and individuals from making donations to the JuD, the FIF and other organisations on the UNSC sanctions list. (Photo: AFP)

Islamabad: Pakistan on Saturday said that those providing funds to banned groups, including the so-called charities run by Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, will face up to 10 years in prison along with a hefty fine.

The warning was part of a countrywide advertisement in Urdu, which has been published in all major local newspapers of the country.

The advertisement lists 72 groups, including Jamat-ud-Dawa, Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation and Lashkar-e-Tabia of Saeed and Jaish-e-Mohammad of Masood Azhar.

It said that according to Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997 of Pakistan and under UN Security Council act of 1948 it was a crime to provide funding to those groups which have been banned or are on the watch list.

Those giving funds to such individuals or groups may face "five to 10 years in jail or up to Rs 10 million fine or both", it said.

Their movable or immovable property can also be confiscated.

Pakistan has banned Saeed-led JuD and FIF from collecting donations on Monday, after President Donald Trump accused Islamabad of giving nothing to the US but "lies and deceit" and providing "safe haven" to terrorists.

Trump, in a scathing tweet, at the start of the new year said that Pakistan fooled American authorities and got USD 33 billion in the name of fighting terrorism.

The government has banned companies and individuals from making donations to the JuD, the FIF and other organisations on the UNSC sanctions list.

The advertisement reminds the people that they should make sure that their money given as charity does not end up in wrong hands.

The move comes after the US increased pressure on Pakistan to move decisively against all militants groups allegedly operating from its soil.At the Angelus on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, Pope Francis invokes "the maternal protection of the Mother of God" for the children baptized this morning and for those recently baptized. "The great humility of Jesus", his readiness "to immerse himself in the river of humanity, to take upon himself the shortcomings and weaknesses of men". "It is the Spirit who opens the eyes of the heart to the truth, the whole truth". Remember the date of our baptism. Greetings to the faithful from South Korea.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - "Today's feast of the baptism of the Lord ... invites us to think of our baptism", not to consider it only "a fact that happened in the past", but "the binding identity card of the believer". These are the main points of Pope Francis reflection before the Angelus prayer with pilgrims in St. Peter's Square. Earlier this morning, Francis celebrated Mass in the Sistine Chapel, administering baptism to 34 babies. After the Marian prayer, he recalled this event and invoked "the maternal protection of the Mother of God on those children "and on all the children who have recently been baptized", so that, helped by the example of their parents, and godparents, they grow up as disciples of the Lord".

In his reflection, referring to the Gospel of today's Mass (Mark 1, 7-11), Francis emphasized above all "the great humility of Jesus": " the One who had not sinned, in lining up with the penitents, mingled among them to be baptized in the waters of the river. In doing so, He manifested what we celebrated at Christmas: the availability of Jesus to immerse Himself in the river of humanity, to take upon Himself the shortcomings and weaknesses of humanity, to share our desire to be free and to overcome everything that separates us from God and makes us strangers to our brothers and sisters".

He then underlined the value of the Holy Spirit: " The Spirit is the creator of the baptism of Jesus and also of our baptism. It is the Spirit who opens the eyes of the heart to the truth, the whole truth. It is the Spirit who drives our lives along the path of charity. It is the Spirit who is the gift the Father has given each of us on the day of our baptism. It is the Spirit who transmits to us the tenderness of divine forgiveness. And it is still the Holy Spirit, who causes the revealing Word of the Father to resound: "You are my beloved Son: in you I am well pleased" (v. 11) ".

Hence the importance of "remembering one's baptism": "To forget our baptism means to expose ourselves to the risk of losing our memory of what the Lord has done in us. We risk ending up considering it only as something that happened in the past,  Thanks to Baptism, we are also able to forgive and love those who offend us and do us harm; we are able to recognize in the last and in the poor the face of the Lord who visits us and is close to us. In short, more than a sociological moment that inscribes our name in the parish register, the day of our baptism constitutes a commitment and the identity card of the believer".

He added: "I cannot ask you if you remember your baptism, because we were young. ... But you know, do you know what day you were baptized on? Everyone think about it. And if you do not know go home, ask mom, dad, grandparents. It is an important date, never to be forgotten. It is the date of our sanctification, of the feast of the great forgiveness ... ".

Among the final greetings, the Pope mentioned in particular "faithful from South Korea".By Ian Lowe

Fifteen thousand scientists have issued a warning to humanity that many current life forms could be annihilated or committed to extinction by the end of this century.

Forty-five years ago, the first report to the Club of Rome was published. The Limits to Growth was a fundamental challenge to conventional politics and economics, which presume that endless growth is possible. It used the first global systems model to show that limits would be reached this century, with the most likely outcome a catastrophic decline in the capacity of natural systems to support human needs.

Twenty-five years ago, the Union of Concerned Scientists and more than 1500 researchers published the World Scientists Warning to Humanity. The document was signed by the majority of living Nobel Laureates in the sciences. They warned that human development was on a collision course with natural systems and urged a great change in our stewardship of the Earth and life on it to avoid vast human misery. The statement documented several areas of concern: depletion of the ozone layer, accelerating climate change, loss of biodiversity, freshwater availability, forest loss, marine life depletion, ocean dead zones and increasing human population.

To mark the 25th anniversary of the warning, more than 15,000 leading scientists have issued A Second Notice (https://tinyurl.com/yar23ydf). It warns that all of the alarming trends noted in the earlier warning have worsened, with the singular exception of halting the damage to the ozone layer. It describes as especially troubling the potential of catastrophic climate change and the development of the sixth major extinction event in the Earths history, with the prospect that many current life forms could be annihilated or committed to extinction by the end of this century.

The statement says we need to rein in our intense but geographically and demographically uneven material consumption. The list of urgent steps needed to safeguard our imperilled biosphere is daunting: limit population growth, reassess the role of an economy rooted in growth, restore ecosystems, protect habitats, constrain invasive species, and manage a rapid transition to renewable energy.

There is some good news. We have rapidly curbed the use of ozone-depleting substances, extreme poverty and hunger has been reduced, renewable energy systems are expanding rapidly, the rates of deforestation have slowed in some regions, and fertility rates have been successfully reduced in many regions by investing in womens education. But we have made no progress in the huge task of restructuring our economy to ensure that prices, taxation and incentive systems take into account the real cost which consumption patterns impose on our environment.

The report concludes with the warning: Soon it will be too late to shift course away from our failing trajectory, and time is running out. Our decision-makers still show no sign of having heard the repeated warnings, and remain obsessed with short-term economic considerations, even using slogans like jobs and growth as if the ecological issues could safely be ignored.

A landmark event in the history of Australias electricity system took place in South Australia late in November. Tesla executive Elon Musk had told the State government he could build within 100 days a 100 MW array of lithium ion batteries to provide storage and help make better use of South Australias wind turbines and solar panels. The agreement had been signed at the end of September, giving Musk until the end of the year to fulfil his pledge.

The project was actually online before the end of November. The SA Premier, Jay Weatherill, formally opened the new facility near Jamestown on 1 December, just 2 months after the contract was signed. He was understandably cheerful that the governments gamble with the unproven technology had been vindicated, especially as he had been criticised by the Australian government for the move.

Perhaps more importantly, the day before the battery bank was officially online, the market operator had asked for help to meet a late afternoon peak in demand. It was a very hot afternoon and the wind dropped, creating a potential problem. The battery system was switched on and supplied 74 MW to the grid, avoiding the need to fire up a gas turbine.

The batteries had been fully charged the night before, when the wind was blowing and demand was low. So the two aims of the battery investment, to help alleviate power shortages and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, were satisfied.By Guy Nolch

A study reporting a weak association between two genes and homosexuality could have powerful consequences.

On 7 December 2017 the Australian Parliament passed a historic bill legalising gay marriage. The process followed a nationwide postal vote in which 61.6% of the 12.7 million Australians who voted were in favour of same-sex marriage.

The Yes campaign had argued that marriage was a basic civil right that should be open to all regardless of their sexuality. The No campaign had appealed to those who believed that homosexuality was unnatural and should not be sanctioned in legislation.

Humans are complicated creatures, with every distinguishing characteristic existing along a continuum that makes each of us unique. None of us are normal, and this is entirely natural  including the many nuances of our sexuality.

Scientists have long sought an explanation for homosexuality, and now a genome-wide association study published in Scientific Reports (https://tinyurl.com/y8c2jtt4) has found a weak association with two genes. The first, SLITRK6, is a neurodevelopmental gene on chromosome 13 that is expressed in the diencephalon, a region of the brain that differs in size in men depending on their sexual orientation. The second gene, TSHR on chromosome 14, encodes the receptor for thyroid-stimulating hormone. The authors say this could conceivably help explain past findings relating familial atypical thyroid function and male homosexuality.

However, the study only involved 2300 men, which is small for a genome-wide association study. GWAS typically require more than 100,000 participants in order to find an association between the many genes that can contribute to a characteristic. All that is required to see a genetic association in this study is for slightly more homosexual men to carry the genetic variant than heterosexual men, and many times this will simply be due to chance, explained Dr Nina McCarthy of The University of Western Australia. In addition, the reported associations between variants in genes and homosexuality are not statistically significant, and the authors themselves say that they are best characterized as speculative.

It shouldn't be surprising that two genes would have a weak association with a characteristic as complex as sexuality, which is likely to be influenced by an array of biological and environmental factors. But those weak associations could have powerful consequences.

Already genetic test kits are available to the public, enabling people to determine their susceptibility to a variety of diseases. Not only is the predictive value of these tests highly questionable, but the potential for a genetic test leads us to the concept of homosexuality as a disease that could be treated.

While the notion of gay genes could equally lead to greater public acceptance that some people are simply born this way, that's not always the case. Dr Ilan Dar-Nimrod of The University of Sydney has found that it can also lead people with anti-gay attitudes to polarise their views rather than mitigate them. He says this results in a heterosexual person feeling a clear us and them that... may fuel prejudice.By David Reneke

Astronomers find more evidence for how life began in Earth, and send a greeting to a red dwarf with two habitable planets.

Where did we come from and how did we get here? How life began on Earth, roughly four billion years ago, is the eternal question and the basis for almost all of cosmology. New results from scientists at McMaster University and the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy suggest a key role for meteorites landing in warm little ponds, delivering essential organic molecules that kick-started the emergence of life in the shape of self-replicating RNA molecules.

The astronomers reached their conclusions after assembling models about planet formation, geology, chemistry and biology into a coherent quantitative model for the emergence of life. Perhaps the most interesting result from these calculations is that life must have emerged fairly early while Earth was still taking shape, only a few hundred million years after the Earth had cooled sufficiently to allow liquid surface water such as ponds or oceans to form.

The building blocks of life would have been brought to Earth by meteorites during an era when Earths bombardment by such small extraterrestrial rocks was much more intense than today.

The new work supports the warm little pond hypotheses for the origin of life, with RNA polymers forming in shallow ponds during cycles in which the pond water evaporates and is refilled periodically. It shows how meteorites could have transported a sufficient number of biological compounds to thousands of such ponds on Earth, helping to kick-start the emergence of self-replicating RNA molecules in at least one of those ponds.

Based on what we know about planet formation and the chemistry of the solar system, the researchers have proposed a consistent scenario for the emergence of life on Earth. Now its the experimentalists turn to find out how life could also form on suitable planets like ours around other stars.

Phoning ET at Home

Scientists have been searching for extraterrestrial planets for signs of life for over 50 years. Now its about to ramp up a few notches.

In the hope of making contact with aliens, a message has been beamed by scientists towards two planets potentially capable of supporting life. The message was directed towards GJ 273, known as Luytens star, a red dwarf 12.36 light years away from Earth that hosts two potentially habitable planets.

Nearby? Yes and no. Its not reachable yet, but thats only until technology catches up with science fiction. At light speed it would take 12 years to reach GJ 273. If any aliens reside on the planets when the message is received and understood by them, and a reply is sent, it will arrive here on 21 June 2042!

The contents of the message consisted of a scientific and mathematical tutorial of sorts, as well as 33 musical excerpts beamed out in binary code at two different radio frequencies from the European Incoherent Scatter Scientific Association radio antenna in Tromso, Norway.

Prof Stephen Hawking maintains that actively sending messages into space is a risky operation due to the fact that we are completely unaware of the levels of benevolence any extra-terrestrial life may or may not possess.

Despite all of this, the collective belief of the scientific community is that beaming a message to Luytens star poses no risk whatsoever. Indeed, the technological leap forward could be astounding!

A second message is planned to be set out to Luytens star in April 2018 at different radio frequencies in the hope that someone might hear the voice of humanity.

The success of the project of course will depend on whether someone remembers to look for a response 24 years from now.By John McMurtrie & Jack Clegg

The ordered structure of most crystals makes them brittle and inflexible, but the discovery of crystals with elastic properties opens a range of new uses in emerging technologies.

Crystals are beautiful objects. They have been admired for millennia because of their intriguing properties, and in many cultures are thought to be imbued with magical properties. Crystals, do however, underpin a wide variety of modern technologies, including semi-conductors and lasers, which are used in everything from mobile phones to space-shuttles.

The large crystals that we encounter in our natural environment  like quartz, salt and gemstones  are intriguing because of their clean faces, sharp corners and symmetrical features. Often it is how crystals interact with light that captures our attention. Crystals are translucent and can be highly coloured. Light also reflects off the faces of crystals, causing them to glint and gleam.

As early as the 17th century, scientists used these properties to start to understand the behaviour of light and answer fundamental questions of physics. Newton used prismatic crystals to split and recombine white light into its coloured constituents, while Danish scientist Rasmus Bartholin used calcite crystals to discover how light could be polarised  the technology that underpins 3D movies.

As well as diffracting and refracting lights, crystals also diffract X-rays and neutrons, which allows us to use these forms of radiation to probe the atomic structure of materials. The discovery of this led to the 1915 Nobel Prize in Physics to William and Lawrence Bragg. Researchers now routinely grow crystals of new materials to analyse their crystal structure. More than one million crystal structures have now been reported.

Crystals are composed of atoms or molecules that are arranged in highly ordered arrays that repeat infinitely within the boundaries of the crystal. It is the repeating molecular nature of crystals that give rise to both the inherent beauty of crystals and their useful properties.

The highly ordered state of crystals makes them hard, brittle and inelastic. Mechanical stresses such as bending, stretching or compression cause crystals to crack, break or even shatter irreversibly (try googling hitting quartz with a hammer). The crystalline allotrope of carbon, diamond, is extremely hard while the non-crystalline allotrope, graphite, is so soft it is used in pencils.

While the optical, electronic and magnetic properties of crystals make them attractive for use in technological applications, their inflexibility has limited their use in emerging technologies like flexible electronics and optical devices. But that may be about to change.

In recent years it has become apparent that the simple view that crystals are hard and brittle needs some revision. About 10 years ago, researchers in India reported that they had found crystals of a simple organic molecule that didnt shatter when bent. While these crystals could bend, they did so irreversibly. This type of mechanical response is termed plastic deformation, and is observed in metals and polymers.

Even more recently has been the discovery of crystals that can bend reversibly, returning to their original shape after mechanical deformation. This type of mechanical response is termed elastic deformation. By definition, every material undergoes some amount of elastic bending before breaking, but in many materials it is not significant enough to be observed.

Elastically flexible crystals are important because of the reversibility of the bending. Knowing how to engineer them will allow the development of smart materials that respond to changes in their environment, like temperature, pressure or the application of force, and will be used in emerging technologies such as aeroplane and spacecraft components or in sensors and electronic devices.

Our recent research, published in Nature Chemistry (https://tinyurl.com/ybzezfxr), suggests that not only is significant elastic flexibility in crystals possible but it might not be as rare as previously thought. We found that crystals of the well-known compound Cu(acac)2 are so flexible they can be tied reversibly into a knot.

Cu(acac)2 isnt a new compound. It was first made in the late 1800s, and is frequently made in chemistry teaching laboratories all over the world. What is new about these crystals is the way the molecules are arranged within the crystals. In this case the molecules, which are flat, stack upon each other into long chains that run the length of the crystal. There are relatively strong interactions between each molecule in the stack, but very weak interactions in the two orthogonal directions.

One of our co-authors at The University of Queensland, Dr Michael Pfrunder, grew some crystals of the closely related compound Cu(Bracac)2 for X-ray analysis and noticed that they were much more flexible than normal crystals. After finding this first example of flexible crystals we hypothesised that because we can control the chemistry of the molecular building blocks on the atomic level we might also be able to control the flexible properties of the crystal on the macro-scale.

To test this hypothesis, PhD student Anna Worthy made a number of derivatives of our first lead compound by systematically changing small parts of the molecules that make up the crystals. While we discovered the first example accidentally, weve now made eight examples of elastically flexible crystals.

To our surprise, the most flexible sample we have found so far was the most well-known: Cu(acac)2. Anna was able to grow blue crystals of this compound, which were about the width of a fishing line and up to 5 cm long. These crystals can be bent significantly many times, and spring back into an unbent state with no signs of breaking or cracking. We filmed Anna showing this (https://tinyurl.com/yde3zrsx). Most notably, when bent they also keep the useful properties of crystals.

We then set out to quantify just how flexible the crystals were. We performed mechanical testing on the crystals using fairly common techniques in materials science and engineering, including nano-indentation, three-point bend tests and tensile-strain tests.

Tensile-strain tests involve clamping two ends of a material and measuring how much force is required to stretch a material. Our crystals could be reversibly stretched by up to 4.4% of their length before breaking, and had a tensile strength of 8.022 MPa, which is very similar to a non-crystalline material like polyethylene.

Three-point bend tests measure how far a sample can be bent under the application of a certain stress. We found that the crystals had a flexure modulus in the range of 28 GPa, which is very similar to nylon (25 GPa). This test also allowed us to demonstrate the reversibility of the bending by repeating the bending several times on the same sample. Above 60 MPa of strain we saw some evidence of irreversible plastic deformation.

Nano-indentation allows us to measure the hardness of individual faces of the crystals. The results showed us that different faces of the crystal had quantifiable differences in their hardness. One face had a hardness of 200240 MPa while another was significantly harder (380400 MPa). This is of similar hardness to many organic molecules and polymers, but much lower than inorganic materials and ceramics.

Because the samples maintain their crystalline properties even when bent, we could use X-rays generated by the Australian Synchrotron to analyse changes in the crystal structure at the atomic level when the sample was bent (for a video see https://tinyurl.com/y88flbx8). By carefully aligning a bent crystal perpendicular to the X-ray beam, Dr Arnaud Grosjean was able to use micro-focused radiation to map how the spacing and orientation of individual molecules changed along the cross-section of the crystal.

We found that the individual molecules reversibly rotate as the crystals are bent, allowing for the crystal to expand on the outside of the loop while simultaneously getting smaller on the inside. It is this simultaneous compression and expansion that is required for elasticity.

The method that we developed to measure the changes in the crystals during bending could also be used to explore flexibility in any other crystals. This is an exciting prospect given that there are millions of different types of crystals already known, and many more yet to be discovered.

The ability of crystals to bend flexibly has wide-ranging implications. For example, when a crystal is bent or twisted, the translational symmetry relating individual molecules to one another throughout the crystal is lost, so the sample is no longer a crystal by traditional definitions. Bending the crystal also changes its optical and magnetic properties, and our next step is to explore these changes with a view to identifying applications for new technologies.By Tim Hannan

Illusory pattern perception is associated with a belief in conspiracy theories.

Some conspiracy theories are trivial, absurd and even amusing. Elvis is still alive, but Paul McCartney died in 1966 and was replaced by a look- and sound-alike (admittedly a very talented and successful doppelganger). The world is run by a secret society of Illuminati, or perhaps by the Anunnaki: shape-shifting extraterrestrial reptiles whose numbers include members of the British royal family and several US presidents (though not the one you might expect). Other conspiracy theories create fear, social disharmony and radicalisation: global warming is a lie perpetrated by so-called climate scientists; the CIA created AIDS; and vaccines cause autism.

While not all conspiracy theories are irrational, many of those most widely circulated are at least highly unlikely when viewed from the perspective of logic, science or common sense. Their prevalence and potentially harmful impact is reason enough to try to identify why such theories are so readily entertained, and why they seem to spread so easily among the population. The dominant psychological explanation proposes that belief in conspiracy theories is related to the human tendency to see patterns in data where none actually exist.

It has been previously established that humans have an inherent disposition to detect patterns in visual data, with a common example being the detection of faces or other familiar images in random stimuli (e.g. Jesus on Toast, AS, June 2016, p.41). This disposition is understood to result from the automatic operation of a pattern recognition system, hard-wired in the brain, that assists us to make quick and accurate judgements about our environment. Pattern perception is evolutionally advantageous as it enables us to make sense of our world and to develop reasonable predictions of future events.

It has often been suggested that a persons endorsement of conspiracy theories and other supernatural beliefs may reflect an enhanced disposition to illusory pattern perception: the more one perceives patterns in random data, the greater the tendency to accept such theories. While this proposal is widely accepted, to date there has been little direct supporting evidence. Recently, a team of researchers from the Netherlands and United Kingdom sought to address this through a series of experiments, with the results published in the European Journal of Social Psychology.

First, participants were asked to rate the strength of their belief in various conspiracy theories, including widely-circulated notions such as The US government had advance knowledge of the 9/11 attacks, Ebola is a man-made virus and The moon landing was a hoax, as well as experimenter-designed theories such as Red Bull contains illegal substances that raise the desire for the product. Participants also rated their agreement with statements concerning supernatural or magical beliefs, such as Horoscopes are right too often for it to be a coincidence and I think I could learn to read other peoples minds if I wanted to.

The experimenters then investigated whether those who endorsed conspiratorial and supernatural propositions were more likely to perceive patterns in random data. This was done by asking participants to rate their belief in whether the results of sets of 10 consecutive coin tosses (e.g. HHTTHHHTTT) were random or pre-determined. As expected, those who perceived patterns in the random data were more likely to endorse conspiratorial and supernatural beliefs.

In another study, the experimenters investigated whether acceptance of conspiracy theories and supernatural beliefs was associated with a tendency to perceive patterns in abstract art. Participants viewed several of Jackson Pollocks rather chaotic paintings and the more geometrically-ordered works of Victor Vasarely, and rated the extent to which they perceived patterns in each. The researchers found that perceiving patterns in the unstructured Pollock paintings was correlated with a belief in current and experimenter-invented conspiracy theories and with supernatural beliefs; in contrast, finding patterns in the more structured Vasarely paintings was not associated with such beliefs.

Together, these studies suggest that people with a greater disposition than others to seek and locate patterns in random data are more likely to hold the irrational beliefs at the core of common conspiracy theories. Effectively, those who hold conspiracy theories actually see the world differently.

At least, thats what we neuropsychologists would want you to believe.Researchers at The University of Otago have observed how males of some species disguise themselves as females in order to improve their chances of mating.

Dr Erica Todd says one of the most extraordinary ways animals have responded to the challenge of mating is female mimicry, where so-called sneaker males disguise themselves as females to avoid aggression from larger males and then steal mating opportunities. Todds study, published in Molecular Biology and Evolution, found that sneaker males can achieve their extraordinary feat of subterfuge by turning specific genes in their brains and gonads on or off.

Todd says her study species, the bluehead wrasse, has a social organisation that rivals the most outrageous soap opera. There are two types of males  large, aggressive blue-headed males that openly court females, and smaller sneaker males that look and act like females in order to sneak in matings, she said. RNA sequencing revealed that sneaker males had brain gene expression patterns that were almost identical to females and very different to territorial males.

The study also revealed how sneaker males make themselves look like females to sneak past other males and avoid confrontation. Males of many species use bright colours and other ornamentation to attract mates and compete with rivals, which are often regulated by male sex hormones produced in the testes, Todd explained. In sneaker male testes we found that many of the genes critical for male sex hormone production were turned off, making them look female.

While they may look and act like females, these sneaker males are reproductively potent. Their testes are up to four times larger and produce 60% more sperm than territorial males. Todd discovered that the larger testes of sneaker males had higher expression of genes involved in cell proliferation and sperm quality control.

The study also revealed insights into how the different males cope with their divergent lifestyles. Sneaker males express genes for neuroplasticity that may help them elude territorial males and steal mating opportunities with females, Todd said. Territorial males express genes associated with stress and protection against cellular damage, suggesting that life is tough at the top of the social hierarchy.

But thats not all thats going on in the bluehead wrasse: females can change sex, and sneaker males can change roles to become territorial males when they grow large enough.

Todd and her colleagues are now investigating the genes and environmental signals that trigger sex change in both the bluehead wrasse and the New Zealand spotty.Scientists have issued a call to ensure that the use of gene drives in conservation will only affect local populations.

Gene drives promote the inheritance of a particular genetic variant to increase its frequency in a population. In conservation, a gene drive could spread infertility and ultimately eliminate a pest population. New Zealand, for instance, is considering gene drives to help eliminate rats, mice, stoats and possums.

Prof Neil Gemmell of the University of Otago believes there is still huge merit in using genetic technologies for conservation work, but says that standard self-propagating versions may be uncontrollable and therefore unsuited to conservation.

In an article published in PLOS Biology, Gemmell and A/Prof Kevin Esvelt of MIT examined the possible consequences of the accidental spread of existing self-propagating gene drive systems. Esvelt is credited with first describing how gene drives could be created using CRISPR bacterial DNA to edit specific genes in a target organism, and had suggested that self-propagating gene drive systems might be suitable for conservation. However, Gemmell and Esvelt now say this suggestion was a mistake as it is equivalent to creating a new, highly invasive species  both will likely spread to any ecosystem in which they are viable, possibly causing ecological change.

Therefore they say that introducing such a system without the permission of every other country harbouring the target species would be highly irresponsible. Even assuming that national sovereignty is morally irrelevant, the social and diplomatic consequences of an unconstrained release should give us pause.

CRISPR-based gene drive is arguably the technology most likely to help eradicate human scourges such as malaria and schistosomiasis. It would be a profound tragedy if New Zealanders  or anyone else  inadvertently caused an international incident and the consequent loss of public confidence in scientists and governance prevented us from realising other benefits of biotechnology.

Gemmell says there is strong impetus to use gene drives and other tools to meet the goal set by the New Zealand government to eradicate mammalian pests by 2050, but only localised drive systems are safe enough to consider. The rationale for this goal is simple, he said. Mammalian pests remain one of the key threats to the ongoing persistence of New Zealands native flora and fauna, which has evolved in isolation without such threats for at least 28 million years or more.Hi guys,



So I am currently on a bridging visa E due to some awful advice which I should have verified.



Anyhow, I intend to apply for a defacto visa with my Ozzy girlfriend. Would I stay on my bridging visa E whilst this is being processed? I am aware that there have to be mitigating circumstances for the defacto to be accepted from a bridging E.



My main concern is that currently I am awaiting an appeal to process- I think they will reject it but at the moment if I leave the country I won't be allowed back in. That's fine with me but I have an elderly grandma who I am very worried about. If she were to pass and I had to go home for a funeral I would be worried about not being allowed back into the country.



I will probably apply for the defacto soon which is why I ask if I will still be on BVE? If so will they take into consideration compassionate grounds and allow my re-entry into Oz if the worst was to happen?



Any advice would be greatly appreciated.



Thanks!



TGay History  January 7, 1949: 4 Men Plead Guilty To Homosexual Offenses After Gay Witch Hunt at University of Missouri

Via the Associated Press:

Columbia, Mo., Jan 7. (AP). Four men pleaded guilty yesterday to statutory charges and were placed on probation four years. They were Warren W. Heathman, itinerant agriculture instruction for the Veterans Administration at Rolla; Harry J. Sohn Jr., of Hannibal, former University of Missouri student; Willie D. Coots of Columbia, former clerk in a novelty shop, and Joe Byers, local grocer.

In the late 1940s, Missouri law classified homosexual acts as felony crimes against nature. The University of Missouri in Columbia first began ousting homosexuals during this period, after it developed a reputation as a safe haven for gay men.

The prior spring, newspapers reported on a homosexual ring with mad homosexual parties taking place near the University of Missouri campus. According to Boone County court documents and articles from The Kansas City Star E.K. Johnston was arrested in May 1948 and charged with sodomy in connection with a homosexual ring in Salem, MO. On May 28, 1948. Reports also indicate that at least of score of other students and residents were implicated in the ring.

E.K. Johnston, former journalism professor at the university pleaded guilty Nov. 17 to a similar charge and was placed on four-year probation. Yesterdays action closed the cases resulting from an investigation last spring of homosexual activities at the university and elsewhere.

MU issued a formal statement explaining Johnstons dismissal in view of the nature and gravity of the charges it read.

Johnston moved to Kansas City, where he lived until his death in 1990.

Others were not so lucky.

The record does show clear evidence that that lives were ruined and several incidences of homicide and suicide were a direct result of the University of Missouris gay witch-hunt.Why They Lost The Wheel

For a while there, the ox and the camel were eyeball to eyeballbut the ox didn't stand a chance.

Written by Richard W. Bulliet

Illustrated by Ed Davis

When the first motor car chugged defiantly off the road and into the desert an entire epoch in world history began to pass away, the epoch of the camel. After centuries of supremacy as a transport animal, centuries that had seen it become for millions of people the romantic symbol of the entire Middle East, the stalwart camel was at last facing unbeatable competition. Yet once before this homely drama of competition between the camel and the wheel had been played out in nearly identical fashion, only in reverse. Once, in ancient times, the Middle East teemed with carts and wagons and chariots, but they were totally driven out by the coming of the camel. For all the discussion there has been among archeologists about why advanced societies such as those in pre-Colombian Central and South America never invented wheeled transport, there has been little notice taken of the amazing fact that Middle Eastern society wilfully abandoned the use of the wheel, one of mankind's greatest inventions. It did not, of course, abandon the wheel in all of its many forms. The potter's wheel remained, and so did the huge, picturesque norias, or waterwheels of Syria. But gradually over the course of the first four or five centuries of the Christian era, and perhaps even earlier, all wheeled transport in the area, from the grandest chariot to the humblest farm wagon, passed out of existence. As late as the 1780's the French traveler Volney could still note, "It is remarkable that in all of Syria one does not see a single cart or wagon." Moreover, in the Arabic and Persian languages one is hard pressed to find any vocabulary proper to either the use or construction of carts and wagons. The most common explanation of this phenomenon is lack of, or deterioration of, roads in the Middle East, and to be sure the old Royal Road of the Persians and the whole network of Roman roads at some time fell out of repair and then passed out of use. However, roads are built for wheels and not vice versa. Their decline paralleled that of the wheel; it did not cause it. Actually, the dry Middle Eastern climate was much better suited to vehicular traffic than were the forests of pre-modern Europe, where rain could be regularly counted upon to turn even the best unpaved road into mud. Even today high speeds can easily be maintained over long stretches of desert track. Furthermore, the Turks in early times used carts without roads on the Central Asian steppe, as did the unknown ancient inhabitants of the Sahara Desert. And in the United States the pioneers crossed the continent in wagon trains without benefit of asphalt. No, roads are not the answer to the riddle. Instead it was the long, slow pace of the camel, two and a half miles an hour, 20 miles a day, for weeks on end, that spelled the demise of the wheel. Because of the primitive state of harnessing technology in the ancient East, where even a horse could not be harnessed effectively to pull a heavy load, the camel could not be hitched to a wagon. There is one Roman relief showing a camel chariot race, but it is hard to believe that it was not intended as comic relief. Good harnesses for camels were designed in Central Asia and, in the 19th century, in the Australian desert, but these did not affect the Middle East. The only way to make use of this immensely strong beast for transport was to throw the load, averaging anywhere from 300 to 500 pounds, on its back. Thus the pack camel came to compete directly with the ox cart for heavy transport. The ox cart was equally slow, and in the competition the camel had certain positive advantages. It ate otherwise unusable desert plants, which made its upkeep inexpensive. Little wood, a valuable commodity in the largely deforested Middle East, was required by ancient saddling technology. And its care and breeding could be left to the nomads and thus not be a burden upon the farmer or merchant. These advantages meant that camel transport was about 20 percent cheaper than wagon transport, according to the edict on prices issued by the Roman emperor Diocletian in the third century A.D. Therefore, simple economic efficiency caused the camel to supplant the wheel, not some mysterious reversion to primitive life. Before there can be a competition, however, there must be the competitors. The advent of the wagon in the Middle East affords no problem, since the area appears to have been the cradle of wheeled transport as it was of so many other things. It is the camel that poses the problem. If camels had existed for centuries on the Arabian and Syrian Deserts, why had they not replaced the wagon long before the Christian era? Or if they had not been on the scene, when did they come and why? In North Africa and the Sahara Desert it is quite certain that camels were unknown in very ancient times and were introduced from the Middle East only a century or two before Christ. However, the history of the camel in the Middle East is very poorly known and difficult to reconstruct. The camel was probably domesticated in southern Arabia in the fourth millennium B.C., but the spread of its utility was very gradual since for a very long time it was used primarily for milk rather than for transport. Only under the Assyrians in the 7th-9th centuries B.C. did camel warriors and large tribes of camel breeders become significant in Mesopotamia and Syria. Stone reliefs found in excavated Assyrian palaces show Assyrian cavalry fighting the camel people, and they always show the cavalry winning. While this is probably in part Assyrian propaganda, there is also likely to be some truth in it since the type of saddle used by the nomads at that time was not well designed for fighting. It was a long time after the fall of the Assyrian Empire before the tribes of camel breeders acquired the military strength to assert themselves politically and economically. First the militarily efficient modern Arab camel saddle had to be developed, and then the bow and arrow used by the nomads in Assyrian times had to be replaced by the long lance, which capitalized upon the great height of a camel rider in comparison with a horseman. Then and only then could the famous caravan cities of Petra, Palmyra and Mecca be born. A shift in economic power from the settled land into the desert took place as a consequence of this newfound camel-based military power. Hitherto, the empires of the settled lands had methodically shut out the nomads by fortifying their desert frontiers, and had used them for their own economic purposes. Now, although the nomads may still have been unable to face imperial cavalry in pitched battle, they were at least able to dominate the desert caravan routes and seize control of long-distance trade. With this development of independent nomad power, direct competition between camels and wagons finally began. The pack camel had been theoretically superior to the wagon for centuries, but as long as the camel breeders were confined to the desert areas by imperial military force and as long as the caravan trade was dominated by merchants from the settled lands, the competition could not be joined. The acquisition of significant military power by the desert dwellers enabled them to penetrate gradually into settled agricultural districts and coexist there with the settled population. Camels, for the first time, became commonplace around cities and farms. More and more farmers and other people with goods to haul gave up their expensive wagons and simply rented camels from the nearby nomads when they needed transport. Gradually the entire wagon making industry disappeared. The conquests of Islam, which were partly fueled by the capital that the camel caravan trade enabled the Meccans to accumulate, spread camel breeding to new geographical areas. Already wheeled transport was gone in the central Middle East. With Islam it disappeared also in Spain, Egypt, and most of modern Turkey. Only Central Asia, among all the lands conquered in the first wave of Islamic expansion, continued to have wagons. The Turkish tribes already had two-humped Bactrian camels, so there was no room for expansion of one-humped camel breeding into the area. But the Turks had never developed camel breeding intensively. Camels were used, but they were not highly valued. Partly for this reason and partly because the type of wagon harness used in Central Asia was much more efficient than the Western harness, the camel was able to compete effectively only in desert areas. Elsewhere wagons continued in use. Still, in the Middle East, the first round of the contest was over; the camel had won. In limited areas where Islam only spread later or where camels could not be bred, such as northern Turkey and the subtropical Caspian Sea coast of Iran, the ox cart remained, and remains to this day. Everywhere else in the Middle East and North Africa the wheel disappeared, and no doubt there were people then who looked at its passing with nostalgia and at the coming of the camel as a newfangled innovation just as today there are those who do the opposite. The counterattack of the wheel began with the coming of the Turks to the Middle East in the 11th century. As already mentioned, on the Central Asian steppe the Turks had always used wagons to carry goods, and they even put their yurts, their round, rigid tents, on wheels. Thus they had a sympathy for wheeled vehicles and some knowledge of their use, both of which had long passed away in the Middle East. The word araba or arabiya, which is so commonly used today in both Turkish and Arabic for any wheeled vehicle, first came into use at this time. Still the basic economic superiority of the camel prevailed. A few wagons reappeared under the Turks. More significantly, the Ottoman Turkish expansion into the Balkans did not spell the end of wheeled transport there. However, in general the use of the camel remained all-pervasive until the advent of European influence which stimulated the building of carriages for use in cities. Then came the automobile and the end of the contest was in sight. There were setbacks, of course. In World War II, for example, lack of tires often forced the Arabian American Oil Company (Aramco) to use camels instead of trucks. But that was temporary. Today even Bedouins keep a truck parked outside their tents. The day of the camel is past, and whoever laments its passing would do well to remember that 2,000 years ago someone else was lamenting the passing of the ox cart. But what vestiges will remain of 2,000 years of camels as a ubiquitous fact of life? The nomads who lived by camel breeding are settling down and becoming part of the modern economy. The roads that for centuries remained unpaved because the softer dirt surface was gentler than stone on the camel's padded foot are becoming ribbons of asphalt. Perhaps only in the picturesque narrow, winding streets of the old quarters of Middle Eastern cities will the indirect influence of the camel remain visible. Although camels themselves were not too widely used within the walls of medieval towns, it was they who caused the tradition of wheeled transport to vanish; and it is the absence of carts and wagons that accounts in large part for the layout of medieval Middle Eastern cities. Steps in the middle of the road, abrupt right angle turns, sudden narrowing from eight feet wide to two feet widestreets like this could never have come into being in a society accustomed to using wheels. Streets like this are built only for pedestrians, animal and human. As for the future of the camel now that its monopoly on transportation has been broken, it is not bright. Perhaps as a meat animal it will remain in some areas. Perhaps in Somalia or among the Tuaregs of the Sahara it will remain sheltered from modern civilization for a while longer. Worldwide, however, the population of camels is rapidly declining. The camel phase of history is over, and a new symbol must be found to represent the modern Middle East. Richard W. Bulliet is an assistant professor of history at Harvard University's Center for Middle Eastern Studies.

This article appeared on pages 22-25 of the May/June 1973 print edition of Saudi Aramco World.

See Also: ARABSSOCIAL LIFE AND CUSTOMS, CAMEL CORPS, TRANSPORTATION, WHEELS

Check the Public Affairs Digital Image Archive for May/June 1973 images.The Idyllic Beach Houses of Tierra Del Mar, N. Oregon Coast

Updated Periodically

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Pacific City, Oregon)  Just north of Pacific City, at the tiny stretch of beach and road called Tierra Del Mar, there's a lot more than it seems from initial glances. This part of the north Oregon coast, where southern Tillamook County veers into the Three Capes Tour, is covered by a striking mix of primeval forest and fat dunes, sometimes shifting landscape in a couple hundred feet or less.

Much of this area is a bit of a secret, really. It's where people typically pass by quickly and don't bother to get out of their cars and onto the stunning sands, which provide a lot of extra space during summer's high sand levels and often gobs of agates during winter's scoured out periods. They miss out on watching the hang gliders launch off the hills, or the two-mile hike to the estuary to the north, which is only accessible via foot or horseback  a true hidden spot on the Oregon coast.

In the midst of all this is an indie vacation rental biz called Idyllic Beach House, which is both aptly named and a misnomer. There are actually two beach homes to rent for a few nights, but it is indeed idyllic.

The biz is run by former Portlander Susy Wolfson and her husband, both of which were working classical musicians in the area in the '80s. A few twists and turns later  in 1997  they make a vacation rental biz out of these twin wonders, and the rest is blissful Oregon coast history.

Both homes sit in the middle of a dense rain forest typical of this part of the north Oregon coast, and both a mere block or so from the beach. It's like remote mountain living paired with the atmospheres of the beach all in one. They're also pet friendly, but Wolfson's rules for this are for well-behaved dogs.





The Pier Street House is a two-story stunner that has vaulted ceilings and copious amounts of polished wood, giving it a cavernous wood cabin feel that is at once modern yet retro, as well as embracing and comforting. The wood stove set in the middle of a brick frame sends the whole secluded forest living vibe into heart-warming overdrive.

Head upstairs to find the insanely beautiful sunsets and glimpses of the ocean from the balcony, along with the heavy layers of trees. Just below, a completely covered deck offers outdoor repose without getting drenched by Oregon coast rains, which includes outdoor dining or just hanging out.

For kids, there's a special bunkroom with two sets of very colorful bunkbeds. For the dogs, a special doggie door that leads into the utility room has a gate that lets your little fur babies dry off, if need be.

The Pier Street House can sleep up to ten people.





The Guardenia Street House also comes with vaulted ceilings and polished wood, again giving it a woodsy cabin feel but this time a little more rustic in the areas with darker wood. The lighter woods of the bedrooms practically shimmer here. Skylights accentuate the feeling.

Another intriguing feature is the little nook-like window filled with plants: essentially greenery that looks out over more greenery.

An enormous master bedroom has floor-to-ceiling windows that gaze out into these woods as well. From there and from other doors you can walk out onto a juniper deck that clocks in at 1,000 square feet. This eye-popping beauty puts you in the middle of this forest, along with its direct ocean breezes and sound of the waves. The railings here double as one big, long wooden bench  a lovely surprise touch.

The living room comes with a cozy fireplace and large sofa, along with board games and a hefty supply of DVD's.

One of the Guardenia Street House's most striking features is the kids' room, done up in a bright, lively blue, coming with a skylight and bunk beds.

This home can host up to nine people.

It all started about 30 years ago when Wolfson and her husband first bumped into Pacific City and Tierra Del Mar by chance. They rented a place out here for a brief period but were forced to go back to Portland because of their work in orchestras. Later, a short stay at another lodging inspired her to create her own back home.

The house was cozy, comfortably furnished, and absolutely wonderful, Wolfson said. Since weve always had German shepherds, we were thrilled to find that they were welcome as well. I knew how hard it was to find a dog-friendly place to stay - a term not even coined in those days - much less a house on the coast. This was the gem of the dream I had for the house at the coast.

Now, 21 years into this micro rental biz, she's started catering to second generation guests.

Many folks have returned year after year with the kids growing up feeling as if the house is theirs  their childhoods entwined with the house itself, she said. Its the most wonderful feeling. More photos of Idyllic Beach Houses below. Call 503-662-5420.

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All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright BeachConnection.net Unauthorized use or publication is not permittedThe website bares a resemblance to one of the most prominent news sources in the world, Drudge Report. The Drudge Report is one of the most-visited news websites and has served as an inspiration for the Connecticut and New York state-level aggregators. There are similar websites in Colorado, Louisiana, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

For consumers, Miller views the Empire Report as a source those interested in New York news and politics can go to "get it all." He updates the website throughout the day with links to stories published by The Citizen and other newspapers, radio stations and television stations from across the state.

Miller also believes the website benefits political journalists by spreading their news stories to a wider audience. He recalled skeptics telling him that people in New York City aren't going to care about what's happening in Buffalo or people in Buffalo won't care about about what's happening in downstate.

Since Empire Report launched nearly two years ago, Miller said he's learned that the opposite is true. As an example, he mentioned stories about Buffalo that his website metrics will show has garnered readers from Long Island.The announcement didn't surprise DeFrancisco, who said he recently spoke with Wilson while the two were in New York City. During that conversation, Wilson didn't reveal whether he would run or not, but DeFrancisco came away feeling that he wasn't going to run.

Wilson cited personal reasons for the decision. He has four young daughters and didn't want to miss spending time with them, especially his two oldest daughters who are now in high school.

Another Republican, Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, also announced he will not run for governor this year.

With Molinaro and Wilson out of the race, DeFrancisco said his decision-making process hasn't changed.

"My position points are still the same: Do I have enough support to get the nomination and number two, do I have a reasonable opportunity to win this?" he said. "It's going to be an uphill battle. No one will say differently, including myself."

One reason DeFrancisco feels it will be an uphill battle is Cuomo's fundraising advantage. While the Syracuse-area Republican has been a successful fundraiser as a state senator, it pales in comparison to the governor's haul.That second facet of the theater will see the festival offer it to other arts organizations in the community for use as a rehearsal and/or performance space. Chase said the Auburn Players Community Theater has already taken up the offer, as it will rehearse a new musical featuring students in grades four through eight there in February, and perform it there in April. Chase said Two Plus Four has leased the auditorium at a "negligible" rate, allowing the festival to rent it for "next to no cost" to organizations that might not be able to afford similar spaces in the area.ALBANY  In New York state government news, Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo is taking a look at taxes following the Republican tax overhaul in Washington, and big improvements to the Thruway may be in the works.

A look at stories making news:

TALKING TAXES

Cuomo is considering big changes to the state tax code to blunt the blow of the federal tax overhaul.

The new federal tax code significantly limits a popular deduction for state and local taxes, meaning many people in high-tax states such as New York could see big increases in their tax bill.

During his State of the State address to lawmakers Wednesday, Cuomo said he wants to find a way to help reduce the increases, which he said could be as high as 25 percent for some homeowners. But in order to protect the state's bottom line, any tax cut for middle-class New York property owners would need to be offset by increases in other taxes.

"It is clear that we must protect New York taxpayers from this assault," Cuomo said. "And it's clear that we must not allow big corporations to enjoy a windfall at the expense of our middle class and our working families."By Daniel McConnell

Update 3.30pm: Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has today paid a warm tribute to Peter Sutherland after the former Attorney General passed away at St Jamess Hospital in Dublin this morning.

He was a statesman in every sense of the word; an Irishman, a committed European and a proud internationalist, said Mr Varadkar.

"Throughout his life, he was a champion for individual and economic freedoms. RIP."

Former Taoiseach John Bruton also paid tribute to Mr Sutherland, saying: "He was a man of faith, who showed, through his life, that faith and modernity can be reconciled.

"His talents brought him great success, but he was always conscious of his responsibility to help others and give back to society."

Earlier: President leads tributes as former Attorney General Peter Sutherland dies

Former Attorney General turned international businessman and diplomat Peter Sutherland has passed away at the age of 71.

A former European and chairman of Goldman Sachs International, Mr Sutherland had suffered from cancer in recent years.

Mr Sutherland, who had been ill for some time, passed away at St. Jamess Hospital in Dublin this morning. He is survived by his wife Maruja, nee Cabria Valcarcel, and their three children Shane, Natalia and Ian.

Born in Dublin in April 1946, Mr Sutherland was educated at Gonzaga College in Ranelagh before going on to study law at University College Dublin.

He worked as a senior counsel for more than a decade before being appointed attorney general in 1981, for the first of two stints in the post.

While in that office, he famously clashed with then Justice Michael Noonan over the wording of the 1983 Eighth Amendment relating to abortion.

As AG, Mr Sutherland said the wording of the amendment was flawed and would cause considerable difficulty for medical practitioners.

Mr Sutherland's children, Shane, Natalia and Ian said: "Above all things, Peter was a family man, totally in love with our mother Maruja from the moment they met almost 50 years ago. He was a wonderful father: loving, teaching, playful. We are consoled that in his last year we were able to repay some of his love and kindness.

Next for Peter came his faith and his country and, finally, his belief in the European project as a route to peace, prosperity and justice for all.

He was a devout Catholic. This didnt make him doctrinaire. Instead, it gave him a lifelong instinct for charity and volunteerism. It wasnt just about writing the cheque  he wanted to be with people. In the year before the onset of his final illness, he ceased his business activities and devoted himself to working with migrants, many of whom were in wretched circumstances. It was never an easy cause and rarely a popular cause. We were so proud that our father worked for the poorest of the poor.

We were also so proud of his patriotism whether manifested through supporting his beloved Irish rugby team, his support of education at Gonzaga, UCD, Trinity or elsewhere, his formal and informal service to Irish governments of all hues and his work with the Ireland Fund of Great Britain which he was proud to chair and support.

Others noticed his success in public life and his material success from business. We loved Papa because he was devoted to us and we to him.

President Michael D Higgins has led tributes to Mr Sutherland saying he learned of the news of his passing with great sadness.

It is with sadness that I have learned of the death of Peter Sutherland, former Attorney General, European Commissioner and Director General of the GATT/World Trade Organisation, he said.

In recent years in particular Peter Sutherland concentrated on what were some of the important global issues of the day, and he leaves an important legacy through his work as UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for International Migration, having brought the importance of migration to the forefront of public thought and policy, the President added.

He described Mr Sutherland as a passionate European, throughout his career Peter Sutherland remained deeply committed to peaceful cooperation and integration in Europe, promoting greater awareness of the importance and possibilities of Irish engagement in European decision making.

His loss will be felt most acutely by his family and friends, and as President of Ireland I wish to express my deepest sympathies to them, President Higgins added.

Ireland's EU Commissioner, Phil Hogan said he was deeply sorry to learn of his passing, desribing him as a very distinguished European Commissioner for Competition from 1985 to 1989.

Peter was probably Ireland's most distinguished international statesman and leaves behind a rich legacy of achievement, whether in the legal or business worlds or, more particularly, in public service. In all of the roles he performed, he did so with professionalism, enthusiasm and accomplishment, he said.

I am personally grateful to Peter for his assistance and guidance over the last three years, during which he was always generous and unsparing with his advice and experience, Mr Hogan added.

Reacting to his passing, former Fine Gael minister Gemma Hussey on Twitter said she was saddened to hear of Mr Sutherlands death.

She described him as a truly great man, wonderful AG and colleague, who shone on the international stage.

Paul McGarry, chairman of the Bar of Ireland, said he was saddened to hear of the death of our great former colleague and AG Peter Sutherland SC.

Fine Gael Senator Frank Feighen said: Peter Sutherland RIP.He was a powerful voice for Ireland at all times.

Former Senator Jillian Van Turnout said she was very sad to hear the news of the passing of Peter Sutherland RIP. In recent years his leadership on the migrant crisis was exemplary. May he Rest in Peace, she said.

Mr Sutherland held a number of senior positions in the worlds of law, business and government during his career. He was the United Nations special represenative for international migration in recent years.

Previously, he also held the positions of director general of the World Trade Organisation; chairman of the London School of Economics; a member of the UN commisison on human security; chairman of the European Institute of Public Administration and chairman of British Petroleum (BP).

Reacting to his passing, Former Fine Gael Taoiseach and personal friend John Bruton paid a warm tribute.

"I was a very close friend of Peter. He was a great man to cultivate his friendship, was very generous," Mr Bruton said.

"His work was based on having a rule based society to protect the weak and not just the interests of the strong.

"He is credited with being the father of ruled based globalisation, where small countries would be protected by rules," Mr Bruton added.

Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin described Mr Sutherland as a "true patriot" who made an outstanding contribution to public life not just in Ireland but around the world.

He said, I was very saddened to learn of the passing of Peter Sutherland this morning. Peter made an outstanding and distinguished contribution to public life in his capacity as an Attorney General, European Commissioner and first Director-General of the World Trade Organisation. In more recent times as the UN Special Representative for International Migration he was uncompromising in highlighting the rights of migrants and refugees.

He was a champion of free trade and fair competition. He had a keen intellect and understood the changing nature of global trade and economy.

Peters dedication to public service was not only confined to his work here in Ireland. In his capacity as European Commissioner for Competition he revolutionised competition and trade laws. For example, the liberalization of the EU aviation sector owes much to his work as EU Commissioner.

He was a true patriot who had a great love for his country irrespective of his success on the world stage," Mr Martin said.The Irish Medical Organisation says it is shocked at reports that a leading Dublin hospital will not pay interns for overtime despite the current hospital crisis.

It is understood that senior management at Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown have sent a memo to consultants and interns, telling them that Interns will not be paid for work done before 8am or after 5pm.Then I took a job at the YMCA service desk and I would bring in one of the salvaged photos and put it on the desk and have a trivia contest. Winners would be awarded prizes from fictitious former Auburn businesses from years ago. Dave Tobin, who used to write for The Citizen and then the Post-Standard, is also a staunch YMCA member, and one day he saw the photo and said to me, Ormie, would you be interested in writing a weekly column about a photo you might have in our paper called Neighbors? I told him yes, and pretty soon I started interviewing folks and many would say to me that they had their relatives scrapbook or photos in the attic and would I care to have them? Very shortly after, I became inundated with photos and memorabilia and I started organizing them in books and showing them at many community functions.Update - 2.50pm: A man has died after he picked up an unidentified object from the ground near an underground station in Stockholm that detonated in his hand.

Swedish police could not immediately confirm the death, reported by Swedish national broadcaster SVT.

Earlier: Police in Sweden say a man has been seriously injured after an explosion at a Stockholm subway station.

Officers say a 60-year-old man was hurt after picking up an object from the ground which exploded.

Media reports say it happened just outside the Varby Gard underground station in Huddinge, a residential district that is part of greater Stockholm, and that two people have been taken to hospital.

It is being reported by local media that the second injured person is a 45-year-old woman.

Officials say the blast is not believed to be terror-related.

Rescue official Lars-Ake Stevelind told Swedish broadcaster SVT that "someone has used some type of explosive material" for the object and that police were investigating it.

The metro station and the nearby square have been closed to the public while explosives technicians are called.

Police patrols have been stepped up in the area and investigations are taking place.Cab-hailing major Uber is re-launching its 'AUTO' service in India, almost two years after shutting down the offering in March 2016, starting with Bengaluru and Pune.

The US-based company, which is locked in an intense battle with homegrown player Ola, will allow customers to book autorickshaw rides through 'AUTO' option on its platform later this month in these two cities.

Ola, which also allows booking autorickshaw rides under 'Auto' service, had launched the offering in Bengaluru and Chennai in 2014. Ola Auto is currently operational across 73 cities with over 120,000 lakh autos associated with the company.

An Uber spokesperson said the company had "paused" the service "to see how that side of India's transport ecosystem evolves".

"Auto rickshaws are ubiquitous to mobility options in many Indian cities. To expand transportation choices for our riders, we are excited to launch AUTO in Bengaluru and Pune," the spokesperson told PTI.

In its previous attempt, Uber's AUTO offering was available in New Delhi, Coimbatore, Indore and Bhubaneshwar.

"We are re-launching AUTO starting with two cities. Gradual geographical expansion like this is common to how we operate in cities around the world and it is something that we are looking at very closely," the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added that AUTO will include all safety features available for Uber cab rides and riders will be able to pay via cash, Paytm and debit/credit cards.

Uber will only on-board licensed, existing auto-drivers who have been screened and accredited by the authorities and every driver partner on AUTO will be required to submit valid government documents before they are given access to the Uber app, the spokesperson said.

For Uber, India is one of its largest markets where it has seen strong growth.

Japanese conglomerate SoftBank, which is also an investor in Ola, has recently committed investing over $1 billion in the US-based ride-sharing platform.Four policemen on patrol duty were killed on Saturday in an improvised explosive device blast by militants in a market in Sopore township, the first IED attack in Kashmir since 2015.

The four personnel belonging to Indian Reserve Police-3rd battalion were on law and order duty in the township in north Kashmir, 50 km from here, when the IED planted by militants in the market, which was shut due to a separatist-sponsored strike, went off, police said.

Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) militant outfit has taken responsibility for the attack, but the Kashmir police said it will have to verify the claim.

The slain personnel were identified as assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Irshad Ahmad - a resident of Doda, Constable Ghulam Nabi - a resident of Rohama Rafiaabad area of Baramulla, Constable Parvaiz Ahmad - a resident of Vilgam, Handwara and Constable Mohammad Amin - a resident of Sogam, Kupwara.

Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Munir Khan said the use of IEDs by militants had ended since 2015 and the security forces will have to chalk out a new strategy in the wake of the blast.

Denouncing the killings, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti urged the people to work shoulder to shoulder to break the "vortex of violence" in the state.

These young policemen were killed when they were on duty to protect the people in the town. It is highly unfortunate, Mufti said.

Former chief minister Omar Abdullah tweeted: "Very sad news from #Sopore. May the four brave J&K police personnel killed in the line of duty today rest in peace."



J-K Congress chief GA Mir condemned the killing and claimed the incident had exposed the "tall claims" of the Mehbooba government about the Kashmir situation being normal.

Giving details of the incident, ADGP Munir Khan told reporters that shops were closed and vehicles were off roads due to the strike in Sopore when the militants ambushed the police team.

"Our normal law and order deployment reached the lane between Chotta Bazaar and Bada Bazaar. There was an IED blast in which four of our boys were martyred," said Khan, who was recently promoted as additional director general of police, but continues to hold the post of inspector general of police (IGP) Kashmir.

"The IED was placed beneath the entrance of a shop. It was a big IED, there has been a huge crater because of it. Six or seven shops have suffered damage as well," he said, adding "it was the first (IED) blast since 2015. Its use had almost ended."



He said the security forces will have to think about it. "We will put our heads together and chalk out some new strategies to tackle this thing, he said.

The JeM, in a statement to a local news agency here, claimed responsibility for the attack.

But Khan said, "We will have to verify how authentic the statement is. A mere statement does not mean that only they have done it. We will have to see other aspects also.

A wreath-laying ceremony was held at District Police Lines Sopore to pay homage to the slain personnel.

Khan led police officers and jawans in paying floral tributes to the martyrs, a police spokesman said here.

The spokesman said ASI Irshad Ahmad is survived by his elderly mother, wife, two sons and two daughters.

Constable Mohammad Amin leaves behind an aged mother, wife, four-year-old son Tajam-ul-Islam, a brother and three sisters, while constable Parvaiz Ahmad is survived by an elderly father, wife, three-year-old son Mohammad Noman, an unmarried sister and three brothers, the spokesman said.

He said constable Ghulam Nabi has aged parents, pregnant wife, four-year-old daughter Faheeqa Nabi, two brothers and two unmarried sisters.The Delhi Police has registered an FIR on a complaint by a deputy director of the Unique Identification Authority of India in connection with a newspaper report on the breach of details of the over one billion Aadhaar cards, naming the journalist behind the story.

UIDAI Deputy Director B M Patnaik informed the police that an input was received from The Tribune that the newspaper purchased a service being offered by anonymous sellers over WhatsApp that provided unrestricted access to details of any of the more than 1 billion Aadhaar numbers created in India, the police said today.

On January 5, a complaint was received from Patnaik and the FIR was registered the same day, they said.

The police was informed by the UIDAI official that the correspondent of The Tribune, posing as a buyer, had purchased the details.

The FIR mentions the names of the journalist and the people the reporter reached out to purchase the Aadhaar data, but they have not been shown as accused, the police said.

The police said that they will be questioned.

Under fire for filing the FIR, the UIDAI said it respects free speech, including freedom of the press, and its police complaint should not be viewed as "shooting the messenger".

In a statement, it said that its act should not be viewed as one targeting the media or a whistleblower.

Justifying its stance, the UIDAI said criminal proceedings have been initiated as it was an act of unauthorised access.

Reacting to the development, the Congress attacked the Centre over the UIDAI registering the FIR.

The opposition party accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of shooting the messenger instead of probing the matter.

The Congress also raised questions over the "intentions" of the government on privacy issues.

"Intent, & 'Intentions' of Modi Govt on Privacy were thoroughly exposed when it had proclaimed that 'no citizen can have an absolute right over his/her body'," Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeted.

"In SC, Modi Govt had accepted Aadhaar data leak! Now instead of investigating, an evasive Modi ji shoots the messenger!" he said.

The Editors Guild Of India sought government intervention for the withdrawal of the case and called for an "impartial" investigation into the matter.

Criticising the lodging of the FIR, the guild said it was "deeply concerned" over reports that the UIDAI deputy director had registered a complaint in which the reporter of The Tribune has been named.AURELIUS  Professional angler Tim Thomas said that instead of groaning when he first heard central New York's current frigid weather was coming, he was excited by the ice fishing possibilities.

Thomas, who is sponsored by by various fishing equipment companies, showed some tips and tricks at an ice fishing seminar at Bass Pro Shops at the Fingerlakes Mall in Aurelius Saturday. He said this season has been fantastic for ice fishing, noting that Oneida Lake has been having the best season for perch he has ever seen. He said he focuses on trying to snag his aquatic prey, no matter if the temperature has plunged below zero or not.

"It's the hunt, the drive to get these big fish," Thomas said.

Thomas showed to set up a ice fishing line line on pole and how to handle other elements of fishing, giving general suggestions as he demonstrated the techniques.Icy winds walloped most areas in West Bengal intensifying the prevailing cold conditions even as the MeT office on Sunday forecast similar conditions for the next few days.

While the western districts of the state experienced cold wave conditions, there was an abnormal drop in day temperatures in some sub-Himalayan districts.

Sriniketan in Birbhum district was the coldest in the plains with a minimum temperature of 5.8 degrees Celsius at 5.30 am this morning, the MeT department said.

In North Bengal, Jalpaiguri recorded the day's maximum temperature at 13.5 degrees Celsius, 10 notches below normal, while in Coochbehar the mercury rose to 15.4 degrees Celsius, eight notches below normal.

Minimum temperatures dipped below the 10 degrees mark in most places of the state, with Asansol recording a low of 7.1 degrees Celsius, followed by Coochbehar 7.6 degrees Celsius, Burdwan 7.6 degrees Celsius and Bankura 8.4 degrees Celsius.

Kolkatans experienced a chilly Sunday with a minimum temperature of 10.6 degrees Celsius, which is three notches below normal, the MeT department said.

The weatherman has forecast cold spell to continue for the next few days and night temperatures may fall further in some areas, both in Gangetic plains and sub-Himalayan parts of West Bengal.RJD chief Lalu Prasad was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in jail and fined Rs 1 million by a special CBI court in a fodder scam case relating to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from the Deoghar Treasury 21 years ago.

The punishment was handed down to 69-year-old Prasad by CBI court judge Shiv Pal Singh through video conferencing since the RJD leader is lodged in Birsa Munda Central Jail after being convicted in the case on December 23, CBI counsel Rakesh Prasad said.

This is the second time that he has been jailed in the fodder scam. Prasad faces another three scam cases for illegal withdrawal of Rs 39.7 million from the Dumka Treasury, Rs 36 crore from the Chaibasa Treasury and Rs 1840 million from the Doranda Treasury.

The special judge also sent 15 other convicts in the case to prison for terms varying between three and six months and seven years under sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA).

The CBI lawyer said a fine totalling Rs 1 million was imposed the RJD supremo.

Prasad was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison for offences of cheating, read with criminal conspiracy, using as genuine a forged document and other sections under the IPC



He was also given a jail term of three years and six months in the case under the PCA.

The counsel said failure to pay a fine of Rs 500,000 each under the IPC and the PCA would entail another six months in jail for the RJD leader.

The sentences will run concurrently, he said.

Prasad's counsel Chittaranjan Sinha said his client would filed an appeal next week against the verdict in the Jharkhand high court.

Reacting to the verdict, the BJP and its ally JD(U) said no one was above the law while the RJD claimed its leader fell prey to a "conspiracy" by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the saffron party.

BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain asserted the verdict shows the law was equal for all. JD(U) Secretary General K C Tyagi said a new political chapter has begun with the court's decision and it means politicians will be afraid of committing any such wrongdoing.

Prasad's son and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said in Patna a bail plea will also be moved in the high court.

The court had yesterday concluded arguments on the quantum of sentence against Prasad in connection with the withdrawal of Rs 8.92 million from the Deoghar Treasury between 1990 and 1994 when he was the chief minister of Bihar.

Prasad was given a prison term of five years on September 30, 2013, in another fodder scam case. He was released on bail by the Supreme Court after having remained in jail for over two-and-a-half months.

The CBI special judge had on December 23 acquitted former Bihar chief minister Jagannath Mishra and five others in the case.

In scam case order, former chairman of the Public Accounts Committee Jagdish Sharma was sentenced to a prison term of seven years and fined Rs 2 million while RJD leader R K Rana was jailed for three and six months and fined Rs 1 million.

Three former IAS officers  Beck Julius, Phoolchand Singh and Mahesh Prasad  were given a prison term of three and-a-half years each. A fine of Rs five lakh was also imposed on each of them.

Ex-government official Krishna Kumar was handed down a seven-year prison term and a fine of Rs 2 million while another former government official Subir Bhattacharya was jailed for three years and six months besides a penalty of Rs 1 million.

Transporters/suppliers Tripurari Mohan Prasad got seven years imprisonment and Rs 1 million fine while Sushil Kumar Sinha was given three-and-a half years in jail and a fine of Rs 500,000.

The other transporters/suppliers punished were Sunil Kumar Sinha (three-and-a-half years in prison and Rs five lakh fine), Raja Ram Joshi (three-and-a-half years jail and Rs five lakh penalty), Gopinath Das (seven years jail and Rs ten lakh fine), Sanjay Agarwal (seven years jail and Rs ten lakh fine), Jyoti Kumar Jha (seven years jail and Rs ten lakh fine) and Sunil Gandhi (seven years jail and Rs ten lakh fine).

The court had also heard arguments on the issue of punishment for 10 others convicted in the case.

Earlier today, the court concluded arguments on the quantum of sentence against five other convicts.

The CBI special judge had on December 23 acquitted former Bihar chief minister Jagannath Mishra and five others in the case.

In 1996, the Patna High Court had ordered an inquiry into the fodder scam cases and a charge sheet in the Deogarh Treasury case was filed against 38 people on October 27, 1997.

Eleven of them died and three turned approvers, while two other accused confessed and were convicted in 2006-07, a CBI official said.

On September 30, 2013, Yadav, Jagannath Mishra and several others were convicted in another case pertaining to illegal withdrawal of Rs 377 million from the Chaibasa Treasury in the early 1990s.Senior Congress leader and former law minister said on Saturday the trial court's verdict against RJD chief Lalu Prasad in a fodder scam case was not the final decision and that he deserved bail while respecting the judicial process.

He said the trial court judgement was a part of the legal process that allowed him to appeal against it and seek bail.

"The verdict of the trial court is not the final decision on the alleged culpability of Lalu Prasad whose long record of public service cannot be discounted while respecting the judicial process," he said.

"He deserves to be enlarged on bail persistent with the principles of of our libertarian constitution according to which bail is a rule and jail an exception," he said.

Prasad was sentenced to 3.5 years in jail and fined Rs 10 lakh by the special CBI court in the fodder scam case relating to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from the Deoghar Treasury 21 years ago.A Public Interest Litigation has been filed in the Bombay High Court seeking revocation of a ban on the import of a book published over five decades ago in Portugal that alleged larger conspiracy behind the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.

The PIL has been filed by city-based researcher and trustee of right wing group Abhinav Bharat, Pankaj Phadnis, seeking the court to quash and set aside a notification dated December 29, 1979 issued by the then Union government banning import of the book 'Who Killed Gandhi', authored by Portugal- based writer Lourenco De Sadvandor.

The government, while banning the import of the book, published in 1963, had claimed it was "poorly researched" and "inflammatory", the PIL said.

The petition, however, claims that the ban was arbitrary, untenable and impeaches upon the fundamental right of speech and thought.

Phadnis had last year approached the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the government to re-investigate the assassination of Gandhi.

The apex court, while appointing a amicus curie (lawyer to assist the court in the matter), had queried if the case can be re-investigated after such a long lapse of time.

The Supreme Court posted the petition for hearing on January 12 this year.

Phadnis, in his petition filed before the high court on January 5 seeking revocation of the ban on the import of the book, claimed the book would help in throwing some light on the issue.

"The issue of reinvestigation of the murder is of greatest significance to the Indian public. The book is possibly the most important resource necessary to conduct the petition filed in the Supreme Court," the petition claimed.

The PIL is likely to be mentioned before a division bench of the high court this week.The Centre's move to recapitalise public sector banks (PSBs) has resulted in a surge in credit growth, a sign of revival of private sector investment in the country, a top finance ministry official said today.

Financial services secretary Rajiv Kumar said the banking sector posted a double digit growth on year-on-year basis in December 2017.

"Surge in credit growth: Sustained momentum post-PSB recap decision - Banking sector posts double digit (10.7% Y- o-Y) growth in Dec'17, up from (7.2% Y-o-Y) in Oct'17, powered by #services & #retail," Kumar tweeted.

Earlier this week, Parliament gave its approval for issuance of Rs 800 billion (rpt) crore recapitalisation bonds to PSBs to improve their balance sheets so that their lending capacity is enhanced.

Besides, the finance ministry approved the proposal for infusion of Rs 75.77 billion in six weak public sector banks as part of the recapitalisation plan to bolster capital adequacy ratio.

All these banks, which got capital support, are under the prompt corrective action of the Reserve Bank of India.

The funding comes under Indradhanus plan of the government which promised Rs 700 billion over a period of four years ending March 2019.

Lenders, which will receive capital through the preferential issue of shares, include Bank of India, IDBI Bank, and UCO Bank. The actual fund infusion will take place in the next few weeks after they get necessary regulatory approval, including the nod from shareholders.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in October had announced an unprecedented Rs 2.11 trillion two-year roadmap to strengthen PSBs, reeling under high non-performing assets (NPAs) or bad loans. Their NPAs increased to Rs 7.33 trillion as of June 2017, from Rs 2.75 trillion in March 2015.

The plan includes floating re-capitalisation bonds of Rs 1.35 trillion and raising Rs 580 billion from the market by diluting government's stake.

In the last three-and-a-half years, the government pumped in Rs 518.58 billion capital in the PSBs.Desi cuisine and yoga will mark the start of the five-day annual jamboree of the rich and powerful from across the world in the snow-laden Swiss ski resort town of Davos later this month, where India will be in the spotlight as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to be present for the first time.

The Indian presence is set to be the largest-ever with as many as six Union ministers, two chief ministers, several top government officials and around 100 CEOs (chief executive officers), and among others, already figuring among the registered participants. While there is no ...On a typical spring day last year, dozens of law enforcement agencies around New York state conducted an enforcement campaign called Operation Safe Stop.

The goal was to raise awareness about the state's law that forbids passing school buses stopped to pick up or drop off children. The purpose of the law is obvious  to protect students from getting hurt. And the penalties for violations are not insignificant.

Cuomo wants stiffer penalties for passing stopped NY school buses Gov. Andrew Cuomo will pursue stricter penalties for New York drivers who pass stopped schoo

But apparently the motivation of being cautious while driving near children or avoiding a $250 to $400 fine and possible jail time isn't enough for many drivers.

On that enforcement day last year, with just a portion of bus stops being monitored, 1,037 tickets were issued for passing stopped school buses.

Seeing that result motivated Gov. Andrew Cuomo to push for increased penalties for school bus passing. The specific proposal will come out later this month.

"Extrapolated for 180 days of school, someone passed a stopped school bus 180,000 times a year, endangering the safety of school children," the governor's office wrote in its 2018 State of the State book.The immense popularity of Narendra Modi, Indias most dynamic prime minister in decades, has always rested on two legs: Hindu nationalism and his tantalising promises to build on the countrys go-go economy. That second leg is now looking a little shaky. In the last two years, Indias consumer confidence has plummeted, construction has slowed, the fixed investment rate has fallen, many factories have shut down and unemployment has gone up. Fingers are pointing at Modi. Just about all economists agree that two of the prime ministers biggest policy gambles  ...All railway stations, nearly 8,500 across the country, including those in rural and remote areas - will be equipped with Wi-Fi facilities at an estimated cost of Rs 7 billion.

As part of the government's ambitious Digital India initiative, the national transporter has currently commissioned Wi-Fi services at 216 major stations enabling about seven million rail passengers to log on to the free Internet facility.

"Internet access has now become an important requirement in day-to-day working and we shall be providing this facility at all railway stations in the country," a senior Railway Ministry official said.

According to the the plan finalised at a recent meeting, while 1,200 stations have been identified for this facility to primarily cater to rail passengers, about 7,300 stations have been earmarked to not only serve passengers but also local people in rural and remote areas.

The Wi-FI facility at these stations in rural and remote areas will be offered to the local population as part of the digital makeover of rural India to promote e-governance.

Railway stations in rural areas will have kiosks with Wi-Fi that will become digital hot spots offering services like digital banking, Aadhaar generation, issuing government certificates, including birth and death certificates, and filing taxes and paying bills, among others.

The kiosks will also enable the local populace to order and receive goods from e-commerce portals.

"These kiosks will be operated at stations with private participation for the local population," said the official, adding, "The modalities of setting up such digital hot spots are being worked out with the Telecom Ministry."

As per the timeline, while 600 stations are targeted to be provided with the Wi-FI facility by March 2018, the Railways aim to cover all 8,500 stations by March 2019.

Our aim is to ensure that more and more people get connected to the rail Wi-FI system as the Wi-Fi broadband access to these rail users will aid in implementing the government's Digital India initiative, he said.Shri Ananthkumar to inaugurate 18th All India Whips Conference, to be held at Udaipur on 8th - 9th January, 2018



Government proposes Rolling out e-Sansad and e-Vidhan in Parliament and State Legislatures to digitize and make their functioning paperless



States and Union territories to present Action-Taken Reports on recommendation of the 16th and 17th Whips conferences held in Goa and Visakhapatnam respectively





The crucial issue of Efficient Functioning of Legislatures will be deliberated by the Whips of Parliament and Legislatures and the Ministers of Parliamentary Affairs of various States during a two-day Conference beginning on Monday, January 8, 2018 in Udaipur, Rajasthan. Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Chemicals & Fertilizers, Shri Ananthkumar will inaugurate the 18th All India Whips Conference, which will also consider, inter alia, the rolling out of e-Sansad and e-Vidhan in Parliament and State Legislatures to digitize and make their functioning paperless. This Conference is being organized by the Union Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs (MoPA) and the Government of Rajasthan. Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Smt. Vasundhara Raje Scindia would be the Chief Guest for the Inaugural Session of the Conference.

Shri Vijay Goel, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Statistics and Programme Implementation and Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, would also grace the Inaugural session and chair different deliberation sessions during the Conference.

e-Sansad and e-Vidhan are mission mode projects of Government of India under Digital India, to make the functioning of Parliament and State Legislatures paperless. MoPA is the Nodal Ministry for implementation of both the projects. According to the agenda prepared by MoPA for the Conference, these projects would make the functioning of Parliament and State Legislatures participative, responsive, transparent, productive and more accountable to the public and make the entire Legislative process more efficient. Further, this environment friendly initiative is in line with the Go Green initiative of the Government.

Some States have made good progress in the field of automation of their Legislatures, yet consumption of huge volume of papers is still going on in these States. In order to address this issue and economize the entire Legislative process, e-Vidhan is proposed to be implemented in all the States/ UTs with Legislatures. For rolling out e-Vidhan in the State legislatures, funding to the maximum extent would be provided by the MoPA. The Delegates of the Whips Conference would deliberate on the issue and make suggestions/ recommendations for making the rolling out of e-Vidhan a success.

Other agenda items for deliberation during the Conference would include steps to be taken to ensure Efficient Functioning of Legislatures, while the States and Union territories will present Action-Taken Reports on recommendation of the 16th and 17th Whips conferences held in Goa in 2014 and Visakhapatnam in 2015, respectively.

Further, the Whips Conference would make other recommendations for smooth and efficient working of Parliament and the State Legislatures in the light of the experience gained by the Whips. The Union Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs would then forward these recommendations to the (i) the State Chief Ministers; (ii) Ministers-in-charge of Department of Parliamentary Affairs in the State Governments; and (iii) Presiding Officers of the State Legislatures and all the invitees to the conference, for information and necessary action.

A whip is an important member of a political partys parliamentary body, having a central role in Floor Management in both the Houses of Parliament and is responsible for discipline within the party. Their main job is ensuring that their members in Parliament and legislature vote in line with the partys official policy on important issues and make sure that the members turn out for important votes. Such an importance of Whips in the Parliamentary system had been acknowledged by organizing the First All India Whips Conference at Indore in 1952, in the very first year of general elections to the First Lok Sabha.President Donald Trump, shelving comparisons about the size of a "nuclear button", said he is open to talking with the North Korean leader he's called "Little Rocket Man" and hopes some progress results from upcoming talks between the Koreas.

Trump, who last year lambasted his chief diplomat for talking about negotiations with the nuclear-armed North, told reporters at Camp David that some dialogue or direct conversation with Kim Jong Un was not beyond the realm of possibility.

"Sure, I always believe in talking," Trump said. "Absolutely, I would do that, I wouldn't have a problem with that at all." But he was quick to add that any talks would come with conditions, which he did not specify.

The first formal talks between North and South in more than two years are set to take place in a border town Tuesday as the rivals try to find ways to cooperate on the Winter Olympics in the South and to improve their ties. Tensions are high because of the North's nuclear and missile programs.

"Right now they're talking Olympics. It's a start, it's a big start," Trump said during a question-and-answer session after meetings with GOP leaders in Congress and Cabinet members on the administration's 2018 legislative agenda.

Kim "knows I'm not messing around. I'm not messing around, not even a little bit, not even one per cent. He understands that," Trump said.

Assessing next week's discussions, Trump said "if something can happen and something can come out of those talks, that would be a great thing for all of humanity. That would be a great thing for the world."



The president also said that he had spoken with South Korean leader Moon Jae-in, who "thanks me very much for my tough stance."



"You have to have a certain attitude and you have to be prepared to do certain things and I'm totally prepared to do that," Trump said, contending his tough words have helped persuade the North to sit down with the South.

Trump had tweeted last week: "Does anybody really believe that talks and dialogue would be going on between North and South Korea right now if I wasn't firm, strong and willing to commit our total 'might' against the North."



His administration on Thursday agreed to delay joint military exercises with South Korea until after the Olympics. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis insisted the move was a practical necessity to accommodate the Olympics and was not a political gesture.

Trump and Kim have traded barbs recently about their nuclear arsenals.

In a New Year's address, Kim said he has a "nuclear button" on his office desk and warned that "the whole territory of the US is within the range of our nuclear strike".At least three people were killed and 36 injured when a bus overturned on a highway in central China's Hubei Province.

The accident took place at around 6:50 p.m. yesterday in Suizhou City of Hubei, the city government said.

The bus was travelling from Shanghai to Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province. The bus was carrying 46 people.

Three people were killed and 36 injured when the bus overturned on the highway. Four persons were seriously injured, state-run Xinhua news agency reported today.

Fatal road accidents are a serious problem in China, where traffic regulations are often flouted.

The country's frequently overcrowded long-distance buses are prone to accidents, with individual incidents regularly causing many deaths.US President asserted on Saturday that everything he has done is 100 per cent "proper" and there has been no collusion between between him and Russia in the 2016 presidential elections.

Trump told reporters that a new report in The New York Times that he directed the White House Counsel to lobby Attorney General Jess Sessions not to rescue himself from the Russian investigation was way off.

"Everything I have done is 100 per cent proper. That is what I do, is I do things proper," Trump told reporters at a press conference in the Camp David, a picturesque presidential retreat of Maryland, where he is holding meetings with his Republican leaders in the Congress.

"Everything that I've done was 100 percent proper. The story, by the way, in The Times was way off, or at least off," Trump said in response to a question.

Trump reiterated that there has been no collusion between him, his campaign and the alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential elections.

"I guess the collusion now is dead. There's been no collusion between us and the Russians. Now, there has been collusion between Hillary Clinton, the (Democratic National Committee) and the Russians. Unfortunately, you people don't cover that very much. But the only collusion is between Hillary and the Russians and the DNC," he said.

"You will find out," he said when asked how The New York Times story was way off. Trump said that he stands with his Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

Trump also said he is not under investigation, "maybe" his presidential opponent Hillary Clinton is.

"Just so you understand, there's been no collusion. There's been no crime. And in theory, everybody tells me I'm not under investigation. Maybe Hillary is, I don't know, but I'm not," he said.Refuting the reports of Imran Khan's marriage, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Sunday said he has not been married 'yet' but proposed marriage to a woman named Bushra Maneka.

"To set the record straight, Mr Khan proposed marriage to Ms Bushra Maneka; but Ms Maneka asked for time to make a final decision after consulting her family, including her children," the PTI tweeted."

"If and when the proposal is accepted by Ms Maneka for the marriage, Mr Khan will announce it publicly in the proper manner. Till then we request the media to give the two families, especially the children, their privacy," the tweet added.

Maneka is the lady Imran has been visiting for spiritual guidance for quite some time.

Yesterday, it was reported that the PTI chief got married on New Year's Day in Lahore.

According to The News' report, Imran Khan tied the knot with a woman he used to visit for spiritual guidance.

"The PTI chairman inaugurated 2018 by tying the knot with the woman on the night of January 1 in Lahore and came straight from there the next day to appear before the anti-terrorism court in Islamabad that granted him bail", the report said.

"The nikah was performed by Mufti Saeed, a member of PTI core committee, who was also the 'nikah khawan' when Imran publicly entered into marriage with Reham Khan on January 8, 2015, amid reports of secret nikah in November 2014", it added.

When Mufti was asked about Imran Khan's new marriage, he didn't give a clear answer.

Imran Khan's political secretary Awn Chaudry and PTI spokesman Naeem Ul Haq, who reportedly attended the wedding, categorically denied the reports.

"This is irresponsible yellow journalism. I had categorically denied the veracity of this planted gossip to Cheema. Totally concocted story", he tweeted.

Considering my 35-year-long association and keeping in view the fact that I have been privy to his personal life, he noted, I can say with absolute confidence that nothing like this occurred. Even if he marries, he will do after the general elections of 2018", Naeem said.

The report further said that the wedding ceremony took place at the residence of a close confidante of the bride who also happens to be a friend of a PTI leader.

While his first marriage with Jemima Khan ended in divorce after nine years on June 22, 2004, the second marriage with Reham Khan continued barely for 10 months.

The second marriage was publicly announced on January 8, 2015.North and South Korea have agreed on the composition of the delegations which will participate in the first high-level meeting on Tuesday between the two countries after over two years, the Unification Ministry said here on Sunday.

Pyongyang informed Seoul of its five-member delegation earlier in the day, which will be led by Ri Son-gwon, head of his country's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea (CPRK), reports Efe news.

On Saturday, Seoul had proposed a delegation led by Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon and four other members.

On January 5, Pyongyang accepted Seoul's proposal of holding the meeting in Panmunjom on to discuss sending North Korean athletes to the Winter Olympics, to be held in South Korea's Pyeongchang county in February, as well as discussing a general improvement in relations.

The decision came after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un expressed a desire for rapprochement with the South and to send a delegation to participate in the Pyeongchang games, making Seoul and Washington postpone their annual joint military drill.

North Korea's participation in Pyeongchang and a rapprochement between the two Koreas could contribute to easing regional tensions caused by Pyongyang's consistent ballistic weapons tests and US President Donald Trump's belligerent rhetoric throughout 2017.The Embassy in New Delhi on Sunday discarded the reports of its Ambassador to Pakistan Walid Abu Ali being reinstated.

"We don't know from where you got this information about Ambassador to Pakistan being reinstated. As per our knowledge, he is very much in as of now", the Palestine Embassy in New Delhi told ANI.

In addition, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry also denied this information, saying, "Our ambassador in Pakistan is in Palestine and our position was declared by our official statement which we have published last week".

Earlier in the day, Pakistani media reported that Palestine has reinstated its ambassador to Pakistan Walid Abu Ali, who was recently recalled for attending a rally organised by the Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC), where he shared a stage with 26/11 attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed.

Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) chairman Maulana Tahir Ashrafi was quoted as saying that Walid Abu Ali would return to Pakistan on Wednesday to resume his duty.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the country's Chief Justice were reportedly requested by Ashrafi to reinstate Walid Abu Ali, in the backdrop of the ambassador's services rendered to Pakistan.

Earlier in December, Palestine had decided to call back Walid Abu Ali after he shared the stage with the United Nations-designated terrorist and the 26/11 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed during an event in Rawalpindi and branded the incident as "deeply regrettable".

The move unfolded as India stated that the Palestinian envoy's association with Saeed was "unacceptable".

After India's objection, Palestinian Ambassador to India Adnan Abu Al Haija told ANI: "We are supporting India in its fight against terrorism and because of that my government decided to directly call our Ambassador to go back home and not to be a Palestine ambassador to Pakistan anymore".

He also assured India and Palestine would deal with the matter appropriately.

Pakistan had defended Walid Abu Ali after he was recalled from his post by saying that the Ambassador has participated in many of the meetings held in the country and that the public meeting in question was "yet another demonstration of the Pakistani strong sentiments in support of the Palestinian cause".

Domestic and newer credit-rating agencies (CRAs) have said certain practices in the industry need to be addressed even as the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has sought to streamline the processes and create a level playing field.

On December 28 last year, after its final board meeting for 2017, Sebi amended the regulations related to CRAs in the country. The regulator has said that apart from a Rs 250 million minimum net-worth requirement, up from Rs 50 million, the promoters of CRAs need to maintain at least 26 per cent for a minimum of three years from the date ...At least one person died and one other was injured in an explosion near a Stockholm metro station on Sunday morning.

The 60-year-old deceased was among the two injured who were rushed to the hospital.

According to the Anadolu news agency, the blast occurred at 11:07 am (local time) at the Varby Gard metro station, situated in the southern part of the city.

A fire department spokesman Lars-Ake Stevelind said earlier: "An improvised explosive device may have been detonated". Two people, aged 45 and 60, have been rushed to the nearest hospital".

The local media quoted Stockholm's police force as saying that the man succumbed from his injuries while being rushed to the hospital.

"There was something on the ground that the man picked up, and then it exploded", Sven-Erik Olsson of the Stockholm police said.

The police force refuted claims that the man was unlikely to have been purposely targeted by whoever left the explosive at the metro station.

The Aftonbladet newspaper reported that the blast was from was a hand grenade, though this is yet to be confirmed by the police.

The metro station has been shut and nearby areas have been cordoned off from the public as an investigation is currently on.

It is yet to be ascertained whether it is a terrorist incident or not.

Stockholm is on high alert since the April 2017 attack in the heart of the city, when a truck was deliberately driven through the crowd, killing five people and injuring 14 in the process.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Afghan police forces have rescued a 12-year-old boy, who was abducted from the outskirts of Kabul by the militants for suicide bombing.

The boy, who got kidnapped a few days ago, was rescued during an operation from the vicinity of Jalrez district, reported Khaama Press, citing the local security officials in Afghan's Wardak province as saying.

No comments have been received from the anti-government armed militant groups including the Taliban insurgents on the report by far.

This was the third abduction case that had been solved by Wardak's police in the past one month, TOLO news quoted the local officials as saying.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)More than 1,500 families out of those forced to leave their homes due to the violence in war-torn Syria have returned to the city of al-Zabadani after the security forces restored peace in the region.

According to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), Damascus Countryside Governor Alaa Ibrahim on Saturday announced that the people have returned as the efforts were taken by the governorate and the city council to rebuild streets, power grid, the telephone network, and sewer system.

While touring the city, the governor stressed that the contracts assigned to clear of rubble and the wreckage from the city.

Ibrahim also inspected the services provided by the government and heard the grievances, suggestions, and problems of the citizens. He has assigned the town council to follow up and resolve them.

Several new projects will begin to rehabilitate the damaged infrastructure in some areas of Daraya city this year, which contributes to the return of 100,000 people, he added.

Meanwhile, Chairman of Damascus Countryside Chamber of Commerce Osama Mustafa said that 90 percent of hotel and restaurant owners in Bloudan have resumed their work and have assured that by summer all tourist facilities in the city will be operational.

Syria has been embroiled in a civil war since 2011. Protesters have been long demanding the resignation of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over his autocratic rule.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)32 crew members have gone missing after an oil tanker collided with a bulk freighter in China's eastern coast.

The missing crew members include 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis.

The collision occurred on Saturday night in waters about 160 sea miles east of the Yangtze River's estuary, Xinhua news agency reported citing China's Ministry of Transport.

According to the ministry, all the Chinese nationals on the bulk freighter have been rescued.

Eight vessels have dispatched by the Chinese maritime authorities for search and rescue operation.

South Korea has dispatched a coast guard ship and a fixed-wing aircraft to assist in the search and rescue operation.At least nine terrorists belonging to Afghanistan's Taliban were killed and 18 others were injured in an operation by the security forces of the National Directorate of Security (NDS) in southern Helmand province.

The NDS said in a statement that the operation was launched in Garemsir district of the province to clear the insurgents. Three local Taliban commanders were also arrested, reported the Tolo News.

"The forces have also seized some weapons and explosives during the operation", the statement added.

The Taliban hasn't commented on the incident so far.

Yesterday, a key Taliban leader, who was leading the financial affairs and providing logistics for the militants, was killed in an airstrike in southern Helmand province.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched a scathing attack on Karnataka Chief Minister Siddarmaiah and the Congress party in view of the upcoming Assembly election in the state.

The chief minister said that Siddarmaiah is following the footsteps of Congress president Rahul Gandhi who used to visit temple and talk about Hindutva ahead of the Gujarat assembly polls.

Addressing a BJP rally in Bengaluru, Adityanath said, "I saw a news report where in chief minister Siddaramaih was saying that he was a Hindu. After seeing your strength he is now talking about Hindutva in the same manner as Rahul Gandhi was visiting temple in Gujarat."

He further questioned Siddarmaiah as to why he advocates for beef eaters if he was a Hindu.

"Hindutva is a method of living. It should not be linked with religion, caste, belief or prayer. Hindutva does not advocate eating beef. I want to ask the chief minister that if he was a Hindu and supports Hindutva then is it right to endorse eating beef?" Adityanath asked.

"When BJP government was in power in Karnataka we introduced a bill to impose a complete ban on killing of cow but Congress didn't allow to pass it," he added.

Accusing Congress of dividing people in the name of religion, the chief minister said, that the party has become a burden on the nation because of its corruption and divisive policies.

"During election, Congress tries to divide you in the name of religion. Karnataka should have become a developed state by now, but the Congress has pushed it in backward direction in the last five years. BJP needs to come in power in Karnataka to develop the state and help the youth and farmers. Congress has nothing to with development," he said.

Citing example of Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat assembly elections, where the BJP stood victorious, Adiyantah said that the Congress has been uprooted from several states

Adityanath, who arrived in Bengaluru on Saturday night, earlier in the day also met Nirmalananda Swami in Adichunchanagiri Math.

He is also scheduled to take part in 'parivartan yatra' of BJP which was flagged off by party chief Amit Shah in November in the run-up to the Assembly poll.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday hit out at Yogi Adityanath led-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government after the exterior walls of a Haj house was painted in saffron and said that changing the paint is not a symbol of development.

This comes after the boundary walls of the Haj House, which were painted saffron earlier was repainted to its original colour on Saturday.

"Painting the Haj house saffron is not a symbol of development. What is more important is the work we do. When they faced the wrath of the people they said that they were painting the building in cream colour and repainted it," Akhilesh said while addressing the media here.

He even lashed out at the state government after quintals of potatoes were found dumped outside the Uttar Pradesh assembly building in protest by farmers and accused the government of turning into a deaf ear to the plea of the farmers.

The former chief minister of the state even accused the government of making tall promises and failing to stand up to those.

"The government is wondering from where the potatoes came outside the state legislative assembly. If they would have brought the potatoes on fair prices, it wouldn't have been dumped on the streets," he said.

He even scoffed the government after they "failed to provide sweater to the school children in the state", and said that the people should not have false hope from a government, which can't even provide sweaters in the cold.

Akhilesh even demanded a compensation of five lakhs for the family of the people who lost their lives due to cold this season.

Accusing the ruling government of taking credit for the work done by the Samajwadi Party (SP), Akhilesh said that the ruling government did not contribute to any development in the state.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)With an aim to promote skill development in northeast India, the centre and the states have been rolling out various projects.

In a recent step in this direction, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated various skill development centres across the state.

Focusing on the need to nurture skilled manpower in the state, Sonowal recently inaugurated around 249 skill centres in the state to impart vocational training to the native youth and help them become financially independent.

The centres were inaugurated as a part of a programme organized by Department of Skill, Employment and Entrepreneurship at Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra in Guwahati.

"Assam is a state of immense and vast potentialities. Knowledge and skill are the two elements for an empowered life and necessary to realize the potentials. If we don't have knowledge or the mental capacity to understand the potentialities, socio-economic progress cannot gather speed without them. Our youth must give a new dimension to the pace of state's development by acquiring knowledge and enhancing their skills," Sonowal said.

Around 18,000 youths from all across the state will be imparted training for various skills and by March 31 this year, around 1.5 lakh youths would be trained on trade under the state government's initiative.

Keeping in view the problems faced by educated, unemployed youths of the state and the region as a whole, the Assam government is also planning to set up foreign language learning centres in the state to open job avenues for the youth abroad.

Highlighting the inherent potentialities of Assam, a state brimming with youth power, Sonowal said that economic foundation of the state would be bolstered by skilled manpower.

He added that setting up of skill development training centres was an effort to carry forward the Prime Minister's vision of skilfull youth through Skill India programme.

Moreover, the Assam government has signed a MoU with the Government of Singapore under which a skill development centre of international standards will be set up in Mangaldoi.

According to official data, 10,000 youths of the state would undergo training in the centre.

Training will be given in various fields such as manufacturing, hospitality, beautician training programme and other private sectors.

Thousands of youths from across the state attended the inauguration ceremonies of skill centres and expressed their happiness at being given a chance to train professionally to hone their skills.

Launching of the skill centres will not only cater to the need of the youths of the region but will help them realizing their abilities in various sectors and accordingly work upon it for a better and a brighter future.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A suspected member of Lashkar-e-Taiba was on Sunday arrested from Hajin's Banyari village in Jammu and Kashmir's Bandipora district.

Working on intelligence tip-off under the supervision of Bandipora SSP, movement of one suspicious person was noticed, during the intervening night of January 6 and 7.

When the said suspicious person found himself encircled by the forces he surrendered himself.

One AK-47 magazine with 30 bullets among other arms & ammunition were recovered from his possession.

During the preliminary questioning, the subject disclosed his name as Idrees Ahmed Baba son of Muzaffar Ahmed Baba and he is working hands in glove with banned outfit LeT.

An FIR has been registered in Hajin police station in the regard.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah on Sunday launched an attack on the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) in Tripura for spreading violence, saying that the former cannot stop them from rising in the Left-ruled state.

Ahead of the Assembly elections in Tripura, the BJP Chief, while addressing a public rally here, said, "I would like to tell the Manik government that the BJP will not cower down by violence. The more you spread the mud of violence, the better will be the Lotus blossom".

He added that more than seven lakh people, out of the 37 lakh population of Tripura, are registered in the unemployment list.

"The health facilities here are inadequate. This is what was done here in the past 25 years by the ruling state government. But not the countdown has begun. The BJP will form the government here in March. Even if the corrupt goes underground, our party will dig the earth and bring them out," Shah asserted.

He further said that the Tripura government is not taking any action against the culprits of chit fund because the entire Cabinet of Manik government will be behind the bars.

The Assembly elections in the states will be held in March.

Both Nagaland and Tripura have been two of the few states where the BJP has not formed a government.

In the current Nagaland assembly, the Naga People's Front (NPF) hold the majority.

Meanwhile, in Tripura Assembly, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has been enjoying majority, while Chief Minister Manik Sarkar has been at the helm since 1998.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Two District Reserve Guard (DRG) jawans and two civilian women were injured in three separate IED blasts carried out by Naxals in Chhattisgarh on Sunday, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Sundarraj P informed.

As per the DIG, DRG jawan Shankar Phulse sustained critical injuries in a blast near Burji village in Gangaloor. He was taken to a local hospital and later shifted to Raipur for better treatment.

Another DRG jawan sustained minor blast injuries near Biriabhoomi in Dantewada district. He is currently undergoing treatment at a local hospital.

Civilians in Gangaloor's Pusnar village also fell victim to the Naxal forces' notoriety, as two women sustained splinter injuries in a pressure IED explosion in the forest area. Both women are being taken to Bijapur for treatment.

Yesterday, an encounter took place in Gangaloor and the body of a Naxal was recovered in the aftermath.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Indian healthcare sector has seen a rapid transformation, mainly on the backdrop of technological advancements of the recent past.

While the quality of healthcare Services may have gone up, the cost and complexity have seen a significant hike. In this landscape, there have been many online healthcare platforms (OHP) that have emerged to 'democratise' the healthcare system.

Within the value chain of the healthcare system that connects patients, service providers (hospitals, clinics etc.), and doctors, we are now seeing the emergence of OHPs that are straddling very specific pieces of this chain.

Here are five such platforms that have recently revolutionised healthcare in the country:

Credihealth

Credihealth is an online healthcare marketplace that provides end-to-end services including information on various medical ailments, doctors, hospitals, treatments and their implications and post-treatment care. Their core business lies in providing its customers with detailed information about hospitals and healthcare providers. They help people to search for doctors and hospitals across major cities in India, book appointments with the doctor of their choice, also helping in getting quotes from hospitals for any treatment or surgery.

Practo

Sequoia Capital-funded Practo provides healthcare solutions for healthcare providers and consumers. Practo Search lets patients browse through doctor profiles online and book appointments, while Practo Ray, serves as a practice management solution for healthcare providers to manage patient data and digital healthcare records. The company has also added specialty-specific modules for physicians, pediatricians and dentists to Practo Ray. The platform helps people with assessing issues, finding the right doctor, booking diagnostic tests, obtaining medicines, storing records or learning new ways to live healthier.

Portea

The platform provides doctors, nurses, and physiotherapists for home visits who have passed their hiring standards and have had their backgrounds and medical knowledge verified by senior doctors. It also facilitates lab tests at home and medical equipment rentals.

EasyBuyHealth

This platform allows patients to choose across price and quality of service, and pay in installments if needed. All patient records are automatically digitised, thus enabling predictive, outcome-based healthcare advice to its customers.

Zoctr

Zoctr is a home healthcare aggregator platform that integrates several health services like doctor appointments, home health services, remote monitoring services, laboratory, pharmacy, medical equipment, telehealth, and ambulatory support. The platform offers supportive and palliative care and is present in Pune, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi, Ahmedabad, and Kolkata.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Iran government reportedly arrested its former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in south-central Iran's Shiraz for inciting the December 28 anti-government protests that have engulfed different parts of the country.

The arrest came after the former president made provocative statements related to the protests last week in Bushehr.

The local authorities are likely to detain Ahmadinejad under house arrest with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's approval, the Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper added, citing 'reliable sources in Tehran'.

In a rally in Bushehr in late December, Ahmadinejad had said: "Iran is suffering from mismanagement and the Rouhani government (Hassan Rouhani) believes that they own the land and that the people are an ignorant society".

"Some of the current leaders live detached from the problems and concerns of the people, and do not know anything about the reality of the society", the newspaper quoted him as saying.

Iran's fifth head of the judicial system, Amole Larijani, had also accused Ahmadinejad of inciting protests.

The former Iranian president spoke about Larijani in a videotaped statement, sarcastically saying: "I have no children spying for the West, I have no brothers who are actively smuggling goods, and I do not steal land to raise my cattle".

Along with Ahmadinejad, a prominent Shiite cleric and politician Mehdi Karroubi and former Iranian prime minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi were also detained and put under house arrest.

Iran is still witnessing a wave of demonstrations, being held in many cities across the country as people took to raising anti-government slogans, over alleged corruption and rising prices that plagued the people of the country earlier this week.

Khamenei on Tuesday, blamed the country's 'enemies' to instigate the ongoing anti-government protests. Also, Rouhani said in last week that the people of Iran were free to protest peacefully, but rejected protesting by violence.

The country has deployed Iraq's Popular Mobilisation Forces and Afghan mercenaries in order to stem the anti-government protests. The authorities have blocked two popular social media apps- Telegram and Instagram, as a security measure.

Also, three protesters were reportedly shot dead by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in central Iran last week. More casualties are feared as well.

The official death toll in the anti-government protests is, as of now, 20. Thousands of protesters have been arrested in the last few days.

(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 on Sunday appealed to Pakistan and India to hold talks to bring peace in the Valley.

"I appealed to Pakistan and our country's head (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) to get the people of Kashmir out of this mud. I urge them to hold dialogue and befriend each other", she said while addressing a rally in Anantnag.

She further asked both the nations to resolve their issues and safeguard the soldiers.

Kashmir has been bearing the brunt of India and Pakistan's rivalry since a long time with the cases of unprovoked firing, ceasefire violation and stone pelting increasing in the state.

Earlier, the Centre appointed Dineshwar Sharma as interlocutor for the Valley to hold a "sustained dialogue with all stakeholders" to find a political solution to the Kashmir issue.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Bhoiwada court on Sunday sent the owner of 'Mojo Bistro' restaurant, Yug Pathak, to police custody till January 12 in Mumbai's Kamala Mills fire case.

Pathak was arrested by Mumbai Police yesterday.

A huge fire had broken out at the Kamla Mills compound in the Lower Parel locality of Mumbai in the wee hours of December 29, killing 14 people and injuring 12.

In an enquiry report submitted to the Municipal Commissioner by the Enquiry Committee, it was stated that the fire started from the Mojo's Bistro and not from '1 Above' as believed earlier.

The report also stated that there were several violations of fire safety norms by both Mojo's Bistro and 1 Above.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A small crowd lighted candles in the capital city of Madhya Pradesh to pay tribute to the five children killed in a school bus mishap.

The Indore Police on Saturday arrested two people in connection with the Friday's road accident here that claimed the lives of the school goers and the bus driver.

District Collector Nishant Warwade had, earlier in the day, said that a magisterial inquiry was ordered into the incident.

"The responsibility of schools in such cases would be fixed to ensure children's safety in the future. The government has issued guidelines for schools after a school bus accident in Bhopal. We will fix the responsibility on schools to ensure the safety of children," Warwade told ANI.

He added: "We have asked the police for assistance in the matter and for best medical aid to be given to those injured. Also proud that the parents of Kirti Agarwal, one of the students who passed away, donated her eyes and skin."

The incident took place at the Kanadia Road after a Delhi Public School (DPS) bus collided with a truck.

Of the total 16 students, eight suffered severe injuries in the mishap. They were later rushed to a nearby hospital.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan expressed condolences on Twitter saying, "I pray to God for the peace of the innocent children who lost their lives in the road accident in Indore and the power to families to bear this mishappening.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)